8

Grace United Methodist Church 300 E. Gartner Rd. Naperville, IL 60540-7424

Non-profit Organization

U.S. POSTAGE PAID

NAPERVILLE, IL

PERMIT NO. 75

Gather to Christ Grow as Disciples Go to Serve Grace Notes

A Communications Ministry of Grace United Methodist Church October 2014

Tree Planted In Memory of Former Grace Pastor The beautiful tree shown at right is a single stem Autumn Blaze maple, the kind that will be planted on the island in the main parking lot in memory of Rev. Howard C. Benson, former Grace senior pastor (1979-1988), who died on July 3, 2014. “The tree will be a focal point for all who come to Grace,” said Sue Churchill, who, along with Fre-da Whittle, is leading the memorial tree project. There is also an Autumn Blaze maple in memory of Freda’s husband, Rev. Paul O. Whittle, on the grassy ar-ea across from the island, near our veg-etable garden. These maples are ex-pected to reach 60-80 feet in height and display magnificent red foliage; thus, the name “Autumn Blaze.” For those who knew Rev. Benson and valued his ministry at Grace and would like to contribute to the purchase and planting of the tree, you may give cash or checks payable to GUMC, noting “For Howard Benson Memorial Tree” on the memo line. The tree in memory of Rev. Benson will be dedicated on All Saints’ Sunday, November 2, following our annual memorial service in the Lacy Garden.

32nd Annual CROP Walk Steps Off From Grace October 19 Register to walk in the 32nd Annual Naperville Area CROP Walk on Sun-day, October 12, in the Activity Cen-ter. Stepping off again from Grace at approximately 1:30 p.m. on October 19, the CROP Walk will raise thou-sands of dollars again this year for hun-gry children. As little as $80 can feed a child for an entire year. Our goal this year is to enlist 60 walkers and raise $6,000. So, let’s roll up our sleeves, put on our sneakers, and take another step towards ending world hunger by 2030. You may also register to “walk online” at napervillecropwalk.org. If you can’t participate in the Walk your-self, please sponsor someone who is!

Family Fall Festival Oct. 26 Purchase tickets in the Activity Center for our annual Fall Festival in the lower parking lot, 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. on October 26. Tickets are $5/person and $20 max./family, including lunch, Belgian horse-drawn hay rides, hay bale maze, NASCAR simulator, moon jump, and much more! Wear your costumes, and be sure to invite your friends!

Grace Ablaze With Autumn Activity

Last year’s premiere of Dan For-rest’s stirring “Requiem for the Living” on All Saints’ Sunday was so well received, it is being pre-sented again on November 2, All Saints’ Sunday, at the 9:30 and 11:00 a.m. services. If you would like to support the Memorial Or-chestra for this presentation, your gift will be a living, breathing part of our “Requiem.” The

average cost of each professional chamber musician is about $250. All gifts, large or small, will be acknowledged equally without mention of contribution amounts. If you would like to support this moving All Saints musical tribute, please plan to bring or mail your gift before October 31, if possible, not-ing “Music Fund: Memorial Orchestra” on the memo line. Please make checks payable to GUMC, or pledge your gift now by scan-ning this QR code with your smart device.

Reprise of “Requiem for the Living” for All Saints’ Sunday November 2

Scan here to support the All Saints Memorial Orchestra.

2 October 2014

This time of year, I simply love to see all the fall colors: yellow, red, and orange leaves! One of my fa-vorite things to do in the fall is to go for a drive or walk through a forest preserve and simply gaze with wonder at all of the beautiful colors. It is on those walks or drives that I cannot help but acknowledge God's amazing work among us and give thanks. No matter the season, being outside and witnessing all of the wonders

of God's work helps tune me in to God's presence around me. What helps to make you more aware of God's pres-ence in your life? Experiences outdoors? Conversations with friends? Hugs from family members? Whatever it is that increases our awareness of God working in and among us may change, but the one constant in life throughout all of the changes is God!

