The Old St Calistas church auditorium was packed. The parking lot was full. The atmosphere was electric as 325 people showed up to celebrate our grand opening. I love the writing over the stage that says SANCTUS- SANCTUS- SANCTUS (Holy, Holy, Holy) in Latin. One of the things that touched me the most was the diversity of the crowd I'm guessing 25% African American 25% Anglo and 50% Hispanic. Danny Lopez did a great job at leading worship with the newly formed band. The sound was really good thanks to Tino Delgado. Cirene Lopez made sure the power point was working well. Marcos Terell who is a professional chef and his wife Christina prepared sandwiches and snacks for after service. Karla Stevens dida great job at leading the children’s team.Brandon Wright distributed 200 free Chicago Bulls tickets after the service for this Friday's game. Belinda Rodriguez made sure all the greeters were in place. Geno and Janell made sure that guests found a place to park. Wendy Daniels presented the announcements like a pro. Dozens of other volunteers made me proud of being part of this grand opening. As I mingled with people after service I couldn’t help but thinking that this is going to be a great place to worship and an exciting community of faith to be a part of.      Mark Jobe

It is hard to believe that my wife Elizabeth and I have been at New Life for 22 years and still counting.  But as they say, “time flies when you are having fun.”  I will never forget walking into a small church of 20 people that would in time come to be known as New Life Community Church.  I could have never imagined what God would have in store for that small group of people.  We had our own plans of church planting in a Spanish speaking country, but God’s plans are greater than our plans, and looking back I wouldn’t trade our journey for anything - it is priceless.   Presently we are one church that meets in 11 different locations with a vision to reach 1% of the City of Chicago.  This is a God-sized vision and I am praying that God would allow me to see this vision fulfilled in my lifetime.  Will you be part of this vision?

After graduating college my wife Rachel and I ended up moving to Chicago in 2002.  Rachel was working in advertising and I was working for a technology company doing sales.  After three years Rachel moved out of the advertising world and found herself working for a ministry in the city called Caris.  I on the other hand, wasn’t looking to move into ministry and was content working in business.  Today I find myself working in ministry.  So what got me here?

 In life you can look back and see God working through different ways in many circumstances.  Often you don’t necessarily know that He’s preparing you for something through all the life experiences He brings you until the opportunity comes to take a step of faith and trust in Him.  For me, there was about 4 years of spiritual growth that took place before it made since to make a transition from sales into ministry.  In my life it ended up being that ministry started to outweigh other things that I was doing and the transition to leave sales in August of 2007 and serve in full time ministry ended up being easy to make.  Looking back I can see how God prepared me to be here at New Life.

 

 My role on staff is primarily assimilation (connection with guests), mobilization, outreach and at our Lincoln Park location I also function as a Worship Venue Leader.  It’s been an exciting year as we’ve continued to grow as a church and serve in our community.  When Rachel and I first came to New Life we were challenged to grow spiritually.  I still hear people saying that they felt the Sunday messages were made for them.  I want to also invite you to come experience a church that is relevant, real, challenging and Christ centered.  We’re a place where real people with real issues come together to experience a real God that cares about us.  Yup, God cares about you.  We’re a place that believes that.

In 1994, I moved to Chicago to attend graduate school.  My plan was to be here for 2 years with the possibility of going oversees or moving back to Tennessee. Now it is 14 years later and I am still in Chicago.  Who knew? 

When I first arrived, I looked at this city and thought, “How in the world am I going to make friends here?”  It seemed like it was going to be an impossible task to get to know people. I did not know a soul in this city and I didn’t know my way around. I mean, Chicago is huge compared to my hometown in TN.  Yet, I am amazed at how many people I have had the opportunity to meet and get to know in the past 14 years, as well as experience what the city has to offer. 

Looking back at when I first came here with my 2-year plan, I would have never thought that the plan would change and evolve into me working for a church and continue to live in Chicago. The biggest and most pleasant surprise is that I would have never dreamed that I would have so many people in my life that mean so much to me. It has been my privilege to attend several churches here in Chicago and have been richly blessed by them. Yet, New Life Community Church has become something more.  It is not only a place where I worship and work; New Life has become a group of people that has developed into my family. 

During my years here in Chicago I have changed jobs, addresses, and my place of worship many times. However, I have never had the desire to change my city fromChicago to somewhere else (well maybe when it is 30 below).  Chicago has been my home for 14 years and New Life Community Church has been a part of my life for 7 of those years. Both have become a place filled with family and friends, a place for me to experience community in a way I never could have if I had stuck to my 2 year plan instead of God’s.  Who knew?

