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June 25, 2009

There’s A Lot Happening On The Corner Of Grace And Keeler - June 18 Weekly Message

Last week we celebrated our past year, recognizing our health team for the work they have done to set goals and then help to chart our course. We heard testimonials from Janet Spencer and Molly Melick and a beautiful solo by Carrie Houchins-Witt. Thanks to our District Superintendent, Rev. James Preston, for being our Natural Church Development coach for the past year and for joining us last Sunday to recognize the past year and the Passionate Spirituality award we received from the district. We also were recognized this week for being a Rainbow Covenant Church. This is the first year our church has achieved this status and we came in second in the district for money raised through mission work. A slide show with almost 100 pictures from the past year was presented during fellowship. If you didn’t see it, we’ll share it again at a future event. Thanks to Gerry Sikora and Lowell Allen for leading our mission committee and for all who participated this past year.

The energy of youth. After service, a group of 16 youth and adults from Bear Lake UMC in Michigan arrived to help work around our church and see some of Chicago. They departed for home today. While they were here they created our new “Sprouts Sunday School Room” as you can see in the attached photo. They also cleaned all of the cabinets and contents in our kitchen and cleaned and polished the pews in our sanctuary. We’ll start using the new Sprouts space during VBS which starts this coming Monday! On Tuesday, a second youth group arrived from Barrington Community Church. They will be with us until Saturday. Their focus has been preparing materials (including amazing banners and posters) for VBS. Today they worked with the Food Pantry and cleaned out all of the pantry food storage areas in the church – not an easy task. The groups slept in our sanctuary and in the RMN office space. They held evening worship services. They laughed and prayed together. Thanks to Adam Thompson and Ashley Barlow who helped guide these groups during the week. Thanks to those who participated in our Wednesday pot luck and everyone who worked to make these visits possible. If you have time on Sunday, or during the week, stop by to see the tremendous work that has been done by young people God sent to us.

June Birthdays/Anniversaries
21 Marion DeSpain
22 Angela Walsh

This Sunday Pastor Vickie will be with other members of our congregation, their friends and family members at our annual Church Retreat at Wesley Woods in Williams Bay, Wisconsin. Adam Thompson will present the sermon on Sunday. Watch for pictures from Church camp, Rethinking Church, the two youth groups and VBS on our bulletin board outside of the Bacmeister Room near the Grace Street entrance.

VBS: Lifts Off on MONDAY! We’ll Be Soaring to New Heights with God - June 22-25
More than 30 children between 4 years and 5th grade are registered to attend. A tremendous amount of planning and preparation has gone into making sure this week is a learning experience that these young people will remember. For more information please contact Pastor Adam. adam.thompson@garrett.edu. We will have a VBS Celebration Worship on Sunday, June 28th at our 10 a.m. Worship.

Prayer Network: If you are interested in being part of this group or would like to have them pray for a special person or cause, contact Tina or Wally Felckowski: bwf79@sbcglobal.net

Upcoming meetings, events, opportunities

Saturday, June 20 – Lakefront. 24th Annual Chicago Hunger Walk (2.5 miles, Montrose Harbor)– If you’re not attending our church retreat in Wesley Woods, you may want to join others in this important walk. The pantry obtains the majority of the food that it distributes from money raised through this event. For more information go to the food pantry web site. http://www.irvingparkfoodpantry.com.

June – August – Polish American Alliance will once again use our Fellowship Hall and grounds for a summer camp for youth. This group was here last year and has asked to return. They will be here on weekdays. This building use was approved at the May Church Council meeting.

June 21 – Farmers’ Market at Portage Park, 10 – 2.

June 27 – Free rain barrel distribution at Portage Park

July 15 – Deborah’s Circle will meet at 7 p.m. at the Veranda Restaurant on Irving Park Road. We are studying part s of the book “Inheriting our Mother’s Gardens.” Contact Pastor Vickie for more information.

June 28 – Pastor Vickie preaching and special music by our VBS students.

June 28 - 10th annual Independence Day Kids Parade & Picnic www.friendsofportagepark.org

July 26 – Reconciling Ministry Sunday

July 30 – August 8th - Nevada Iowa United Methodist Church Youth Group returns to our church to help with projects we need done and with work in the community. This is the third time over the past six years that youth and adults from this church have come to help us. In the past they have built fences, done gardening, cleaned, painted, repaired walls and doors and done much more. If you are interested in being involved in planning and hosting this group, please contact Vicci or Kent Keutzer.

Fun events for junior and senior high youth.
July 4 – 26 – Bang Bang You’re Dead, the play! July 4 – 26, details on www.edisonparkumc.com. Admission Free.
August 10 – 13 - Junior High Summer Missions Experience for 6th – 9th graders, Cedar Creek Retreat Center, Marseilles, Illinois. The deadline for signing up for this Mission trip has been extended. Contact Carol Hill: www.chicagonwdistrictyouth.com

We are a Recycling Church! Please observe all posted signs which explain the “green church” process. Lindsey Elton from our congregation is leading our “Stewards of Creation” small group. Contact: lindseyelton@hotmail.com
June - 22-25th: Green activities for the kids attending VBS, from Mon-Wed.

Weekly
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.

Spanish Worship Service, Sunday at noon.

Posted by vickie at June 25, 2009 12:58 PM