First Sunday Worship in Naperville IL

We were married on a Saturday at Garfield Baptist Church in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. That night we stayed at a hotel in Brookfield, Wisconsin and then drove to Naperville, Illinois. Naperville has a special place in my thoughts, as most of my early years as a boy were spent exploring that sleeping town far from the crime and bustle of Chicago.

When my parents determined that the church we attended was not only disinterested in the gospel, but also hostile to it, they moved our family to a tiny Baptist church that met in a local elementary school. That is where I first heard and understood the gospel. The gospel is good news for sinners, as it proclaims the crucified and risen Savior who paid the price for our sins. So you see, even though the wickedness of Chicago was far from Naperville, sin ruled my heart. I needed salvation, redemption, forgiveness, and cleansing.

Therefore, it seemed appropriate to attend the worship service at the Bible Baptist Church. Much had changed since my boyhood, but the church still proclaimed truth. As the July 4, 1976, bulletin and worship service plan suggests, it was also a church that wanted to express thanks to God for our nation on America’s 200th birthday.

Spiritual Food

Any couple that wants a lasting marriage must begin with the right foundation. For Cindie and me, that foundation is Jesus. You start with the right foundation and there is hope for a loving marriage. You start with the wrong foundations, and disaster is just around the corner. To avoid disaster, a regular diet of biblical truth is needed. When Cindie and I go places, even today, we always seek to find a place to worship on Sunday. That is true if we are in Hawaii, Louisiana, Montana, or Florida. It was also true when we were in India.

The Foundation Matters

Not only does the foundation matter, but what you build on the foundation also has great importance. Many couples declare that their foundation is Jesus, but they don’t build a quality building on that foundation. Paul said the difference in quality matters.

“According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw—each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.” 1 Corinthians 3:10-15

Here is a good rule for marriage: Who or what you worship you will serve. God’s glory is illustrated by our lives and our marriages. “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31

Cindie and Wayne Winquist, July 3, 1976