Easter Sunrise Service

By Karissa Martin

            The cool morning air chilled a small group of people gathering on Oak Street Beach just before 6 a.m. Easter morning. The sound of the seagulls overhead, the nearby ocean waves, and the faint pink skyline peeking out behind the water set the stage for this sunrise service.

Thirteen voices blended together singing “Give Me Jesus” a cappella with their backs turned to the quiet city, the buildings and people sleeping in the distance.

“We pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen,” said Kristian Chelstrom, 31, leader of this Easter morning worship, as he finished the opening prayer for the morning’s service Sunday, Apr. 8.

The Easter sunrise service included prayer, some scripture, and almost an hour of singing songs of worship and praise while sitting on blankets in the sand.

Jeff Pan, a graduate student at Moody Theological Seminary, started this particular sunrise service group in 2010. He said that he hadn’t been to a sunrise service of any kind since his undergraduate years in college, so that sparked the idea of starting his own.

“I guess Easter for me, in being a Christian, is kind of the holiday,” said Pan. “So, I think for me it was just kind of to be more intentional about experiencing it and more intentional about meditating upon and celebrating Christ’s resurrection.”

He said that he wanted a special celebration to signify this very important Christian holiday. He also said that it wasn’t difficult to get fellow Christians together to join him on the beach.

“I just kind of told people I was going to do it, and they just kind of came along, too,” said Pan.

Many of those who came along said that they were not disappointed.

“It wasn't exactly your typical service but it was enjoyable to sing songs and celebrate the holiday with friends,” said Stephen McElhiney, 26, a graduate student at Moody Theological Seminary. “We weren't looking to put together a big service; just being able to set aside time in the morning to do some worship and remember what Jesus did for us.”

They may not have been trying to put together a big service, but they still managed to attract visitors on the beach.

Michael Mazur, resident of Kentucky and self-proclaimed “lost soul,” was visiting his parents in Chicago and happened upon the group with his son and daughter. They decided to join the group for a time after stowing their bikes in the sand.

“We felt very welcome,” said Mazur. “People opened up their hearts and their smiles and kind of gave us a compass point.”

At 6:20 a.m., the tip of the sun could be seen in the orange glow over the water. The group continued singing “How Great is Our God” with guitar accompaniment by Kristian Chelstrom and Stephen McElhiney as the sun continued to rise until it could be seen fully from the beach.

“What makes a sunrise service special is that watching the sunrise represents Jesus Christ rising from the dead,” said McElhiney. “Which, in Christianity the resurrection is critical because if Jesus didn't raise from the dead then our faith would be pointless.”

He stressed the importance of this holiday and how the sunrise service makes people sacrifice their morning in a way that readies their hearts for the celebration. He said that it really sets the tone for such an important holiday.

Rebekka Jacobs, a nurse in the Chicago area, agreed with McElhiney and said that she was glad she decided to come.

 “I think it’s nice to get up early and pray and worship sometimes; it’s a good experience,” said Jacobs. “I’m not a morning person so I drug myself out of bed,” she laughed.

Pan shared similar sentiments with McElhiney and Jacobs and pointed out its significance in the Bible.

“I think just because it’s different it helps you kind of think about what you’re doing a little bit more, so it breaks you out of the routine of stuff,” said Pan. “I think it helps identify on that morning, the Bible says early in the morning the women rose up and went to the grave and saw the tomb empty.”

As 7 a.m. rolled around, the tired eyes and calm faces began to perk up. The group discussed plans for breakfast as they gathered up their blankets, Bibles and guitars as the Easter sunrise service on the beach came to a close. As they shuffled through the sand in the direction of the awakening city, the sun shone brightly, illuminating their departing silhouettes.

Campus Crusade for Christ: Roosevelt University

By Karissa Martin

The afternoon light shining through the arched window of Roosevelt University’s Michigan Lobby reflected off the cards splayed across the round, wooden table last Thursday.

Upbeat, elevator music played in the background, and cars and buses sped past outside. The ding of the elevator sounded amidst the chatter of students and faculty in the lobby.

