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August 22, 2007
The SPIRIT of Ridgefield-Crystal Lake Presbyterian Church
Click here to see the August calendar.
Come WEAVE with us!
Starting September 5, come to RCLPC to explore some new
Wednesday Evening AVEnues. Our new Wednesday evening schedule looks like this:
5:30 -- Little Lambs Children’s Choir
6-7:30 -- Dinner for everyone! (catered by a local restaurant)
6:30 -- Sounds of Joy Children’s Choir
7:00 -- Storytime (Preschool through 5th grades)
7:00 -- Adult education hour
7:00 -- “The Story” youth Bible study in the Fellowship Hall
7:45 -- Adult Choir
Childcare will be available from 6:45 until 9:15pm (through Adult Education and Choir) each week.
The dinner is open to all who wish to join us, whether you sign up or not, for a minimal cost (between $5-7 per person depending on the menu, with a discounted price for children). If you have suggestions for a restaurant you would like to cater our dinner one week, please let Teri know. We won’t ask you to sign up, but if you already know that you are planning to join us for dinner, please let us know that so we can begin to plan for an appropriate number of people!
This is a great new opportunity for fellowship, education, and music. We hope you’ll join us! What better way to grow as a disciple and as a church family than to break bread together, to sing together, and to study together?
September WEAVE-ings
| 5th |
| Children’s Worship Workshops |
| 5:30 | 1st - 3rd grade |
| 5:45 | 4th - 5th grade |
| 6:30 | PreK - Kindergarten |
| 5th | 7:00 | Adult Ed in Sanctuary:
“The Great Ends of the Church” |
| 12th, 19th, 26th | 7:00 | Inquirer’s Class in Lounge |
| 12th, 19th, 26th | 7:00 | Adult Ed in Sanctuary:
“Christianity for the Rest of Us” |
September 5:
Adult Education in the sanctuary:
“The Six Great Ends of the Church”
Join Richard in the sanctuary as we explore the purpose of church. What does it mean to be a church? What makes us different from a social or service organization? Are there six ways to put an end to church? No, no… it’s a statement of the goals, the point, the reason for church. Come explore what it means to be a church, from proclaiming the gospel to exhibiting the Kingdom of Heaven.
New Inquirer’s Class begins September 12
A new inquirer’s class is scheduled starting Wednesday, September 12th, at 7pm in the church lounge. The class will meet for three weeks (9/12, 9/19, and 9/26) and explore three things: what it means to be a Christian, what it means to be a Presbyterian, and what it means to be a member of RCLPC. The class will be a part of WEAVE, our upcoming education and fellowship program on Wednesday nights. (See page 1 of this issue for more details.) Childcare will be provided. Please contact the church office (815-459-1132) and let us know if you would like to participate in the inquirer’s class.
Beginning September 12:
Adult Education in the sanctuary:
“Christianity for the Rest of Us”
Join us on a 7-week adventure through Diana Butler Bass’ book Christianity for the Rest of Us. This book explores the practices of vital and growing mainline congregations throughout the US and invites us to think about how our own church practices our faith. Bass suggests that the key to vitality and vibrancy in a congregation is that we continually practice our faith, not that we assume that we’ve perfected it for all time. Her experiences in the mainline church counter the argument that only “conservative” and “evangelical” megachurches are vibrant and welcomes us into an exploration of what vibrant Christian faith might look like for the rest of us. Richard and Teri will teach this class together. The book is often available at major bookstores, or you can order one through the church office for $24.
September 12: “Back in the Day” or “What Happened to the Church?”
