Watch God Move at the Inclusive Collective – College Ministry Partners

Dinner + Worship
Fridays, Feb. 7, March 6, April 3 & April 24
6- 8 pm
Chicago Temple (2nd floor Chapel) 77 W. Washington St., Chicago IL 60602

At a time when over 36% of 18-24 year-olds describe their religion as “nothing in particular” and seem unsure about living out their faith within the bounds of Mainline churches, an exciting new ministry has emerged. The Inclusive Collective (IC – formerly Agape House), our NIC campus ministry partner at the University of Illinois at Chicago has forged a new path by doing ministry in experimental and imaginative ways.

In the past four years, their community has grown from zero to over seventy students and young adults, many of whom haven’t been part of a faith community in many years or ever.  This past year, the IC adopted a new mission statement: “Fueling young adults through Jesus-rooted soul work” through which they strive to create experiences of encountering God in such powerful ways that they feel inspired and energized for courageous, faithful living. These experiences are aimed at stirring them up to follow Jesus, disrupting the status quo, and co-creating God’s Beloved Community.

While doing this they also discovered that, although there are well over 100,000 students in Loop-area universities alone, the IC is one of only two campus ministries that is theologically open, LGBTQ-inclusive, and rooted in a local Mainline denomination. Prior to Fall 2019, neither the IC nor the other Mainline ministry offered regular worship. That meant that, in the 3rd largest city in the country, there was no worship gathering created by and for students that was LGBTQ-inclusive and theologically progressive.

In an attempt to live out their mission more faithfully and meet a huge need, the IC launched Dinner + Worship in September 2019, creating a new worship experience that is compelling to their members. Each month, 50+ college students and young adults gather to eat delicious food, build community, sing stirring songs, encounter God, and explore what it means to follow Jesus ~and they do this all at the Chicago Temple, due to their immense generosity and hospitality. Mary Heath, a UIC graduate student says this about Dinner + Worship: “For me, Dinner + Worship provided a safe environment to reconnect with communal spiritual practice. It gave me the chance to sing worship songs and take communion for the first time in years in a space where I feel completely accepted. I am so grateful for the opportunity to share a meal, conversation, and worship with such a welcoming and diverse group.”

As the church wrestles to be transformed and transforming within its changing realities, God continues to give birth to fresh expressions of church. It is a joy to see the new form of Christian community IC folks are creating, and if you want a peak at what God is doing, join them one Friday and watch God move.

For more information, visit LetsGetInclusiveUIC.org or Instagram (@LetsGetInclusiveUIC).