Ebenezer Rays INSIDE THIS ISSUE. Calendar 2 News and Events 3 Schedules 5 Birthdays and Anniversaries 6 Advent 7

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1 "A body of believers glorifying God, outwardly focused, committed to growth in personal transformation and in number." Ebenezer Rays 2014 Ebenezer Reformed Church 2997 N. German Church Road Oregon, IL Office: (815) Pastor: Parsonage: Secretary: Dee Haak Treasurer Larry Seabold Bookkeeper Mark Lohman *Newsletter editor: Jean Woodin Prayer Chain Requests: Contact Marge Barnes ( ) or Connie Rieck CONSISTORY MEMBERS 2014 ELDERS Carl Berg - (815) Home (815) Cell colafb@gmail.com Council: Mission & Outreach - Chairperson Dale Flanagan - (815) Home (815) Cell Daleflanagan85@hotmail.com Council: Stewardship & Property - Chairperson Ken Haak Consistory Clerk (815) kendeehaak@att.net Council: Worship & Music Dan Herriot Vice President of Consistory (815) Home (815) Cell Mark Lohman Bookkeeper (815) marklohman@comcast.net Council: Worship & Music Joe Wolf (815) Home (815) Cell jwphoto@t6wireless.com Council: Worship & Music INSIDE THIS ISSUE Calendar 2 News and Events 3 Schedules 5 Birthdays and Anniversaries 6 Advent 7 *Newsletter articles are due SUNDAY November 23 Items can be ed to newsletter@ebenezerreformed.com or put in the box in the Narthex. Thank you. DEACONS Lance Barnes - (815) Home (815) Cell lancenmarge83@yahoo.com Council: Stewardship & Property Dean Schreurs - (815) dean.schreurs@hs.ute.com Council: Mission & Outreach Steve Raine Head of Deacons (815) s.raine@comcast.net Council: Discipleship & Education Larry Seabold - Treasurer (815) lseabold@bergstrominc.com Council: Stewardship & Property NEWSLETTER DATE Ceri Woodworth - (815) cwoodworth@byron226.org Council: Discipleship & Education - Chairperson Dean Rieck (815) wdcrieck@comcast.net 1

2 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 All Saints Day 2 Daylight-Saving Time ends Food Pantry Collection 10:00 AM Worship 9 10:00 AM Worship 3 4 6:30 PM Women s Bible Study location TBA 10 11Veterans Day 6:30 PM Women s Bible Study location TBA 5 1:00 PM Ladies Aid 6 4:30-7:00 PM Soup Supper :00 AM Worship 6:00 PM Red Roots Ebenezer 23 Newsletter Articles Due 10:00 AM Celebration of Word and Music :30 PM Naomi Ruth :30 PM Women s Bible Study location TBA 6:30 PM Elders 7:00 PM Consistory 6:30 PM Women s Bible Study location TBA :00 PM Christian Fellowshipers 26 Thanksgiving Eve Service time TBA Thanksgiving Day First Sunday of Advent 10:00 AM Worship More Calendars: December, January, February 2

3 I am not a saint, unless you think of a saint as a sinner who keeps on trying. Nelson Mandela Daylight saving time ends in 2014 at 1:59 a.m. Sunday, November 2. That is when clocks will pop back an hour, to 1:00 a.m. instead of 2:00 a.m. This is that blissful time of year when you gain an hour of sleep, or your favorite activity if you are a night owl. Most phones and computers will automatically change the clock for you. However, if you are relying on a phone alarm to get you to church on time Sunday morning, you will want to double-check to ensure the setting to update automatically is set. Food Pantry Collection Sunday November 2 is our monthly food pantry collection for area food pantries. Please place monetary or food donations in the grocery carts in the church foyer. 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 November 5. Connie Bader will lead the devotions. Judy Welty is the hostess. the Bible Study is Divine Service - Chapter 3 and roll call will be a Scripture verse on Thankful. Soup Supper Thursday, November 6 from 4:30 PM to 7:00 PM is the annual Soup Supper fundraiser for work camp. We will be serving Chicken Noodle, Broccoli Cheese and Vegetable Soups and Chili, along with pie, cake and a beverage. There will be a sign up sheet in the Narthex for helpers. Red Roots The band Red Roots will be in concert at Ebenezer on Sunday November 16 at 6:00 PM. "With a stage persona as fiery as their blazing red locks, these triplets engage the crowd with their story through real life lyrics and rolling banjos intertwined with rocking guitars. Through their unwavering boldness there is a Southern Mississippi charm rooted in faith, family, and an unshakable call to show the world where true Hope is found." There is no cost; a free will offering will be taken. Naomi Ruth Naomi Ruth is a women s Bible study that meets on the 3rd Tuesday of each month (except December & January) at 6:30 P.M. 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 November 18 Dee Haak will lead the Bible Study. 3

