From our Interim Pastor, Rev. Greg Skiba

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1 03/05/14 From our Interim Pastor, Rev. Greg Skiba HOPE Friends, I am writing this article on Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. So, as of this second month in your Interim season, we have a brief overlap of double-transition time! The theme of Lent is traditionally as a journey of introspection and self-examination. Lent recognizes that, if we truly desire to experience the fullest joy of Easter, we need to take time honestly looking at our individual lives. We need to see what within us, and in our relationships, needs our attention. In Lent we get to ask: What gunk can I let go of, to turn it over to God and let the Holy Spirit spruce me up in preparation for a genuine Easter celebration? It s our annual opportunity for an inward spring-cleaning, and for healing or letting go of relationships that may be hurting. Lent itself is, therefore, a time of transition. However, while Lent is a time to look at what is not all that right with us, it needn t be a gloomy preoccupation with only our self-disappointments. Instead, the nurturing grace of God s forgiving love can lift us from the dark places in life, and help us move into the Light. The Holy Spirit is already at work in us, cheering us on! Christ s love gives us the support we need to face what needs changing, but also empowers us to build on the strengths and blessings we have in our lives. So, if Lent has generally seemed to you an old dark, and pessimistic ritual, I hope these thoughts might put a more positive spin on this liturgical season, moving you forward to Easter for new Birth, new Light, new Life! It occurs to me that Interim Ministry has some similarities to the Lenten journey. It offers a time to step back and look deeply and honestly at your life together as a congregation. And like Lent, it is transitional work in which we are called to deepen our trust in God s Spirit, to discern together the places that need new focus and attention. Interim Ministry is a journey of discovering within the congregation the strengths and positive energy that God will use to move HOPE Church into a new future. This is indeed a journey that needs all the faith, hope and love you can bring to each other and the interim process. I trust the outcome of this journey during the next year or so will be your discovery of new commitment, renewed energy, and increased confidence in God s purpose for you together as HOPE UCC. And with that outcome, the church profile you develop will honestly reflect strengths and passion that will be exciting and inviting to your new settled pastor, whom God is calling to join you for a new future of ministry and mission. HOPE United Church of Christ 1701 Quincy Avenue, Suite 27 Naperville, IL Interim Pastor Interim@sharehope.org Office Phone Office hope@sharehope.org Website Office Hours: Monday - Friday - 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

2 NEWS AND NOTES Forming Your Transitional Ministry Team Over the next week or so some of you will be receiving an invitation to become part of the newly developing Transitional Ministry Team (TMT). This will be the group of about eight folks, that partners and friends of HOPE have said (via those 3x5 cards in worship or via ) that they would most trust in leading the congregation through the Interim process. If asked, PLEASE give an enthusiastic YES! To be sure, being on TMT will involve a fair amount of work and planning to ensure the outcome of this transition will be a dynamic future for HOPE Church. TMT will work with the Interim Pastor to plan and guide the transitional assessment process, and to keep the Council and congregation informed of its progress. The TMT will help serve as eyes and ears during this time, to hear and help discern your dreams, concerns, and passions. All these elements will then come together as the basis for shaping a vision for the following five years, or so, after your new settled pastor arrives. If you are not asked to serve on TMT, please rest assured there will be plenty for you to offer your church, as partners and friends of HOPE. For one, TMT will need your support too! There is no lack of wonderful leadership opportunities during this year, for engaging your talents and gifts toward fulfilling God s call to serve! The more of us engaged in this multifaceted journey, the greater our energy and sense of mutual accomplishment, as God leads HOPE UCC into a new future! THANKS! PADS We Still Need Help Please! HOPE will be providing dinner for the PADS homeless families this coming Wednesday, March 12 th. WE NEED A LOT OF HELP!! We need: 6 volunteers to prepare a 9x13 pan of their favorite Macaroni & Cheese 2 volunteers to make soup - 1 vegetable and 1 meat soup. (Both soups should serve people) 4 volunteers to Adopt a Dessert (Dessert kits will be available at HOPE this Sunday) 1 volunteer to purchase 10 two-liter bottles of caffeine-free soda or fruit juice Donations to help pay for meatloaf ingredients and the vegetables, salad, rolls, milk, relishes, etc. that go into making this a complete meal. Please sign-up on the sheet on the PADS Board out front. There s a donation envelope too!! For any questions, please contact Nick Dempsey (pndempsey@aol.com or ). THANK YOU! What Can You Do to Help HOPE? If you are interested in volunteering for Scripture Reading, Children s Time, Community Prayer, Host/Hostess, Coffee/Snacks, or Cleaning, please let Anna Ahonen know. Her address is aahonen78@gmail.com. If you know the dates you will be available, sign-up sheets are on the front desk. Please check your calendars before signing up. Also - We are seeking people to join the Outreach Team here at HOPE. If you have creative ideas, we would love to have you be part of the team. Please contact Zach Jarabeck or Marie Higgins.