September 19: practicing, part 1 (chapters 5-6)
September 26: practicing, part 2 (chapters 7-8)
October 3: practicing, part 3 (chapters 9-11)
October 10: practicing, part 4 (chapter 12)
October 17: practicing, part 5 (chapter 13-14)
October 24: transforming (chapters 15-17)
Upcoming Texts for Worship
September 9 - Jeremiah 18:1-11
This may seem like a bit of a harsh word of judgment: the Lord says “I am a potter shaping evil against you and devising a plan against you.” God is planning to thump the people of Israel for their unfaithfulness. But there’s actually good news in this text, because God says even the best laid plans—even divine plans!—can change, if only the people will repent and move in a new direction. The text uses the image of a potter working a lump of clay: he doesn’t like his first try, so then he reshapes it into a better form. God’s trying to do that with Israel, but the clay can be stubborn and won’t play along. Good news for the day: we’re not done yet! God’s not finished shaping us yet. We’re still wet clay. And that means we always have the chance for a new beginning. We always have the chance to turn around and move in a new direction. This seems an appropriate message as we kick off a new church year. –RAF
September 16 - Luke 15:1-10
This is a well-known and beloved text. Who among us has not felt like a lost sheep at one time or another, or a coin that has dropped through the cracks of life? The good news is that God the shepherd, God the housekeeper, will not stop looking until we are found. We did recognize there’s a bit of an edge to this: it comes right before the story of the prodigal son, and just like the older brother in that story, you have to wonder if the 99 good sheep who stayed put resent the shepherd expending so much effort to find the one lost sheep (and then throwing a party for him!) Of course this presumes any of us are really one of the 99 good and faithful sheep. It may be (and I think Jesus and Luke would agree) that we are ALL lost sheep (or lost coins), in one way or another, it’s just that some of us (like the Pharisees) THINK we’re righteous and not in need of God’s grace. One more thing: it’s easy for us to imagine ourselves as one of the sheep (or the coins), but the text also invites us to imagine ourselves as the shepherd (or the woman). “Which one of you, having a hundred sheep…” See, we’re the shepherd, too, and that means it’s our job to go out in search of the lost ones, even when it’s risky. –RAF
September 23 - Leviticus 25:1-7
This Sunday we will be celebrating creation—the beauty of creation, the goodness of creation, the gift of creation, and our responsibility toward creation. I don’t preach often from Leviticus (it can be rough in places), but the whole purpose of the book is to order the people’s lives in life-giving ways. We may not agree with some of the specific prescriptions to do that, but we can’t argue with the intent. In this scripture reading, a part of the life-giving order of the community is allowing for sabbath rest for the land. Human beings already have sabbath rest one day out of seven (or they are supposed to). The sabbath day is also supposed to extend to animals (beasts of burden are not supposed to work, either). And now we find the land itself gets a sabbath (once every seven years). Obviously this has a lot to tell us about the importance of rest, for us and for all creation. It also chastises us in our constant attempts to make nature “productive”—if land is not producing something, we consider it a waste of space. This text invites us to imagine that God has a relationship with the land independent of human beings; that the value of the land (and nature more generally) is not determined simply by human needs and desires. Human beings, animals, the land itself—we’re all God’s creatures, we all have value because of God’s love, we all are utterly dependent on God’s grace, we all are required to live in ways that are life-giving for all creation, we all need rest, we’re all in this together, we’re all kin. –RAF
September 30 - Jeremiah 32.1-3a, 6-15
A text like this is hard for people like us. Jeremiah, a prophet before and during the time of the exile, buys a field. So what? Well, the Babylonian army, which has come to take possession of Israel and deport the Israelites, is camped on the field and is besieging God's Holy City. Who would buy that field? It looks like a pretty bad investment. Well, Jeremiah just got finished telling the Israelites (in chapter 31) all about God's promise of a new covenant, of the law being written in people's hearts rather than on stone tablets, of God's unending love for the chosen people. But with God's Holy City under siege, it must look like Jeremiah is nuts. Even Jeremiah must be wondering if he's really hearing God's word. The next time God's word comes, Jeremiah waits. When his cousin shows up and says exactly the words God said he would, Jeremiah "knew this was the word of the LORD." And so he buys a field, a field with an army camped on it, and puts the deed somewhere where it will be safe "for a long time." It's going to be a while, but fields and houses and vineyards shall again be bought in the land. Jeremiah doesn't just buy a field, he seals his life to the testimony he's been giving, he invests in the hope he's been preaching, he puts his money where his mouth is. This is not just a story of a field, it's a story of hope calling out in the midst of national despair. We may not be able to directly relate this story to our everyday lives, but thousands around the world can. On this day when we also explore the various mission opportunities and partnerships of RCLPC, perhaps this is a day when we pray for those who feel this despair, when we try to be in solidarity with those who need a word of hope, and perhaps, in so doing, find hope for the despair in our own nation and lives as well. –TCP
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Adult Choir Retreat
The annual adult choir retreat brunch is Saturday, August 25, in the fellowship hall, from 9:00 - 11:00am. All are welcome. If you are thinking about singing in the choir and haven’t yet made the plunge, this is a perfect time to meet new faces, fellowship and sing. Current adult choir members please sign up in the choir room. Newcomers are our guests. Questions? E-mail Sherri Dees at sherri@rclpc.org.
