Anchor Church IL

You've heard of George Washington and Alexander Hamilton, but have you heard of the War Woman of Georgia, Nancy Hart? History often overlooks the essential unsung heroes. But, not Exodus!

After the battle is won, Deborah leads Israel in a song praising God, honoring the volunteers, and singling out those who stayed home.

This week, Sherena takes us through the story of Jesus and the pages of the Bible to discover an often overlooked reality: what God thinks of women.

After twenty years of oppression, God gave Israel a leader: Deborah. Today, the world needs you to be a leader like Deborah.

Has anyone ever stolen from you? We lock our doors, hide our valuables, protect our identities, and still worry that what we have will be taken. This week, we talk about how we can live with abundance and generosity in a world that keeps taking.

What might be today's most neglected Christian practice? In today's sermon, we explore what we might be missing out on by not fasting.

How can a stone being rolled away mean your shame being dealt with?

When Dominos pizza is put in front of me, I must consume. Why? Because it had to be done. Today, we explore why Jesus believed the cross had to be done.

Did you know that Pontius Pilate was known for his brutality and swift, merciless responses to people? But, even Pilate thought Jesus deserved better!

According to the CDC, 40% of young people report being persistently sad or feeling hopeless. Today we follow Jesus to Gethsemane to show us what to do when you have something to cry about.

For more about Anchor, go to anchorchurchil.com!

Did you think following Jesus would be a breeze? Well, it's going to take a lot of waiting!

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Jesus ends his first century blockbuster hit with word pictures, inviting us to reflect on the choice we are making.

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Is anxiety an addiction for you? Don't miss Charity's first ever sermon, as she shares how Jesus's words can help us overcome worry in our lives!

For more about Anchor, go to anchorchurchil.com!

We judge as often as we breathe. Listen to Hannah share the surprising ways Jesus tells us to judge!

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Currency has shifted from coins, to shells, to paper, to digital. It's always changing and fluxuating. In this message, Sally tells us why she's banking on heaven!

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James K.A. Smith tells us, "[Liturgies are] practices that you do that do something to you." The Lord's Prayer might be the most powerful liturgy to transform heart and minds, societies and the world. But, what is it and what does it mean?

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Did you know there really is a wrong way to pray? Don't miss this sermon, as Eben spells out the critical do's and don'ts of prayer!

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JFK said that we are going to the moon, not because it is easy, but because it is hard. And Jesus calls us to something much harder than going up to the heavens: bringing the heavens down to us through honesty and vulnerability, creative acts of generosity and justice, and actually loving our enemies.

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What does the Kingdom of Heaven look like? How does Jesus read his Bible? It starts with how we view other people!

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Was Jesus playing fast and loose with the Hebrew Bible? Should Christians pay much attention to the Old Testament? This week we explore what might be Jesus's most important teaching about how we see the Bible.

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Why in the world did Jesus call us salt and light? Pretty strange? But, the meaning beneath those two words has a world in and of itself! Anchor Church is a new church to the Champaign-Urbana community. Find out more at www.anchorchurchil.com.

No sermon even comes close to the legacy of Jesus’s most famous teaching, known as the Sermon on the Mount. This week, we discover the nine surprising blessings.

Hopefully, the election is over with a new president elect. You might be relieved or crushed, surprised or terrified. No matter how you felt Wednesday, you might be at risk of these three post-election mistakes. 

It’s the week before the 2024 election and you are wondering who to vote for. If you are liberal, vote for Harris. If you are conservative, vote for Trump. But, who do you vote for if you are a Christian? 

Truly great teams require effort from all players and the same is true with a healthy church. This week, Hannah shares the five practices for Launch Team Members and how these reflect the miracle of the early church! 

Experts believe that a major contributing factor to violent domestic terrorists’ actions has to do with their need for significance and belonging. These needs are so foundational to human vitality that people will do unspeakable things to get them. This week, we talk about how joining Anchor’s Launch Team will fill up two indispensable tanks in your soul. 

Very soon, Anchor will be embarking on the biggest changes since first starting. Discover the big moves, hopes, and dreams for years of impacting lives!

What were Jesus’s final words before ascending to heaven? “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Christianity was meant to be a multiethnic movement from the very start! 

Frederick Douglas once wrote: “Revivals in religion and revivals in the slave trade go hand in hand.” He was commenting on the money from the slave trade funding works like churches. This week, we take an honest look at our racist past and explore a way forward. 

What does God say about race? Should we see everyone as humans and not worry about the color of their skin? Not exactly! In fact, the Bible is bursting with mentions of ethnicity and healing divides. It is a big deal to God! In this 3-part series, based on the book How to Heal Our Racial Divide, we will explore how racial diversity is a part of Jesus’ prayer that we would experience heaven, now. Because as Derwin Gray says, “We are color-blessed, not color-blind.”

