P e o p l e. Fa i t h. * This Is My Father s World Words by Malthi D. Babcock (The Worshipping Church Hymnal #384)

Transcription

1 Experience God s Word Express God s Love Equip God s People This is my Father s World, and to my listening ears, All nature sings and round me rings the music of the spheres. This is my Father s world; I rest me in the thought Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas His hand the wonders wrought. * P e o p l e of Fa i t h S u m m e r What should a Christian's attitude be towards patriotism? In some countries nationalism and religion have become entwined and produced horrible results. History is full of examples of atrocities committed in the name of religion. So is there danger in being patriotic? Rick Phillips is an Army officer who grew up in a military family and became a Christian at age 30. Becoming a Christian caused a shift in how he looked at the US and the responsibilities of Christian citizens. He offers some warnings as well as encouragement. He believes that Christians should crave God's blessings for their country, not earthly glory. Christians should not blankly accept the statement "My country, right or wrong". We must be willing to stand against evil in our nation, even as we are grateful for the many good things our country does and represents. We must not despise other nations. Instead, we must look at Christians of all races and nations as brothers in Christ, and consider non-christians as fellow sinners in need of the gospel. Christians should not turn away from their nation, however. July 4 reminds us that we are part of a nation with a great history, wonderful privileges, and important responsibilities. We are indebted under God's grace to the sacrifices of others and in God's providence we have a great historical legacy of freedom and blessing. Recognizing our debt to prior generations and the blessings we have received as Americans should produce gratitude to God. As a church and as believers we should be civic minded, exercising our gifts and opportunities to be a blessing in our community. We must try to make a difference, even on a small scale. We should be informed and be involved. We should celebrate our national heritage with thanks to God and with prayers for renewed faith. And as we celebrate Memorial Day and the Fourth of July, let's never forget to thank our veterans as well as our current service men and women. --Scott Roelofs Pastor Mike Laird surprised the congregation May 13 with his announcement, following the service, that he was taking a new call that came unexpectedly. We have greatly appreciated and benefitted from his ministry here. He and Laura and their family will be missed. There will be a farewell dinner for the Lairds on July 8 following the AM service. Pastor Mike shared some reflections on his time here with the People of Faith. See P 2. Summer Respite Drawing by Val Hoving Your summer Assignment: May we see God in this world Everywhere! From Pastor Laird s sermon Finding God in Unexpected Places, Part I June 24, am service. Installation of Council Members P 2 New Members welcomed P 3 Deacon s Corner P 4 Cadet Campout P 4 Creation Station P 4 Congratulations to Graduates Insert Tami Wieringa Insert * This Is My Father s World Words by Malthi D. Babcock (The Worshipping Church Hymnal #384)

2 Pastor Mike looks back at his ministry at Faith CRC. Q. How would you describe what Minister of Congregational Life entails? A. My job description here at Faith involves the whole gamut of duties: Adult Ministries, Small groups, Evangelism, Pastoral Care and Sunday AM & PM worship leading and preaching. As Minister of Congregational Life, I was a part of three committees and supported a variety of other groups and ministries within the church. Q. Could you say there has been an overarching goal of your ministry to the Faith CRC congregation? A. While it s impossible to be good at everything you do, the one thing I hope I did well was to live out the Christian faith and teach an outworking of that faith that is real, down to earth, and helpful for everyday life. I was good at some things, not so good at others but, hopefully, was able to accomplish that one overarching goal. Q. You have often urged us to practice spiritual disciplines how did you come to learn and embrace these? A. I learned about them from two main sources (not counting the obvious one, the Bible) first a Campus Crusade mentor encouraged me toward regular practice of many of the spiritual disciplines and then through seminary required reading and courses on Spiritual Formation. Embracing them is something I consider myself a novice at. Still, the more I practice them, the more I benefit from them, which draws me deeper into practice. Sometimes I feel like I m finally making progress only to find that a spell of busyness or selfishness or selfishness brought on by busyness jars me back to business as usual where I rely on my own skills and efforts and depend less on God and Spirit-led inspiration. I m hoping over time these spells become less frequent and shorter in duration! Q. The congregation was surprised by your seemingly abrupt decision to take another call