Kick-Off Sunday: September 9
Join us on Sunday, September 9 as we kick off a new program year here at RCLPC. Visit the ministry fair in the Fellowship Hall between 9 and 11am to see the different things we do and find out ways to be involved in everything from education to youth to fellowship to worship and more! Regular Sunday School will meet at 9:30, with classes for pre-school through high school. All youth and parents are invited to a Youth Group kick-off meeting at noon. And, of course, we will celebrate this new beginning in worship together as well. See you there!
Jubilation Choir (6th through 12th grade)
Jubilation choir meets weekly, following 11:00 worship. Our repertoire includes many musical styles ranging from contemporary and world music to classical traditions. The group leads worship every four to six weeks from September through May. Sherri Dees is the director. Kick off meeting: Sunday, September 9, at 1:00pm, or after the youth group meeting, in the music room.
Adult Choir
The adult choir is an all-volunteer group which leads worship at 9:30 and/or 11:00am, from September through May, as well as on other special occasions. The repertoire is an eclectic mix, encompassing a wide range of musical styles. Any interested adult is invited to join. Rehearsals are on Wednesday evenings from 7:45-9:15pm, in the music room.
Children’s Worship Workshop
Calling all children! On Wednesday September 5, join Teri in the sanctuary for a 15 minute exploration of worship.
1st - 3rd grade workshop from 5:30-5:45 (during Little Lambs rehearsal),
4th & 5th grade workshop from 5:45-6:00 (during Little Lambs rehearsal),
and preschool-Kindergarten workshop from 6:30-6:45 (during Sounds of Joy rehearsal).
This is a great way for children to learn more about what’s going on in worship and to learn how they can participate in their worship experience on Sunday mornings. Questions?
Call or email Teri at 815.459.1132 or teri@rclpc.org.
Calling all Youth (grades 6-12)
Please come to our kick-off meeting for youth groups on September 9 at noon. Bring your parents!
Confirmation Class
The Confirmation Class kick-off will be Sunday, August 26 at noon. Parents and youth, please meet in the lounge if you are interested! Ex-cons, please come then as well. Thanks!
Mark your calendars!
Want to hear what the group of RCLPCers did in New Orleans? Come find out! See photos, hear stories, and have lunch all at the same time on Sunday, September 16 in the Fellowship Hall at noon. There will be spaghetti, salad, bread, and lemonade for your enjoyment. Cost: $5/adult, $2/children. Please support our youth and the adults who accompanied them by learning about their experiences in mission and by sharing table fellowship.
Save the Date !!!
September 22nd
Family Meet-N-Eat at Nick’s Pizza.
Stay tuned!!!
Thank You for Sharing Your Gifts
Thank you to all the people who shared their gifts and love of music during summer worship. 9:30 and 11:00 participants were Emily Floyd and the McHenry County Youth Choir, the RCLPC women’s choir, Janet Holub, Molly McKenzie, Rebecca Floyd, John and Kathy Manchester, Sarah Metivier, Will Cooper, the RCLPC men’s choir, Ann Legg, Lois Johnson, and Kristi and Sam Geggie.
Our 8:30 musicians this summer included Dan Gilman, Scott and Jodi Iddings, Steve Polnow, Cynthia and Ed Maron, Shelley, Evan, and Collin Berg, Anthony Houston, Paul Dolmon, Derek and Giana Stipati, Grayson Randall, Al Popp, Ben and Lawson Dees, Chris Stoddard, Jodie LeFevre, Rod Russell, Cecily Weber, Ken, Karissa, and Kayla Stewart.
