The Church Mouse Monthly newsletter for the members & friends of Community Congregational Church of Elburn The Pastor’s Page…. “A vacation is a vacation is a vacation.” Well, not so. What works well for some beautiful things, like a rose, does not always work the same for other beautiful things, like a vacation. The origi- nal purpose of a vacation was to „vacate‟ the stresses of our regular daily life, to get away for a period of time from the rigors of work responsibilities, so the body could restore, the mind renew and the spirit rejuvenate In these times, additional sources of distresses include, for example, the pressure to maintain family activity schedules, meeting the expectations of important relationships, and the con- stant „noise‟ of electronic media (even if in your home that means only the digital TV). What the modern vacation has often become is yet another stressor: complicated and expen- sive plans, fraught with relational and logistic—and oftentimes in this economy—financial difficulties. At the end of many a vacation, people are sometimes just glad to be done with it. They find them- selves surprisingly eager to get back to their regular routine: the regular routine often feels less stress- ful than the vacation! All of which suggests that it may be time to ask some questions about whatever vacation you may be planning for this summer. Will whatever you have planned relieve you of stress—or add stress? Will it alleviate difficulties in relationships with those close to you—or add difficulty? Will it use only discretionary resources—or serve to increase the debt load you are already carrying? Will it truly enrich you—or just use up some of your time and resources? Have you planned unscheduled time for the true restoring of your body, renewal of your mind, and rejuvenation of your spirit? Sometimes the most effective vacation is simply staying home, not spending money, not making complicated plans to see this or catch that. Sometimes the most effective vacation is dedicat- ing some days to be away from work and turn off the TV, cell phone, computer, alarm cock and allow yourself some unscheduled, unprogrammed, unplanned space of time to just be. To care for you body in truly healthy ways. To allow for your mind to catch up with the fast pace of 21st century life. To give your spirit a chance to listen to the still, small voice of God, and have the time to actually process what you may hear. In September, when programming at church and other places resumes, we will be found ask- ing each other, „What did you do for vacation this year?‟ Perhaps the best answer might be, „Nothing.‟ So for this summer, I want to say to you, „Happy Restoration.‟ Sometime this summer, please let your body, mind and spirit come home to your spiritual place with God. It costs you nothing you cannot afford to repay. It won‟t burden your daily schedule. And you and those close to you will reap mighty benefits from it. He said to them, Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest awhile.” - Jesus to his disciples, Mark 6:31a Yours in Christ, Pastor Michelle August 2011 Church Office Hours: Monday through Friday 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. Phone: (630) 365-6544 linda.miller@ccc-elburn.org INTERIM PASTOR Rev. Michelle Prentice-Leslie MODERATOR Sharon Lackey VICE-MODERATOR Mary Royer TREASURER Barb Holloman FINANCIAL SECRETARY Cindy Doede CHURCH CLERK Karen Baston MINISTRY ASSISTANT Linda Miller +++ Please use our street address when corresponding with the church: 100 E. Shannon Street Elburn, IL 60119 The Post Office will only forward mail to us for a short time. +++ Our website is constantly being updated. Check it out! www.ccc-elburn.org
Transcript
The Church Mouse Monthly newsletter for the members & friends of Community Congregational Church of Elburn
The Pastor’s Page…. “A vacation is a vacation is a vacation.” Well, not so. What works well for some beautiful
things, like a rose, does not always work the same for other beautiful things, like a vacation. The origi-
nal purpose of a vacation was to „vacate‟ the stresses of our regular daily life, to get away for a period
of time from the rigors of work responsibilities, so the body could restore, the mind renew and the
spirit rejuvenate In these times, additional sources of distresses include, for example, the pressure to
maintain family activity schedules, meeting the expectations of important relationships, and the con-
stant „noise‟ of electronic media (even if in your home that means only the digital TV).
What the modern vacation has often become is yet another stressor: complicated and expen-
sive plans, fraught with relational and logistic—and oftentimes in this economy—financial difficulties.
At the end of many a vacation, people are sometimes just glad to be done with it. They find them-
selves surprisingly eager to get back to their regular routine: the regular routine often feels less stress-
ful than the vacation!
All of which suggests that it may be time to ask some questions about whatever vacation you
may be planning for this summer. Will whatever you have planned relieve you of stress—or add
stress? Will it alleviate difficulties in relationships with those close to you—or add difficulty? Will it
use only discretionary resources—or serve to increase the debt load you are already carrying? Will it
truly enrich you—or just use up some of your time and resources? Have you planned unscheduled
time for the true restoring of your body, renewal of your mind, and rejuvenation of your spirit?
