NO SERVICE LABOR DAY WEEKEND
Fusion will not be gathering on September 5th at Alpine Chapel. Labor Day weekend is a natural time to connect with friends and family. We hope you take this time to connect in Villages with those you are reaching out to!
We'll see you back at Alpine on September 12th with a Special Guest speaking!
MISSIONAL TRAINING WITH FORGE
Forge exists to help birth and nurture the missional church. We urge all at Fusion to consider the Forge Residency beginning September 30th.
If you are at all interested, please contact Eric Lerew to find out how to get involved.
SUNDAYS AT 5 PM AT ALPINE CHAPEL
This summer we will gather every Sunday to encourage one another as we dive into some of Jesus' parables on the Kingdom. Once a month we will have a meal after the service.
Download a
Summer Calendar
SUMMER READING
"If the heart of Christian spirituality is to increasingly become like our founder, then an authentic comprehension of Jesus becomes critical."
Read ReJesus by Michael Frost & Alan Hirsch with the leadership of Fusion Church this summer!
Order a copy...
VILLAGES GATHERING DURING SUMMER
Our Villages are communities of people committed to a common mission. Although we are not taking Sunday's off for Villages to gather as we have in the past, our Villages will continue to function throughout the summer.
Read more...
LIFE TRANSFORMATION GROUPS (LTG)
Being in an LTG is key to building nurturing relationships with God's people, in addition to being an effective means of reaching out. If you're not in an LTG, we encourage you to try one out during the summer.
Find out more...
The best way to connect at Fusion is through three strategic elements: Sundays, Life Transformation Groups (LTGs) and Villages. They are designed to work together to encourage you toward completion and multiplication as you follow Jesus.
Sunday Location
OUR KIDS
SUNDAY GATHERINGS
Our weekly Sunday Gatherings serve as a rallying point for those on mission to connect corporately with Jesus. As we worship, share our stories and take the Lord's Supper we celebrate what Jesus is doing among us. Using the gifts we've been given by the power of the Holy Spirit we minister to one another. We are also challenged and encouraged as we engage and respond to the Bible.
Once a month we share a meal as a family after the service. This is a great time to connect over good food and conversation.
Fusion Kids meets every Sunday during the service at 5:00 pm. A team of adults works to see OUR KIDS develop a meaningful relationship with Jesus Christ, find their place in God's family and use their unique gifts and talents to serve others and reach out to the world around them. To find out more or to volunteer, please contact Charis Goodson at 847-445-4929.
OUR KIDS is divided into four age groups as follows:
*6-12 Grades work with an adult to lead the K-5 gathering
WHAT IS AN LTG?
In short, an LTG (Life Transformation Group) is a group of two or three people who meet once a week and commit to reading scripture (Divine Truth), holding each other accountable in areas of character (Nurturing Relationships) and praying strategically for friends and family (Apostolic Mission). Read on to better understand the three components of an LTG:
Diving Truth-Scripture (Luke 8:11, 15)
The power of the LTG lies in the unleashing of God's Word into the lives of people. Each group decides on a book of the Bible they will read that week. Reading entire books in repetition, in context and in community yields rich rewards!
Nurturing Relationships-Accountability (James 5:16)
Christians need one another (Hebrews 10:24-25). There is strength in relationships built around supporting one another. Therefore, the first thing the LTG does together when gathering is ask each other Character Conversation Questions listed on the LTG bookmark.
Apostolic Mission-Strategic Prayer (Matthew 9:36-38)
Each member of the LTG is to identify two or three people whom the Lord lays on their hearts that need Jesus. On the reverse side of the bookmark is the Strategic Prayer Focus. This is to remind group members to pray specifically for each of the people named on the card as they read their Bibles throughout the week. The LTG also works together to reach out to those they have listed.
LIFE TRANSFORMATION GROUPS
Every person who desires to follow Jesus needs the DNA (Divine Truth, Nurturing Relationships & Apostolic Mission) of discipleship present in their lives. At Fusion we've found that Life Transformation Groups (LTGs) are an essential tool for cultivating the DNA in our lives and those we are reaching. As a result, joining an LTG is key to building nurturing relationships with Gods people, in addition to being an effective means of reaching out.
Contact us at info_fusionchurch.com and we'll connect you to an existing LTG or help you start a new one!
WHAT ARE VILLAGES?
Our Villages are communities of people committed to a common mission. Each Village may look different, but they are all centered on building relationships with people outside of the Church and showing them the reality of God's love in tangible ways. It often takes the form of shared meals, phone conversations, meeting each others' needs, service projects or having coffee and allowing Christ to enter into those activities and relationships.