Our ability to recognize or hear God in our lives may change. Our need for God in our lives may change. Our health, family, or job situations may change. But God’s presence with us never changes. One of my favorite poems and images is Mary Stevenson’s “Footprints in the Sand.” I hope this poem can be a reminder for you, too, that God is always present with us!

Footprints In the Sand One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord. Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky. In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand. Sometimes there were two sets of footprints, other times there was one set of footprints. This bothered me because I noticed that during the low periods of my life, when I was suffering from anguish, sorrow or defeat, I could see only one set of footprints. So I said to the Lord, ‘You promised me Lord, that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life there has only been one set of footprints in the sand. Why, when I needed you most, have you not been there for me?’ The Lord replied, ‘The times when you have seen only one set of footprints in the sand, is when I carried you.’

And the Change Goes On... By Pastor Tammy Scott

Pastor’s Journal On Wednesday evenings, I have begun a Bible study focusing on the theme of covenant. There is still opportunity to join us on October 15, 7:00-8:30 p.m. in the Fireside Room, after the Harvest Home break. The Bible is not a fairy tale with a good ending, nor is there a moral to the story, nor does it speak with one voice. But one theme is woven through the whole: the Covenant with God in its many forms and responses.

In 1850, with the fugitive slave act, there was universal agreement both North and South that the Bible condoned slav-ery. Indeed, many believed God condoned the peculiar institution, if not willing it. The Episcopal Bishop of Vermont was ready as a human being to condemn slavery, but “as a Christian . . . I am compelled to submit my weak and erring intellect to the authority of the Almighty.” In other words, because the patriarchs in the Bible, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, all owned slaves and because Paul sent a runaway slave back to his owner with the letter to Philemon, the good Bishop felt he had to accept slavery as an institution.

By 1880, the common reading in both North and South was that God was against slavery. What happened was that people began to read their Bible through the lens of the Golden Rule. Today, perhaps our great work will be to learn to get along with others. Privileging covenant as an avenue to engage God’s great work may provide a reading for the crisis of the 21st Century. Grace and peace,

7 October 2014

Have you visited the Grace Church Library web page lately? From the home page of the

church website, www.peopleofgrace.org, click on the “Grace Library” tab on the menu on the left of the page, or go directly there at www.peopleofgrace.org/ grace_library. The library page includes links to our Grace Library catalog (so that you can search from home), lists of recent acquisitions, and other information

about the library and its resources. The library is open during regular building hours. All materials (excluding reference titles) circulate for two weeks, and a library card is not necessary.

Please join us in the Activity Center on November 2 for our next book giveaway! “Visit the library to grow in the knowledge of your faith.”

Make a Date With a Database! By Angela McCurdy

Like many United Methodist church-es, Grace has an aging membership. This has led to investigations into how to better address the needs and wants of younger people so that they will become associated with church. In response to this general inquiry, Mark Himel and I journeyed to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, to attend the 2014 Men’s Spiritual Conference on Saturday, September 13. We went to hear Keynote Speaker Greg Arnold, Founder of Live Bold Ministries, de-scribe how he grew his men’s minis-try and drew younger men into the congregation. By no means is there a single solution for every congregation, but there are some general principles

that can guide developing programs that will attract younger men. Here are a few tidbits of insight that we learned. For one, as with any pro-gram, it is important to have a clearly defined, authentic purpose. Meetings for the sake of having a meeting will not be attractive to anyone. Older men prefer meetings structured around conversation and reflection, while younger men prefer action pro-jects. Don’t invite young men to at-tend boring planning meetings. Young men are under a lot of career and time pressures. Therefore, programs should not command a longterm commitment up front. Time-pressured men need a flexible com-

mitment. As much as pos-sible, include in programs concepts of how to re-late vocation to faith and how to build a relationship with Christ. With these and other guidelines that were presented to us, Mark and I plan to investigate how Grace Church can be more attractive to younger men.

