The Bethel Letter May 2007

B E T H E L May 2007

Worship Services

May 6 – 10 AM Confirmation Sunday Service

May 13 – 10 AM Music Sunday Service – Mother’s Day

May 20 – 10 AM Sunday Service – Pass It On Report

May 27 – 10 AM Sunday Service - Pentecost

June 3 – 10 AM Sunday Service – POP Finale

HOME COMMUNION If anyone would like home communion please call the church office.

LOOK FOR OUR BLOG DISCUSSIONS on the Bethel website. Visit www.bethel-ucc.org.

The newsletter and other important releases are available on the Bethel website (www.bethel-ucc.org) under Publications.

A Message from the Pastor

Scene: As I work in my office the Cardinal-Cub game is on the radio. I guess I can listen to the game call by Ron and Pat – although Mike Shannon is a click away on my computer. I imagine the contrasting red and blue, all in the same stadium. There will be some cajoling back and forth, but it will be enjoyable for all. What a friendly rivalry!

Scene: Imagine a wall, as it has been proposed, along our southern border to keep certain people out.

The scenes are contrasting. Living with differences has always been one of the great challenges. And yet, within the challenge there is also potential for great blessing.

I just returned from a lunch meeting of clergy with Rev. John Thomas, the General Minister of the UCC. Someone questioned him about immigration policy. As a person with a special interest in history he set his response within the context of American experience with differences. He reminded us that in the 17th Century the English of Pennsylvania were concerned about the numbers of Germans moving in among them, continuing to speak their own language and follow their traditions.

He also said that he would take the “English language” proponents more seriously if they were prepared to back up their proposals with educational funding. Rarely does that seem to be the case. It has more to do with exclusion than efforts of inclusion.

There are so many issues facing us, but many of them at their root are variations on a theme of inclusion and exclusion – two alternative ways of dealing with differences. And many of these issues are not so far away as any of these examples. They are questions we deal with every day as we encounter differences – in whatever form – among those with whom we live. The temptation of exclusion as a way to streamline and simplify often seems attractive given the challenges of genuine community.

Scene: The City is surrounded by a wall, but the gates of the City are never shut. People stream to it and “bring into it the glory and honor of the nations.” (Rev. 21:26-26) This is the vision of the New Jerusalem from the closing verses of scripture.

Open gates that make walls superfluous…open and affirming communities…the daily practice of inclusion that honors all over exclusion which divides - I believe this is what we are strive for as we respond to our call in Christ.

Rev. Stephen Schuette

(P.S. - Pat just wished Ron good luck in singing during the 7th Inning stretch. In my opinion Ron will need more than “good luck.” Even so, I look forward to singing along.)

Council Notes

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the students and families of the Virginia Tech Community. This tragedy was definitely on the minds of council members when we met in April.

Another busy spring at Bethel:

We are eager to hear from our members who traveled to Kentucky with the Adults in Mission trip. The feedback from our $50 Human Concerns envelopes is coming in and that too will be interesting to hear about. The Open and Affirming process is moving along and the task force recently provided an update during an April coffee hour. Please plan to attend church May 6th to hear the Confirmands’ statement of faith during worship. Although The Long Range Planning Committee has no update on the Nicholas property. The committee is working through the input, needs, possibilities and priorities shared from the congregation and BLC. The next step is to bring clarity to move a process forward by organizing this feedback into logical categories (examples: Worship, Programs, BLC, Human Concerns, existing property/building needs from Trustees and potential expansion to support these categories). A decision was reached by Council and a motion was passed based on a proposal from the LRP committee to contract one of our congregation members Red Beebe to craft a scope of work which will help organize/prepare a discussion document (output from congregation LRP feedback). This discussion document (framework) will be for the purpose of sharing that information and provide a basis for an open exchange through the LRP congregation update. We are hoping that this will happen in the early June timeframe following worship service. The annual Women of Bethel Victorian Tea was recently held. Our daughter Lucy wanted the congregation to know that her picture (and the other servers) appeared in a recent edition of the Elmhurst Press. Nice job girls.

Jim LaPalermo, Council President

Financial summary

Income

YTD

% of Budget

Expenses

Expense

YTD

% of Budget

March

24,787

126,999

30 %

30,354

104,246

24 %

If you have questions or would like further detail please contact Rod Stipe, Treasurer.

From the Board of Trustees

The tankless water heater for Schiffman Hall has been installed by Dhamer Plumbing and is operating. The water heater provides hot water to both sinks in the kitchen.

A contract has been awarded to Artisan Roofing Co. to replace the roof on the Poplar Ave. house. The work will be done in early May.

