Open Door Community Church

09/06/2026

Happy Sunday!

We hope you’ll join us in worship today! If you can’t join us in person, you can always join us live (or watch the replay) at the link below!

Services starts at 10:10, followed by After Half from 11:15-11:45, which is our age-level classes that dive deeper into God's word. There are classes for Elementary School, Middle/High School, and adults!

Welcome to Open Door Community Church in Sterling, IL! Join us live...

09/04/2026

What kind of fruit are you bearing in your life?

When you face stressful situations or hurt, do you respond in grace and faith? Or does your fruit look more like anger or gossip?

When someone is unloving towards you, do you love them anyway, or do you respond in kind with your own unloving remarks and actions?

If you've ever wished you could be a little more Christlike in the way you respond to people and situations, you're not alone. And if you've ever felt like you just don't know how to get there, you're still not alone.

A lot of us tell ourselves we just have to "try harder." We just have to "do better" and "be better." But when we rely on our own strength like that, we ultimately fail.

There's a better way.

When we build practices into our lives that allow us to live like Christ has called us to live, the fruit we so desperately want to bear grows in ways we can't accomplish on our own.

Join us this Sunday as we explore how to build practices of prayer into our daily lives. Service begins at 10:10. You are welcome here.

09/03/2026

Help us bring comfort to our local seniors this month!

Our Little Things Outreach for September is focused on personal hygiene items for nearby senior care facilities. Small items like shampoo, body wash, and toothpaste make a huge difference in the daily lives of our elderly neighbors.

Here's how you can participate:
1. Pick up an extra item (shampoo, deodorant, or toothpaste) during your next shop.
2. Drop it in the bins in the foyer anytime this month.
3. We’ll handle the rest and distribute them to those in need!

Thank you for the small ways you help us have a big impact on our community!

09/02/2026

Our witness for Jesus begins and ends with love.

John 3:16-17 says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."

Our witness starts with God's love for all human beings and God saving the world through Jesus and bringing him back into relationship.

Jesus tells them what to do with that love in how we witness in John 13:34-35: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Our witness ends in our perfect love of our fellow human beings and our love back to God.

Everything about our witness should be motivated by an embodying love to the world around us.

09/01/2026

Our monthly gatherings are one of the best ways outside of Sunday to build relationships, grow in your faith, and be encouraged along the way! Here's what's happening!

Ladies’ Lydia Circle – September 8 at 1pm
All women are welcome to join us as we study the fruit of Gentleness as we study 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12, followed by a time of fellowship and dessert. We'll also collect persona hygiene items for Bare Necessities Pantry in Rock Falls.

Men’s Breakfast – September 12 at 9am
A great morning of good food and even better conversation. Men of all ages are invited! (Note: Benny’s Restaurant is cash only, so plan ahead.)

Kindred Souls – September 15 at 10am
A caring space for widows and widowers to gather, share, and support one another in the journey of loss.

Peer Support Group – September 17 at 6pm
Led by Director of Recovery Charles Larry III, this group offers a non-judgmental space to find encouragement, connection, and hope alongside others.
There’s a place for you here. Come as you are and join us.

08/31/2026

A grapevine left to grow on its own will still produce grapes, but they'll be small, underdeveloped, sour, and less abundant. A grapevine that's given a trellis or arbor grows abundant, delicious fruit.

The same is true in our spiritual lives. When we live without structure, we can still live and experience some fruit, but when we build structure and spiritual practices into our lives, the fruit grows more abundantly and life becomes more enjoyable.

That's where a "Rule of Life" comes in. It's not a law or command. It's an arbor or trellis, designed to help us give structure and purpose to our lives that allows the fruit of the Spirit to become more apparent and abundant. It helps guide us to living more like Christ.

For the next 9 weeks, we're exploring different aspects of how Christ lived and applying it in order to form a trellis on which we can build our lives.

Because this was our Missions Sunday, we started with Witness.

In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus commands his disciples to make disciples as they go about doing life. And there are 4 practical ways we can witness in our daily lives.

Above all, we start with love. Our witness for Jesus begins and ends with love because God's love for all human beings is how He saved the world. It was because of His great love for us that he sent His son, so we reflect that love in every interaction.

Practically, that love looks like hospitality. It looks like welcoming people into your life and into your home. Sharing a meal as family, encouraging each other and building each other up.

Witnessing looks like partnering with the Holy Spirit and with ministries and organizations already in place, both locally and globally. We can have a broader impact when we work with the Holy Spirit and with others rather than "going it alone."

We often build up "witnessing" in our head as having to have a 3-point presentation with a great hook and a moving call to action that brings everyone that hears it to their knees in a desire to follow Christ. The truth? Witnessing means you share your story. Just like a witness on the stand in a trial shares what they saw or heard, your witness is most effective, authoritative, and personal when you simply share what God has done in your life and how you are trusting Him. Your story is all you need to share the good news of Jesus to others.

So what?
1. Pray for God's love to overflow in your heart for all peoples.
2. Practice hospitality, not hosting, in your home.
3. Partner with existing ministries.
4. Share the gospel in deed and word.

Learn more about the spiritual practice of witnessing at https://www.practicingtheway.org/witness

08/30/2026

Happy Sunday!

We hope you’ll join us in worship today! If you can’t join us in person, you can always join us live (or watch the replay) at the link below!

Services starts at 10:10, followed by our 5th Sunday Potluck! Bring a dish to pass and enjoy the fellowship over food!

Welcome to Open Door Community Church in Sterling, IL! Join us live...

08/28/2026

Do you ever feel like you’re going through the motions?

Like you’re on autopilot, just checking things off the list?

You’re not alone.

One of the best ways to get off autopilot is to get our eyes off ourselves and connect with those around us.

That’s part of what church is (especially this Sunday since food is involved!).

We gather in worship, not just to praise the God who is the giver of life, but to connect with those who love and care about us - to remember that there’s more to life than a never-ending to do list, that our feelings and our struggles are real and valid, and that we don’t have to carry them alone.

If you’re ready to catch your breath, slow down, and reconnect, we invite you to join us. Then stick around for the potluck after the service!

Service begins at 10:10. You are welcome here.

08/27/2026

Will you accept both God's forgiveness and consequences for your sin?

It's a both/and, not an either/or.

God has forgiven us completely in Christ. Jesus died on the cross for our sins. He has taken away the eternal penalty for them, and we are in the free and clear by his blood. And we can rejoice, and we can accept that gift freely.

But.

Repentance means accepting the consequences of our sin as well, and saying to God, I'm going to make these things right.

So will you accept Jesus, God's forgiveness for your sins, but also owning up those consequences and making it right in the name of Jesus?

08/26/2026

We can’t wait for this Sunday! Not only will we get to hear updates and encouragements from our global servants in Italy and Thailand/Myanmar, but we also get to enjoy a potluck meal together after the service!

During the service, we’ll also be collecting an offering to support our global servants. The first $500 given will be matched, so please be prayerfully considering what you’re willing and able to give!

After the service, the meal has a fun twist - bring a dish that represents your ancestors nationality! It’ll be fun to have representation from all around the world!

We’re curious - what nationality are you representing and what dish are you bringing?