Dream With Us...
Picture yourself driving into the parking lot of the Neighborhood Church campus at 2801 Notre Dame Boulevard on a sunny Friday morning. In front of you is the Dome, shining in the morning sun, our atrium coffee shop overflowing with people connecting over a drink, some enjoying outdoor seating.
“Mamas and Papas” with life experience and wisdom are coaching young people who feel empowered and well loved. Many of the interns who are learning about ministry while serving on staff and at the leadership academy are gathered, dreaming about their future. Some people have their discipleship course materials on the table discussing another chapter about the Christian life.
Several campus pastors from the city are arriving to gather at the “mothership” for additional training and encouragement. These pastors have been trained, equipped and sent out to reach different segments of the city through the planting of “daughter” churches. This is their safe place where they receive ongoing training and strategically connect with churches of other denominations across the city. These leaders love the nations and regularly take their people on regional and international mission trips.
The conversations that reverberate through the halls are in different languages, as exchange students and immigrants from all over the world gather to learn English and receive mentoring. Some of these students came to church last Sunday and were surprised that we were singing one of the worship songs in their language. When they looked around, they noticed that we’re a multi-ethnic family who honors the beauty in different cultures.
Walking through the church office complex, you see second career professionals serving the church in their “retirement years” and “twenty somethings” running about preparing for the next conference we are hosting for regional church leaders.
Meanwhile, at the worship school, another class of leaders is about to graduate and churches of various denominations have been calling about perspective leaders who will be sent out.
A senior leader is seen taking two apprentices out the door to attend a meeting at city hall with the city manager and city staff about how the church can engage in meeting the needs of the city.
Part of our finance staff has gathered to prophetically pray into how much they should award to the people who have applied for a Kingdom Building Start Up Grant, pausing to hear what number the Lord might be whispering in their ear. The finance team meets with a senior business leader to talk about acquiring more rental properties to bolster the passive income that under girds the operations of this ministry. A budget is being combed through by the finance staff, making sure that 50% is given away to missions locally, regionally and overseas. Our church has been debt free now for decades, allowing us to be responsive in giving during a crisis and with strategic giving to the planting of churches.
As a church with strategic ties to YWAM and the Alliance family, Neighborhood Church engages in sending families and teams to the nations. For years our church has provided pastoral care teams for Alliance missionaries in the field. Our short-term mission teams are on the field ten months per year.
The media team is just finishing up another video that draws people into a place of worship to be released on social media. They are teaching a small cohort of video makers how to creatively use the video platform to share testimonies in a powerful way. The best of these will be featured in a short film festival that leaders from our church will oversee being held at the El Rey Theater.
A bride and groom are walking in the door to dream about using our state of the art wedding venue situated on the creek. They are excited to hear that we have a team who provides marriage preparation classes and mentoring at the church.
A team who prays for healing of the sick are preparing to leave for the hospital. The leader of this ministry has just finished telling stories about what God miraculously did at the Farmer's Market last evening. They have received requests from the hospital and will disperse in teams of two through the halls. A few members of the team will stay on campus and do healing prayer ministry online with people from all over the world.
The senior staff are preparing to host a summit of regional church leaders who will pray and strategize together. The leadership of Neighborhood Church, as servants to the city and regional churches, are focused on helping to meet financial needs and provide coaching for church leaders in transition.
On a Sunday morning it’s a full house, with about the same number of people worshiping in different locations throughout Chico at campuses we have planted, while Spanish, Arabic, Hmong, Korean, and other ethnic churches meet on our main campus. Second generation believers are taking advantage of attending our English services and the many nationalities are reflected as children learn and play together in children's ministry.
Our Sunday experiences are produced live online with designated interns answering questions in group chat about what’s going on in real time. There are other times throughout the week that interns are answering questions and connecting with people online.
Neighborhood Church is preparing to celebrate our 75th anniversary through various events telling the story of the faithfulness of those who have given sacrificially to build up this ministry. The banners and video walls show pictures of saints who gave their time, energy and resources to a vision that many will only see from their front row seat in heaven.