GRACE TO YOU. Proclaim, Build, and Serve

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1 493 Forest Avenue at Pennsylvania Glen Ellyn, Illinois Return Service Requested West Conference - Metropolitan Chicago Synod - ELCA Month of June Non-Profit Organization U. S. Postage Paid Glen Ellyn, IL Permit #104 Grace To You is the monthly newsletter of. From the Pastor: Many of us have heard that the word liturgy means work of the people. Another good translation is public work or public service; according to The Oxford Book of Difficult Words (difficult??), it originally referred to a public office or duty performed by a rich Athenian. All of which is to say, liturgy isn t meant to be owned by the trained worship leaders. For the most part, it belongs to the congregation. On the other hand, many think it s the role of the Presiding Minister (that s me) to preside over the entire service. But actually, the role of the Presiding Minister is to preside over the communion table. I preach, too, since we have only one on-site theologian, But technically, everything else in the worship service can (should) be led by you all. Like with a lot of churches, we have people who take on the responsibility of scheduling lay leaders to read, carry the cross, assist with communion, usher, greet, set up communion, and lock the building. You may have noticed, though, that lately there are more and more blank spots in the bulletin where the worship assistants are listed each week. Sometimes a last-minute emergency comes up. Or people change their weekend plans. Many people feel like they just can t commit to something several weeks or months out because their lives are a little unpredictable. It s another one of those shifts in the culture. A recent article in Church Leaders includes this data: while Gallup says 40% of people in the US identify as regular church attenders, on any given Sunday less than 18% percent of the US population is actually in church. (People who consider themselves regular attenders may attend less than once a month.) Hence the holes in the list of worship assistants. So what should happen here? Well, I could try to brow-beat you all into signing up more. That always go well! (not.) I think there are some other good approaches, though. After all, the church will never be what it used to be (there are some good sides to that!), and God is calling us to be new, for the world we re in now. So here s what I suggest: Our faithful schedulers will keep doing what they do, as well as they can. But when there s a gap in the leadership on Sunday, I d love it if a few more people felt comfortable just jumping up to help. There are a few who do this now but it would be really nice for those folks if others shared that work. We can include our younger children in service, too. Many of them love to lead when they can, and it strengthens their sense of being connected to what s happening (instead of just hanging around until Mom and Dad are through with church ). When people are eager and willing to assist at the last minute, it lets visitors know that we re a congregation connected and engaged with worship, not a collection of individuals who happen to have shown up at the same place to watch a church service. It demonstrates that we are a community sharing a purpose and supporting one another in that purpose and that s the best kind of evangelism. GRACE TO YOU Proclaim, Build, and Serve

2 Summer Worship Schedule Our summer worship schedule will begin on Sunday, May 27. One service will be offered at 9am. Faith Formation does not meet during the summer. Please note, there will not be a mid-week service offered this year. Grace to You Page 2 Month of June 2018 Church Picnic Mark your calendars for Grace's Annual Picnic Sunday, August 26. More information to follow. Pictures from Spring Clean Up Spring Clean Up Recap Thank you to our members who generously gave their time on Saturday, May 5, to work on the grounds at Grace: John Jokela, Cheryl Huizenga, Ginny Stein, Tim Stephan, Andy and Will Swiston, and Susan Jacobson. An extra big thank you goes out to Mark Conrad, Tennis Coach at Glenbard South, and his tennis players who came to assist in the cleanup. We could not have accomplished all that we did without your help. Recap: The area between the apartments/church on the east side was cleaned up by the Glenbard South students while Andy Swiston and his son, Will, made numerous trips to take away all the many, many bags of branches; The "main" bushes on the north side of parking lot were raked and the tool shed entrance swept out; John Jokela was up on the north roof with a student, clearing out everything on that roof plus he also removed branches from the property; Ginny Stein, Susan Jacobson, and Tim Stephan worked on landscaping, and Ginny also removed cobwebs from the sanctuary and church office; Cheryl Huizenga cleaned the west Parish Hall entrance, including the windows! We still have a few small jobs that need to be completed. If you were unable to attend on Saturday but want to help out, please contact the church office.

