Word of Life Church, St Joseph, MO

This month’s different-church blog entry involved a six-hour drive to St Joseph, MO, home of Word of Life Church. Pastor Brian Zahnd has been one of the primary voices keeping me on the walk of faith for the last decade. Word of Life is a non-denominational Christian church founded by Zahnd and his wife Peri in 1981. A search describes WOLC as “a Spirit-led,
Bible-based congregation with roots in the Jesus Movement and charismatic renewal, focusing on an authentic expression of the kingdom of God.” I would add that since 2004, this fellowship has also cultivated a strong connection to the more ancient ways of faith as expressed by the church fathers, liturgy, and creeds. “We have rejected certitude and embraced mystery, while being guided by the creeds and ecumenical councils of the church,” says assistant pastor Derek Vreeland. To my way of thinking, values expressed here are a healthy mix of the evangelical and mainline traditions.

The building sits in front of a rolling hillside a couple of miles outside St Joe. Its grand glass entrance includes a very cool 3,000-pound rotating granite sphere. There’s a café, a well-stocked bookstore, a children’s wing and teen auditorium. We saw plenty of kids, teens, young adults, middle age people and seniors. Most impressive to the building is a prayer chapel made with stone imported from Jerusalem and featuring stations of the cross by a Canadian artist. Although the description of this facility sounds mega-churchy, WOLC has only one Sunday service with room to spread out in the 2,000-seat auditorium. We had no trouble afterward getting a few words with Zahnd and his co-pastor wife Peri.

As we entered the sanctuary, screens scrolled through an invitation to request prayer, a way to donate to physical needs in the community (rent, utilities, etc), an opportunity to help at the food bank, a link to invite a friend to church, notice of livestream prayer every Wednesday, and posting of the church website, https://wolc.com/ .

Worship was led by a smiley and talented young, redhead on guitar, further accompanied by piano, drums, lead guitar, bass, and another gifted singer. Come to the Table. Holy Spirit Lead Me On. Come, Holy Spirit. (The volume helped catch the focus of worshipers with no need of ear plugs.) There was a short time to mingle before Vreeland, the Discipleship Pastor, welcomed everyone and drew attention to the big contingent of teenagers (maybe a hundred?) just back from a weekend event together. Offering buckets were passed and announcements made, including notice of Palm Sunday baptisms and Easter Sunday special events.

Pastor Zahnd took the stage to talk about John 3:1-17, the story of Nikodemus coming to Jesus at night. He set the scene and explained that Jesus was inviting Nikodemus to a renewed life, born from above. Of course, as a teaching rabi, Nikodemus would have understood that this was metaphor. What was harder for him to understand was that Jesus spoke of the spiritual life as mystery, like wind. We can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit (v8 NLT). It’s not a formula; it’s more like a song. We’re born from above, born again, and again, and again. We are made in the image of God, but created from the earth. Without being born from above, we’re stuck in the kingdom of the world. War becomes the only way and political power the only real power. “Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘you must be born from above.’” Amen

Zahnd then stepped down to the Table of the Lord in front of the stage. He led in offering the elements of communion for “those who love him and those who want to love him more.” As every week, reciting the Apostles Creed follows and then a congregational prayer of repentance. "Come you who have much faith and you who have little." Come to the front; take the bread; dip it in the cup. The body of Christ broken for you; the blood of Christ shed for you. Amen.

Hessel Park Christian Reformed Church

January 4, 2026

What a beautiful warm sanctuary, the south side all glass. I could happily sit with the sun on my back this chilly morning. Up toward the skylight, cut-out gold stars waft gently. The service began with a prelude on the grand piano. We were welcomed by the happy news of an engagement in the congregation and then the call to worship.

As scripted in the bulletin, there were prayers, hymns, scripture readings and confession, add a few pauses of silence, times of sitting and standing. At one point, everyone got up to pass the peace. “The peace of the Lord be with you.” We heard a children’s sermon on New Year resolutions before the young teen was dismissed to her own program.

 

The message by Pastor Tim Bossenbroek was from Psalm 72 and began with an interesting, brief history reference to the Monroe Doctrine, its purpose and how it has been interpreted and used by various administrations including the current one. The situation at the time of the writing of this Psalm was one of violence, chaos, and revenge, not unlike what we see today. In contrast, God’s people following God’s ways seek a reign of justice, flourishing of the earth, and reaching out to the nations with shalom. Amen to that!

