THE PILGRIM August 2013 Issue 7 Pastor’s Corner 2 Moderator Musings 3 From the Vice Moderator/ Fall Program Kickoff 4 Children and Youth 5 Music Ministry & School Supply Collection 6 Community 7-10 Two Way Street Coffee House 11 INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Jesus told his disciples to take the gospel to Jerusalem, to Samaria and to the ends of the earth. We have worked hard locally with Bridges, PADS, Night Ministry, Habitat, Feed my Starving Children, and we have expanded the circle to include our regional neighbors in disaster relief trips to Joplin, Cape Girardeau, Henryville, and Athens. Now we will go global. You are invited you to an informational meeting for prelimi- nary planning for a trip to South Africa in 2014. The meeting will cover conduct and presence in serving in a foreign nation with different history, traditions and cultures, safety, immunizations, costs and travel dates. Please join me on Sunday, August 4 prior to worship! Thank you. –Pastor Scott Fall Program Kickoff! Sunday, September 8 9:30 a.m. worship at church 4:00 p.m. Picnic & Games at Indian Boundary YMCA (see page 4) First Congregational United Church of Christ Downers Grove, IL Chicago Night Ministry Thursday, August 15 4:30 pm FCC will be assisting with The Night Ministry on Thursday, August 15. The Night Ministry is a Chicago-based organization that works to provide housing, health care and human connection to those in the community struggling with poverty or homelessness. Not only will FCC members serve dinner that evening, but we also prepare sandwiches and snacks beforehand to distribute. Please bring donations of lunch meat, cheese, bread, fruit, and packaged snacks as part of your offering August 11. If you would like to help make sandwiches, arrive at church at 4:30 p.m. on August 15. Your donations of food and time are greatly appreciated and go a long way in serving The Night Ministry. Adult Ed: Haiti Jeanette Salley, speaker August 4, 11:00 am, Fellowship Hall Join us on Sunday, August 4 when we are honored to host Jeanette Salley, sister of our own Elizabeth Salley and UCC missionary to Haiti. Jeanette will share about her experiences in Haiti and how she came to be a missionary. Part of her story will be shared in worship followed by a presentation in Fellowship Hall. In addition, during the message segment of our service we hope to have some sharing by our youth on their recent mission trip to Athens, Ohio. Please make it a point to see how members of your church family are serving God’s family beyond our borders! South Africa Mission 2014 Informational meeting August 4, 8:30 am, Chapel
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THE PILGRIM August 2013
Issue 7
Pastor’s Corner 2
Moderator Musings 3
From the Vice Moderator/
Fall Program Kickoff 4
Children and Youth 5
Music Ministry & School Supply Collection 6
Community 7-10
Two Way Street Coffee House 11
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Jesus told his disciples to take the gospel to Jerusalem, to Samaria
and to the ends of the earth. We have worked hard locally with
Bridges, PADS, Night Ministry,
Habitat, Feed my Starving
Children, and we have expanded
the circle to include our regional
neighbors in disaster relief trips to
Joplin, Cape Girardeau, Henryville,
and Athens. Now we will go
global.
You are invited you to an
informational meeting for prelimi-
nary planning for a trip to South
Africa in 2014. The meeting will
cover conduct and presence in
serving in a foreign nation with
different history, traditions and
cultures, safety, immunizations,
costs and travel dates. Please join
me on Sunday, August 4 prior to
worship! Thank you. –Pastor Scott
Fall Program
Kickoff!
Sunday, September 8
9:30 a.m. worship
at church
4:00 p.m.
Picnic & Games at
Indian Boundary
YMCA
(see page 4)
Fi rst Congregat ional
Uni ted Church of Chri st
Downers Grove , IL
Chicago Night Ministry Thursday, August 15
4:30 pm
FCC will be assisting with The Night
Ministry on Thursday, August 15. The Night
Ministry is a Chicago-based organization that
works to provide housing, health care and
human connection to those in the
community struggling with poverty or
homelessness. Not only will FCC members
serve dinner that evening, but we also
prepare sandwiches and snacks beforehand
to distribute.
Please bring donations of lunch meat,
cheese, bread, fruit, and packaged snacks as
part of your offering August 11. If you
would like to help make sandwiches, arrive
at church at 4:30 p.m. on August 15. Your
donations of food and time are greatly
appreciated and go a long way in serving The
Night Ministry.