What Do Younger Men Want? Insight From the September Men’s Spiritual Congress By Harold Workman

Men’s Spiritual Congress Keynote Speaker Greg Arnold

Mistletoe Marketplace November 15 - Auction and Sale Items Needed! No White Elephants, Please! Mark your calendars for Saturday, November 15, 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m., when Fellowship Hall will become a bustling holiday bazaar with hand-crafted gifts, baked goods, silent auction items, and our annual quilt drawing (tickets for the queen-sized “Baltimore Beauty” will be on sale in the Activity Center Oct. 26 and Nov. 2 and in the narthex Nov. 9). If you have any new, unused items, tickets, vacation home stays, gift baskets, antiques, etc. to donate to the silent auction or sale at Mistletoe Marketplace, please drop them outside Margaret Harrison’s office in the lounge area by Monday, November 10. Gift baskets are very popular auction items and wonderful Christmas presents—please consider putting together a basket of your own design and/or theme! PLEASE, NO “WHITE ELEPHANTS”! (If you don’t want it, it’s likely no one else will either!) Contact Darlene Noerenberg-Schille (630-355-8994) or Ro Willard (630-357-5651) for more information. If you are crafty and would like to help create some of the items for sale at Mistletoe Marketplace, please join the UMW craft group on Mondays at 9:30 a.m. in Room 101.

Save your Jewel Cuisinart cookingware stamps! Deposit them in the box in the main office so that we can collect these essential items for refugees who have nothing. Thank you!

6 October 2014

Grace Foundation’s Women’s Seminar Features Experts in Finance

Women of all ages are invited to a free seminar on women and finance, sponsored by the Grace Church Foundation and featuring several experts in finance. Be sure to join us for this important event, and bring a friend! Saturday, November 8, Grace Church Registration: 8:30 a.m. - coffee, juice, pastries Seminar: 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Break: 10:30-10:50 a.m. - bagels/cream cheese, beverages TOPICS • Financial Goals • Preparing Budgets • Managing Debt • Saving for College • Saving for Retirement • Life Insurance • Financial Net Worth • Social Security • Ownership of Assets • Estate Planning - Wills and Trusts • Divorce or Death of a Spouse • Leaving a Legacy

FEATURED SPEAKERS

Peggy Tomisek Nästi CPA 630-983-8511 or ptnasti@wideopenwest.com for further information.

Kim Coogan Estate Planning Attorney Bellock and Coogan, LTD Mary Jo Ardizzone Financial Advisor Edward Jones

Karen Anselmo V.P. and Wealth Management Officer First Midwest Bank

JoEllen Bender Retired bank executive

Grace Church has been able to accom-plish many things this year, thanks to our members’ generosity. We are seeing results from the Capital Cam-paign with new parking lots on the up-per level of the church and new retain-ing walls, as well as many electrical, security, and technological improve-ments inside the church.

While the Capital Campaign has been progressing, there have also been changes in our church clergy this year. Pastor Lisa was transferred to another church in July, Pastor Bill retired, Pas-tors Tammy and Matthew joined our staff, and Nicole Zaccaria came on as our part-time Open Doors Ministry coordinator.

As all of these changes were occurring, Grace has been able to maintain ex-penses at the budget level approved by

Church Council in December of 2013. Because of the severe weather we had in January through March, heating, salt, and snow plowing exceeded budget—in fact, all of the money earmarked for such expenses has already been spent.

During the month of October, we will kick off our annual Fall Campaign for 2015 (not to be confused with our Firm Foundation capital campaign, which be-gan last year). Each of us will be asked to make commitments to Prayer, Presence, Gifts, Service, Witness (5 Commitments). Prayers, Presence, and Witness are personal goals in our spiritual journey, while Gifts and Ser-vice are church and community-focused goals. Gifts and Service com-mitments help Grace plan for the next year. Gifts help our church plan the budget level for 2015, and Service will

give the church the information needed as to which missions/programs can be pursued.

We under-stand that the amount of your gift is an estimate, and circum-stances may not allow you to complete the gift as planned. On the other hand, you may be able to exceed your planned gift.