Patty Rafferty will be coordinating fund raising activities for the Trustees. We are looking for fun events that will combine fellowship with fund raising. Please let Patty know of any ideas you may have.

Spring Cleaning Day will be Saturday, May 5, from 8:00am to noon. Tasks scheduled to be preformed include: preparing a place to move the garbage cans to the west side of the parking lot, spreading dirt to fill low lying areas, cleaning the Sanctuary windows, light dusting and cleaning in the building. David Hartlage will be in charge of these efforts. Please sigh up on the sheet in the Narthex. Come and be part of the fellowship of this worthy event.

Jeff Braun

IDEAS WANTED!! Trustees are interested in coming up with new ideas for FUNRAISING!! We would like to find ways to promote fun and fellowship while raising money at the same time. The Annual Golf Outing is a prime example of this concept that is already in place. What sounds like fun to YOU??

PLEASE bring any and all ideas, no matter how large or small, to coffee hour on May 6 for a brainstorming session.

Your attendance does not commit you to planning or implementing the fun(d)raiser. This is just for an initial gathering of ideas – no commitment necessary.

If you cannot make this meeting but have a great idea, please feel free to call or email me.

Patty Rafferty

From the Board of Elders

BREAKFAST CLUB EVENT All FIFTH THROUGH EIGHT GRADERS are invited to a picnic on Friday, May 11. We will meet at 4:30 in the church parking lot for a night of food and fun. Please call Emmy to RSVP or if you have any questions. We hope to see you there!

From the Board of Deacons

May Birthdays: 1 Dana D'Onofrio, 1 Bonnie Peterson, 2 Kelly Lockerbie, 2 Everett Polak,

3 Matt Diedrich, 3 Michael Golding, 4 Julie Naumann, 5 Dee Longfellow, 5 Rose Rocklin,

6 Patrick Wilk, 7 John Kolosieke, 7 Bob Lockerbie, 8 Betty Buik, 8 Brad Kveton,

9 Juliana Salzano, 10 Gayle DeClark, 10 Gillian DeClark, 10 Greg DeClark,

10 Lindley Ranke, 11 Nick Albers, 11 Kris Ceas, 16 Ellen Braun, 16 Jeanne Crippin,

16 Meghan Mullaney, 18 Rina Salzano, 18 Irma Vegter, 19 Luke Lucas, 23 Leah Lyman,

24 Colin Ceas, 24 Seth Origitano, 24 Ashlyn Salek, 25 Sue Crowther, 26 Carol Brehm,

26 Ed Rocklin, 28 Wayne Bieszczat, 30 Jeff Braun, 30 Tom Tollick, 31 Emma LaPalermo

May Wedding Anniversaries: 5/29 Mary Lou and Bill Brunner,

5/03 Jim and Priscilla Crowther, 5/27 Roberta Fox and Hans Koelsch,

5/25 Dena and John Kolosieke, 5/17 Jeanne and Bob Kowalkowski,

5/18 Lisa and Peter Landreth, 5/04 Beverly and Jack Richardson

Directory Updates

Contact the church office for updated directory information.

We seem to have geared down significantly for awhile but are still have things to share with our readers.

We want to thank everyone who has supported us by purchasing plants through the Bethel Learning Center/Bethel Youth Fellowship Plant Sale. ***Please remember that pick-up day is Wednesday, May 9^th at church. Thanks too, in advance, to those who helped on sale day.

Recently a few of us made cupcakes for the bi-monthly birthday party at The Anchorage in Bensenville. Quite a few of us enjoy spending time together in the kitchen so this is a perfect way to do that and provide a treat and a smile to those residents.

We have received requests for car detailing and will arrange those as our schedules and weather allow. If readers are still interested in this unique offer, please let us know. Our prices are great and your payment will be used to help fund work trip costs.

This summer's work trip to Rock Island and weekend of house boating on the Mississippi River will be from August 2nd-10^th. We are looking forward to another unique opportunity to help and learn about others while having new experiences of our own. We can still accommodate travelers. If you would like to go but have questions, would like a houseboat brochure or have not told us you'd like to go, please do that as soon as possible. When school is out we will set a “tripper” meeting date and ask for payment of the $150 fee. We hope that interested Confirmands will consider joining us for this adventure!

As the school year comes to an end, we would like to congratulate our graduates, and we will have many!! We hope to include some information about them and their choices of schools in the June newsletter.

Bethel Book Club Our next selection is Postville: A Clash of Cultures in Heartland America by Stephen G. Bloom. The book relates Bloom's involvement in social and religious problems that occurred in the late 1980's when Hasidic Jews bought a failed slaughterhouse just outside Postville, Iowa, and reopened it as a kosher processing plant. Bloom, a professor at the University of Iowa and a secular Jew in his upbringing, presents the views of both sides and his own struggle with a sense of belonging as the events escalate.