Adult Ed: Haiti
Jeanette Salley, speaker
August 4, 11:00 am, Fellowship Hall
Join us on Sunday, August 4 when we are honored to host Jeanette Salley, sister
of our own Elizabeth Salley and UCC missionary to Haiti. Jeanette will share
about her experiences in Haiti and how she came to be a missionary. Part of her
story will be shared in worship followed by a presentation in Fellowship Hall.
In addition, during the message segment of our service we hope to have some
sharing by our youth on their recent mission trip to Athens, Ohio. Please make
it a point to see how members of your church family are serving God’s family
beyond our borders!
South Africa Mission 2014
Informational meeting
August 4, 8:30 am, Chapel
THE PILGRIM Page 2
This September we will focus on the elephant in the
room: our church financial outlook and our
stewardship. The church has grown in membership and
programs in the past year and a half. The average pledge
is at the highest level in over two decades. We have had
two consecutive years where giving has increased over
7% (that is amazing!) Last year’s giving was up 11% for
the year. Former Finance & Budget Committee chair
Larry Bryant stated that he’d never seen such a jump in
all his years here. This is cause for great optimism. We
are also growing in terms of program activity and Sunday
worship participation. In a day and age when churches
are shrinking, this is GREAT news and a great blessing!
Thanks be to God!!!
Amazing things are happening here. This year, 49
children attended Vacation Bible School; three years ago
we weren’t able to host VBS because we didn’t have
enough children. Our music ministry is spoken of highly
in the community and by other UCC congregations.
Our worship services average 55 more people per
Sunday than 2 years ago. Programs and mission
outreaches are growing. It is not all about numbers, but
numbers do tell a story about the great energy here,
energy that many churches today are praying and hoping
to find.
Monies are still being used from endowment income and
approved transition expense for Music and Youth
Ministries to support the church ministries. Even with a
great 2012, we did not support our budget financially.
We are at a crossroads as a church community. We can
decide to support our ministries and staff and continue
to grow, or we can have healthy discussion and decide
this is beyond us and cut back. What we CANNOT do is
business as usual; and that is having a budget that we are
not supporting and paying for financially.
We have four full-time staff, 2 part-time staff, 3 other
support staff. As in most organizations, this is
approximately 65% of our budget. Office and building
maintenance accounts for another 22%. We are not
overstaffed; in fact, quite the opposite for a church our
size.
Stewardship is part of being a member of the church for
EVERY member. When joining First Congregational
Church one of the questions asked is, “ will you support
this church with your time, your talents, and your treasures in
the ministries and programs and life of this church?,” and
some of you have been giving tremendously.
In past years, our covenant pledge responses have come
in from November to January, and this doesn’t leave
much time to plan and adjust our budget needs to our
contributions. This year, we are going to do our
budgeting process earlier, and therefore, will begin our
covenant pledge drive in September. By November, we
hope to have these numbers in. If there is a discrepancy
between what has been pledged and what we need, we
will share this with the congregation, and adjust our
budgets accordingly. I ask each of you to prayerfully think
about how each of us can contribute and actively support
the life and ministries of the church.
Our budget process will begin with our mission and what
we believe God is leading us to do, and what we
estimate it will cost. We will present this budget to you,
the church, along with some capital needs that need to
be addressed sooner rather than later.
In September, a series of meetings will be held where
everything will be laid on the table and we can have
healthy discussion about our current costs. Are there
places we need to reconsider current funding? Are there
future areas that need more financial support as the
church grows? If we hire an associate pastor how will
we pay them when the transitional funding runs out?
These are questions we need to wrestle with.
I know in entering these discussions there are concerns,
there are questions, and there is a legitimate fear that we
may need to make cuts if we cannot raise the funds
necessary to pay all our expenses. My response: I
believe in this church and its people, and I believe
absolutely in the work and mission God has called us
together as a church to accomplish.
MANY of you have already responded and given
incredibly to this church increasing your pledges by 10-
14%. Thank you!!! You are huge part of our current
success. But, there are many who are not giving, or who
may be able to give more. We need everyone. I believe
that together we can achieve the goals we have as a
church. However, we cannot continue to live on
budgets that are unsustainable.
In the Bible, Jesus’ disciples look at the hungry crowds
after Jesus has been preaching and as Jesus tells them
“you feed them” (mission) they say “But all we have is five
measly loaves and two scrawny fish”. God says, give it to
me, and be amazed by what I will do with them. Have a
generous heart and watch how a generous God moves
and shakes the world we live in! I believe this. I hope
Pastor’s Corner—August 2013
ISSUE 7 Page 3
When I was around 12 years old in Char Wild’s 6th
grade class of hellions at Hillcrest School, my
grandmother Elba, who lived with us for a time, would
always ask upon my return home from school, “Did you
do your best?”
