"Big dreams. They change your questions. They change your prayers. And they change others."
-Pastor Greg Wenhold, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Naperville, IL

Pastor Greg should know. After months of prayer and big dreaming, he and his leadership team found themselves following God's lead to pursue an intensive building project. The past few years have been full of lots of prayer, blood, sweat and even a few tears, but also the satisfaction that comes with following a big, God-led dream through to the end.

"Big dreams. They change your questions. They change your prayers. And they change others." 
-Pastor Greg Wenhold, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Naperville, IL

Pastor Greg should know. He and his leadership team started dreaming big over four years ago about what God could do through their church after significant attendance swells.

After months of prayer and big dreaming, Good Shepherd soon found themselves partnering with Aspen Group and Fishhook to pursue an intensive building project, driven by a bold new strategy to reach the spiritually distracted people of their suburban community.

God was there every step of the way, shared Pastor Greg this week at the Alignment4 Conference, helping them overcome hurdles, find the right partners and enable their vision to take flight. 

In September, Good Shepherd unveiled a completely remodeled main sanctuary, new contemporary worship space, cutting-edge youth rooms, and a engaging cafe designed to become a third place for their people and their neighbors. 

They continue to see fruit from the project as the church and community do ministry within the new spaces. Some of the outcomes even surprised Pastor Greg. Recently, he walked in one of the new rooms to find more than one hundred ninth graders engaging with God and each other in worship in unexpected ways.

If you're ever in Naperville, stop in to the new Cornerstone Cafe for a welcoming smile and a good cup of coffee. And explore the building a little to see where big, God-led dreams can take you. 

What are your big dreams? What holds you back from pursuing them?