Messenger August, 2013

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Northbrook United Methodist Church Messenger August, 2013 This is the Day Pastor Melissa Earley This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

1 Northbrook United Methodist Church Messenger August, 2013 This is the Day Pastor Melissa Earley This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. We sang that song at a Playful Praise service. A group of about 15 children, youth and adults gathered in the stone circle on a hot and muggy day and thanked God. As beads of sweat gathered on my forehead and back of my neck and I groaned about the suffocating humidity, I tried to remember that winter is not far away. Someday soon, I ll walk my dog on a bitter cold morning, the cold wind will take my breath away. On that day I ll long for this hot weather. The hot muggy day is no less God s day than the cold day of snow storms. The day that goes well from easy parking places to short grocery store lines is God s day. And so is the day when work projects meet unexpected road blocks and the simple do-ityourself project turns into a $5000 repair project lasting 4 weeks. The day in which I give thanks for good friends is God s day. So is the day I feel lonely. The day of promotions and good salary is God s day and so the day of the lay-off and possible bankruptcy. I wonder what it means to be glad in it. It can t mean that we slap a smile on our faces and act as if everything is okay. It can t mean that we pretend that our grief or anger or sense of betrayal or fear of the future isn t valid. As I stood in that circle and sang with others, I sensed that being glad that this is the day the Lord has made has something to do with giving thanks that God is present in every day. Being glad must have something to do with trusting that God is active in this day as difficult, and sad, and awful as it might be. Let us rejoice and be glad in it, could be a way of saying that I live this day whatever it brings, trusting that God is love, that God will bring new life even out of today. This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and give thanks in it. Save the Date for our FIESTA-themed Rally Day on September 8th! We will have a salsa & guacamole making contest, so start perfecting your recipe! There will also be carnival games and prizes! Fun for the whole (church) family! Worship in August During August our ACTion Packed Summer continues. August 4: Acts 16:16-24 Paul and Silas cure slave girl and escape from prison. We will also celebrate Holy Communion the apostles deal with oppression August 11: Acts 16:25-40 Conversion of the jailer August 18: Matthew 15:21 28; Psalm 23 Pastor Melissa will be out of town. Dick Davidson will preach on overcoming, drawing on an anthology of writing he published for a campus writer s workshop. August 25: Acts 10 Peter learns to call no person unclean and opens the church to all. This Sunday we will celebrate the anniversary of becoming a Reconciling United Methodist Church that welcomes all people. Rummage Sale Sue Mueller Our annual Rummage sale is coming up on September 28 and we need everyone s help and talents to make this a success. There is a planning meeting Monday, August 5 at 1pm; all who have worked on the sale in the past or are new to the sale are welcome. Please come and be part of the preparations. Inside this Issue Reconciling 2 Shepherds 2 Youth 4 Children 5

Messenger Page 2 Reconciling Ministries Alice Lonoff Please come to our service on August 25 th in which we will celebrate our commitment to welcome all into the life of our church.

2 Messenger Page 2 Reconciling Ministries Alice Lonoff Please come to our service on August 25 th in which we will celebrate our commitment to welcome all into the life of our church. Our theme this year is Draw the Circle Wide and the NUMC group Alpha will lead us in some wonderful music! There are many ways for folks to participate either by singing, or by helping to draw the circle wide as others sing. If you wish to be part of the service, please let John Cheung know by contacting him at: cheung.john@sbcglobal.net. NUMC is living out its commitment to our LGBT friends in others ways as well. Four of us attended the first annual ecumenical Gay Pride service on June 23 rd at the Chicago Temple, which was organized by the Chicago Coalition of Welcoming Churches (CCWC). Daniel and Karen Glazer and Alice Lonoff sang in the choir, and Melissa Earley sat with the congregation. In addition, several members and friends of NUMC participated in the 2013 Gay Pride Parade on June 30 th. John Cheung was a marshal for the CCWC parade entry. Karen Glazer carried the NUMC sign. Other participants were Richie Irons, Daniel Cheung, Kyle Chin, Jonathan LeMaster- Smith, and his friend Geoffrey Shaw. The organizers for the CCWC entry hoped to have 300 walkers, and they had over 400 from dozens of churches! They plan to use this strong support to help push for the passage of Marriage Equality in Illinois. John Cheung has been actively supporting this work. If you wish to be part of future discussions, please let Alice Lonoff know. alonoff@sprynet.com Shepherds Sue Mueller Ongoing Prayer Concerns Carolyn Williams is recuperating from complications from surgery. Claudia Braden is in a lengthy recovery from recent surgery. Nancy Metzler s sister Carol, who is battling cancer. Gretchen and Brian Boyer request prayers for their family as Brian s mom, Fran Boyer s cancer has spread. Shannon LeMaster-Smith s grandfather is under the care of hospice in Florida as he has end stage emphysema. Attention All Shepherds: Paige Brooks John Cheung Okhee Choi Debby Gilchrest Daniel Love & Karen Glazer Chris Greulich Sue Mueller Linda Reed Patty Swanson Rhoda Woolman There will be a meeting of all Flock Leaders on Sunday, September 15 after church to pick up your updated lists of flock members. Mark your calendars now and plan to attend. Bring ideas or suggestions to share. Sue Mueller & Anita Oberg, Coordinators

Messenger Page 3 Farmer s Market Cooking Class Offered Do you see all the lovely fruits and vegetables at the farmer s market but don t know what to buy or what to make with it when you get home?

Paige Brooks will offer three cooking classes in which participants will learn how to make a main course, a side dish and dessert from in season offerings at the Northbrook Farmer s Market.