While well-intended, her query always made me a bit
uneasy. Did I do my best? Did I do enough? Or just
enough? Being the rather rowdy, rambunctious brat
that I was (and some things never change), I knew in my
heart the answer.
Even as an adult, this same uneasiness will sometimes
reappear, especially as I look about our congregation. I
see so much meaningful work being done! People
volunteering at a moments notice, devoting time, love
and money to the tasks that keep our church a relevant
force in our community. Am I doing enough? Should I
be doing more? Should I be giving more? Pledging more?
A few weeks ago, Pastor Scott suggested to me a
simple way to look at this. He called it the Three T’s:
time, talent and treasure. Its clarity and simplicity has
helped me to examine the facets of my Christian life.
Time—In our hustle-and-bustle lives of the 21st
century, we seem to move ever faster, and our time
becomes precious - time with our families and loved
ones, time for work at the office, time for chores at
home. Giving time for the work of our faith sometimes
gets lost in the shuffle. Yet our faith calls us to
participate in meaningful work as servants or conduits
of Christ’s love.
Am I spending enough time on my faith work as on
other facets of my life?
Does the time I spend on all my activities reflect
aspects of my faith journey?
Talent—I once asked my wife Pam what she thought
my talents were. She said she’d get back to me!
However, we all know that congregational life is a great
way to use our talents, our gifts from God, to serve and
help others. It also gives us the opportunity to stretch
ourselves in new directions, as being a disciple of Christ
demands.
Am I using God’s gifts in my faith work within the
church and community?
What new gifts have I discovered in the past year?
Treasure—One of the most difficult conversations to
engage in with church members revolves around
money. Yet we must face the fact that faith and our
missions as followers of Christ requires funding. We
must examine our financial future as we face all other
questions of our faith journey.
In the coming months and years, we have many financial
challenges to meet: fund a new associate pastor, pay for
many health and safety items to our facility, fix aging
parts of the building, repair flood items not covered by
insurance, increase mission work and work trips, and
these are just a few. These items alone will probably
surpass $1,000,000 in additional funds needed.
Am I giving of God’s abundance to help pay for the
faith work of the church?
What new gifts could I share?
I humbly ask you to consider your time, talent and
treasure gifts that you currently are engaged in.
Respectfully submitted,
Dan Swick, Church Moderator
Moderator Musings: The Three T’s of Time, Talent & Treasure
you do as well. But in the same sentence while we respond in faith, we will also take seriously how we are
responsible stewards.
And so I ask each of you to give as you are able. At the same time I pledge as your pastor and one of your
leaders to engage us in the tough discussions that work out the hard questions of what we are spending, why we
feel we have these needs, and can we/should we sustain what we have?
Please come to our meetings in September, come to worship as we tackle this together. I believe God has placed
before us some amazing opportunities. We all need to own them if we are to respond with the kind of generosity
and faith that I know exists here within our membership. -Pastor Scott
Pastor’s Corner—August 2013 (continued)
THE PILGRIM Page 4
Message from the Vice Moderator…On Looking Forward
As we approach the second half of the year and begin gearing up for some of the busiest months, it’s a good
time to look in the rearview mirror to note what we’ve accomplished and chart where we’re going. This can be
done at many levels as Christians: individual, church-wide, and with First Congregational ministries. Where is
our roadmap taking us? Are we on the right path or did we diverge? Maybe an alternate path is more realistic.
Do we even have a road map, or are we winging it? What’s wrong with doing what we’ve always done?
Over the summer, our Ministry Coordination Board’s (MCB) Leadership Series has focused on goal setting.
We’ve talked about what makes a good goal and how to measure progress. Nothing like hearing the words
“goals, objectives and measures” to shake things up a little and make some of us nervous. Especially in a church
setting.
And that’s not necessarily a bad thing…MCB leaders and ministries are charged with doing what any other
leader must do: create the vision, plan, organize, budget, lead, delegate, and evaluate. Jesus did this too (OK,
maybe not the budget part), and as the ultimate Visionary, used God’s purpose as His motivation. If we use
Jesus as a model for Christian leadership, it becomes a lot easier to look beyond the “easy wins” and
conventional measures of success when we think about where we want our church to go and how to be the
best that we can be. We are empowered, knowing that we (as a church and as individuals) can only grow by
seeking big possibilities, envisioning innovative paths, opening new doors, and taking (reasonable) leaps of faith
alongside of Christ. Whatever metaphor suits us best, it’s our shared faith that keeps us working together for
something greater, beyond the ordinary and into the extraordinary.