Sometimes the most effective vacation is simply staying home, not spending money, not
making complicated plans to see this or catch that. Sometimes the most effective vacation is dedicat-
ing some days to be away from work and turn off the TV, cell phone, computer, alarm cock and allow
yourself some unscheduled, unprogrammed, unplanned space of time to just be. To care for you body
in truly healthy ways. To allow for your mind to catch up with the fast pace of 21st century life. To
give your spirit a chance to listen to the still, small voice of God, and have the time to actually process
what you may hear.
In September, when programming at church and other places resumes, we will be found ask-
ing each other, „What did you do for vacation this year?‟ Perhaps the best answer might be, „Nothing.‟
So for this summer, I want to say to you, „Happy Restoration.‟ Sometime this summer, please
let your body, mind and spirit come home to your spiritual place with God. It costs you nothing you
cannot afford to repay. It won‟t burden your daily schedule. And you and those close to you will reap
mighty benefits from it.
He said to them, Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and
rest awhile.” - Jesus to his disciples, Mark 6:31a
August 2011 Community Congregational Church page 2
Musings from the Moderator…
I had my annual check up this week and I mentioned to my doctor that I
would be retiring this fall from my job which I've had for 37 years. I mentioned that the change is somewhat scary. I don't want to start going down hill physically be-cause I won't have the structure of coming to work each day. He also mentioned
that often people become less outgoing and engaged when they no longer have that structure in their lives. It occurred to me that our church can help us to stay active and engaged by providing us with lots of
volunteer activities. We just need to take advantage of the opportunities of helping with Sunday School, serving on committees, singing in the choir and working with the youth. Perhaps that is how God wants us to stay young!
See you in church!
Sharon Lackey, Moderator
Please address all mail
to the church using our street address
100 E. Shannon Street
Elburn, IL 60119 The Post Office will only forward
mail to us for a short time.
Volunteers Needed for 2011 If you have looked at the bulletin board in the Narthex, you will no-
tice that there are many opportunities to serve the church during or
after worship on Sundays. Won‟t you consider participating in wor-
ship in one of the following ways:
Altar Flowers Honor the birthday, anniversary or memory of a loved one.
Worship Assistant Assist Pastor Michelle by leading prayers and reading
scriptures.
Fellowship Make the coffee & tea water, and provide a simple table
of refreshments, such as fruit, cheese & crackers,
cookies or coffee cake. A team effort makes this a lot
easier.
Communion Prep & Serve Provide bread, wine and grape juice, set up the trays, and
help Pastor Michelle serve Communion the first Sunday
of the month. See the office for details.
Elburn Days 2011 The end of summer and Elburn days is
quickly approaching!
Church Rummage Sale
Organization has begun on
all the items that will be for
sale, contact Leah Miller if
you’re interested in helping out.
Donations
Donations for the Rummage
Sale will be collected until
August 12th.
Volunteers
We want you! Sign up sheets for volun-
teering at the Rummage Sale and during
Elburn Days around the church are locat-
ed in the Narthex. Make sure to sign up
early and sign up often!
August 2011 Community Congregational Church page 3
SEARCHING FOR A NEW PASTOR : SEARCH AND CALL PROCESS
As members of the Search Committee, we want to express our gratitude for the trust you have placed in us.
The last week in June we concluded our orientation meeting with Rev. Jonathan Knight, our Conference As-
sociation Minister, who will work closely with us. The purpose of this letter is to share with you a summary of
the Search and Call process in the United Church of Christ.
1. We will seek your perspectives on our church and its ministry through questionnaire and a series of
small group meetings. As a result of this listening process, your ideas about new pastoral leadership
will be incorporated into the “Local Church Profile” that we will develop.
2. Our vacancy will then be listed in “UCC Employment Opportunities.”
3. Persons who have been authorized to complete a UCC Ministerial Profile will submit profiles for our
committee through the Conference Association office. The Ministerial Profile includes information
about the candidate’s educational background, experience, a detailed faith statement, eight written
references, a background check form, and a criminal background check.
4. While the work on the Local Church Profile requires the input of many in the congregation, the names
of candidates are held in strict confidence within our committee. We ask you to respect the essential
confidentiality of this process, We will make every effort to keep you informed on our progress on a
regular basis.
