The Pilgrim. Annual Meeting Of the Congregation. January 27, First Congregational United Church of Christ Downers Grove, IL

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1 First Congregational United Church of Christ Downers Grove, IL The Pilgrim Issue 11 December 2012 INSIDE THIS ISSUE: One Voice Rejoice Christmas Concert Christmas events 3 Children and Youth 4 Constitution Revision/ Finances Community 6-8 Two Way Street Coffee House A dvent is the season of anticipation where we celebrate the arrival of the birth of our Lord. This birth forever changes our relationship to God. What was once far off now becomes face to face in the flesh. Let us make time each day to prepare. We do a lot of preparation around the Advent season. Some of us scour the papers for shopping deals and door busters. Others take great care at preparing Christmas cards, family photo cards and yearly family letter updates. A few proud souls break out the gloves and ladder and turn their home into a veritable mini power plant, creating tens of thousands of Christmas lights to turn the front yard into a winter wonderland. Amidst all the peripheral preparations, the garland and the tinsel, let us slow down, kneel in adoration, and quiet our hearts and our souls in the presence of Advent and Christmas in 2012 December 2, 1 st Sunday of Advent Global Friends Fair, 10:30 a.m. noon, Fellowship Hall the King of Kings who takes a truly cosmic gamble to come live among us. How will this King be received in our hearts this Advent season? December 9, 2 nd Sunday of Advent Caroling to the Homebound, Lunch 11:45 a.m., Caroling 12:30 p.m. Global Friends Fair, 10:30 a.m. noon, Fellowship Hall December 16, 3 rd Sunday of Advent Christmas pageant during morning worship Global Friends Fair, 10:30 a.m. noon, Fellowship Hall One Voice Rejoice Christmas concert, 7:00 p.m., Sanctuary Christmas Eve Services Tuesday, December 24 4:30 p.m. Service of Carols, Scripture and Candlelight A message for children of all ages! Junior and Teen Choirs, Tins, Guided Path and more 8:30 p.m. Service of Carols, Scripture and Candlelight A variety of music Guided Path, Salts of the Earth String Quartet and more 11:00 p.m. Traditional Service of Carols, Scripture and Candlelight We will usher in Christmas morning as we close the service at midnight Chancel Choir, Guided Path, organ and more -Pastor Scott Oberle Annual Meeting Of the Congregation January 27, 2013

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3 ISSUE 11 Caroling to the Homebound Sunday, December 9 Our annual caroling event is guaranteed to warm your heart and get you in the Christmas spirit! The Ministry of Congregational Care invites you to join church friends for an afternoon of caroling to the homebound of our congregation. We begin with lunch at 11:45 a.m. in Fellowship Hall, then divide into groups and proceed to area homes, as well as to private residences of our homebound members. Join us at 12:30 p.m. if you don't come for lunch. Bring your family, friends, neighbors and spread a little Christmas cheer. If you cannot join us, carolers will be glad to deliver your gift of cookies to each of the homes visited. Please bring your cookies to the church kitchen on Sunday morning, December 9. Mark cookies with a tag that says HOMEBOUND and your name. Thanks! Mission Possible: Here s What s Happening! Global Friends Fair Sundays, December 2, 9 and 16 Haven't finished or started your Christmas shopping? Still looking for that one-of-a-kind gift, or distinctive holiday decoration to spruce up your home? Do you want your giftgiving to be more meaningful? Stop by the Global Friends Christmas Fair Sundays after church December 2, 9 and 16 and you will find just what you're looking for. Each week, the Fair will be packed with hand-made items from around the world, including extraordinary housewares and home decor, holiday ornaments, and baskets; imported food delicacies; and unique accessories such as hand bags, scarves and jewelry. There is something for everyone on your list, in all price ranges, and from all parts of the globe. The FCC Global Friends Christmas Fair promotes fair trade. All proceeds from items sold go directly to the villages and artisan co-ops that created them. So skip the malls and crowds this year, and browse the Fair during coffee hour. Your purchases will give you the opportunity to impact the lives of others and support the life sustaining work of artisans world-wide. Page 3 Here's a special opportunity for you to help make