There are many approaches to devising goals and objectives and effectively achieving them – models we’ve
looked at this summer and will serve us well as we collaboratively chart our direction for the rest of this year
and into the next. We also know that thanks to God’s guidance, we have the freedom – and the responsibility –
to stretch ourselves and try new things. If we don’t get the results we want or if we fail, we can imagine brilliant
possibilities and create bold measures of success.
Let’s move out of our comfort zone as we head into a new season, rising to challenges that are inspired and
passionate – beyond ourselves and First Congregational walls. Let’s pray as the Psalmist prayed “Lord, lead me to
the rock that is higher than I” (Psalm 61). Because we all know that a good challenge is what propels us further
and higher.
And when we’re powered by the Holy Spirit, we can expect nothing less.
-Virginia Hopley, Vice Moderator
Fall Program Kickoff!
Sunday, September 8
9:30 a.m. Worship
4:00 p.m. Picnic and Games
We are excited to begin another fall season with Sunday School and Adult Education for all ages! We have
plans for spiritual nurture with worship and music, education and mission, all beginning on Sunday, September
8. We will gather for worship at 9:30 a.m. and the children will begin their Sunday School rotation model
curriculum following the Children’s Message.
Then, instead of having the celebration immediately after worship, we will be hosting our church kickoff picnic
at 4:00 p.m. at the Indian Boundary YMCA, 711 59th Street in Downers Grove. At the picnic, we will have a
CHURCH SOFTBALL GAME so bring your gloves and bats and battitudes! There will be bouncy houses for the
children to expend some energy, and volleyball. Please bring a dish to share! Bring your swimsuit also as we
may have access to the pool.
Hope you can come to celebrate and PLAY with your church family as we kick off a new program year
together.
ISSUE 7
Children’s Ministries and Drama
Page 5
Here’s hoping that everyone had a fun and relaxing summer! Our 2013 Vacation Bible School,
“Everywhere Fun Fair” was a huge success! We had 49 children (surpassing last year’s
enrollment by 14). Pastor Scott, Reverend Moore and Evan Culligan were awesome VBS
characters and the children loved their daily antics! Art projects were made, fun science
projects were experienced, delightful music was sung and silly games were enjoyed. The
wonderful teen counselors brought the Bible to life with their dramatics and kept everyone in line and having
fun. The teaching staff was terrific! A big Thank You to all who made this year’s VBS a winner!
Our summer Sunday school children have been making projects to be good neighbors. We have made a
project for Moore, Oklahoma, plus plants for the residents of Oak Trace, school bags for Walk-In Ministry
As you are buying school supplies for the new school year, please re-
member the less fortunate. Congregational Care Ministry is collecting
school supplies for children of all grades (kindergarten—high school)
for Walk-in Ministry of Hope. Supplies needed are:
Fiskars scissors
Highlighters
Pencil cases/supply holders
Pens/pencils
Wide-ruled spiral note-
books
Pencil sharpeners
Calculators
Backpacks
On Sunday mornings through August, donations can be dropped off in
the “SCHOOL SUPPLIES” crate at the west entrance or during the
week in the church office. Think back to how exciting it was to get
new supplies and be as generous as you can! Thank you!!
First Congregational
Learning Center
Partners with
Indian Boundary YMCA
The YMCA and First Congregational
Learning Center are partnering with each
other. The YMCA has a need for space
for afterschool programs and they have
been given use of rooms 202 and 203 in
the afternoons during the school year.
In exchange, the YMCA is hosting all of
our FCLC children twice a month for
free swimming lessons, twice a month
for their toddler gymnasium, offering
ALL First Congregational members free
access to the Friday Family nights which
are usually a charge per person event.
As part of this partnership we will also
have use of the YMCA facilities as a
church four times per year.
Three-ring binders
Pocket folders
Colored pencils
Crayons
Erasers
Broad tip markers
Glue Sticks
ISSUE 7 Page 7
Treasurer’s Tales
August 2013
Arrangement has been made that allows distribution of financial support to our church’s operating budget
through Wayne Hummer & Assoc. Those of us who are age 70.5 or older and must take an IRA distribution can
donate the distribution (or part of) to meet their financial support (covenant/pledge) to the church. At present,
distributions thusly made are not a part of your taxable income. However, tax laws can change so you should
check with your financial advisor. Contact Larry Bryant at (630) 963-3784 if you want to know how to make such
a distribution from your IRA.
