From the Pastor’s Pen… · 27-Todd Hileman September Anniversaries: 1-Ed & Judy Frazier 57 years...
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1 Northbrook Evangelical Covenant Church September 2019 A monthly publication from Northbrook Evangelical Covenant Church Editor: Kathleen Heller In this Issue: From the Pastor’s Pen Announcements Birthdays & Anniversaries September Calendar Youth Ministry Children’s Ministry Women Ministries Music Ministry Missions Ministry Leadership Team From the Pastor’s Pen… 6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:6-8) Right before Jesus’ ascension the disciples have this interchange with him. They were expecting the end of the mission. One could say after the ascension was the end of their walk with Jesus on earth. But of course this is the first chapter of Acts--the beginning. It’s the beginning of the church and the beginning of life with the Holy Spirit who connects us to Jesus and the Father. I love summer and hate to see it end. But as people come back from vacations and visits with family, I prefer to see it as a beginning. As I’ve pointed out before, the church rhythm usually follows the school year, which has begun. Some ministries and small groups resume as the fluidity of summer turns to a more structured calendar. The church, the kingdom, and of course God, do not take the summer off. So it might be worth considering as we look ahead toward fall, what has God done this summer, and what can carry into the season ahead. This summer I was able to do some relaxing but also was able to make some deeper connections with people that I hadn’t known as well before. I’m hoping the rhythm of the season ahead allows me to grow those friendships and see what the Holy Spirit might do in the midst of them. We don’t have to just let summer end, but can allow the rest, refreshment, and even work of summer carry us into what’s ahead. Or we can simply do or start something new. God is doing new things all the time after all. What are you hoping to see God do in this new season? Pastor Jose
Transcript of From the Pastor’s Pen… · 27-Todd Hileman September Anniversaries: 1-Ed & Judy Frazier 57 years...
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Northbrook Evangelical Covenant Church
September 2019 A monthly publication
from
Northbrook
Evangelical
Covenant Church
Editor: Kathleen
Heller
In this Issue:
From the Pastor’s Pen
Announcements
Birthdays &
Anniversaries
September Calendar
Youth Ministry
Children’s Ministry
Women Ministries
Music Ministry
Missions Ministry
Leadership Team
From the Pastor’s Pen…
6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:6-8) Right before Jesus’ ascension the disciples have this interchange with him. They were expecting the end of the mission. One could say after the ascension was the end of their walk with Jesus on earth. But of course this is the first chapter of Acts--the beginning. It’s the beginning of the church and the beginning of life with the Holy Spirit who connects us to Jesus and the Father. I love summer and hate to see it end. But as people come back from vacations and visits with family, I prefer to see it as a beginning. As I’ve pointed out before, the church rhythm usually follows the school year, which has begun. Some ministries and small groups resume as the fluidity of summer turns to a more structured calendar. The church, the kingdom, and of course God, do not take the summer off. So it might be worth considering as we look ahead toward fall, what has God done this summer, and what can carry into the season ahead. This summer I was able to do some relaxing but also was able to make some deeper connections with people that I hadn’t known as well before. I’m hoping the rhythm of the season ahead allows me to grow those friendships and see what the Holy Spirit might do in the midst of them. We don’t have to just let summer end, but can allow the rest, refreshment, and even work of summer carry us into what’s ahead. Or we can simply do or start something new. God is doing new things all the time after all. What are you hoping to see God do in this new season?
Pastor Jose
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Please join us for our Fall Kickoff on September 8th. Part of our service will highlight the camp experience of our children and after service we will grill burgers and hot dogs for lunch outside. Please consider bringing a snack or side to share. Also on September 8th Adult Sunday School resumes at 9:15 a.m., Youth Group resumes at 6 p.m., and Small Group resumes at 6 p.m. Choir practice will resume on September 10th at 7:30 p.m. All are welcome. Hope to see you there.
