Albert Yalung
A Retrospective and The Way Forward

Man-made solutions are good in themselves, but let the gospel be front and center of our work in this fallen world.

Being Village
Bob Stevenson
On Singing

Let’s be straight: congregational singing is awkward now. If you come to church on Sunday, you’re going to be singing through a mask, surrounded by…empty space. It’s weird. And if you’ve been tuning on online, I’m pretty confident you definitely feel this. Church music piped through your TV just isn’t the same.

We’re in a strange place. And it’s temping to withdraw from the uncomfortable. But you shouldn’t. Here’s why.

Being Village
Bob Stevenson
On Community

How does church happen in a pandemic? This is a question we’ve all been wresting with these past four months. Now that we’re beginning to reopen on a limited basis, changing expectations and practices once more, it’s worth considering the question afresh. How does church happen when we’re sort of reopened?

Village Updates
Bob Stevenson
The Wisdom of Reopening Village

On May 20th, we released our Village Together plan—a five phase plan to reopen Village safely and wisely. On Friday, May 29, Illinois and Village officially moved in to phase three, permitting groups of 10 or fewer to meet with proper social distancing protocols in place. However, on Thursday, May 28, Governor Pritzker released new guidelines for houses of worship, and explained that these guidelines were not mandatory, but rather recommended as “best practices” for resuming worship services. And so, in light of these two things—moving into phase three and the new guidance for churches—what’s next for Village? Are we ready to go? Or do we continue on with our plan?

The Wisdom of Reopening Village
Julie Sendelbach
The Middle Way

As we move into week 11 of this pandemic, now that school is done, stores are still restricted, many activities are cancelled and the summer looming ahead—how can we see this summer as a time of middle ground? A time of refreshment and rest; of creative play and work; a time for family discipleship and ministry? Many of us have the extra time now. How will we use it?

The Middle Way

Christmas and the Cross

Christmas and the Cross

Christmas, and the advent season leading up to it, serves as a rich time of reflection for Jesus’ people. The incarnation—the act of God the Son taking on our humanity—is an astounding event, one worthy of our attention and focus on an annual basis. Nothing like it has ever happened before, and the significance of its happening can hardly be overstated.

Conversations

Conversations

Prayer is a way for us to see and seek the heart of God. Do we see God as utterly separate and removed from us—too holy for us to approach with our mundane worries and requests—or do we heed the call of Hebrews 4:16 to, because of Jesus, “with confidence draw near to the throne of grace”?