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Community... in Christthe message
JANUARY 6, 2021VOLUME 80 NUMBER 1
SCRIPTURE DEUTERONOMY 18:15-20MARK 1:21-38
SERMONAgain, Louder from the BackRev. Elizabeth Hartung
VIRTUAL WORSHIP 10:00 AMJANUARY 2021
EPIPHANY SUNDAY HOLY COMMUNIONSCRIPTURE MATTHEW 2:1-12
SERMONThe Three GiftsRev. Dr. Charles Mize
January 10
January 17DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. SUNDAY
SCRIPTURE SAMUEL 3:1-10, JOHN 1:43-51
SERMONNazareth and Other No-Good Places Rev. Dr. Charles
Mize
January 24
January 31
THIRD SUNDAY IN EPIPHANY
SCRIPTURE JONAH 3:1-5, 10, MARK 1:14-20
SERMONFollow Me! Rev. Dr. Charles Mize
FOURTH SUNDAY IN EPIPHANY
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Johnson Oatman, Jr. was a Methodist pastor and a writer of
gospel songs. In 1897 he gave the world his most inspiring effort.
For some of you it may be an old friend. Here is the first verse
and the refrain:
When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings name them one by one,And it will
surprise you
what the Lord hath done.
Count your blessings, name them one by one;
Count your blessings, see what God hath done;
Count your blessings, name them one by one,And it will surprise
you
what the Lord hath done.
The disruption of the deadly Covid pandemic has changed many
things about the way we live our lives. Where we travel, where and
how we work and shop, how we socialize, how we receive medical
care, and how we celebrate holidays are just a few. The pandemic
also disrupts our minds, our emotions, and our spirits. We forget
what day it is, limitation and loneliness beget depression, and our
overfull schedules and frenetic pace hit a social distancing wall.
The diminishment of this disruption either leaves us bereft because
of what we’ve lost, or it inspires us to count the blessings that
we ordinarily overlook. I feel that inspiration especially in this
holy time of Advent, Christmastide and Epiphany. The simple things
that make our lives so great and gracious come into focus. Counting
our blessings; taking time to name them, one by one, opens a door
for our minds and our hearts into gratitude. It’s good medicine for
our spirits. And it encourages us to be a blessing to others.
I’m counting my blessings for those who take the time to be a
blessing to me; people who have reached out with a text, an email,
or a hand-written note to express your gratitude for a sermon, or a
worship service, or how GCC has been doing its best to continue its
ministry and to keep us all safe. These expressions of gratitude
come from current GCC members, from former GCC members who now live
at a distance from Glenview, from people in and around Glenview who
have come to GCC virtually in these days, and from people who I
know from past chapters of my life who worship with us each week on
YouTube and Facebook Live. I received a thank you card from a GCC
member who wrote that our virtual Christmas Eve service as “the
most beautiful I’ve experienced” and
“perfect.” It’s impossible to overstate how encouraging that
note, and others like it, are. What an abundance of blessings to
count!
Then, on the day after Christmas, I made a discovery that melted
my heart. Some loving soul had swaddled the baby Jesus in our
outdoor Nativity Scene in a blanket. And the message on the blanket
reads, My Favorite. What a heartfelt blessing this is to count!
Here He is, all tucked in.
COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS
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Community... in Christbusiness 2
GIVING GLIMPSE NOVEMBER 2020The Message, Ministries and Mission
of Glenview Community Church thrive because you fulfill your
stewardship commitments and make faithful contributions. It is
essential that we remain current in our giving and ensure the
fiscal health of the church. In the midst of our busy lives, we
offer you this update reminder to keep in focus our progress on
completing our financial commitments to GCC.
SUMMARY: Expenses have exceeded revenue by $183,981 through
November. The primary reason for the negative variance to budget is
a lack of revenue generated by in-church activities coupled with
unplanned maintenance and repair items. The 2020 budget was
approved by the congregation at the Mid-winter meeting and is
defined by a projected operating deficit of $25,819 for 2020.
Through November we have an unfavorable variance to budget of
$65,638.
The Spiritual Council is continuing to meet over Zoom. All
congregation members are welcome to attend—watch the weekly eblasts
for meeting announcements and contact Brad Smith to receive a Zoom
invitation.
