Northwoods Community Church launches new campus in Canton, Illinois
“We’ve been looking for a church home for the last five years. We’ve just never found something we could connect with—until now.”
This comment is one among many from unchurched people in Canton, Illinois. Today, those families have a place to plug in, thanks to Northwoods Community Church, which launched a new campus in Canton on Easter Sunday. “Canton is a largely unchurched population,” says Scott Cramer, multi-site director at Northwoods. Of the 40,000 people living in Fulton County, more than 20,000 don’t affiliate with any church at all.
“As we researched the possibility of a campus in Canton,” says Scott, “we began to sense that there’s a need in the community for something relevant and passionate for people’s faith.” Believers in the community felt the need, too, and quickly came on board, with several people from Canton joining the launch team who were already faithful givers and volunteers at Northwoods.
According to Jason Gilmore, campus pastor at Canton, the hurt and the need in Canton is real. “When I first drove into Canton,” he says, “I sensed a dark cloud over the community. I believe we are to be the light in that darkness.” According to Jason, “a lot of the darkness comes from people’s pasts. This tends to be a community that doesn’t forget what you have done. As an outsider coming in to lead, I can offer a fresh start.”
If the first Sunday is any indication, people are responding to that possibility of a fresh start in a big way, with over 400 people attending services on Easter, and 16 people indicating they made a decision for Christ during the service. “We feel that’s a good indicator of the need for a Northwoods Church in Canton,” says Mike Bell, senior executive pastor. To learn more, visit http://northwoods.church.
