Direction Statement:
We are a Family of Worshipers,
Walking with the Living & Written Word,
Relying upon all of God’s Resources,
Serving and Sharing Jesus from Neighbor to Nations.
History of Jefferson Street Christian Church
Our History
Jefferson Street Christian Church began as a dream. Some members of Lincoln Christian Church had a dream to reach out to more families in the area. In the spring of 1971, a study was conducted by John Brown and Associates to determine the feasibility of a second Christian church. Out of this study came the recommendation that a new church be established in Lincoln. Lincoln Christian Church called on its members to pray for God’s will as each one decided whether to go or stay, and for the members to meet as a congregation to determine the guidelines for beginning this new church. As a result of this meeting, 38 families signed statements of intent to help start a new congregation. Although this was short of the 50 families that had been recommended, those desiring to establish a new church felt it was a sufficient number to undertake this project. The announcement of this decision was made on Sunday, August 29, 1971. On Tuesday, August 31st, the members who signed statements of intent met, selecting members for a steering committee and Christian education committee, three officers and a temporary name for the new church–Second Christian Church.
On Sunday evening, October 3, 1971, Lincoln Christian Church held a “Sending Out” program in support of the new church family. Don Leach, a professor at Lincoln Christian College, accepted the position of temporary minister. On the opening day at the Adams School building, Morning Worship attendance was 208, Bible School was 172, and Evening Worship was 131.
Within a few months the church purchased the Klemm Hatchery property. The buildings were renovated and the first service was held on August 27, 1972. In January of 1973, the congregation voted to change its name to the Jefferson Street Christian Church. Ground breaking ceremonies for a new building were held October 5, 1975. The first worship service in the new building was on November 7, 1976 with 476 in attendance and 288 in Bible School.
June 11, 1989 a second service was added on Sunday mornings. As the church grew in number, the need was felt for more classroom space. Classes were meeting in homes, in two trailers on the grounds, and in every spare room in the buildings. In 1992 volunteers from the church, in conjunction with the Christian Men’s Association, planned and built an educational wing. A Dedication and Open House was held on Sunday afternoon, January 24, 1993. As growth continued, a third worship service was added January 15, 1995 with 640 in morning worship and 397 in Bible School and by 1997 the worship services had grown to include three Sunday morning services and a Saturday evening service.
In the year 2001, JSCC peaked in worship attendance nearing the 700 mark on the average in the 4 services per weekend, with general fund giving reaching close to $500,000 for the first time in history. In the year 2003, JSCC experienced a record near 20% increase in general fund giving, as we intentionally set out to train up whole-life stewards in our congregation. Our attendance and general fund giving have leveled off in the past 3 years between 600 and 700 worshipers and with anticipated general fund giving for the year 2006 at $600,000.
At the beginning of 2004, our leadership team led us into our first-ever capital stewardship campaign to support our vision and increase the size of our facility to help us Serve and Share JESUS from Neighbor to Nations. On December 5, 2004, we broke ground for our new Worship Center with foyer and 2 large adult classrooms adding 24,100 square feet to our existing building. At that time, the leadership also made a difficult stewardship decision to reduce our worship services back to 3, discontinuing the Saturday evening worship service, in preparation for eventually going to 2 services when we move into our new Worship Center. After 18 months of construction with hundreds upon hundreds of volunteer hours logged, the building was completed and we held our first service there on June 4, 2006. The building was dedicated on September 10, 2006. Nearly $600,000 was received in the stewardship campaign directed toward the building project and several global and local outreach ministries. Our student ministries now utilize the old Worship Center, more than doubling their space for ministry. The new Worship Center seats approximately 700 people.
The year 2006 was a time of transition. We bid farewell to several beloved members of our ministry team and welcomed new team members to join us in both permanent and transitional roles. We now worship in two services on Sunday morning again. And, as we begin the year 2009, God continues to show us His plan to turn the church inside out! Because he has granted us this vision, we are now offering the following Inside Out Ministries to our church family and community at large in areas of practical help for dealing with divorce, addictions and hang-ups and grief: 1)DivorceCare; 2)Celebrate Recovery; and 3)GriefShare.
JSCC has always been a place where Christian education and family are emphasized. For the past 7 years, we have offered a seasonal (fall and spring) midweek family event. On Wednesday evenings, some 200 children, students and adults gather for a meal in our Fellowship Center, and then attend a class, group or choir. We call this the Jeff Street Journey. Also, every week hundreds of people are ministering through small groups, Bible studies, children and youth ministry, worship opportunities, committees, ministry teams, and many other service opportunities. We praise God for using our church family to change lives as we continue on our quest of being . . .
A Caring Community on a Journey of Turning the Church Inside Out.