Thank you for your continued support of Grace Church during this year and also in 2015.

Five Commitments For the Year 2015 From the Stewardship and Finance Committee

Save the Date! Women’s “Celebrate the Season” Event is December 3! Further details to come in Grace In Mission and Grace Notes

Register in the church office

(630-355-1748)

3 October 2014

I’ve always been fascinat-ed by the social media platform known as Twitter. Every day, millions upon millions of

people hang their thoughts, or “tweets,” out in cyberspace 140 char-acters at a time. They are visible only for a moment before becoming buried under layers of other tweets—6,000 of them per second on average, as many as 145,000/second at peak times. That equals out to about 500 million of them a day. That is equivalent to 2,500 novels in 24 hours. When I take a mo-ment to think about it, that makes me a little anxious. That is a staggering amount of information. And it also makes me wonder...is anybody really reading all those words? Clearly, the people of the world are speaking, but is anybody listening?

For the past month, I’ve been inten-tional about listening in short bursts— about an hour or so a week—by scouring Twitter for the use of the word “prayer.” I’ve been looking for those who are tweeting petitions, and I’ve found many. They are often shared by younger folk, usually as an immedi-ate reaction to the diagnosis of a loved one or recent news that has touched their hearts. They say things like:

Please everyone keep my neighbor and second mom in your prayers, she's in the hospital and could use all the support.

I'm in need of prayers. Another family member went to heaven.

I would appreciate prayers from anybody who has love for me. Please. I need them more then anything right now.

Initially, it was heartbreaking to read them—not because of the calls for prayer themselves, but because seem-ingly nobody was hearing them. At least, nobody was responding. So, using the Portico Collective Twitter account (@PorticoCo), I started responding when I could. It didn’t matter where they were from, or what their particu-lar beliefs were. I would simply offer short replies like: “We are praying for you,” or “You have our prayers.” And I would pray for them using their Twit-ter “handle” —God, shine your light on @Destt and family.

I didn’t know what would come of it. What would people think about a stranger searching Twitter for their prayers? Well, the responses were humbling. In addition to them acknowl-edging the @PorticoCo responses by sharing them with their friends and/or marking them as “favorites,” they also wrote back:

I appreciate it a lot. Your prayers mean more to me than you know. Thank you.

Thank you for your prayers. It means a lot.

And many that simply said, Thank you.

As my phone notified me of each reply, I offered another prayer for them, and one of thanksgiving for the chance to practice ministry in this way. So far, it has resulted in a five percent growth in Twitter followers, and eight percent more web traffic, all from just a few hours of work, and all for doing what I am called to do as a Christian anyway: pray for those in need.

Clearly, the world has changed, and faith is going to have to change with it. I am delighted that you all are letting me be on the frontlines of this won-derful new adventure. I hope that a few of you will also consider joining me in whatever ways you can.

Twitter Prayer By Pastor Matthew Johnson

Grace Hosts Spiritual Formation Workshop with Bishop Sally Dyck November 1 On Saturday, November 1, the Northern Illinois Conference will sponsor a Spiritual Formation workshop, “Drawing Closer to God,” with Keynote Speaker Bishop Sally Dyck here at Grace Church. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m., with the workshop beginning at 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. The day features such activities and topics as: • Praying with Protestant Prayer Beads - Learn how the ancient discipline of prayer beads

can be used to rediscover sacred space and time. • Praying the Scripture - Explore God’s Word through meditation using lectio divina. • Praying a Labyrinth as a Contemplative Practice - Discover the labyrinth as a metaphor, a physical prayer drawing you

closer to God. • Contemplative Photography - Travel this pathway of creative spiritual observation with the camera. • Spirituality of Service - Find peace and the presence of God in loving your neighbor, with examples of how local

churches are the hands and feet of Christ. • Nurturing a Climate for Spiritual Formation in the Local Church - Hear the stories emerging from a new program spon-

sored by the NIC Spiritual Formation Committee to equip laity as spiritual formation leaders in their local churches. Registration is $10 before Oct. 15; $20 after at www.signup4.net/Public/ap.aspx?EID=DRAW10E

or contact Leslie Rogers at 630-325-0169 or ljkrogers@sbcglobal.net. Please park in the lower parking lot!