worship in our sanctuary this Christmas a more BEAUTIFUL event! Share a poinsettia with us! All you need to do is to fill out the blank below, attach your $12.50 check (for each plant purchased) and return it to the church office by December 16. Members of Chancel Beautification will purchase the poinsettias and use them to decorate the church for our worship services on December 23 and Christmas Eve, December 24. Your name and the name of your loved one will appear in the bulletin. What a wonderful time of the year to remember dear ones in such a special way! PLEASE CHECK ONE I would like to take my plant home after one of the evening services. I would like to leave my plant for distribution to our homebound members and friends. Your Name: Telephone: (Please print clearly) Name of Loved One in whose memory flowers are given: (Please print clearly) Number of Plants: X $12.50 = $ (Make checks payable to First Congregational Church with poinsettia in the memo section)

4 December 2 Share a lunch together then help put together Finals Care Packages for our church members away in college. December 9 Celebrate in the City! We ll board the Metra at 12:45 p.m. and head to Chicago to see the holiday windows and visit the Christkindl Market. We ll return to the Main St. Station at 7:25 p.m. December 16 No Youth Fellowship See you at the Evening Music Concert! December 23 and 30 No Youth Fellowship Enjoy your Christmas Holidays! We ll see you next year! Coming soon: Summer Work Trip to Athens, Ohio Tentative date: July 14 20, 2013 Your Adult Team: Steve Johnson, Mona Johnson, Brett Johnson, Dan Swick, Nancy Kupka Contact us at: 1stuccdgyf@gmail.com Children s Ministries and Drama Well, here it is the beginning of our Holiday season, the best time of the year! Our Sunday school has finished the first half of our Moses unit (second half in January) and will be learning about the nativity and the book, The Legend of the Three Trees in December. I want to thank all of the wonderful teachers who have led our children in their classes this fall. I wish you all a blessed Christmas! This year s Christmas pageant is Sunday, December 16 during our service. All children are welcome to participate (even friends and cousins). We will all meet in the Chapel at 8:30 a.m. to assign the parts and get costumes. I will need a number of parents to help on that day, guiding the children down the aisles, so parents please come to the Chapel at 8:30 a.m. as well. Our Junior Fellowship will enjoy a Christmas Party on Sunday, December 16! Food, games, grab bags gifts and donations to the Food Pantry are on the party planning list! Fun Fun Fun! Coming in January is an ice skating party. Our fall play, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever was a great success! This was a fund-raiser for our PADS program. We thank all who bought tickets and attended our performances. We would also like to take this time to thank all of you who attended our summer production of Godspell. The proceeds from that show are helping to fund our entire year of Junior Fellowship activities and we were able to send $1000 to our Youth Fellowship. These plays and musicals that we are starting to produce are helping our various ministries; therefore, we thank you for supporting them. We know that the ticket prices for these productions may not be within everyone s budget. We will be looking in addition to fundraising efforts, for programming for our children and youth to have an open show where admission is free for those who would like to enjoy the students and their hard work but may not be able to afford a ticket. These shows give a wonderful opportunity to our young people, allowing them to learn and grow in their acting and singing abilities and at the same time, our ministries are benefiting greatly. We hope you are all enjoying our productions. Watch for our upcoming spring and summer musicals! As we come to the close of 2012, I want to wish all of you a wonderful Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year. And thank you all for helping me throughout the year with our Sunday school program. Merry Christmas! Jan Barker Acting Director of Children s Ministries Page 4 THE PILGRIM

