the april 2012 church mouse

The Church Mouse Monthly newsletter for the members & friends of Community Congregational Church of Elburn

The Pastor’s Page…. I remember a time when Easter was the occasion for hats, and new suits and

dresses. Our culture left that behind decades ago. Sometimes, back then, the focus

was not so much on Christ or the resurrection, but on the new clothes or the fancy hats. Cus-

toms surrounding the celebration of Easter often have arisen as people find ways to express their

delight in the meaning of Easter. For example, eggs are a sign of new life; colorful, exquisite

decorations of them can be a glory to God. A hidden basket can be symbolic of Christ hidden

in the grave, and when it is found, He is arisen! Each thing had a connection to the worship and

to the season.

Customs come and customs go. Sometimes they disappear because they lose their

meaning for people. I saw an ad the other day for Easter baskets with themes that borrowed

from movies and various toys. Nowadays, every sort of civic organization hosts Easter-egg

hunts for children, which kind of separates the holiday from the thing that makes it holy.

Some want to turn Easter into a rite of spring, as though someone “invented” Easter to

celebrate the cycle of re-birth and re-awakening in nature. Perhaps God chose the spring for

Easter because the world just naturally preaches a similar theme with the return of green, grow-

ing things, but no one invented Easter for any such purpose. Jesus rose from the grave. That is

the purpose for the holiday. It would still be a holiday of great importance regardless of the sea-

son of year in which it happened.

Easter is important. Customs are not. The true heart of Easter is the resurrection of Je-

sus. We celebrate the day because Jesus rose from the dead. We rejoice over that because Je-

sus’ resurrection is more than just His alone. It is the resurrection of all who believe. When

Jesus arose from the dead, He not only demonstrated that it was possible, He began the rising

from the dead of all who believe. In the measure of time, they are separate. In the light of eter-

nity, they are the same event. He rose first, but in His resurrection, all believers rise. When Je-

sus rose, He began to pull each of us out of our graves as well.

The resurrection underscores the truth of what Jesus taught. When Jesus said that He

would rise from the dead, people doubted Him and until He accomplished what He said He

would do, it cast a shadow of uncertainty over everything He taught. Jesus demonstrated the

truth of His words. Jesus’ resurrection proved that just because a thing was not possible for us

did not mean that it was impossible for God. Jesus spoke the truth, and everything He taught

was shown to be true. It does not matter how it seems to us, or whether we can imagine it or

not. When Jesus says it, it partakes of His truth.

Jesus taught us that God loves us and has good will toward us. God wants us to

live. God wants us to be blessed. Those ideas are contrary to the common expectation of hu-

manity. People have always imagined God, whether the image may be angry, judgmental, ca-

pricious, violent, and, in short, a larger and more powerful version of ourselves (typically our-

selves on a bad day). People imagine God to have limited power, limited intellect, limited atten-

tion. They often also imagine that God has a very weak will, so that we could manipulate God

with insincere words and gaudy trinkets.

But in Jesus we learned that we not only have no ability to manipulate God, we also

have no need to do so. God delights in communion with us and seeks our blessing, our wisdom

and understanding, and our trust, that we may live without terror and embrace life confidently,

knowing that God will guide and protect us, even in circumstances we cannot control or com-

prehend. You can trust God because He loves you. Jesus taught it, so it is true.

Either Jesus is right, or our frightened or frustrated assessment of things is. Easter in-

vites us to walk by faith and not by sight. (continued on page 2)

April 2012

Church Office Hours:

Monday through Friday

9:00 am to 1:00 pm.

Phone: (630) 365-6544

[email protected]

INTERIM PASTOR

Rev. Michelle Prentice-Leslie

MODERATOR

Sharon Lackey

VICE-MODERATOR

Mary Royer

TREASURER

Tammy Eckstrom

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

+++

Our website is constantly

being updated. Check it

out!

www.elburn-ucc.org

April 2012 Community Congregational Church page 2

Musings from the Moderator… April and Easter bring the promise of new beginnings and

the hope of continuing blessings from God.

The parking lot closing has been postponed for

a month at the request of the area businesses

while they put together a proposal to finance a

purchase. We are hopeful that a solution can be found that will

result in our sale of the lot which will then remain open for

public parking with the Village owning and maintaining it. This

would be a blessing for all involved. I will keep you posted on

the progress as I receive information.

Also, the search committee continues to review profiles of

prospective ministers and has interviewed some in person and

by phone. We are hopeful that a selection can be made soon.

Please keep the committee in your prayers as the process con-

tinues.

See you in worship! Sharon Lackey, Moderator

Lazarus House Dinner Our friends at Lazarus House continue to be

in our thoughts and prayers as we provide the

occasional dinner for them. As a church we

provide the evening meal on the fifth Friday of every month

that has 5 Fridays, which means that our next opportunity is

June 29. The sign-up sheet will be on the easel in Schneider

Hall, ready for you to fill in the part of the meal you’d like to

provide. Remember, Lazarus House has a stockpile of frozen

foods from which to choose when planning/preparing a meal.

