|
March 14, 2007
The SPIRIT of Ridgefield-Crystal Lake Presbyterian Church
Click here to see the March calendar.
Holy Week and Easter Worship
Sunday, April 1st, 9:00 and 11:00. Palm Sunday. Holy Week begins as we celebrate Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem with crowds waving palm branches and crying out “Hosanna!” and “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.” Special music by Little Lambs, Sounds of Joy, Jubilation, and adult choir. Communion will be served. Nursery care provided.
Thursday, April 5th, 6:30pm in fellowship hall. Maundy Thursday. This is the night we commemorate Jesus’ last meal with his friends. We will share a Middle Eastern meal as part of the worship experience. Special music by Ken Stewart. Communion will be served. Nursery care provided.
Friday, April 6th, 7:00pm in the sanctuary. Good Friday. We commemorate the death of Jesus with a service of tenebrae. Tenebrae means “shadows” and refers to the practice of extinguishing candles throughout the service. We will meditate on the “seven last words” of Jesus. Special music by soloists and the adult choir. Nursery care provided.
April 8th, four services: 8:00, 9:00 (alternative), 10:15, and 11:15. Easter Sunday.
We celebrate the astounding good news: Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Special music by the adult choir, including our traditional singing of the Hallelujah Chorus to conclude worship (10:15 and 11:15). Communion will be served. Nursery care provided.
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 will study the lectionary texts (the scripture readings) two months ahead of when they will be used in worship. Not only will this be an opportunity for scripture study and spiritual growth, but it will also help to shape the theme for our worship.
* Worship Planning Group (WPG). The WPG meets every Thursday at 6:30 pm. This group will take the theme for a given Sunday and help develop creative ways to worship for both our more traditional and our alternative services. If you have an interest in helping to plan our worship, please come on Thursday at 6:30 pm.
* RCLPC Worship Blog. Have an idea for worship but can’t make the WPG meeting? The RCLPC Worship Blog will be 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. (Aren’t we high tech?!)
|
Christian Music + Roller Skating =
A Great Time!
Sunday, March 18th
4:45-7:00 pm
$10.00 per person
(just pay at the door)
Xtreme Wheels in Crystal Lake
Maundy Thursday
Service & Supper - April 5
As we prepare ourselves for Easter Sunday, please join us on Maundy Thursday, April 5th at 6:30 p.m. for a service and light Middle Eastern supper in fellowship hall. It will be a wonderful evening of worship, communion and fellowship time together. Child care will be provided. Please watch for a sign-up sheet to be forthcoming. Any questions, please call Karen Nelson or Kathy Rabe. Thank you.
Save the Date:
Saturday April 7, 11am
Easter-Egg Hunt for children here at the church! cost: $5. Proceeds go to the Senior High Mission Trip To New Orleans.
Easter Breakfast
Sunday, April 8
This Easter Sunday the Fellowship Committee is sponsoring an all church potluck breakfast from 8:30 am to 11:30 am. Families whose last names begin with A-M are requested to bring breakfast casseroles, names beginning with N-S are requested to bring fruit, and names beginning with T-Z are requested to bring sweets or breads. Please bring your food to church between 8 am and 10:30 am and stay for a varied and scrumptious breakfast. For more information call Cindy Borre or Cheryl Brincks.
|
Interested in exploring membership at RCLPC?
An Inquirer’s Class has been scheduled for March 24th from 9am until 11am. The class will be held at the church in the fellowship hall, and a light breakfast will be served.
During the class we will explore three things:
- what it means to be Presbyterian,
- Ridgefield-Crystal Lake Presbyterian Church’s past, present, and future, and
- the meaning of membership.
Attending the Inquirer’s Class does not obligate you to become a member. But for those of you who do wish to become a member, session elders will be joining us and will be happy to talk with you.
Please RSVP to the church office (815-459-1132) so that we can know how much food to prepare. Childcare will be available upon request (let us know).
|
Elders in the Gathering Place
In an effort to improve communication during this time of transition and visioning, there will be two elders stationed in the Gathering Place between Sunday services throughout the season of Lent. If you have any questions or comments you’d like to share, you are invited to seek them out. They will answer questions to the best of their ability and pass along any comments you have to the Session.
Coming April 22
Crafts from Bethlehem made by Palestinian Christians will be available
for sale in Fellowship Hall
|
The Meanderthals
Book Group
Next Meeting: Tuesday, March 20
Time: 7:15 pm with discussion beginning at 7:30 pm
Location: Panera Bread in Crystal Lake
We will be reading Chapter 9 of Barack Obama's "The Audacity of Hope." We will finish up discussion of this book at our next meeting. Our next book will be "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini.
If there are any questions feel free to contact me. ~ Cecily Weber |
Week of Prayer and Witness with Christians in the Middle East
The 217th General Assembly invites 11,000 Presbyterian congregations to participate in a week of prayer and witness between Easter and Pentecost. Excellent aids for celebrating this time have been created by the PC(USA) and our congregation will be using many of them. (You can also find these resources on the web at http://www.pcusa.org/worldwide/middleeast.htm)
Adult education classes are being planned for April 15, 22, and 29 to provide opportunities for learning more about the Christians in the Middle East, culminated by a special worship emphasis on May 6, at which time everyone will be encouraged to pray with the Christians in the Middle East the following week.
Sometimes we may feel that we alone cannot make an impact on global situations, but together through the power of prayer and understanding, we can make a difference.