5 ISSUE 11 Page 5 Constitution Revision Committee Why the heck are they messin with the Constitution? As a church it is important not only to assess where God is leading us, but also where we are in present context. Do our ministries reflect the mission of our church? Are procedures, as laid out in the Constitution and by-laws being observed? Is there language present that is not current? The Cabinet had charged the Constitution Revision Committee with getting feedback from each ministry and committee to review the language of their ministry and administrative mandates and make sure the language is accurate and clear. During this process it is important to note that in a congregational setting, no changes to the constitution or by laws can be made without congregational vote. All who participate in the life and ministries of this church will have the opportunity to review any requests for changes, amendment or removal of language from articles in the by-laws or Constitution prior to the congregational meeting. The review committee will present proposals to you prior to the Annual Meeting as mandated in our Constitution. The Annual Meeting is Sunday, January 27. The prior Sunday, January 20, we will host a forum with myself, members of the review committee and members of Cabinet to give further information on each of the proposed changes, and to field questions and/or concerns. By doing this, we hope to not only create a sounding board for members of the church prior to any votes, but also to allow a week for church leadership to do any necessary homework on concerns or questions so that all can be fully prepared for our meeting on January 27. -Pastor Scott Stewardship 2013 As I write this pre-thanksgiving, we have received 95 out of a possible 235 Pledge Covenants for the 2013 year. While this is a good start, and while I thank all of you who have already contributed, we still have a mountain to climb to reach our goals. One member family said that our pledges reflect all the ministries and work our church does together as a people. Would it not be great to have every member support our ministries by giving something? To that end this member family said that they would contribute a matching gift of $1 a week for a year up to $52.00 per family for any member who did not pledge last year and decided to pledge this year (excludes new members). What a generous offer and gift! I encourage you, the members of this church, to support the church (it s people, its ministries, its outreach) as best as you are able. We can meet this budget, but it will take all of us. Thank you again in advance for your support. -Pastor Scott Our Budget and Finance 2012 As of October 31, 2012 our expenses still exceed our income by more than $20,000. We can make up this difference by increasing our 2012 financial support of our church s budget. Are you able to join this effort? In these first 10 months of 2012, we have accomplished so much. Our vision of the future has never been brighter! This renewed spirit and forward momentum has generated great excitement in/for our future. Keep the momentum going forward. FCC Brothers Men s Group Saturday, December 1, 8:00 a.m. Fellowship Hall The FCC Brothers, a faith-based group of volunteers, will meet in Fellowship Hall on Saturday, December 1 at 8:00 a.m. to plan for 2013, and we invite any and all who are interested to join us. New members are always welcome! Our first event of 2013 is the annual Pancake Breakfast in Fellowship Hall, which is scheduled for Saturday, February 9. It will once again coincide with the Downers Grove Ice festival. Please contact Mark Lockett at if you have questions.

6 A Service of Remembrance Friday Meditations: Encounters With the Spirit December 14, 7:00-8:00 pm, Chapel Jan Remer-Osborn, PhD, neuropsychologist, harpist, and Member-in-Discernment is offering "Friday Meditations: Encounters with the Spirit" in the chapel on the 2 nd Friday of the month. December s service will be a special service of remembrance at a special time, 7:00 8:00 p.m. People are welcome to talk about their loved ones they have lost. Come soothe your spirit and refresh from the busy week with music, scripture, and quiet reflections. On Sunday, December 2, The First Congregational Learning Center will be part of the Global Friends Fair with a bake sale, 10:30 a.m. 12:00 p.m. Be sure to stop by our table during the fair! The Holiday Family Festival will be the highlight of the season for the FCLC students. We will gather on Tuesday, December 4 for dinner, games, crafts and a visit from Santa. The Angel Campaign has been very successful, with 27 donors so far. This project is ongoing. Christmas Angels are welcome. Thank you for helping the program grow and stay a BIG part of the Downers Grove community. Happy Holidays from our FCLC family! PADS