Dear Friends,
Believe it or not, my favorite flower is the dandelion. When I was a teen we owned a house that had a large lawn and many dandelions. My father would ask the three of us, myself and my siblings, to pull a bag’s worth before dinner each night. Remember this was way before companies like, “Chem Lawn.” While my aunt was visiting I overheard her say to my father, “How did you get those beautiful yellow flowers to grow in your lawn?” Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. What is a weed to some is a beautiful flower to another. My aunt caught my attention. The reason I like dandelions is that they remind me to count my blessings. In daily life, it is easy to get caught up in catching up, getting ahead or being overwhelmed by the details of life and miss the beauty around us, God’s blessings around us.
Two types of prayers are adoration and thanksgiving. When was the last time you simply prayed a prayer of adoration or thanksgiving? Most of my prayers are those of supplication (asking), and intercession (asking for others). On the way to the church this morning I saw a few lawns that had dandelions. They reminded me that one person’s weed is another person’s flower. When you were a child, did you ever blow the seeds of a dandelion and make a wish? Was it fun? Perhaps we might try blowing the seeds of praise and thanksgiving in our prayers each day. Take it from here.
Love, Wendy
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
YOUNG ADULT GROUP: We’ve had to change our next gathering from April 28 to Monday, May 10, at 6:30 p.m. at Wendy and Blair’s. So don’t come tonight, but let us know if you are coming on the 10th so we’ll have a place set for you.
SOLACE SINGLES will have a potluck in the church parlor this Friday, April 30, at 5:30 p.m. We will be sharing our favorite dishes and discussing future plans.
ONE LAST CHANCE TO BUY FLOWER BULBS FOR VBS: We will be accepting late orders through this Sunday, May 2, at 11:00 a.m. You need to EMAIL Chris Kozich (christina@hhwv.net) to let her know! (Simply dropping off an order at church is not sufficient!) So if you didn’t get them in on time, here’s your second chance. Spruce up your garden and support Vacation Bible School at the same time!
The MIDDLE SCHOOL SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASS taught by Dan Bohi and Steve Johnson will be meeting at Panera Bread this Sunday, May 2. We will meet in the narthex before church, and leave together at 9:30 a.m. We will return around 10:30. Parents, if you have not yet turned in a permission slip, please see Mr. Johnson or Mr. Bohi before entering the sanctuary Sunday morning.
FELLOWSHIP EVENT: FIESTA! Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with us on Sunday, May 2, following worship. We’ll have a breakfast taco buffet and breakfast sangria, Mexican hat dance, piñata, serape and shaker painting, and more. It’ll be fun for all ages! Put it on your calendar now!
MISSION:
Everyone loves home-baked goodies! You can bring some joy to hospice patients and their families, as well as patients in CNS Hospice’s Geriatric Assistance Program, by participating in BUNS: (BAKING UP NICE SURPRISES). Baked goods can be brought to church this Sunday, May 2, or dropped to the narthex by 9:00 a.m. on Monday, May 3, for delivery to CNS Hospice. Remember NO ICED items! Please package your goodies in individual of 2-3 cookies, muffins, or brownies. What a delicious and loving way to reach out to families during a difficult time. Sign up on the Mission board in the narthex today… or just bring your goodies this Sunday!
This Sunday, and the first Sunday of every month, is the day we bring OFFERINGS FOR THE PEOPLE’S RESOURCE CENTER. The May emphasis is tuna fish. Donations can be placed in the narthex (near the stairwell to Fellowship Hall).
WOMEN’S BREAKFAST meets the first Monday of the month at 8:00 a.m. at IHOP in Danada. The next gathering is this coming Monday, May 3. All women are invited, and we’re always happy to have new friends join us!
JUBILEE 2011: The 50th Anniversary Planning Team needs your ideas for our big Jubilee celebration during 2011. We will meet on Thursday evening, May 6, at 7:30 p.m. in the Parlor. Come join us if you are interested in the 50th Anniversary Planning Team or if you would like to assist with a particular celebration event. Contacts are Sue Clary (630-790-1109, (sueclary@sbcglobal.net ) or Pat Wiedner (630-858-0761, (pjwiedner@hotmail.com ).