3 Grace to You Page 3 Month of June 2018 Children, Youth, & Family Page Vacation Bible School June 18 th -21 st : Fruits of the Spirit Grace will be teaming up with First Congregational Church in Glen Ellyn, (just one block north of Grace on Forest Ave). VBS will be open to students ages 4 through those entering 5 th Grade in the fall. Registration can be found on the main page of Grace s website. There is no fee to participate, but a free will donation is accepted toward this ministry. VBS will meet Monday-Thursday that week, 9:00am-12:00pm. Any parents that would like to donate their time are welcome to register on the same link. If you have younger children, there will be childcare available on site for them. Mrs. Ficarella will be handling the snacks for this event and could always use an extra set of hands. Looking forward to working with your children for this fun event! Women of Grace Women of Grace will meet on Thursday, June 28 th from 7:30-9:30pm at Reserve 22 in Glen Ellyn. We are hoping for beautiful weather to begin sitting outside again. Come gather with women from Grace Lutheran Church for snacks and refreshments. Friends are always welcome! The Community Gathers The Community Gathers is a Wednesday evening fellowship opportunity at Lake Ellyn this summer. We will meet at the park at Lake Ellyn from 6:00-7:30pm each Wednesday beginning June 13 th running through August 8 th (We will not meet on July 4 th ). Bring your lawn chair and any refreshments you would like to enjoy. We will have the game bags available for kids and adults to play together, as well as popsicles to share. Fishing is available at the dock as well. Come join us for this summer fun! Summer Fellowship at Grace We are offering three Fellowship Gatherings this summer! Sign up sheets will be in the Narthex. Pool Party at the Dragers 1858 Deere Lane in Glendale Heights Date and additional information to follow. Saturday, July 21 st : Bonfire at the Ficarellas 4:30pm-8:30pm 22 W 386 Emerson Ave in Glen Ellyn Mario and Becky will provide Hot Dogs, Hamburgers, and Bottled Water. Please bring any side, dessert, or beverages you would like to share! Sunday, August 26 th : Grace Lutheran Church Picnic following 9:00am Service Grace Lutheran Church parking lot, 493 Forest Ave Glen Ellyn Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, Grilled Chicken, Chips, Salad, Veggies, Fruit and Ice Cream! Please contact me with any questions! With thanks! Becky Ficarella x17 bficarella@graceglenellyn.org