The cards on the table held images including a spider on its web, a girl staring dejectedly at a weight scale, a path lined with autumn trees, and a young woman curled up on a bench writing in a notebook.

            “What pictures describe your life right now?” said Logan Hensley, 22, a staff member of Campus Crusade for Christ, now called Cru, for Roosevelt University’s chapter, and undergraduate student at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago.

            Hensley said that this is one of his ice breaking techniques when meeting with current or potential members of Cru. This game is called Soularium, and Hensley said that it is used to get students to open up and talk about personal aspects of their lives, which is especially important when trying to get to know students interested in joining Cru.

            “Campus Crusade for Christ is a worldwide, interdenominational Christian evangelism and discipleship organization, founded by Bill and Vonette Bright in 1951,” said Karen Dye, a Cru spokesperson.

            According to Dye, the organization is active in 191 countries and is comprised of 29 different ministries, including groups for students, athletes, military, and business leaders.

            Cru has “the vision of creating spiritual movements everywhere, so that everyone knows someone who truly follows Jesus,” said Dye.

            Roosevelt’s chapter of Cru was only created in the fall semester of 2011, said Hensley, so, with only seven members, it is very small. Gerardo Ramirez, 23, the president and founder of Roosevelt’s chapter of Cru, said that he wanted to start something different at the school since there weren’t any Christian-based organizations.

“The goal of the Roosevelt University chapter is to make an impact with Christian values on campus,” said Ramirez, “and also for students to gain interest in Bible study.”

            Hensley, who generally leads the discussions, began the meeting of the day with an opening prayer and addressed the group with the question, “When you hear the word of God, what do you think about?”

            “Righteousness,” said Patrick Givens, 21, an information technology student at Roosevelt.

            The intimate discussion continued as Hensley drew attention to particular passages in the Bible, and the small group of students shared their thoughts on the word.

            “We’re just starting off so, of course, we don’t have a huge student base yet,” said Hensley. “We’re just starting to connect with new students.”

            Hensley’s wife, Jessika Hensley, 22, also a staff member of Cru and student at Moody, said that they are using small events to try to inform more people about the group.

“We just did an outreach last Thursday, and we got some more contacts from that, so just following up with them,” she said.

They were giving out free Starbucks coffee to students, but the Hensleys said that no one seemed to want to take any. They said that they want to give truly free stuff—no strings attached—but students seem to think that they are obligated to do something if they take these items.

Hensley said that Roosevelt’s chapter of Cru is currently focused on recruiting more members and reaching out to more students through these free gift events and questionnaires, even with the difficulty of Roosevelt having many commuter students.

Jessika Hensley said that Chicago Cru, which includes other schools in the area such as Columbia and DePaul, hosts more events. She said that they have three or four big events a year, including boat cruises and days at the park in order to create a sense of community between the schools.

The Hensleys said that they plan to continue to try to create this same sense of community in Roosevelt’s chapter and host more events to create a safe space for people to talk spiritually and to bring in more members.

“Future plans may include hosting a worship night where all Roosevelt students and hopefully other students from around the area can gather and pray together and maybe even host a Bible study,” said Ramirez.

The group spoke optimistically about the potential for Roosevelt’s chapter of Cru for the future.

The discussion of the many facets of the word of God came to a close after more than an hour of discussion.

“There will be a time when you’re not going to have all the answers to life,” said Hensley in one of his closing statements, “but as we stay connected to the word and connected to God we’re going to clearly know how to live our lives.”

Hensley asked for prayer requests and said a closing prayer, closed his Bible and concluded another weekly meeting of Cru. The other members grabbed their bags, notes and Bibles and stuffed them in their bags as they prepared to join the throng of students exiting through the revolving doors out into the receding evening sunlight.

Social Media Trends in the Church

By Karissa Martin

            The sun streamed in through the window of Fainman Lounge at Roosevelt University onto Meredith Dobes’ MacBook, decorated with an array of star-shaped stickers. She leisurely typed, with a bottle of Snapple at hand, while the traffic noise on Michigan Avenue and other people typing on laptops sounded in the background last Thursday morning.