would you please recap how you and Laura were led to this decision? A. There s nothing seemingly about it; it was abrupt. We weren t looking for a new ministry position! Over Easter weekend, Laura and I had committed to a time of seeking God. We decided to pray and fast breakfast and lunch on Wednesdays for the next couple of months. The very next day, after that first Wednesday of prayer, we got a call from New England Chapel, quite unexpectedly, asking us if we would be interested in a new position they were creating. Churches most often take many months to hire someone, especially for a new position, but, given our knowledge of each other, from that first phone call to the acceptance of the call the process only took about 20 days! So, yes it was pretty abrupt. Q. What is the church you are going to? What do you anticipate your work there will be? A. The church we are headed to is a Christian Reformed church called New England Chapel (NEC). About 15 years ago Laura and I were a part of the core team that helped launch NEC. We were there for about 2 years before we spent a year at Calvin Seminary to pursue ordination in the CRC. From there we went on to plant another church about an hour and fifteen minutes away from NEC called North Shore Chapel. We were at this church for about 8 years prior to coming to Faith CRC. At NEC, I ll be in a newly formed position, Pastor of Spiritual Formation. NEC recently created this position to address their discipleship needs. In general my new responsibilities will be to help people grow in a closer walk with Jesus. That means helping people understand and commit to following Jesus and also to help those already following Jesus to follow him more deeply in all areas of their life. Q: Do you have any parting thoughts or challenges you d like to express to the congregation? A: More than anything, I d like to express my gratitude for a couple of things. First, for the way people warmly received us and made room for us! Secondly, for the church s willingness to allow me (and the committees I worked with) to try new stuff. Not all of the new ideas worked, for sure, but the willingness to give it a try for God s Glory allowed things like Creation Station, The Leadercast and The Story Series to take off. Beyond gratitude, if I can boldly assert one challenge to Faith Church in my parting words, it would be to make even more room and become even more risky than ever before for the sake of Jesus and His calling to our church to reach greater Elmhurst. Thank you for being our family for the last 2-1/4 years! New elders and deacons were installed June 3, 2012 to begin their three-year term of service on Faith CRC s council. Out-going Vice-President Brent Van Dyk gave the charge to elders Dirk Glaubke, Mike Hoving, Ken Huizinga, Don Oostman, Ted Vander Naald, and Henry Voss. Retiring Chairman of the Deacons Matt Bulthuis gave the charge to deacons Dave Baron, Randy Huisman, Bill Ridder, Matt Van Schepen, and Ryan Vander Naald. Faith Congregation thanks these out-going Council members for their past three years of faithful service: Rich Bakker, Henry Bos, Matt Bulthuis, Doug Engbers, Randy Heerdt, Pete Holtrop, Clarence Klaassens, Bern Slinkman, Darrell Stodola, Brent Van Dyk, and Gerrit Wieringa.

3 New Members Welcomed June 10, 2012 Dr. Kimberly Mayer- Biesboer affirmed her faith before the congregation June 10 and was welcomed to full membership. She is married to Josh Biesboer. Their address is 340 Cascade Lane, Oswego, IL Kim grew up in Naperville, IL and attended the University of Illinois (Champaign) for college and veterinary school. She previously belonged to Grace United Methodist Church in Naperville. She works at River Heights Veterinary Hospital. Josh, son of Ed and Kim Biesboer, went to Trinity Christian College and works for Sports Authority. Kim says, I first attended Faith when Josh and I started dating over 10 years ago. We decided that it would be the best fit for us to grow in our faith together as a family. Hector Plummer affirmed his faith and became a full member June 10. He lives at 17 w 517 Manor Lane in Villa Park Il Hector works part-time for Taco Bell in Villa Park and Accuray. He is an independent salesman for Gano Excel (maker of a healthy coffee alternative) and sells insurance online for Ameriplan USA (basic dental and health insurance). Hector has 2 sisters and 3 brothers. His father was the founder of Divine People of God Church in Mississippi (est. 1954). Hector previously attended Living Word Christian Center, Forest Park IL. Sandy Roelofs met Hector while both were serving as election judges in Villa Park, and she invited him to come to Faith. He is thankful for Faith Church and the friends he has made so far. He appreciates the many ways the church has ministered to him. Hector believes in and loves the Lord Jesus Christ. He agrees with Martin Luther King when he says that all people of all colors are equal in the eyes of the Lord. Hector thanks the church for his new Bible that he received when he made his public profession of faith. Melinda Slinkman was welcomed to Faith CRC June 10. Married to Chris Slinkman. who was already a member of Faith CRC, she