CURRENT VILLAGES
Wauconda-Brad Dimick
Grayslake-Heath & Charis Goodson
Arlington Heights-Angie Sumrall
Lake Zurich-Eric Lerew
Crystal Lake-Duane & Amy Sherman
List of
Missional Activity
Sunday's at 5 pm at Alpine Chapel
Description
Life Transformation Groups
Summer Reading!
Read ReJesus by Michael Frost & Alan Hirsch with the leadership of Fusion Church this summer! In ReJesus, "Frost & Hirsch challenge us to reinstate Jesus as the central focus of our spiritual lives--both as individuals disciples and as communities of his people. The Jesus they present is not the domesticated Jesus that we learned about in Sunday school, but the 'loveing, wildly passionate, dangerous, radically merciful, and always surprising' Jesus portrayed in the Gospels. An encounter with this Jesus transforms us from the inside out and radically changes our approach to mission." -Felicity Dale
Villages Gathering During the Summer
Our Villages are communities of people committed to a common mission. Each Village may look different, but they are all centered on building relationships with people outside of the Church and showing them the reality of God's love in tangible ways. Although we are not taking Sunday's off for Villages to gather as we have in the past, our Villages will continue to function throughout the summer.
Spend some time getting to know Fusion by exploring Our Story, Our Beliefs and the Media Gallery. You'll get a feel for who we've been, who we are and who we are becoming.
Daily Herald Article 2003
Herald Article 2009
Catalyst Article 2010
OUR STORY
We each have a unique history that shapes who we are today and where we are headed. Fusion Church is no different. From the beginning, Fusion was focused on making disciples and taking Jesus to those that were unlikely to attend church. In 2002 this took the form a young adult cell group at Northwest Family Church in Lake Zurich. As a small group of believers built trusting relationships with non-believers, mostly young adults, they came to know the Lord. Through their network of friends many more were saved. By 2003 Fusion moved out of a house setting and began holding weekly services on Sunday morning. And in January of 2004, Fusion began operating as a self-supporting autonomous church that continued to reach young adults.
Over the next few years our numbers grew and we had a "successful" church, drawing young adults from all over the area. However, in 2007 the leadership realized we had become the next trendy attraction for consumers dissatisfied with the typical style of church. We began to ask ourselves what it would take for us to recapture our heart for going and making disciples. Examining every aspect of who we were and what we did, the Leadership Team navigated difficult decisions to help Fusion make necessary changes. This led to the birth of Life Transformation Groups and missional communities called Villages in 2008. During this transition, the decision was also made to move our services to Alpine Chapel on Sunday evenings because of budget constraints.
As in the beginning, Fusion is currently focused on making disciples and taking Jesus to our friends, families, co-workers, etc. We are no longer a ministry specifically to young adults, but now more than ever Fusion Church is seeing lives transformed as we build relationships in gyms, neighborhoods and wherever else we spend time.
Fusion also has a unique history of nurturing missional activity beyond Fusion Church. Even toward the beginning we sent out five students to Illinois State University to begin a campus ministry, Fusion, that has reached and discipled many since it started in 2003. More recently, Fusion helped start Love INC Lake County Southwest, which mobilizes area churches to meet peoples' needs in the name of Jesus. In addition, we regularly coach and encourage people and churches wanting to be more missional.
Thanks for taking the time to read our story. We look forward to hearing yours!
Fusion Church is
Full Statement
of Faith
Constitution
& By-Laws
Evangelical
Missional
and
Spirit Empowered
EVANGELICAL
Evangelicalism is: "The movement in modern Christianity, transcending denominational and confessional boundaries, that emphasizes conformity to the basic tenets of the faith and a missionary outreach of compassion and urgency. A person who identifies with it is an "evangelical," one who believes and proclaims the gospel of Jesus Christ" (Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, p. 379).
As Evangelicals, we believe that:
MISSIONAL
A missional church defines itself in terms of its mission, as people sent to incarnate the gospel within a specific cultural context.
Alan Hirsch defines it as the following: "Missional church is a community of God's people that defines itself, and organizes its life around, its real purpose of being an agent of God's mission to the world. In other words, the church's true and authentic organizing principle is mission. When the church is in mission, it is the true church. The church itself is not only a product of that mission but is obligated and destined to extend it by whatever means possible. The mission of God flows directly through every believer and every community of faith that adheres to Jesus. To obstruct this is to block God's purposes in and through his people." (The Forgotten Ways, p. 82)
SPIRIT EMPOWERED
While we are mainstream Evangelical in our theology, we are Spirit Empowered in our experience and practice.
This means that:
"Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit."
(Ephesians 5:18 NIV)
"To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of
knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of
healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another
distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another
the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them
to each one, just as he determines." (1 Corinthians 12:8-11 NIV)
We kicked off the summer of 2010 with guest speaker Kim Hammond, the National Director of Forge America. He inspired us to continue to be missional and to support Eric as the Chicago Director of Forge. Many stayed after to hang out for our monthly meal.
