March 11, 2007 Volume 39, Issue 5A Publication of The Union Church of Hinsdale, U.C.C.

“A Christian should live with a Bible in one hand and the daily

newspaper in the other.” - Karl Barth, theologian

When I’m at home, I spend a lot of time at my kitchen table. In the morning, I sit there to drink coffee (only half-caf these days) and read the newspaper. Sometimes I share the headlines with my daughter Emma, who’s 13. I remember my dad talking with me about Vietnam and President Nixon when I was her age. Now we discuss Iraq and President Bush.

At dinner, I’m back at the same table with Emma and Rachel, who’s 15. If I’m lucky, I can get them to sit with me for 10 or 15 minutes. We talk about our days, homework assignments and share news about our friends and family.

In the evening, I often sit at the kitchen table to read my Bible, getting ready for a small group study or sermon.

The kitchen table is the place where I try to bring all these three together: the world, my family and my faith. Somewhere

in that intersection I define what is important and how I will live. When I approach my work as a minister, my responsibilities as a mother, and my relationships with others, I do it with the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other.

But I can’t do this alone. Without the support of my faith community at Union Church, my beliefs and opinions would be pretty shallow. Thanks to all of you, I continue to grow as a disciple of Jesus Christ. I have a place where my efforts combine with the work of others to achieve a greater impact in the world.

The Christian Formation ministry developed the Adult Forum series last fall as a means of helping all of us grow in discipleship. These programs, at 11:15 a.m. on Sundays in Rowell Hall, attract about 50 people each week to hear excellent speakers bring together the Bible and the daily news for us. We have had excellent speakers in the last six months on topics as diverse as global warming, moderate Islam, domestic violence, and health care. Our purpose for the Forum is:

• To provide an open forum for youth and adults to hear information about important issues in the church and the world.

• To offer a time to ask questions, share opinions and engage in dialogue about those issues in light of Christian faith.

• To promote a sense of community in the church.

• To attract people from outside the church to hear significant

A View From the Balcony

speakers.

• To lead participants to mobilize for action or witness around a particular issue, perhaps in coordi-nation with a mission activity.

The Adult Forum and our current events group at 9:00 a.m. each Sunday are like an extension of my kitchen table. Our Adult Education Committee is always open to suggestions for topics and speakers, so contact me with your ideas. If you haven’t tried the Adult Forum or current events group yet, please do!

The only limitation of the Adult Forum is that we skip to a new topic each Sunday and we don’t have the same people in “class.” For those who want an ongoing study, we offer 14 different small groups involving 200 people sponsored by Parish Life: for married couples, engaged couples, families going through divorce, prison ministry, men’s ministry, women’s ministry, Bible study and prayer shawl ministry. These groups provide a community where we can join together with other believers to find support, information, and a shared purpose.

You will hear more about small group ministry in the months ahead, as we grow from being a church with small groups to becoming a church of small groups.

Won’t you join me around the kitchen table?

In Christian love,

Julie Ruth

THE UNION CHURCH OF HINSDALE137 South Garfield AvenueHinsdale, IL 60521-4298

www.uchinsdale.org630.323.4303 (Telephone)

630.323.4407 (Fax)

OUR STAFF

Senior Minister:Rev. Verlee A. Copeland

Minister for ChristianFormation and Mission:

Rev. Dr. Thom Parrott-Sheffer

Minister for Membership andDiscipleship:

Rev. Dr. Julie Ruth Harley

Director of Youth Ministries:David Knecht

Director of Music Ministries:Michael Surratt

Director of Choirs:Gary Wilhelm

Director of EarlyChildhood Programs:

Jennifer Keldahl

Director of Children’sChristian Education:

Penny Johnson

Executive Manager:Merrilee Hall

Financial Manager:Chris Biank

Project Manager:Joel Gratcyk

Systems Manager:Mary Bock

WORSHIP SERVICES

Journey WorshipSaturdays at 5:00 p.m.

Sunday Worship8:00, 9:00 and 10:00 a.m.

Jesus And Me (JAM)2nd Sundays at 11:15 a.m.

Prayer and Healing Service3rd Sundays at 7:00 p.m.