Offering baskets were passed. After another song and prayer of thanksgiving, we were invited to stand in a circle to receive communion. "Everyone who has been baptized in a Christian church is welcome to participate." A plate of bread was passed and then a cup for dipping the bread into. We sang a happy round of This Little Light of Mine and were dismissed with a charge to love and serve our neighbors and with a blessing. Several friendly folks invited me to stay for the snacks and fellowship afterwards. 

Life Church CU

 November 23, 2025

Life Church CU is strongly multicultural with weekly Sunday services in English (10:30), Spanish (10:00), and French (1:00). Their Facebook page also lists Mayan. Unfortunately, the website homepage lists service time as 9:30 and 10:30, so a friend and I went at the earlier time. Turns out­­—surprise!—that’s the Sunday School or Bible study hour. So this observation is from that session, not the regular worship service.

The parking in this rural area on High Cross Road was plenteous and easy. A gentleman in a suit opened the door for us with a greeting; a smiling young woman approached immediately, introduced herself, and escorted us to the sanctuary. She explained that the service starts in an hour, but that we were welcome to attend the Bible study now.

Our teacher jumped into his topic, the Lord’s Prayer, with a personal experience from his youth. He shared that after a transgression, he’d been careful to follow the instruction of his priest in offering the required prayers for forgiveness. But sometimes he could go beyond the repeated prayers and his heart would cry out to God. Children tend to naturally have faith he said. “I think a child has to be taught to be an atheist.”  It wasn’t until after his “Pentecost experience” at age thirty-one that this teacher developed a keen interest in digging deep into the Bible and communicating with his Abba Father.

Here are a few points he made this morning.

              ~He mistakenly thought he had to be talking to be praying.

              ~We must pray God’s will for ourselves and others, even if it means pain and suffering.

              ~Don’t study to be a good preacher. Study to know God better and you’ll be a good preacher.

              ~ To be forgiven yourself, remember you must always forgive others and never blaspheme the Holy Spirit.

              ~Ask God to show you how valuable you are to him.

              ~There has to be a beating, pressing, and a shaking in our lives to get the anointing.

The talk ended and some listeners clapped their approval. There had been a few called out affirmations during the talk. This class was attended by about fifty people in a fairly modern sanctuary decorated in tones of cool gray 

. I assumed there would be a lot more coming in for the 10:30 service. Children have their own classes, but a young family in front of us entered and exited with a child a several times. All generations, white, black, and Asian were in attendance. Most in the 9:30 class wore what you might call church clothing, suits and dresses, although our early escort sported some wildly fun boots and a guy I know came in later wearing shorts and a t-shirt.  

My friend and I were again greeted by a few people afterwards. In answer to my questions, one friendly woman explained that the church had indeed changed its name about a year ago from Apostolic Life to Life Church CU. Completely unrelated to CU Church (visited in September), this one is part of the Apostolic Pentecostal community of believers. Although I didn’t get to experience the English music here at Life Church today, enthusiastic worship music poured from the doors of the Spanish service as we went out.

First Presbyterian Church

October 5, 2025

Because of a neighbor’s yard sign, I learned that this year is the 175^th anniversary of the founding of First Presbyterian Church of Champaign. This called for a visit. This church is downtown, so the parking and finding the correct door to enter required some attention. Others were helpful. The second-floor sanctuary has classic features of stained glass, high open-beam ceiling, immense cross as focal point, grand piano, white-robed choir, and polished wooden pews.

Clearly First Pres is a multi-cultural congregation. Besides English, the welcome on the six-page bulletin was in Spanish, French, and Korean. We heard scriptures for today in French and in English. Large-print bulletins and hearing assistance devises are available for any who would benefit from them. The congregation is a mix of races and ages. I sat behind a black family with three well-behaved school-age boys.

The service began with a prelude and the chiming of the Tower Bell. A “Friendship Pad” was passed down each row and people were invited to sign it, "so you can see who you’re worshiping with,” and to list prayer concerns. Later, all could rise and walk around giving greetings, the traditional passing of the peace.

