The Federated Church-Avon, Illinois

05/22/2026

05/18/2026

BLOOD DRIVE, TODAY! Monday, May 18th--2-6 pm. Avon Federated Church (206 S. Main Street--Avon IL). Walk-ins welcome!

05/17/2026

WE NEED TO RE-THINK HOW WE ASSESS CHURCH VITALITY AND CHURCH EFFECTIVENESS IN 2026. For decades, the only numbers that people looked at for churches were Sunday morning worship attendance, Sunday School attendance, and the amount of money in the collection plate.

We are a small church (average recent attendance around 30 people on a Sunday morning). We are located in a town of approximately 650 people. Thus, we are going to look like a dying (or dead) church when you look at the traditional numerical way of evaluating churches.

However, let's look at the past week at our church ...

Every Monday morning (except holidays), around 20 people from the community show up at our building (from 8:30-10:30) for coffee, other refreshments, and conversation. Tuesday mornings, approximately 10 volunteers unload the incoming food delivery for the local food pantry. One Wednesday per month, the Lions Club meets at the church. Two Thursdays per month we host the food distribution for the community food pantry that is housed at our church (with lots of help from other people who attend other churches or who attend no church). Last Thursday, the food pantry served 70 households with 220 people in those households. We had approximately 15 volunteers for the food pantry on Thursday.

Today was Sunday morning worship (32 people in attendance). A large family from the community contacted me this afternoon and asked if they could pose for some family graduation photos in the church. So, we had that photo session this afternoon. (Some Sunday afternoons, the local 4-H Club meets in the church building). Tomorrow (Monday) will be the Monday morning coffee hour once again and a blood drive from 2-6 pm in the afternoon (walk-in blood donors are welcome).

Approximately 30 people show up for worship each Sunday at our church. However, our church, our church building, and our ministries can reach up to 300 people in a week. (And, that doesn't count any people that we reach online).

WE NEED TO RE-THINK HOW WE ASSESS CHURCH VITALITY AND EFFECTIVENESS IN 2026.

05/04/2026

Marissa Putman, Charly Cox and Izzy Kemp were awarded the 2026 Clara (Butler) McKeehan scholarships. Clara (Butler) McKeehan was a member of the Avon Senior High School Class of 1955. She had a career in the field of nursing. Clara’s family members have had a long connection to the Federated Church of Avon. In 2024, Clara (Butler) McKeehan and her husband, Robert McKeehan, created the Clara (Butler) McKeehan Scholarship Fund. They asked the Federated Church to administer this scholarship fund on their behalf as the McKeehans do not currently live in Illinois. This is the second year that the scholarships were awarded. Congratulations!

05/03/2026

We had an instrumental musical number today during worship. Here is the same song ... but with the words.

1.2K likes, 54 comments. "Because the Lord is My Shepherd (The New Twenty-Third)"

04/23/2026

At the Avon (IL) satellite location of the Cupboard and Closet food pantry (housed at the Avon Federated Church) ... we have some of the best volunteers that any program could ever ask for. Thank you to all of our wonderful volunteers for all of your hard work. You are greatly appeciated!

04/19/2026

Please share this post (and also please come to this special service)