Christmas Gifts PADS guests on Monday, December 24 will awaken Christmas morning in Fellowship Hall. We would like to provide at least one personal gift for each guest that morning. If you would like to donate a gift-wrapped present for one of our guests, please contact Bill Aldrich (sportingbill@hotmail.com or ), Ranna LeVoir ( or rhlevoir@gmail.com) or Tom Williams ( or dontomas23@aol.com). Please bring your gifts on Sunday, Dec. 16 or 23 or to Christmas Eve Services. Thank you! Disaster Relief Mission Trip Opportunity Informational meeting Sunday, December 16 11:00 a.m., Chapel Annie: A Family Broadway Holiday Event Dec. 15, 2012 The Ministry of Christian Fellowship invites you to join them in an outing to the Paramount Theatre in Aurora to see the Broadway production Annie. A limited number of tickets are available, and the seats are located at center stage within the first 15 rows! We ll gather at church at 1:30 p.m. for cookies, milk and hot cocoa then carpool to the theatre. The show begins at 4:00 p.m. The United Church of Christ Please contact Jennifer Hallett Disaster Relief site on UCC.ORG at jhallett.law@sbcglobal.net has made a plea for churches to serve by sending crews to help rebuild Henryville, Indiana, a small for information and tickets. Ticket price: $ ,000 member town that was wiped out by a Class 4 tornado in spring A special meeting about the trip will be held in the Chapel at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, December 16. Come learn about how to volunteer, our trip dates and costs, and have your life transformed by helping another piece theirs back together. Page 6 THE PILGRIM

7 ISSUE 11 Page 7 Among Our Church Family Remember our friends who were hospitalized: Judy Dedina Kathy Dedina Josh Clark Betty Cheever Barb Frasher We are saddened to share with you: The death of Robin Tetzloff on November 24. A memorial service will be held in our Sanctuary on Friday, November 30 at 1:00 p.m. We keep Robin s family prayer and wish them God s comfort and peace. Baptisms: Duncan Ngozi Owen, son of Harriet Nzinga Plumpp and Brett Owen, was baptized on November 25. We celebrate with them and wish them joy and peace. Women s Fellowship December 2012 Annual Christmas Brunch Circle IV and Circle VI Friday, December 7 9:30 am Join this fun group of women for their annual Christmas brunch at Jan Hibbeln s home. Everyone is welcome! For more details or to let us know you are coming, please call Peggy Gutzke at or Trudi Connick at Circle IV, Ladies of the Morning Friday, December 21 9:30 am Join Circle IV at 9:30 a.m. for Stitch and Chat in the church parlor. Remember, you don't have to have anything to stitch. Just come for the chat. If you have questions, please contact Peggy Gutzke at peggy.gutzke@gmail.com or Prayer Shawl Ministry Thursday, December 6 10:00 11:00 am, Room 503 Join a delightful group of women as they spend time each month knitting, praying, & talking. All are welcome! So far, many prayer shawls have been delivered. If you know of someone who would benefit from one the shawls or you would like the group to create a shawl for someone special please contact the church office. This ministry continues to be a joy! TOPS Take Off Pounds Sensibly Healthy Hearts Chapter Tuesdays at 8:00 p.m. Room 502 Join this dedicated group whose mission it is to support its members as they take and keep off pounds sensibly. Our objective is to encourage healthy lifestyles through our weight-management support group. A private weigh-in is followed by a program on a variety of topics pertaining to the weight-loss journey and healthy lifestyle. Meetings provide members with positive reinforcement and motivation in adhering to their food and exercise plans. Use Manna This Holiday Season Christmas time is here and so is Christmas Shopping. Let Manna be your shopping saver. NO malls, NO traffic, NO searching for parking at the mall, just come to Fellowship Hall and say YES to stress-free shopping, and YES to fundraising for First Congregational Church. It s a win-win situation! We have a huge list to order from, and several cards in our inventory that can make great gifts for those hard - to-buy-for people. Or donate Manna to our Bridge Family, the Learning Center or Walk-in Ministry as they will be much appreciated at this time. The church purchases Manna gift cards at a reduced rate and sells them to you at the face value. The difference is income to the church. Also, remember to purchase grocery cards for your holiday dinners, too. Manna can be used for grocery shopping, dining out, filling up the gas tank, holiday travel and so much more. Manna cards are sold every Sunday in Fellowship hall at the first table. If you place an order, you will need to pay upfront for it and it will be delivered to you the following Sunday. If you have any questions please contact Beverly Binder at or gbbinder@comcast.net

