Church Life
BREAKFAST WITH THE BIBLEAdult Education for 2006-2007 has been a great success thanks to the efforts of so many willing volunteers. A special thank you goes out to Sandy Taenzer, Pattie Scroggins, Chuck Zimmerman, Laura McMinn, and all the others who have provided breakfast each Sunday morning. Breakfast continues through May 20 at 9:00 am with an assortment of juice, fruit, milk, cereals, pastries, and coffee. Child care is available after your children have eaten breakfast. Here are your class options for the month of May.
The Long-Winded Savior: Studies in the Gospel of John
We’ve been challenged by John’s portrayal of a Messiah who is in control of events even as he goes to the cross. In these last sessions before summer we follow Jesus to the cross and beyond. It’s not too late to join the class!
Help! I Need Somebody!
This month’s mental health emphasis will be a discussion of the continuing stigma of mental illness. With all we know about this topic, why is there still such disgrace associated with it? Join us on May 13.
New this fall in Adult Education..- “Four Voices”
- “Controversial Conversations with Carl”
- And lots more!
And continuing this fall in Adult Education…- Breakfast served each Sunday.
- Bible study each Sunday.
- “Help! I Need Somebody!” once a month
- Aimee Louaillier was admitted to Delnor Hospital suffering from abdominal pain. She is recuperating now at home.
- Orval Volkening was in St. Joseph Hospital suffering from a pulmonary aneurism. He is recuperating now at home.
- Ben Brictson had surgery at Children’s Memorial Hospital on April 20. He was expected to stay in the hospital for several days, but he did so well that he was able to come home the next day.
- David Phipps fell and broke his hip. After rehab at St. Joseph Hospital he is home and recuperating well.
- Jim Ellsworth was admitted to Sherman Hospital with breathing difficulties. After a few weeks of rehab at Sherman West Court he is now home.
- Dorothy Schock continues to recuperate at home.
- Doug McDonald completed rehab at Sherman West Court and came home on April 20.
- John Schneck was finally released from the hospital after two months.
- Angie Rae was admitted to St. Joseph Hospital suffering from pneumonia. She has been transferred to Sherman West Court for rehab.
- Margaret Schmoldt had knee surgery on April 24 at Delnor Hospital.
- Betty Ells has completed many weeks of extensive chemotherapy. She will start radiation treatments soon.
- Lee Bernhard, Kathy Bernhard’s husband is being treated for esophageal cancer.
Rowena Swan celebrated her 98th birthday on April 10,
Chuck Zimmerman celebrated his 75th birthday on April 8, and
Al Taenzer celebrated his 70th birthday on April 1. Congratulations!
Former member
Helen Castle died at her home in Wisconsin on March 24. A graveside service was led by Dr. Donehoo on March 29.
04/01 Al Taenzer
04/01 Anna Halfpenny
04/01 Kylie Lynn Ekstrom
04/02 Patrick Arnold
04/06 James Lewis
04/07 Debra Leberecht
04/07 Cassidy Sell
04/08 Charles Zimmerman
04/09 Beth Mitchell
04/10 Dennis Dahlstrom
04/10 Rowena Swan
04/10 Glen Murphy
04/11 Kameron Breunlin
04/11 Bradley Widder
04/11 Cy Kerber
04/12 Chloe Steffen
04/15 Marilyn Kauffman
04/16 Ann Schneck
04/16 Liz Schaaf
04/16 Patricia Yauch
04/16 Curtis Perrin
04/18 Kimberly Sanderson
04/19 Susan Lovingood
04/20 Tom Powell
04/20 Nicole Lewellyn
04/21 Doug McDonald
04/21 Jennifer Phillips
04/22 Pamela Widder
04/22 Diana Castillo
04/23 Maranda Lile
04/24 Shannon Lile
04/25 John Schneck
04/26 Patricia Jocius
04/27 Samantha Kottmeier
04/28 Ben Banwart
04/28 David Gerber
04/28 Dennis Turnquist
04/28 Ethan Sanderson
04/28 Wyatt Sanderson
04/29 Ron Reuter
05/01 Maggie Powers
05/02 Alessandra Castillo
05/04 Ryan Munson
05/04 Sydney Schmitendorf
05/05 Destannie Tippett
05/07 Patrick Lile
05/08 Jeannine Burger
05/14 Dennis Hewitt
05/15 John Kauffman
05/16 Lori Kemmler
05/16 George Bero
05/16 Cherie Murphy
05/16 Madison Erickson
05/18 Amanda Reuter
05/19 Jodie Stackowiak
05/19 Lorri Powell
05/21 Jodi Peterson
05/21 Glenna Preradovic
05/22 Margarete Schmoldt
05/23 Melanie Szlapinski
05/25 James Deaton
05/25 Ron Carlson
05/25 Thor Powers
05/27 Mary Hewitt
05/28 Brianne Murphy
05/31 Larry Rothlisberger
05/31 Alex Halfpenny
05/31 Emerson Lewis
Dear Church Family,
Thank you for all your cards, prayers and Easter basket.
