Shall we gather at the ... fairgrounds?

PRINCETON — If your neighborhood church is empty this Sunday morning, it doesn’t mean all the members have decided to sleep in.

No, it probably means they all went to the Bureau County Fair instead, not for the corn dogs and Ferris wheel, but to worship.

It’s all thanks to an old idea given new life by event organizer Stan Tinker of Road Map Ministries.

“Somebody told me five or six years ago that they used to have a worship service on Sunday morning, and I said, ‘You’re kidding!’” Tinker said.

Tinker tried but failed to generate any interest at the time, but the idea never left his head.

Then, one day earlier this year, Tinker met with the fair board about putting on a Christian concert during the fair, and the words just popped out of his mouth.

“I said, ‘There used to be a worship service on Sunday morning. Can we have one?’ not even knowing if there would be interest,” he said. “Thirty seconds later, it was a done deal.”

Tinker’s been asking area ministers to come together for lunch and fellowship for about three years, so he knew who to go to first. He gathered a group of ministers together and explained his idea.

“I said, ‘I believe there will be seven or eight churches who will forego their Sunday morning worship services,’” he said.

There was no immediate commitment, but that soon changed.

“Evangelical Covenant Church led the charge,” Tinker said. “I got a call less than two weeks later, saying, ‘Yeah, we’re good.’”

Victory Worship Center signed up next, followed by First Baptist Church of Princeton, and it just went on from there. The list of participating churches now also includes Bethel Baptist Church, Hampshire Colony Church, Kasbeer Community Church, Princeton Wesleyan Church, Princeton Seventh Day Adventist, Bureau Congregational Church, Hollowayville United Church of Christ, St. John’s Lutheran Evangelical Church, First United Methodist Church in Princeton, Tiskilwa Community Church, Van Orin Gospel, First Lutheran Church of Princeton and St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church of Princeton.

The Rev. Charles D. Wahlstrom of Evangelical Covenant Church said he and his church members are looking forward to the service.

“There’s really, after all, only one church of Jesus Christ by those who believe in our salvation in grace through faith in Him alone, and every once in a while, it’s good to get together and physically demonstrate that spiritual truth,” Wahlstrom said.

Wahlstrom is encouraging people to come and witness what is really going right in the community, spiritually.

“Whether they belong to a church or not, this would be a great opportunity for people to come and get a taste of what church is all about,” he said.

The Rev. Mike Weakley of the Seventh Day Adventist Church said this is a chance for the church to move into the community.

“We want to be part of the community activities, and this gives us an opportunity to participate,” he said.

The Rev. Nile Hill of Bethel Baptist in Princeton said he and several other ministers had been praying for a spiritual uplifting in Bureau County when Tinker made his announcement.

“The Lord started opening doors,” he said.

Hill said the first objective of the service is to draw the community together.

“There is a diversity in churches, but no diversity in Jesus Christ,” he said.

Hill also said that when the preacher Billy Sunday was in the area many years ago, there was a great change in the community.

“Not that the community is bad, but we’re hoping for a similar great change now,” he said.

Hill said he’s excited about the event and is expecting a great turnout.

“People can come in leisure clothes, relax, be comfortable, sing a few songs and enjoy one another’s company,” he said.

Entrance to the service, which will begin at 10 a.m., will be from the parking lot at the west gate. The service will feature a 17-member praise band, with musicians from seven Bureau County churches. Jeff Schwarzentraub of One Heartbeat Ministries in Peoria will present the message, and the Rev. Jack Stites of Hampshire Colony Church in Princeton will serve as worship host. There will be no fair admission fee, and no offering will be taken during the service. The service will be broadcast on WZOE.