5. We will share our Local Church Profile with candidates, and we will begin to follow up with persons in
whom we have particular interest. The follow-up will include telephone reference checks, telephone
interviews, and requests for sermon tapes. While pursuing these steps, we will also continue to eval-
uate new Ministerial Profiles.
6. We will select a small number of candidates for personal interviews. After which we will make ar-
rangements for our Search Committee members to worship with them. Most often these visits will be
through a church setting arranged by our Conference Association office.
7. We will invite at least two candidates back for second interviews, following which we will seek God’s
guidance and prayerfully make a decision on a candidate.
8. If the candidate we recommend chooses to accept, compensation arrangements will be clarified and a
date for a “candidating Sunday” will be established.
9. You will have an opportunity to meet the candidate (and family) that weekend in an informal setting as
well as the formal worship service where the candidate will preach. A congregational meeting follow-
ing the worship service will offer each member an opportunity to ask questions of the Search Commit-
tee, and to vote on the Call to our new pastor.
10. We are grateful during this time for the excellent interim Leadership of Rev. Michelle Prentice-Leslie.
We profoundly trust that God will guide both our candidates, the members of our Search Committee
and the Congregation. We ask you to pray for us regularly,. We are blessed with a wonderful church
community. With hard work and God’s guidance, we shall be blessed with a wonderful pastor to guide
us as we minister in the name of Jesus Christ.
Sharon Lackey, Chair; Jon Pangborn, Vice- Chair; Nancy Zak, Secretary; Karen Diesel, Chaplain; Tammy Eckstrom, Billy Osborne
August 2011 Community Congregational Church page 4
Happy Birthday
Best wishes to these members and friends who are celebrating August birthdays.
August 9 Kristin Siebert August 10 Kay Johnson August 11 Austin Hukle August 13 Rolf Koos, Sarah Miller, Suzanne Thompson August 17 Jason Biddle August 26 Elaine Johansen August 27 Sharon Lackey August 28 Lucy Peters
Happy Anniversary
Congratulations to these celebrating August wedding anniversaries:
August 1 Steve & Chris Luxbacher 2 years August 8 Wayne & Jodeen Byerhof 31 years Richard & Betty Williams 66 years August 12 Dick & Diane Biddle 39 years August 18 Ralph & Beth Koos 27 years Bob & Patty Milcik 49 years August 24 Larry & Bea Martin 53 years If you know of birthdays or anniversaries that are missing from the calendar or listed incorrectly, please call the office so they may be added/corrected. Thank you.
Women’s Fellowship!
All women of the church are wel-come to attend the next meeting of the Women’s Fellowship Friday, August 12 at 1:00pm in Schneider Hall. Bring a friend! This isn’t an actual “church” meeting, just a gathering of friends for coffee, treats, laughter and conversation. There’s always a seat for you around the table. Because we all enjoyed the healthier salad menu from May, everyone is encouraged to bring some sort of salad or healthy side dish: fruit, veggies, hearty bread, light des-sert. Last month, we had about 14 people around the ta-ble, so plan accordingly and join in the fun and fellow-ship!
Vacation Bible School July 15th marked the end of this year’s Vacation Bible
School here at Elburn CCC. Director of Christian Education
Theresa Biddle organized and produced a delightful weeklong
adventure at the Shake It Up Café for children in the communi-
ty. Youth Group Leader Jessie VanDevelde got kids excited
with fun songs and dances, while Games Leader Karen Diesel
kept them active and busy even in the sweltering summer
heat. Char Hiebert and Regina Kurth replenished the chil-
dren’s energy with healthy snacks. Pastor Michelle Prentice-
Leslie took the children on a journey through the history of
God’s people during Bible Story and Craft Leader Barb Hollo-
man showed kids that it’s okay to get a little messy while
learning about God. VBS this year would not have been possi-
ble without help from many community members, but especial-
ly the kids. Everyone involved enjoyed the week and cannot
wait for next year! Thank you for helping make this year’s VBS
a success!
August 2011 Community Congregational Church page 5
AMEN Group The AMEN Group continues to meet faithfully on
the second Thursday of each month at 6pm in Carrie‟s
Parlor. The group meets for an hour and continues to
pray for the special needs of individuals, our church,
the community, and the world. It‟s a big job! Won‟t
you come and add your voice and heart to the good
works of this group? All are welcome.
