Faith United Methodist Church 432 59th Street Downers Grove, IL 60516  ECHOES GOES ELECTRONIC  To continue receiving Echoes of Faith, please see details in this issue. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------IMPORTANT DATES 1/12 “Hallelujah Show” by Act of God – 10AM 1/12 Unhanging of the Greens – 11:45 1/16 JOY Fellowship – 1:00 PM 1/19 Dedication of New Officers – 10AM SUNDAY WORSHIP SCHEDULE 9 AM Sunday School for All Ages 10 AM Worship Service 10 AM Children’s Church 11:15 AM Fellowship Echoes of Faith January 2014 Faith United Methodist Church 432 59th St., Downers Grove, IL 60516 Rev. Duk K. Kwon [email protected] www.faithchurchdg.org (630) 968-0442 Volume MMXIV, Issue No. 1 – 2014 Dear Members and Friends of the Faith Family, The joyful and spirit-filled Christmas celebration was just a few days ago, and now we are entering into the new year of 2014. I wish you all have a Happy and Blessed New Year! The year 2014 is the year of the Horse, according to the Chinese calendar. The horse is a symbol of beauty, grace and stamina. The horse can walk or run for a long distance without being tired. Life is often compared to a race, and we as a church start a new race this new year. The new year of 2014 is the first year of our next Sesquicentennial, which will be the year 2163 when our church will be celebrating its 300-year Anniversary. I am sure there will be celebrations of other milestones along the way, such as the 200-year milestone, 250-year milestone, etc. Most of us who are alive now may not be there to celebrate it, but each and every generation of the Faith Church family has a sacred responsibility to make sure that the baton we received from previous generations of believers will pass to the next generation, and our mission and ministry continues , not just surviving but thriving. It starts from 2014 and it starts with us. I hope we all resolve ourselves to be more faithful and dedicated in serving God and being involved in ministry this year as we begin a new chapter of our history as a church. January Sunday Schedule January 4: First Sunday of the New Year 9:00 - 9:50 a.m. Sunday School for all ages: Children’s Sunday School, Youth Sunday School Class ABF – “Screwtape Letters” by C.S Lewis, led by Mel Gehrs 10:00 - 11:15 a.m. New Year’s worship with message and Holy Communion Children’s Church – downstairs 11:15 a.m. Fellowship for All January 12: Second Sunday of the New Year 9:00 - 9:50 a.m. Sunday School for all Ages: Children’s Sunday School, Youth Sunday School Class ABF - “Screwtape Letters” by C.S Lewis, led by Mel Gehrs 10:00 – 11:15 a.m. Worship service: “Hallelujah” by the “Act of God” Children’s Church – downstairs 11:15 a.m. Fellowship for All January 19: Third Sunday of the New Year: Dedication of New Officers 9:00 – 9:50 a.m. Sunday School for All Ages: Children’s Sunday School, Youth Sunday School class ABF – “Screwtape Letters” by C.S Lewis, led by Mel Gehrs 10:00 – 11:15 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. Worship Service with Dedication of New Officers Children’s Church –down stairs Fellowship for All January 26: Fourth Sunday of the New year 9:00 – 11:15 a.m. Sunday School for All Ages: Children’s Sunday School, Youth Sunday School Class ABF – “Screwtape Letters” by C.S Lewis, led by Mel Gehrs 10:00 – 11:15 a.m. Worship Service with “Remember Your Baptism and be Thankful” Children’s Church – downstairs 11:15 a.m. Fellowship for All Come! Join us! Together we will make a new beginning and a new history for God! “I am about to do a new thing. Now it springs forth; do you not perceive it?” (Isaiah 43:19) Pastor Duk K. Kwon Welcome Brittany Jackson! The SPRC of Faith Church is happy to announce that Brittany Jackson will be joining our staff as Youth Director the first of January. Brittany Jackson is a student at Northern Baptist Theological Seminary. She is a recent graduate of Taylor University with a degree in Church Music Ministries. She has worked previously as a music and youth intern at the First Baptist Church in Muncie, Indiana, and has served on the summer staff for a youth church camp for three summers. She is passionate about leading teens to a closer relationship with Christ. We look forward to having Brittany join our staff and know that you all will give her a warm