Ridgefield-Crystal Lake Presbyterian Church
WHERE
WE ARE 		HOW TO
CONTACT US 		WHAT WE
DO & WHEN 		WHO
WE ARE

June 13, 2007

The SPIRIT of Ridgefield-Crystal Lake Presbyterian Church
Click here to see the June calendar.

Our Common Worship

One of the first worship books in the Presbyterian tradition was put together by John Knox in the sixteenth century. It was called the “Book of Common Order.” Early in the 20th century Presbyterians in the United States published a new worship book called the “Book of Common Worship.” That book has been updated and reprinted several times, and a completely new “Book of Common Worship” was published in 1993.

It’s interesting that, almost from the beginning, Presbyterians have used the word common to describe their worship. Common worship is worship we do in public (the “commons”). It is also worship we share (hold in “common”) with other Presbyterians and other Christians. I’m especially interested in this second meaning of common.

We have a diverse worship life here at RCLPC, and we have rightly celebrated that. But at times we have allowed the diversity of our worship life to obscure what we hold in common.

We currently have three Sunday services. (We also have a wonderful Taizé service on the first Thursday of every month, but for the time being I’m focusing on our Sunday services.) You will hear a diversity of music at all of our services, but I think it’s fair to say you’re more likely to hear rock at 8:30 and more likely to hear the organ at 9:30 and 11:00.

There are other differences between the services, but these differences are small compared to what they (and we) have in common.

  • All our services are planned and led by lay people and staff working together.

  • All our services use PowerPoint, in addition to worship bulletins, to aid worshipers and to enhance the visual elements of worship.

  • All our services make use of visual imagery, drama, movie clips, and anything else that helps to deliver the message for the day.

  • All our services grow out of biblical texts, and we use the same biblical text for each service on a given Sunday.

  • All our services feature dynamic preaching. How about good preaching? Would you settle for competent preaching? In any case, the message for all our services is generally the same and is drawn from the biblical text for the day.

  • All our services set aside a special time for children when we talk directly to them about the focus for the day.

  • All our services give us the opportunity to share what’s going on in our lives, our joys and our concerns, and to pray for one another, the church, and the world.

  • All our services include the opportunity to say the Lord’s Prayer together.

  • All our services celebrate the sacraments of baptism and communion.

  • All our services include “mission focus” moments to help us connect our faith with service in the world.
This is just a partial list. Obviously our services are different. But it’s important to remember not only the differences, which can divide us, but also all the things we hold in common.

John Calvin said that our “chief end” is to “glorify God and enjoy God forever.” Whether through rock or through Bach, worship is one way we try to live that out. I hope you will join with me in celebrating our common worship, both its amazing diversity and its deep unity. See you on Sunday.

-Richard

Opportunities to Study and Create

* Lectionary Study group (LSG--Get High on the Bible!).
The LSG meets every Tuesday at noon.
We invite everyone to bring a brownbag lunch and an open mind. We study the lectionary texts (the scripture readings) two months ahead of when they will be used in worship. Not only is this an opportunity for scripture study and spiritual growth, but it also helps to shape the theme for our worship.

* Worship Planning Group (WPG).
The WPG meets every Thursday at 6:30 pm.
This group takes the theme for a given Sunday and helps develop creative ways to worship for each of our services. If you have an interest in helping to plan our worship, please come on Thursday at 6:30 pm. Open to everyone!

* RCLPC Worship Blog.
Have an idea for worship but can’t make the WPG meeting? The RCLPC Worship Blog is updated every week with scripture and themes for upcoming worship services. You are invited to read the text and the theme and then share whatever comments, suggestions, or ideas you have. We will do our best to incorporate these into the planning process. The Worship Blog is at rclpcworship.blogspot.com. It is also linked on our main website from the worship page.

Come Frolic on the Summer Solstice! - June 21

Use your extra daylight hours to have some fun! On Thursday, June 21, from 6-8, young and old alike will celebrate with fun and games here at RCLPC. We have active games, sitting-down games, indoor and outdoor games... games for grown ups and even some for kids. So bring a salad to share and we’ll have a salad-and-game party! See you on the 21st!