            Dobes, 19, said that she is on her laptop all the time, and she uses social media on her laptop at least a few hours every day. She said that Facebook is her number one go-to social media site.

            “I think it’s really beneficial at connecting people today,” Dobes said of social media.

            Dobes is not alone. According to Facebook statisticians, it has more than 800 million users, and that’s not including other social media. Churches are no exception. According to a 2010 study by BuzzPlant, 61 percent of churches in the United States use social media, 98 percent of those using Facebook.

            The Fields Church in Mattoon, Ill., is one of those churches using social media to connect to its congregation. Evan Courtney, 33, communications director for the church, said that social media has become an essential part of the church community and fellowship.

            “Because our updates, tweets, status show up in their everyday social media stream, it has just become a part of their online experience and isn’t a burden to them,” Courtney said. “It has created community away from our events and buildings.”

            Travis Spencer, 37, lead pastor for The Fields Church for the past three years, agreed with Courtney and said that social media has “improved community because it is a constant stream of connection to day-to-day life stories.”

Spencer said that instead of causing a less personal sense of community, social media has actually strengthened the community by allowing members to keep in touch.

However, some believe that social media isn’t always a positive contributor to the church community.

“People are more willing to throw out negative comments or criticism through a Facebook post than they typically would do face-to-face,” Spencer said. “I have read posts that are hurtful, judgmental, and publicizing a private family conflict.”

Rachel Hargis, 20, an undergraduate student at Moody Bible Institute, also recognized this issue of the anonymity of the internet.

“I cringe when I see people using the possible anonymity of the internet to slander another,” said Hargis, “especially when it is a dispute over doctrine, a writer or pastor’s opinion, and the comment is made by a believer.”

Even with the issues of social media, The Fields Church uses it as a part of everyday business.

According to Courtney, the church uses social media to distribute resources, continue the conversation from weekend teachings, promote programs and events, post photos and videos, and stream their service live. He said that people have really responded to the church’s use of social media.

“We have had people come to our church from specifically seeing an ad on a social media site or see that others have posted in regards to our church,” Courtney said. He said that it has been an essential recruiting device.

Michelle Zatulovsky, 25, administrative assistant for Harvest Bible Chapel in Naperville, shared a similar sentiment in regard to social media.

“I think it has greatly impacted our church,” Zatulovsky said of social media. “Our goal is to convey that the Bible is still relevant in modern times, and that we have to keep our method of communication and marketing up-to-date.”

Zatulovsky said that she sees the use of social media as a positive contribution to the church, and if people don’t like the use of social media in the church then they will generally find a church that is a better fit for them.

But, Hargis said that she is still skeptical of the use of social media.

“After stalking that ex-boyfriend for five minutes, Facebook chatting with another friend for ten, and looking through someone’s pictures for fifteen,” Hargis said, “we may feel slightly connected but in the end it leaves us feeling emptier than when we started, and kind of dirty.”

Similarly, Dobes said that even though social media has its uses, it can quickly become really obsessive.

            Dobes shut her star-studded laptop and leaned back in her chair while other students in the lounge chatted and typed. The warm sunlight illuminated Grant Park and Buckingham Fountain behind her as she prepared for another day of classes.

Moody Church Speaker: Francis Chan

By Karissa Martin

            The packed sanctuary at The Moody Church sounded with applause as Francis Chan stepped to the podium. His face appeared on the big screen behind him, giving everyone, mostly young adults spattered with a mixture of middle-aged to older adults, the opportunity to see his pressed suit and welcoming smile as he surveyed the crowd.

            “Man, it is so good to be in this room,” said Francis Chan, 44, founding pastor of Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley, Calif., founder of Eternity Bible College, and best-selling author. “There’s just something about being with the Church, with other believers in this room in the middle of this city right here downtown, and I just got fired up.”

            This began Chan’s sermon Wednesday, Feb. 8, at The Moody Church during the evening session of Founder’s Week 2012 for Moody Bible Institute. He was preceded by Keith and Kristyn Getty, Christian songwriters and recording artists, who led the crowd in worship before Chan addressed them with his message.

