April 29, 2009

We’re Baking Up Nice Surprises (BUNS) for CNS Hospice patients and their families, as well as patients in CNS Hospice’s Geriatric Assistance Program. Baked goods can be brought to church this Sunday, May 3, or dropped off in the narthex by 9:00 a.m. on Monday, May 4, for delivery to CNS Hospice. Remember NO ICED items! Please package your goodies in individual baggies of 2-3 cookies, muffins, or brownies. What a delicious and loving way to reach out to families during a very difficult time.

Next Sunday, and the first Sunday of every month, is the day we bring offerings for the People’s Resource Center. May’s emphasis is canned tuna. Donations can be placed in the narthex (near the stairwell to Fellowship Hall).

Women’s Breakfast meets the first Monday of the month - May 4 - at 8:00 a.m. at IHOP in Danada East. New friends are always welcome!

The Rummage Sale cometh! We will begin accepting items for the Rummage Sale on May 10, after worship. Please contact Blair, at the church or at smpcyouth@ameritech.net, if you need help transporting items to the church. Also, if you have the vehicle and the time, contact Blair to help pick up and transport items. Plan to come, buy, and get washed and fed, on May 16 and 17. Let’s support our youth!
And this just in: Save your old, dirty, worn out, ready-to-throw-away adult and children’s gym shoes and bring them to the Rummage Sale. They will be donated to SCARCE in Glen Ellyn, who will give them to Nike to recycle them into safe playground material. There will be a collection box provided for this purpose at the Rummage Sale.

From Christian Ed.:
Parents, mark your calendars for a special service on Mother’s Day/Youth Sunday, May 10. We will have two practices in the sanctuary: Saturday, May 9, from 9:30-10:30 a.m., and Sunday, May 10, at 8:45 a.m. Please have your child/children there promptly so they can be prepared for this memorable day.
We will do a one-room summer Sunday School beginning June 14. We will have lots of Gospel-filled stories and hands-on games and activities in store for a sun-shiny summer. We are also looking for teachers for the thirteen-week program. If you are interested in teaching for all or part of the summer, please contact Laura Baer at 630-469-9149 or smpcce@ameritech.net.
Our VBS 2009 theme is “Crocodile Dock!” Got stuff tucked away that might fit in with this theme? If you come across the following items while sorting through your belongings for the youth rummage sale, we could use them for VBS: Spanish moss, inflatable alligators (yes, really!), rope lights, green and blue material, fishing nets or other fishing equipment, bug catchers, lanterns, crates, greenery. Please contact Laura Baer at 630-469-9149 or at smpcce@ameritech.net with any donations.
There are four weeks left of the Easter season, as we anticipate Pentecost. Check out our library or a Christian book store for additional resources on keeping the Risen Lord in our hearts not only during the Easter season but throughout the year.
July 11-15, 2009 is the Churchwide Gathering of Presbyterian Women in Louisville, KY. Visit www.pcusa.org/pw for information or contact the Churchwide Gathering registrar, (800) 569-5000.

Pennies 4 PADS: Our children are attempting to collect a mile’s worth of pennies (84,480) to donate to our PADS mission. We collected another 395 this week. That brings the total to 58,772, or 69.6% of our goal. Please keep bringing in your extra pennies; there is a collection box in the narthex. With your help, we might even make it by the end of our Sunday school year!

Our Adult Education class will continue the lectionary-based Bible study this Sunday with the following passages: Acts 3:12-19, 1 John 3:1-7, Luke 24: 36-48. Join us and we’ll learn together. –Blair

We’ve received an invitation from Jessica Henks... After she graduated from seminary last spring, she left Southminster to accept a call from a church in Kankakee. She has now passed her ordination exams and will be ordained in May – and we are invited! The service will be this Sunday, May 3, at 4:00 p.m. at the First Baptist Church of Kankakee, 1756 W. Route 113, Kankakee, IL 60901. A reception will follow the service.

