Dear Friends,
I’m anticipating an important event in the life of not only Chicagoland but of our congregation this weekend: the Cross Town Classic White Sox/Cubs games at U.S. Cellular Field. In honor of this event, the Deacons are giving a special baseball-themed fellowship on Sunday. So wear your favorite team uniform!
Baseball and football are the two most popular spectator sports in this country. (It should be noted that soccer is catching up.) It seems that this ought to tell us something about ourselves and our values, so compare baseball and football:
Baseball is played on a diamond, in a park. The baseball park! Football is played on a GRIDIRON, in a STADIUM, sometimes called SOLDIER FIELD or WAR MEMORIAL STADIUM.
Baseball begins in the spring, the season of new life. Football begins in the fall, when everything is dying.
In football you wear a helmet. In baseball you wear a cap. In football you receive a penalty. In baseball you make an error.
Football has hitting, clipping, spearing, piling on, personal fouls, late hitting, and unnecessary roughness. Baseball has the sacrifice.
And finally, the objectives of the two games are completely different:
In football, the object is for the quarterback, otherwise known as the field general, to be on target with his aerial assault, riddling the defense by hitting his receivers with deadly accuracy in spite of the blitz, even if he has to use the shotgun. With short bullet passes and long bombs, he marches his troops into enemy territory, balancing this aerial assault with a sustained ground attack that punches holes in the forward wall of the enemy's defensive line.
In baseball the object is to go home! And to be safe! “I hope I’ll be safe at home!”
Given all of this, it isn’t as important whether you are a Cub fan or a Sox fan, the question is which game would God want us to play, football or baseball? I leave you with that, God’s blessing... and many thanks to George Carlin for the inspiring look at both sports. Take it from here,
Love, Wendy
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
The DEADLINE FOR THE JULY DIALOG was Sunday, June 20. If you had items you wanted to include, you need to turn them in pronto or they won’t be able to be included. Thank you!
Please join us for BIRTHDAY FELLOWSHIP AND BASEBALL RIVALRY immediately after church this Sunday, June 27, in the Narthex. We will be celebrating the Cubs vs Sox cross town classic. Everyone is welcome to wear your favorite Cubs or Sox jersey or shirt! There will be peanuts and Cracker Jack, lemonade and root beer. Feel free to bring your mitt and ball to toss around outside.
FELLOWSHIP OUTING: Take me out to the Cougars Ballgame! Don’t miss our annual outing to the Kane County Cougars game on Monday July 12th (All Faiths Night). Fun for the whole family. Tickets are only $5 per person and can be reserved on the signup sheet posted in the narthex. Sign up by July 4th so you don't miss this great fellowship event. For more details, contact Diane Swiss at dswiss60137@sbcglobal.net or 630-858-5488.
CHRISTIAN ED. NOTES:
SUMMER SUNDAY SCHOOL: This week the children will learn about Paul’s journey under Roman rule from Jerusalem to Rome.
We still need volunteers to teach and help on the following Sundays: July 25 (the Good Samaritan), August 8 (Daniel obeys God with food), August 15 (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego), August 22 (Daniel and the Lions) and August 29 (Esther). There is a teacher’s packet for each lesson that includes the story and activities. Please see the Summer Sunday School sign-up sheet on the C.E. Bulletin Board and sign up to teach or help with your favorite Bible story.
VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL - July 26-30 from 6:00-8:30 p.m.
Get on board with VBS and bring your kids, grandkids, neighbors and any other child who is in preschool (4 years old) through 5th grade to set sail on a High Seas adventure. There they’ll enjoy goodies from the Galley, Ship Rec games, Ship crafts and Missions - all while experiencing the deep rolling waters of God’s love. Registration starts on July 11, but save the date now! Please contact Suzanne Tennyson or Andrea Schmidt to learn more.
SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHERS: Looking ahead to the school year, we still need three Sunday School teachers for the fall. One teacher is needed for the preschool class, one for the intermediate class (3-5 graders) and one for the middle school class. What’s great about having more than one teacher (more than two for the preschool class) is that you can rotate Sundays. That means you can take turns teaching. Can’t commit for the year? We also need substitutes! Please see Rebecca Hecker about following your call to teach Sunday School.
WHAT’S AHEAD IN CHRISTIAN ED?
June 27 - Sunday School topic: Shipwreck! (Paul’s journey under Roman rule from Jerusalem to Rome)
July 4 - Sunday School topic: Into the Promised Land (Joshua and the 12 stones)
July 26-30 - Vacation Bible School (6:00-8:30 p.m.)
The YOUTH MISSION TEAM 2010 is back from a week of doing home repair projects for the poor, elderly and needy in Rush County, IN. By God’s grace, a great week was had by all. See the upcoming Dialog for details.
SUMMER FUN EVENTS FOR YOUTH:
July 25 - Great America (after church),
Aug. 15 - Loop Day (after church)
Aug. 27-28 - Launching-into-the-School-Year Lock-In.
More details to come. Watch the SPY facebook site, Skadoosh, Enotes, the Dialog, the Church website, etc, etc, etc. (My, but aren’t we connected!)
PYNGUINS (Junior High Youth): Join us for an Ice Cream Social at Blair and Wendy’s, 2S172 Huntington Place (Butterfield West subdivision, off Hwy 53) on Monday, June 28, at 7:30 p.m.
We are all invited to FAMILY CAMP/SOUTHMINSTER CHURCH RETREAT at Presbyterian Camps in Saugatuck, MI, August 20-22. Please join us for fun, fellowship, relaxation and some beach time before everyone heads back to school!
Folks can plan to arrive Friday evening (though dinner will not be provided at camp) and depart on Sunday morning after breakfast and worship.
Cost: $125.00 per adult
$104.00 per youth (12-17)
$ 60.00 per child (3-11)
$ 15.00 per infant (0-2)
This cost includes lodging for 2 nights, 4 meals and access to everything camp has to offer. Feel free to take a look at the camp at www.prescamps.org.
Please sign up on the board in the narthex with your name and how many will be attending. Friends are welcome! To reserve the appropriate number of cabins, please sign up BY JULY 4. Direct any questions to Andrea Schmidt in person, via telephone at either 630-629-4526 or 630-846-4527 or e-mail at lizzie3@comcast.net.