“Relentlessly God seeks us out. With abundant grace and boundless mercy, across time and space and through the generations, God seeks us out. This is good news! In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven.” This followed a prayer of confession. 

This congregation appreciates quality music. Their website lists a children's choir and a bell choir, besides the chancel choir we heard this morning. The talented Jean René Balekita (who’s about to begin his dissertation) led in an anthem he had written in honor of this remarkable anniversary. The congregation sang that as well as a hymn of praise and one for reflection. Special music this morning was outstanding.

After a handful of children came up for their own short lesson, cheerful interim pastor Beth Wagner gave the morning message. She told a story to illustrate that God desires for all to know God’s way, not the way of overpowering. Recitation of the Nicene Creed followed.

Again we were treated to special music as the offering plate was passed, The Goodness of God. Then we were invited to participate in communion, once more with beautiful music, New Wine, from a woman whose name is not listed, accompanied by Balekita. We recited the Lord’s Prayer, “in the language and wording most familiar to you.” The pastoral prayer that followed included petitions for the people of Palestine, Burundi, Ukraine, El Salvador, and North Korea, as well as for our own divided country.

Announcements were made, another hymn sung, and we were sent out with a blessing. 

CU Church

September 7, 2025

If numbers are an indication, CU Church is thriving. This congregation, begun eight years ago this month, holds multiple weekly services in the Illinois Conference Center at the I Hotel in Champaign. Helpful traffic attendants dot the parking lot. Coffee and donuts are available outside auditorium doors. I was struck by the contrast between this place and the much older downtown church which I visited last month. For lack of people and funds, that congregation has found it necessary to sell their stately, historic edifice on campus. What a loss of grandeur. The hundreds of people I worshiped with today, by comparison, meet in a big room with no noticeable characteristics beyond a large wooden cross, a stage for the eight-person worship band, and a bank of tech equipment in the back.

But free from the huge expense of a building, the plain conference-room setting leaves this congregation able to give more to the community. CU Church is known for its 1 for One offering which, if I understood correctly, split $12,000 last month between three family situations of need in the community (but outside of the church’s membership).

The service began on time with a couple of worship songs. Multiple generations were represented in the crowd, but I saw few people of color. We read from Psalm 121 together and people took communion from individual plastic containers we’d picked up on the way in. Small paper sacks at the ends of all rows collected the empties. Following the scripture reading, a man was baptized. He then proceeded to baptize his two children and his wife as each assented to belief in Jesus. We sang “Lord, I need You, oh I need You; Every hour I need You.”

A cheery young woman welcomed us again and all were invited to roam the room and greet each other or to just sit and interact with phones. Haha. I wandered around and took a few pictures. The advantage or disadvantage of a large church, depending on one’s point of view as a guest, is anonymity.

Today’s sermon was on Psalm 125. Trusting God for our security and stability is crucial said the pastor, taking the stage in an Illini sweatshirt and jeans. God is not going to move if we’re not trusting him because God doesn’t want us to think we are the ones doing the accomplishing. God wants to build our trust so that our house is built on rock, not sand. “Anything you hold onto too tightly in this world that’s not Jesus is a crisis waiting to happen.” Jesus’ brother James describes us as restless and uncertain. Where do we find our security and stability? “Who are you thanking for the victories and who are you going to in the defeats?”

Trust in God is illustrated by a story from Florence, a medical student in Kenya. Her beloved mentor rejoiced when Florence tearfully reported to him after his surgery that he had only weeks to live. This mentor had spent his life since a little child praising God and living for Jesus, and so, brushing aside Florence’s concern at the dire diagnosis, he explained that he was ready to go, that his stability and security were in Jesus. “The more that you trust in God and the less you trust in other things," said our speaker, "the higher the expectation you can have that God will move in your life.”

The service concluded a bit early because various ministries in the church had set up display and recruiting tables we were all encouraged to visit. The pastor explained that through these services there is hope in this city beyond just what’s in the news. We can join in serving. It is our privilege to represent the one who took away failure, sin, and having our identity in our behavior. Our identity now can be in Jesus as we freely love and serve. CU Church is doing a great job providing opportunities for such service. We sang The Doxology and were dismissed.  