3 Kiwanis Pancake Festival - Saturday March 15 The Kiwanis Pancake Festival will be held Saturday March 15 from 7 a.m noon at Naperville Central High School. For those of you who have not attended, it's lots of fun. Bands play all morning. There are kids activities including games and crafts from the Children's Museum. There are two raffles: a 50/25/25 split the pot and a regular raffle offering prize packages worth about $250 each. Also, it's an all you can eat breakfast of pancakes, sausages, and your choice of beverages. Tickets in advance are $6. At the door tickets are $7. Pre-school children are free. Call John Kroening at or him at mjkroening@wowway.com for ticket information. If you cannot attend but would like to support Kiwanis charities, contact John for information on how to purchase raffle tickets. He will send you a prize list and then put tickets in the prize pot(s) of your choice or place tickets in the 50/25/25 basket. Forth from the Communion Table As we celebrate Communion on the first Sunday of each month, HOPE UCC expands the sharing of the Communion Table by participating in an offering for the benefit of a local community agency. As not everyone is able to attend on any particular Sunday, we receive the offering through the second Sunday of the month. In order to allow you time to prepare and broaden your giving by grabbing bargain sales, the Communion community offerings for the next months are: March: Youth Outlook: Lorie Brennemen, from Youth Outlook will be coming on Sunday, March 16 to speak to us. From now until March 16, we will be collecting the items listed below for the drop-in center for youth ages 14 to 21: Items: bottled water, individual bags of chips and granola bars for the drop-in centers; copy paper and stamps for the office, art supplies, and paper towels April: Companions Journeying Together, Inc. Aunt Mary's Storybook Project: Incarcerated mothers record themselves reading a book to their children; the book and recording is given to the children. Fathers Read Project: Incarcerated fathers gather once a month to read to their children. Items: Brand-new children's books Please contact me in person or by (kcvangelder@gmail.com) if you have suggestions for upcoming months or any questions.

4 Sharing Joys & Concerns Please keep these people & events in your prayers: Stephanie Newsom Her mom died from complications of lung cancer. She was 56 years young. (Melody, Shannon and Regina) Betsy Dudak That she will receive good news on her biopsy. (Tracy Urban) A prayer for us all on our spiritual journey that we appreciate the process and what it can teach us along the way. Colin and the entire Heidelberg University crew as they participate in a model U.N. Conference in Kermar, Turkey. (Tim and Marie) My 92-year old Gram, who is in hospital suffering with shingles. (Michael and Terry) Bea Polverini who had her purse stolen yesterday. They spun her around and knocked her down on the ice, but thank God she is okay. (Mark Geiger) Thanksgiving and praise! My sister Rose s biopsy came back. No new cancer! No chemo! Staged at A1 earliest caught. (Zach Jarabeck) Praise my niece, Tiffani, has her son back. Hasn t seen him since September! (Zach Jarabeck) Katie & Karon offer a prayer of gratitude for our special angel, Marie Higgins, who literally picked up our burden when we could no longer carry it, with an attitude of joyful service freely given. The final move from my late mother's apartment crippled us both up & along came Marie to help with the final stages. Love in action...thank you, Marie!! Prayer Squares Just a reminder that they are always available. The prayers and love of the people of HOPE go to anyone who needs them. The prayer squares are our gift of love to anyone in need.