Taizé on Sunday! – June 24 at 9:30 am

On Sunday, June 24th, the scripture reading is from 1 Kings 19.9-15a, the story of Elijah on Mount Horeb meeting God—not in the fire, not in the wind, not in the earthquake, but in a gentle whisper, a sound of silence.

To explore this story in a new way, our 9:30 worship service will be a service in the style of Taizé. There will be short songs that we repeat until they become our prayers, there will be extended silence, and there will be prayer. Please join us for this different exploration of Elijah’s story. The 8:30 (alt) and 11:00 services will be unchanged.

Blood Drive June 24th

Heartland Blood Centers will be at RCLPC on June 24 from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM. Many thanks to all of you who signed up for the last blood drive. As you know, the Heartland van broke down. Several people asked if we could reschedule. June 24 is the new date. If you have never donated blood in the past, please prayerfully consider becoming a first-time donor. I will look forward to signing you all up again! Contact Ken Zoerner if you have any questions.

Meet-n-Eat! - July 14

A new adult fellowship opportunity. Last time the weather was bad, so let’s try again! Saturday July 14, 7pm, gather for food and fellowship at Genovese’s in downtown Crystal Lake. Look for a sign-up sheet in the Connecting Link.

Summer Sunday School

Don’t forget we’ll be having summer Sunday school for grades K-5 in the Fellowship Hall each Sunday at 9:30! The new curriculum we’re using is designed to help kids connect more with what happens in worship, and it follows the same Scripture readings we use in worship to make the connections in the same day. We hope to see you!


Planning Ahead:

We are preparing for next year’s confirmation class. If you will be in 8th grade or higher and are interested, please talk to Teri by July 15th so we can get information to you.

Prime Timers are Having a Picnic

Since it will officially be summer, the Primetimers (those of us in the prime of our life who are able to meet on the third Thursday of each month at 10:00am) are going to be meeting on June 21st to have a picnic. Yes, a good old fashioned picnic! What you need to know:
  • We will be meeting at Wayne and Dale Prindiville’s at 10:00am.
  • Chef Wayne will be grilling hamburgers and hot dogs, Dale will be the gracious hostess and the only thing you only need to bring is a dish to share (beans, chips, dessert, etc.).
  • Call Dale before the picnic to let her know that you will be there (so we can set up a chair for you) and also what you will be bringing (so we don’t have hamburgers, hotdogs, and 10 pots of baked beans).
  • Bring your ideas for revitalizing the “Bread Basket Ministry”. We decided at our last meeting that we would like to undertake this project and want to get this very important ministry of friendship off to a new and great start.
  • Come dressed casually as there will be food, fun, fellowship, and GAMES.
We invite everyone to come, have a good time, and meet some great people.

Vacation Bible School - July 9 - 13, 2007 

Ages 3 (toilet trained) through 5th grade;
Cost: $15.00 per child (up to 2 children), $7.50 per child 3rd child or more

Vacation Bible School is just around the corner, July 9 – 13. Please begin completing and returning registration forms, which can be obtained on-line here or in the Connecting Link. Registration forms are due June 22nd.
Open to RCLPC members, friends, and visitors!  Tell a friend! Questions? Want to volunteer?  Contact Cheryl Lilly.

A list of donation needs has also been compiled and is on display in the Connecting Link. Please take a moment to review the list and sign-up, if there is an item you are able to provide. If you are looking to provide help in other ways, please contact Cheryl Lilly.

Thank you in advance for helping make this year a success.

Be a VBS Volunteer!

Fun, fellowship, cutting, coloring, painting, gluing, and decorating! We would love your help to “lighten the load” as we prepare for “Lift Off” VBS 2007! Join us in the preschool room from 7-9 pm on the following dates for VBS Decorating/Crafting Nights:

Wednesday, June 20th (Tie Dye Staff Tee-Shirt Night)
Monday, June 25th
Monday, July 2nd

Christianity and Other Religions

Please join us on Tuesday evenings at 7 pm as Richard leads us in conversation about Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, Christianity (an “outsider” perspective), and others. If you’ve ever wondered how the reality of religious pluralism might impact Christian faith, or if you’ve ever wanted to learn just a bit about the major religions of the world, this class is for you. Childcare is provided.

