Grand Opening Videos

Standing Room Only at Grand Opening!

Praise God!  I ordered more chairs today… Thanks to all our faithful supporters!

Grand Opening Update: “The LORD has done this…”

“The Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes” (Psalm 118:23).

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. So I won’t try to describe the product of the past seven years of ministry, prayer, obedience to God, relentlessly chasing after a God-given vision and holding fast to a dream for a new venue in the heart of downtown Mound where we can do innovative ministry and outreach.

God said, “Go.” We obeyed. God provided. We said, “Can we really pull this off?” He said, “Trust and obey.” We marched on. People came. People left. More people came. Servants served. Builders built. People gave money. And now we invite you all to come and see what God has done and is about to do among us at MainStreet!

Grand Opening BENEFIT CONCERT for the local Food Shelf Saturday, March 9 @ 7pm.

Grand Opening WORSHIP CELEBRATION on Sunday, March 17 @ 10am.

Enjoy the pictures….and tell me what words they convey to you!

For His Glory and the salvation of the lost!

Jeremy

MainStreet Anniversary “Shout Outs”

Anna & Jessica’s MainStreet Stories

MainStreet celebrated our first year of public ministry this past Sunday. Here are just a couple of the stories of how God has been at work among us this past year!  Read many more MS Stories here.

Echoes from the Pit 3 – Unwanted Visitors

One last peek into my soul as a young adult, as I wrestled with depression and poured out my heart to God. The beauty of the Bible is that we see the raw, honest prayers of others in the Psalms and so on. We all struggle in this life, but the beauty of these painful prayers is that they are full of faith in the God who hears the cries of His children. I was reaching out in my pain, and not keeping it to myself. How about you?

UNWANTED VISITORS – November 2003

I hate it in here.

I’m hit on every side with negative thoughts.

If only they were just casual visitors from a far away land,

just passing through.

Then I could put up with them for a night or two,

maybe offer some decent hospitality,

feed them something little

and send them on their way

to pester some other unlucky host.

Yet these are not casual visitors.

These pesky, ruthless thoughts

are taking up residence in here,

and don’t have any intentions of leaving,

not without a fight.

Echoes from the Pit 2 – This Old Boat

Another journal entry from my college days.  I’m no poet – and boy do I know it!  But these give a glimpse into my heart when I was trying to find my way in this world as a newer disciple of Christ. I felt very lonely and misunderstood at this time, and was struggling to find my purpose and companions to share the Christian journey with. This was a season where I looked fine on the outside, but had a storm waging inside. (Friends and family might be surprised to hear the tone of these prayers.) Quite sure I was clinically depressed, too. Maybe some of you can relate….  

THIS OLD BOAT – November 3, 2003

The world pushes on me

back and forth

to and fro.

The winds of hollow philosophy

and the waves of worldly wisdom

leave me desperate on the stormy seas of life.

Clouds of anxiety darken

the Son’s guiding light.

I’m afraid,

I’m alone,

I’m desperate.

Echoes from the Pit 1 – Immanuel Prayer

Pulled out an old journal from my college days….found some very personal, desperate prayers and poems during a trying time in my life. I think I might share a few this Christmas. Here’s a childlike cry for God’s comforting presence to draw near — a prayer to Immanuel, “God with us.”

IMMANUEL PRAYER – October 21, 2003

Sweet Jesus,

Arms of love,

Hold me near.

I’m torn.

I’m attacked,

My mind wages war with my heart.

You hold them both though.

MainStreet Building Project Update

Hi all,

We’re getting closer to getting building permit to begin work on the new facility in Stonegate Plaza. There’s a lot that goes into these kinds of projects that we were not prepared for. We are asking for your continued prayers as we move this project forward to enhance our mission in Mound. On a bright note, we reached our funding goal of $55,000 for the initial buildout. Praise God!

Will you please continue to pray for this project — that the community will embrace the broader vision of this facility, and that God will continue to move in generous hearts to fund this dream!

Grace and peace!

Church 2.0: A New MainStreet Location for New Impact

Proposed Cafe Area

*From a recently published article

MainStreet Covenant Church will soon open a new center in the Stonegate Plaza in Mound. Hometown Pastor Jeremy Berg is quick to make clear, “This is not a church building; it’s a community gathering place — a cafe, live music venue, book club hub, public meeting space, after school youth hangout — where we happen to have church on Sundays.” MainStreet, as it’s name implies, is rethinking church for the 21st century and seeking creative and compelling ways to bring the hope and message of Christ beyond the sanctuary walls and onto “Main Street” — or, as the Bible says, “in the marketplace daily with all who happen to be there” (Acts 17:17).

Proposed Gathering Area

MainStreet’s new place is an example of what author Ray Oldenburg calls a “third place” in his influential book The Great Good Place (1989). According to Oldenburg, one’s “first place” is the home and those that one lives with. The “second place” is the workplace — where people may actually spend most of their time. Third places, then, are “anchors” of community life and facilitate and foster broader, more creative interaction.

All societies already have informal meeting places; what is new in modern times is how intentional people are in seeking them out as vital to current societal needs. “Its time churches pick up on this societal trend,” says Berg. “Why should restaurants and coffeeshops be the only places people go to meet with friends and discuss the latest ideas?”

Oldenburg lists the following hallmarks of a true “third place”:

• Free or inexpensive
• Food and drink, while not essential, are important
• Highly accessible: proximate for many (walking distance)
• Involve regulars — those who habitually congregate there
• Welcoming and comfortable
• Both new friends and old should be found there.

In a day when churches are often seen by the general public as private clubs mainly serving their own members, Pastor Berg likes to quote Bishop William Temple who once said, “The Church is the only society on earth that exists for the benefit of non-members.” MainStreet wants this new community gathering place to say to the broader public: “We’re here to serve the Westonka community, and we hope this new facility will benefit everyone.”