The Bible didn’t fall from the sky. It was written in space and time. So, that means culture and ethnicities play a role. In fact, bridging the ethnic divide is a major theme throughout God’s plan. 

Men eat 57% more meat than women. If men eat meat, is it a cultural phenomenon or a natural instinct? It can be confusing to know what it looks like to be a man. This Father’s Day, we base on sermon on The Five Masculine Instincts by Pastor Chase to explore what it could look like for men (and women) to grow in character.

For more about Anchor, go to anchorchurchil.com!

At the “Door of No Return,” millions were taken from their homes, their families, their lives and sold as slaves. Our Juneteenth speaker, Eben, who gave tours of that very place in Ghana, will be asking: how did humanity get to that point and what can we learn from it?

I grew up hearing: “If you are not giving 10% of your pre-tax income to your local church, you are robbing from God.” There are a million opinions for how we should spend our money. This week, we work to help create a meaningful vision for a generous life. 

Imagine your income increasing from $3640 per month to $200,000 per month. That happened to John Wesley, and he did nothing to change his standard of living! This week, we explore the opportunities and obstacles of saving.  

“Make as much money as you can.” That sounds more like the words of some get-rich-quick scheme than Jesus. 

Life seems to move at the speed of light. But, focusing on fast, your life might fly by. In this sermon, discover five tips to a slowed-down life. 

Need a vacation? Does lying on the beach, sipping an ice cold lemonade sound right? What about room service and breakfast in bed? This kind of luxury is not only possible, but God actually requires it from you. This week’s message, we explore the one spiritual discipline that made it in God’s Top Ten List (10 Commandments): Sabbath.

For more about Anchor, check out anchorchurchil.com!

There are two gospels competing for your devotion: the Gospel of America, which says the more you get (new purse, bigger house, nicer car), the happier you will be; and the Gospel of the Kingdom, which tells you that the life you’ve always wanted is fully available to you through Jesus. 

CS Lewis called the devil’s realm The Kingdom of Noise. If we are to escape hurry, become our true selves and receive God’s joy, we must learn the first and most important practice: silence and solitude.  

Did you know, most people can read 200 books in one year with just 417 hours? Most people also spend 705 hours on social media and 2,737.5 on TV a year. Jesus’ invitation to an easy yoke might take time, but it’s time you might already have! 

Could hurry be the one enemy stealing the life out of you? In the sermon today, we survey the history of speed and discover what hurry is doing to our souls. 

We live in a world full of injustices. People endure disadvantages and attacks for their race or gender. All too often, the bad guy gets away unscathed. This Easter Sunday, we explore Jesus’ solution to evil and injustice that no one was expecting.

Does loving people ever mean rejecting the Bible? When Jesus was presented with the puzzle (obey the Bible or show mercy), he broke the rules. If that’s what Jesus does, why should we even care about the Bible? This week, special guest preacher, Eben, shows how the Bible is a builder of love, not a barrier to it. 

If Jesus’ ministry was dominated by miraculous acts of healing, what does that mean for you?  How might God be calling you to transform lives as Jesus did? 

Discover an overlooked act of love! Join us this week as we delve into the depths of prayer through the longest prayer recorded in the New Testament.

Obey. The word itself might make you cringe. It might conjure up images of corrupt politicians, legalistic churches or abusive parents. So, what do we do with Jesus who said to his disciples: “If you love me, you will obey me.” Explore with us a text where Jesus raises the bar while revealing mysteries of the divine.

Imagine this. A national leader killed your former teacher while doing a party stunt. Now, full of grief, you and tens of thousands of others are looking for someone to retaliate. The question is: Will Jesus be that person? This week, we tell the next story of Jesus surprising everyone, this time with miraculous resourcefulness.

For more about Anchor Church, go to anchorchurchil.com.

Who is someone unlike you? Who would you consider “other” or “them”? Who has hurt you? Who doesn’t want your good? In this sermon, we will address one of Jesus’ most difficult challenges yet. Loving like Jesus loves means praying for persecutors, embracing enemies and breaking barriers.

Want to know more about Anchor? Go to anchorchurchil.com

Alan McGinnis once said that believing in someone is like giving them a platform on which to stand. From there, they can reach heights they never imagined. This week, we will discover four ways Jesus was a platform provider.

For more about Anchor Church, go to anchorchurchil.com.

What would you do if the one time you invited your boss over, she pulled out her own toilet brush and went around cleaning every bathroom in the house? Loving like Jesus loves demands we break social norms and sacrifice status.

In this episode, Hannah reveals what you didn’t know about Jesus’ washing his disciples’ feet.

Are you looking for a church in Champaign-Urbana, IL? To find out more about Anchor Church, go to anchorchurchil.com.