RUMMAGE SALE is coming! Price stickers are available on the name tag shelf. Please price your donations and bring them to church starting Sunday, May 9. (Please not before then; we don’t have enough storage space.)
The RUMMAGE SALE AND CAR WASH will be Saturday and Sunday, May 15-16. Mark your calendar now!
WOMEN’S CIRCLE MAY LUNCHEON: On Friday, May 21, at 11:30 a.m. we will have lunch at Mykha’s Restaurant in downtown Glen Ellyn. The buffet lunch is $10.00. Mykha, the restaurant’s owner, has agreed to talk to us about her life experiences. ALL women of the church are invited to attend. There is a sign-up sheet on the bulletin board nearest the parlor.
CHRISTIAN ED. NOTES:
MIDDLE SCHOOL CLASS: See the note above about going to Panera Bread this Sunday morning. You MUST have a permission slip signed to be able to go!
BULB ORDERS: See that note above, too. (You may still order but only if you email Chris Kozich and give her the details by this Sunday.)
PRACTICE FOR YOUTH SUNDAY (May 16): Children in pre-school through grade 3 begin their Sunday School Class with a short singing practice. They are learning “Jubilee!” Grades 4 and 5 are learning a hand-chime part to play with it.
SWEET TOMATOES FOR VBS! On Wednesday May 19, stop by Sweet Tomatoes (in Lombard on Highland Ave.) and help support Southminster’s Vacation Bible School! Just grab a meal and a drink and 20% will be donated to our VBS program! Paper fliers are available on the CE bulletin board or just print off a copy of the file attached to the Dialog. (Note: You must have a flyer with you for your purchase to count.) Yummmm!
ACOLYTE Schedule:
May 9 - Nalani Johnson
WHAT’S AHEAD IN CHRISTIAN ED?
May 9- No Sunday School (Mother’s Day)
May 16 - Youth Sunday
May 19- Sweet Tomatoes FunRaiser (5:00-8:00 p.m.)
May 23- Last day of Regular Sunday School
June 6 - Used Paperback Book Sale
July 26-30 - Vacation Bible School (6:00-8:30 p.m.)
ADULT EDUCATION: Our lectionary passages for this Sunday are Acts 11:1-18; Revelation 21:1-6; and John 13:31-35. Join us at 11:00 a.m. in the parlor for education and edification. -Blair
WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY meets Sunday evenings at 7:00 in the parlor. with the first two chapters of Eugene Peterson’s “A Long Obedience in the Right Direction.” Please contact Ann Anderson (sylviasmother@sbcglobal.net, 630-469-2097) with any questions.
YOUTH: See you Sunday for SNL. Hopefully we can play outside this week.
MISSION TEAM: Our first pre-trip meeting is this Sunday, May 2, at 4:30. Bring you parents/legal guardian/responsible adult and $5 each for pizza. Let me know via facebook what your favorite soda is.
Peter Davidson has completed basic training and is now assigned to Ft. Lee, in Virginia. We will again have address labels available in the narthex area. Please send Peter notes, cards or post cards from your heart and home. Thanks.
OUR PAPER RECYCLING BIN IS HERE! We have signed up as a responsible community recycling member with Paper Retriever recycling. Paper Retriever is an easy, free, community-based program that wraps recycling and fund raising into one neat package. The money we raise here will go toward our Mission Ministries.
You can’t miss the large green and yellow bin in our gravel overflow parking lot. You may start bringing paper any time! These items are acceptable: Newspaper; Magazines; Shopping Catalogs; Junk Mail; Office & School Papers, Church Bulletins; White Envelopes (with or without windows).
Items that are NOT allowed: Cardboard; Cereal/Soda Cartons; Food wrap/containers; Tissue Products; Phone Books; Cross-cut shredded paper (strip-cut shredded paper is OK if you put it in a paper bag); Glass; Plastic; Metal; Trash.