welcome. We would like to form a support committee of parents or interested adults to offer assistance to Brittany as she begins her ministry with us. This group would be available to help with planning, phone calling, chaperoning, or other things that might be needed help support this ministry. If you would be interested in becoming a part of the group who will help Brittany, please contact Jeanette Benisek at [email protected] or call 630-209-4874. We need many more volunteers! I want to help: Name _______________________________ Phone ________________________ Odd or Even Month? __________________ Sunday? _____________ ODD MONTHS 1ST Sunday 2nd Sunday 3rd Sunday 4th Sunday 5th Sunday EVEN MONTHS 1ST Sunday 9AM Christine Fischer Cindy Ayers Sandy Welson Stephanie Necker Stephanie Necker 9AM Shirley Kendall 2nd Sunday 3rd Sunday 4th Sunday Cindy Ayers Sandy Welson Cathy Kupisch 5th Sunday Carolyn Vincent Time? ______________ 10AM Christine Fischer Volunteer Volunteer Volunteer Stephanie Necker 10AM Karen Dubinoff & Janette Skaer Volunteer Stephanie Necker Elaine Hickok, & Aubrey Carlquist Carolyn Vincent Children’s Ministry Update – January 2014 Thank you for such a wonderful Christmas season! We all enjoyed the children’s activities, especially the children’s dedication to the pageant, and the beautiful singing during our Family Christmas Eve Service. January is our planning month, so look forward to calendars and activities to follow. Things we will be working on in Children’s church will include but not limited to: Making Teacher Thank-you cards for Valentines’ Day, Collecting change for the purchase of a water filter for Ms. Maria’s mission trip in March (VBS in Honduras and providing clean water where there is none), Making letters for kids in Honduras from our ministry. Soon we will advertise the 2014 Calendar, but please pray for the preparation of that calendar as we plan do to many things including: Breakfast with the Bunny and Easter Egg Hunt, Teacher’s training again and retrain on the safe sanctuary guidelines, Preparing our children with an Ash Wednesday Lenten Party (during our Ash Wednesday service and make handprint crosses and learn about Lent and Holy Week), looking for volunteers to help teach Sunday School in the summer, and finally, be thinking about VBS because we’ll be announcing our first meeting soon. Thank you, Lord, for the opportunity to serve. Amen. May the Lord bless you and keep you in this chilly time of year. In Christ, Maria Wilcox Interim Director of Children’s Ministries [email protected] Holy Baptism By Don Hayward Well, we have come to the end of 2013. This year in this author’s eyes we have hit some milestones at Faith Church! We had our usual missions with the Wertz from Tanzania, a Sesquicentennial celebration in June, Harvest Home in early November, repaving of the eastern part of the parking lot, and a new lit sign at 59th and Fairview. In my view, these were what I call “feel good” things. Yes, no one could argue that there were not other things at Faith Church, but these were the main ones! Thank you to those who helped with the above mentioned main events and other things. It was a win-win situation for Faith Church attenders. Let us shift gears from Faith Church to something a little more personal. Sometimes it is the little things that have a great impact in your life! For Pat and me, as well as the rest of our family, it was the birth of our second grandchild, Alexa Lynn Hood, on September 18th. She was baptized by our Pastor Duk Kwon on December 1 st here at Faith Church. He called it her “spiritual birthday.” How neat is that! Our son Jim became godfather and our niece Jenna became godmother. Faith Church’s head of Children’s Ministries, Maria Wilcox, brought the children from downstairs to see the baptism of Alexa! After the ceremony, Pastor Kwon introduced Alexa to the children and the rest of the congregation as being part of God’s community. He did this by walking around the sanctuary introducing Alexa to the different members sitting in the congregation. Personally, I have witnessed baptism’s many times, but when it is close family, it is more meaningful! Pastor Kwon told me that at the age of 10 he was on a tour of Korean children who were singing and one of their stops was in Israel. While