The A.M. Circle’s May meeting will be a luncheon at Cantigny in the LeJardin Restaurant on Friday, May 15. Those wishing to carpool may meet in the church parking lot at 9:30 a.m. At 10:00 a.m. we will meet at the Visitors’ Center to tour the grounds or view the film and enjoy the center and gift shop. Luncheon will be served in LeJardin Restaurant at 11:00. Those planning to attend should sign up by getting their check to Linda Ellinghausen in the amount of $15.25. We will have three entrees to choose from.

Welcome in any other language is...
This summer we will be upgrading our vestibule/entrance with a sign above the door that says, “Welcome Home.” We plan to have “welcome” written in several languages, as well. Do you have a particular language that you would like represented? If so, please let the office knew by May 18.

S.O.L.A.C.E. is having a breakfast reception with Pastor Wendy as our guest on Friday, May 22, at 10:00 a.m. S.O.L.A.C.E. means Sharing Our Love and Concern Effectively. The group was started in 1996 to support the widowed and to provide a social atmosphere. This reception is not limited to the widowed; we are also reaching out to anyone who needs to experience a friendly relationship with others. Contact Pat Petersen 630-690-1434 if you plan to attend.

On the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend (May 24) we will remember those among us who have served in the armed forces. We don’t know the name of everyone who has served, and we don’t want to miss anyone. Please let the office know by email or phone if you have served in the armed forces. We are also looking for mementos such as letters, diaries, or even clothing. We would like to display these items on the Lord’s Table as demonstration of our lives as a gift to God.

The liturgical color for the Day of Pentecost – the birthday of the church – is red. We will decorate our sanctuary on Pentecost (Sunday, May 31) with red geraniums. The plants for $11.00 apiece and will look great transplanted to your garden after they’ve been seen here. Please sign up in the narthex by May 24. If you would like to have a geranium for Memorial/Decoration Day, you may order ahead of time.

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) publishes an annual planning calendar. It has liturgical-themed art for each month, listings of lectionary readings, directories of PC (USA) offices, and notes about Presbyterian publications, mission materials, curriculum, and much more. (There is a sample copy in the office if you’d like to see one.) We will order these soon for the staff. If you would like one, they are $8.00 each. Please let us know by May 13.

Susie Salins, who handles most of the church’s publicity, hopes you’ll keep your eyes open for articles about Southminster in the local papers. She’d love to have clippings of the articles that appear. If you see one, would you clip it and leave it for her in Ginny Kline’s mailbox (Membership Committee)? Susie tries to catch all of them, but some slip by... especially those in the Daily Herald. Thanks in advance!

April 22, 2009

Every year we spend the last Saturday in April – that’s this coming Saturday! – rehabbing the home of a needy family in Aurora through Rebuilding Together Aurora (formerly Christmas in April). The weather report looks promising, and doing this work to help someone else will make you feel great! If you’re not already signed up, contact our project leader Norm Ellsworth (630-858-7449) as soon as possible.

PADS Summer Meals Program: We will once again partner with another church to provide PADS meals on the second Saturday of the summer months. We will have a planning meeting to organize this effort this Sunday, April 26, at 11:00 a.m. in Fellowship Hall. This is a project the whole congregation can participate in! If you want to help but can’t be at that meeting, contact Sarah Allen or Pat Wiedner.

Youth News
Talent Show: By general consensus, the Talent Show and Dinner was deemed a resounding success. We enjoyed fine food and first-class entertainment. We are still counting the bills, but we netted about $475 for the Youth Mission Trip. Thanks to all who attended and donated, those who cooked, organized, performed, and served.
Did you miss the Talent Show or wish you could relive it? Keep it forever with a DVD from Jack Thorne. Sign-up this Sunday on the sheet on the bulletin board in the narthex, and Jack will burn you one. A $5.00 donation to the Youth Mission Trip is appreciated for Jack’s efforts.
Rummage Sale: Don’t forget to save items for the Rummage Sale coming mid-May. Price stickers are available on the name-tag table and the bulletin board in the narthex. Please bring sale items to the church no sooner than after worship May 10.