CHURCH OFFICE HOURS

Monday through Friday8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Sundays8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Invitation to Faith: Transformative Worship

LENTEN WORSHIP ON WEDNESDAYS7:30 to 8:00 p.m. in the Chapel

Mar. 14 – Theme: “The Old Rugged Cross”Mar. 21 – Theme: “Lift High the Cross”Mar. 28 – Theme: “Were You There?”

Upcoming Concerts at Union Church

Saturday, April 14, 7:30 p.m. in the Chapel

"Music of the Midnight Sun: Scandinavian Songs of the Seasons"

Victoria Linich, mezzo-soprano, with Robert Holst, piano

Sunday, April 29, 4:00 PM in the Sanctuary

“Music for Brass and Organ”The Gargoyle Brass Quintet with Michael Surratt, organ

NOW HEAR THISInformation about the Church Telex, state-of-the-art,

FM listening system in the Sanctuary and Chapel.

Union Church has listening devices to assist you in hearing what is said in the Sanctuary and Chapel. The ba-sic component of this equipment is a Sound Mate, a receiver attached by wire to a pair of earphones. The Sound Mate can be used with or without your hearing aid. For those who have hearing aids with a Tele-coil setting (T-switch), a simple neck loop is available which also attaches to the receiver. In this case the neck

loop replaces the earphones. This equipment is effective any where in the Sanctuary when the speaker uses a microphone.

These listening devices are available in the Chapel, but are not interchangeable with those in the Sanctuary. Channel E is to be used in the Sanctuary, Channel I is used in the Chapel.

The equipment for the Sanctuary is located in the Sanctuary and the equipment for the Chapel is located under the bench at the entrance to the Chapel. If you have any ques-tions, the ushers are at your service.

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Invitation to Faith: Christian Formation for Children

EXPERIENCING LOGOSHave you ever wondered what happens at LOGOS on Wednesday evenings? If you happened to be in the Church on a Wednesday evening between November and March, you may have seen many of our children and youth involved in various activities throughout the church. You may have seen Pastor Thom dressed in a tuxedo, David in his Hawaiian shirt (I guess that isn’t too strange, since David is usually in a Hawaiian shirt), Karen Schwarzbauer in Chinese kimono, Penny in her pajamas or kids with crazy hair or wearing their favorite sport’s team shirts. Below is a glimpse at a typical evening at LOGOS. If you are interested in “trying out” LOGOS before we end, please let Penny Johnson know in the Church offi ce. Grades 1-8 are welcome. High schoolers are always appreciated as helpers. Our last LOGOS is March 21 till next November.

Little LOGOS for our Adult helpers

Exercising our voices gets us ready for recreation

Eating is everyone’s favorite time

Teens doing their thing Adult fellowship in the kitchen

Sunday March 11 th – JAM Worship 11:15AM (All Spring WT youth participate).

– TNT “MEGA Game Nite” 5-6:30PM – SPRING WORK TOUR Training Nite I… 6:30-9PM (Youth Room)

Sunday March 18 th – Spring Work Tour “Commissioning Sunday” @ 10AM Worship – TNT “St. Paddy’s Day” Party at *David & Pam’s house 5-6:30PM – Spring Work Tour Training Nite II (and St. Paddy’s Day” Party)

at David & Pam’s house 7-9PM

Youth Happenings!

To Our Spaghetti Dinner Chairs… WOW & THANKS!

2007 WORK TOURs Are Coming Up FAST!

We Still have A NUMBER of Students in Need of SPONSORS…Can You Help?

SAY SAY

“Does Being Cool Really Matter?” – Girl’s Point of View

Over $ 12,000.00 Raised for ABC and Work Tour Missions!!!

Wear your GREEN!

Invitation to Faith: Christian Formation for Youth

Invitation to Faith: Christian Formation for Adults

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11:15 a.m.

each Sunday in

Rowell Hall

March 11 – “Current Perspectives on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict,” presented by Mr. Hatem Abudayyeh, the executive director of the Arab American Action Network.

March 18 – “The Death Penalty,” pre-sented by Mr. Dick Conser, attorney and board member, Illinois Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty

March 25 – “Veterans for Peace”

Child care is provided each week for children from birth through age 4 in the nursery. If you would like child care for children from age 5 through 5th grade, please contact Rev. Julie Ruth Harley one week in advance at

(630) 323.4303 ext. 14.