there, he was baptized in the River Jordan. Pastor said that at some places, the river is narrow, about 30 feet, and other places it was real wide. He said his experience was memorable. Some two thousand years ago we see John the Baptist prepare the way for Jesus to be baptized. (Matthew 3:1-12; Mark 1:1-8; Luke 3:1-18; and John 1:19-28) Many have dubbed John the Baptist as one of the last prophets out of the Old Testament. Jesus’ actual baptism in the River Jordan was stated in Matthew 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; and Luke 3:21-22. This was the beginning mark for Jesus’ ministry, which was only short-lived. Many of us do not remember our baptism, but we know that it was the beginning of our life-long tenure of being a Christian. Many of us are quite familiar with the birth of Jesus, but His baptism was only the beginning of His ministry that would change the world. Jesus’ short ministry culminated in His death on a cross. We see that powers of the day saw Him as a threat to the stability of the economic, social, political and religious systems of the time. Jesus died on the cross for this, but mankind benefitted because He later rose to heaven taking away all of mankind’s sins. Today we read the scripture verses on baptism and they seem so far back in time. To look at Jesus today, He seems so real. We can all identify with the Jesus of today. Everyone may not remember their baptism, but everyone has the opportunity to turn over their sins to Jesus. Some of us may not have had a first-time relationship with Him. Some need to rededicate their relationship with Him. Today is your opportunity to do so. Regardless if we were baptized or not, we all can have the Savior of mankind take away our sins. Please read to yourself or repeat out loud the following couple of sentences. “Lord, I realize baptism is important, but the forgiveness of my sins is far more reaching. Today I am turning over my past, present, and future sins to You so I might be free.” Welcome on becoming a Christian. The time is now! The decision is yours. ADULT BIBLE FELLOWSHIP (ABF) CLASS The Screwtape Letters Fun, insightful and surprising! When: 12 weeks 1/5 – 3/30 Time: 9AM – 9:55AM Sunday Where: Sr. High Room Who: Mel Gehrs – Facilitator Electronic books and synopsis are available. Ask Sharon in the church office. Come join us for a 12-week study of the Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. This is a fun and fascinating look at how a senior devil would coach, tutor and discipline a junior “devil in training.” There are moments of humor, insight, surprises and disbelief at the devil’s process for convincing humans to sin and avoiding truly experiencing God. Can you imagine the devil saying, “One of our great allies at present is the church itself” or how about “The fact that devils are predominantly COMIC figures in the modern imagination will help us!” Suffice it to say, studying evil and the devil’s ways can give us great insight into the temptations of life, how to resist them, and a deeper understanding of our Christian faith. Don’t be intimidated by the fact that C.S. Lewis is a very deep, complex Christian author. The Screwtape Letters is a very readable book with short chapters. Sharon has an electronic document that she can email to you of the entire book and a complete “Cliff Notes”/synopsis of the book. Invite a friend. The Screwtape Letters make for great discussions/conversations! From our friends Dear Friends, We appreciate your concern and prayers during a difficult time for our family with the passing of Pat’s mother. Your cards and outpouring of love will always be appreciated. Yours in Christ, Don & Pat Hayward SENIOR FELLOWSHIP Best Wishes to all the Seniors for a Happy, Healthy New Year filled with Blessings and Joy! I know you all like to get together for Brunch the second Thursday of each month, but after giving it a lot of thought and watching it snow outside, with more snow in the forecast, I've decided to wait until March 2014 for our first meeting. In the meantime, MARK YOUR CALENDARS NOW for the second Thursday of each month for the Senior Fellowship to meet for fellowship and breakfast or lunch. Think of some different places you might like to go for our March 2014 meeting. Once again, we would like to invite anyone 