8 Living Open and Affirming When we became an ONA Church on May 23, 2010, we took the first step to living as an Open and Affirming congregation. As we continue our journey together, we need to ensure that we are the people who provide an extravagant welcome to all who walk through our doors. We say that we are welcoming, but aren t there neighbors or people we don t know that we might be uncomfortable in meeting or joining at the table? In order to help us faithfully embrace the entire concept of being Open and Affirming we will be presenting a series of monthly topics throughout the next year. These topics will be presented to help us learn about our neighbors and the unique challenges they may bring to our church. We will learn how we can truly extend that extravagant welcome. Living Opening and Affirming program will begin January 13, 2013 at 10:45 am, with an introductory presentation, letting us know what to expect during the remainder of the year. The sessions will continue on the second Sunday of the month for all of If you want more information, have any questions, or would like to volunteer to help with this program, please contact Linda Schranz at lsmedia52@aol.com or by phone at January 22 Our next blood drive is Tues., January 22 in Fellowship Hall, 3:00 to 7:00 pm. If you are not contacted by one of our callers, please call Marilyn Jelinek ( ) for an appointment. This out-reach program is sponsored by our Congregational Care Ministry. Thoughts on Announcements Before Sunday Worship To help keep us in check with our busy Sunday morning worship service, we need to consider some limits on the amount of time we spend on announcements before our worship time begins. If you wish to have an announcement verbally presented prior to Sunday s worship, your request must be submitted by phone or to Pastor Scott no later than noon on the Friday prior to Sunday worship. Any requests received after this time (including Sunday morning, just prior to worship) will be gladly presented the following Sunday. Announcements will be voiced at Pastor Scott s discretion. We are a vibrant, busy Church and it is our desire to remain as such. So, we would like to reemphasize that all announcements will continue to be printed in the Sunday bulletin, The Pilgrim and presented on the projection screen prior to the beginning of our worship time together. By limiting our announcements, we can spend more time worshiping our God. -WASL Calling All Readers! We are pleased to announce that the Ministry of Christian Education is initiating a book club in Our first meeting will be Wednesday, January 9, 2013 and feature the book Mudbound by Hillary Jordan. We will meet in the chapel at 6:30 pm to discuss the book, with emphasis on what we learn from this book and where we see God s work at hand. We will also discuss future meetings, books to consider and book club structure. Please join us on January 9 at our inaugural session. Any questions, please contact Linda Schranz at or lsmedia52@aol.com Time to dust off the dancing shoes! Save the Date! Saturday, January 26, 2013 Dinner Party and Dancing Signature Room at Seven Bridges Celebrating one year Anniversary of Pastor Scott! Page 8 THE PILGRIM

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10 First Congregational United Church of Christ Downers Grove, Illinois 1047 Curtiss Street Downers Grove, IL Phone: Fax: Nurturing the Spirit Engaging the Mind Walking the journey Serving our neighbor Our Church Staff The Rev. Scott Oberle, Senior Minister Cathy Sanders, Minister of Pastoral Care and Visitation Jim Molina, Minister of Music and Media Jan Barker, Acting Director of Children s Ministries Maria Carini, Assistant to the Minister of Music Laura Lithio, Administrative Secretary Linda Vytlacil, Bookkeeper Carl Lorek, Custodian/Maintenance Supervisor Sue Larsen, Director, First Congregational Learning Center Radika Jungwirth, Administrative Assistant, First Congregational Learning Center Bill Hammack, AV Specialist Dave Humphreys, Director, Two Way Street Coffee House Ted Rock, Treasurer Sunday worship at 9:30 am Everyone is welcome! The Pilgrim December 2012