4 Grace to You Page 4 Month of June 2018 Weekly Building Usage Greetings, The annual Glen Ellyn & Wheaton Crop Hunger Walk at St. Paul Lutheran Church was a huge success We had perfect weather and a strong turn out to walk in the event on May 5. CROP Hunger Walks, sponsored by Church World Service, are fundraising events designed to raise awareness and funds for people around the world who lack access to clean water, food, and basic necessities. This year s walk had 120+ walkers and has raised over $15,000 so far. I am so appreciative for those of you who participated on our Grace Team. Grace had 17 walkers, which is the most since I ve been involved with the Hunger Walk. We are also over $2,100 in funds raised from Grace and funds are still coming in! After the walk we packed 250 Easy Meals for the Food Pantry at Grace; the funds for the meals were provided by Thrivent Financial. Special thanks go to our brave Crop Walkers: Pastor Melody, Marty Eastman, Ginny Stein, Becky Youmans, Farrell Benefield, Pat Moore, Dru Geraghty, Donna Blake, Andy Blake, Mary Pat Watt, Brad Goertzen, Lisa Goertzen, Christine Uhlhorn, Janet Nalezny, Sue Pagnoni, Mike Pagnoni, & Mike Pertle. It is actions like Sunday that makes Grace Lutheran Church a great witness to God s love. Thank you for your contributions in helping fight hunger locally and abroad. Mike & Lois Pertle 938 Dartmouth Drive Wheaton, IL Sunday 9:00am Grace Lutheran Worship Sunday 5:00-6:00pm Support Group (WOW) Mon-Fri 9:00-1:00pm Senior Service Center 3rd Monday 9:00-11:00pm Food Pantry Board of Directors Monday 11:00-12:30pm Sr. Center Exercise Class Monday 11:30-12:30pm Support Group (WOW) Monday 1:00-3:00pm Food Pantry for Clients 2nd Monday 6:00pm Finance Ministry Monday 7:00-8:30pm Adult Ed Bible Study 3rd Monday 7:00pm Grace Church Council Monday 7:15pm Yoga Class (Lower Level) Tuesday 1:00-3:00pm Knitting Group Tuesday 1-3pm & 5-7pm Food Pantry for Clients 1st Tuesday 9:30am Social Ministry 1st Tuesday 11:00-12:30pm Sr. Center Exercise Class 2nd Tuesday 11:00-12:30pm Sr. Center Exercise Class 3rd Tuesday 10:00-Noon Sr. Center Book Club 4thTuesday 11:00-12:30pm Sr. Center Exercise Class Tuesday 3:00-7:00pm Parish Counselor Tuesday 6:00-7:30pm Pill Bottle Project 1st Tuesday 7:00pm Property Ministry Wednesday 7:30-8:30am Bible Study 4th Wed. 10:00-Noon Sr. Center Movie Wednesday 1:00-3:00pm Food Pantry for Clients Wednesday 1:00-7:00pm Parish Counselor Wednesday 8:00-10:00pm Support Group (WOW) 4th Thursday 7:30pm Women of Grace (offsite) Thursday 1:00-3:00pm Food Pantry for Clients Thursday 1:00-7:00pm Parish Counselor Friday 6:30-7:45pm Support Group (WOW) Grace To You Article Submission Schedule Submit articles and photos to the church office at info@graceglenellyn.org. July Issue Due June 6 August Issue Due July 5 Noses and Numbers Date Attendance Offering 8am 10:30am 4/ $14,076 4/ $ 6,328 4/ $ 8,001 4/ $ 3,376 4/ $ 5,889

5 Grace to You Page 5 Month of June 2018 Women of Grace Thursday, June 28 at 7:30pm Women of Grace is a monthly evening gathering open to all women of Grace Lutheran Church. We meet at Reserve 22 (Village Links Golf Course) in Glen Ellyn for drinks, appetizers, and/or dinner! Join us!! Teacher and Student Recognition On Sunday, June 10th, Grace will be recognizing our teachers and Class of 2018 graduating High School students during the 9:00am Service. We look forward to honoring their hard work and dedication as students and educators this past year. High School students will receive a small gift and time capsule that they made years ago in Sunday School. Holy Communion Faith Formation Evelyn Dieter, Camden de Leon, Zach Kregor West Conference - Metropolitan Chicago Synod Evangelical Lutheran Church in America 493 Forest Avenue at Pennsylvania Avenue Glen Ellyn, Illinois Office: Fax: info@graceglenellyn.org Every Member: Minister & Missionary! Melody Eastman, Pastor Bradford Thompson, Minister of Music Barbara Sudds, Office Manager Becky Ficarella, Ministry Associate Carole LoGalbo, M.S., LCPC Parish Counselor Church Office Hours Monday, Wednesday, Friday 9:30am - 3:00pm Tuesday and Thursday 1:00-3:00pm Prayer Requests Avelina Santiago, Dolores Nosal, Julie Trout, Mike Bentley, Mark Danly, Aimee Gerhardt, Biran Flynn, Joe Ernst, Joan Rosland, Anne Marie Keenan, Mindy Gould, Janice Sowinski, Diane Pagnoni, Noah Ankrom, Kim Jokela, Donna Gerhardt, Rodger Haga; Cindy Carlson, Barbara Cooper, Rosie Lee Benefield, students injured at Glendale Heights bonfire accident, and Jack Dean for healing and strength. The families of Werner Kroeger, Susan Fumea, Deloris Cummin, and June Durschmid for comfort in grief. Anniversary Wishes to Jan & Chuck Miller, 56 years (6/16). Prayers for our Homebound Members: Florence Kracke-at Laurels Peak in Mankato, MN Julie Trout-at Wynscape Health Ctr. in Wheaton