The Big Announcement (aka The Prologue)

My lack of blogging lately has been partially due to laziness but also partially due to not being able to write about some big things that were in the works. But this week our big news officially went public so I’m incredibly excited to announce that I will be going on staff at Imago Dei Church in Peoria! This means that Megan and I are moving back to the area in Illinois we’re originally from! While we’re really excited about this new journey ahead we are sad to be leaving Christ The Rock. We have grown a lot as people and we love the church. It has really become home for us. But we know that Peoria is where God is calling us now.

So here’s the story behind the announcement…

Megan and I were born, raised and married in the Peoria area. We moved to Appleton six days after we were married in August of 2005 because I had just gotten a job as the Graphic Arts Coordinator at Christ The Rock. But for the past year and a half or so when we would go back to our hometown our eyes were being opened to a lot of the hurt and the need for restoration in that area. We had a few conversations about what it might look like to start a new church in Peoria but we thought that if it ever happened it would be at least 5-10 years down the road. And in the back of our minds we thought it would be really cool if our friend, Charlie (former blogger), would be the lead pastor. It was an idea that would come up every once in a great while but in all honesty, I’m not sure that I really believed it would ever come to life.

Then at the end of last year I got an e-mail from Charlie announcing that the community of people which made up his small group had decided to take the leap and plant a church. I remember reading that e-mail and my jaw just kind of dropped. I instantly knew that this raised questions for Megan and I about where God would want us. I e-mailed Charlie right away and let him know that we would be praying about if this meant that God was calling us back to Peoria. A day or two later I got a phone call from him and we talked about their plans for this new church and Charlie told me that he had been telling people that I was the first person he wanted to hire. Now I about had to about pick my jaw up off the floor. God was clearly up to something.

So a few months went by and March came around. Megan and I drove back to Peoria to celebrate the public launch of Imago Dei on Easter Sunday with our friends. I think after experiencing that first Sunday with them we knew that we would end up back in Peoria sooner than later. But again, I figured it would take a few years for the church to get off the ground and be financially stable enough to hire me.

Then about a month ago Charlie and I had a conversation and he said it was looking like they might be ready to hire me this summer. So Megan and I prayed about it and I talked to a pastor at CTR who has been a mentor to me for the past few years and God kept confirming over and over that this was the move to make. A few weeks ago we went down to Peoria and spent some time with the Imago leadership team and really enjoyed that time (although it was way too short!). So now it’s official. As of September 1, I will be on staff at Imago Dei.

Of course the first question everyone asks is, “what will you be doing?” And my answer is usually, “Well, it’s a church plant- so a little of everything.” But my main roles will be leading music, creating graphics, developing/maintaining the website and church database and also being a part of the leadership team providing vision and direction for the community. I feel incredibly blessed and humbled that the Imago team is inviting me to be a part of leading their community. It’s going to be very challenging but I’m excited to see all the ways that God will provide for and grow this new community of believers. And I’m sure my job will flex and shift as the community grows.

So pray for Megan and I as we transition. Pray that the transition from Christ The Rock would be smooth and that they find someone to take my place quickly. Pray for Megan and I as we buy our first house. And also pray for Imago as this is a leap of faith form them as well as us.

I can’t wait to start this new journey. I’ve already spent quite a few nights laying awake thinking and dreaming about new ways to do worship through music, how Imago might engage the Peoria community and other creative ways to bring the kingdom of God to Peoria.

So that’s the short version of the story but this is only the prologue.

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If you want to read a little more about Imago- here are some great posts from Charlie’s blog:

• What’s In A Name?
• What We’re FOR
• Everything
• Imago Dei Church, Week 1
• and lots of other good stuff in the Imago Dei cagetory…

~ by Dave on July 4, 2008.