Reaching Your Neighbor Streamwood Campus 2026/2027

Q: What is the “Reaching Your Neighbor” initiative?
It's a campus-wide initiative that invites every member of our campus to be intentional about sharing the love and message of Jesus with the people already in their world. Neighbors, coworkers, classmates, and anyone they see regularly. It's not a program you join. It's a posture you carry into your everyday life.

Q: Why are we doing this?
There are people in your sphere of influence and those living within a mile of this building who have never heard the name of Jesus spoken with love. People who are lonely, searching, and hurting, and who have never been invited to belong somewhere. It's our opportunity to reach them. "The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost." — Luke 19:10

Q: Who came up with this?
This came out of our leadership team asking one honest question: What would it look like for our church to truly reach this community, not just run programs inside our building, but actually show up in the lives of the people around us? Reaching Your Neighbor is our answer to that question for this ministry year.

Q: What is our goal?
From 0 to 1,500 people reached by May 30, 2027 — starting August 1, 2026. Every sticker represented on the map is someone who received a real gospel conversation and a genuine invitation to take a next step into community.

Q: What does it mean to "reach" someone?
A person is reached when two things have happened: you've had a genuine gospel conversation with them, and you've extended a real invitation to a service, event, or gathering. Both matter. A conversation without an invitation plants a seed with no next step. An invitation without a conversation is just marketing.

Q: What counts as a gospel conversation?
It's simply sharing your story, what Jesus means to you, and how your faith shapes your life. This should be shared naturally and personally in the context of a real relationship. It doesn't have to be formal or scripted. It just has to be honest. There’s no script. We want you to make an authentic connection and have a real conversation centered around Jesus.

Q: What counts as a genuine invitation?
A genuine invitation is specific: a date, an event, a personal ask. "We're having a block party on September 19th…..I'd love for you and your family to come. Can I save you a spot?" That's an invitation. One that costs you something to give.

Q: Does it have to happen in two separate conversations?
Not necessarily. What matters is that both things happen, a gospel conversation and a real invitation. That could be one meaningful conversation or many over time. The point isn't the number of interactions, however we have found that reaching in this way usually takes more than one conversation.

Q: Who counts as my "neighbor"?
Jesus answered this question with a story — and His answer flipped it on its head. He didn't define a neighbor as someone who lives near you. He defined a neighbor as someone you choose to show up for, someone you choose to love. So the better question isn't "who is my neighbor?" It's "who will I be a neighbor to?"

Your answer to that question might be the person across the street, the coworker who eats lunch alone, the parent on the soccer sideline you've seen every Saturday but never really talked to, or the person you pass every morning at the coffee shop. Whoever God has placed in your path, that's your neighbor. And you already know them. Luke 10:29-37

Q: Do I have to focus only on Streamwood, Hanover Park, and Bartlett?
Our primary focus as a leadership team and campus is the people in our backyard (Streamwood, Hanover Park, and Bartlett). But if God has placed you in a school district, a workplace, or a neighborhood outside these boundaries, reach there too. Every person matters. Every conversation counts.

Q: Do I have to go to places I've never been or knock on strangers' doors?
No. You don't have to go somewhere unfamiliar. You don't have to knock on strangers' doors. You just have to be intentional in the world you already inhabit — and willing to say something when the moment comes. Start with the people you already see every week.

Q: What is the map in the lobby for?
The map is our shared celebration wall. Every sticker represents a real person — someone in our community who received a gospel conversation and a genuine invitation from someone in this church. As the year goes on, watch it fill up. Colors rotate monthly so you can see momentum building over time. It's a visual reminder that we are not sitting still, and that God is moving through ordinary people having ordinary conversations.

Q: When do I add a sticker — and what's the 3x5 card for?
Once you've had a gospel conversation with someone and extended a genuine invitation, do two things: place a sticker on the map, then fill out a 3x5 card with your name, how many people you reached, where they're from, and what you invited them to. Drop the card in the collection box next to the map. It takes less than a minute and it matters more than you think.

Q: Why do I need to do both?
The sticker keeps the map alive and gives the congregation something to see and be inspired by. The card gives our team something accurate to count. Together they make sure no one gets missed and no story goes unheard. The stickers show that we're moving. The cards tell us exactly how far.

Q: What happens to the cards after I drop them in the box?
Our team collects them each week, totals the number of people reported, and uses that count as our official progress toward the 1,500 goal. But we're also looking for something more — patterns in where our congregation is reaching, stories of what God is doing, and moments worth celebrating from the stage. Your card isn't just data. It's a record of something real that happened.

Q: What if I don't know how to start these kinds of conversations?
That's exactly what our Outreach 101 classes and Reaching Bags are for. They're practical, low-pressure tools & gatherings where you'll practice gospel conversations in a safe environment and leave with real confidence not a script, but a voice. No experience required. Just a willingness to try.

Q: What is a Reaching Bag?
Reaching Bags will be available in the lobby and are designed to make inviting easier. Each bag includes current event invites, information about our church, and simple tools to help you start conversations.

Q: What if I try and it feels awkward?
It probably will — at first. Every meaningful thing feels awkward before it feels natural. The goal isn't a perfect conversation. It's a real one. We plant and water. God makes it grow. Your job is to show up and say something. Trust Him with the rest. "We plant and water. God makes it grow." — 1 Corinthians 3:6

Questions? Talk to any member of our team — we'd love to help you take your first step.