Saturday, April 21 at 6:30 PMProgressive Dinner is a fun social event. We all gather at the fi rst home for cocktails and appe-tizers, at the second home we are divided into groups of 8 or 10 for a delightful dinner and then all meet at the end of the evening for a des-sert extravaganza! Recipes and dinner assign-ments will be sent to you April 12. Would you like to host a dinner? Questions? Call Bonnie Eigel 986-5415 or email at bjeigel@sbcglobal.net. The cost is $12.00 per person and a pre-pared dish.

To make your reservation, call, email and/or send a check by April 11, payable to Union Church of Hinsdale to: Bonnie Eigel, 5840 S. Garfi eld, Hinsdale, IL 60521. Join in the fun!!!

WE’RE LOOKING FOR A FEW GOOD WOMEN...Have you ever wondered what this “unit” business is all about? Women’s Association is split into seven small groups, known as “units,” which meet monthly for fellow-ship, entertaining and informative programs and to share in the “business” of Women’s Association—outreach to each other, the church, our community and the world.

Every two years new units are formed. While you can join a unit at any time, if you’d like to be part of this formation process take a card from the Women’s As-sociation bulletin board just off the Gathering Place, fi ll it out and put it in the envelope provided. At our May Luncheon, the new unit lists will be available with the schedule of events for the 2007-08 year. We welcome you all!

UNION CHURCH WORSHIP ON CABLE Tune in to Channel 19 (public access cable) from 3:30 to 4:00 p.m. every Saturday to see Union Church at wor-ship. Congratulations to the Member-ship Development Committee, who ar-ranged for our services to be broadcast free through Comcast Cable as an im-portant outreach to 30 communities in the western suburbs.

Attention high school seniors and college students:

Applications are now available for scholarships offered by the Women’s Association. Any student who will be in col-lege in the fall of 2007 is eligible to apply.

While the amount of awards varies in size, the minimum award to each recipi-ent will be $500. Scholarships are awarded based on a combination of factors including, but not limited to, church involvement, whether the applicant is ei-ther in seminary or contemplating a church-related career and fi nancial need.

Please note that while fi nancial need may be taken into consideration, this is not a “need-based” scholarship. We encourage everyone eligible to apply. Applica-tions are available from the Women's Association, from David Knecht and Rev. Thom Parrot-Sheffer, or they may be downloaded from www.uchinsdale.org.

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Invitation to Faith: Expanding Mission For All People

The Open and Affi rming (ONA) Task Force invites you to a free screening of Transamerica on Sunday evening, March 25 at 6:30 p.m. in the Lounge (next to the Chapel).

In an Academy Award nominated performance, Fe-licity Huffman’s portrayal of a t r a n s g e n d e r e d person gives us some insight into what life may be like for someone

in this position. (Because this movie is rated R, children under 17 must be accompanied by a parent.)

Because the purpose of the ONA Task Force is to offer educational opportuni-ties at Union Church as our congrega-tion strives to understand, affi rm, work and worship with people of all sexual orientations, we chose this movie as a springboard for discussion.

Everyone is welcome to join us for the movie, a pizza supper, and

for discussion afterwards.

March preview: “An Early Frost” will be shown on Sunday, April 22.

Mark your calendar now!

WHO IS MY NEIGHBOR?One Great Hour of Sharing - March 17 & 18, 2007 - At All Worship Services

Since 1949, churches across North America have joined together to support the annual One Great Hour of Sharing offering, expressing God’s love to our neigh-bors near and far. On average, The United Church of Christ responds to disasters once every 2.5 days – not just after the major disasters that saturate the media, but also to people affected by chronic disasters that repeat themselves each and every day. Last year’s outreach included:

Flood relief in the mid-Atlantic states

Assistance to Mid-Western tornado survivors

Support for Lebanese

people uprooted by violence

A feeding program for refugees in Sudan

Micro-credit for 800 women weavers in Bangladesh

Support to address the dangers of child labor in Old Cairo, Egypt

Twenty sheep for rural families in the Balkans

Vocational training in Angola to allow landmine survivors to gain new skills

New water cisterns in the West Bank to improve

access to safe water

In this country, and in more than eighty others, life is better for our neighbors because of gifts to One Great Hour of Sharing. Please give generously by returning the enclosed offering envelope. Thank you!