The Lord has blessed me with a very caring group.
Bless you,
Dorothy Schock
Dear Church Family and Crafty Christians,
Thank you so much for remembering me with your special Easter Basket.
It feels good to know that while I’m in a tough race I have excellent fan support. I am making good progress and will look forward to seeing you all in church soon.
Love,
Doug McDonald
Creative Fund Raisers Meeting
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
6:30 PM
Fellowship Hall
Our brainstorming meeting was a great start for our group. We have heard many interesting ways to do our fund raising.
We welcome any and all suggestions our members might have – big or small projects. All ideas are welcome. If you are interested in attending a meeting, we would be happy to see you on the above date.
Our first fund raiser will be a sale of hanging baskets. Watch for order forms. Remember to check with friends and neighbors for their orders also.
It’s not too early to begin thinking about
Summer Church Camp. The Illinois
Conference of the United Church of Christ has two camping facilities. Pilgrim Park is located in Princeton,
Illinois in the beautiful Illinois River valley area -- not too far from
Starved Rock. Tower Hill is located on
the beautiful shores of Lake Michigan in Sawyer, Michigan. Each camp is about a
two hour drive from Elgin. Camps are
offered throughout the summer for all age groups. Both camps offer a unique opportunity for children and adults to
learn more about their faith as they play and learn with other campers. Camps
are offered for children and youth age 5 through high school. There are also camps for first-time campers
that are only 2 night - 3 day camps called Tenderfoot. In addition to camps for children, there are
also camps for Grandparents and Grandchildren and also for Senior Adults. First
Congregational offers a camp scholarship program to any camper attending one of
our United Church of Christ camps. We
will pay up to ½ of the camp cost (not to exceed $100). Please stop by Lois’ office and pick up a
camp brochure.
6th Taylor Stark & Maggie Powers
13th Alex Halfpenny & Dennis Turnquist
20th Emerson Lewis & Taylor Powers
27th Brad Rantz & Eric Turnquist
Calling all womenPlease join the Damaris group for an evening of dining out on Thursday, May 24th. This month we will be dining at the new Elgin Public House which is at 219 Chicago Street just one block from the church. We’ll gather at 6:30 for an informal evening of dinner and conversation. Come and enjoy a nice relaxing evening. Call Lois for more information.
Our Sunday School classes will end on Sunday May 20th. We have had a wonderful year. A BIG “thank you” to our dedicated teaching staff. If you’ve had a child in Sunday School this year please take a moment to say thank you to the teachers. We will recognize all of the teachers in worship on Sunday, May 20th and we’ll have a special coffee hour in their honor on that day. Teachers please mark your calendars and plan to stay for coffee hour.
Vacation Bible SchoolPreparations are underway for an exciting adventure with VBS this summer. We will be meeting the week of June 18th – 22nd 9:30 – 12:30 at Wing Park in Pavilion #2. Our theme for the week is Lift Off – Soaring to New Heights with God. Traveling by hot air balloon we will discover what it means for faithful disciples to: Follow, Trust, Listen, Repent and Serve. So spread the word. Tell your friends that you want them to join you on an adventure this summer. This program has something to offer all ages. Everyone will enjoy hearing Bible stories, playing games, singing those catchy songs, and making crafts. The older children will enjoy their camp-like experience which will include time for nature study, hikes, games and storytelling. Please make this week a priority for your family.