5 Celebrating Birthdays 03/07 Joe Newton 03/08 Colin Higgins 03/11 Teri Manderino 03/12 Larry Carter 03/20 Linda Ley 03/21 Josh Beckman 03/22 Dee Zillmer 03/22 Janelle Manderino 03/25 Tracy Urben If we ve missed your birthday, please HOPE s Office Manager at HOPE@shareHOPE.org. QUEST MINISTRIES ~ 9:00 a.m. ADULT QUEST A continuing series of exploration of who we are and what we believe. Adult Quest will begin a series on the SOUL. How has the soul been viewed in history and religious traditions? What do you think the soul is? How do we feed the soul on a regular basis? Where does the soul go after death? Bring your questions and opinions and we will see where this goes; it is a personal journey of exploration. Facilitated by Les Pierce, with a cast of other inquiring minds. Deadline for additions or corrections to the next issue of HOPE Happenings is March 11, 2 p.m. Thanks! Announcements for Sunday due by Wednesday of each week. HOPE S Leadership Moderator: Marie Higgins Des. Moderator: Jeanne Smith Past Moderator: Roberta James Treasurer: Dave Zillmer Des. Treasurer: THIS COULD BE YOU! Secretary: Becky McCabe Registrar: Ellen Brady Social: Mark Geiger Education: Tracy Urben Mission: Lisa DeVette Pastor-Parish: Jay Hruska/Tim Higgins Outreach: Zach Jarabeck Resource: Linda James Worship: Anna Ahonen Photo Archive: Anna Ahonen Webmaster: Jenn Revoldt Ash Wednesday Service Since there will not be an Ash Wednesday service at HOPE UCC this Lent, you may be interested in attending the Ecumenical Ash Wednesday Service at: Wesley United Methodist Church 21 East Franklin Avenue, Naperville, Illinois To be held at 7:30 p.m. on March 5, 2014 This service is being co-sponsored by Wesley UMC, Community UMC and First Congregational UCC. HOPE LIBRARY You may reserve items (books, videos or tapes) by calling HOPE s Office Manager ( ) during office hours (10 a.m.-2 p.m.); by checking them out at HOPE UCC any time it is open; or by calling Martha Selby, HOPE Librarian, at (630) OR Karen Garland, Assistant HOPE UCC Librarian at (630)

6 UPCOMING HOPE UCC March 11, Tuesday All Ministries Night (7 p.m.) March 12, Wednesday March 16, Sunday March 19, Wednesday March 20, Thursday March 26, Wednesday March 30, Sunday Ministry Council Meeting (Noon) (All are welcome to attend.) Women Out to Lunch (Noon) Join the women of HOPE on the third Thursday of each month. Lively conversation, great food & warm fellowship are waiting for you at Giordano s Restaurant at 119 S. Main Street, in downtown Naperville. Parking is available in the lot across from the restaurant or the Van Buren Parking Building. Jesus Has Left the Building & We re Following Him Details to be announced. April 2, Wednesday April 8, Tuesday All Ministries Night (7 p.m.) April 9, Wednesday April 13, Sunday Ministry Council Meeting (Noon) (All are welcome to attend.)

7 Manna Program How It Works... JUST DO IT! Here s a visual to help promote the program. Again, if we could increase our weekly orders to 30-35, we would see an incredible return on our effort. Just think of the amazing ministries we could be doing if everyone got on board! This is you... writing a check for $25... to HOPE UCC... This is HOPE UCC... writing a check for $25... to the Manna Program... This is the Manna Program... giving gift cards worth $25... to HOPE UCC... This is HOPE UCC... giving gift cards worth $25... to you... BUT WAIT... THERE S MORE...! This is the Manna Program... giving a commission check... to HOPE UCC... You spend $25 and receive a $25 gift card... HOPE UCC receives a commission for the sale... It s a win-win program. Visit the HOPE UCC Fundraising Page for more information and to download order forms: