Sunday Morning
This is a group of men and women of all ages that meet at the Minooka Campus. This diverse group loves people right where they are and welcomes everyone regardless of their history. This Sunday morning group discusses books of the Bible and supports, loves and takes care of each other.
Prayer Sunday
This group meets and prays for the world, nation, city, community, leadership, church prayer requests, every space in the church and every chair. You do not need to sign-up, just show up at the Minooka Campus and go to the meeting room attached to the church office. Prayer is important. It’s a time for you to talk to God. We encourage you to talk to Him as your friend. Tell Him what’s in your heart, what you’re thinking, feeling and struggling with. He wants to hear it all. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. -Mark 11:24 In addition to this Sunday morning group, another way you can connect in prayer is to jump on a weekly call on Wednesday nights, 7:00 PM. Call 515-606-5327 and enter 605392#. Pray out loud, or listen and pray silently. Everyone is welcome – you do not need to be an attendee of The Village. “I am a true believer in the power of prayer and with all that’s happening in the world around us, I invite you to join me in becoming a great Prayer Warrior. This is someone who is willing to commit to daily, heartfelt prayer for others and is willing to pray alone, in pairs, or in groups.” Lilye Sease, Prayer Pastor Read More About Prayer Why Hearing From God Can Be Hard Pray With Purpose When Life Doesn’t Go According To Plan
The Village Family Reunion – Christmas Edition
We’re one church with multiple locations, but on this day we’ll come together in one location for church. Come for church and stay for community!
Family Sunday
This Sunday afternoon family group provides a casual, fun, and encouraging atmosphere. Age range is mid 30’s – 50, and they all have kids in a similar age range (8-14), so they are in the thick of the busy family life stage with kid activities. The leaders, Derek and Amy, have a heart for hosting and want to encourage others in this life stage to make spiritual growth a priority. The group focuses on the “serious stuff” (Bible study) for about 45-60 minutes with real conversations about culture, managing businesses, and the challenges of raising kids in today’s world. This group will either dive into thought-provoking questions related to our weekly Sunday messages or choose a topical study through RightNow Media. Kids are welcome and usually hang out together while the adults meet. There is no childcare.
Pulse Kick-Off
Pulse is a place for students to find truth – to learn how God sees them. A place to help students wrestle with the issues of faith while being supported by great leaders.
Emotional Support Sunday
Do you struggle with anxiety or stress? Do you wonder why your anxiety and stress may be difficult to manage. Has COVID impacted this anxiety or made it worse? Anyone is welcome to join this emotional support group via Zoom. Please email us if you would like to join the group. This group will help you gain a better understanding of how anxiety and stress happen in the brain. Learn about tools to manage stress and anxiety and find healing through hearing other’s lived experience of managing their trauma story. You are not alone, and Christ desires we heal in community.
Re|Engage Marriage Experience
Every marriage has room for improvement. Re|engage gives you a safe place to work on your relationship together, regardless of whether your marriage needs saving or you just want to take it from “good” to “great”.
Rachelle Ferguson
Rachelle has been an integral part of The Village since its beginning in 2004. She enjoys serving on the Teaching Team and with Pulse Students. She is passionate about the purpose of the local church and is willing to serve anywhere that the Lord leads to show others that they belong to the Kingdom of God. Rachelle grew up in southern Illinois and attended First Christian Church of Oblong. She attended Lincoln Christian University and Illinois State University gaining a bachelor’s degree in both Bible and Elementary Education. Rachelle lives in Channahon with her husband, Nate, and they have two adult sons and a daughter-in-law.
Winter Wonderland
Step into a magical Winter Wonderland at The Village for a night of free family fun and community.
Young Adults Monday
Food, fun, and friends is what you will find at the Young Adults group. Meet new people, form community and talk about things that are relevant to your generation. Young professionals, college students, young married, and singles ages 18-28 in Minooka/Channahon, Coal City, Seneca and surrounding areas are welcome! This is a social group – a place to come and connect with other people and experience community – a place for food, fun and conversation. You won’t be doing a Bible study here, but you will get a meal, a place that values you, a place to build relationships. Come hang out Mondays, 6:30 PM, at Nate & Rachelle Ferguson’s home in Channahon. If you have any questions, text Rachelle at 815-735-6877. The group is currently going through Rooted and is closed until mid-November.
New Times New Spaces
We are making room at every campus for more people to come to know Jesus!
Spiezio Monday
This Monday group is for people at any stage of life! Check it out for a diverse range of studies, including Sunday message-based sessions and deep dives into the Bible. Everyone is welcome in this group no matter what their church background or Bible knowledge is. There is usually food and drinks. This group is more than just study, it’s a warm community experience. No childcare is provided.
Sarah Windham
Hearing you give praise through song is one of Sarah’s greatest joys. She believes God moves through those moments, when we let our guard down allowing ourselves to be vulnerable. It’s her prayer that we can continue to cultivate these moments. She leads the Worship and Tech Teams and manages the service flow across all campuses. Sarah grew up in Carthage, Illinois and attended Burnside Christian Church where her dad was the Pastor. She has a bachelor’s degree in Music Education and has been involved in worship since high school. Sarah lives in Joliet with her husband Luke, son and daughter.