The most exciting news is that our longtime friend Sam Rizk will be coming the weekend of April 22. Sam is the son of Gendi and Samiha Rizk of Alexandria, Egypt, with whom our church has been connected for 27 years. During Sam’s high school and college years he spent summers working in Crystal Lake, living with Don, Sue and Sarah Metivier, and being an integral part of our church family. He graduated from Hanover College in Indiana and has a masters degree from the American University of Cairo. He is presently working on a PhD in Conflict Resolution at George Mason University. He and his wife, May, who is Lebanese, have been living in Lebanon prior to coming to Washington last year. They have a 2 1/2 year old daughter, Jasmine. Sam will be leading the adult education class on April 22 and there will be a gathering Saturday evening at Kim and Ken Stewart’s home to visit more informally with him. Watch for more information on the weekend with Sam!
Bread for the World Offering of Letters
The connection between God, the Earth, and food is as basic as the creation itself. From the very beginning, God has provided everything we need to sustain our lives. As the psalmist says, “The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. You open your hand, satisfying the desire of every living thing.” (Psalm 145:15-16)
The creation story also makes it clear that God intends for us humans to be stewards of the Earth. That stewardship requires us to ensure that all have enough to eat. God’s most heated anger is reserved for those “trample on the poor and take from them levies of grain.” (Amos 5:11) The Earth is God’s gift to all, and from the bounty of the Earth, God expects that all will be fed.
Bread for the World gives us a Christian voice for ending hunger in God’s world. Numbering 33 years of seeking justice and more than 56,000 people of faith, including 2500 churches, BFW helps hungry people through legislation that addresses hunger in our communities and around the world.
In this year’s Offering of Letters, Seeds of Change, BFW will be asking Congress to improve the farm bill. This bill came about after the Depression to meet the needs of U.S. farmers. Over time, it has become less successful, as our rural population has shifted away from farming, and small family farms have decreased in number. Commodity payments go to the very largest farms, while two-thirds of farmers receive no payments. Only 3 million of 50 million rural Americans are farmers, but the rural development portion of the current farm bill is very small. In recent years, U.S. farm policy has also become unintentionally devastating for small farmers in the developing world. The five crops supported by commodity payments flood world markets, selling at prices that small farmers can’t compete with.
The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program is also a major component of the farm bill. As our nation’s first line of defense against hunger, it serves more than 26 million people per month. Further improvements would provide a nutritious and sufficient diet for hungry people.
On March 25, the congregation will be invited to stop in Fellowship Hall before or after the worship services to sit down at a table and write a brief letter to their elected official. Join us as we seek “to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke…” through improving the lot of those who live in rural areas, both in the U.S. and throughout the world. (Isaiah 58:6) ~ Mission Outreach Ministry
|
Food Pantry Schedules Open House
An open house is scheduled for April 1st (Palm Sunday) from 1 pm to 4 pm. Everyone is invited to come and see the new pantry that so many of you have helped to make possible with your time, money and food. ~ Nancy Vazzano
|
Food Pantry Work Days
Our next scheduled work days are Friday, April 27; Friday, June 15; and Monday, July 23rd. Please mark your calendars. Any questions, please call Cheryl Brincks or Nancy Vazzano.
|
Community Free Dinner
On Sunday, February 25th, Lois and Rick Johnson, Dawn Condill, and MJ Towne all volunteered at the Dinner. Lois and Rick assisted in the cooking and setting up, while Dawn and MJ served and helped with the clean up. About 20 of the most wonderful people were served that evening. The Dinner is available every Sunday during the year and assistance is always appreciated. This is a wonderful way for anyone to participate in serving the less fortunate. Fliers are in the Connecting Link, but for more information or to make a donation, please call Elyce Meador.
Share Your Easter Blessings
The Northern Illinois Food Bank is making Easter baskets available for the needy at $15. It will include a 6-8# ham with all the trimmings and a dessert. If you can help, please make your checks payable to the “Crystal Lake Food Pantry” and put them in my box. You could also pay them to RCLPC and make “for food pantry” in the lower left hand corner. Help make Easter special for someone out of work, a senior or a single parent and their children. Thanks to all of you for being the kind generous people you are. ~ Nancy Vazzano
Easter Items Needed for Home of the Sparrow
It is time again for the children and youth in our church to prepare Easter Baskets for the children from Home of the Sparrow. There are 35 kids and 20 women in the program at this time. This is such a great opportunity for the young members of our church to bring a smile to another’s face. The opportunity is also available to the adults in our church through various donations of items and/or time. This year we will be preparing the baskets on Palm Sunday, April 1st, from 10:00 – 11:00 AM. The following are some of the items needed: volunteers to assist, small Easter baskets, candy, healthy snacks, small toys, books and or coloring books (no plastic eggs please as we have plenty left from last year). There will be donation boxes in the hall by the classrooms and by the office. If you are able to volunteer, please contact Wendy Sanders.
Youth Schedules...
Middle School Youth
March 18:
Planning for Youth Sunday
March 25:
NO MEETING
Friday, April 13: 6 PM
Youth-Sunday rehearsal
April 15: YOUTH-LED
WORSHIP, all services
Senior High Youth
March 18:
Planning for Youth Sunday
March 28: NO STUDY BREAK - spring break
*April 1: $50 mission trip payment due!
Friday, April 13: 6 PM
Youth-Sunday rehearsal
April 15: YOUTH-LED
WORSHIP, all services
Confirmation Class
Friday, March 16: 7 pm -
Saturday, March 17: 8pm
RETREAT to Stronghold
Sunday, April 1: 6 pm - 8 pm Class
Tuesday, April 3: Field trip to Seder dinner at the Synagogue |
[ Back to the Top ]
|