Calling All Children!
Children's Choir is starting soon, and we need plenty of new members and all of our returning members! Please note new rehearsal times.
Rehearsals begin on
Wednesday, September 5th in the choir room
LITTLE LAMBS CHOIR
meets 5:30-6:00 pm
(3 year-olds - Kindergarten)
SOUNDS OF JOY CHOIR
meets 6:30-7:30 pm
(1st grade - 5th grade)
LET'S GET STARTED!
For more information, please contact director Emily Floyd.
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Thanks for Helping with the Ice Cream Social
at the Woodstock Band Concert
In spite of the forecast of severe weather, the Ice Cream Social went on, and the Cookie Lift Project made
$139.00 on cookie sales and $136.00 in donations for a total of $275.00. Between the Sunday Aug. 19
services, the remaining cookies were sold for $96.00 dollars, for a grand total of $371.00!
A huge thanks to: Jodi Iddings, Paula Ekstrom, Emily Lazar, Marie and Bruce Randall, Kathy Rabe, Karen Hutchings, Cheryl Lilly, Nancy Blakely, Cheryl Brincks, Raj Dencker, Hannah and Emma Koenig, Tina and Laura Kay, Pat Moll, Lois Johnson, Nancy Vazzano, Ed Bennett, and Dorothy Vick who baked a bountiful, beautiful, and delicious selection of cookies and brownies. We go to the weekly Ice Cream Socials, and we can testify that RCLPCs offering was the best that we have seen and tasted!
Thanks to Marie and Bruce Randall who helped people write greetings to the troops, to Nancy Blakely who sold the Beyond the Cookie Walk cookbooks, to Marissa and Christopher Blakely who were living sign boards in the park, to Dorothy Vick, Joy Martin, and Cheryl Brincks who greeted the concert goers and to Karen, Alex, Amanda, and Abby Nelson who helped throughout the evening. Thanks also to all of you who braved the weather and came and bought cookies and helped as needed.
~ Mary Moltmann and Ed Bennett
Many Thanks
Ken and I would like to thank all of you who visited us while I am getting over my accident… with flowers, food, cards and gift cards, the good friendship…. often you made us laugh. What better medicine than fellowship. You also let us talk. You were genuinely interested in details of my accident. Ken and I had to decide how to repay all of this kindness. We decided to write two checks--one to Home of the Sparrow and the other to the food pantry--that will continue the food chain by passing them along. They all are way more in need than we were! That will be our thank-you. A special thank-you for all your prayers and to Al Popp, Rob & Julia baser, Joan & Jack Black, John & Nancy Delware, Rick & Laurie Pohl, Mary Moltmann, Dave & Deb Steele, David & Cary Woodruff, Amy Collins, Ken & Jayne Zoerner, Steve & Kristi Geggie, Dave Meyer, and last but not least our dear Pastors, Richard & Teri.
