September 24, 2008

The Spirit of Ridgefield Crystal Lake Presbyterian Church

Come Together For Turning Point—Success!
Kayleigh Jensen (a sophomore at McHenry West) pulled together a fabulous event here at RCLPC on Friday, September 19.  Three local bands played, including a girl-fronted band, a heavy metal band, and Stockwood—who played their usual Beatles show and then delighted the audience with some of their original work as well!  Throughout the evening, over 150 people attended, enjoying a pasta dinner and great music along with friends new and old.  The evening raised over $1,000 for Turning Point to help overcome domestic violence.  It was a great evening—thanks to all who attended and helped out, and a special thanks to Kayleigh who worked so hard to make this all happen!

CROP Walk October 5!

It’s that time again! The Crystal Lake CROP Walk this year will be on October 5 and will be starting from Bethany Lutheran Church at 1:30 PM. There will be a 4 mile walk and a 1 mile walk. Last year RCLPC raised more than $2000 and hopefully we can match or exceed that amount this year. The vision for this year is 20/20 ($20,000 city wide for our 20^th walk).

25% of the funds raised will stay in the area. One half will go to PADS and the other half to the Interfaith Food Pantry.

The remaining 75% will be used by Church World Services.

$25 – can provide blankets to a family of five displaced by violence or natural disaster.

$45 – can provide 30 jerry cans to carry clean water for drinking and cooking.

$50 – can buy a hundred chickens and two wire chicken coops, providing two families with a reliable source of eggs, protein and income.

As a CROP Hunger Walker or sponsor, you help us reach out to children and families in Darfur, Kenya, Myanmar, Katrina, and elsewhere with the gift of clean, fresh water and other empowering tools of hope, as well as helping overcome poverty here in our own community.

RCLPC has been and is always generous. The Youth of RCLPC are actively involved as are many others. Join the Walk, take an envelope and help us collect funds, and/or please contribute to a Walker…there are people all around the church with envelopes—they are just looking for sponsors! Please donate today, and walk on the 5^th!

Colombian Presbyterian Pastors to Speak

at Ridgefield-Crystal Lake Presbyterian Church

8505 Church Street, Crystal Lake, IL 60012

815-459-1132

Rev. Milton Mejia

Sunday, October 19, 2008

9:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.

Rev. Diego Higuita

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Supper at 6:00 p.m., Presentation at 7:00 p.m.

Call 815-459-1132 for supper reservation.

Rev. Milton Mejia is a leader in the Colombia Ecumenical Network, which seeks a negotiated peace to Colombia’s 40-year-old civil conflict and solutions to the massive displacement generated by the violence. In efforts to break the cycle of violence of Colombia’s longstanding civil conflict, the Presbyterian Church of Colombia (IPC) has engaged with other civil society groups in efforts to secure a durable peace that addresses root causes of the conflict. Because of this IPC commitment and Rev. Mejia’s ministry of training human rights advocates among Colombia’s war displaced, the Mejia family began receiving death threats in 2003. In August 2006, these threats became so serious that the Rev. Mejia and his family fled Colombia for the United States, accompanied by an official delegation of the Presbyterian Church, (USA).

During his time in the United States, Rev. Mejia is speaking to churches about the human rights crisis facing Colombia, which the United Nations has called “the greatest humanitarian catastrophe in the Western hemisphere.” During their temporary refuge here, Rev. Mejia and his wife, the Rev. Adelaida Mejia, are completing two-year master’s programs at McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago.

Rev. Diego Higuita, recently elected as the executive secretary of the Presbyterian Church of Colombia (IPC), will speak about his experiences as a pastor in the midst of the Colombian conflict. In addition to his present post, Rev. Higuita has also served as Moderator of the IPC. His ministry of ten years has focused in the region of Urabá, working with people in rural areas and as the Director of Popular Theology in that presbytery. He has been an eyewitness to many violent acts in that region and joins in the struggle to return peace to Urabá, to Colombia, and to the world. An International Peacemaker through the Presbyterian Church, (USA), he has been speaking at various Presbyteries, churches and schools in the United States.

Both pastors will speak in Spanish. English interpretation will be provided.

For more information contact Ann Legg.

