Christ Church commits nearly $2 million annually to help thousands

Churches serve several important spiritual needs for many people. They also can serve as a support system for those in need, and nonprofits trying to better the world.

Each year Christ Church in Oak Brook and Downers Grove invests close to $1.75 million in 90 partnerships with people and organizations bringing relief to people in crisis, including coming to the aid of at-risk children, developing more resourceful communities, and cultivating the physical and spiritual health of people.

This includes providing affordable housing, food, crisis intervention and access to quality education.

Since 2004, Christ Church's food pantry has helped more than 60,000 people by serving 600,000 meals in area communities, including Oak Brook Terrace, Oak Brook, Villa Park, Addison, Lombard and Westmont, and in the past 30 years, supported domestic and international missions in the Chicago area and throughout the nation, Europe, Africa, Asia and elsewhere.

In India alone, through several mission partners, the church has helped train more than 77,000 teachers, 1,700 leaders, form more than 19,000 Christian children's clubs, which enrolled collectively nearly 1 million children, and produced educational materials in 12 languages.

The church's commitment to serving others is rooted in its mission, which led to a two-year initiative called "Take Root" to expand its outreach to the community, region and abroad. The Take Root project began in 2016 to help believers understand the need to commit to help others as essential in one's faith journey.

"Reaching out beyond the walls of Christ Church has always been at the very center of the mission of this community," said Rev. John Klingelhofer, Christ Church pastor of Outreach.

"Even though Take Root has already extended our outreach into more local, regional and international communities than ever before, there is so much more we can do to share the life-saving message of Jesus Christ to people in need."

The Take Root initiative included raising funds for a needed contemporary space expansion at the church's Oak Brook location and to increase its local services and its ability to support its domestic and global partners, some of which rely upon Christ Church for up to 20 percent of their annual budget.

Through its Prayer and Care Ministry, the church manages a volunteer staff of more than 250 people who help organize and lead free support groups, such as grief, cancer and mental health, and care for the public whether they are a member or attendee of the church or not.

The church's Grow Ministry helps guide spiritual formation through small group meetings, weekly classes and other activities such as retreats. It also has a robust Family Ministry providing support year-round for children from birth through high school, providing free child care during weekend services, weekly programming and affordable summer camps for hundreds of youth. All these services are supported by the Take Root initiative.

"In addition to the life-changing impact we will have on the children and people in our neighboring community and halfway around the world in Kenya, we hope to continue to expand our church family as we create more space and opportunities for others to experience the life-changing love of Jesus," said Sherri Adams, executive director of Stewardship and Generosity at Christ Church.

"We provide ongoing ministries that support children, students, families and our older generation through biblical teaching and fellowship, and support our mission partners who go where we can't to share the gospel and hope of our loving and most generous God," she said.

Christ Church children also gave to the church's missions in Kenya, raising $2,200 from collecting loose change to be donated toward school supplies.

One of the most direct beneficiaries of the generosity of community members committed to the work Christ Church is doing locally, regionally and internationally, can be seen through the weekly services of Christ Church Downers Grove, which was founded in February.

The Barna Group, a market research firm specializing in American faith-based behaviors, reports that half of Americans attend a church of about 100 members or less. Christ Church Downers Grove has a weekly membership of about 175 after only 8 months. Its pastor attributes the quick sustained growth to a nontraditional approach that invites people to meet in practical settings.

"I see a growing gap that we would like to see closed between the life that we are living, and the life perhaps we wish we were living," said Eric Camfield, Christ Church Downers Grove campus pastor. "I see it expressed as I talk to people and meet with people. Some are just searching for more fulfillment in life. Some are wanting more peace. And for some wanting to have more joy. We are not a church that has a steeple on the corner that says come to us. We are a church that has gone out. We want to be were people work. We want to be where people are living."

Christ Church also seeks to reach those who cannot come to services through its online media library, livestream services twice Sunday morning, as well as its broadcast ministry on radio and television.

If you are looking to serve others, join a church community or receive prayer and care services, contact Christ Church at (630) 654-1882 or ChristChurch.us.

Founded in 1965, Christ Church is a multisite, non-denominational church in the Chicago suburbs with more than 6,000 members. Christ Church features a variety of inspiring worship options including, traditional, classic communion and contemporary services. All people are offered the opportunity to build life-changing relationships with God and one another with a rich range of spiritual growth resources, and a selection of service ministries aimed at creating positive change in the world. Weekend services are held at the Oak Brook and Downers Grove locations, as well as via livestream at ChristChurch.us/online. The "Love Changes Life" broadcast program is on WPWR TV, WFLD TV, and WGN AM 720.

Follow www.facebook.com/ChristChurch.US, www.instagram.com/christchurch.us/, twitter.com/Christ_ChurchUS or the church's YouTube channel.