transferred her membership from Elmhurst CRC. His parents are Chuck and Harma Slinkman and hers are Ed and Sandy Hofstra. Chris works for The Revere Group as Software Consultant; Mindy plans to be a stay-at-home mom after the birth of their first child, expected in late June. They live in Streamwood, Il at 908 Oak Ridge Drive. Mindy says, When we got married we initially attended both Elmhurst and Faith Churches and then became interested in exploring several churches that were closer to where we were living at the time. However, none of the other churches made us feel as at home and welcome as Faith Church and we truly feel this is where God wants us to be. Matthew Sowers professed his faith in Christ June 10. He is married to Allison, daughter of Herman and Cindy Vander Naald. Their address is 1336 S. Finley Rd. apt#1n, Lombard, IL Matt works for Hyatt Hotels Corporation and Allison works for Christian Art Gifts. Matt grew up in Indiana and is a graduate of Anderson University. His previous church was Lutheran Church of Our Blessed Savior in Alexandria, IN. Matt says he joined Faith CRC to serve and to be a part of a strong fellowship of believers and to continue to grow in my faith. Ashley Van Byssum publicly affirmed her faith and was welcomed June 10. She is married to Ben (son of Ken and Jan Van Byssum). Their baby, Hollie Marie, was baptized May 20, Other relatives at Faith are uncle and aunt Bob and Laurie Wieringa and cousins Kelly, Corrine, and Michael. Ben works as an electrician for All Pro Electric; Ashley works as a nanny for a family in Elmhurst. Ashley chose to become a member at Faith, because I have been attending for some time now, and I felt it was time to make it official. I love all the things Faith offers and everyone that attends there. Everyone is so nice and caring and made me feel so welcome! I have accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior; as I professed my faith I have become closer to my Lord. I plan to continue to strengthen my relationship with him in any way I can. I believe my life and days are ordained and known by God. I believe God knows the best and worst of me already and wants me to fully share myself with Him and find delight in Him. (Ps 37:4) Ralph and Georgia Van Kampen were welcomed to Faith CRC June 10, when Ralph publicly affirmed his faith. Ralph grew up in Evergreen Park, IL and has been a member of Evergreen Park and 2nd Englewood CRCs. His family also spent time in Wheaton where he attended Wheaton Academy for a time. After a stint in the Navy, Ralph graduated from Calvin College in Before retiring he worked in construction and finance. Georgia spent part of her growing-up years in River Forest and had a Catholic background. She graduated from Seton Hill College (Pennsylvania) and the University of Chicago. She was a teacher at Lyons Township High School. Georgia and Ralph met in a class she was teaching at Oak Park YMCA where Ralph was living. Married in 1955, they ve lived for over 55 years in a townhouse (built 1888) in a historic part of Oak Park with many Frank Lloyd Wright homes. Georgia has been homebound for many years after a disabling fall. Their family includes a daughter and son, 5 grandchildren and 2 greatgrandchildren. Ralph was exploring the CRCs in Elmhurst and at Faith bumped into a Van Kampen he didn t know. He was made to feel welcome here and feels comfortable with John Calvin s teachings (and Dwight Moody s). Ralph and Georgia plan to move to Park Place soon.

4 Creation Station Creation Station week combined a theme of Making old things new with relevant Biblical passages. We had a great week of recycling and learning the word. Biblical themes included Made in God s Image, In Christ we are a new creation, and God does incredible things with ordinary people. More than seventy kids (45 from outside our church) enjoyed recycling themes in stations like Bedazzled, Build it Better, Cooking, Investigation, You Can Do It, Building with Bentwood, Milk Jug Madness, Decoupage It, Survival Skills, and Mind and Muscle. Kids were able to cook with strawberries, play fitness games, make milk jug monsters and frames, make desk organizers and volcanoes, build with bentwood and build a fire. They made piggy banks, bracelets, a marble run, and Styrofoam cup towers. Through recycling, we were able to see countless ways to use what God has given us and we were reminded of how Jesus makes us new too. Thank you to all those who volunteered to make this a successful recycling week at Faith! Faith Cadets Father/Son Campout Deacons Corner: Starting a New Year on the Right Foot It is with great anticipation that we enter a new fiscal year (our church calendar extends from June through May). First, it is with joy that we thank an outgoing group of deacons, with a special appreciation to Matt Bulthuis for leading the crew last year. We also welcome a new group; two veterans and three first timers (similar to last year, must make for a nice mix). Second, we praise God for being able to meet all of our financial obligations last year. This includes our general church expenses, Timothy Fund Drive promises, and many benevolent needs in our church and