A big Thank You to Bonnie Stephens for planting, watering and taking care of the many flowers in the planters, atriums and gardens outside our church. We appreciate the beauty they have added to our entry-way, windows and gardens surrounding our church property. We appreciate the help others have given to weeding and watering too! Miss a week? Our sermons are available to listen to on our website. Or you can subscribe to the podcast to have them delivered to you automatically. Go to our website at www.northbrookcovenant.org and click on Resources, click on Sermons, and then select the sermon you would like to hear.
Mark your calendars for November 3rd. Our annual Vision Dinner will be held on November 3rd at 5 p.m. Details will be forthcoming. Please plan on attending.
Game Night At the Parsonage 9/20 at 7pm. Join us for a night of hanging out together and competition. We will have drinks. Bring a snack if you'd like for sharing, and a healthy competitive spirit. Email Pastor Jose for directions and to RSVP: [email protected]
We are in search of childcare caregivers to work during our worship service on Sundays. If you know of anyone who may be interested please have them contact Pastor Jose at [email protected]
Adult Sunday School resumes September 8 at 9:15am. Join us as Armida Belmonte Stephens, Theology Teaching Fellow at North Park Theological Seminary, comes to take us through looking at the Holy Spirit and the Spirit's work through the scriptures, through Church history, and in our mission.
Birth Announcement from the Cellillis- Nora Elyse Cellilli was born on August 13th at 11:21am weighing 8 lbs 13 oz and 19 1/2 in long. Mother and baby are doing well at home. We thank you all for your prayers. If you would like to see the baby please contact Thomas beforehand.
17-Bonnie Buol
17-Oscar Dahl
17-Natalie Schneider
18-Stacy Hayden
18-Molly O’Hara
20-Herbert Schonken
27-Florence Svenson
27-Todd Hileman
September Anniversaries:
1-Ed & Judy Frazier 57 years
5-Nathan & Janet Michael 50 years
9-Grant & Bev Erickson 58 years
17-Jim & Sylvia Martins 53 years
22-Richard & Joann Larson 57 years
24-Raun & Kris Gallegos 8 years
September Birthdays:
1-Donald Pollard
1-Bonnie Smith
1-Ellen Schonken
3-Arianna Perfetti
4-Esther Winn
8-Sylvia Martins
8-Carol Sinople
14-Quinlyn Anderson
14-Alayne Johnson
Fall Kick-off
Vision Dinner
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Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1 10:30 Worship 1PM GN 6PM Youth Group
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6AM-GN Prayer (M-F) Office Closed
3
4
9:30 am Women’s Bible Study
Resumes
7 pm Properties Team Meeting
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7
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9:15 Adult Sunday School 10:30 Worship 1PM GN 6 PM Youth Group 6 PM Small Group
9 6AM-GN Prayer (M-F)
7 PM Properties
Team Meeting
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3 PM CLON
Chat
7:30 PM Choir
8:30 PM
Worship Team
11 9:30 am Women’s Bible Study
7 PM Leadership Team Meeting
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9:15 Adult Sunday School 10:30 Worship 1PM GN 6 PM Youth Group 6 PM Small Group
16 6AM-GN Prayer (M-F)
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7:30 PM Choir
8:30 PM
Worship Team
18 9:30 am Women’s
Bible Study
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20 7 pm at the
parsonage
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9:15 Adult Sunday School 10:30 Worship 1PM GN 6 PM Youth Group 6 PM Small Group
23 6AM-GN Prayer (M-F)
24 7:30 PM Choir
8:30 PM
Worship Team
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9:30 am Women’s
Bible Study
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27
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29 9:15 Adult Sunday School 10:30 Worship 11:30 OCC Packing party with lunch 1PM GN 6 PM Youth Group 6 PM Small Group
30 6AM-GN Prayer (M-F)
1
7:30 PM Choir
8:30 PM
Worship Team
2
9:30 am Women’s
Bible Study
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September 2019
Fall
Kick-Off
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Ministry Update
Sunday Night Youth Group On Sunday nights this fall, we will be in a series about our culture of divisiveness. Everything is black and white. People want to know what you are for or what you’re against. This isn’t new though. Jesus answered these questions all the time. What can we learn from His example today?