From Christian Ed.:
The next seven weeks of the Easter season signals a move of our hearts from the humiliation of Christ to all that was completed by His love for us, and the anticipation of Pentecost. Check out our library or a Christian book store for additional resources on keeping the Risen Lord in our hearts not only during the Easter season but throughout the year.
Music is Worship! Preschool through second graders will continue with music lessons after the Children’s Moment to gear up for the special children’s choir on Pentecost/Confirmation Sunday, May 31.
Youth Sunday: Parents, mark your calendars for a special service on Mother’s Day, May 10. Our children and youth will be special participants in this service! We will have two practices in the sanctuary on Saturday, May 9, from 9:30-10:30 a.m., and on Sunday morning, May 10, at 8:45 a.m.
We will do a one-room Summer Sunday School beginning June 14. We will have lots of Gospel-filled stories and hands-on games and activities in store for a sun-shiny summer. We are also looking for teachers and helpers for the thirteen-week program. If you are interested in teaching for all or part of the summer, please contact Laura Baer at 630-469-9149 or smpcce@ameritech.net.
Vacation Bible School, July 27-31. Be sure to fill these dates in on your family calendar and tell your friends and neighbors about our upcoming VBS. This year’s rocking theme is Crocodile Dock!
Got stuff laying around that might fit in with our VBS theme? If you come across the following items while sorting through your treasures for the youth rummage sale, we could use them for VBS: Spanish moss, inflatable alligators (yes, really!), rope lights, green and blue material, fishing nets or other fishing equipment, bug catchers, lanterns, crates, greenery. Please contact Laura Baer at 630-469-9149 or at smpcce@ameritech.net with any donations.
Pennies 4 PADS: Our children are attempting to collect a mile’s worth of pennies (84,480) to donate to our PADS mission. We collected 260 pennies this past week, which brings the grand total to 58,377 (69.1% of the goal). Please keep bringing in your extra pennies; there is a collection box in the narthex. With your help, we might even make it by the end of our Sunday school year!

Our Adult Education class will continue the lectionary-based Bible study this Sunday with the following passages: Acts 3:12-19, 1 John 3:1-7, Luke 24: 36-48. Join us and we’ll learn together. –Blair

We’re Baking Up Nice Surprises (BUNS) for CNS Hospice! Sign up in the narthex to bring baked goodies for hospice patients and their families, as well as patients in CNS Hospice’s Geriatric Assistance Program. Baked goods can be brought to church on Sunday, May 3rd, or dropped off in the narthex by 9:00 a.m. on Monday, May 4, for delivery to CNS Hospice. Remember NO ICED items! Please package your goodies in individual baggies of 2-3 cookies, muffins, or brownies. What a delicious and loving way to reach out to families during a very difficult time.

We’ve received an invitation from Jessica Henks... After she graduated from seminary last spring, she left Southminster to accept a call from a church in Kankakee. She has now passed her ordination exams and will be ordained in May – and we are invited! The service will be Sunday, May 3, at 4:00 p.m. at the First Baptist Church of Kankakee, 1756 W. Route 113, Kankakee, IL 60901. A reception will follow the service.

The A.M. Circle’s May meeting will be a luncheon at Cantigny in the LeJardin Restaurant on Friday, May 15. Those wishing to carpool may meet in the church parking lot at 9:30 a.m. At 10:00 a.m. we will meet at the Visitors’ Center to tour the grounds or view the film and enjoy the center and gift shop. Luncheon will be served in LeJardin Restaurant at 11:00. Those planning to attend should sign up by getting their check to Linda Ellinghausen in the amount of $15.25. We will have three entrees to choose from.

Susie Salins, who handles most of the church’s publicity, hopes you’ll keep your eyes open for articles about Southminster in the local papers. She’d love to have clippings of the articles that appear. If you see one, would you clip it and leave it for her in Ginny Kline’s mailbox (Membership Committee)? Susie tries to catch all of them, but some slip by... especially those in the Daily Herald. Thanks in advance!

