When Pastor Mike Schreiner arrived in O’Fallon, Missouri in 1998, he had an idea that God was up to something big in St. Charles County. The United Methodist Church had charged Pastor Mike with creating a vital worship community—a place that would pique the curiosity of seekers and skeptics . . . a place that would re-engage people who had written off church as irrelevant and unnecessary.  With the help of 40 visionary leaders, Pastor Mike developed a God-breathed, strategic ministry plan specifically designed to reach the tough-to-reach—one that emphasized authenticity, creativity, and the radically simple truth that Jesus Christ longs to be in relationship—not religion—with each of us.

Pastor Mike knew God was up to something big . . . but he had no idea how fast the “big” would happen! In eight years, Morning Star Church has grown from just shy of 200 people meeting in a rented banquet hall to over 1400 people meeting on our own 25 acres.  Our unanticipated move to Crossroads Elementary School in 2005 brought unprecedented growth. By the time we moved in at 1600 Feise Road in July 2006, we had more children in our programs than we projected we’d have in 2009.  And that 1400 average we’re seeing now? We didn’t expect to reach that number until 2014.

This has been a great problem to have! With a little ingenuity and a lot of flexibility, we’ve continued to offer excellent worship and programs in spite of our tight quarters. However, creative thinking only goes so far when it comes to square footage. It’s time to Love.Loud.