Granger Community Church visit

One of my sabbatical activities involves taking time to explore what other churches are doing in worship and arts, to get some fresh ideas and perspectives on the work I do at Creekside.  Granger Community Church http://www.gccwired.com/ in Granger, Indiana is a church that has had a lot of influence on us at Creekside, and so this past weekend Carina and I took a road trip together (a worthwhile activity in and of itself !) to visit their main campus and also their satellite site in Elkhart. 

Carina and I had the joy of being able to have lunch with several of the key members of Granger’s worship and creative arts teams, and then to follow them around as they rolled out that weekend’s services.  The gang was unbelievably gracious and very friendly, and did all they could to make sure we felt we were getting enough out of our time there.  A huge thanks goes out to new friends Jason, Dustin, Sean, Dan, Adam, Kristin, Mark, Trace, Austin and Don - a fine group of highly dedicated creative types who work hard together to create meaningful moments in worship at Granger every week. 

I am glad to have been able to have experienced Granger first-hand, to catch their vision, and now I can watch their services online and put names to faces.  Granger has been in existence for 25 years under the leadership and vision of Mark Beeson. Carina and I were blessed to have a few moments with Pastor Mark and to have him pray for God’s blessing on our sabbatical.

I am writing a detailed report on our time there and my findings (I won't bore you with a lot of minutiae and random insights that aren't of much interest to non-worship and arts types, although if you are interested, let me know and I'll forward the report to you!)  Carina also had an opportunity to meet up with one of their Kid's Ministry staff, Ted, who showed her around their Kid's Wing at the campus - she was able to even get a little bit of hands-on experience serving with their team in one service!

What I saw this past weekend was a church uniting around a compelling vision and purpose, and investing themselves to be The Church to their community and to the world.  I saw a team that is not only dedicated to helping each other maximize their potential, but also so eager to share what they have and what they've learned with others.  I must also confess I am envious of their staffing and the full-time leadership they are able to provide in a wide variety of areas of worship and arts.  There, I've confessed my envy, forgive me please!

Thanks Granger!  Looking forward to being back with you again sometime soon.