GCC: Virtual and IRL (in real life) Many reports centered on how
GCC is adapting and thriving in the virtual environment as we await
a better, post-vaccine future. Elizabeth described how church
school, Confirmation classes, and PYF are gathering remotely, and
Chuck shared that the Christmas Eve service has already been
recorded. The Nursery School is completing two weeks of Zoom
instruction for the preschoolers, and the Speakers Forum has
arranged exciting programs for adults to attend remotely in
January. In the concrete world, the Congregational Life Ministry
invited everyone to enjoy the Jesse Tree driving tour on December
20, and the Outreach Ministry has successfully completed a fall
food drive. The Women’s Association is using old-
SPIRITUAL COUNCIL REPORT 12-15-2020
fashioned phone technology to reach out to members who are not
computer-oriented and might be feeling isolated.
Finances Treasurer Chris Clark reported that we were behind
budget by about $65,000 through the end of November, but December
pledge fulfillment and investment income might make up some of the
difference before the end of the year. Jim Beavin gave a Generosity
Campaign update: As of December 15, there were 205 pledges totaling
$634,000. The Generosity Team is currently following up to ensure
that all have the opportunity to pledge. When it comes to
pandemic-era budgeting, Chuck pointed out that GCC’s expenses have
not decreased in the past months, because most of the budget goes
to personnel expenses and building maintenance and repair. At the
same time, income streams such as non-pledge contributions and
building use fees have slowed or stopped.
The next few deadlines for the Broadcaster are January 20, 2021
by 9:00 AMFebruary 17, 2021 by 9:00 AMMarch 24, 2021 by 9:00
AMApril 21, 2021 by 9:00 AM
In South Africa there are approximately 1.4 million orphans,
many of them because of HIV and AIDS. For five years now, the
Knitting Ministry of Glenview Community Church has been swaddling
these children. Over two thousand squares that have been lovingly
knitted by the members of our Knitting Ministry have been sent to
South Africa where forty are assembled into blankets that are
filled with the physical and spiritual warmth of love. That means
that over fifty children have been swaddled by our church. Over two
thousand squares…over fifty South African children warmed by
blankets from Glenview: what a host of blessings to count!
I am also counting the blessings of our members and friends who
have pledged their financial support to the Message, Ministries and
Mission of the Glenview Community Church in a year when the
pandemic makes church easy to forget about. As of today, that’s 227
households and $671,000; wonderful blessings to count. For 2020
when we were blissfully unaware of the worldwide crisis to come,
297 households pledged $867,000 for GCC. Because our staff and
facility expenses continue, the pandemic has not translated into
significant financial savings. But we have lost income because we
can’t pass the plate and because others can’t use our building. If
you have not added your pledge for 2021, I pray that you will.
Won’t you join these GCC households and add your commitment and
support to the blessings that we’re counting? Yes,
Count your blessings, name them one by one;
Count your blessings, see what God hath done;
Count your blessings, name them one by one,And it will surprise
you
what the Lord hath done.
Counting my blessings!Chuck Mize
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Community... in Christyouth & community 3
My phone settings recently changed after an update and now I am
delighted by a rotation of pictures from my phone. I have both
pictures of my family and our church family. These smiling faces
and silly pictures of PYF, Confirmation, trips, church school, and
lots of fellowship act as reminders of how we functioned before the
upheaval of Covid-19. One of the memory pictures that popped up on
New Year’s Eve had us in masks and physically distant. I could
remember the laughs and the joy, but it was hard to see behind the
masks and these pictures reminded me of how fast our society and
community have changed.
As the New Year unfolds, we begin 2021 with hesitation and hope
for vaccines that will allow us to be together and see one another
in person. I wish I could put an X on a specific date and time when
we will be able to gather in the community as we did before. The
truth is we do not know when that exactly that will be. Instead, I
am looking forward to new joys that will be revealed to us through
the unknown as we travel through this strange and difficult time
together as a church family.
Each year the Confirmands select scripture that means something
to them. I am beginning 2021 with Romans 12:2 in the forefront of
my thoughts. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed
by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the
will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect. We will be
transformed by God’s love together as we begin to forge this new
journey together.
Peace, Elizabeth
CHILDREN AND TEEN FAITH FORMATION MINISTRY
YOUTH FAITH OPPORTUNITIESInterfaith Peace Wednesdays (FISH) at
4:00 pm via ZoomPlease join Pastor Elizabeth and your friends to
learn about different faiths and their un-derstanding of Peace.