April 15, 2009

The Women’s A.M. Circle is planning its own version of Antiques Road Show. All women are invited to join us this Friday, April 17, at 9:30 a.m. in the parlor. If you’d like, bring 3 of your favorite antiques to be identified and appraised by our resident experts, Marie Shepherd and Betty Pitts.

Fellowship Event: The Deacons are planning an outing to hear the Wheaton College Gospel Choir this Saturday, April 18, at 7:30 p.m. at Coray Auditorium. There is a sign-up sheet in the narthex, but it is only to indicate who might be attending the concert. Tickets can be purchased at the door the night of the concert. Tickets are $7 for general admission and $5 for students and seniors. Those who attended last year’s concert are looking forward to hearing the performance again this year. (Coray Auditorium is in the Beamer Center on the Wheaton College campus.)

This Sunday in worship we’ll have “Second Collection” as our special musical guests! This group of musicians from St. James the Apostle Catholic Church includes our own Paul Jeziorski on bass and Linda Jeziorski on vocals. We welcome them to our service!

At last – the time has come! This Sunday, April 19th, beginning at 5:30, the long awaited Southminster Talent Show and Pasta Dinner will happen! Come enjoy delicious food, delightful entertainment, and donate to a fine and worthy cause. Cost is $5 per adult, $3 for youth ages 4 to 17. No charge for children 3 and under.

From Christian Ed.: This year’s Easter Celebration turned out to be such a joyous event! Thank you to everyone on the Christian Ed. Committee, Property Committee, and all others who were involved in making this day God-honoring and memorable. A special thanks to Chris Kozich and Betsy Rogers for their overall coordination.
June 14 is the beginning of our Summer Sunday School. We will do a one-room Sunday School program for thirteen weeks filled with Bible stories, games and activities. If you are interested in teaching or helping for all or just part of the summer, please contact Laura Baer at smpcce@ameritech.net or 630-469-9149.
Youth Sunday, May 10! Sunday School parents, please mark your calendars for a special rehearsal on Saturday May 9 from 9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m., and 8:45 a.m. on Sunday, May 10, before the service.
Pennies 4 PADS: Our children are attempting to collect a mile’s worth of pennies (84,480) to donate to our PADS mission. We collected 5,506 more pennies this week. That brings the grand total to 58,117, or 68.8% of the total. Please keep bringing in your extra pennies; there is a collection box in the narthex. With your help, we might even make it by the end of our Sunday school year!

Our Adult Education class will continue the lectionary-based Bible study this Sunday with the following passages: Acts 4:32-35; 1 John 1:1-2:2; John 20:19-31. Consider joining us in the parlor on Sundays following worship, if you have not so far. There is nothing like a good group and the Good Book. –Blair

Just a reminder: Monday, April 20, is the deadline for the May Dialog.

Every year we spend the last Saturday in April rehabbing the home of a needy family in Aurora through Rebuilding Together Aurora (formerly Christmas in April). No special skills are required because there are always many basic cleaning and yard care things that need to be done. However, if you happen to have any special skills, our House Captain Norm Ellsworth would like to know about them in advance for planning purposes. We are also anxious to know your job preferences ahead of time, so look for our sign-up sheets in the narthex. Norm is gathering a team to do preliminary work this coming Saturday, and there may be some follow-up work to do after the 25th, so even if you can’t come on the main work day, contact Norm – there may be another day or way that you can help.

We’ve received an invitation from Jessica Henks... After she graduated from seminary last spring, she left Southminster to accept a call from a church in Kankakee. She has now passed her ordination exams and will be ordained in May – and we are invited! The service will be Sunday, May 3, at 4:00 p.m. at the First Baptist Church of Kankakee, 1756 W. Route 113, Kankakee, IL 60901. A reception will follow the service.

As you do your spring cleaning and come upon things that you no longer want or need, SAVE THEM for the Rummage Sale the weekend of May 16. Our youth will be happy to recycle your stuff in another fundraiser for the summer mission trip. We have no place to store things here at church, so please hold on to your donations until after worship on May 10. Please, no clothing or items that require costly recycling or disposal if not sold (i.e. computers). Questions? Ask Blair Nelson (email smpcyouth@ameritech.net or call 630-917-6035.

