Bloomingdale Church to celebrate 30 years of service
Bloomingdale Church is going to have a busy spring, with work to add about 9,600 square feet to their building and the approach of the its 30th anniversary celebration.
But leaders say their anniversary events, scheduled for April 5-6, will be low-key and remain focused on the church's main mission.
According to the mission statement, "We want to help people know Jesus Christ as Lord by being a caring, learning, worshiping, praying and outreaching community."
The focus at 6 p.m. April 5 will be the Praise and Prayer service featuring some of the church's praise band members playing guitars.
Following the service, there will be a pie social in the church gym, where church members can buy pies and visit the ministry booths. A video of the church's history also will be shown.
The ministry booths will highlight outreach efforts in the community, including Awana, Alpha classes, Sunday school, children's church, Joy Junction Preschool, annual day camp, and the teen coffee house -- The Solid Grounds.
Testimonials will mark the celebration at the 11 a.m. service April 6, but a service also will be at 8:30 a.m. During the regular Sunday school hour between the services, there will be a free brunch.
The Rev. David Riemenschneider, the church's founding and senior pastor, will preside over the weekend events.
Riemenschneider had just graduated from seminary in Denver in 1977 when he received a letter from the Bishop of the Christian Missionary Alliance that plans were being made for a church in Bloomingdale, a rapidly growing community.
"We got help from people at the Lombard Bible Church and the Blanchard Road Alliance Church in Wheaton," he said. "We got money from a local man who never came to this church. He stayed at his home church and supported this new church because he was a selfless man. He was a forward-thinking man."
The church was founded April 2, 1978, with four or five families as its core. They started meeting in Marquardt School on Glen Ellyn Road in Glendale Heights, Riemenschneider said.
The church's initial structure was completed in 1979 on five acres on Glen Ellyn Road in Bloomingdale.
"We thought this was the right thing to do. It was an adventure," Riemenschneider said. "Today we have a very strong congregation with a strong ministry to children."
A big part of the church's commitment comes in the form of the coffee house, open to all teens Friday nights.
"We average about 70 teens on a Friday night. It's a safe, clean place for them to hang out, and they don't have to be a church member to come here," Riemenschneider said.
Another popular ministry is the vacation Bible school, which welcomes about 350 to 400 children annually in kindergarten through sixth grade. Teenage church members volunteer at the camp, a learning experience for them, too.
"The teens learn to give. That's reinforced and they learn that's what Christianity is," Riemenschneider said.
During the school year, the church also offers Awana, the Christian program that teaches about the Bible through games, and preschool classes September through May.
The church's current building expansion of a two-story brick addition connected to the main church facility will make it easier to hold all the programs the congregation offers.
The new addition will provide room for more classrooms, a new kitchen, an elevator, a library, additional restrooms and more parking.
This project is the fourth building addition to the church's main building and is scheduled to be completed early this summer.
"We needed a larger room for assembly space and events like banquets. This building is used non-stop," Riemenschneider said.
In addition to the children's programs held at the church, there are plenty of programs for adults.
Alpha class is held twice a year for new believers and those who have questions about life and Christ; a money management class led by a CPA meets Wednesdays; adult education classes are held Wednesday evenings; and men's and women's Bible study classes are held throughout the week.
With 250 adult members, Riemenschneider calls his congregation a nice mix of seniors, those in their 40s and 50s, young families and young adults.
"I keep the emphasis on the most important thing -- study the Bible and make Christ the center of life. I still love it after 30 years," Riemenschneider said.
For details, call (630) 894-0090 or visit www.bloomingdalechurch.org.
If you go
What:Bloomingdale Church celebrates its 30th anniversary
When:6 p.m. Praise and Prayer and 7 p.m. pie social April 5; 8:30 and 11 a.m. April 6 services and a free brunch
Where: Bloomingdale Church, 264 Glen Ellyn Road, Bloomingdale
Info:(630) 894-0090