Eastview Christian Church store focused on ministries of evangelism and discipleship

Lorena Allen, manager of Harvest Bookstore in Normal, Ill., seeks to be a strong spiritual leader to her team of 32 volunteers. 

The twofold mission of the store at Eastview Christian Church demands that kind of leadership. 

“We are focused on the mission of discipling and the mission of John 3:16,” said Allen of what drives the store staff. 

Many of the staff at Eastview are challenged and encouraged in weekly meetings with their senior pastor, Mike Baker.

“During those meetings, we share what God has been doing in our ministry areas.,” Allen said. “He also leads us in a devotional and we pray together. One of the things he tells us frequently is we need to lead our volunteers and ‘sheep’ by being an example.”

Allen has taken that challenge to heart, in part by going on three mission trips since she became store manager in 2007.

“Our church partners with GO Ministries, and I have been to the Dominican [Republic] two times and once to the Amazon jungle,” she said. “A cool thing that came out of the trips to the DR was that we provided books for the Dominican Seminary, which equips Dominican pastors.”

Several store volunteers have gone on the trips, and some have been team leaders. 

“We often provide resources for the teams and to the pastors serving in these places,” Allen said. “Our church is made up of people who are studying, following, serving and being Jesus, not only at home, but abroad.”

At home, serving a church of 5,200 with four Sunday services, the store has an ongoing Bible giveaway at various events.

“We’ve given away about as many Bibles as we have sold,” Allen said.

The store also stocks resources for church Care Groups with focuses such as Boundaries or Military.

“We get people plugged into the places where they have a need,” she said, and those places might be one of the church’s many care groups.

“Our main focus is getting the resources into people’s hands, growing and discipling them,” Allen said. “We don’t focus solely on a profit or a loss. What I love the most is interacting with people and being able to share the Good News. We get to talk with people, pray with them, see and watch them on their journeys.”

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