Suncrest Stories
I hugged Robert and Nikki good-bye after our second service yesterday. Not that much different than a lot of Sundays…except that this really was good-bye. They are moving “home” to Texas after being part of our church for their 4 years or so in Chicago.
Every person at our church has a story…Since I got to know Robert and Nikki personally, let me tell you about theirs.
I met Robert and Nikki on their first Sunday. Two Texans arrived on a very snowy Sunday. They weren’t married yet…both straight out of school at UT and living in apartments in Schererville.
They are both super-sharp and Rob was on the fast-track with his work in corporate finance. I had some early morning breakfasts with Rob and my favorite conversations were with him about how and where he was going to figure out how to take Bible/Ministry courses while also doing his MBA. He told me Sunday, he’ll complete the coursework he started at Moody by distance learning as they move back to Texas. I’ve wondered out loud with him whether his future was in ministry somewhere or being a solid Christ-follower as a corporate exec. He’ll do great either way.
When they decided to get married, they asked me to do their wedding…in Texas. I did and it was a wonderful expereince. I love to give them a hard time because through an odd scenario I gave up my ticket to Game 5 of the 2006 World Series and watched it on TV at their rehearsal dinner outside of Houston. Yes, the cardinals won the world series that night and my brother used my ticket (and now owes me for life).
Rob and Nikki moved to downtown Chicago then almost two years ago, but they loved Suncrest so much it remained their church home. They had some great experiences with their community group…and you would often see them serving as greeters or doing hospitality. I actually encouraged them to find a church downtown…but they kept coming back.
NIkki told me she just started crying about 2 songs into the service on Sunday. I’m confident we’ll miss them as much as they will miss us. They were going for lunch to some friends’ house…friends they made in their Suncrest community group.
.Real.Greg.Lee. 