I love living in Little Village. Where else can you find someone selling fake ID cards six steps away from the bank of America: the establishment and the underground collide. Where else can you find a tamales cart at the entrance of a McDonalds: the corporate and the home entrepreneurial collide.  Where else can you find the cop and the gang-banger, who grew up together, living in the same block: the criminal and the law cohabitating. Where else can you get drugs (the substance abused kind) offered six steps away from the Walgreens’ door.  Where else can you buy your ranchero suits, boots, belt buckle and sombrero and spurs right across the street from the gay bar: the macho and the macho-man side by side.  Where else can you find kids splashing and swimming in the corner sewer puddles while their neighbors enjoy a barbecue at their backyard pool.   Where else will the Virgin’s street procession be followed by Jehovah witnesses handing out fliers six steps behind.  One of the reasons I love living in Little Village is its many contrasts.  This is a neighborhood of Spanish-speaking adults, raising English-speaking children.  Ours is a neighborhood of laughs, fights, gun shots and music.  The annoying ice-cream truck is rivaled by the paleta guy walking next to him and stealing costumers.  Old women with aprons pushing chicharon carts share the sidewalk with the young mohawked kid on a skateboard. Old dilapidated buildings are surrounded by hot pink, bright green or baby blue shining ones. I guess it is the tension which gives our neighborhood its sweet and bitter taste. Still, I cannot think of a better place in the entire world where I rather live.   I love living in Little Village.

It seems like it was just yesterday since we started our 1st Sunday morning celebration at Morton College on 39th and Central in Cicero, Illinois.
We had just been launched out as New Life West which is now New Life Cicero, and I can remember feeling numb, thinking about what’s it going to be like not having to attend New Life Central on Sunday morning.  After all, we were there from the beginning and hardly ever missed a Sunday; so it began to sink in that it was time to move on, as Mark reached over and sealed it with these words, “Tony I am proud of you”, as the tears filled my eyes.  
I still remember our very first Sunday, Linda and I were so excited as the crowd of people began to arrive at the college, our road crew was working hard to get things ready, our worship team was tuning up, and the Sunday School teachers were preparing for all the  little ones who were going be in our classrooms.  We were all pretty tired, but it was all worth it.  We had a great time as we knew that the Lord was with us.  And now here we are with our new church building (the Promised Land).

What a difference a year makes.  A year ago New Life South was located in Oak Lawn.  We were meeting at the park district there.  God gave us a vision for launching out and finding our own building. He gave the vision. Then He fulfilled it.  He blessed us with a beautiful building in Oak Forest and on October 28, 2007 we had our Grand Opening.  God has taken us on an amazing journey over the past year.  We tripled our size, dozens of people have surrendered their lives to Christ, marriages have been restored, and many people have been given hope for a blessed future.  Even though so many wonderful things have happened I have the sense that God is saying, “You haven’t seen anything yet”.  On October 26th, 2008 we will be celebrating our one year anniversary.  I wonder what God is going to do next.

New Life Midway has experienced some dramatic growth over the last few years. After years of renting we finally purchased a building and had our Grand Opening on Mother’s Day, 2004. In 4 ½ years we have almost tripled in Sunday attendance and gone from 1 service to 4 services, including 1 in Spanish. Over the next few years I really believe God has called us to:
1) Grow the Sunday services to a weekend attendance of 2,000 people
2) Develop the Small Group Ministry to 100 groups
3) Send people out in teams to start other New Life locations around the SW side of Chicago. This month a new location begins in the New Life Tri-Taylor area. The Midway team has taken the main responsibility to get this location up and running. We are also helping with two other works in progress in Brighton Park and Berwyn.

 

1) Small Groups. Why? Because I’ve seen over and over again that the people who get connected to a group are able to grow, persevere, and influence others for Christ far more than those who don’t join a group. Alcoholics Anonymous tells newcomers to ‘Go to 40 groups in 40 days’. They understand the power of fellowship. In a larger church like Midway it’s even more important to find a Small Group. Not only do you develop great friendships with people who help you grow but you also get a chance to minister to others. Small Group Leaders are doing the Pastoral work of shepherding, encouraging, teaching, and evangelizing.

2) Guest Services. Our Sunday services are the big open door. I used to think I didn’t have a major role since I wasn’t preaching or in the worship team. Then I learned the importance of the ‘behind the scenes’ ministries. Many new people decide whether or not they will return based on First Impressions from the parking lot, ushers, and greeters. I’m blessed to work with a great team that helps prepare the way for the Lord to work in lives at our Sunday services.

3) Follow Up. It’s one thing to invite people to church and see them actually show up. It’s another thing to give them the guidance and encouragement they need to take the steps to become an ‘Apprentice of Jesus Christ’. It kills me to think of people who are so close to receiving Christ and yet might miss out because we don’t go the extra mile. We work to contact and connect with new people and get them started on the path of spiritual life and growth. Hours of Phone Calls, Newcomer Classes, and networking with Small Group leaders help some people take the ‘next step’.

September marked 20 years for me at New Life Community Church and there definitely is never a dull moment. The first day I visited our church I met my future wife, Debbie (I can’t guarantee that will happen to others). We were married in 1992 and are enjoying the adventure of raising 3 pre-teen children.
We have been blessed to see God at work in so many ways throughout the years and He continues to change lives and open new doors for us to serve. Pastor Mark has often said, “If God is in something then we want to be there, but if God isn’t in it then we don’t want to be involved.” My greatest confidence in the ministry is that Jesus is building the Church (Matthew 16:18) and that He is with us (Matthew 18:20).