Scripture: Psalm 5:1-3 (NIV)
Give ear to my words, O LORD,
consider my sighing.
Listen to my cry for help,
my King and my God,
for to you I pray.
In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice;
in the morning I lay my requests before you
and wait in expectation.
Dear Friends,
We are looking forward to a visit from our sister church in the fall of 2011. On Labor Day Weekend 2011 Pastor Abel and his wife Sara will join us in celebrating our 50th year jubilee. Does this sound like a small thing? After all, that part of our jubilee celebration is about 15 months away. However, getting the paperwork in order is no small thing. When the U.S. consulate was first contacted, the only appointment open was in 2013 - TWO YEARS PAST our celebration. That was only the beginning of our hurdles. Gretchen Fleming, who was doing the leg work on this project, was a bit frustrated to say the least, but we prayed. Through a series of events, Abel and Sara have this very important appointment next week.
Thinking about this, there are two thoughts that come to mind: prayer and thanksgiving. In Psalm 5, the Psalmist “lays” his requests out to God and expects an answer. Do we lay out our requests, even the ones that seem not worthy of prayer, like paperwork? Do we expect an answer? Sometimes we pray and don’t look for an answer. We make our requests and don’t stop and look for the answer. When Gretchen told me the good news about the appointment I had forgotten that we had prayed about it. If it weren’t for Gretchen sharing the good news with me, I would have missed an opportunity to see God working in my life.
Gretchen told me that she thanked God by putting money in her “Thank Jar.” There are a number of ways to thank God, but her way intrigued me. Each fall the Presbyterian Women have the thank offering. During the year some of our women put coins in a jar to thank God for whatever they are thankful for. The money from that jar is pooled and sent to our National Offices; at least 40 percent of this offering supports health ministries throughout the world. The remaining 60 percent funds new creative ideas for mission. There are a lot of ways to thank God; Gretchen’s is just one of them. How do you thank God? Take it from here,
Love, Wendy
P.S. If you have trouble jump-starting your prayer life, a Psalm is a good way to get started.
P.P.S. I just talked to Gretchen. Let’s just say we still have some opportunities to see God at work and pray about Abel and Sara’s trip.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
MISSION:
Homelessness and Hunger don’t take a summer vacation! Southminster will be providing MEALS FOR PADS the second Saturday of June, July, and August. We still need a few things for our first summer meal this coming weekend. For dinner Saturday night: coleslaw and hot vegetables (green beans or corn). For breakfast Sunday morning: breakfast casseroles and cream cheese. If you’re willing to donate one or more of these, please reply to this email or contact Gretchen Fleming (630-858-9377). Note that all donations for sack lunches need to be delivered to Southminster by 9:00 a.m. this Saturday; all food for dinner and breakfast should be here by 10:00 a.m. Saturday.
This is a mission EVERYONE at SPC can support in one way or another. Mission Ministry can NOT do it without you! Any questions? Contact Gretchen.
Please pray for the YOUTH MISSION TEAM, who will be serving in Rushville, Indiana, from this Sunday until June19th. Pray for their spiritual growth, safety, and that the people they help will be served well and see Jesus’ love through them.
CONFIRMATION: This coming Sunday, June 13, at 11:00 a.m. there will be a meeting in the parlor to discuss Confirmation. Parents of unconfirmed students entering 6th grade through high school age are invited.
FIGHT CANCER - JOIN THE RELAY FOR LIFE: We are forming a team again from Southminster to support the Relay for Life event, which starts at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, June 18, at Glenbard South High School. Won’t you walk the track to honor those we have lost or support those who are struggling or have beat cancer? Bring a lawn chair and come join us. Many activities are planned, and it will be a memorable evening. Sign-up sheets, survivor sheets, forms for the purchase of luminaries, and instructions to donate online will be in the narthex. Also, Chili’s Restaurant at Danada will donate 10% of your check to our team from May 11 to June 23 on every Tuesday and Wednesday. Print a coupon from the June Dialog or pick one up at church (in the narthex or on the nametag shelf) before you go to Chili’s.
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 God’s love through Paul’s letter to the Corinthians. Summer Sunday School is up and running, but we still need volunteers to teach and help! There is a teacher’s packet for each lesson that includes the story and activities. Not comfortable being “the teacher”? Then sign up to be the teacher’s helper. We need a teacher and a helper for each week. The sign up sheet is on the CE bulletin board. Please help our children learn what an awesome God we have!
ARTWORK FOR HALLWAY: Summer is the time to showcase the artwork of our children! We are asking that you bring in some of your child’s artwork from school to hang in our Hallway Gallery from June 15 through Labor Day. We have gotten some artwork, but there is still time to bring more. Linda Ellinghausen has graciously offered to mount the artwork, so we’ll need them by this Sunday, June 13. Please drop off your child’s artwork on the CE desk. All artwork of course will be returned after the showcase. I can’t wait to see what our artists have done through the year!
VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL: Planning is well under way for this year’s VBS, High Seas Expedition. Please look at your schedule and see if you could help out that week: July 26-30 from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. Specifically we need volunteers for doing SIMPLE snacks.
WHAT’S AHEAD IN CHRISTIAN ED?
June 13 - Sunday School topic: A love letter (Paul’s letter to the Corinthians)
June 20 - Sunday School topic: Body of Christ
June 27 - Sunday School topic: Shipwreck! (Paul’s journey under Roman rule from Jerusalem to Rome)
July 26-30 - Vacation Bible School (6:00-8:30 p.m.)
RECYCLE PAPER HERE and raise money for our Mission Ministries. You can’t miss the large green and yellow bin in our gravel overflow parking lot. Let’s fill it with paper!
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.
