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April 19, 2009
Easter - A joyful time
On Easter Sunday, 94 people were in our sanctuary celebrating our risen Lord. What a joyful occasion.
The sanctuary was decorated with butterflies made by our children and beautiful flowers donated by many of our congregation. All of the finishing touches were added by Ellen Star and Kathy Verschoor. The children were surprised by a visit from the Easter bunny and the sun was shining! We lifted up the baptism of Molly Melrick. Thank you to all who made this such a special day. Pictures are posted on the bulletin board outside of the Bacmeister Room!
This Sunday we welcome the Mitchell and Weis/Naurath families as members.
Celebrate Earth Day 2009 — Time to get our “Green” On in Independence Park Sat. April 18, 9-12 noon! Earth Day is April 22nd! See www.epa.gov/earthday for more information.
Please bring in your donations for the Irving Park Community Food Pantry. This our April Mission. We have collected (in one week) over 200 items toward our goal of at least 600 and $250 toward our goal of $500. Thanks to those who have participated already. Donations of gift cards or cash will be collected on Sunday morning during the offering time. Food or non-food items can be dropped off on Sunday morning at the display table outside the sanctuary on the Keeler entrance or throughout the week at the church office during normal operating hours—Tuesday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to Noon. Non-perishable food items they are always in need of include: boxed meals, canned meat, cereal and soup. Non-food items include soap, shampoo, toothpaste, toilet paper, paper towels, disposable diapers and other toiletries.
Prayer Network. This group of faithful prayer partners pray for everyone that has submitted a request to the group, either spoken, or written on the forms provided with our Prayer Boxes. To become part of our praying group contact Tina & Wally Felckowski, bwf79@sbcglobal.net
Plan ahead now for Rethinking Church, VBS and Annual Church Retreat. More information later in this email! Forms can be found at the back of the sanctuary and are available by contacting the church office.
Other upcoming events/small groups
Church Council Meeting changed from Wednesday, April 22. Please have reports submitted to Karyn Prather by Friday, April 17.
Earth Day Park “Green Up” - at Independence Park, 3945 N. Springfield, Sat., 4/18, 9 am-12 Noon; lunch activity to follow. See attached. For raking, cleaning, gardening and more. RSVP to Lindsey Elton at 248-310-7808 or lindseyelton@hotmail.com
Three Brothers Garden/Irving Park Carlson Ministry Community Garden. This is a community effort to plant a garden to help supply food to the Irving Park Food Pantry. If you want more information, contact Vicci Rodgers or Pastor Vickie. The first work day is Saturday, April 25th, 9-12 p.m.
Church “Green Up” - We still have a lot of work to do around our church. Contact Janet Spencer if you are interested in helping with the gardens this Spring. jan_spencer@yahoo.com
Waging Peace – April 25 and 26 at Lookingglass Theatre – order tickets through vicci@therodgersgroup.com
Ruby Keutzer will be performing in this play on April 25 and 26 at noon and 1:30 on each day. Written by the theatre’s young ensemble, the actors dig into the question: between warring nations, or rival schools, or within ourselves: is peace possible? Tickets are available by calling: 312-337-0665. There are only 50 seats in this theatre, so if you’re interested, please make your reservation soon. Ruby will not be performing in the April 18 and April 19 shows, but she will be assisting the director.
Order Equal Exchange Fair Trade coffee, tea or chocolate before April, 26, 2009!