Embrace Grace
The Embrace Grace group provides emotional, practical, and spiritual support for young women who find themselves in an unexpected pregnancy. The mission is to be a safe and nonjudgmental place for these young women when they find out they are pregnant, instead of the last place they are welcomed because of shame and guilt. It is a 12-week Bible-based support group that teaches about God’s love and grace. At the end, the girls get a baby shower to honor them for choosing life and to help provide for their baby’s needs. For more information, visit embracegrace.com. Watch Testimonials
Moms In Prayer Tuesday
This prayer group is for moms, grandmas, aunts, sisters; the caretakers of any child from Kindergarten through High School in Minooka and Channahon School Districts. They pray for students, teachers, staff and schools during the school year. Childcare is not provided. This group only meets when school is in session and breaks for holidays and summer.
Lilye Sease
Lilye has a passion for prayer and serves as our Prayer Pastor making sure prayer is at the forefront of all we do at The Village. She leads the prayer team as they pray for the world, nation, city, community, leadership, church prayer requests, every space in the church and every chair. Lilye grew up in Mississippi. She attended Charles H. Mason Theological Seminary and has extensive experience as a prayer leader and evangelist. Lilye and her husband, John (Sonny), live in Shorewood.
Jeremiah Maurer
Jeremiah is a recent graduate from Lincoln Christian University who has a deep desire to serve the Lord and those the Lord places in his path. He wants to learn and help shepherd the Lord’s people in everything he does. He will be working as the Leadership Resident through December of 2024 as he seeks to grow in this community and in his understanding of how to serve the Kingdom of God. Jeremiah grew up in Dansville, MI on a cattle farm. His family was in ministry and from a very young age Jeremiah grew a heart to serve the Lord. He still enjoys working on the farm when he gets the chance and has been able to apply his life experience to his ministry. For the past year and a half Jeremiah served as the Lead Minister at San Jose Christian Church in San Jose, IL. He is very excited to continue building relationships in the Kingdom here at The Village. Jeremiah met his now fiancé at Lincoln Christian University and they plan to get married in June of 2025. They look forward to a life of serving the Lord in ministry together.
Men’s Wednesday
This Wednesday Men’s Lifegroup is for men of all ages who are looking to further their relationship with Christ and have fun while doing it. Whether you have been raised in the church, or just getting started, this group has a place for you. The Bible is our guide as we have good discussions on how it can strengthen us as men. The group is currently going through Rooted and is closed until mid-November.
Ladies Wednesday
This Wednesday ladies group loves to welcome new people. All ages are welcome, and it’s a great group for stay at home moms with kids in school or older kids. This is a great option if you’re just starting out in your relationship with Jesus. You do not need to know a lot about the Bible to be part of this group. The ladies support and encourage each other through challenges, with an emphasis on prayer and scripture. Group lasts 1 1/2 hours and starts with a welcome, a brief check-in on how everyone is doing, and then the ladies open their Bibles to see what God’s Word has to say about the day’s discussion. The focus is making sure we keep God at the center of all the good and the struggles. Group time is wrapped up with prayer requests and closing prayer time. These ladies love Jesus! We love kids, but this group does not have childcare available.
Second Halfers Wednesday
The Second Halfers group is for 50’s and up in age. We have a potluck breakfast from 10-10:30 AM, then do a Bible study and game from 10:30-11:30 AM. Lots of fun and learning happens here. Come and enjoy great food and community! The monthly get-togethers typically have 20–30 people coming from all kinds of church backgrounds. You will be welcomed whether you’re new to church or have been around for a while. You do not need to attend the church to join in the fun. We encourage you to invite your friends!
Defending Christian Faith Wednesday
Have the confidence you need to answer questions that a non-believer would ask about Christianity. This group provides tools to anyone who wants to learn how to share their testimony of faith with others, especially non-believers who may have questions about faith. They share ideas and have question and answer sessions based around defending the truth of Christian faith.
Tripp Thursday
The Thursday group is a comforting space where people of all walks of life come together. We’re a mix of single and married adults, each on our unique paths. Our discussions usually take off from the Sunday messages, which provide us with food for thought throughout the week. We talk about things that helps us grow, understand ourselves, and face life’s challenges. But what really stands out is how we catch up on each other’s weeks. It’s like a support system where we share our ups and downs, offering encouragement and a listening ear. We all agree that having this kind of community makes a positive impact on our lives. This lifegroup meets from 6:45-8 pm. The group does not serve food and no childcare is offered.
D-Group CrossFit Bible Study Thursday
If you want to dive deeper into scripture and give Jesus a more active part of your life, this group will help you do that! Have you grown weary of surface-level relationships? Do you want to understand and love the Bible instead of feeling intimidated or confused? Do you long for community to challenge and encourage you in living out the Bible? This will be a place to memorize scripture, pray with and for each other, and get into scripture in a way you may have never experienced. You will learn a lot! This group for men & women of all ages and stages of life. We will follow 6-week studies by Tara-Leigh Cobble (think Bible Recap, but this is different). There are 4 each year. New members are welcome every six weeks, but if a session has already started, you will start new with the next 6-week study. If you’ve done the Bible Recap and want to apply the Bible into your daily life, this group is for you! The D Group website calls this group “The CrossFit of Bible Studies.”
Channahon Ladies Thursday
The Channahon Ladies Thursday group is for all ages. You do not need to know a lot about the Bible to be part of this group. This is a safe, supportive space to talk about every day life, struggles, and success and how the Bible applies to it all. Children are welcome, but childcare is not available.