New name, and clearer focus for church

The Rev. Kirk Brantner has been getting lots of questions in recent weeks -- ever since the name of his Cumberland Baptist Church disappeared off the side of the building and off the lit sign out front at 1500 E. Central Road.

And when the name of "Life Community Church" appeared on a temporary sign, it appeared to passersby that the building had been sold to a new congregation.

But Brantner says that his congregation, which formed a church in Des Plaines' Cumberland School more than 50 years ago before building their current structure, is still alive and well and in residence at the eastern Mount Prospect location.

"We just changed the name of our church," he explained. "We actually did it back in August, but it took awhile to get around to changing the signs."

"Our theology hasn't changed," Brantner added. "We are still affiliated with the Baptist General Conference. But, thanks to television and the movies, a recent poll showed that 87 percent of people had a negative view of Baptists."

In fact, Brantner himself has watched 15 Protestant and Evangelical churches in this area close over the last 10 years because, he said, "they had cut themselves off from the community and thus, lost touch with it."

Those factors combined to convince Brantner and his 100-member flock that they needed to change their focus and make their church community-based if they wanted to survive.

"We are being missional now and reaching out to the community in every way we can think of," he explained. "I have been here for 20 years now and I always say that we are Mount Prospect's best-kept secret. But we can't afford to be that anymore."

So they are holding open Karaoke Coffee Houses on the last Friday of each month. They are also involved in extensive pre-marriage counseling for couples and are holding a weight loss program on Monday nights.

"We are also well-known for our prayer chain," Brantner said, a ministry from which people can request prayers.

This fall they started serving coffee from 6 to 8 a.m. every Monday for anyone who wanted to pull into their parking lot for a cup. That will resume in March when the weather improves, Brantner said.

"We also try to 'plant' a new church every few years," he added. "We have started two Korean churches, one Japanese church and one Brazilian church. We also started Grace Point Church in Belvidere about two years ago and sent a number of people out there to get it started. It now has a congregation of about 250 people."

Youth baseball/softball registration: Registration for 2008 youth baseball is right around the corner, even if spring still seems a long way off. Registration will be held at RecPlex, 420 W. Dempster St., from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday and Jan 19 and from 6:30 to 9 p.m., Tuesday. A $25 late fee will be charged after those dates.

Resident fees range from $55 per child for 5-year-old Wee-Tee boys and girls to $140 per person for older baseball and softball players. Nonresident fees are slightly higher. Check with the park district for exact fees.

Softball players, as well as Bronco and Pony baseball players must attend registration to be sized for new uniforms. New players must present a birth or baptismal certificate at the time of registration.

For additional information contact Harry Witzke at (847) 899-1619 or visit the Mount Prospect Park District's Web site at www.mppd.org/youthbaseball/softball.