First Champaign-urbana

What is the most vibrant expression of love you’ve ever received in your life? Maybe it was an engagement ring, a personal letter, or award of recognition. Now flip it, if you had to express your love towards someone in the most obvious and tangible way possible - what would you do?

Queue Taylor Swift… “Haters gonna hate, hate, hate…” That phrase is fairly common in our society today as it could refer to someone who doesn’t like you all the way to someone plotting against you. But, have you ever had a hater who literally plotted to take your life? Jesus did! Join us as we continue our study through the Gospel of John and take a look at a few different responses to who Jesus was.

There are a few things you can count on in life - and one of them, whether we like it or not, is pain and trial. Spending any time on this earth, we quickly learn it never goes the way we would hope or plan. In this message, we wrap up one of the most popular stories in the life and ministry of Jesus and learn about how to get through life’s toughest moments.

They say there are only two certainties in life—death and taxes. And while Jesus doesn’t promise that His glory will shine through taxes, He proclaims the opposite about death. As we continue our series, I Am: The Gospel of John, we lean into how, in Jesus, death doesn’t have to be the end.

While we cannot change anything about Jesus, we let our thoughts, wants, needs and desires do that anyways, do we not? At some point or another, all of us have some sort of view or desire of Jesus that could very well not match up to who He really was. Picking up where we left off in our study through the Gospel of John, we see how Jesus handles people who want Him to be someone He’s not.

There’s an old saying, “You can’t get runover by a truck and not be changed!” Well, we believe the same to be true as generous disciples of Jesus. If we become RELENTLESS in our pursuit of Jesus, surrendered in our discipleship and generosity, then the transformative impact will be undeniable. We will see Spirit-led fruit in the changing of marriages, relationships, parenting, evangelism, and more as we grow deeper in our love and dependency for Jesus.

There is an urgency of souls in our church, homes, and community at large. And while we cannot take the Gospel to every single person - we are going to try! But - in order for us to make it more probable and possible, there is a burden we need to release. We won’t bury the lead - we believe the time is now to become a debt-free church! Not to build a bigger building or spend it on ourselves, but to match the urgency of souls who need Jesus and to leave an unmistakable Kingdom footprint in our community.

“Go and make disciples of all nations…” This was Jesus’ last command to the apostles. We desire to be a church where we make Jesus’ last words our first work. A church that does not make disciples who make-disciples is not a church at all. We will not back down or shy from this Great Commission, and that is why it is the vital seeds we desire to plant in the life of our church for now and forever more.

What would it take for our church to see a move of God like never before? What would it take for you to see a move of God in your life? While we might not all answer that question the same - we do know it all centers around planting seeds before God to see an abundant Kingdom harvest. Join us as we announce and cast the vision for the future of FIRST!

5 Commitments for 2025 by First Christian Church Champaign

There are countless amounts of infamous gifts in Christmas movies, but one stands above them all! (And no, we’re not thinking of the ‘Jelly of the Month Club'). The funny thing is, in all these movies, every gift is depicted as falling short of what truly is the reason for the season.

A high-powered gal from the coast returns to her seemingly insignificant small town in the Midwest in the heat of an ever so stressful time in her life. Looking to regain some sensibility or purpose, she instead finds what she’s been looking for all along… If this plot sounds familiar, there’s dozens that follow this script on that one “channel”. However, sometimes knowing what’s going to happen next is the just peace of mind we need.

Nothing will stop the tenacious love and drive one mother has for her son. She will cross countries via plan, bus, and van - all to be reunited with her child. We agree, there’s nothing quite as powerful when a Father and child are reunited once again.

He’s everyone’s favorite elf! Full of joy, holiday spirit, lots of sugar, and nothing ever seems to get him down. And while he might be a little disillusioned, Buddy the Elf shows us all the unique power and joy of a child-like faith.

The Mid-life crisis is defined as: an emotional crisis of identity and self-confidence that occurs in early middle age. Basically, it’s someone trying to hear from God about their purpose in life. Maybe you or someone you know is or is about to enter into that stage of life. Some solve it with career changes or new toys. but what if we told you there is a much more impactful way to Hearing From God, and how He desires you to leave an impact beyond yourself.

Have you ever seen the video of the cat who thinks it’s a duck? That’s the power of our community. The people we are around the most has the ability to transform our beliefs, actions, and sometimes even our identity. In week 3 of Hearing From God, we look to the most transformative way we hear from Jesus.

Have you ever been in a conversation with someone, and then you catch yourself not actually listening - just waiting for you turn to talk? If we’re honest, we’ve all done that before. Not only that, we would all probably agree it’s not the best way to have a relationship with someone we love. This week, we dive into the a way of Hearing From God that develops our love and trust for Him.

Every communication between two parties requires intentionality on both sides. In the most basic function, someone has to speak, and another has to listen! And while some things can get lost in translation, hearing clearly from someone is best when we listen directly to their voice. In week one of Hearing From God, we look to the most clear way to hear God’s voice.

At some point when we were all younger, we were introduced to the power of compound interest. Whether through the original Indian parable or the “magic penny,” there’s a power behind investing early, and often. The same goes with our finances as disciples of Jesus because we can steward God’s resources for a purpose that lasts.

What’s bigger - 9 or 10? No, this isn’t a trick question or start of a joke… sort of. While we know 10 is bigger than 9, in the Kingdom of God - 9 reigns over 10. There is something about a tenth that matches the heart of God we are all called to emulate. So, let’s see where this idea of a tenth comes from and what to do with it.