April 2018 Encourager.Pub
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April 2018 The Encourager . to grow up into Christ. St. Barnabas Lutheran Church In this issue New Members Classes Birthdays & Anniversaries ……….. p. 4 to be held in April! Message from Pastor Sarah.. .….. p. 2 Sunday, April 8, 15 & 22 Picture Page ……………………...…..... p. 7 9:15am to 10:15am Prayer Requests …………..…........... p. 4 Have you been thinking about joining St. Transition Team Update……... p. 5 Barnabas? Want to learn more about being a VBS Volunteer Meeting ….……….. p. 3 Lutheran and about the church? The 3-part series of new member classes is April 8, 15, and 22 during the Christian education hour 9:15am to 10:15am. We’ll make it official on April 29 at both services. Classes will be lead by Pastor Sarah Celebration Sunday and other ministry leaders of the congregation. We will be announcing the results of Generosity Sunday! SAVERS FUNDRAISER April 8 w/Luncheon at 11:30am The high school youth group is planning a Don’t miss this Spring Cleaning fundraiser with Savers, a exciting news!! resale shop in Crystal Lake. Starting Staff Saturday, April 7 , we will be asking people to bring Pastor Sarah Wilson ...Pastor clothing, furniture, and household items and putting Jeanne Soberg , Parish Administrator Chuck Masny, Music Director them in a trailer we’ll have in the parking lot. We’ll Dennis Mitchell , Custodian haul it all over to Savers on April 14 around noon so Jill Voelz , Nursery Supervisor they can pay us by the pound. You can clean out your Lorena Skelley , Wedding Coordinator house and turn your rummage into a worthy cause: the Youth Gathering! It’s a win-win for all! START GATHERING YOUR ITEMS NOW! For May Encourager April 15 Message from Pastor Sarah Page 2 My dad grew up on a farm, Dear One of the messages I People of heard from Professor Fram- so it made sense that he God at St. bach is that being a Chris- would be able to eat large Barnabas, tian is supposed to be a portions and dessert every way of life. In other words, night. When he started When I was working at a desk, he need- growing up, we don’t go to church on Sunday and call it good for ed to change his eating hab- every night its to match the fact that he we asked, the rest of the week—like dieting on Monday and wasn’t burning off all those “What’s for calories anymore. dessert?” Even though we ate lots Tuesday and eating what- of veggies and fruit, and my mom ever we want the rest of As a church, we are in the never bought sugary cereals, we the week. Jesus calls us to position of needing to were all overweight. When I be- follow him every single day. change how we help people came an adult, I decided I didn’t live a Christian lifestyle, too. I don’t think want to be heavy anymore, so I During Lent we of- it’s ever changed my lifestyle and cut back fered Wednesday been easy on desserts and portion sizes. It evening learning to be a took a while, but now I think of events for all ages. Christian. dessert as something special—not a Families told us they What might make it even necessity. If you’ve ever seriously really appreciated working harder, ironically, is that we tried to lose weight, you know that together on a project relat- live in a society where it the professionals will tell you not to ing to their faith after they’d seems easy. We don’t have diet. Instead, we should live enjoyed a meal together that to be afraid to go to wor- healthy lifestyles. they didn’t have to make. ship; we can easily find Others said they love crafts, Christian reading material; Several people attended the Con- and making something that we get Christian holidays gregational Resourcing Event in reinforced God’s love for off. We almost take being a March. It was a daylong program them was deeply meaning- Christian for granted. put on by the Northern Illinois Syn- ful. This format was different What’s harder is being in- od featuring a speaker and the op- from how I’ve experienced tentional about being a portunity to take 3 workshops on Lent in the past—and I think Christian. anything from worship to Christian it was different for St. Bar- education to social media to learn- The church has also taken nabas, too. ing about immigration or mental for granted that people will health. The speaker this year was just come and take ad- How can we be a place Professor Nathan Frambach from vantage of what