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January 07, 2010
The Journey that is Christmas - Epiphany
As we welcome in 2010, we must not forget that we remain on the journey that is Christmas. We are reminded the time from December 25 to January 6 are the 12 days of Christmas. This Sunday we celebrate Epiphany. By following the story in the Gospels of Luke and of Matthew, we know the wise men did not reach Jesus until sometime after his birth. Because of this, we separate the celebration of Jesus' birth from the celebration of the coming of the wise men on Epiphany. Come, learn more and join the celebration.
Christmas Eve service was beautiful and our sanctuary was very full. Pictures from our journey through Advent are posted on the bulletin board outside the church office. More pictures from our candlelight service will be posted over the next week. Thanks to all who participated in this very memorable and glorious service when we celebrated the Gifts of: Hope, Faith, Peace, Friends & Family, Love, Music & Talents ... and Joy!
We hope you have had a joy-filled holiday and that your travels have been safe. We extend special prayers to those who are healing and wish them added strength during this holy time.
A note from the Irving Park Community Food Pantry by Nora Byrne: 2009 was a year for the pantry like no other. We continually broke records on the number of families we served. During the year, we gave a 3-day supply of food to an average of 1,785 individuals in 557 families each month. This is 19% more families than 2008 and 42% more than 2007!! We have also reached out to the community more and, thanks to John, our director, we have established a good relationship with many businesses in the area, including the Jewel at 6-corners. As always, however, the pantry really appreciates the loyal, continued support of the area churches who helped found this agency 25 years ago. Together, we shall remain neighbors helping neighbors.
Lindsay Elton, our Green Team leader, reminds us of the City of Chicago's Holiday Tree Recycling Program. From January 1-17, Chicagoans are welcome to drop off their holiday trees at a participating location to be chipped into mulch, which will then be available for free to residents beginning January 8. Please participate if you are able and help spread the word far and wide. For more information and a list of participating locations, please follow this link: www.cityofchicago.org ... search for tree recycling
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Please keep all those who have suffered loss or illness, lack of work, heartbreak or other life challenges in your prayers. Also raise up your joys! If you are interested in being part of our Prayer Network, or would like to have them pray for a special person or cause, contact Tina or Wally Felckowski: bwf79@sbcglobal.net
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Don’t miss, Pastor Vickie’s January Sermon Series—The Prince of Peace has Come … Now What??
During Advent, we were on the lookout for signs of God’s presence in our midst. The signs we looked for were hope, joy, peace, and love. The signs of peace were the most difficult for us to find. Is this because there is so little peace in our world or does peace begin with us? Both! Peace is both an inner state of being and an outer reality that is evident in our relationships with each other. The sermon series will begin on January 17 and conclude on February 14.
Upcoming Events:
January 9 & 10, 2010—Chicago Northwestern District Youth Lock In at Berry Memorial UMC. Our confirmation class will be participating. There will be mission opportunities, lots of fun, and very little sleep.
January 16, 2010—Laity Convocation at Sycamore UMC. This event addresses the issues of poverty and global health ministries. Person who attend will be given tools and ideas to develop/design ministries that address these two realities in our communities. If you are interested in attending, check it out at the conference website www.umcnic.org
January 17, 2010—Baptism of Everett Grey Falconer
Pastor Vickie extends this information. Ask her for more details as she recently attended a UCAN meeting
On any given night within greater Chicago 9,000 youth experience homelessness and 2,000 of those youth are on the city streets without a
safe place to sleep. A 2006 study from the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force stated that as many as 20% to 42% of these youth our streets
self-identify as LGBT. There is a way you can help! Come and learn more about the LGBTQ Host Home Program at UCAN. Meet community members who have hosted youth and/or youth who have been hosted who are now part of UCAN's advisory council. Contact Bonnie Wade at wadeb@ucanchicago.org or (312) 738-5966 for more information.
Monday, January 25, 6pm – 8pm @ Holy Covenant United Methodist Church 925 West Diversey, Chicago, IL 60614
Tuesday, January 26, 6pm - 8pm @ Affinity Community Services 5650 South Woodlawn, Chicago, IL 60637 Garden Level
Thursday, January 28, 6pm - 8pm @ St. Luke's Lutheran Church of Logan Square 2649 North Francisco, Chicago, IL 60647
The program partners LGBTQ youth who experience homelessness with caring adults who open their homes to provide shelter and stability for the youth. Both youth and adult volunteers go through a rigorous screening and training process, facilitated and supported by trained social work professionals. The goal of the program is to support youth in a "permanent" transition from homelessness to independence by creating a safe, affirming home where they can pursue their educational and career goals. Our December training was a success! We have 3 host homes who are trained and getting ready to open their homes to our youth.
Posted by vickie at January 7, 2010 11:28 PM
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