Dear Friends,
I will be away on vacation until July 27. It is a “staycation” for the most part, but we will have the Rev. Danita Anderson of St. Thomas United Methodist Church on call for pastoral care. Our office and our Clerk have her phone number. In case of an emergency, a serious illness, or death, though, please call me.
During the next three weeks please think about what it means to be church. Each week I will give you a scripture reference to consider, mediate on, and pray about. God’s grace keeps us all. Take it from here.
Love, Wendy
To think about this week: We are the “Body of Christ.” This idea is one of my favorite ways of understanding who we are in Christ. No matter how frustrated we can get with one another, we need each other and belong together. This is the most prominent image in Paul’s letters and the only one with no Old Testament equivalent. Christ the Head rules and nourishes the Body, its only head, and the Holy Spirit is the breath to animate it. There is a strong emphasis on the relationship of all the members of the body, diversity and equality within unity, as we have seen above. Every member is to be a functioning member (e.g. Ephesians 2:22, 23; 4:4, 15, 16).
Announcements:
It’s time for Vacation Bible School. We want to see you at “Crocodile Dock” July 27-31 –that’s next week! – from 6:00-8:30 p.m.
Registration: Please know it is NOT too late to register. We don’t want anyone to miss out on this event! Click here to go to our web site and download the information and registration forms, or call the church office. In addition, the CE bulletin board has extra copies available.
Completed Registration Forms: There is a folder on the CE Bulletin Board where you can deposit completed forms, or you can drop them off in the church office before Monday. In the event you have not completed the form beforehand, you can do so when you bring your child/children in Monday, July 27, if you arrive 10-15 minutes before the 6:00 p.m. start time.
Items Needed: There are a few items still needed, if you are interested in purchasing or loaning them. Just take one (or more) of the color-coded fire-flies and return the item(s) to the church office by this Sunday, July 26. The children will also be collecting school supplies for the PRC for their VBS mission project. Visit the VBS link on our website for a list of these items. Please contact Laura Baer at 630-469-9149 or email at smpcce@ameritech.net with any questions, and thank you for your generosity and willingness to help!
Please note: There are two boxes in the narthex for these items.
Today: Glen Ellyn Community Blood Drive. Wednesday, July 22, 5:00-7:30 p.m. The Heartland mobile blood center will be the B.R.Ryall YMCA, 1/2 block north of the intersection of Roosevelt Road and Lambert Road – just under the Glen Ellyn water tower. And Heartland gives “udder thanks” for your donation: if you give blood at this drive, you’ll get a free quart of Oberweis ice cream! Appointments are appreciated, but walk-ins are welcome. Sign up online at www.heartlandbc.org or contact Karen at 708-342-9773. A photo I.D. is required.
Hey, SPY! SNL is back! We’ll meet this Sunday, July 26th, and August 9th. Then comes the GREAT AMERICA day followed by a LOCK-IN, on August 14th!! Stay tuned for details on that.
And adults, SPY needs your help. We need drivers and sponsors for the trip to Great America on Friday, August 14. And we need sponsors for a lock-in to be held at the church that night. Please contact Blair if you can help.
S.O.L.A.C.E. Singles: August 12 can be a special day for all single people who want to join our outing to The Prairie Club’s Camp Hazlehurst Cabin #28 in Harbert, MI for a day of varied recreation. Cabin #28, nestled in a pine forest on the dunes, has direct walking access to one of Lake Michigan’s most beautiful beaches. It’s also close to wineries, antiques, art galleries, Swedish Bakery, Frank’s fruit store, boat rentals, and more. There is a sign-up sheet posted in the narthex that includes photos and additional information about arrival and departure times, meals, etc. You can also call Jack Thorne (630-469-8474) or Donna Marton (630-790-3514) for information or to sign up.
The Progressive Dinner “Italiano” will be Saturday, August 15, starting at 5:00 p.m. Please sign-up in the narthex; the sheet posted there will give you further information. (The earlier sign-up was just to measure interest. Everyone is welcome to participate in the dinner; the more the merrier!) Final plans will be made at the beginning of August.
Soles4Souls: Remember we will be asking you to leave your soles in church on August 16. Either plan to leave the shoes you are wearing that Sunday or bring another pair of shoes to donate to needy souls. See the July “Dialog” for more information about this mission project.
Take Me Out to the Ball Game! It’s time again for Southminster’s annual Kane County Cougar baseball outing! It’s time for good food, good fun, and Jake the Frisbee Catching Dog! All this can be found on Monday, August 24, at 6:30 p.m. And best of all, the tickets are only $5.00! So, sign up for tickets promptly! Watch for a sign-up sheet in the narthex. We have only 20 tickets, so get your name on the list promptly. If there are other questions, call Caroline Linde at 630-469-9482.
And more from Christian Ed.:
Fall Planning in the works: By now you have probably heard about an exciting idea to augment Christian education, called “Second Helpings.” Please check out the C.E. bulletin board for more information. In addition, we would like to get your feedback. For your convenience, we will have a drop-box in the narthex during the month of July.
A new school year means we need new teachers! There is still room for additional teachers in each of the grades, as well as substitutes. We have a pre-printed curriculum, which makes planning a whole lot easier. The more teachers we recruit the more scheduling flexibility there will be. Would you please prayerfully consider serving our children in this important ministry.
Our Sunday school class and their Pennies for PADS effort is featured on the PADS website! Check it out: http://www.dupagepads.org/events/08/Get_on_the_Bus.htm
Family Camp Fun! Want to make this summer a memorable one with filled with worship, community, and fun? The Presbyterian camp at Saugatuck, MI is close to home and offers all this, and more. Check out the Family Camp Kick-off the Week, August 1-4, or the Family Camp Short Week, August 4-7. Call 1-800-728-1164 for more information or visit the camp web site and register online.