Parenting on Prayers (POP)

This small group meets together on Sunday mornings at 9:30 am back in the education wing and they are reading the book “Parenting with Love and Logic” by Foster Cline and Jim Fay. If you have problems, questions, advice, experience, stories or just need to know you aren't the only one who feels like you do, this class is for you! They meet during the Education Hour on Sundays so you don't have to worry about childcare. This is a great opportunity for you to spend some time with other parents and grow together spiritually.

Share the Bounty Needs Your Help

That wonderful program that allows Gardeners and Non-Gardeners to enjoy the Bounty from gardens during the summer and early fall is in danger of being eliminated!

If you can help with this project from which we all benefit as do some of our Mission endeavors, please so indicate on the Sign Up Sheet in the Connecting Link.  Those who so generously gave of their time and talents in the past can no longer do so alone and are asking for help.

This is a wonderful summer project we can maintain through the RCLPC sharing.  It only involves setting up, cleaning up and giving the collected money to the Counters.  The growing season is only about 10-12 weeks.  CAN YOU HELP one week????   ~ Mission Outreach Ministry

Building & Grounds Corner: Church Bell Falls Silent

I didn’t hear the church bell ring Sunday, why not?

Investigating why our 109 year old historic church bell wouldn’t ring Sunday, we discovered the rope wheel broken in three places. What is a rope wheel? It is a 5’6” diameter wood wheel (about the height of a certain associate pastor), that looks much like an old covered wagon wheel from the 1800’s. The rope we pull to ring the bell wraps around this wheel which swings the 800 pound bell (and has been known to lift children off the floor in the process). How do you repair a wooden wheel that has been in our bell tower since 1898? We called on our senior master wood worker, Cy Zank, and asked, “Cy, can you make a new wood rim?” Cy said, “sure no problem,” and is now hard at work replicating the workmanship of the 1800’s complete with tongue-and-groove and wood peg construction. And the good news is Cy also guarantees his work – he says if the new rope wheel breaks for any reason in the next 109 years he will be glad to fix it for us. If you’re the curious sort, we have actual pictures of our bell in the connecting link. It is really neat.

A Goodbye and a Welcome

One of the very important ministries of the church is the communion supplies coordinator. It’s a ministry you don’t hear about very often, but one that is vital to our communion celebration each month. This person purchases the wine, juice, bread, and makes sure all the napkins, tablecloths, chalices, plates, and pitchers are in the right place at the right time. Sue Begley has been doing this for some time now, but has recently retired because of health concerns. Sue has done a great job and we thank her for her gifts.

Laurie Dayon will be our new communion supplies coordinator. She will be making sure that everything is ready and waiting on Sunday morning when we celebrate communion. When you see Laurie, thank her for her willingness to share her gifts with all of us.

The Native American Connection

The beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota will be the site of A Sustainable Living Festival June 21-24th. The goal is to spread information and awareness about sustainable farming, organic foods, industrial hemp’s agricultural potential, green energy, natural health care, while teaching people how to incorporate sustainable living into their daily lives through solar and wind energy, gardening, bio-diesel fuel, or making ecological decisions in clothing and gear.

The hope is to help the people of the Black Hills become a living example to the millions of visitors who visit this area every year. The Keefe Green Productions hope to make “The Solstice Shakedown” a travel destination in itself, along with Mt. Rushmore, Deadwood and the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. As this goal is accomplished, they hope to also raise money for green causes, individuals and organizations that they champion, including helping Pine Ridge Reservation become more self-sufficient. By showing people a good time while educating them, they believe this awareness can spread across the country.

Along with living workshops on progressive topics like running diesel engines on waste vegetable oil, building your own home with cob adobe, wind and solar energy and tips on preserving the environment, there will be an Organnabis Kitchen teaming up with regional healthy food vendors to provide organic meals featuring Thai and Mediterranean recipes, sushi, buffalo burgers and organic products to be used in meals.

Sounds like a “reality experience” to look into as soon as it is up and running!! In the meantime, you can check it all out online at solsticeshakedown.com

P.S. Joy Martin will be returning to Rosebud and Pine Ridge Reservations on June 20th. If you would like her to take a check for White Buffalo Calf Women’s Shelter with her, just let her know.

[ Back to the Top ]