INSIDE THIS ISSUE. Ebenezer Reformed Church 2997 N. German Church Road Oregon, IL Office: (815)

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1 Ebenezer Reformed Church 2997 N. German Church Road Oregon, IL Office: (815) Pastor: John Wisdom Secretary: Dee Haak Treasurer Larry Seabold Bookkeeper Mark Lohman *Newsletter editor: Jean Woodin Prayer Chain Requests: Contact Dee Haak (815) / (630) or John & Vanessa Wisdom INSIDE THIS ISSUE Calendar 2 Letter from Pastor John 3 News and Events 4 Ark Encounter 6 Schedules 8 Birthdays and Anniversaries 9 Mother s Prayer 10 *Newsletter articles are due SUDAY, May 21. Items can be ed to ercrays@gmail.com or put in the box in the Narthex. Thank you. COSISTORY MEMBERS 2017 ELDERS John Wisdom Vice President of Consistory (815) home (417) Cell wisdomjo@yahoo.com Tony Berg (815) aberg1959@yahoo.com Council: Worship & Music Dan Herriot Clerk of Consistory (815) home dvherriot@frontier.com Gary McDanel (815) home (815) cell mcdanel8754@comcast.net Council: Property & Stewardship John Smith (815) home jwsconserv@aol.com Council: Mission & Outreach Bob Van Stedum (630) cell popvs@msn.com Council: Mission & Outreach (Chairperson) DEACOS Marilyn Berg (815) home colafb@gmail.com Council: Discipleship & Education Dale Boomgarden (815) home ddboomgarden@gmail.com Council: Property & Stewardship (Chairperson) Melissa Reecher (815) home (815) cell breecher1@comcast.net Council: Discipleship & Education (Chairperson) Steve Raine (815) cell s.raine@comcast.net Council: Discipleship & Education Cara Stewart (815) home (815) cell cara6485@yahoo.com Council: Music & Worship (Chairperson) "A body of believers glorifying God, outwardly focused, committed to growth in personal transformation and in number." 1

2 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat National 5 6 1:00 PM Day of Prayer 6:30 PM Ladies Aid Worship & Music Meeting 7 Food Pantry Collection 8:30AM Prayer Meeting 9:00 AM Sunday School 10:00 AM Worship :30AM Prayer Meeting 9:00 AM Sunday School 10:00 AM Worship 15 10:00 AM Naomi Ruth :00 PM Christian Fellowshipers Newsletter Articles Due 8:30AM Prayer Meeting 9:00 AM Sunday School 10:00 AM Worship :30AM Prayer Meeting 9:00 AM Sunday School 10:00 AM Worship :30 PM Elders 7:00 PM Consistory 31 2

3 Dearly beloved in Christ Jesus, stand in the truth you have learned, for it conquers all and is mighty to eternity. Jan Hus One of the most influential Pre-Reformers used mightily by God was Jan Hus. Born in Bohemia in 1369, Jan traveled to Prague where he earned a living singing and performing humble services in the Church. He received his bachelor s and master s degree from the University of Prague and was named the dean of philosophical faculty in Hus became the preacher at Prague s Bethlehem Chapel, and entered a season in which he underwent great theological discoveries. Strongly impacted by the writings of John Wycliffe, Hus became known for his attacks against leadership, corrupt doctrine and wrong practice within the Church. As a result of his strong preaching and teaching, Hus began to receive a great deal of attention from papal authority. In 1405, Pope Innocent VII ordered the Archbishop to counter the teachings of Hus. In 1410, under the directive of Alexander V, all writings of John Wycliffe were to be burned and Hus and his supporters were excommunicated from the Church. In November 1414, Hus agreed to meet with Church leaders in an attempt to foster peace. Faced with the opportunity, Hus refused to recant his doctrinal stances, claiming that he stood on the authority of Holy Scripture alone. The quote above is from a letter that Hus wrote to friends at the University of Prague just weeks before his execution. The letter was written to encourage them to stand firm in Christ, the true head of the Church, no matter the consequences. On July 16, 1415, Hus was condemned as an arch-heretic by the Council of Constance and turned over to the state for execution. News of his execution led to upheaval by many knights and nobles of Bohemia that strongly supported Hus, resulting in the Hussite Wars that lasted nearly 15 years. Hus s teaching, deeply impacting Martin Luther, was a key contributor to the success of the Protestant Reformation. Hus boldly and emphatically proclaimed the message that truth conquers all things. Pilate, as he interrogated Jesus, posed the question, what is truth? (John 18:38). Sinful humanity continues to search for truth. Sadly, most people are looking for truth in all the wrong places. Jesus states clearly where to find the truth as He prays to His Father, Your word is truth. (John 17:17). Men like Wycliffe, Hus, Calvin and Luther were so committed to defending the truth that it often cost them greatly. Right now, God has entrusted His truth to us. My hope is that we will be as faithful as the Reformers in defending and proclaiming the truth found in God s Word. Keep defending the Truth, Bro. John 3

