is a church on mission to the Heart of Southern Illinois.
Call or Text 618-525-2025
Who We Are
Our Vision
Victory Dream Center
Victory Dream Center
Our core values
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Our History
When we look back over our almost 26 years of ministry in Carbondale, Illinois, we are in awe of God’s faithfulness. Victory Dream Center was founded in 1998 as a local church named Victory Christian Center. After a short season meeting in a pastor’s living room and a multi-year season meeting at the Carbondale Civic Center, we found our home at 607 E. College. At the crossroads between the university and the local community in need, our location became a picture of our future calling. In 2010, we changed our name to Victory Dream Center and embarked on a new mission to offer Christ’s hope to the hurting, broken, hungry, and discouraged. What started with a few cans and boxes blossomed into one of the largest food pantries in our region. As we served our community, we made an awesome discovery. Every precious person who comes through our doors for food, prayer, or direction is valued and loved by God. And when we stepped into the flow of His love towards them, we, as His worshippers were blessed. Today, we are a smaller congregation who loves our church home where we don’t just talk about Jesus….we put His words into action. Where will we go from here? Wherever He leads!
Our core beliefs
The Apostles Creed
The Nicene Creed
The Chalcedonian Creed
As a church we stand with our brothers and sisters in Christ affirming the historic creeds that have defined orthodox Christianity throughout the ages.
Our Pastoral Team
Doug Cherry
Senior Pastor
Doug grew up a Carbondale Terrier. All those years ago you would find him shooting hoops in the gym or sweating it out on the track. However all that athletic passion would pale in comparison to His ultimate first love: Jesus Christ. His call into pastoral ministry came after his years of working as a CPA and a financial planner. After completing his Masters in Practical Theology from Oral Roberts University, it came as no surprise when God called him and his family to plant a church in the hometown he loved. Serving alongside his wife, Lisa, and their ten children has been a great joy. He is known for his kind and compassionate heart to not only his VDC friends but also his 21 grandchildren who call him Grampy.
Lisa Cherry
Administrative Pastor
Lisa came from a long lineage of pastors’ families. She met Jesus as a child and decided to follow in those ministry footsteps herself. However, she never could have anticipated in those early years how her years of service would look. It’s been unconventional to say the least. As a homeschool mom to ten uniquely different children of God she learned tenacity, compassion, and organization. Her love for the word of God and her passion to see lives transformed fueled her years of leadership in ministry to women, children, and families in the local church and beyond. She enjoys writing and speaking and has a gift of making people laugh and cry their way to hope in Christ. In the last few years she has eagerly pursued the completion of seminary training she started before all those kids came along. Her greatest joys are teaching God’s word, spending time with her sweetheart of 43 years, designing creative parties and events, camping in her little trailer and visiting her 21 grands.
Nathan Cherry
Executive Pastor
Nathan started his work at Victory Dream Center before he could even drive. As a young teen he heard God’s call to ministry and dove into a life of devoted service. For the last 26 years he’s worn dozens of hats from Reality Youth Pastor to Worship Pastor to Financial Administrator to Food Pantry Director to bus driver to pallet jack operator. Over the years his gifting has been shaped by his passion to see the lost found, the broken healed, and the hungry fed. With his educational background in business administration, Nathan has also built a very successful landscaping business that keeps him in the great outdoors that he loves. He is a devoted husband to Tara and the proud father of Lilibeth, Ryan, Ben, Andrew, Rosemary, and Tiffany. When life threw this couple a curveball with three precious special needs children, Nathan and Tara have found God’s grace to be magnificently sufficient even in trying circumstances. It is from these trenches of real life suffering, they offer the hope, encouragement, and love of Jesus to all they meet.