University Place Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

August 10, 2025

A lone guitarist played and no one noticed me, as people found places in the magnificent but apparently soon-to-be demolished sanctuary of UniPlace Christian Church. I had inadvertently shown up for one of the last few Sundays this place would host a gathering, after having served here on UI campus for nearly ninety years. Sadly, due to dwindling congregations, the loss of these beautiful, classic buildings is not unusual. Over a thousand people worshiped here and poured into its construction in the 1930s. About fifty were on hand today. Next month, they move to the YMCA.

A newly ordained young man, Isaac, welcomed us and shared a few announcements. After Wednesday afternoon's food pantry, there’s vespers and poetry in the evening. In keeping with the upcoming location change, Isaac read the poem A New Beginning by John O’Donahue.

Opening hymn, Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, led into a series of responsive reading, prayer, scripture reading, and the Lord’s prayer, beautifully interspersed with music by flute, guitar and piano, a group called Jubilee. Pastor Kris Light spoke about the tension between connectedness and uprootedness, about institutional failures that lead to feeling unsheltered, about grief sometimes being a gift that leads to spiritual movement. Congregants may feel the ground shifting, fear and hope, as they leave their long-time home building. But the Kingdom of God is ours to wake up to, not to manage. The scripture was Luke 12:32-40. We are called out to the world to be servants of God, whatever our situation.

 After singing Let Us Break Bread Together on Our Knees, all were invited to come and take communion, a piece of broken bread, a little glass cup. (From my Baptist childhood, I don’t remember ever singing the second verse of this African American spiritual: Let us drink wine together on our knees. 😊)

The service was over in less than an hour. In the parking lot, I enjoyed meeting a couple who’d been married in that building decades ago. He said in the nineteen fifties his call to the ministry had happened there as well. I pray that their light shines in new location as brightly as it has shone here.  

Bethel AME Church

July 13, 2025

Bethel AME Church has been serving its com
munity since its founding in the 1860s, the first Black congregation in Champaign County. Sixty or more worshipers gathered there this July morning despite the fact that their air conditioner is currently out of order. Pastor Terrance Thomas assured us the service would not be overly long; everyone could read the announcements for themselves. An usher supplied bottles of cold water and there were hand fans along with hymnals in the pew racks.

This congregation has a contagious spirit evidenced by joyful music led by an enthusiastic director and accompanied by pianist, organist, percussionist, and choir. They began with song and moved into responsive scripture reading. The full service, easily followed, is printed in a bulletin. We sang the classic hymn Blessed Assurance, and one of the men in the choir led in a prayer of thanks, adding requests for multiple needs. Next was a time when people could walk around and greet each other. Many came to welcome me.

Several ways to give to Bethel church were noted and the choir offered an upbeat offertory.  A pastoral prayer was followed by a time of individual prayers. “Talk to God. The altar is open or you can do it from your seat, but don’t leave here without your divine encounter. The altar is open.”

After the music leader’s powerful rendition of Open Our Eyes, Pastor Terrance brought his message. He used the Bill Withers’ song, “Who Is He and Who Is He to You?” to illustrate three aspects of our identity formation as Christians, this morning's topic. Who are you? Who do others think you are? Who does God think you are? In Matthew 16:13-17 we see Peter given the revelation of Jesus’ identity. Jesus was not a Pharisee, a Sadducee, or a military leader. He accepted who he was. He didn’t try to wear armor that wasn’t intended for him but corrected these misconceptions of his purpose. "We can’t invite people to follow somebody we barely know and we can’t invite people to follow us if we barely know ourselves." How people see us determines how they interact with us. We must thoughtfully consider who we are and what we believe in order to make disciples and not just converts. Besides knowledge of ourselves, Rev Thomas talked about understanding the identity of the African Methodist Episcopal denomination, its contribution to culture and its mission to care for the social and spiritual needs of the community. He spoke of the changing national identity. Here’s the good news, he concluded. “When you seek God’s presence and instruction, God will reveal who you are, who Christ is, and how we’re seen. And from there we can move accordingly and effectively to bring about the Kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven.” From the foundation of our own knowledge of Jesus, knowledge of ourselves, and understanding how we’re seen, we are free to effectively invite others to the same transformative journey.  

Two people came to the front to join the church during the altar call after this dynamic message. Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow. Amen.