A Fifty-Year Partnership for the Gospel

Vanessa Roth

Early Years

“We need to do something about the troubled youth that are hanging around the downtown area in Wheaton.” That was a comment made by a Wheaton pastor in the early 1970s at a Wheaton Ministerium meeting. The Ministerium was an active organization in the late 1960s and early 1970s with at least 25 churches participating. Pastor Nate Goff, the senior pastor of College Church at that time, was an active member of the Ministerium.

Partly due to that comment, the Ministerium formed a committee to investigate the needs of the youth, look at ministry models, and bring back recommendations to the group. The outcome of that process was a recommendation that the churches of Wheaton come together to sponsor a faith-based charitable organization to form a youth outreach program. In 1971, a board comprised of the senior pastors from the Ministerium churches and a lay representative from each church was formed. In 1973, the organization took on the name of Wheaton Youth Outreach (now Outreach Wheaton) and was incorporated. Two part-time youth workers were hired. Pastor Goff served on the board as the pastoral representative, and Jay Avery, a College Church congregant, served as the lay representative. College Church contributed its share of what was a $20,000 budget back then.

By 1975, the ministry had fallen apart. One of the staff members alienated most of the churches. The board was unwieldy and short on organizational development experience. Fifteen of twenty churches pulled out, including College Church, and the second staff person quit. The five remaining churches adopted a new plan that included offering a job to Chris Ellerman, a recent George Williams College graduate with a master’s degree in social work. Chris’ first assignment was to bring back the churches that had resigned—one of his first calls was to Pastor Goff. Pastor Goff affirmed Chris’ call. They prayed together for Outreach, and Pastor Goff recommitted College Church as a sponsor for Outreach. Within a year, Outreach was back in College Church’s budget, and this support was placed under the elders’ budget because it did not fit under the missions budget mandate. Within a few months, Jay Avery rejoined the board as the church’s representative, to be followed in 1980 by Phil Stough.

Ministry In Our Own Backyard

In the early 1980s, both Outreach and College Church became more aware of the overwhelming needs of the families living on the southeast side of Carol Stream: 50% of the families were headed by single parents; 45% of the children were living in poverty; 75% of the children were behind in school; domestic violence was substantial, and substance abuse was prevalent. Outreach responded to the needs in southeast Carol Stream in 1985. Leaders Mark Taylor, the president of Tyndale House Publishers and an elder at College Church, Phil Stough, the vice principal at Wheaton North High School and a member of the board of missions at College Church, and Chris Ellerman called together the senior pastors of three of the largest churches in Wheaton, the CEOs of the Christian organizations located in the southeast section of Carol Stream and the CEOs of a number of local corporations. Pastor Kent Hughes, senior pastor of College Church at the time, was among the pastors in attendance.

A three-year pilot project was proposed at the meeting with ministries focused on wrapping support around families headed by single moms—counseling, case management, and children’s ministries for elementary and middle school students that included Christian education. Lay volunteers from the sponsoring churches were seen as a critical component in service delivery. The proposed budget was $100,000 with suggested annual support of $5,000 to $10,000 per institution. Once again, College Church signed on as one of the founding churches for Outreach Carol Stream (formerly Outreach Community Center).

The three-year “pilot” project was successful—every ministry was filled to capacity within five months. Lay volunteers carried the tutoring program, and a junior high club was hosted by College Church at the church and staffed by the Pacesetters—the adult community for singles in their 20s and 30s. By 1989, it was obvious that a facility had to be built. Land was donated by an Outreach board member, who was also a College Church member. College Church pledged $100,000 for the capital campaign, and the other sponsor churches and corporate partners pledged over $400,000. The new facility opened in 1991, debt free, all the result of the commitment of the Christian community.

Deepening Partnership With Twice Is Nice Resale Store

In 1992, Outreach decided that the future of the Community Center was in the hands of the local churches, who had a passion for reaching out locally and serving holistically. At that same time, Pastor Hughes was in conversation with the elders for College Church to move outward and to do more outreach to the local community. Pastor Hughes designated Pastor David Helm with the responsibility to carry this forward with the Community Center as the primary outlet or focus for this effort. Pastor Helm called together a group of volunteers who were already active at the Center, dubbed the group the “Dream Team,” brought Chris Ellerman together with them and, over the next six months, the assignment was to dream out loud about ministry opportunities at the Center. Out of that effort came the idea to create a resale store to the benefit of Outreach Carol Stream, and Twice is Nice was born!

Twice is Nice opened in 1994. Financially, it broke even expenses during year one. In years two and three, the profits began, and support for the ministries at Outreach was started. Dozens of volunteers from College Church pitched in to make the store a success, and the congregation of College Church continues to donate clothing and household items to the store.

Today, Twice Is Nice is contributing over $150,000 annually to Outreach to support the center, and this year the store is on track to contribute its highest annual profit ever to Outreach. Back in 2006, College Church and Outreach celebrated a major milestone in our partnership–Twice is Nice reached the $1 million mark in contributions to the community center! We celebrated together in a Sunday evening service as we praised the Lord for blessing this ministry partnership. We are on track to reach the $2.5 million mark sometime in 2024!

Ministry Impact

Over the years, Outreach has grown to include Neighborhood Resource Centers in five communities across the western suburbs and a Transitional Housing Program and Employment Opportunity Center. In total, Outreach serves almost 4,000 people annually. The ministries at Outreach Carol Stream have grown from service to 200 in 1986 to more than 1,500 lives touched in 2022. Volunteers have grown from 50 in the early years to over 400 annually. As many as 150 volunteers are active each week in relational ministries. The facility has grown from a 1,000-square-foot office to a 24,000-square-foot multi-purpose center full of faith-based activities available to all of the residents of southeast Carol Stream.

Most importantly, Outreach’s greatest impact is how the gospel is being shared daily throughout our programs. Whether it’s the Christian education classes in the youth development programs, Bible studies in the Transitional housing programs or prayer being offered at the end of every basic needs appointment, God’s presence is invited into the activities and services at Outreach.

Sarah (not her actual name) was one of the first children to participate in the program when the Community Center in Carol Stream opened in 1986. Her family was living in southeast Carol Stream and one of Sarah’s fondest memories is participating at the Community Center.

“I don’t know what my mom and I would have done if we hadn’t had the Center to turn to.” At age 15, Sarah revealed that her father had been sexually abusing her for years. The Center not only made sure Sarah had counseling, but also made sure Sarah and her mom were supported by a church. Through this experience and relationship at the Center, Sarah found her way to God. She accepted Christ in high school which became the anchor to her life. The Center provided Sarah a scholarship to attend Judson University where she met her future husband. Today, Sarah, her husband and three children are serving as missionaries with Missionary Flights International based in Florida. There are countless other children and adults who have been impacted for Christ over the last 50 years. Come celebrate with us on April 22.