            Founder’s Week at Moody Bible Institute began in 1901 and was established “to both celebrate the birthday of our founder, Dwight Limon Moody,” and to “provide an opportunity to learn from today’s foremost Christian teachers and leaders,” said Brandon Chism, Conference and Event Coordinator for Moody Bible Institute. Chism said that about 150 to 200 people were involved in the planning and execution of this weeklong event, and the work is never done; planning must start more than a year before Founder’s Week.

            “I gotta do it. I gotta do it. I gotta respond,” Chan said to the Event and Guest Services official count of 5,901 people about God calling him to go beyond his congregation and share the teachings of the Bible.

            The audience members on the first floor and in the balcony were silent under the glow of the high chandeliers and Chan’s passionate voice.

            “The truth is, I hate sharing my faith,” Chan said. He said that it is very difficult to try to tell people about God that don’t really want to hear about Him. But, he said he feels that he has been called to do this.

            “It really affected how I think about my own life and how I really need to take the Bible more seriously and try to put it more into action,” Stephen McElhiney, a graduate student at Moody Theological Seminary, said after Chan’s message. “I really appreciated his truth and honesty.”

            Chan continued by discussing issues that he said he believes the majority of pastors tend to ignore. One such issue involved the Great Flood and Noah’s Ark. Parents decorate their babies’ rooms with pictures of the Ark full of colorful giraffes, elephants, tigers, monkeys, and Noah, all smiling out at everyone.

            “It’s just a minor detail in the story that he killed everyone,” said Chan as the audience laughed at his frankness. He said that all the people drowning are missing from these happy pictures.      

Christians are only friends with other Christians, was another of Chan’s points on Wednesday. He said that it is time for people to venture outside the Church in order to attain more disciples; he directed his comments to the audience, including students and alumni of Moody Bible Institute who attended Founder’s Week as a sort of homecoming event in place of a traditional homecoming.

One of those students, Kristian Chelstrom, a graduate scholar at Moody Theological Seminary, said after the sermon, “He kind of just went around in circles. He didn’t really focus on one main point. Depending on how people listen, it may be harder for them to understand what he was actually trying to get across.”

Chan moved onto his final point and addressed the more mature section of his audience, many of whom were sitting just feet away from the podium.

“I just think the world, the Church is in dire need of elderly people that are living radically for their faith,” said Chan as one of his closing statements. “Some of these young people are dying to come under the tutelage of elderly people that seriously cannot wait to see Jesus and are living that way.”

            The audience applauded and nodded in agreement as Keith and Kristyn Getty, and the band filtered in quietly to lead the crowd of young and old once more in worship. Chan began the closing prayer, and the crowd was silent as he said, “In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

Karen Dillon Profile

By Karissa Martin

A young woman with curly brown hair and an infectious smile hurried around the dining area cleaning up plates of spaghetti while her fellow shipmates ate and talked over their meal. For Karen Dillon, adjusting to kitchen duty had been a challenge, and that night was no different.

She carried a big stack of plates she had just cleared from the tables when, suddenly, red marinara sauce began to ooze down her front. Everyone seemed oblivious to her distress as she looked down to see the crimson paste soaking into her clothing.

“Nobody cares,” Karen Dillon, 32, laughed as she recalled her thoughts during this incident on the ship on its journey in the Pacific Ocean as part of the Operation Mobilization program. “I’m covered with spaghetti sauce and nobody cares.”

Dillon, a graduate student at Moody Theological Seminary, spent three and a half years with 350 fellow missionary workers on a ship with Operation Mobilization, an organization that sends missionaries around the globe on ships to meet people and spread the word of God. They travelled to about 16 different countries in Southeast Asia and the South Pacific during that time, she said.

According to the Operation Mobilization website, the organization “seeks to demonstrate and proclaim the love of God through evangelism, church planting, discipleship, and literature distribution and also by providing relief and development in many areas of the world.”

After quitting her professional job as a social worker at an alternative high school working mostly with teenage mothers, Dillon had to adjust to her new work, which included kitchen duty, personal assistance to the director, and ministry duties.