At the end of June, our income from church members still lagged our budgeted income by $26,000. Cash flow is
tight and the bills keep on keeping on. Is your financial commitment to our church up-to-date? Have you made a
commitment? If you can’t, is there any way your church can assist you?
Your ongoing financial support is critical to our well being. Everyone needs to own a portion of the support
required to further our mission. -Larry Bryant, Church Treasurer
“All I Ever Wanted to Ask
In Confirmation But Didn’t”
Discussion Class for All Adults,
Confirmed or Not
Wednesday evenings, 6:30 p.m.
September 11— October 23
This class will explore topics that are often taught in Confirmation class but sometimes only touched on, and will
explore things about our faith and why we practice what we practice that many of us don’t know much about.
Class One—The Bible How did the Bible get put together? Who wrote it? Are there other books that are not in the Bible? Why didn’t
they get in? Who decided? Why do the Catholic and Protestant Bibles have different numbers of books?
Class Two—Sacraments How did the church come to have two sacraments? How is God present in Communion? Why do we baptize
babies? Do I have to be baptized to go to heaven as some believe? Why don’t we dunk ‘em? Can we have Kool
Aid and fries instead of bread and grape juice for communion?
Class Three—The Two Natures of Christ
Who was Jesus? Were there different answers to this question early on? How is Jesus divine and human? Why
was this such a divisive and important discussion in the early church?
Class Four—The Problem of Evil Where did the Devil come from? Is the Devil real? Why does evil exist? Where is God in the face of Evil? Is
God all Good? All Powerful ? All Knowing?
Class Five—The Problem of Suffering
What does Christianity teach about suffering? How is that similar or dissimilar to other faiths.
Class Six—Are there two different Gods in the Old And New Testament? Marcion, Thomas Jefferson and others sure seemed to think so. We’ll take a look at the nature of God in both
and have a healthy discussion.
Please join us! Contact Pastor Scott at 630-968-0358, ext. 227 or [email protected] with questions.
Living Open and Affirming
August 11, 10:45 a.m., Chapel
As we continue our Open and Affirming journey, our August session will
explore how we can extend an extravagant welcome to people with
cognitive disabilities. Our session will be moderated by Jane Culligan and
our guest speaker will be Megan Lockett. Bring your cup of coffee and a
More details will be available in the next issue of
The Pilgrim. -Bob and Marilyn Katrein, Co-chairs
Make A Difference With Manna
Manna is the easiest fundraiser around. All YOU need to do is purchase gift cards for your everyday spending and the church profits. The church purchases gift cards at a discounted rate and sell them to you at face value.
Thanks to all of you who have purchased manna in the past. Please visit
the manna table in fellowship hall after worship. If you have any
questions, please feel free to call Beverly Binder at 630-971-8362.
Honor Flight Chicago
Recruiting WWII Veterans
For A Day of Honor!
Join your fellow Chicagoland WWII veterans for an
unforgettable day of honor in Washington DC. See
your memorial . . . a tribute to all who served, and to
those who paid the ultimate sacrifice. Meet other
Chicago area WWII veterans and share your
experiences. See Washington DC in a way you never
imagined – with honor, respect and dignity.
Join Honor Flight Chicago at no cost to you. Visit
www.honorflightchicago.org, or call 773-227-VETS
(8387).
Marilyn Jelinek and Stan Steed would like to thank Ron Moravec for his help
with the July 23 Blood Drive. Pat Lockett's delicious home-baked cookies
were enjoyed by everyone. Many thanks to the following "make a
difference" participants: Ralph Anderson, Theresa Arnold, Paul Bertram, Laurel
Bowen, Jane Callahan, Bob Carter, Len Clark, Sandy Gales, Scott Given, Arthur
Gutzke, Dirk Gutzke, Edward Handtmann, Kathy Handtmann, Michael
Handtmann, Eugine Lavin, Jeffrey Mack, Kathy McHugh, Scott Oberle, Ruth
Popelar, William Popelar, Eric Spruth, Linda Steed, Joan Stockmal, Laurie Tsukuno,
Dave Williams Our next Blood Drive will be October 22. Mark your
calendar! Plan ahead! Blood can be donated every 8 weeks. This is an