Fall Kick-Off Our new fall schedule all kicks off on September 8, and we will be playing Bumper Soccer (and if the soccer part gets boring, we’ll have some more fun with the bumper bubbles!) You don’t want to miss this! Invite your friends!
Looking Forward On Saturday, October 26th, we will be hosting our third annual Pumpkins n’ Pancakes Brunch at Bob and Betty Olson’s house! Wear your favorite Halloween costume for a chance to win a $10 restaurant gift card!
Volunteers Needed With Shelby now home with Nora, she will no longer be able to continue serving as a youth leader. Per our policy, We would like to have both women & men invest-ing in our youth year round. We especially need more women who have a heart for serving and loving the youth of our church. Please contact Thomas at [email protected] if you are interested in serving the youth in this way.
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Northbrook Covenant Kids Children and Family Ministry Update
Please join us on Sunday September 8th for our fall kick-off. Our children will be sharing their testimonies as well as camp songs they learned at camp this summer during our morning service. You won't want to miss it! Immediately following service, stick around for lunch! The main course will be provided, but please bring a side or
dessert to share. We hope you'll join us!
We are excited to announce that we have a new fall Sunday school curriculum. The ECC offers a series on Kids Helping Kids. This semester, our children will be learning about orphans and vulnerable kids from all around the world. I am extremely excited to see how God will be working in our children so they can go out and be the hands and feet of Jesus! Please be in prayer for the children and teachers as we continue to disciple and work on formation.
Can you believe that Christmas is right around the corner!!!! I know, it's crazy to think about that considering fall isn't even here yet!!! But....each year, our church partici-pates in Operation Christmas Child. This is such an important ministry to so many children worldwide. In order to make sure we reach as many children as possible, we are planning packing parties and shopping trips. Believe it or not, planning for this ministry happens year round. Please mark your calendars with the below dates. We are in need of help with this ministry in many different areas. Please see Jim Martins for more details.
Sunday September 29th - packing party after service (lunch will be provided) Saturday October 5th - Children's Ministry shopping trip at 10:00am
(Dollar Tree in Northbrook) Sunday October 27th - packing party after service (lunch will be provided)
*Please note, there will be a designated bin in the Narthex in the next few weeks to begin collecting items that people would like to donate. You will also find a list of items needed there as well*
Congratulations to Jessica, Emma, Makayla, & Alexa Smith who were baptized along with Ena Zurad at Covenant Harbor. What an honor to be a part of such a special day. Please con-tinue to pray for them as they continue to spiritually grow.
Looking Ahead….
We are planning an all church outing to Feed My Starving Children in October....stay tuned for more details.
A very BIG THANK YOU to all of our Sunday School and Toddler Room volunteers. You are so very appreciated for your dedication and commitment to our children. Thank you for being a part of their formation. If you are interested in volunteer-ing, please contact Melissa at [email protected]. We'd love to have you and no experience is needed!
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WOMEN MINISTRIES REPORT
September 2019
Fall Fellowship is coming! – The Fall Fellowship at Covenant Harbor will be held September 13-15. The theme is Light Piercing Darkness – Isaiah 9:2 – Those who walk in the dark have seen a bright light. And it shines upon everyone who lives in the land of darkest shadows. The speaker is Rebecca Gonzalez. There are registration forms available in the narthex. This year’s outreach project is Esther House (shelter for abused women). We are being asked to bring new underwear and socks for women as a donation. If you would like to support the outreach you can drop off your donation no later than Sunday September 8. If you would like to make a monetary donation for the project we have the items available for a $5 do-nation. See Bonnie or Mary.
CCO – Our support of Cornerstone Community Outreach (CCO) continues. Periodically we are able to purchase a large quantity of new underwear. We launder it before sending to CCO and laundering help is greatly appreciated! This is an on-going outreach. We are CCO’s main source of new underwear and bras. Thank you to those who have helped in the past and also to the future.