Dillon said that she had always known about God, but He had never really been a big part of her life until she was overcome with devastation and loss driven by the suicide of a close friend. God “lifted me up in a time when I was really broken,” Dillon said, “and that just completely changed my life.”

She said she decided to join Operation Mobilization to help spread God’s word and learn how to live her life for Him instead of just for herself.

“I gave everything up, and I was going across to the other side of the world,” Dillon said “and I was freaking out,” she laughed.

Dillon also said that it was difficult for her to transition to life on the ship; especially when working in the kitchen. “I come from a professional job, and here I am scrubbing floors,” she said, “and nobody appreciates it.”

But, it wasn’t all spaghetti sauce and soap.

“In our own free time we’d also just go out and meet people,” said Dillon. “I did things with people that I would never do here in the States. I would go out and meet complete strangers and go home with them.” She laughed. “For some reason, in these other places we had a lot more freedom, in a way, to build relationships with people.”

“God’s favor was just on us and he opened doors for us to build relationships with people and open their hearts to us, so it was really beautiful to see,” Dillon said. “And it’s something that I kind of miss.”

According to some of her friends and classmates, building relationships is one of Dillon’s greatest strengths.

“One thing that stands out to me is that she cares for the women around her in her life,” said Jeff Pan, a fellow graduate student at Moody Theological Seminary, of Dillon. “She invests her time and genuine care into their lives.”

“Her delight is in the Lord, and it shines as she spends time with the people around her,” said Christina Mueller, a close friend of Dillon’s. “She has a servant’s heart.”

Upon returning, Dillon said that the experience changed her and her views on God. “He is working and he is interested in what’s going on all over the place,” she said. “He can’t be contained in a box, so I think that that is one huge shift in my perspective.”

“Working in another country and seeing different things does kind of mature you and change the way you think about things,” Elizabeth Koenig, a fellow graduate student at Moody, said.

For the time being, Dillon said she plans to continue with her Biblical studies at Moody and hopes to go back overseas to continue the work God has planned for her.

“Instead of trying to make us all the same,” Dillon said, “we should just really be who God made us to be because it’s a good thing. It’s a good thing that we’re different.”

Joseph Sharon Profile

By Karissa Martin

            He’s been away from his biological family for the past five years, but Joseph Sharon, 28, has found support through his church community.

            “I’ve lived all of my life with my family,” said Sharon of his 24 years in Hyderabad. “For me, moving from my family was a big change, so there’s loneliness most of the time, and, also, there’s a part of you that has been missing.”

            Sharon moved to the U.S. from India in Aug. 2007 to pursue his Master of Divinity degree at Moody Theological Seminary. He said that it has always been a dream of his to attend Bible college in the U.S.

            Thousands of singles relocate to the United States every year, many of those from India. According to the Office of Immigration Statistics, in 2010, 69,162 residents of India relocated to the United States.

            Growing up, and still today, Sharon’s father, Samuel Devraj Perumal, was a pastor. The whole family, including his mother, Grace Perumal, and younger brother and sister, Joel and Deborah Sharon, were very involved in the church community.

            “We are like seventh generation Christians,” said Sharon. “That’s very rare in India.”

            After obtaining a bachelor’s degree in computer applications and a master’s in information technology, Sharon said he decided it was time to pursue his dream of coming to the U.S. However, his relationship with his family could not be the same as in India.

            “They used to know everything about my life,” Sharon said of his family. “I don’t interact with them so much now, but they’re very curious to know what’s happening in my life,” he said.

            Due to the culture that Sharon grew up in, he said that it has been really hard for him to be away from his family.

            “As the oldest son you actually are responsible to take care of your family, so you basically live with them all of your life…the people that you love and that you take care of,” he said. “That’s been a hard struggle,” Sharon said of being away from his family.

            Though his family can’t be with him all the time, they have still been able to see his transformation over the past few years through talking with him on the phone and his occasional visits back home.

            “We feel more maturity in his attitude, thinking, and life style,” said his father in an email.

            This growth would not be possible without the support he’s received from his church community.