We celebrated during the service as three families dedicated their children to the Lord. Afterwards we shared our monthly meal together.
We kicked off the summer of 2010 with guest speaker Kim Hammond, the National Director of Forge America. He inspired us to continue to be missional and to support Eric as the Chicago Director of Forge. Many stayed after to talk over our monthly meal.
The leaders of Fusion Church serve to encourage the body toward ministry and mission. Elders serve as shepherds to the body, the Leadership Team discerns God's direction for Fusion, while the Vision Team (Staff) equips the body to carry out the mission and vision of the church.
ELDERS
It is the position of Fusion Church that the Holy Spirit equips and empowers individuals for service as an elder in the local church. The body of Fusion annually affirms the call of God on an individual to be an elder and function as a shepherd/pastor, mentor and equipper at Fusion Church. The following individuals are characterized by the qualifications for eldership as set forth in I Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9.
LEADERSHIP TEAM
The Leadership Team seeks God's direction for the church and determines action steps that move the church forward in the process of Completing and Multiplying People who Passionately Follow Christ. The members are nominated annually and looked upon as examples of servant leadership empowered by the Spirit to do Kingdom ministry.
VISION TEAM (STAFF)
The Vision Team works to equip the body to carry out the mission and vision of Fusion Church. They also help people utilize their unique gifting by connecting them to ministry and mission. Members of the Vision Team are part-time paid staff.
ERIC LEREW
CHAEL TILLER
HANNAH SEPPANEN
eric_fusionchurch.com
www.ericlerew.com
847.476.2355
chael_fusionchurch.com
773.383.2648
hannah_fusionchurch.com
847.946.4861
• Encourage people to
live and serve in
freedom through Living
Free and Freedom
Prayer
• Clearly communicate
the mission, vision and
current events of
Fusion Church
• Maintain the finances of
Since childhood, Hannah has followed Jesus and had a heart to help others do the same. In order to equip her to help others, she pursued a degree in Christian Ministries at Taylor University, graduating in 2003. Hannah moved to Chicagoland in 2004 and was quickly drawn to the mission and the people of Fusion Church. As she encountered Jesus at Fusion, her passion to encourage people to boldly walk in their God-given identity and calling increased. In June of 2006 she joined the Fusion staff part-time to help people become dynamic Christ followers. Since September of 2007 she has raised the other half of her salary to help mobilize the area Church through initiatives like Love INC Lake County Southwest and Freedom Prayer training for church leaders. She currently lives in Barrington and enjoys spending time relaxing with friends and family, babysitting her nieces and playing cello.
• Lead our Sunday
Gatherings, helping
people connecting to
Jesus
• Coordinate the
teaching team and
set direction for Sunday
Gatherings
follow and worship
Jesus by serving the
church family
Chael's story begins with two loving, Christian parents and a strong church community that set him on a path toward following Jesus very early in life. However, by the time he was in college Chael began to question what it meant to really follow Jesus and what it meant to be the Church. Answering those questions lead him to complete an MDiv from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and begin a second Masters degree in Systematic Theology. Along the way he has developed a deep passion for Spiritual Formation, exploring what it means to be conformed to Christ and to have Christ formed in us. He also enjoys helping people sort through difficult questions and helping couples have healthier marriages. Since 2007, he has been a part of Fusion Church, learning from and serving in a number of areas. He joined the Fusion staff in June of 2010. Chael is passionate about micro brews, football, MMA, hunting and of course his beautiful wife, Jen and daughter, Chloe.
• Champion the mission
and shape the vision
• Lead and multiply
leaders
• Coach Village and
missional activity
Eric grew up in Michigan and attended college at Ferris State University. After a powerful encounter with God he started following Jesus and introducing his fellow students to Christ. As his friends' lives were changed, there was no doubt what he wanted to do. He planted campus ministries at Central Michigan University and Alma College and then became the Chi Alpha Campus Ministries Director for Illinois. The need to reach the marginalized inspired him to start Fusion. In addition to his part-time role at Fusion, Eric is the Chicago Director of Forge Mission Training Network. Eric and his two children, Lauren & Evan, live in Wauconda.
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We are a group of people from all walks of life attempting to follow Jesus. We recognize following Jesus is a 24/7 commitment, done in God's power, with the support of intimate relationships [community]. It has incredible implications on how we do life with our families, at work and among friends. We invite you to join us on this journey. You don't have to have everything figured out, you just need a willingness to learn more about Jesus and what it means to participate in His mission.
Completing & Multiplying People Who Passionately Follow Christ
Connect with Jesus, His People and His Mission.
These three practices are the essence of what it means to be a disciple and the way we accomplish the mission. Through them everyone, regardless of age or experience, can be empowered to make disciples and plant churches where people do life. It is our experience that pursuing this vision results in transformed lives.