I received the following thank you note from one of the case workers: Thank you so much for all the donations you have given our clients. The plus size clothing you donated for one of my clients truly made her day. The smile she had when she got them was absolutely amazing! (Amanda)
Other thank you emails:
(from Carol T) Bonnie, you are so amazingly awesome!! Thank you, thank you!!!
Also, thank you for all of the stuff you sent over last week. Still going through, sorting, sharing, already gifting. Thank you for all of the beads...., so great for gifts...again, fun sorting. Thank you, please thank the donors too
(from Glenn P) As usual Bonnie, you are amazing. You bless so many people with your kindness and gen-
erosity. May God bless YOU.
(from Eve) Thank you!
(from Carol) Amen, Amen to that!!! Makes so many people happy!!!!
(from Beth N) Dearest Bonnie and Mary,
Wow! I want to thank you for your fabulous donation! We are so grateful for all you have done to prepare our kids for the new school year! It's tough living in a shelter and going to school but I believe you all have made things so much better for our kids!
Lord bless you both,
(and from Sandy R) I agree with Beth! Thank you both for your tireless efforts to bless our residents. They really
appreciate and need the items you send. Thank you for your faithfulness!
So you can see how important our support of CCO is!
-by Bonnie Stephens
"Connecting women...impacting the world"
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From the Music Director: Psalm 116:7 Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.
Dear Friends,
We are ready for choir to begin again! Rehearsals for both Choir and Worship Team Rehearsals will start Tuesday, September 10th! Choir rehearsals are every Tuesday from 7:30-8:30 PM, and Worship Team rehearsals are every Tuesday from 8:30-9 PM. If you are interested in joining us, please see me at church or email me at [email protected].
I look forward to this new year of music and worship with you! Dawn
Updated Items needed for Cornerstone Community Outreach –
I received an email from Eve and they can us the following items (available from the Dollar Tree): Cleaning supplies: Bleach, laundry soap, and garbage bags. Other items include: birth-day gift bags/tissue paper/wrapping paper, birthday cards, reading glasses, lotion, deodorant, shaving cream, razor, bars of soap, pump hand soap/refill for hand washing, small birthday items for singles (boxes of chocolate, scarves, books, crossword puzzles, art stuff, bags of nuts, jerky, nail polish, lip stuff, encouraging plaques, etc...), plastic table cloth (for events), pens, tape, sticky notes. Thank you to all who are donating!
Another way to donate – If you have unexpired Kohl’s Cash (or Yes2You rewards) that you would like to be used to purchase needed items for CCO you can give it to Bonnie and the Kohl’s Cash will be put to good use. If you want to donate at the register you can put your points on Bonnie’s Yes2You account (see Bonnie for the account number).
Looking ahead – Plans are being made for a sewing night to be held Thursday, October 3 at 7PM. This is our fall event. We will be making pillow cases to be used at CCO. Your help is needed even if you don’t sew. We have acquired fabric for the project and it needs to be laundered prior to the evening. If you are able to launder some fabric see Bonnie or Mary. Mark your calendar, bring a friend, come help out!
Looking way ahead - The annual Advent Night is planned for Thursday December 5.
Respectfully submitted,
Bonnie Stephens
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Christian Radio for Russia is the sponsor of the NEW LIFE RADIO Satellite Network (Moscow, Russia) CRFR's Mission: To share the Gospel of Christ through the provision of Christian radio programming to Russian-speaking peoples worldwide using new media formats.