WEAVE—Wednesday Evening AVEnues: come journey with us! We have a number of avenues to walk down each Wednesday evening here at RCLPC—we hope you’ll join us on one or more of these roads as we walk together! Musical avenues: 5:30-6:00pm: Little Lambs (preschool) children’s choir in the music room 6:30-7:30pm: Sounds of Joy (grades 1-5) children’s choir in the music room 7:45-9:15pm: Adult choir in the music room Fellowship avenues: 6:00-7:00pm: catered dinner for everyone in Fellowship Hall ($5/adult, $3/child) Volunteer avenues (please sign up in the Connecting Link—and/or contact either Fellowship or Education Team for more information!): 5:30-6:00pm: pick up food or meet caterer 5:30-6:00pm: set up in fellowship hall 7:00-7:30pm: clean up in kitchen 7:30-8:00pm: storytime and homework help for elementary kids, in the preschool room Education avenues: 6:30-7:30pm: Faith and Family* (led by Jayne Zoerner) in the lounge 7:00-8:00pm: The Crossing—at the intersection of faith and life** (led by Teri) in the fellowship hall:
*Faith and Family: We are reading and discussing the book called “The Shack” by William Young. Please join us as we share our faith stories and explore how we live out our faith as individuals and a community.		**Series “101” We are discussing theology, worship, spirituality, Christian ethics, and church history and doing our best to answer all your burning theological and spiritual questions!
If you’re interested in reading on our various topics, here are some book suggestions. All these books will be in the church library soon, too!
Shirley Guthrie:  Christian Doctrine William Young:  The Shack Walter Wink:  The Powers That Be	Donald Miller:  Blue Like Jazz Shane Claiborne:  Irresistible Revolution PCUSA:  Book of Confessions (Study Edition)

Other Educational Opportunities:

Lectionary Study group (LSG)

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.

Practicing the Presence of God

“Practicing the Presence of God” is a new adult education class that will begin on October 19th at 9:30am in the Lounge. We will commit to short daily readings in the New Testament, Brother Lawrence’s “Practicing the Presence of God” and Frank Laubach’s “Letters by a Modern Mystic.” Every Sunday at 9:30am we will meet to discuss the previous week’s readings, and how our desire to be with God grows into the reality of daily living in the presence of God. There will be a sign up sheet available in the Connecting Link. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Jim Condill.

Share the Bounty

Harvest season is here, and you’ll be seeing the rest of our gardeners’ bounty on the tables in the Connecting Link. Look for butternut and acorn squash, plus fall pumpkins and gourds in the weeks ahead. Just help yourself to produce, then place a donation in the basket to support those in need in our community throughout the year. Thanks to Alice Haznedl, Marie Randall, Diane Sherwood, and MJ Towne for tending the table during recent weeks. ~ Mission Outreach Ministry

Fall Fellowship Activities… Saturday, October 11

Part 1… Let's go apple picking!

There are plenty of good apples left in October. Let's meet at an orchard and have some family fun! We'll pick apples for our individual families and some for part 2....

Part 2… Following the apple picking,

let's meet back at the church for an apple extravaganza.

Bring a peeler and your favorite apple recipe. The church will provide the baking basics (flour, cinnamon, sugar, butter) and we'll bake apple goodies together! We can then sell them the next day to raise money for the Cookie Lift Project and help support our troops. Won't the church smell delicious on Sunday? So, bring some peelers and any specialized apple baking gear you may have... (anyone have a cider press?) and we'll have some good ole fashioned family fun!

Please note you are welcome to attend part 1, part 2 or both! Please sign up in the Connecting Link. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Rebecca Floyd if you have any special recipes you'd like to share, we'll see that we have the ingredients! Watch the bulletin for more specifics.

Save the Date for November 15

Meet N’ Eat… a fellowship opportunity at a local restaurant!

“Operation Pickle” Packed A Success

As I sit here surrounded by a positively alarming number of pickles, I’m reminded of my quirky friends at RCLPC. “Operation Pickle” was a smashing success. (For those of you who don’t know what “Operation Pickle” was, it’s probably best that way. But if you just can’t help yourself, I think there’s more information in this Spirit.) How can I express my gratitude for your creativity and kindness? I’ve spent the last couple of weeks surrounded by people who are too young and too smart—so it was good to hear from my friends at RCLPC! (NOT to suggest that you all are not-so-young and not-so-smart!) You put a smile on my face from almost 800 miles away and made my birthday brighter. I will never be able to express how grateful I am for our time together at RCLPC. Thank you for everything.

Richard Floyd

The Ricklepick Pickle Party

Gary, Larry, and Mo plots and plans the preposterous pickle party. Sally Weller purchases the poster-board paper and paint to make painted paper pickles. Claire Weller paints poster-board paper pickles with non-purple paint. Mo packs the peck of paper pickles and prints out priceless pickle cards.