Contact Lazarus House in advance (630-587-5872), visit and

select food, and store food in church freezers until needed. Dis-

posable pans are available at church for delivering the meals.

Won’t you sign up to help? Thank you to the following for

the March 30 meal: Kathy Thompson, Judy Taylor, Chris

Pangborn, Diane Bergquist, Dean & Bonnie Anderson.

Art isn’t just painting, as you will find out when you

attend the 2012 Kaneland Fine Arts Festival on Sun-

day, April 22, 11a-6p.A wide spectrum of artistic dis-

ciplines will be represented, such as pottery, glass fus-

ing, caricatures, and jewelry, along with the expected

watercolor and oil painting. Performing arts will be fea-

Just from Jessie…. On March 16 & 17 Alex Siebert, Jeremy Faivre,

Lauren Parnell & I stopped eating for 30

hours. Why would we do this you might

ask? Because God asked us to! There are hundreds of

thousands of children going to bed hungry every night

around the world. By fasting we were able to experience

just a hint of what they go through every day of their

young lives. We showed no signs of hunger until 24

hours into the fast. Then on Saturday about noon we had

been serving for 4 hours at a food pantry and headaches

and fatigue started setting in. I had devotions and prayers

to lead but it was too difficult for me to concentrate. We

got a small pick me up from the communion wafer and

wine at church! We watched many educational videos

about hunger around the globe. We played a role playing

game called Tribe where we each (continued on page 3)

The Pastor’s Page (continued from page 1) When we do, we find comfort and contentment. This

world is not all there is. If we do not experience the goodness of

God immediately, we know that it is coming. We have eternity

to find and know the goodness and love of God. In the mean-

time, here and now we have this blessed assurance to comfort us,

to ease the pain caused by worry or the frustration of unfulfilled

expectations.

Ultimately, the joy of Easter is contained in the words of

Jesus, "Because I live, you shall live also!" We don't have to fit it

all into this short life. And no matter how long your life is, it al-

ways seems short. That is because God has built us for eterni-

ty. What we cannot achieve in this world can await the achieve-

ment of the everlasting life. In glory we shall never have to deal

again with sickness, sorrow, shame or guilt. The resurrection of

Jesus speaks to the fear of death, and to limitations of this life

because of death, and says that it is not always going to be

so. Like a student who looks forward to the end of the term, or a

child who awaits the coming of a holiday, we can look forward to

the promised life with our Lord (whether that begins the next in-

stant of life on earth, or to life after death on earth) where the

tough stuff of sin and sorrow is over and the joys of life and

peace and glory will begin in earnest.

So, Easter is precious and important for what it says

about this life and our place in it, and for what it says about God's

plans for the future. St. Paul said to the believers at Corinth (I

Cor. 15:55): “O death where is thy sting? O grave where is thy

victory? The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the

Law, but thanks be to God who gives us the victory through Jesus

Christ our Lord! It is really death and dying that makes every-

thing stink in this world. It is too fast, too short, too uncer-

tain. But with God, we have the promise of more time and more

joy and absolute certainty - all of that demonstrated in the cross

of Jesus Christ and the empty tomb on the third day. That is the

wonder of Easter. So, Easter is never really over. Easter Sunday

2012 may soon be past, but never Easter.

Easter blessing to you all!

Pastor Michelle


Just from Jessie….(cont’d)

were a starving child with a disability to see

how life is for them. It was very sad because

these are actual children we were portraying. The Fam-

ine taught us a lot about what the "least of these" go

through in order to survive. It raised our awareness

about world hunger and increased our compassion for

those who have no choice but to go without. We are

now more thankful for the food and resources we

have. I would definitely do this again next year. Alto-

gether we raised $1810 which is enough to feed 5 chil-

dren for one year!

I read a book about fasting in preparation for the Fam-

ine. I learned that fasting is an important spiritual disci-

pline just as praying and giving are. Fasting helps us

grow closer to God by sacrificing what our physical

body wants (food) so we can pay attention to what our

spiritual being needs (prayer/connection to God). By

going without food as our energy source we depend on

God as our energy source instead. Without praying

while fasting though it is merely a diet. I have been in-

spired to try to make fasting a regular part of my Chris-

tian lifestyle. If it helps many Christians get closer to

God and strengthen their walk, then why not give it a

try?