New Life Radio began its ministry as Russia's 1st Christian FM radio station (1996) and in 2000, established nationwide broadcasting from Moscow via satellite. In 2017, it was granted a 10 year nationwide broadcast license by the Kremlin and added a second satellite for signal coverage across Russia. NLR's satellite radio audience potential: 135+ million homes tuned to NLR's satellite providers. This is a critical resource to a nation where 99% of all cities have no local Christian radio station, and Christians face restrictions in public and private evangelism. After 18 years, New Life Radio was recently forced to vacate its on air studio rooms at the Christian Center in Moscow and is operating on an interim basis in two small rooms that do not allow all staff to work simultaneously, nor have room to grow. CRFR has found a new facility in Ukraine. The benefits of being in Ukraine is that it is a free country with no restrictions on the press, religion, or the internet. It also has a lower cost of living than Moscow.. The studio is being housed on the top floor of the Christian Open University in the Ukraine. The classrooms are in need of remodeling in order to have a functioning studio. They have leased the space for five years.
Prayer Requests- Please pray for Daniel and Oksana Johnson during this time of transition as they
get the new location up and running. Pray for their two new coordinators, Ivan and Pavel, as they start the transition
process, transporting equipment, seeking new mission staff and developing programming.
Pray for their missionary builders from the US remodeling the classrooms in Odessa.
Pray for safe travels for their new station equipment provided by generous CRFR donors and brought over by the Johnsons. __________________________________
Operation Christmas Child– Our drop-off dates for OCC shoeboxes are still in November. With back to school sales going on now it is a great time to purchase supplies for the shoeboxes. Visit samaritanspurse.org/occ for gift suggestions and items not to be included. Thank you for participating. Here is a list of suggested items for the shoe boxes: Toys-doll, toy car, harmonica, light with batteries, yoyo, jump rope, ball, stuffed animals
School supplies-pencil/sharpener, pen, marker, notebook, solar calculator, crayons. Hygiene (nonliquid)-toothbrush, bar soap, comb, washcloth Accessories-T-shirts, socks, hats, sunglasses, hair clips, jewelry, watches, flashlight A Personal Note-enclose a note of love and a photo of yourself or your family. If you include your name and address, the child may be able to write back.
WORLD MISSIONS
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The Leadership Team met on August 20th for our monthly meeting. The following was included in our discussion:
Both Dawn and Jose are in the ordination process with the goal of being or-dained at next year’s ECC Annual Meeting. We as a church are an important part of the process as both an evaluation and recommendation from the local church where they serve is required. Dawn shared with us about her back-ground, call to ministry and desire for ordination. Both Jose and Dawn received the unanimous recommendation of the LT.
2. Kickoff Sunday will be September 8th. A cookout lunch will be served immediately after church. Children who attended camp at Covenant Harbor will be participating in the morning service.
3. Armida Belmonte Stephens (North Park Seminary Professor) will be teaching Adult Sunday school to begin the Sunday School season..
4. Plans for our annual Vision Dinner on Sunday November 3rd starting at 5 PM are coming together. Once we have finalized plans with our guest speaker, more information will be available.
5. The Properties Team continues to be busy. With the completion of the re-carpeting of the sanctuary, other projects include:
- working on a design and plan to use the “tower cross” in a garden area at the corner of Pfingsten and Techny.
- Upgrading the radiant heating system.
- Upgrades and maintenance at the parsonage.
6. The financial report for July shows that we continue to meet our obligations however adjusted income is $5199 behind budget. There was $24,750 in the Carpet Replacement Fund—wonderful news in that most of the cost for new carpeting was raised through the Carpet Campaign.
The next LT meeting is scheduled for September 11th. If you have any questions or would like to share input or perspective, please contact anyone on the Leadership Team: Pastor Jose, David Dwight, Betty Olson, Kris Gallegos, Melissa O’Hara, Nathan Michael, and Grant Erickson.
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Lead Pastor, Jose Gonzalez
Director of Youth Ministries, Thomas Cellilli
Director of Music Ministries, Dawn Holt Lauber
Children’s Ministries Coordinator, Melissa O’Hara
Office Manager, Kathleen Heller
Pianist, Vera Vasilenko
Northbrook Covenant Church
2737 Techny Road
Northbrook, IL 60062
847-272-8270
www. Northbrookcovenant.org
Worship with us!
Sundays at 10:30am