4 October 2014

t a farewell reception on Sep-tember 21, Grace members said

heartfelt and grateful good-byes to Parish Nurse Pam Riley, whose ministry at Grace began ten years ago. Long before that, when Rev. Howard Benson was senior pastor at Grace and his wife, Shirley, was speaking about the ministry of parish nurs-ing, Pam was listening. “What she was saying piqued my interest,” said Pam, a regis-tered nurse since 1977. It was not until she attended an event in Glen Ellyn and met women whose church had a wellness ministry that she brought the prospect of a parish nurse ministry to Grace, where it was funded in part by grant money.

At the time, the Grace can-cer support group was just being formed by Pastor Bill Bryan and Elaine Jungnickel, and Pam became a facilitator and key member of the close-knit group. From there, she paved the way for blood pressure screenings, flu shot clinics and blood drives at Grace, as well as the vital prayer shawl minis-try she created, grief sup-port, and the healing oils of the Bible she has studied and with which she has touched not only people’s temples, but their very hearts. Her

ministry at Grace combined the elements of faith and wellness that make up the mind/body/spirit triangle of holistic health in the pres-ence of a loving God. Ulti-mately, it is the people she’s loved and cared for that mean the most to her.

“I treasure the relationships I’ve made with people who’ve needed my care at vari-ous times of their lives,” said Pam. She be-comes emotional when she speaks about praying with people. “When I pray with someone, I’m not saying my own words; I’m praying God’s words with them.” Pam so loves this aspect of her ministry that she will still facilitate the twice monthly healing prayer and anointing oil services on Saturday eve-nings at 5:00 in the Activity Center.

“I’m passionate about the sacred oils of the Bible. Healing oils are like a prayer shawl...tangible, physical evi-dence of God’s love,” said Pam. “I have had people tell me that they’ve taken the aroma of the oils home with them and relished it all night. Prayer is that powerful.” Pam will also remain a Ste-phen leader at Grace, facili-

tating the ministry she be-lieves is crucial to our mem-bers. “Lay people can be such a special help to people in crisis. Unless you’ve had a Stephen Minister, you may

not know what they can mean.”

As one of very few parish nurses in the Northern Illinois Confer-ence, Pam under-stands the im-portance of the unique vocation that integrates

both medical and spiritual aspects. “As a Christian and a nurse, I could bring both a faith foundation and medical knowledge to those I ministered,” said Pam, who is a full-time OB/GYN triage nurse at Rush-Copley Medi-cal Center in Aurora. “That’s the heart of parish nursing: bringing mind, body and spirit together in one connection. I will miss it dearly.”

Fortunately for us, in addi-tion to facilitating healing worship and Stephen Minis-try, the long-time Grace member and her fiancé, George Valish, will remain a part of the Grace congrega-tion. Pam extends a warm invitation to all who would like to attend her wedding to George on June 20, 2015, at Grace.

Parish Nurse Pam Riley Leaves Legacy of Prayer and Care By Barb Ceruti

Pam Riley on the Importance of

Donating Blood

There is such a need for blood for so many reasons. People take their blood for granted until they or some-one they love needs it. In my own experience, my granddaughter Ava Hope was born 13 weeks early and needed blood to survive. Who knew preemies need-ed blood? My daughter Rachel almost needed blood for a condition called HELLP Syndrome (Hemolysis, Elevated Liver enzymes, and Low Platelet count.) Often, people are not aware that so many disease processes involve the need for blood, not just car accidents and more obvious traumas. Here at Grace, we have the op-portunity to give blood every two months, when Heart-land Blood Center comes to Fellowship Hall. The next drive is on Monday, Decem-ber 8, 3:30-7:30 p.m. Online registration for a time slot will be available at peopleofgrace.org. Young donors are particularly needed (minimum age 16 with parent/guardian’s written consent).