55 years of age or older to join our group. We know you will be glad you came with us. We had a wonderful time in December 2013 at Carriage Greens Country Club as we had a large group attend and they set our table right down the center of the dining room. The restaurant was decorated beautifully for Christmas. What a wonderful time we all had! Until March, drive carefully and stay healthy. I look forward to seeing all of you then. God Bless! Janette Skaer FELLOWSHIP SERVERS ARE NEEDED! Please sign up on the new Fellowship poster in the narthex. If you have questions or need help, please call Rose Alcantara (815) 372-9956 or Emma Deguia (630) 759-7292. Mark your 2014 calendar for Sunday, Jan. 12th. Please join us after fellowship time to take down and put away the Christmas decorations. Thank you. Worship Committee would like to invite you to join our Ministry of Ushers that is profoundly important to the life of our church. Our functions are welcoming and insuring that every person in our church is comfortable and secure. If you did not have the opportunity to be an usher in the past and or would like to participate again, we will provide you with the necessary training on the functions and procedures of this ministry. The sign up poster is up on the Worship Committee bulletin board between the church office and the library. All adults and older teens are welcome to join. You may sign up for one Sunday, or two or the entire month. Thank you. 2014 Flower Chart is here and it is posted on the Worship Committee bulletin board between the library and Pastor’s Office. Anyone who would like to provide altar flowers for a specific date during Sunday worship time, please sign up and fill out the flower dedication form. Flowers are offered “for the Glory of God and in memory, or in honor of an anniversary, or a birthday.” We have been using Village Flowers and Gardens in Lisle as our florist for many years, but you may make other arrangements if you wish. Please take note that more than one person or family may sign up for the altar flowers each Sunday. CareNet Pregnancy Services of DuPage provides spiritual, emotional and material support to women dealing with an unplanned pregnancy enabling them to choose life for their baby. Our church supports the work of CareNet in our community by participating in Coins for CareNet. On January 19th you will have the opportunity to pick up a baby bottle, fill it with change, and return it to Faith Church by Feb. 10th. Please watch for the display in the narthex. ECHOES GOES ELECTRONIC The Echoes is taking on a more efficient, time saving, and cost cutting method of delivery. The Echoes will be emailed in color to the addresses already in the church’s address book. If we do not have your address, please contact Sharon at: [email protected] so you won’t miss a single issue. For those of you who do not use a computer, 100 paper copies of the Echoes are available in the narthex. January 2 Jello Salad- (Bonnie Gentille’s recipe) 1 - #2 can (20 oz.) pineapple – Drain and save juice 1 - 3 oz. pkg. lemon Jello 2 cups miniature marshmallows ½ cup salad dressing (or mayonnaise) 1 cup pineapple juice ½ cup celery ½ cup nuts (walnut or pecan) 2 cups chopped apples (2 medium apples) 1 cup crushed pineapple 1 cup Cool Whip (optional) Dissolve 1 pkg. of lemon Jello in 1 cup boiling water. Dissolve 2 cups miniature marshmallows in Jello mixture. Add ½ cup salad dressing. Add 1 cup pineapple juice. Mix well and let cool until syrupy, then beat until foamy. Add ½ cup chopped celery ½ cup chopped nuts 2 cups chopped apples 1 cup crushed pineapple Fold in 1 cup Cool Whip (optional) Refrigerate until solid. 3 13 16 17 21 22 24 26 28 Catherine Lisoleil Peggy Martin Dorraine McCullough Evelyn Nicola Judy Baer Pat Hancock Ron Dubinoff Shirley Kendall Alvin Madrid Fred Moore Aimee Mayuga Farrer Barb Pearcy Carolyn Vincent Jean Reid Thank you so much! On behalf of the church staff, Sharon Kelly, Maria Wilcox, Don Hayward, and I want to express our sincere appreciation of your generous Christmas gifts you offered to each of us. The gifts warmed our hearts and made us feel we are loved and appreciated by the people we serve. Thank you so much for your thoughtfulness. Have a Happy New Year! Pastor Duk Kwon Don Hayward Sharon Kelly Maria Wilcox