Each week we will learn about a new aspect of peace (What is
Peace? Peace-Makers, Peace for the World, Finding your Own
Peace) and different faiths including our own teachings about
Peace. There will be different videos, conversations, and readings
to help guide us on this im-portant journey. This is geared for
9-11 year old’s or 4th – 6th graders. Everyone is wel-come. You can
register at www.gccucc.org/children-and-youth-faith-formation. This
program will begin on December 9 and you can join in at any time.
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwocuqrqzIo-EtWgOaEIVnDOZ6EyKu9pGcLQ
Children’s Bible Study Thursday’s at 4:00 pm via ZoomPlease join
Pastor Elizabeth and your friends in our weekly Bible study. Our
group will read our way through the Spark’s Story Book Bible. We
learn from significant Bible stories and learn about the books of
the Bible. We will read the Bible together, talk about how it
relates to us today and end with fun word games. You can register
at gccucc.org/children-and-youth-faith-formation/ This is geared
towards early elementary K-4th grade. Everyone is welcome.
https://u s 0 2 w e b. z o o m . u s / m e e t i n g / r e g i s t
e r /tZUqfuqprTsqHt1rTt00nvl0W4flxz4oOSxa
Story to Go7:00 p.m. on Wednesdays: Hear a Story and Share a
Story. Each registered participant will receive a Story to Go box
each month that will contain snacks, materials, and surprises that
we will use each week for our time together. Each week we will
gather and listen to a new story and then share our stories. These
stories will be told both firsthand and some video clips. This will
begin January 13, 2021. We will transition to in person as safety
allows. Send an email to [email protected] for the Zoom
link.
PYF January and February4:00 p.m. on Sundays: GAME ON! PYF will
play games each Sunday at 4 p.m. There will be a different game
built just for Zoom. This will be a time of pure fellowship and a
time to share our highs and lows and pray for ourselves and our
world together. Send an email to [email protected] for
the Zoom link. We will transition to in-person as safety allows.
This PYF program will begin January 10, 2021.
ANTI-RACISM FOR WHITE FOLKS
Join the Faith in Action Team and Adult Faith F o r m a t i o n
for a lively, i n t e r a c t i v e Zoom on January 27 at 7:00 P.M.
R e v e r e n d Smash of
the Lighthouse Foundation, will lead the discussion of
anti-racism for white folks. Register for this program by clicking
HERE. If you have trouble registering, please contact Susan
Woodsome in the GCC office at 847.724.2210, extension 225.
The norm of whiteness has been invisible to many of us.
Whiteness and white racialized identity refer to the way that white
people, their customs, culture, and beliefs operate as the standard
to which all other groups are compared. When we say or think
something in our society is “normal” we typically mean it’s white.
Exploring the ways we’ve been formed by white dominant culture can
open us up toward honesty and accountability. White privilege and
power are captured through systemic racism. To be anti-racist, we
must first understand how structural racism is constructed by the
self-interest of wealthy white elites and then defended through the
creation of racist ideas and beliefs. When we can identify the
racist policies, laws, regulations, and rules that govern our
society, we can begin to challenge them. Rev. Smash is a UCC
ordained pastor, teacher, and organizer who led a faith-rooted
movement of resistance to white supremacist violence in
Charlottesville, VA. An ardent follower of the subversive way of
Jesus, Smash always seeks to participate in a beloved community.
Currently, she organizes with Lighthouse Foundation, a Black
Queer-led, multiracial social justice organization that advances
justice for Black LGBTQ+ people across Chicagoland through
empowerment, education, and entertainment. Lighthouse Foundation
and Lighthouse Church are located at St. Paul’s UCC in Chicago.
GCC Speakers’ Forum
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0tcOChrDspHt0qTRGQwFp8lR30B8C13Hx0
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Community... in Christ
RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
PASTORSRev. Dr. Charles E. Mize, Senior Pastor Rev. Elizabeth C.
Hartung, Associate Pastor Rev. Dr. Howard W. Roberts, Pastor
EmeritusRev. Robert C. Warskow, Pastor Emeritus
1000 Elm StreetGlenview, IL 60025-2897Phone: (847) 724-2210Web:
www.gccucc.orgFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/
Nonprofit Organization
US PostagePAID
Glenview, IL Permit NO. 41
OFFICE HOURS MONDAY - FRIDAY 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
BUILDING HOURSMONDAY-FRIDAY 8:30 a.m.- 9:00 p.m.SATURDAY:
closedSUNDAY: 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
The heart is like a garden. It can grow compassion or fear,
resentment or love. What seeds will you plant there? Buddha
