Citing health issues and needing to finish her doctoral work, Christie Love announced her resignation as pastor from The Connecting Grounds in a Facebook post Jan. 9.
The Connecting Grounds Church is a church that has focused much of its efforts on helping Springfield’s unsheltered population, as well as families with children in foster care and other marginalized and at-risk people.
Love’s resignation is effective Feb. 28, 2024. In her post, Love said she is stepping away from the day-to-day operations of The Connecting Grounds, but will remain connected to the church’s leadership team “in an advisory capacity” and will continue to support the church’s work.
The Connecting Grounds’ Associate Pastor Rue Lohn will take over as lead pastor. Love wrote she has full confidence in Lohn’s “ability, passion, and purpose to lead TCG into a new season.”
“There are numerous factors for my resignation, one of the most dominant currently is my health,” Love wrote. “I am currently dealing with health issues that are making it increasingly difficult to keep up with the demanding schedule and physical demands of outreach work. I have come to understand that for my well-being, I need to make some changes to my stress level, activity level, and immune system exposure.”
Love explained her doctoral degree work is focused on religious trauma.
“I have some projects that I will be working on that will allow me to continue research, advocate for change in the church, and share the experiences we have had at TCG on a wider scale,” she wrote. “I will share more about those things later this spring.”
Love went on to thank the volunteers and supporters who have helped The Connecting Grounds grow since launching in 2018.
“I am beyond grateful for each person and organization who has given of their time, energy, expertise, and resources — you have made such a difference in the past, and I want to challenge you to stay engaged in the future,” Love wrote, in part. “Keep volunteering, keep donating, keep advocating, keep connecting, and keep working to make Springfield a better community for all its citizens.”
In the post, Love shared a message to the people she’s met through her outreach work with the unsheltered.
“I want you to know that I love each of you and have been so blessed to have the honor to do life with each of you. I will continue to work to bring about changes and to make Springfield a safer and more just place for you to live, heal, and grow.
“Thank you for trusting me with your stories, the details of your situations, and your dreams,” Love wrote. “I am grateful for the lessons you have taught me and the perspectives I have gained from our relationships. I know that goodbyes can be difficult and triggering; please reach out to process emotions with the staff at TCG or with other amazing advocates and support people in our community. I hope to see and hug each of you before my time at TCG transitions!”
Church and outreach programs evolved over the years
Love founded The Connecting Grounds Church in 2018, opening the church and outreach center in a strip mall on Commercial Street. From the beginning, the church offered a low-barrier food and clothing bank, as well as a safe place for foster children to visit with their biological parents.
At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, when Springfield city government officials banned indoor gatherings of 10 or more people, Love moved the free meals and outreach work to the parking lot — a move that upset many people living in the neighborhood.
Love soon found a new home for The Connecting Grounds. In June of 2020, Love announced the church would join the Disciples of Christ denomination and move into one of the Disciples' empty church buildings at 4341 W. Chestnut Expressway. The Connecting Grounds also purchased the former Frisco Flea and Furniture building at 3000 W. Chestnut and turned the 6,000 square-foot building into what is now the Connecting Grounds Outreach Center.
Like a handful of other churches in Springfield, Love offered her church building to be used as a Crisis Cold Weather Shelter on nights when the temperatures dipped to 32 or colder.
In May of 2023, city officials approved Love’s request to turn the church building into a transitional shelter.