Peace, Jessie

Theatre Opportunities

“Dearly Beloved” at the Batavia Fine Arts

Center on Wilson Street, Batavia. April 19,

20, 21. Set in the small town of Fayro, Texas, this laugh

-out-loud romp down the aisle is a combination of love,

sisterhood, and bar-b-que, with a cast of quirky but

loveable characters. Well, most of them, anyway! Be-

cause of the smaller theatre venue, advanced ticket pur-

chase is encouraged. Order online beginning April 4 at:

bataviafineartscentre.org or call the box office: 630-937

-8930 Performances are 7p on Thurs, Fri, Sat.

“Love Letters” presented by Fox Country Players at

Community Christian Church—April 20, 21, 22. This is

a dinner/theatre opportunity with dinner at the St. Jo-

seph Cabinet Company, Rt. 47 & Wheaton in Yorkville,

and theatre next door at Community Christian Church.

The play takes you into the lives of Melissa and Andy,

through the letters they wrote to each other over the

course of more than 30 years. See ticket order forms in

the Narthex. Ministry Assistant Linda Miller will re-

prise her role as Melissa Gardner from 2003.


Happy Birthday

Best wishes to these members and friends who are celebrating April birthdays.

April 6 Karen Diesel, Christian Krauspe, Tom Proctor April 13 Stevie Bateman April 15 James Baston, Jr. April 16 Trevor Jahns April 18 Karen Baston, Bridget Johnson April 19 Kris Conley April 20 Andrew Miller April 23 Zachary Eckstrom April 24 Violet Meyer April 25 Stacy Jahns April 27 Laura Harmon, Anna Koos April 29 Amy Reimann, Alex Siebert, Hannah Whitney

Happy Anniversary

Congratulations to these celebrating April wedding anniversaries:

April 7 Jeff & Kathy Thompson 33 years April 12 Jim & Bev Gillett 53 years April 15 Roger & Theresa Biddle 23 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.

Activities for Alzheimer’s Patients (The following was taken from the July/Aug 2006 issue of Friends

Connection Newsletter)

Planning an activity for an Alzheimer’s patient can be difficult.

Keep in mind that because of their condition, it can be difficult for

them to perform tasks that you would find simple. Having patients

participate in some of the following activities has been proven to

slow the progress of the disease because you are encouraging posi-

tive thinking and happiness within the mind of the patient.

1. Listen to music

2. Toss a ball

3. Color pictures

4. Make homemade lemonade

5. Count trading cards

6. Clip coupons

7. Sort poker chips Read out loud chapters from books

8. Rake leaves

9. String beads

10. Bake cookies

11. Take photos of the person & create a collage

12. Brush or comb one another’s hair

13. Plant seeds indoors or outdoors.

14. Look at family photographs

15. Wipe off the kitchen table

(More ideas in the May edition of the MOUSE.)

Women’s Fellowship!

All women of the church are welcome to

attend the next meeting of Women's Fel-

lowship. This month we will meet on Friday, April 13th

at 1:00p. Barb Angenendt and Karen Diesel will be

bringing the main part of the menu (think finger sand-

wiches). Please bring a dish to pass (for example: salad,

bread, dessert). We gather at this time, in friendship. Not

for any particular reason, other than laughter and good

conversation.

All women of the church and their friends are invit-

ed. There is room for all! If you realize you can come at

the last minute and haven't prepared a dish to pass, please

do not let that stop you from coming! There's is always a

seat for you around our table.

Congratulations

We are so pleased to announce that our cus-

todian, Jesus Aguirre, became a grandpa for the

first time! Jesus’s daughter Claudia gave birth

to little Joseph Jesus on February 28. Mother,

baby, and new grandpa are all doing fine.

AMEN Group The AMEN Group continues to do its

good work on the second Tuesday of each

month at 6:00 p.m. in the church nursery. If

you have prayer concerns, please contact Pastor

Michelle and she will bring them to the attention of

the group. New members are always welcome!

Inreach Ministry Seeks Recruits

Our committee is looking

for more members. In the com-

ing months we will be

determining the direction in which we

most want to be of help (ex: visiting the

sick, sending cards, etc). Be a part of

something new!

Mark your calendar for our next meet-

ing on April 3rd.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Sincerely, Karen Diesel