3 Messenger Page 3 Farmer s Market Cooking Class Offered Do you see all the lovely fruits and vegetables at the farmer s market but don t know what to buy or what to make with it when you get home? Now is your chance to learn. Paige Brooks will offer three cooking classes in which participants will learn how to make a main course, a side dish and dessert from in season offerings at the Northbrook Farmer s Market. The class will be Wednesdays, August 28 and September 25. Meet at the Northbrook United Book Group Chris Greulich All are welcome! We meet on the 3rd Wednesday of each month, from 7:00 to 8:30 pm, in people s homes, and details will follow about who is hosting each month. If you re interested in hosting an evening or leading a discussion, please let Chris Greulich know. August 21 we will meet at the home of Carol Lewandowski to discuss Jodi Picoult s Sing You Home (2011). This book explores what it means to be gay in today s world, and how reproduction science has outstripped the legal system. What challenges do same-sex couples face when it comes to marriage and adoption? What happens when religion and sexual orientation enter the courtroom? The main character Zoe loses a pregnancy with her husband Max after 10 years of trying to get pregnant. The marriage falls apart, but Zoe finds healing by throwing herself into her career as a music therapist. Through her work, she meets a woman with whom she falls in love. Zoe allows herself to think about having a family again, and then remembers there are still frozen embryo s that were never used by herself and Max. Methodist Table at 11 AM to shop with Paige and then head to the church to cook. The class (including shopping time) will be about two hours. Participants are asked to give $5 per person to offset the cost of the groceries. To sign up for the class please contact the church office ( or office@northbrookumc.org) or sign up on the bulletin board in Penberthy Hall. Tomato Project in Full Swing CHANGE OF ADDRESS Pat Baker Sunrise Senior Living 1725 Ballard Road, Room 427 Park Ridge, IL Phone: Dan Lloyd Remember those hundreds of tomato plants growing in Penberthy Hall this spring? Most of them found homes and hopefully the plants are now producing big fat juicy tomatoes, because without them the church s Tomato Project would end up being catsup on spaghetti noodles. We re hopeful that the 2013 Tomato Project Dinner, scheduled for Saturday evening September 7, will be our breakthrough year. The first two dinners generated $1000 each. The money raised was distributed to the Northfield Food Pantry, the Greater Chicagoland Food Depository and Feed My Starving Children. We wanted more. Like crazy idealists, we set a goal of $5000. To come anywhere near reaching that goal, we began to contact other faith-based organizations in hopes that they would join us in our effort to put a dent in hunger. We ve gotten some positive responses. Congregation Beth Shalom may hold a Tomato Project dinner later in the Fall since September 7 is the start of Jewish High Holidays. St. Norbert s agreed to put our material in their weekly bulletins. Northbrook Evangelical Covenant Church seemed very interested since they have an active group that finds ways to combat hunger. More good news. The Northbrook Rotary Club plans to become involved. All good signs. Here s how you can help. First, give us your spare tomatoes and ask your friends and neighbors to donate some as well. Second, think about volunteering to cook down the tomatoes. Third, buy ten tickets to the Tomato Project Dinner and invite your friends and make it a party. Oh, one more thing. This year, thanks to the wonderful youth program at our church, we ll have carnival games. Kids (and adults?) will have chances to win prizes like new cars, Hawaiian vacations, big screen TV sets and season tickets to the Bears. Woops, got carried away. None of those prizes are going to be given away, but there will be something. Five thousand dollars? It s a dream worth pursuing.

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NORTHBROOK UNITED METHODIST CHURCH 1190 Western Avenue Northbrook, IL 60062 Phone: 847-272-2442 Fax: 847-272-8091 Email: office@northbrookumc.org Mailing Label Drink Water Save a Life!

6 NORTHBROOK UNITED METHODIST CHURCH 1190 Western Avenue Northbrook, IL Phone: Fax: Mailing Label Drink Water Save a Life! Participate in The H2O Project! As a part of Playful Praise, our new worship experience, Northbrook UMC is offering the opportunity to participate in The H20 Project, a campaign to raise money to provide clean water around the world. Here s how it works: Choose two weeks during the summer to drink ONLY TAP WATER (no coffee, soda, juices, alcohol, or even bottled water). Keep track of the drinks you would normally drink and save the money you would have spent on these drinks. After two weeks, bring the money to the church to help Northbrook UMC reach its goal of $1000 for charity:water, a nonprofit organization that provides clean drinking water to persons around the world. 100% of donations go to water projects. The goal is to raise $1000! Right now we have $208. Our water project will benefit a community in Rwanda. You can bring your donations to worship on Sunday mornings, Wednesday Mornings at NUMC's table at the Northbrook Farmer s Market, or Playful Praise on Wednesday Evenings at NUMC. You can also visit my.charitywater.org/playfulpraise to donate online! Not up for the H2o challenge? How about taking a pledge to donate a penny per gallon of water you use per day for two weeks? The average American uses 176 gallons of water a day for a family of 4 that s 704 gallons...a DAY! An average family in Africa uses 5 gallons of water per day. How many gallons does it take to. Brush your teeth with the tap running? (10 gallons) Wash your hands with the tap running? (2 gallons) Take a bath? (20 gallons) Flush the toilet? (2-7 gallons) Take a 5-minute shower? (15-30 gallons) Hand wash dishes with the tap running? (30 gallons) Run the dishwasher? (15 gallons)

MESSENGER JULY, ACTion Packed Summer. Getting Ready to Implement the Strategic Plan Melissa Earley

MESSENGER JULY, ACTion Packed Summer. Getting Ready to Implement the Strategic Plan Melissa Earley NORTHBROOK UNITED METHODIST CHURCH MESSENGER JULY, 2013 Getting Ready to Implement the Strategic Plan Melissa Earley For over a year the Strategic Planning Team has been working towards completion of a