Ushering Teams for August
August 7—Team #2 Captain: Kurth Family
August 14—Team #3 Captain: Merfeld Family
August 21—Team #4 Captain: Pangborn Family
August 28—Team #5 Captain: Jessie & Youth Group
August 2011 Community Congregational Church page 6
August 7 ~ Eighth Sunday after Pentecost 8:20 a.m. Bible Study
9:30 a.m. Worship with Holy Communion
10:30 a.m. Fellowship
5:00 p.m. Hope Anglican Worship Service
August 14 ~ Ninth Sunday after Pentecost 8:20 a.m. Bible Study
9:30 a.m. Worship
10:30 a.m. Fellowship
5:00 p.m. Hope Anglican Worship Service
August 21 ~ Tenth Sunday after Pentecost 8:20 a.m. Bible Study
9:30 a.m. Worship
10:30 a.m. Fellowship
5:00 p.m. Hope Anglican Worship Service
August 28~ Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost 8:20 a.m. Bible Study
9:30 a.m. Worship with Reverse Offering
10:30 a.m. Fellowship
5:00 p.m. Hope Anglican Worship Service
Traveling Librarians Offer Books
for Homebound Readers Is it difficult or impossible to get to the library
because of temporary or long-term physical limi-
tations? Do you live within the Town & Country
Public Library District boundaries? If you an-
swer “yes” to both of those questions, then the
Traveling Librarian Team is for you.
Contact the Town & Country Public Library at 630-365-2244
and ask for Teri or Susan. They will be happy to talk to you about
your reading needs and will select, deliver and pick up your
choice of library materials. This isn‟t just books, either. The li-
brary offers a variety of magazines, books on tape and movies,
too. This is right-to-your-door library service, and you‟ll love get-
ting to know Teri and Susan.
Y-T-D Financial Stewardship Report
For the Month of July
Average Attendance: 33
Offering Y-T-D: $57,632.92
Contract with God: $60,690.00
PLEASE CALL!!
If you are in the hospital and would like a visit from Pastor Michelle, call the church office at 630.365-6544 or Pastor Michelle herself at (630) 267-7555. Remember, be-cause of the new privacy laws, we do not always know when you are hospitalized. PLEASE let us know or have someone call for you.
Thank You!
To all who helped make VBS a success this year, to all
who have begun helping prepare for Elburn Days and to
Leah Miller, Diane Bergquist and the Holloman Family
for preparing food for Lazurus House this Month.
August 2011 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1
2
9a Crafty Crafters
7p Ministries
Meetings
3
11a Seniors Bible
Study at Meadows
2:30p Feed My Starving Children
6p Youth Group
4
5
11a Knitting
6p Den 11 Scouts
6
7
Team 2 ushers
8:20a Bible Study 9:30a Worship with
Holy Communion
10:30a Fellowship
5p Hope Anglican
8
6:30p Elburn Days
meeting
9
9a Crafty Crafters
7:30p Scouts
10
11a Seniors Bible Study at Meadows
6p Youth Group
11
6p AMEN Group
6p Girl Scouts
7p Church Council
12
11a Knitting
1p Women‟s Fellowship in
Schneider Hall
6p Den 11 Scouts
13
14
Team 3 ushers
8:20a Bible Study
9:30a Worship
Testimonial from
Judy Taylor
10:30a Fellowship
5p Hope Anglican
15
16
9a Crafty Crafters
7:30p Scouts
17
11a Seniors Worship at Meadows
6p Youth Group
18
19
11a Knitting
20
21 Team 4 ushers
9:30a
Worship at the
Community Stage at
the north end of
Lion’s Park
22 23 9a Crafty Crafters
7:30p Scouts
24 11a Seniors Bible
Study at Meadows
6p Youth Group
25
MOUSE DEADLINE
26
11a Knitting
27
28
Team 5 ushers
8:20a Bible Study
9:30a Worship;
Reverse Offering
10:30a Fellowship
5p Hope Anglican
29
30
9a Crafty Crafters
7:30p Scouts
31
11a Seniors Bible
Study at Meadows
6p Youth Group
Sunday September 11th … 9/11 Remembrance at 5 pm
Saturday September 17th … Parents Workshop at 9 am
ELBURN DAYS THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY
Rummage Sale 8 - 4 Rummage Sale 8 - 4 Rummage Sale 8 - 4
Food Tent 8 - 6 Food Tent 8 - 8
SAVE THE DATE
Mission Statement
The Community Congregational United Church of Christ
of Elburn is called by God
to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ
to our community and beyond by serving as
His heart, hands and feet through worship, prayer, Christian education and
mission ministries.
Community Congregational Church 100 E. Shannon Street Elburn, Illinois 60119