broader community. Third, we are thankful that the congregation approved the budget. God is good! We also place the upcoming year in prayer, as it requires a major commitment from the congregation. We have had difficulty raising this budgeted amount over the past number of years, as the family commitment reaches more than $300/month. The shortfall typically arises right off the bat, as summer vacations begin and end-of-prior-year commitment burdens lift. It is our prayer that Faith opens the first quarter with a balanced budget, thus allowing the church to carry momentum throughout the coming year. We, as God s deaconate servants, commit to keeping the lines of communication open as we work together to build His kingdom. --Justin Hoogendoorn This newsletter provides the Faith CRC congregation information about our ministry, events, and people, while honoring our Lord Jesus Christ. People of Faith is published 6x/yr. by Faith CRC, 1070 S. Prospect Ave., Elmhurst IL (ed.- kjgreenfield@sbcglobal.net) Sr. Pastor Dr. Gregory D. Schuringa 630/ Pastor Rev. Michael Laird 630/ Church Office 630/ Fax 630/ Turkey Run State Park area in Indiana was the location of this year s Father/Son campout and canoe trip (June 8 though 10). Friday afternoon and evening was spent setting up camp at Turkey Run Campground, which is next to the State Park. We were off by ourselves in the group camping area, which had plenty of room to accommodate us. Saturday morning we set off for what we thought would be a relaxing 8 mile canoe trip down Sugar Creek. As usual with Cadet outings, water was an issue. This time the severe lack of H2O was the problem. Six inches more of the wet stuff, and we would have floated down the creek, no problem. However, this canoe trip consisted of floating awhile, then walking awhile, slippery rocks that we could not see, an occasional deep hole and a few skinned knees and elbows thrown in for good measure. The trip took longer than anticipated. Bad news no one gets the Canoeing Merit Badge. Good news we all earned the Hiking, Dragging-a-Canoe Merit Badge. The highlight of the evening was the buffet at the Turkey Run Inn. Very good food and a great place to relax and think about the day s events. Steve Van Kampen put the day s events into perspective for me when he said we should be grateful. The weather was great, and no one got hurt. Also, we managed to have a good time even though we were stiff and sore. The theme for devotions this year was evangelism, which ended up with cadets and fathers working on the Witnessing Merit Badge as part of the Sunday church service. As a group we reviewed portions of the merit badge and looked at the written testimony of one of the girls who grew up in Hogar de Ninos (the orphanage in Honduras). As part of our devotions Saturday after lunch on the shore of Sugar Creek we formally said good-bye to Counselor Rich Bakker who is moving to Michigan and to Ben, Sam, and Rev. Laird. We ended the devotions by laying hands on them and giving everyone an opportunity to pray for them. The most powerful prayers came from the youngest Cadets. Though sorry to see them leave, we wished God s blessings on each of them in their new calling. The Father/Son campout is the last event of this cadetting year. Faith Cadets expresses thanks to the family of Faith church for your continued support and prayers. Also a big thank-you to this year s Counselors who have put in a lot of hard work to make the Cadetting experience great. They are Rich Bakker, Peter Holtrop, Peter Groenewold, Ryan Swanson, Gary Vander Naald, Steve Van Kampen, Henry Boss, Steve Weglarz, Brad Wieringa, and Junior Counselor Andrew Groenewold. --Lambert Bronger, Head Counselor of Faith Cadet #2486 Living for Jesus

5 Congratulations to these 2012 Graduates Eighth Grade Alison DeBoer her parents are Steve and Diana; her sisters are Emily and Leah, and her brother, Ryan. She graduated from Timothy Christian Middle School and will attend Timothy Christian High School. Allyson Huisman she is the middle child of Ryan and Caty. Her brothers are Jimmy (a senior next year at Timothy Christian) and Jake (in 6th grade next year at St. John s Lutheran School in Lombard.) Allison has graduated from St. John s Lutheran School and will be a freshman at Timothy Christian High. She enjoys singing and spending time with family and friends. Patrick Roelofs his parents are Scott and Sandy. His brothers are Will and Dan. Patrick graduated from Timothy Middle School and will attend Timothy Christian High School. Patrick plays little league baseball and also knows many facts about major league baseball. Dan Tobin Dan is the fifth child of Al and Pat Tobin. He has two brothers, three sisters and a brother-in-law. He graduated from Timothy Christian Middle School and will attend Timothy Christian High School. Megan Middel her parents are Ray and Susan; her siblings are Brittany, Colin, and Nathan. She has graduated from Timothy Middle School and plans to attend Timothy Christian High School. High School Devin Erdman, son of Charles and Jacqueline Erdman, has graduated from St. Laurence High School and will attend Western Illinois University in the fall. He