Susie Salins, who handles most of the church’s publicity, hopes you’ll keep your eyes open for articles about Southminster in the local papers. She’d love to have clippings of the articles that appear. If you see one, would you clip it and leave it for her in Ginny Kline’s mailbox (Membership Committee)? Susie tries to catch all of them, but some slip by... especially those in the Daily Herald. Thanks in advance!

April 8, 2009

We hope you will join us for these Holy Week services and activities:

• Maundy Thursday, April 9: Worship service at 7:30 p.m. Tennebrae with communion.
• Good Friday, April 10. Worship service at 7:30 p.m. The Seven Last Words of Christ.
• Family Easter Party, April 11: Come at 9:30 a.m. for breakfast, crafts, games (weather permitting), the Easter story, and the egg hunt. Bring friends and neighbors! Extra hands would also be appreciated that morning, for crafts and games (contact Chris Kozich), or for breakfast (contact Betsy Rogers).
• Easter/The Resurrection of the Lord, April 12: Worship service at 9:30 a.m. Children join the Adult Choir in singing the Introit. Deacons host continental breakfast after the service.

Please have children Preschool-7th grade in the sanctuary and ready to warm up with the Adult Choir by 9:00 a.m. on Easter morning. Thank you! Darlene

Reminders from Christian Ed.: Come rain or shine!! Saturday, April 11 at 9:30 a.m. is the annual Easter Eggstravaganza Family Party. Spread the word among your family and friends. (More information above.)

Preschoolers through seventh graders will be singing the Introit on Easter Sunday. (See preceding note.) Also, there will be no Sunday School this day so families can worship together.

We’ve raised $60 from Sunday School for the spring Heifer Project. That is a total of three flocks or thirty chicks! And kids, if you still have Heifer money at home, please bring it with you on Easter Sunday. We’ll add it all together with the Heifer donations from G.I.F.T. and dedicate it during worship.

Pennies 4 PADS: Our children are attempting to collect a mile’s worth of pennies (84,480) to donate to our PADS mission. We collected another 3,124 this past week. That brings the total to 52,611, or 62.3% of the total! (Special thanks to the person who brought in the coffee can that had 1,974 pennies in it!) Please keep bringing in your extra pennies; there is a collection box in the narthex.

Our Adult Education class will not meet on Easter Sunday. If you would like to read the lectionary passages for Easter, they are: Jeremiah 31:1-6; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11; Mark 16:1-8.

There are lectionary passages for every day of Holy Week. If you’re interested, the readings for Maundy Thursday are: Exodus 12:1-4 (5-10) 11-14; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; John 13:1-17, 31b-35. For Good Friday: Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Hebrews 10:16-25 or Hebrews 4:14-16, 5:7-9; John 18:1-19:42.

Our gifts to One Great Hour of Sharing support ministries of disaster response, refugee assistance and resettlement, and community development that help people find safe refuge, start new lives and work together to strengthen their families and communities. Recognizing that the hope we have in Christ is lived out in our hope for one another, we respond with gifts that help our sisters and brothers around the world find the hope for a brighter future. As you travel through Lent, will you prayerfully consider making a donation to support the least franchised in our world- the poor, the hungry, the homeless? Donation envelopes are in the pews. Please give generously. It is remarkable what your gifts can do! The One Great Hour of Sharing Offering will be dedicated on Easter.

Come, eat, and be entertained at Southminster’s Pasta Dinner and Talent Show! April 19th. Dinner at 5:30 p.m. Cost is $5 per adult, $3 for youth ages 4 to 17. No charge for children 3 and under. QUICK! Sign up to perform in the show before someone else takes your 15 minutes of fame! Sign up if you’re coming for dinner so we’ll know how much food to prepare. Both sign-up sheets are posted in the narthex under “Youth Events.”

