By the end of the summer of 1969 at Circle Church we were behind financially and had received notice to move from the downtown office where we rented space, because the building was to be razed as a part of the renovation process which is eternal to Chicago. After preliminary investigation we realized that the exorbitantly high Chicago-Loop rents would prove impossible to meet continually.
The Circle Church staff at the Tuesday meeting held an extended time for sharing the problem with God. Rarely did we pray regarding finances or physical provisions, having made it a definite policy to trust God. So, these moments centered around a personal examination of our relationship before Him to determine whether our attitudes were proper.
The Zion experiment was in its final weeks and we were all pretty ragged. At the conclusion, I remember Al Nestor saying, “You know, guys, l think we got through.” I thought to myself, “I hope so.” Because we were certainly at the end of our rope.
That afternoon l called Mr. Peick at the Union Hall to inquire if there would possibly be office space somewhere in the complex of properties the Teamsters owned on the near west side. Stating that he was busy at the moment, he asked me to come the next morning.
When I arrived he took me to a large office in a warehouse building in the same block as the Union Hall where we held our Sunday services. The address was 321 South Paulina, and the main part of the first floor was a garage where Union leaders parked their cars. The front portion contained a second floor where there was a large open area including two private offices, two washrooms, and two air conditioners.
“Hmmmm? Air conditioners in summer-hot-hot Chicago?” I thought.
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Sunday’s coming. Do you have your sermon ready? Is it relevant? Will it effectively motivate your congregation to walk more in step with the Master? What about that Sermon Series you’ve been thinking about?
Or, if you’re someone who plans well ahead, have you asked yourself what you will preach for your Easter Sermon, your Advent Sermon, your Christmas Sermon?
David Mains and Mainstay Ministries can help. We offer a wide variety of Sermon Starters and Full Sermons that will give you Sermon Ideas to help you prepare for regular Saturday or Sunday sermons, Mid-week Bible Sermons, and Sermons for special occasions.
We also offer assistance as you create Topical Sermons, Sermons Series, and sermons for special times of the year. We have resources available to help you with Advent Celebrations, Advent Sermons, Christmas Sermons, Easter Sunday Sermons, Patriotic Sermons, and more.
For more information on how to create better Bible Sermons and how to turn Sermon Ideas into Sermon Outlines, and then into effective, meaningful Sunday Sermons, please click here to visit David Mains’ website.
You will also find a variety of resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries website. Just click here.