Usher Teams for April

April 1—Team #2 Captain: Kurth Family

April 8—Team #3 Captain: Merfeld Family

April 15—Team #4 Captain: Pangborn Family

April 22—Team #5 Captain: Jessie & Youth Group

April 29—Team #1 Captain: Karen Baston


April 1 ~ Palm Sunday 9:00 a.m. Sunday School

9:20 a.m. Bible Study

10:30 a.m. Worship with Holy Communion

11:30 a.m. Fellowship

5:00 p.m. Hope Anglican Worship Service

April 5 ~ Maundy Thursday

7:00 p.m. Worship with Holy Communion

April 6 ~ Good Friday

7:00 p.m. Ecumenical Worship

in our Sanctuary

April 8 ~ Easter Sunday 9:00 a.m. Sunday School


10:30 a.m. Worship

11:30 a.m. Fellowship

5:00 p.m. Hope Anglican Worship Service

April 15 ~ Second Sunday of Easter 9:00 a.m. Sunday School


10:30 a.m. Worship

11:30 a.m. Fellowship 5:00 p.m. Hope Anglican Worship Service

April 22 ~ Third Sunday of Easter 9:00 a.m. Sunday School


10:30 a.m. Worship

11:30 a.m. Fellowship 5:00 p.m. Hope Anglican Worship Service

April 29 ~ Fourth Sunday of Easter 9:00 a.m. Sunday School


10:30 a.m. Worship; Reverse Offering

11:30 a.m. Feast & Fellowship Potluck Meal —

celebrate the 121st Anniversary of CCC 5:00 p.m. Hope Anglican Worship Service

Elburn Days Rummage Sale 2012

Spring Cleaning? Donate your no-longer-needed

items to the 2012 Elburn Days Rummage Sale!

Household items, including small appliances and

furniture, books, clothing, dishes, sports equipment,

craft materials, garden décor, tools, etc. are being

collected on the west end of Schneider Hall. Any questions? Contact

Leah Miller or the church office.

Feast & Fellowship Meal ~

Sunday April 29, 11:30a

Everyone is invited, whether you bring a dish to pass or not! There’s always plenty of food!

This month, our Feast & Fellowship celebrates the 121st Anniversary of Community Congregational Church, which was formally covenanted on April 19, 1891.

Your presence will make this a very special celebration! Please bring a dish to pass as well as any photos, memorabilia, or memories of our church’s past that you wish to share.

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, because of the new privacy laws, we do not always know when you are hospitalized. PLEASE let us know or have some-one call for you.

April 2012 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 Palm Sunday

Team 2 ushers 9a Sunday School

9:20a Bible Study

10:30a Worship with

Holy Communion 11:30a Fellowship

5p Hope Anglican

2

7:15p Scouts

3

9a Crafty Crafters

1p Knitting

7p Ministries

Meetings

4

11a Seniors Bible

Study at Meadows

5:15p No Confirma-

tion

5

MAUNDY

THURSDAY

7p Worship with

Holy Communion

6

GOOD FRIDAY

7p Ecumenical

Worship Service

7

8 Easter

Team 3 ushers

9a Sunday School

9:20a Bible Study

10:30a Worship

11:30a Fellowship 5p Hope Anglican

9

7p Tiger Scouts

7:15p Scouts

10

9a Crafty Crafters 1p Knitting

5p AMEN Group

11

11a Seniors Bible Study at Meadows

5:15p Confirmation

6p Youth Group

12

6p AMEN Group

6p Girl Scouts

7p Church Council

13

1p Women’s

Fellowship in Schneider Hall

5:30p Den 11 Scouts

14

15

Team 4 ushers

9a Sunday School

9:20a Bible Study

10:30a Worship

11:30a Fellowship

5p Hope Anglican

16

7:15p Scouts

17

9a Crafty Crafters

1p Knitting

18

11a Seniors Bible

Study at Meadows

5:15p Confirmation

6p Youth Group

19 7p Choir

20

21

22 Team 5 ushers

9a Sunday School 9:20a Bible Study

10:30a Worship

11:30a Fellowship

5p Hope Anglican

23

MOUSE Deadline

7p Tiger Scouts

7:15p Scouts

24 9a Crafty Crafters

1p Knitting

25

11a Seniors Bible Study at Meadows

5:15p Confirmation

6p Youth Group

26

27

5:30p Den 11 Scouts

28

Fox Valley Assoc.

Spring Meeting

29

Team 1 ushers

9a Sunday School

9:20a Bible Study

10:30a Worship

11:30a Feast and

Fellowship Meal

5p Hope Anglican

30

7:15p Scouts

April Highlights! April 1 Palm Sunday 10:30a

April 3 Ministry Meetings 7p

April 4 Maundy Thursday worship 7p with Holy Communion

April 5 Good Friday ecumenical worship 7p in our sanctuary

April 8 Easter Sunday 10:30a

April 10 AMEN Group 5p

April 12 Church Council 7p

April 13 Women’s Fellowship 1p

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

April 2012

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

God is still speaking,

MAILING LABEL

Please use our street address when

mailing anything to the church office:

100 E. Shannon Street

Elburn, IL 60119

Member of the Elburn Chamber of Commerce

Easter Week Worship Schedule

We invite you and your family to observe Holy Week

with us at our worship services listed below.

April 1 ~ Palm Sunday Worship 10:30am

with Holy Communion

April 6 ~ Maundy Thursday Worship 7:00pm

with Holy Communion

April 7 ~ Good Friday Ecumenical Service 7:00pm

Worship with friends from other

local churches.

April 8 ~ Easter Celebration of the Resurrection 10:30am

Special Music

the april 2012 church mouse

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