Two Receive Grace Foundation’s NCC Scholarship Grace members Max Hashimi, a 2014 graduate of Matea Valley High, and Alec Olson, 2014 graduate of Neuqua Val-

ley, were awarded a $1,000 scholarship to North Central College. Says Alec (left), ”I wanted to apply for the Foundation schol-arship to lessen the financial burden on my parents, since they’re paying for my educa-

tion. I have a background with Grace Church, which allowed me to receive the scholarship and pursue my studies in busi-ness management.” According to Max (right), “I decided to apply for the scholar-ship because of the connection between Grace Church and North Central College, which are both Methodist institutions. It’s helping me to pay for my fresh-man year and my studies in psychology.” Congratulations, Alec and Max!

5

Animal Attraction!

Please send photos and descriptions of your family’s pets or wildlife you have snapped in your yard, on vacation, safari, etc. to barbceruti@peopleofgrace.org, or bring to the church office. Please submit only photos that were taken by you or someone you know—no Internet downloads, please. Photos will be returned upon request. If you would like to see your pet or wild critters in an upcoming issue of Grace Notes, contact us today!

This is an immature bald eagle that Cheryl Ameiss snapped near her home in Canada. Says Cheryl, “They do not get their ‘signature’ markings for five years, even though they are as big as the adults within one year.” This one sat on top of a tree right next to Cheryl’s house. She had the cover of her house to protect her from being seen by the eagle while she took multiple pictures. “I just saw this big bird fly by and tried to look to see if it was around. What a surprise and joy!” (Immature or not, I wouldn’t want to kid around with that one!)

Our People

Sympathy to the Friends and Family of…

Elvan Glen Bennett, uncle of Gaye Lynn Loufek Jeannie Douglas, mother of Brian Douglas Frank Kern, father of Paul Kern Matt Philips, friend of Neva Nelson Allen Dale Thornton, brother-in-law of Marilyn Kayton Dorothy “Dee Lee” Winterrowd, mother of Bruce Winterrowd Norris Yonker, husband of Peg Yonker

Celebrations and Congratulations

Lillian Ruth Crabtree, daughter of Mark and Samantha Crabtree, granddaughter of Pamela Hoch Crabtree, and great-granddaughter of Barbara Hoch, was born August 28 Jim and Carol Nelson celebrated their 50th wedding anni-versary on August 29 Anne Marie Francesconi, granddaughter of Del and Virginia Spaits, married Lars Carlson on September 16 Christina Donegan and Zachary Kehoe were married on September 20 Steve Olson graduated on September 26 from “Advanced Individual Training” at the United States Chaplain Center and School in Fort Jackson, South Carolina. He is now a Chaplain Assistant in the U.S. Army Reserve.

Welcome, New Members

New members listed in bold

Mel and Ofe Aguda Betty Bonham Ian and Susan (Sue) Imrie Emily and Jason Kalmbach Frank and Marcia Pauly John “Butch” and Wanda Rutter Tod and Lara Stanton and children Logan, Jackson and Jenna

October 2014

October Healing Prayer at Saturday Evening Worship - Pam Riley to Offer Prayer and Oils

Saturday Evening Worship offers healing prayer and anointing oils twice per month. Healing services this month are on October 11 and October 25, 5:00 p.m. in the Activity Center. Saturday Evening Worship is informal, family-friendly, and offers an opportunity to meet God and one another in an intimate, meditative setting at week’s end. After worship, join together in the Activity Center lounge for refreshments and a time of fellowship. While Pam Riley has retired from her position as Parish Nurse at Grace, she will still offer healing prayer and oils at Saturday Evening Wor-ship, as she is passionate about the power of prayer and sa-cred oils of the Bible. Please read more about Pam’s ministry on page 4.

Immature Bald Eagle

Nesting Wedgie

Barb Ceruti snapped this mama bird in West Maui, where several wedgies were nesting in holes on the craggy cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean.