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August 8, 2007
The SPIRIT of Ridgefield-Crystal Lake Presbyterian Church
Click here to see the August calendar.
Adult Choir Retreat
The annual adult choir retreat brunch is Saturday, August 25, in the fellowship hall, from 9:00 - 11:30am. 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 need to sign up in the choir room. Newcomers are our guests. Questions? E-mail Sherri Dees at sherri@rclpc.org.
********* COMING THIS FALL *********
(see calendar listing below)
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!
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.
Children’s Worship Workshop
Calling all children! On Wednesday September 5, join Teri in the sanctuary for a 20 minute exploration of worship. 1st - 5th grade workshop from 5:30-5:50 (during Little Lambs rehearsal), preschool-Kindergarten workshop from 6:30-6:50 (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.
New!
A Wednesday evening experience at RCLPC
Beginning in September, our Wednesday evenings will look a little bit different. Children’s and Adult Choirs will still meet, but we’re adding some new components, including dinner, adult education, and youth Bible study and fellowship. Watch for more info in the next Spirit!
RCLPC Sponsors Ice Cream Social in Woodstock
Come to the Ice Cream Social sponsored by RCLPC at the Woodstock City Summer Band Concert on Wednesday, August 15 from 7:00 - 8:00 PM on the Woodstock Square.
It will be old fashioned fun for the entire family! Bring a blanket or folding chair and enjoy music and dessert. Note: dogs are not allowed in the park. Our goals are to:
* Raise some money and publicity for the Christmas Stockings Project for the Marines in Iraq,
* Raise some publicity for RCLPC,
* Raise some publicity for the "Beyond the Cookie Walk" Cookbook because we will bake cookies and brownies from it, and we will have the cookbook for sale that night.
If you would like to publicize a program or activity that you do at RCLPC like the choir or youth group or the fellowship committee, please contact us. This event will give us the opportunity to let the community know about RCLPC and what we have to offer.
If you would like to bake cookies, or help set up that evening , sell cookies and brownies and cookbooks, or help with clean up, please contact Ed Bennett and Mary Moltmann.
Building & Grounds Corner
Church Bell Rings Loud & Clear
I hear the church bell ringing again, how did we fix it?
As we always do in a situation like this, we turned to our senior master wood worker, Cy Zank. Cy rebuilt and repaired the 109 year old rope wheel in his shop at home. Then he climbed up into the bell tower to reinstall the old wood wheel that rocks the 800 pound bell. Thank you Cy for again sharing your time and skills to the benefit of us all.
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From the Office...
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.
Ice Cream Social! - August 12
We’re having an old-fashioned ice cream social here at church on August 12 after the 11:00 worship. Do you make home-made ice cream? Make some and bring it over! Do you have a favorite flavor or favorite brand? Bring it over! We’re looking for all kinds of ice cream. The fellowship team will provide bowls, spoons, and toppings!
See you on the 12th!
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!
Summer Sunday School Continues
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 there!
Children and Youth Leaders Needed
Do you enjoy learning? Growing? Mentoring? Do you feel called to work with children or youth? Please let Wendy Sanders or Teri Peterson know if you would be interested in helping out with Sunday School this coming school year.
Food Pantry News and Service Dates
Food supplies are low during the summer, but the need continues. We are serving more people than ever before. Our next Food Pantry Work Days are Friday, Sept. 14th; Friday, Oct. 26; and Friday, Dec. 21st. If you would like to volunteer for one of our dates, please contact me. Thanks to all the wonderful people at RCLPC who participated in the reverse offering on August 5th. ~ Nancy Vazzano
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Dog Days of Summer
Thanks to all of you who have helped with the Dog Days of Summer project for the Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron #29 – for keeping them in your prayers, for writing cards to them, for donating supplies to help them cope with summer in Iraq, for donating money for postage, for helping with the information table in Crystal Lake, for marching in the Memorial Day parade, for packing the ziploc bags for each Marine or Sailor, and for taping the boxes. Over $10,700 worth of supplies have reached the Marines – and this would not have been possible without your help. (See the letter from Lt. Col. Hank Hess.) Mary Moltmann and Ed Bennett
Donations Will Help Make Sweet, Sweet Music
Thank you to all who contributed toward my mission trip to Colombia. Donations from the congregation totaled over $500.