The Elmhurst Library discussed this book with its own book group last month and has multiple paperback copies available for check-out. Please call Barbara Schuette, who will host our discussion on Wednesday, May 16, if you plan to attend.

OUTDOOR MINISTRY The listing of camps and events for the Outdoor Ministry programs of the Illinois Conference have arrived. See the various offerings, from Grandparents and Me, to Tenderfoot, to Riding Camp, to MADD Camp, Harvest Colors (retirees), etc. Schedules and registration forms are on the table in the narthex.

MANY THANKS to the following that purchased flowers to decorate the Easter altar: Mae Pearson, Missy Salek, Virginia Wilson, Rose Fealy, Jeff and Ellen Braun, Jeanne Stuart, Jim and Jan Dondlinger, Roxanne Schwoch, Bart and Arlene Sandvik, Darrell and Fern Wilson, Beverly and Jack Richardson, Jeanne Kowalkowski, Chris Wang, Chris Smith, Ed and Dorothy Rowe, David and Ardathe Lindberg, and Cheri Yauch. Please take your plants home following worship today.

ALTAR FLOWERS are a great way to celebrate a birthday, anniversary, or to give in memory of a loved one. If you would like to order altar flowers, please sign up on the flower chart in the staff office or by contacting the church office. Altar arrangements are $15.

Many of us enjoy a good conspiracy story. We read books like the Da Vinci Code and watch TV specials about the Gospel of Judas. But we may wonder whether church history can be as interesting when an author or artist is working on historical fact rather than historical fiction?

This weekend, I read a book by Robin Griffiths-Jones, the Master of the Temple. I am not totally familiar with the various titles in use in the Anglican Church, but I gather that Mr. Griffiths-Jones serves what was originally a Knights Templar church in London, England. Since this church figures in the Da Vinci Code, Griffiths-Jones sometimes gives lectures about the church and the best-selling book. I was pleasantly surprised by some of his insights and would like to share them.

Although much of the book tells where the Code leaves truth behind, it also gives Christians some positive issues to consider and appreciate. One moving passage describes a way to look at Da Vinci’s painting the Last Supper. Much has been made about the space between Jesus and the disciple on his right, the one the novel identifies as Mary Magdalene. Griffiths-Jones invites us to see the painting differently. He says that the disciple is truly the Beloved Disciple and the space between him and Jesus portrays how very alone Jesus was as he prepared for his death.

Mr. Griffiths-Jones also invites us to read the Gospel of John a bit differently from the way the Da Vinci Code reads it. Specifically, he writes about the scene between Jesus and Mary Magdalene in the garden. He invites us to put ourselves into that scene. The Mary Magdalene there is not some hidden wife of Jesus; she represents us all as we hear our own names spoken by the risen Christ.

And the round Temple Church in London? It was built in remembrance of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. That church also is round.

Greetings! This month I’d like to focus on Healthy Eating. We have probably all heard that unsaturated fats, whole grain carbohydrates, vegetable sources of protein, and plenty of fruits and vegetables are the keys to a healthy diet. But today’s culture often does not reflect these sound ideas. How “valuable” are “Value Meals” at our fast-food chains? Isaiah 55:1-2 reminds us that God wants our bodies to be truly nourished and that eating well will be a pleasure, not a sacrifice.

To maintain your current weight, multiply your current weight by 13 if you are fairly sedentary or by 14 if you are active.

For example, if you weigh 150 pounds and are fairly sedentary, you need to consume 1950 calories per day to maintain your weight: 150 lbs. x 13 = 1950 Calories/day

To lose one pound in a week, you must eliminate 3500 calories during the week – or consume 500 fewer calories each day. 1950 – 500 = 1450 Calories/day

Let us all remember that good nutrition is stewardship of a gift God gave us – our bodies.

The above information was gathered from “Congregational Health Networker” Vol. 7, Issue 1

FOOD PANTRY In May we will be collecting non-sugared cereal to be distributed by the local food pantries. Please leave your donation in the basket just inside the North entrance.

What Is Happening at Lifelink The Anchorage nursing home, and Bridgeway of Bensenville, a retirement home for independent living, and a few separate residences called Meadowcrest, have been sold by LifeLink to another faith based organization called Christian Homes. The building housing the LifeLink headquarters and other activities has also been sold to Christian Homes, but that portion of the building is being leased back by LifeLink and they will remain in this location.