4 Mowing Sign up!! Please help make Ebenezer as beautiful outside as it is on the inside. Sign up to mow for a week, a month or all summer. See Dale Flanagan for more details. Coffee Fellowship Are you able to help provide goodies for our Fellowship time? There are plenty of available dates on the whiteboard outside the kitchen. Please sign up to help set up for coffee and share some of your favorite recipes! Sermons Did you know that Pastor John s sermons are available on the church website? You can listen to them online anytime at WWW The Wonderful Women in the Word are taking a break for the summer. They will resume in the fall beginning a new 12 week study in Exodus. The narrative of Exodus shows how God works to deliver his people, through amazing miracles and a reluctant leader, to show Egypt and all nations that the God of Israel is the one Lord over heaven and earth. The images are rich and revealing: grinding slavery, a stubborn king, ten powerful plagues, the first Passover, the crossing of the Red Sea. All these and more point to the powerful presence of the Lord, who is faithful and fulfills his promises. In this story we see how God proceeds to work out his plan to deliver people of all nations from their slavery in sin to enjoy new life, through Jesus Christ, his one and only Son. Brat and Pork Chop Fry After much prayer, the decision was made to cancel the brat and pork chop sale scheduled for Mother s Day weekend (May 13). We were unable to get enough volunteers. Maybe we will be able to make some changes next year in order to make it work. ~The Mission and Outreach Committee. Ladies Aid The Ladies Aid Missionary Society meets the first Wednesday of each month at 1:00 P.M. at the church. There is a Bible Study, devotions, refreshments and each member brings a scripture verse for roll call relating to a certain topic. Ladies Aid takes an offering to support various ministries throughout the community, denomination and the world. They also serve luncheons when requested by family members at the time of funerals in the church. Do you have a couple hours to give one afternoon a month? Age doesn t matter; this ministry is open to all women of the church. This month s meeting is Wednesday, May 3. Dee Haak is the hostess. Judy Welty will do the devotions. The Bible Study is Divine Service lesson 11 and roll call will be a Scripture verse on Guidance. Food Pantry Collection Sunday May 7 is our monthly food pantry collection for area food pantries. This month s collection will go to People Helping People Food Pantry in Byron. They are in need of boxed potatoes (Au gratin, Scalloped), jello, canned meat products, cereal both hot and cold, pancake mix and syrup. Please place monetary or food donations in the grocery carts in the church foyer. 4

5 Naomi Ruth Naomi Ruth is a women s Bible study that meets at the church. They meet on third Monday of the month at 10:00 AM. Each member takes turns leading the Bible Study. This group is open to all women of the church. Are you looking for a Ladies Bible Study? Come join Naomi Ruth on Monday, May 15 Ruth Shelly will lead the Bible Study. Christian Fellowshipers Christian Fellowshipers is a time for anyone over the age of fifty to get together for Christian fellowship and fun. They meet the 3rd Thursday of every month at noon for a potluck meal. Each month a designated host and/or hostess plan and serve the event. There is scripture reading and prayer. Outings to local restaurants or other activities are scheduled. A free will offering is taken for missions. If you are fifty or over you are invited to the meeting on Thursday, May 18 at noon; please bring a dish to pass. Winns are the hosts this month. Food License The Mission and Outreach council is looking for an individual (or individuals) who would be interested in becoming a certified food handler to help oversee the food related events at the church. A Food Service Sanitation Manager Certification (FSSMC) is earned by completing an approved eight-hour course with an Illinois approved instructor and passing a national exam accredited by the Conference for Food Protection. The certification is valid for five years from the exam date. For more information, contact Jean Woodin. Upcoming Events: June 25 Church Picnic at King s Camp August 3 Ice Cream Social and Cruise Night September 17 Rockford Rescue Mission November 2 Soup Supper In Athens, the apostle Paul responded to the people s worship of an unknown god by declaring, [God] is not far from any one of us. For in him we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:23, 27-28, NIV). Author Diana Butler Bass echoes that sentiment: If the water is invisible to the fish, is God, as the One in whom we swim, also invisible? (Grounded: Finding God in the World, HarperOne). I, in turn, am reminded of Dory, the blue tang fish in Finding Nemo. Feeling overwhelmed and alone, she chants to herself, Just keep swimming, just keep swimming. When we feel alone and can t see God, it s not that he doesn t exist or can t be known; rather, he surrounds us so closely that sometimes we miss the fact. God is the Living Water in which we swim. Sometimes we need to just keep swimming until we become aware of that again. ~Heidi Mann 5

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8 May 2017 Schedule 5/7 Greeters Bob & Katie Van Stedum Bill & Judy Welty Ushers Gary & Ginger McDanel and Grace Henley Nursery Jen Griegel and Connie Rieck 5/14 Greeters Dave Wolf and Dean Schreurs Scott & Ceri Woodworth Ushers Martin Family and Grace Henley Nursery Val Herriot and Abbie Wisdom 5/21 Greeters Zabran Family Richard & Jan Andrist Ushers Mark & Myrna Lohman and Grace Henley Nursery Cara Stewart and Madison Wisdom 5/28 Greeters Ron & Connie Bader Tony & Kathy Berg Ushers Craig & Karen Hummel and Grace Henley Nursery Ceri Woodworth and Anna Ring 8

9 May Birthdays 2 Allen Christianson Steve Schriner 7 Dawn Considine Brechon 8 Mike Haugse 9 Chloe Gale Deena Aubert Lula Reineke 10 Haley Christianson 11 Ulta Mae Zabran 12 Deb Boomgarden Marilyn Berg 16 Bode Martin 18 Khindra Chapple John Smith 19 Tony Berg 20 Melissa Reecher 22 Steve Raine 23 Josh Rieck 25 Tim Goerks 29 Jennifer Schauf Skyler Martin Tena Martin 30 Alvin Oltmanns 31 Doug Meyers and Anniversaries!!!! 5 Mr. and Mrs. Mark Stewart 13 Mr. and Mrs. Dale Boomgarden 16 Mr. and Mrs. John Wisdom (1998) 22 Mr. and Mrs. Robert VanStedum (1976) We are trying to keep the birthday and anniversary list up to date. If your birthday or anniversary is incorrect or missing, please send an to newsletter@ebenzerreformed.com or put a note in the newsletter box in the Narthex. Thank you!!!! Show our shut-ins your love they need our contact!!! Keep them in your prayers as well as drop by for a visit or send a note to give them a lift. See list on bulletin board for addresses and birthdays! 9

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