Since the accompaniers stay on the campus of the Presbyterian University and the Presbytery offices are also located there, I had an opportunity to see the needs of the University. I knew that the University has a School of Music and went to Colombia hoping to be able play the piano with students or faculty during free time. However, I found that the one acoustic piano on campus was in very bad shape. Half the keys wouldn’t play. Because of the heat and humidity and termites, an acoustic piano is not practical. The only working electronic keyboards were much smaller than the standard 88 key piano, had no pedals, and did not respond to touch to change dynamic (loud/soft) levels. The University has found a piano teacher and there is a student who wants to major in piano, but without a quality instrument that is impossible. Therefore, I talked to the head of the School of Music and the administrator of the University about donating funds for a high quality electronic piano. With their help we found a Yamaha piano which could be ordered from a dealer in Medellin. The music teacher was delighted and kept asking me when he would be able to buy the instrument.
When I returned home I sent a check to the Presbyterian Processing Center which handles donations and transfer of funds for various mission projects around the world. Your donations, with the difference made up from my own money, will provide the School of Music in Barranquilla, Colombia, with an instrument that will last many years with little maintenance.
VBS - Thanks
Thank you to all who helped make this year of VBS such a wonderful experience for the children and families of our church and surrounding community. Thanks to all our efforts, over 45 children were able to learn about God in a fun and interesting way. During our 5 days, children sang songs, heard stories, made crafts, performed science experiments and played games reminding each child of God’s love for them. The children also provided a service to other young children. Our mission project this year benefited Bear Necessities Cancer Foundation. Those attending VBS brought in items for a “goodie bag” to be donated to those children during their difficult hospital stays. On day five, the children celebrated all they had learned with their family and friends during a closing celebration and ice cream social.
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, to all for your generous donations (decorations, supplies, monetary and time) that helped make VBS a success! Thanks to those who worked behind the scenes planning, decorating and teaching for VBS. We say with sincerity, that without your help this would not have been possible. ~ Cheryl Lilly and Debi Keyzer
Presbyterian Peace Fellowship Pilgrimages to the Middle East
The PPF is sponsoring two Peace Pilgrimages to the Middle East—Syria, Jordan, Israel and Palestine. The first, Nov. 23-Dec. 8 will be led by Walter Owensby (formerly of the PCUSA Washington Office) and Kelly Baker, a pastor in Palm Coast, FL. The May 9-25, 2008 trip will be led by Ann Weems (noted Presbyterian poet) and Andrea Leonard , a PPF young adult volunteer in Tuscon.
Each trip will be a true pilgrimage to the past and to the present, a journey of personal faith leading participants through places of Christian beginnings and through the intractable realities of an Arab-Israeli struggle that has gone on for over 60 years. These are experiences for people who want to know more, experience more and do more for peace than wring their hands in despair.
This fall’s pilgrims will fly to Amman, Jordan for two days there before crossing the Jordan River into Israel/Palestine for eight days. The experience continues with three days in Syria and closes with a return visit to Jordan. In these locations we will meet with our Christian partners—including some from the most ancient churches; reflections on contemporary Islam; encounters with political leaders of all sides; conversations with both issue experts and ordinary people who are living the reality; meetings with Christians, Muslims and Jews untied by a quest for peace and justice; prayer and Bible study that encompasses old life and new; and visits to historic and holy sites that make being in this region such an extraordinary experience for people of faith.
The cost of Presbyterian Peace Fellowship’s “Peace Pilgrimages” is still to be set. For information and to save your space in the Nov. 23-Dec. 8 Pilgrimage, contact Kelly Baker. For future details on the spring Pilgrimage, contact Andrea Leonard. It would be great if a few people from RCLPC could go on at least one of these Pilgrimages.
Dog Days of Summer Project -- Thanks So Much!
Thanks so much for your support of the Marines and Sailors in the Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron #29 at Al Asad Air Base in the Anbar Province, Iraq. I thought you would like to know that on July 24, 2007, I received a letter to all of us from Lt. Col. Hank Hess. He states, “Please share this with your friends who contributed items and money for the Dog Days of Summer Project so that they will know how much their contributions were appreciated.” ~ Mary Moltmann
Dear Mary,
Thanks so much for your continued support of the Wolverines of MALS 29. It has truly been awesome and we really appreciate all the effort and your church and community’s many, many packages.
We are doing pretty well out here so far. After 6 months, we have settled into our business of working on aeronautical equipment quite nicely. Everyone is working very hard and many long hours. The heat out here is unbelievable but not unbearable and the Marines and Sailors in our unit have adapted to the heat and other impediments that come into play out here. I get letters from my family on the East Coast and many from folks supporting us telling of the heat back home and that it can’t compare to the heat out here. Everyone is right, but from someone who is from the East Coast and the high humidity – it’s a different kind of heat. I’m thinking that when I get back home to Jacksonville, NC, that maybe it will be on the chilly side being 99 degrees!! We have seen temps up to 140 degrees here so far and on the days it only reaches 100 degrees (few and far between these days) it is pretty nice [he included a smiley face icon here]. We can’t complain much because folks like you take so good care of us, we are truly fortunate to have your support.