will major in Law Enforcement and minor in Homeland Security. Eric Glaubke, son of Dirk and Kathleen Glaubke, graduated from York Community High School and will study business finance at the University of Minnesota. Hayli Huiner, whose parents are Tim and Wendy Huiner, graduated from Timothy Christian High School. She will attend Southeast Missouri State University to study nursing. She will also be doing gymnastics--she received a full-ride scholarship for gymnastics to this Division I school. Kaylee Huisman, daughter of Randy and Julie Huisman, graduated from Timothy Christian High School. She plans to attend College of DuPage next year. She says, After that I will see what happens. Right now I am still deciding what I want to major in. Elizabeth (Betsy) McKay, daughter of Marshall McKay and Cathy Geers, graduated from Timothy Christian High School as co-salutatorian and is a National Merit Finalist. She was active in choral groups, band and drama club and performed in four musical theater productions. She also studied dance at the School of Performing Arts in Naperville. She will attend Calvin College in the fall (joining her sister Katie) where she plans to complete a double major, one of which will be German. Colin Middel is the son of Ray and Susan Middel. He graduated from Timothy Christian High School and plans to major in business at Dordt College in Sioux Center, Iowa (where his brother Nathan is a junior). Rebecca Miedema, daughter of Richard and Cheryl Miedema, graduated from Timothy Christian High School. In the fall she will attend Concordia University in Mequon, Wisconsin. Her favorite subjects are Art and Biology. Caitlin Smits, daughter of Scott and Valerie Smits, and sister to Kyla, Shayna, and Brenna, has graduated from Timothy Christian High School. She will attend Calvin College. Interests she would like to pursue are Art, Studio Art, and Photography. Other things she likes are playing soccer, listening to music and Facebook. Staci Vander Naald, daughter of Gary and Lisa Vander Naald, has graduated from Timothy Christian High School. She will attend College of DuPage. Linnea Venhousen, daughter of Robert Jr. and Judy Venhousen, graduated from Timothy Christian High School and plans to attend Calvin College in the Fall. Nathan Voss, son of David and Cynthia Voss, has been home-schooled. He is finishing a degree in History from Thomas Edison College and will be attending Reformation Bible College in Florida. His interests are History and Theology.

6 Congratulations to these Recent College Graduates Lindsey Holtrop is the daughter of James and Sharon Holtrop and the grand-daughter of Dan and Evelyn Teune. She has graduated from Calvin College and is now going to Graduate School at Calvin to earn a Master s Degree in Speech Pathology. She studies language development and disorders for ages preschool to seniors. Congratulations as well to Lindsey and Ryan Hoff on their recent engagement. Dan Roelofs, son of Scott and Sandy Roelofs, has graduated from Calvin College with a major in Sports Recreation and minors in Business and Sports Management. Dan spent his last semester studying at York College in England as well as traveling through Europe for several weeks. David Stremler, son of Robert Jr. and Judy Venhousen, has graduated from Calvin College with a degree in Business Marketing. Kristen Van Kampen is the daughter of Pam and Steve Van Kampen and grand-daughter of Jim and Marge Van Kampen. She has graduated from Calvin College where she majored in Plant Biology and minored in Environmental Sciences. She is now enrolled in Clemson University Graduate School (in South Carolina) in the Master of Science program in Plant and Environmental Science. Karyn Anne Weglarz, daughter of Steve and Sue Weglarz, graduated from Calvin College with a BA in Elementary Education. She has accepted a position at Rehoboth Christian School, where she will teach 1st grade. Candace Wieringa s parents are Brad and Ev Wieringa; she is sister to Tami, Dawn and Joel Stam, and Brad. Her grandparents are Jerry and Carole Wieringa and John and Evelyn Zeilstra. She has graduated from Trinity Christian College with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. She is preparing for the state licensing exam in July and looking for employment in a hospital. She hopes to be a pediatric nurse. Tami Wieringa figured prominently in the Chicago Tribune recently (Wednesday, May 23, 2012) in a frontpage article about a child with a rare disease--giant axonal neuropathy. Tami is a therapist for the child. After earning her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Exercise Science from Dordt College, Tami received her Associates in Applied Science Degree from College of Du Page in May of 2011, qualifying her to be a Physical Therapist Assistant. She works for Easter Seals doing aqua therapy, school based therapy, and therapy at the Easter Seals facility in Villa Park.. NANCY STONE/TRIBUNE PHOTOS Ethan, one of about 30 kids with the disorder, and physical therapist assistant Tami Wieringa blow plastic eyeballs across the pool. Ethan, with therapist Tami Wieringa, has trouble swallowing and will get a feeding tube next month.