The Women’s A.M. Circle is planning its own version of Antiques Road Show. All women are invited to join us on Friday, April 17, at 9:30 a.m. in the parlor. If you’d like, bring 3 of your favorite antiques to be identified and appraised by our resident experts, Marie Shepherd and Betty Pitts.

Fellowship Event: The Deacons are planning an outing to hear the Wheaton College Gospel Choir on Saturday, April 18, at 7:30 p.m. at Coray Auditorium. There is a sign-up sheet in the narthex, but it is only to indicate who might be attending the concert. Tickets can be purchased at the door the night of the concert. Tickets are $7 for general admission and $5 for students and seniors. Those who attended last year’s concert are looking forward to hearing the performance again this year. (Coray Auditorium is in the Beamer Center on the Wheaton College campus.)

Every year we spend the last Saturday in April rehabbing the home of a needy family in Aurora through Rebuilding Together Aurora (formerly Christmas in April). No special skills are required because there are always many basic cleaning and yard care things that need to be done. However, if you happen to have any special skills, our House Captain Norm Ellsworth would like to know about them in advance for planning purposes. We are also anxious to know your job preferences ahead of time, so look for our sign-up sheets in the narthex. Norm is gathering a team to do preliminary work on April 18, and there may be some follow-up work to do after the 25th, so even if you can’t come on the main work day, contact Norm – there may be another day or way that you can help.

As you do your spring cleaning and come upon things that you no longer want or need, SAVE THEM for the Rummage Sale the weekend of May 16. Our youth will be happy to recycle your stuff in another fundraiser for the summer mission trip. We have no place to store things here at church, so please hold on to your donations until after worship on May 10. Please, no clothing or items that require costly recycling or disposal if not sold (i.e. computers). Questions? Ask Blair Nelson (email smpcyouth@ameritech.net or call 630-917-6035.

April 1, 2009

Confirmands have special invitations this week. The young men are invited to join some of our more seasoned members at the Southmen’s breakfast, Wednesday April 1 (no fooling!), at 7:00 a.m. at the Danada IHOP. The young women are invited to tea and coffee this Friday, April 3, in the parlor at 10:00 a.m.

Note that there is no Sunday school this Sunday, April 5 (Palm Sunday). But... our children are singing the Introit with the Adult Choir on Easter Sunday. Children in Preschool through Grade 7 will go with Darlene after the Children’s Moment to practice the music and will come back to Worship after the Sermon.
Then, EXTRA PRACTICE with the Adult Choir after the service. Will require just 10 additional minutes in the Sanctuary! Attendance is required.

Easter Lilies: Sign up by this Sunday if you would like to order an Easter lily. Plants are $15.00 each. You may take your lily home after the Easter service or designate it for donation to a homebound member.

This coming Sunday––and the first Sunday of every month––is the day we bring offerings for the People’s Resource Center. The April emphasis is laundry detergent and cleaning supplies. Donations can be placed in the narthex (near the stairwell to Fellowship Hall).

Next week is Holy Week. Please consider joining us for one or all of the following:
Palm Sunday, April 5: Worship service at 9:30 a.m. Gather in the narthex before worship; we will enter the sanctuary together, singing and waving our palms.
Maundy Thursday, April 9: Worship service at 7:30 p.m. Tennebrae with communion.
Good Friday, April 10. Worship service at 7:30 p.m. The Seven Last Words of Christ.
Family Easter Party, April 11: Come at 9:30 a.m. for breakfast, crafts, games (weather permitting), the Easter story, and the egg hunt. Bring friends and neighbors! Extra hands would also be appreciated that morning, for crafts and games (contact Chris Kozich), or for breakfast (contact Betsy Rogers).
Easter/The Resurrection of the Lord, April 12: Worship service at 9:30 a.m. Children join the Adult Choir in singing the Introit. Deacons host continental breakfast after the service.

We have postcards available that highlight the Holy Week services and activities at Southminster. They are on the nametag shelf and on a table in the narthex. We encourage you to pass the postcards to friends, neighbors, co-workers, and those persons who do not have a church home. Southminster extends a “Welcome Home” to everyone!