I am scheduled to leave early to go to Patuxent River, MD for my new duty station and I leave in August. My replacement is Major Jose Medina and he will carry on the tradition of taking care of the troops and providing them with the letters and packages that you send for us. I just want to say thanks again for supporting me and my Marines and Sailors, it was awesome! Take care and have a great Marine Corps Day!!
Semper Fi and God Bless,
Lt. Col. Hank Hess (newly promoted!)
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. For information call (815) 455-0961.
The Native American Connection
For more than half a century, American Indian elders have called attention to humankind’s impacts upon Mother Earth. Elders of many cultures subscribe to the concept that we must take into consideration the effects of our actions today on future generations. Climate change presents an important challenge to the global community to incorporate into its practices and policies the wisdom and knowledge of the interrelatedness of elements and life on Earth that are inherent in many American Indian cultures, as well as the prevailing evidence offered by science.
As an outgrowth of this thinking, The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian hosted a special concert event in July entitled, “Mother Earth”. As an institution of living cultures, they are committed to elevating human understanding about global climate change, through education, cultural performances and civic engagement programs. Because of that interrelationship, and because the Museum of American Indian directors feel there is no more important matter before humankind today, they felt honored to bring together the scientific, cultural and worldview in a spirit of this “Live Earth” message.
As Ernestine Chasing Hawk, editor of the Dakota/Lakota Journal says, “As Americans, we might want to walk more next week or take a trip to the recycling center. Maybe we’ll eat out a little less or even eat a little less. If we truly care, we will not just sit back and do nothing, but will actively do our part to curb our nation’s unquenchable lust for someone else’s resources.” We can make a difference, one person at a time. The Native American Connection.
A Revealing and Powerful Poem
Lavelle, a sophomore at Red Cloud Indian School in Pine Ridge, South Dakota composed the following poem for a little book published by the school. We hope you find it as revealing and powerful as did we who have visited there.
TELL ME ABOUT YOUR STORY
Tell me about your story
Was there blood, sweat or tears?
Maybe there was some glory
Over your last 100 years
Within your homeland
Prisoners they were
A powerful people
A powerful prayer
See the strength
Feel the pride
Run with nature
Nothing to hide
A little more heartache, it will never last
Strong in their ways, set in their path
Walking in beauty, all the way
Walking in beauty, the natives say.
Brought them home, home to stay
This is our story
Of blood, sweat, and tears
No, there is no glory
But we will be here
The next 100 years.
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PowWow Information
I have been asked about upcoming Powwow's so wanted to pass this information along to you!! If you are interested in attending one of these as a group, call Joy Martin.
51st Annual O-Sa-Wan Pow-Wow
August 18-19 at Boone County Fairgrounds in Belvidere, Illinois. Gourd dancing, Native American dancing, Tipi contest, crafts, food, children's activities, camping. See web site www.mascoutin.com for information on cost and particulars.
14th Annual Potawatomi Trails Pow-Wow
August 25-26 at Shiloh Park, Zion, IL. For more information call 847-746-5797 Dancing, singing, flute playing, crafts, beading, food, kid's face painting and more. |
| COMING UP IN SEPTEMBER... |
| DATE | EVENT | TIME |
| Sat., Aug. 25 | Adult Choir Retreat & Brunch | 9-11:30 am |
| Sun., Aug. 26 | Confirmation Class Kick-Off Meeting | Noon |
Wednesday,
Sept. 5 | A New Wednesday evening experience at RCLPC
(dinner, adult education, youth Bible Study, and fellowship) | Watch for
Details! |
| Wed., Sept. 5 | Children’s Choir Rehearsals
Little Lambs (PreK - Kindergarten)
Sounds of Joy (1st - 5th grades) |
5:15-5:45 pm
6:00-6:50 pm |
| Wed., Sept. 5 | Children’s Worship Workshops
1st-5th grades (during Little Lambs rehearsal)
PreK-Kindergarten (during Sounds of Joy rehearsal) |
5:30-5:50 pm
6:30-6:50 pm |
| Wed., Sept. 5 | Adult Choir rehearsal | 7:30-9:00 pm |
| Sun., Sept. 9 | Kick-Off Sunday for new program year
Ministry Fair in Fellowship Hall | 9-11:00 am |
| Sun., 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. 16 | New Orleans Mission Trip Luncheon
for all who would like to learn about our experiences on mission | Noon |
| Sun., Sept. 30 | Mission Outreach Ministry
Ministry Fair in Fellowship Hall | TBA |
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