As you may already know, Irving Park UMC started serving fair trade coffee during fellowship time last September. Wholesale prices are offered from Equal Exchange when ordering by the case. You can share a case with friends or family if you like. Ask Ellen Star for more information. Weekly Tuesday - An Hour of Prayer with Pastor Vickie Wednesday – After school program with Pastor Cecilia, 4 – 6 p.m. for school-aged children. Volunteers are needed and appreciated. Contact Pastor Cecilia for more information: ceciobret@yahoo.com Thursdays, Bible 101, 7:00 p.m., led by Lowell Allen. Join in and become more familiar with your Bible. lowelldallen@att.net Adult Choir Rehearsal – Sundays, 9:00, in Bacmeister room with Mary Martell. Spanish Worship Service, Sunday at noon. Planning Ahead! Sunday, May 17 FORMS for Rethinking Church, VBS and Annual Church Retreat can be found at the back of the sanctuary and are available by contacting the church office. Sunday, May 31 If you are marking your summer calendar, add our Annual Church Retreat on June 19-21 at Wesley Woods in Williams Bay, Wisconsin. Vacation Bible School June 22-25 – “Lift Off! Soaring to New Heights with God.” Volunteers will be needed before, during and after VBS, in a variety of ways. Your help, for as little or as much time as you have to give, will be greatly appreciated. An information letter is available by contacting the church office. Please talk with Pastor Vickie and/or Pastor Adam as soon as possible. Together we can all make this summer outreach a success! Summer Camps: Registrations are being taken for summer camps. For more information about Outdoor Retreat Ministries within the Northern Illinois Conference, check out: www.niccamp.org Small Groups In addition to our bible study and prayer groups listed under “Weekly” ... Bad Girls of the Bible – Will meet Wednesday, May 13, at Superosa restaurant on Central Avenue. Please rsvp to: vicci@therodgersgroup.com United Methodist Women – Will meet Saturday, May 30, at 1 p.m. Please contact Joyce Mylander for more information. irvingparkumc@sbcglobal.net WorkNiters – Join this group of men who do odd jobs around the church and gather for fellowship. Regular meetings are the second Tuesday night monthly, 6 – 9, and the 4th Saturday monthly 12-3 p.m. For more information contact Kent Keutzer, coachK1620@yahoo.com or 773-316-9755. “Stewards of Creation” - contact Lindsey Elton for more information on this group dedicated to doing what’s right for our planet. lindseyelton@hotmail.com Ministries of the Church - contact Pastor Vickie. hadvl@comcast.net Gardening Group – contact Janet Spencer. jan_spencer@yahoo.com Prayer Network - To become part of our praying group contact Tina & Wally Felckowski, bwf79@sbcglobal.net Mission Work. We are a Rainbow Covenant congregation. For more information about how you can be a part of this exciting work, check with Joyce in the church office or contact Lowell Allen: lowelldallen@att.net or Gerry Sikora at: gesikora@sbcglobal.net. The Irving Park Community Food Pantry. This pantry operates out of the basement of our church where it was founded by one of our members over 25 years ago. Regular distribution is Wednesday morning, 9 – 12:30. The web site provides contact information if you have questions or want to volunteer. www.irvingparkfoodpantry.com SPSARV, Substance Abuse And Related Violence. If you are interested in knowing more about this opportunity to becoming trained to help those who struggle with drug and alcohol abuse contact Gerry Sikora at: gesikora@sbcglobal.net Reconciling Ministries Network – this group has its national offices here in our church. For information on how you can help, contact Audrey 773-736-5526.
Posted by vickie at 11:09 PM
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Sunday morning bible study, Book of Matthew, 8:45 – 9:45 a.m. All are welcome. We meet in the third floor chapel, up the stairs inside the Grace Street entrance. Contact David Foster for more information: david.foster2@att.net.
Tuesday’s at noon join Pastor for a time of prayer in the Bacmeister Room. Stay for the entire hour or a portion of the hour. If you’re not in the area, pray from wherever you are at Noon on Tuesdays. For more information, contact Pastor Vickie.
Confirmation for Kyle Mitchell and Cole Keutzer
If you would like to share a favorite bible passage, a spiritual message or other thoughts with them, please send your contribution to their parents or to: Adam Thompson adam.thompson@garrett.edu by May 3.
Special community outreach “Rethinking Church” Sunday.
Service & Outreach Opportunities