            When he arrived at Moody, Sharon said that he got involved with the church right away. He said that a church family is very important to him to stay connected with his religion.

            “It would be really hard for me to be able to, especially, address the spiritual needs for myself,” Sharon said. “It’s not that I cannot live without a church family, but I think it would be very difficult to relate to people that you are not spiritually connected with.”

            Sharon is a member of the Armitage Baptist Church near where he lives in Logan Square. Sharon said that he has made close friends and found a mentor, Pastor Steve Laughlin, in this church community. Laughlin met Sharon in Aug. 2011, and Sharon soon joined the small church group of young men led by Laughlin.

            “They really love each other; they’re really well connected,” said Laughlin of the 12 to 15 young men who attend the small group meetings each week. “It’s really become a really good group of guys. They’re all pretty serious about their faith, and they’re pretty serious about supporting each other as well.”

            Laughlin said that Sharon has made strong connections at Armitage by initiating gatherings after church as well as throughout the week. During a recent weekend, he even went camping with some of the young men in the congregation. Laughlin said that Sharon has really made himself a part of the community.

            But, after Sharon graduates from Moody in May 2013, he said that he plans to return to India to make use of his education.

            “I’m going to go back to India to teach and train pastors as well as to raise the next generation of Christian leaders in India,” Sharon said.

By the Hand

By Karissa Martin

            Little hands and feet clapped and stomped at the corner of Sedgwick and Oak Street Wednesday, Sept. 26. Voices sang “God is enough, enough. You are enough, enough” in unison as kids finished filing in and transitioned from the school day to chapel time at By the Hand Club for Kids.

            Sarah James, director of the Cabrini-Green location, said the program’s mission “is working with the kids in a holistic manner—mind, body and soul.” 

            And that is exactly what the program seems to be doing.

            The program serves to tutor these children in school, provide a healthy snack and meal three days a week, provide regular physicals, immunizations, dental and eye exams, and to cultivate a faith in Christ and a place in the Church till college.

            “Once they’re with us, they’re with us forever,” James said.

            By the Hand Club for Kids is typically for students with standardized test scores below the 25th percentile and for those with behavioral problems in the classroom. This particular location takes students from Jenner, Manierre, Franklin and ChicagoQuest schools. The Cabrini-Green location is one of four program locations.

            “We work with the kids who are struggling in school,” James said. “If somebody doesn’t come and help them, then they’re just going to keep falling through the cracks.”

            And, according to the reports, they’re reaching their goals.

            When the program began in 2001, it only had 16 kids. According to the annual report, the program served 851 kids in 2011, about 200 at this particular location. Seventy-three percent of those students passed all of their classes, 100 percent received the proper immunizations, and 76 percent professed their faith. The report showed increases every year.

            But, the program isn’t just about the kids.

            “We work with the whole entire family,” James said. “Not only do we know all of the kids that come, but we know all of their parents really well, their aunts, uncles, cousins.”

            Sarah Johnson, one of the team leaders for the program, said that they make monthly visits to each child’s home and school where they discuss the child’s progress and behavior at school, home and at the program. They strive for consistency and open communication for the care of the kids.

            Larvon Birch, greeter for the By the Hand Program for the past five years, said that the program is really essential for many of these parents.

            Birch said the program really reaches out to help parents because “there’s a lot of parents out there that need help with their kids; and they don’t know where to go, and we can reach out to them.”

            Lakisha Murphy, a parent of children in the By the Hand Program, agreed with Birch. She said that the only thing that would make the program better is if the kids could be there more days of the week.

            “I just do not have words,” she said. “I think it is an amazing program…the last four years have been great. I wouldn’t trade them for the world.”

            Murphy said that the program has helped not only her kids, but it’s helped her too.

            James said that the parents don’t pay anything for their child to attend. The $5,700 cost per child per year is covered by private donations, grants and foundations, and a government reimbursement for the meals served each day.

            But, at the end of the day, there are always more families in need.

            “By the year 2020 we want to have 20 sites,” Johnson said. “There’s definitely a lot of other neighborhoods in Chicago who are desperate for something like this—something that is Christian based but works directly with the public school system.”