Ricklepick’lers (aka RCLPC Congregation) pen their prose on the paper pickles for their previous Presbyterian pastor. Paper pickle cards get picked up at the post office.

Karissa Stewart plots out her ricklepickle paper pickle mission.

Karissa Stewart and friends pave their way to previous Presbyterian pastor’s place and get picked up by police for pickling pastor’s pad.  NOT. Pictures are taken from porch of pastor’s place, of front patio plastered with paper pickles.

Pastor looks perplexed as he peers out his picture window at all the peck of pickles and gets peeved. Pastor realizes he has been pickled by the Ricklepick’lers and not hamburglered, as he had presumed.

Paper pickle cards arrive just in time to save the day.

Presbyterian pastor spends his pastime playfully picking up the paper pickle cards and has his very own Ricklepick Pickle Party.

Picture of previous Presbyterian pastor pleased.

PRICELESS.

THANK YOU!

A very big thank you goes out to David and Chris Palmer for their time painting the storage shed on Saturday,9/20. Thanks fellas. Your time and effort is appreciated.

Youth Ministry News
It’s CROP Walk time!  If you still don’t have an envelope, see Teri.  If you still need sponsors—go get ‘em!  Ask your friends at school for their leftover lunch money.  Ask your neighbors and family.  And especially ask around at church!  On October 5, both Middle and High School groups will meet in Fellowship Hall at 12.15 for lunch, and then we’ll head over to the walk, which steps off at 1.30.  Middle School youth can be picked up at Bethany Lutheran at the end of the walk (between 3 and 3.30, we think). High School youth are returning to RCLPC for a meeting that will end at 4.30.

In other news....Youth Sunday is coming up!  Middle School and High School will do joint planning on October 12 from 1-3pm.  See you here!

High School Youth summer trip 2009
Next summer we will be going to a Montreat Youth Conference in Montreat, North Carolina!  The theme is “World on Fire” and is designed to help us live our faith in such a way that we can make a difference in the world.  It’s a great follow-up to our theme for the year (“Live It”) and a perfect way to get fired up about participating in God’s mission both in our community and around the world!  All High School youth and parents should have received an email with more information—if you didn’t, let Teri know because you must not be on the email list!  If you’d like to talk with Teri about Montreat, why we chose this instead of a traditional mission trip, or any of the details, she’ll be available every Wednesday from 5.30-6.45pm and also on Tuesday October 7 from 6-7pm.  And of course you can always email or call!  We are looking to have a count of participants by October 20, and the first deposit ($100) and commitment to go will be due on November 1.

Making Connections

In an effort to get to know each other better, we have prepared name tags for all regular attendees and encourage everyone to wear them.  The name tags can be found in the clear boxes on top of the table in front of the church office. If you need a new name tag, please let the church office know and we will make a permanent name tag for you.  Putting a name with a face makes it personal.

What’s up with Taizé?
Our service of prayer in the spirit of Taizé has been on sabbatical, but it’s coming back soon!  We hope you’ll join us as we gather to pray for peace and reconciliation, allowing songs and silence and scripture to become a part of us—to speak to our spirits through the Spirit.  Join us October 7 at 7.30pm!  Until then, you might be wondering...

What if I don’t know what to do when I get there?
That’s okay!  This is a space designed for peace, not judgment.  The songs are easy to learn and we sing them a number of times, so feel free to join in as soon as you like.  The musicians do the leading, so you don’t need to worry—they have it under control.  There’s no stand-up-sit-down, no reciting words, no wondering what comes next—just be in the space, rest in God’s presence, and pray.

Is the music hard?
Nope!  In fact, we often use songs from Taizé in our Sunday morning worship.  Do you know “Come and Fill”?  “In the Lord I’ll Be Ever Thankful”?  “The Kingdom of God is Justice and Peace”?  “O Lord Hear My Prayer”?  All of those are songs from Taizé.  We sing those and other songs like those, using a rotating repertoire of about 50 songs during the year.  Each service contains an average of 8 songs, which we sing over and over until they become so familiar to us they are part of our very being, words and music that join to help our souls pray even when we aren’t sitting down to pray.

How long is this service?
The service is between 45 minutes and an hour long, and that includes time for singing, time for hearing God’s word in Scripture, time for silence, and time for prayer (both spoken and unspoken).

Why should I come to Taize prayer?
If you are looking for a place to rest, a place to experience peace, a place to pray, a place to encounter God, a place to sing, a place to listen, a place to hope...this is the place for you.  First Tuesdays, 7.30pm.   See you October 7!

Taizé Prayer Service

Tuesday, October 7

7:30 pm