northbrook united methodist church messenger january...
TRANSCRIPT
Messenger January 2016Northbrook United Methodist Church
WHERE WILL WE FIND HIM?
2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in the territory of Judea during the rule of King Herod, magi came from the east to Jerusalem. 2 They asked, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We’ve seen
his star in the east, and we’ve come to honor him.” Matthew 2:1-12
We sang Silent Night, lit the candles, enjoyed the cookies and gathered around the tree. Now what? The return to regular life is a relief, and a bit of a letdown.
The Christmas holidays can stir something in us. We remember the beauty of worship and sense of longing to be part of a community of faith. Our curiosity about Jesus gets piqued. Is there more to Jesus than just this baby in a manger? What would it be like to feel more connected to the story of
Jesus?
How would we join the Magi in drawing close to Christ?
Through service.
Participate in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of service. See details on page 8.
Through worship.
During the month of January we will explore the theme of Why? See below.
Through study.
Participate in the Covenant Bible Study. See page 2.
Pastor Melissa Earley
JANUARY SERMON SERIES: WHY?
Why Do The Innocent Suffer? January 10
Why Do My Prayers Go Unanswered? January 17
Why Can’t I See God’s Will For My Life? January 24
Why God’s Love Prevails. January 31
MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY CELEBRATION On Monday, January 18, our MLK Day celebra-tion this year will be a collaborative project with Glenview UMC, North Shore UMC (Glencoe), Christ Church UMC (Deerfield), Trinity UMC (Wilmette), Grace UMC (Lake Bluff), Gloria Dei Lutheran Church (Northbrook) and Temple Beth-El (Northbrook), and of course, Northbrook UMC. There are many opportunities for you to be involved. Please check the website and choose a project you are interested in partici-pating in. Thanks for being a part of this im-portant day.
See page 8 for further details.
"Loving Our Aging Parents Well"
Navigating the concerns of aging parents takes patience, strength, humor and support. Whether you are caring for your parents eve-ry day or helping them make decisions from a distance, it's good to have companionship along the way. This group that began as a short term discussion group, will continue as an ongoing small group in January. Join us on January 10 at 4:00 PM here at the church. Please sign up on our website at : http://northbrookumc.org/adult-ministries/ so that we can notify you of any schedule changes.
COVENANT BIBLE STUDY COMING IN JANUARY
Covenant Bible Study is an in-depth group Bible study in which people read and discuss the
Bible together, learning how to love God—and each other—better.
The study, led by Pastor Melissa, will begin in January—day and time to be determined. If you are interest-
ed, go to http://northbrookumc.org/adult-education/ and indicate your interest in more information. The
website indicates a start date and time, please disregard that. Adding your name indicates interest only.
HAPPY
NEW
YEAR
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Northbrook Notify is Northbrook’s village-to-public mass notification service. With this service, the Village can send voice messages, texts and/or emails to residents and busi-nesses within minutes with specific information about time-sensitive or common-interest issues such as emergency street closures and local community matters. Sign-up today.
With Northbrook Notify, you can be contacted via phone, cell phone, text and/or email. You will also be able to sign-up for other additional, non-emergency notifications. If we can’t reach you, we can’t notify you!
Signing up is easy. Visit www.northbrook.il.us and look for the Northbrook Notify button on the right side of the page. If you don’t use technology, just give us a call at 847 664-4020.
ADULT SPIRITUAL FORMATION
The 8:30 am Sunday morning class will be back together on Jan. 10 to finish our discussion of the book PASTRIX by Na-dia Bolz-Weber. This is a class that is open to all who are interested in exploring current topics, books and studies.
Check for the Covenant Bible Study being offered by Pastor Melissa. Other churches who are using it report it is a great one!
Watch for other opportunities, such as the book group and other small groups. If you are looking for something substantial and not finding it, please let us know. We love suggestions.
Have a very Merry Christmas and a terrific 2016!! Margaret Moyer
NBA GAME OPPORTUNITY
Sunday, March 6 we have 20 seats on hold for a Milwaukee Bucks vs Oklahoma City Thun-der NBA game in Milwaukee. We will leave church at noon, game begins at 2:30. $44 per seat, all ages welcome. Seats are in Section 437, rows F and G and we have 20 seats on hold. RSVP to Aaron Gosser at [email protected]
And even better? If we are a large enough group, we can sit near the bench and high five the players (Logan would be in heaven).
Vs.
Book Group Jan 20 7:00 - 8:30 pm For our January 20th book discus-
sion, we are reading The Ladies of
Managua by Eleni Gage. Set in Nica-
ragua, this current day tale is about 3 generations of
women in one family . We will meet at the home of
Andrea and Louis Giannini. Please call the office for
the address.