4 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 November 20 at noon; please bring a dish to pass. Ron & Connie Bader are the hosts this month. Please note there be NO meeting in December! Celebration of Word and Music. Sunday November 23 will be a Celebration of Word and Music. Is there a particular scripture passage that has special meaning to you? How about a hymn or song? There is a sign-up sheet in the Narthex on which you can write your name, the scripture passage you would like read, or the song you would like to hear sung. We ll be asking you to introduce the song or the reading giving a brief explanation of why it is special to you. If you would prefer not to get up in front of the congregation to read, someone will do it for you. Depending on the response we get, we can t guarantee that every song or scripture will be read, but we ll do our best! If you have questions or concerns, see Mark Lohman. Tres Dias The Tres Dias 2014 dates are: Abundant Life Tres Dias (Rockford based) Fall: Men's weekend November 6-9, 2014/Women's weekend November 13-16, 2014 Northern Illinois Tres Dias (Rochelle based) Fall: Women's weekend November 6-9, 2014 Tres Dias is a 3 day Christian Leadership training retreat. This is not evangelistic, it is for mature Christians. There will be Pastors and lay speakers. You will have time for interaction and discussion with the others participating. You will learn a ton! There will be moments of very serious discussion, you will also laugh and have a great time. You will eat too much GREAT food and most likely not get enough sleep. Most importantly you will make great new Christian friends. All Tres Dias Weekend Retreats begin on Thursday evening and continue through Sunday afternoon. For more information, contact Lynn Jorgenson at or Joe & Susan Wolf at or jwphoto@t6wireless.com. Library Update Do you know about our library elves? For the past several years, Anna and Abbie Ring and Allissa Martin have been taking care of the library. They check in books, put them away and put the donated books in to good order to go out. They have done all this without a fuss or acknowledgement for what they have done. If you use the library, you can see what a good job they have done. If not, go in anyway and see how nice it looks (maybe you will find a new book you haven t read!). Please thank them for their work in taking care of part of our church building. 4

5 November 2014 Schedules 2 nd GREETERS: Tom & Lisa Gale Dan & Val Herriot USHERS: Bill & Judy Welty and Grace Henley 9 th GREETERS: Patrick Herriot & Suan Kelly Craig & Karen Hummel USHERS: Bob & Katie Van Stedum and Grace Henley 16 th GREETERS: Raine Family Mark & Myrna Lohman USHERS: Cara Stewart, Lynn Jorgenson and Grace Henley 23 rd GREETERS: Martin/Ring Family Gary & Ginger McDanel USHERS: Duane & Valdene Snodgrass and Grace Henley 30 th GREETERS: Mumma Family Mary Ann Oltmanns & Ellen Mason USHERS: Lorna Snapp, Mary Goerks and Grace Henley 2 nd 9 th 16 th 23 rd 30 th Annette Martin and Heidie Raine Rosalyn Smith and Kaley Mumma Ellen Mason and Kim Carow Lorna Snapp and Melissa Reecher Jen Christianson and Tracie Raine 5

6 November Birthdays 2 Luke Meyers 9 Beryl Blumeyer Genevieve Sweeney 11 Zach Reecher Rosalyn Smith Cassandra Sievers Ben Smith 12 Pat Oltmanns 13 Mark Stewart 16 Bill Welty 19 Becky Reining 20 Kortney Bersch 24 Joe Headley 29 Ashley Groves Abbie Ring Ellen Mason Vada Rosenbalm Ashley Considine 30 Stacy Flanagan Marguerite Toops and Anniversaries!!!! 4 Mr. & Mrs. Ken Haak (1966) 8 Mr. & Mrs. Jason Gittleson 12 Mr. & Mrs. Richard Andrist 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!!!! Thanksgiving Prayer Thank you, Lord, for the blessings you have bestowed on my life. You have provided me with more than I could ever have imagined. You have surrounded me with people who always look out for me. You have given me family and friends who bless me every day with kind words and actions. They lift me up in ways that keep my eyes focused on you and make my spirit soar. Also, thank you, Lord, for keeping me safe. You protect me from those things that seem to haunt others. You help me make better choices, and you have provided me with advisors that help me with the difficult decisions. You speak to me in so many ways so that I always know you are here. And Lord, I am so grateful for keeping those around me safe and loved. I hope that you provide me with the ability and sense to show them every day how much they matter. I hope that you give me the ability to give to them the same kindness they have provided to me. I am just so grateful for all of your blessings in my life, Lord. I pray that you remind me of just how lucky I am, and that you never allow me to forget to show my gratitude in prayer and returned kind acts. Thank you, Lord. In your name, Amen. 6