Castle Towers in Bensenville and Greencastle in Elmhurst, which are HUD operations, are still managed by LifeLink, as are others around the country. The few small Pastoral Homes for retired ministers along Memorial Drive are independently held by the U.C.C. Pension Board in New York City.

The following continue to be part of the LifeLink program: Early Head Start, Foster Care, Head Start, Healthy Families, Hoyleston Youth and Family Services (Southern Illinois), International Adoption, Latino Family Services, Home-Care Services, Alzheimer’s at Home Program, and Affordable Housing for Seniors and Physically Challenged Adults (HUD).

Nearly all of the LifeLink programs are self-supporting, but some require subsidies. LifeLink still needs help from supporting churches.

LifeLink is a not-for-profit, charitable, health and human service organization related to the United Church of Christ. LifeLink has served older adults, children and families since 1895 and provides programs in more than 45 locations in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Florida, Ohio and Wisconsin.

HUMAN CONCERNS WORK TRIP Saturday, June 23^rd, 8 a.m. – Noon. Please join us! We will carpool to Casa Central in Chicago’s Logan Square. Work involves outdoor weeding and planting and indoor painting. All able-bodied individuals are welcome. Sign up in the narthex and call Ann LaPalermo with questions.

Pass It On Many thanks to those of you who chose to become involved in the "Pass It On Campaign." Sue Martini, George Stevenson, Lisa and Pete Landreth, Gina Reeves, Meta Polak, Wilma & Mike Delaney, Mike & Carol Botsch, Dorothy & Ed Rowe, Bill & Linda Lyman, Ellen & Jeff Braun, Jeanne Kowalkowski, Christine & Katie Walser, Virginia Wilson, Marie Hosteth, Jean Bruno, Rose Fealy, Mark & Kathy Murray, Mae Pearson, Roxanne Schwoch, Patti Reher, Lili & Teri Litarsky, Bruce & Chris Smith, Cheri Yauch, Jenny Pozen, Leslie Stipe, Merrill family, Ellen DeSalvo, Jeanne Crippin, Jeff Panko, LaPalermo Family, Sue Crowther, Bill & Mary Lou Brunner, Laura Yurs, Penny Goldman, Warren & Caryl Hineline, Barbara Schuette, Riddle Family, DeClark Family, Jean Stuart, Bart & Arlene Sandvik, Loral Keenan, and Chris Wang!

Back Bay Mission Update: Easter Season I’ll admit, it was rather disappointing to see frozen sleet accumulated on the rooftops here on Easter morning. It felt just like every other Easter of my Northern life: cold, damp, and impossible to wear bright spring skirts or sandals. I’d come down here expecting warm weather, at least a little warmer than Chicago!

But in every other aspect, this Easter hasn’t been much like other Easters in my life. It started out with Palm Sunday at an Episcopal church (there are no UCC churches in Mississippi—social pressure when UCC congregations decided to integrate during the Civil Rights Movement closed them down). Holy Week continued with a Wednesday seder supper that reminded me of the wonderful seder we had at Bethel a few years ago—except that here, seder includes sweet tea.

I celebrated Maundy Thursday at night on the beach with a church group from Maryland. With the words of “Were you there?” softly mixing with the lapping of the waves, we served each other communion using the plate and chalice that had been found miraculously untouched amidst the rubble inside Back Bay’s offices.

Good Friday took on new meaning in the context of the deep, hurricane-induced hopelessness that continues to bog down many folks here. Holy Saturday was spent nail-gunning and trussing and tar-papering the roof of a modular house shipped down from a donor in Wisconsin to house our long-term volunteers.

Easter Sunday at a local Methodist church offered a chance to reflect on the fellowship, turmoil, sorrow, and expectation of the past seven days. Earlier in the week, I had spent a few moments with Lucious, a Back Bay client and a friend of mine who has been living for 18 months with his wife and granddaughters in a small FEMA trailer, a place he calls “unsanitary.” I’d followed him into his work-in-progress house, where, despite the empty rooms and the half-done feeling about the place, his face lit up. “Doesn’t it look good?” he exclaimed, admiring his new peach-colored walls and popcorn ceilings.

As I sat in church listening to the Easter Alleluias, the real-life parable was clear to me: each room our workcampers painted, each strip of laminate flooring they installed, each piece of rotting wood they ripped out or molecule of mold they scoured brought Lucious, and many others like him, one step further out of the darkness of Good Friday and one step closer to the joy and hope of Easter.

So it might have been a little chilly on Easter, and the white stuff up on the roof might have been an unwelcome sight; but from where I stand, the heavy weight of Hurricane Katrina is slowly being rolled away—and that does look good.

In April, memorials were given in honor of Ben Hoyt Jones, Jr. and Darryl William Jones.