When Maria Vazquez returns to Nicaragua for her be-
loved grandfather's funeral, she brings with her a mys-
terious package from her grandmother's past-and a
secret of her own. And she also carries the burden of
her tense relationship with her mother Ninexin, once a
storied revolutionary, now a tireless government em-
ployee. Between Maria and Ninexin lies a chasm creat-
ed by the death of Maria's father, who was killed dur-
ing the revolution when Maria was an infant, leaving
her to be raised by her grandmother Isabela as Ninexin
worked to build the new Nicaragua. As Ninexin tries to
reach her daughter, and Maria wrestles with her ex-
pectations for her romance with an older man, Isabela,
the mourning widow, is lost in memories of attending
boarding school in 1950's New Orleans, where she
loved and lost almost sixty years ago. When the three
women come together to bid farewell to the man who
anchored their family, they are forced to confront
their complicated, passionate relationships with each
other and with their country-and to reveal the secrets
that each of them have worked to conceal.
NORTHFIELD FOOD PANTRY
January Request: Coffee, tea and juice.
Please leave all donations in Penberthy.
AGAPE Friends In Faith
Meets Sunday, January 17
Service in Room 9
11:20am– 12:30pm
This month: reading Pastrix by Nadia Bolz-Weber
Martha’s Circle Some of the classiest ladies in
town are in the know…. Martha Circle meets in February
Watch for dates Please join us.
Film and Potluck Discussion about
Homeless Teens in Chicago
The Unitarian Church in Evanston, 1660 Ridge Avenue,
is sponsoring a potluck dinner, discussion and free
viewing of the documentary “Homestretch” about
homeless teens in Chicago. The event is Saturday Jan-
uary 16th -- come at 6:30 for dinner, with the movie
and discussion following at 7 pm. Call the Unitarian
Church at 847-864-1330 for more information.
SOPHIA CIRCLE
The ladies of Sophia Circle have been busy! With
the help from many members of our congregation,
we have created a new NUMC cookbook! 150 reci-
pes on an easel back stand, featuring many favor-
ites from our pot lucks and get-togethers. Recipes
include Chris’ pinto bean soup, Sue’s lemon
squares, Alice’s cookies, Pat Baker’s Yummy bars,
Jeff’s Outrageous Brownies and much more. (I am
hungry just writing this!) Cookbooks are $10 and
will make great birthday or Valentine’s day pre-
sents. All proceeds from the cookbooks go to sup-
port Inspiration Kitchens in Chicago. They provide
meals, training, support services and housing for
over 3,000 people. Inspiration Kitchens has two
restaurants in Uptown and Garfield Park in Chica-
go. We have dined in both locations and the food is
delicious! Check out their website at:
www.inspirationkitchens.org
for more information.
To get a copy, call or stop in to the church office.
Thank you for supporting the efforts of Sophia Cir-
cle!
Karen Wells
GIVING TO THE CHURCH ONLINE
The Finance Committee has been investigating ways to allow our congregation to give financially to the church through online donations. We are excited to announce that starting in January, you will be able to give to the church online. You will also be able to pay for church-sponsored events (retreats, book studies, etc.) online. Watch for more information.
How Can Our Church Help Refugees?
Would you like to see our church help ref-
ugees? Join us for an initial meeting to
begin planning our response to the refu-
gee crisis on Wednesday, January 6 at 7:00
PM. RSVPs would be helpful in case the
meeting needs to be changed due to
weather. You can RSVP here http://
northbrookumc.org/service-and-missions/
or with Karen Glazer or Pastor Melissa
Earley.
Missions Update
SAVE THE DATE: JANUARY 18, FOR OUR MLK SERVICE DAY
See page 8 for details on projects
Update on Stewardship Campaign
Thank you to everyone who participated in our November 22 Pizza Pie Celebration that
wrapped up our 2015 stewardship campaign. Special thanks go to Louis and Andrea Giannini, who not
only ordered and picked up the pizzas, but also paid for all of the food. Thank you, too, to Pastor
Melissa, Alison, and Jay Hakim, who graciously agreed to have pies thrown in their faces.
Here are the results of our 2016 stewardship campaign:
As you can see from the table above, total pledges for 2016 of $204,631 were 3.4% less than
pledges for 2015. We had nine new individuals/families who pledged for the first time this year.
Thank you!
Thank you very much to all of the individuals and families who pledged. Even if you did not
pledge, you can, of course, still contribute financially to NUMC.
I have set up a new, private email account for my emails as NUMC’s Financial Secretary. The
email address is [email protected]. Please feel free to email me if you have any questions
or concerns about your pledge or your quarterly financial statements.
--Karen Glazer, NUMC Financial Secretary
2015
pledges
2015 pledges 2015
pledges
2016
pledges
2016 pledges 2016
pledges
Adults Children/
Youth
Total Adults Children/
Youth
Total
Number 59 10 69 55 1 56
Amount $211,630 $322 $211,952 $204,521 $110 $204,631
Update on Marriage Equality Discussions
We had a thoughtful discussion in November about the possibility of NUMC adopting a policy regarding marriages to be conducted on our premises. We covered a lot of ground and many questions were answered, but only 6 people attended. We decided that the topic is so important that we want to offer another opportunity to come together to dis-cuss the issue on a Sunday morning. The next discussion will take place after worship on Sunday, January 31st in Room 9. There we will discuss issues relating to the possibility of adopting a policy that would per-mit marriages at NUMC for couples --straight or gay-- who are in a committed, monogamous, loving and consensual relationship. You may submit questions in advance by dropping a note in our Question Box on the Reconciling Table in Penberthy Fellowship Hall. You can also contact any of the following with ques-tions regarding this issue:
Alice Lonoff (co-chair of Reconciling Task Force)- [email protected].