Christian Ed.: April’s curriculum focuses on the risen Christ and his appearances to his disciples up until the time of His glorious ascension. Two of the stories the children will be studying and learning about are the disciples from Emmaus in Luke 24:35 and the Great Commission from Matthew 28:20. Why not have a family Bible study time during the month of April focusing on these two Bible stories?
Weekly noon prayer meetings have now concluded. Thank you the pray-ers who sacrificed their time in order to spend a few quiet moments in the presence of God. We will be in prayer about other opportunities for corporate prayer in the future.
The Christian Education Committee is looking for a chairperson for the summer Vacation Bible School, a Bible story leader(s) and helpers. There is something for everyone—games, Bible stories, laughs and no experience is necessary. Did we mention that it is fun too? Please call or email Laura Baer at 630-469-9149 or smpcce@ameritech.net.
Pennies 4 PADS: Our children are attempting to collect a mile’s worth of pennies (84,480) to donate to our PADS mission. The count is at 49,487 - 58.6% of the total! Please keep bringing in your extra pennies; there is a collection box in the narthex.

Our Adult Education class will continue the lectionary-based Bible study this Sunday with the following passages: Isaiah 50:4-9a; Philippians 2:5-11; Mark 14:1-15:47. Consider joining us in the parlor on Sundays following worship, if you have not so far. There is nothing like a good group and the Good Book. –Blair

Our gifts to One Great Hour of Sharing support ministries of disaster response, refugee assistance and resettlement, and community development that help people find safe refuge, start new lives and work together to strengthen their families and communities. Recognizing that the hope we have in Christ is lived out in our hope for one another, we respond with gifts that help our sisters and brothers around the world find the hope for a brighter future. As you travel through Lent, will you prayerfully consider making a donation to support the least franchised in our world- the poor, the hungry, the homeless? Donation envelopes are in the pews. Please give generously. It is remarkable what your gifts can do! The One Great Hour of Sharing Offering will be dedicated on Easter Sunday.

QUICK! Sign up for the Talent Show before someone else takes your 15 minutes of fame! The sign-up is on the bulletin board in the Narthex. Performer or not, come, eat, and be entertained at Southminster’s Pasta Dinner and Talent Show! April 19th. Dinner at 5:30 p.m. Adults: $5.00. Children 3-18: $3.00.

The Women’s Breakfast group will meet Monday, April 6, at 8:00 a.m. at IHOP in Danada Square East. It would be fun to have some new friends join us! If you want to join in our monthly grab bag exchange, the theme for April is Easter socks.

Fellowship Event: The Deacons are planning an outing to hear the Wheaton College Gospel Choir on Saturday, April 18, at 7:30 p.m. at Coray Auditorium. There is a sign-up sheet in the narthex, but it is only to indicate who might be attending the concert. Tickets can be purchased at the door the night of the concert. Tickets are $7 for general admission and $5 for students and seniors. Those who attended last year’s concert are looking forward to hearing the performance again this year. (Coray Auditorium is in the Beamer Center on the Wheaton College campus.)

Every year we spend the last Saturday in April rehabbing the home of a needy family in Aurora through Rebuilding Together Aurora (formerly Christmas in April). No special skills are required because there are always many basic cleaning and yard care things that need to be done. However, if you happen to have any special skills, our House Captain Norm Ellsworth would like to know about them in advance for planning purposes. We are also anxious to know your job preferences ahead of time, so look for our sign-up sheets in the narthex.

As you do your spring cleaning and come upon things that you no longer want or need, SAVE THEM for the Rummage Sale the weekend of May 16. Our youth will be happy to recycle your stuff in another fundraiser for the summer mission trip. We have no place to store things here at church, so please hold on to your donations until after worship on May 10. Please, no clothing or items that require costly recycling or disposal if not sold (i.e. computers). Questions? Ask Blair Nelson (email smpcyouth@ameritech.net or call 630-917-6035.