Many Thanks,
Ken & Jaunita Miller
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| Sat., Aug. 25 | Adult Choir Retreat & Brunch | 9-11:00 am |
| Sun., Aug. 26 | Confirmation Class Kick-Off Meeting | Noon |
Begins Wednesday,
Sept. 5 | WEAVE -
(Wednesday Evening AVEnues)
A New Wednesday evening experience at RCLPC
(dinner, adult education, youth Bible Study, and fellowship) | Look for details in this Spirit! |
Wednesday
Evenings | Children’s Choir Rehearsals
Little Lambs (PreK - Kindergarten)
Sounds of Joy (1st - 5th grades) | *note times
5:30-6:00 pm
6:30-7:30 pm |
| Wed., Sept. 5 only | Children’s Worship Workshops (*note new times)
1st-3rd grades (during Little Lambs rehearsal)
4th & 5th grades (during Little Lambs rehearsal)
PreK-Kindergarten (during Sounds of Joy rehearsal) | *
5:30-5:45 pm
5:45-6:00 pm
6:30-6:45 pm |
Wednesday
Evenings | Storytime (Preschool through 5th grades) | 7:00 - 8:00 pm |
Wednesday
Evenings | “The Story” - Youth Bible Study in Fellowship Hall (6th - 12th) | 7:00 - 8:00 pm |
Wednesday
Evenings | Adult Education in the Sanctuary | 7:00 - 8:00 pm |
Wednesday
Evenings | Adult Choir rehearsal (*note new time for choir rehearsal) | 7:45-9:15 pm |
Saturday,
Sept. 8 | Men’s Breakfast Group meets at Colonial Café in Crystal Lake | 8:00 am |
Saturday,
Sept. 8 | Sunday School Teacher Training | Noon - 2 pm |
Saturday,
Sept. 8 | Confirmation Class Opening Retreat (location TBA) | 2:00 - 7:00 pm |
| Sun., Sept. 9 | Kick-Off Sunday for new program year
Ministry Fair in Fellowship Hall | 9-11:00 am |
Sundays
Begins Sept. 9 | Sunday School for PreK - High School | 9:30-10:30 am |
| Sun., Sept. 9 | Youth Groups Parent & Youth Kick-Off Meeting | Noon |
| Sun., Sept. 9 | Jubilation Choir Kick-Off rehearsal | 1 pm |
| Sun., Sept. 16 | New Orleans Mission Trip Luncheon for all who would like to learn about our experiences on mission | Noon |
| Sun., Sept. 30 | Mission Outreach Fair in Fellowship Hall | Watch for more Details! |
Office Notes:
Due to our bulk mail postage rates doubling and trying to continue getting this newsletter out in a timely fashion, we will be going on-line with our newsletter starting in September. If you are unable to go on-line to view the Spirit newsletter, please contact the church office at 815-459-1132. Please send us your current email address to the church office at office@rclpc.org. Thank you.
Mark Your Calendars !!!
Sunday, October 21
6:00 old-fashioned potluck dinner
7:00 concert by David LaMotte
($10 for adults/$5 for youth)
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Internationally acclaimed singer/songwriter David LaMotte will perform at RCLPC on October 21st. David’s concerts are entertaining and varied, including image-rich songs, engaging storytelling, an occasional poem, and adept instrumental guitar work. His music has been described by the Washington Times as “guitar-spanking, open-tuning grooves as well as gentle, folk-tinged pop.” |
Global Warming/Climate Change
What are the facts? What can you do?
Tuesday, September 18, 2007 ~ 7 - 9 pm
McHenry County College Conference Center ~ Free
Bill Sweitzer, a Crystal Lake resident who has participated in a training program led by former Vice President Al Gore, will be showing a 60 minute presentation featuring highlights from Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth and the most recent updates on Global Warming/Climate. In addition Bill will be offering concrete suggestions on how individuals can help reduce global climate change. Bill will be joined by Pat Dieckhoff, Waste Reduction Specialist for the Lou Marchi Total Recycling at McHenry county College. There is no charge for the program. For more information visit www.mchenry.edu/recycling or call 815 479-7817.
Lines from the Library
Hello again from a long lost librarian. I’m glad to be back! The RCLPC library is a very dear part of my life. I hope it is for all of you too. While I was away Joyce Berube did a terrific job upgrading the system and bringing in better books. We have a lot for which to thank her. I will try to continue these good works. I need your prayers.
Number one on my “must do” list is to remind all who have checked out books and tapes to please return them to the library within a reasonable time. Others may be wanting to read or watch them. I’ll be contacting you soon.
Some good news now… the latest “Yada Yada” book will be on the shelf next week! That should make someone happy.
If you entertain ideas or suggestions for a user friendly library, please contact me. I will be happy to talk with you.
God Bless, Marge Hansen
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Crystal Lake
Food Pantry
Celebrates 25 Years
Sunday September 23, 2007 at 5:00 pm
Dinner – Auction – Entertainment
D’Andrea Banquet Center
4419 Northwest Highway
Crystal Lake, Illinois
$25 per person – Tickets can be purchased at the Crystal Lake Food Pantry, 257 King Street, Crystal Lake or through Nancy Vazzano.
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