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Invitation to Faith: Community Life

Honor a loved one on Easter Sunday with beautiful spring blooms to make a glorious display on Easter morning.

Each plant costs $16 (one plant per dedication). Place your order on the order forms available at church or call Audrey Woeltje in the church of-fi ce at (630) 323.4303 before April 1. Plants may be taken home after the 11:00 a.m. Easter service. Volunteers are needed to deliver donated plants to the homebound.

Looking for a Bargain?The Annual Petite Repeat Sale will be held in the church on Saturday, April 14. Please consider donating gently used children's clothing, toys, equipment, furniture, as well as maternity clothes directly to the church on April 9 through April 12. If you can volunteer to help with the set-

up of the sale you will be eligible to shop at the Pre-Sale on Friday, April 13. To schedule a drop-off of large or oversized items, or to volunteer, please call Jill Witt at 850.4166 or Stephanie Ley at 590.5360. All proceeds benefi t the Early Childhood Scholarship Fund. Thank You!

A Hunting We Will Go!!!Join us on April 7 at 9:00 a.m. for the Annual Easter Egg Hunt Meet in the Gathering Place for a devotion time with Rev. Harley Then hunt for eggs, and then…..meet the special guest of the morning…. THE EAS-TER BUNNY!!!!

Seder MealPlease join us for a special Seder Meal on April 1, Palm Sunday at 4:00 p.m. More information to follow in future Good News issues.

MEN'S CLUB PROGRAM & LUNCHEON

Wednesday, March 14 at 12:00 p.m.

TOPIC: Lewis & Clark Adventure

Our guest speaker is Ted Rock. He is a historian of the Lewis & Clark Expe-dition, but thinks of himself as more of a storyteller relating what actually happened along the route pioneered by Lewis & Clark. He and his wife have traveled the route from Hartford, Il to Estoria, Oregon making his insight and observations very interesting. Join us for a trip back into history.

DROP-IN BOOK GROUP FOR MARCH: Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

Stop by Susan Young’s house (132 E. Walnut, Hinsdale)on Tuesday, March 27 at 1:30 p.m. to enjoy an informal chat about Lisa See’s novel Snow Flower and the Secret Fan.

Everyone is welcome to drop in, even if you haven’t read the book!

“Revelations” returns! Thursday, March 15 at 9:30 a.m. in Rowell Hall

Four “mystery” Union Church women will be inter-viewed about everything from their childhood crushes to the best advice they every received, plus many other interesting glimpses into their lives. Who will the mys-tery women be? You’ll have to come to the program to fi nd out.

Everyone is invited to the program and to the delicious brunch served after-ward. Tickets for the brunch are $6, and may be purchased at the church offi ce, at Women’s Association Unit meetings, or at coffee hour on Sundays. Reserva-tions for the brunch must be made by March 12.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE...2 3 4 5 6 7

TRANSFORMATIVE WORSHIP

CHRISTIAN FORMATION FOR CHILDREN

CHRISTIAN FORMATION FOR YOUTH

CHRISTIAN FORMATION FOR ADULTS

EXPANDING MISSION FOR ALL PEOPLE

COMMUNITY LIFE

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

DON AND CHRISTINE CERNOK, (GRANT, ETHAN & OLIVIA)sponsored by Robbi and Bruce Granger

Short biographies and color photos of the newest

members of Union Church are available for viewing on the

website at: http://www.uchinsdale.org/

Look under "Newcomers & Visitors" then "New Members."

NEW MEMBERS OF UNION CHURCH WHO JOINED FEBRUARY 18TH, 2007

TERRY HUEBNER AND NOELLE WEBER, (GRETCHEN)sponsored by Shirley and Brett Paulson

DEBBI HAYES, (Holly, Taylor & Gregory)sponsored by Steve and Lisa Smith (Chase)

STEVE AND CARYN YARBROUGH, (ALLI & STEVEN)SPONSORED BY BARB AND DAN HARNETT

STEPHANIE LEY, (MARIT & HENNING)sponsored by Mary Robinson