This week has been marked by death. Monday night I was at St. Mary’s Hospital to love and support a family as their father [step-dad] took his final breaths and went home to be with his Lord and Savior Jesus. What a honor to be there to share in the tears of hope and sadness. Then that same night I got word that a young man, whom I had ministered to over the past two year had died. Jason had a long battle with drugs and it finally cost him his life. Jason was a guy that desperately wanted to make up for lost time with God, friends and family. But he still struggled. Then the Chateau Theater closed up operations this week. The entertainment, movie industry has been hard these last several years. Hearing that the lights had gone out at the Chateau was sad, because as a church we have very fond memories of the place and it’s people. In the five years that Journey was there we held weddings on site, showed “Veggie-tale” movies, partnered with the theater with “Cruise for kids”, “Family fun night” and more.
Our relationship with the theater had been a really, really good one for the most part. Being known as the “Church at the movies” helped us reach our city for Christ. Now like these mens lives, that chapter of our life as a church is really dead and gone. All we have our memories of a greater place and good people.
Your family will miss you Don.
I will miss you Jason.
Our church and our city will miss you Chateau.
R.I.P - Rest in Peace and thank for the memories!
Generis
About Me
- Rich
- Rich Bontrager serves as the lead Pastor of Journey Church in Rochester, MN, which is focused at reaching young adults. Rich is church planter at heart and has a dream of seeing more churches planted along Interstate I-90 (MN & Iowa). In 2009 Journey planted the Crux Church in Faribualt, MN and in the fall of 2011 Journey will give birth to it’s second daughter church in Stewertville, MN. Rich loves to travel and speak with young adults about boldly making an impact in the world today for Christ. In 2010 Journey opened up the Uturn Coffeehouse & Event Center. Rich and his wife Cyndi, have three daughters Abbi, Sarah and Hannah.
2 comments:
Thankfully the Chateau is reopening under the same name with new owners, and Mitch Stevenson back at the helm. It wasn't the movie industry that almost killed Chateau for good, it was Cinemagic.
As far as your church, I personally am so happy y'all won't be at Chateau anymore. I wish your very presence in Rochester was finished. You as a pastor are far too ignorant to be at the helm of any organization.
You are a baptist organization that fails to tell it's members this up front. Are you ashamed of your baptist ties? You are homophobic and not nearly educated enough in the Bible to even carry on an accurate conversation about it.
Journey church has some good people, and some good ideas, you're going to be the death of that church though, I have no doubt about it. If they were smart, they'd replace you asap.
WOW!! Just saw this reply from 'anonymous'. So Journey is affilliated with a baptist organization. Irrelevant. As to Rich Bontrager being the 'death' of Journey Church. NOT LIKELY!! Does he have his faults?? Rich is a human being like us all, so that goes without saying. (No offense, Rich! LOVE YA JUST THE WAY YOU ARE!!)
Signed Bill Broring
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