HAC—After hosting a grand grand-opening, the Hammond Arts Center is officially open. Many of the 300+ in attendance were new faces inquiring about the  church and other doings at the HAC. This facility (like the CAC) gives Faith sustainable presence within the community. The HAC is partnering with neighboring organizations (i.e. Books, Band and Brushes) to further the arts within Hammond. In addition to a monthly rummage sale and regular art exhibits (Feb 24), the HAC also houses other familiar ministries such as Faith Family Market, Financial Peace University and youth group. The HAC is open during the week Mon, Tue & Thu.  Stop in, hang out, get inspired to go out. . . and love like Jesus.

Multi-Site—The next potential multi-site targets the Beecher area. The southwest region of Beecher/Grant Park/Peotone is home to approx. 25,0000 people with over 300 already calling Faith Church home. We believe God is preparing hearts and raising up new leaders for this next multi-site movement. A potential facility has been identified which provides 250 seats for weekend worship as well office space and gathering space for mid-week ministries.  If/when the lease agreement is finalized, a soft launch is feasible for April, with a goal of building up to two services and then a hard launch in September.  Nathan Prairie, currently enrolled in Leadership Residency Program, will champion the Beecher multi-site mission.  He has been an active Faith member for many years (along with his wife Leah), serving as Community Care Elder and Multi-Site Team member. He has completed a pastoral internship on his journey to become a Commissioned RCA pastor. Nathan serves on staff as Mini-Church Director.

Leadership Residency Program—The LRP’s first cohort began earlier this week with 7 residents (2 from outside churches) pursing the call to be campus pastors and church planters. This year-long program trains and assesses one’s call and aptitude for specific Kingdom work. The next cohort begins Fall 2012 and will include tracks for worship leaders, Treasureland directors, elders and deacons.

Directory—Olan Mills will again provide a compilation of Faith family photos in a church-wide 2012 pictorial directory. Sign-up online at www.signup.olanmills.com and use the code which corresponds to your photo shoot location (Dyer campus 66930, Cedar Lake CAC 66932, Valpo 66934, Hammond HAC 66936). Sign-ups are also available at each campus on the following dates: Dyer 2/19, Valpo 2/26, Hammond 3/4, Cedar Lake 4/11. Portraits will be taken March 19 through mid-May. Families participating will receive a free directory and  a $25 certificate toward optional portrait purchase.

FFT—Faith Financial Times is a quarterly publication, which communicates the financial status of Faith and provides insight into financing our 20/20 vision. It also includes biblical principles of money management and other financial summaries. The next edition will be issued later this month.

Mini-Church— The best way to connect with the big church (Faith at-large) is to connect to a smaller community.  Simply Jesus, our corporate Lenten Mini-Church journey, begins Feb 25/26.  This series incorporates a devotional penned by Pastors/staff and an original worship cd.  Sign-ups for Mini-Churches begin Feb 11/12. The devotional/cd combo is $5 and will be available Feb 18/19.