7 The Meaning of "Advent" The word Advent means "coming" or "arrival." The focus of the entire season is the celebration of the birth of Jesus the Christ in his First Advent, and the anticipation of the return of Christ the King in his Second Advent. Thus, Advent is far more than simply marking a 2,000 year old event in history. It is celebrating a truth about God, the revelation of God in Christ whereby all of creation might be reconciled to God. That is a process in which we now participate, and the consummation of which we anticipate. Small Things and Possibility: An Advent Reflection We live in a world in which bigger and better define our expectations for much of life. We have become so enamored by super size, super stars, and high definition that we tend to view life through a lens that so magnifies what we expect out of the world that we tend not to see potential in small things. But as the prophet Zechariah reminds us (Zech 4:10), we should not "despise the day of small things," because God does some of his best work with small beginnings and impossible situations. It is truly a humbling experience to read back through the Old Testament and see how frail and imperfect all the "heroes" actually are. Abraham, the coward who cannot believe the promise. Jacob, the cheat who struggles with everybody. Joseph, the immature and arrogant teen. Moses, the impatient murderer who cannot wait for God. Gideon, the cowardly Baal-worshipper. Samson, the womanizing drunk. David, the power abusing adulterer. Solomon, the unwise wise man. Hezekiah, the reforming king who could not quite go far enough. And finally, a very young Jewish girl from a small village in a remote corner of a great empire. It never ceases to amaze me that God often begins with small things and inadequate people. It certainly seems that God could have chosen "bigger" things and "better" people to do His work in the world. Yet if God can use them, and reveal Himself through them in such marvelous ways, it means that He might be able to use me, inadequate, and unwise, and too often lacking in faith that I am. And it means that I need to be careful that I do not in my own self-righteousness put limits on what God can do with the smallest things, the most unlikely of people, in the most hopeless of circumstances. I think that is part of the wonder of the Advent Season. I am convinced that one of the main purposes of the incarnation of Jesus was to provide hope. While most people today want to talk about the death of Jesus and the Atonement of sins, the early Church celebrated the Resurrection and the hope it embodied. It was a proclamation of a truth that rang throughout the Old Testament, that endings are not always endings but are opportunities for God to bring new beginnings. The Resurrection proclaimed that truth even about humanity s greatest fear, death itself. 7

8 Both the season of Advent and the season of Lent are about hope. It is not just hope for a better day or hope for the lessening of pain and suffering, although that is certainly a significant part of it. It is more about hope that human existence has meaning and possibility beyond our present experiences, a hope that the limits of our lives are not nearly as narrow as we experience them to be. It is not that we have possibility in ourselves, but that God is a God of new things and so all things are possible (Isa 42:9, Mt 19:26, Mk 14:36) God's people in the first century wanted Him to come and change their oppressive circumstances, and were angry when those immediate circumstances did not change. But that is a short sighted view of the nature of hope. Our hope cannot be in circumstances, no matter how badly we want them or how important they are to us. The reality of human existence, with which the Book of Job struggles, is that God's people experience that physical existence in the same way that others do. Christians get sick and die, Christians are victims of violent crimes, and Christians are hurt and killed in traffic accidents, bombings, war, and in some parts of the world, famine. If our hope is only in our circumstances, as we define them to be good or as we want them to be to make us happy, we will always be disappointed. That is why we hope, not in circumstances, but in God. He has continually, over the span of four thousand years, revealed himself to be a God of newness, of possibility, of redemption, the recovery or transformation of possibility from endings that goes beyond what we can think or even imagine (Eph 3:20). The best example of that is the crucifixion itself, followed by the resurrection. That shadow of the cross falls even over the manger. Yet, it all begins in the hope that God will come and come again into our world to reveal himself as a God of newness, of possibility, a God of new things. This time of year we contemplate that hope embodied, enfleshed, incarnated, in a newborn baby, the perfect example of newness, potential, and possibility. During Advent, we groan and long for that newness with the hope, the expectation, indeed the faith, that God will once again be faithful to see our circumstances, to hear our cries, to know our longings for a better world and a whole life (Ex 3:7). And we hope that as he first came as an infant, so he will come again as King! My experience tells me that those who have suffered and still hope understand far more about God and about life than those who have not. Maybe that is what hope is about: a way to live, not just to survive, but to live authentically amidst all the problems of life with a Faith that continues to see possibility when there is no present evidence of it, just because God is God. That is also the wonder of Advent. 8