Two years ago, First Baptist Church in downtown Galesburg, Illinois faced closure and prayed for a solution. During that same season, The Ascent Church, a former multi-site campus of Northwoods Community Church, prayed desperately for a building to call home. God orchestrated the two churches to find each other and begin a conversation. Nine months later, after many prayers and discussions, they merged into The Ascent Church and now meet in First Baptist Church’s beautiful 176-year-old building. Andrew Wingo, a senior leader at Ascent, says it has been a life-giving experience.
Dorothy Lam, previously the teaching pastor at First Baptist Church, led her church through a critical point of needing to either close its doors, revitalize, or join with another church. Together, she helped her congregants navigate the lengthy and sometimes difficult discussions necessary as they began speaking with the leadership team at Ascent. “Our missions aligned, our values aligned, so that was the first green light to keep talking.” She has now joined the staff at Ascent to assist with benevolence and outreach. This role will enable her to continue serving the impoverished in the community, discipling believers, and helping people when God “gives them a spark” to find a way to serve those in need. Dorothy is excited about what this means– what they can accomplish together.
March 17th was the first service when both churches met in the new building. Many volunteers from both congregations came together to paint, clear things out, and prepare the building for the merge. “The community of people coming together was really cool,” Andrew says. He sees how the Ascent’s history with temporary meeting places like the YMCA and a high school will help the body of believers keep their focus in the right place. “Our church has been built on a desperation for Jesus to move,” Andrew says. “He has been so incredibly faithful. This was not on any of our radars, but it was on his.”