we offer— where we help people live a Wartburg Seminary in Iowa. His worship, Sunday school, Christian lifestyle? Will this talk was entitled , “ Being Church, choir practice, etc. We’ve mean changing worship? Will Now & Then: What the Church of gotten comfortable offering this mean offering different the Future might look like… the same programs and the kinds of programs? Will this Perhaps?” It will be available soon same worship format that mean we’ll add new groups on the synod’s website: or change where those worked 70 years ago, but www.nisynod.org . I highly recom- we don’t understand why groups meet? mend reading it. people aren’t coming. (continued on pg. 3) Barnabas Bits…... Page 3 (continued from pg. 2) First VBS Orientation It’s essential for us to ask Communion Vacation Bible School at these questions and seek St. Barnabas will be new ways of being God’s First Com- munion in- from 5:30-8:30pm on church and teaching the June 11, 13, 18, and 20 . world about God’s love in struction will be offered to everyone in- Our theme this year is ways people can understand God’s Good Creation . and relate to. In the next few terested but especially to Kids ages 4 through 4 th months, we will be working our second graders. We’ll grade will eat dinner, sing, to find new ways to support meet during the Christian make crafts, and learn a healthy Christian lifestyle education hour on April 22 about God together. Regis- not only for our current and 29. Parents are asked tration forms are available members, but also for those to attend the April 29 class now. We also need lots of in our communities who need with their children. We’ll a place to practice that Chris- celebrate First Communion volunteers and will have our tian lifestyle. If you have ide- on May 6 at the 10:30 ser- first orientation meeting on as for what we could be do- vice. Sunday, April 29, from ing to support your Christian 11:45am to 1:00pm . Vol- way of life or help others, or unteers from grade 5 if you have any questions or through age 105 are all concerns along the way, needed! please talk to me or anyone on council. Our goal is to Got Clothespins? The group going to the National help as many people respond Youth Gathering this summer would love to help you clean our to God’s call as possible. any random clothespins you have rumbling around in your house. One of the fun traditions of the Gatherings is to trade In God’s Peace, pins or to secretly clip clothespins on each others backpacks or Pastor Sarah jackets. The kids will write our church name & location on pin and then see how far they can go! It’s a fun way to see how far & wide our ELCA churches are spread. We’ll have a basket on the Info Desk by the Change for Houston bottle to collect the pins. THANKS! Chili Cook-Off and Mac &Cheese Bake-Off Thank you to everyone who supported the youth group’s Chili Cook-Off and Mac & Cheese Bake-Off in March. We raised over $3,800 for our trip to Houston and the Youth Gathering this summer! BBB IRTHDAYS & A NNIVERSARIES Page 4 APRIL 3 MARK VOGEL APRIL 23 A MBER HIVON Cary Grove Food Pantry APRIL 5 JOE STEFANI APRIL 24 K ATIE AULWES APRIL 5 M ICHAEL HAMANN APRIL 24 E LIZABETH DOPKE The Food Pantry Served in APRIL 5 BEN SYDLOWSKI APRIL 25 R YAN VOELZ January : 154 Families APRIL 6 KATIE ALTPETER APRIL 27 A LLEN KEEGER 558 People APRIL 7 LINDA ROZOLIS APRIL 28 J ACK SEGERSON February 144 Families APRIL 7 OLIVIA ROEHRI APRIL 28 J ESSICA KING 478 People APRIL 8 HANNAH DORN APRIL 30 D AWN SWIM Volunteer Request: APRIL 11 J ASON GRACELY Food Pantry is seeking help on Sat- APRIL 15 M EGAN GATES ANNIVERSARIES APRIL 19 G AVIN BOUTWELL urday mornings from 8:30am to APRIL 21 P ATTI HIVON APRIL 25 11:20am to help at the front desk APRIL 22 M ARGARET BUSSAN KENT & J OYCE JOHANNSEN APRIL 22 A BBY HOSTMAN and help clients shop. Contact: Melody Stanko at 847.650.5449 Marathons for Clean Water Lack of clean water is a leading cause of death in the developing world. Thou- sands of children die each day from water-related illness. We can do something about it! Team World Vision is a ministry empowering normal everyday folks (especially non-runners) to take on the challenge of participating in marathons to raise funds for clean water projects and transform lives in Africa. AND, the team runs in our backyard on the Fox River Trail! Their first long run of the sea- son is on Saturday, April 14.