Of course we always need more volunteers so let Lois know if you are available to help with any aspect of the program.
We will be recognizing graduates on June 3rd during our 10:15 worship service. Please call the church office and let us know if you have a high school, junior college, technical school, college, or advanced degree graduate in your family.
PERFECT ATTENDANCE FOR APRIL
Lauren Powers
Rachel Ruff
Ben Brictson
Maggie Powers
Taylor Powers
Phillip Brictson
David Gerber
Mother's Day Hanging Basket Sale
SATURDAY, MAY 12, 2007
9 AM - NOON
Our renovation fund raising is off to a good start.
We are offering hanging baskets from Town & Country Florists.
Order forms can be picked up in the church office. This sale is by order only.
Orders are due by Monday, May 6, 2007.
One basket for $17.50 – Two baskets for $30.00.
Ask your friends and relatives to order their hanging baskets through you. This is a great way to incorporate your love of flowers into helping fund the renovation of our church.
Thank You, Thank You, Thank You,The mission trip silent auction, raffle and dining with the stars luncheon brought in over $5,000. We are totally awed by your generosity. Please pick-up the items you bid on in the office – checks can be made payable to the church. Thank you to all those who donated items to be auctioned – we couldn’t have done it without you. We want to say a special thank you to Janet Banwart and Sandy Dalton for all their work in securing donations. All the money raised will be used to help defray the cost of our mission trip to Neon, Kentucky.
Raffle Winners were:
Mike Blackwood Adam McCoy
Loretta Davies Lois Bucher
Beth Mitchell Matt Gerber
Vicki Frederich The Aldreds
Dolores Zimmerman Deb Leberecht
Jason Smith Jami Sund
Janet Banwart Penny Donehoo
Helen McClure Jan Embree
Pat Jocius Kevin Jocius
The Rantzs Marilyn Kauffman
Ron Reuter Sandy Dalton
John Dalton Rich Jacobs
Gina Orazi Green Dianne Knight
Lisa Bozn Evelyn Johnson
Bill Schnell Brian Stark
Liz Schaaf The Phillips
Mary Hewitt Sue Perrin
The Powers The Ells
The Stackowiaks The Kemmlers
Angela Garcia The Preradovics
The Halfpennys The Segals
Catherine Gothan Jeanne Rothlisberger
Lavon Bayler Shirley May Byrnes
Liz Sharf Dick Browning
Mary Taylor Ron Carlson
Paul Grote Jim Hinton
Whenever possible please patronize the following businesses which support our silent auction:
Ace Hardware
Akina Thai
Al's Café
Auto Glow Car Wash
Baker's Square
Bazo's Cleaners East
Beef Villa
Big Apple Bagels
Burger King
Car X
Chili's
Cinema 12
Claim Jumper
Colonial Ice Cream
Courtyard by Marriott
Dairy Queen
Danny's Pizza
Dr. Cindy Rauchenberger
Eddie Caruso Hair Salon
Elgin Car Wash
Elgin Fresh Market
Elgin Park District
Elgin Public House
Great American Family Diner
Hollywood Video
Jalapenos
Men's Wearhouse
Jewel
Jimmy's Charhouse
Kentucky Fried Chicken
Let's Meet for Coffee
Lone Star Steak House
Luke's Beef
Maggiano's
Marcus Theater
Mariscos Mexican Restaurant
Milk Pail
Northwest Aviation
Nottolini's Pizza
Olive Garden
Omaha Steaks
Outback Steak House
Panera Bread
Pizza Hut
Prairie Rock
Quiznos
Randall Road Pancake House
Red Lobster
Royal Blue Restaurant
Sir Nick's Pizza
Skippy's Gyro
Spring Garden Restaurant
Sweet Tomatoes
Taco Bell
Tony & Tina's Wedding Play
Town & Country Florists
Trefon's Restaurant
Villa Olivia
Wilderness Resort
Wing Park Restaurant
Woodview Lanes
The United Church of Christ.