Vineyard Church of Elgin adds second service

No longer bursting at the seams on Sunday mornings, Vineyard Church of Elgin has added a second service.

The church, 220 Division St., is now meeting for worship at 9 and 11 a.m. The two services are more or less identical, with Kingdom Kids ministry (Sunday school) offered at both.

The hospitality team puts out coffee a half-hour before each service and adds treats before the second service.

"We had been filling our sanctuary to capacity, or nearly, for about a year," said Tom Severson, senior pastor at Elgin Vineyard. "We've seen a lot of growth recently, and by offering a second service we are able to make space and roll out the welcome mat for everyone."

This isn't the first time that available seating was getting harder to find. In the past, the congregation solved the problem in typical Vineyard fashion - by planting another church.

This time, it seemed appropriate to add the second service instead, offering people a choice for when to attend.

"This has actually been a big year for our church, with many changes," Severson said. "We completely renovated our sanctuary and replaced our antiquated boiler system. Now we're going to two services. We're happy to keep changing and growing and are thankful for all that the Lord has done."

For information, visit elginvineyard.com or call the church office at (847) 697-8001. Visit www.facebook.com/ElginVineyard/.