John Cheung: (co-chair of Reconciling Task Force) – [email protected]
Winter Warming – January 16, 2016
Every January, Reconciling United Methodists from around our Northern Illi-nois Conference gather to discuss how best to be in ministry with our LGBTQ friends and families. The next one is Saturday, January 16th at First UMC in Arlington Heights. In addition to workshops, the 2016 General Conference will be discussed – it is at the General Conference that official policy of the UMC can be changed. Google: Winter Warming 2016 for more information and to register. The cost is $15, and includes dinner. Babysitting can be arranged. Besides workshops there will be a wonderful worship ser-vice to wrap up the day. If you have questions, contact Alice Lonoff who will be attending: [email protected].
Discussion on Race Issues Continues
The discussion on Race and White Privilege that was started by Pastor Melissa Earley and three other North-brook-based clergy members officially ended after five weeks. But there is a committed group who will be
continuing the discussion. We have tentatively adopted the acronym RAIN: Racial Awareness in the Northshore. Through education and action, RAIN will strive to reduce racial tension, stereotypes and miscon-
ceptions. We plan to meet monthly and in various houses of worship. The next meeting will be here at NUMC on Wednesday, January 6th from 7-8:30 pm at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, 1133
Pfingsten Rd, Northbrook. Please plan to come and bring a friend. Our discussions have been interesting and enlightening. For more information, contact:
Ramon Sanchez: [email protected]
MLK Service Day January 18, 2016
At Northbrook United Methodist Church
Registration begins: Sunday January 3
NUMC Website: http://northbrookumc.org/service-and-missions/
Call the Church: 847-272-2442
Email Sharon Noha: [email protected]
Schedule for the 18th:
Registration/Coffee 7:45 am
Worship Service: 8:00-8:30 am
Projects at NUMC : 8:30-10:30 am
Offsite Projects: most will leave NUMC at 8:30, return times vary
Enjoy any one of the following activities:
Bernie’s Book Bank, Lake Forest
Family Focus, Evanston
The Boulevard, Chicago
Wings Resale Store, Niles
Feed My Starving Children, Schaumburg
Bookfriends, Wauconda
Lucille, Arlington Heights
Nuestro Centro, Highwood
At NUMC: make dog treats, military bracelets, placemats for Meals-on-wheels, offering letters for Bread for the World, Project Linus
numc confirmation Schedule
2015-2016
Service and Worship Requirements:
Attendance at all confirmation sessions, including Fall Retreat and Confirmation Retreat. If you cannot
make a session, you must meet with Pastor Melissa and Alison to make alternate arrangements.
Completion of 20 hours of worship experiences. These could be from Northbrook UMC or another faith
tradition. Must be corporate worship, take place in a house of worship, and be considered worship in
that tradition (i.e. participating in youth group at Village Presbyterian with a friend does not count, at-
tending a worship service on Sunday morning does).
Completion of 20 hours of service or volunteer work. Attending a mission trip with Northbrook UMC or
another church fulfills this entire requirement. Service hours for family or friends do not count (doing
the dishes after dinner doesn’t count, shoveling an elderly neighbor’s sidewalk does).
Hours must be completed by Confirmation Sunday on August 28, 2016.
In the United Methodist Church, Confirmation is an opportunity for youth to learn about faith in the context of
our denomination and make a personal commitment to join the community and allow their lives to be trans-
formed by God and by the church. We won’t be following a curriculum this year; instead, we’ll be exploring the
issues listed in the schedule and how they relate to the practices and doctrine (church language for what we be-
lieve and how we do things) of the United Methodist Church. We believe this is important and valuable and
worth doing right and so there are requirements for attendance, worship, and service. We’re so excited by this
program and by the possibilities that await the confirmands as a group, and us as a congregation and we hope
you’ll join us! If you’d like to learn more, contact Alison at [email protected]
SESSIONS/TOPICS DATE
SESSION 1:DEATH – FUNERAL HOME VISIT
10.11.2015
SESSION 2: STRESS/BALANCE/ACADEMICS
10.25.2015
SESSION 3:CONSUMERISM 11.1.2015
SESSION 4:RELATIONSHIPS – FALL RETREAT
11.8.2015
SESSION 5:RELATIONSHIPS 1.10.2016
SESSION 6:SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT 1.18.2016
SESSION 7:SEX/BODY IMAGE 1.24.2016
SESSION 8:BELONGING/PEER PRESSURE/MEANNESS/THE OTHER
1.31.2016
CANCELLED!! 2.7.2016
SESSION 10:SIN AND GRACE 2.21.2016
SESSION 11:DOUBT AND GRACE 2.28.2016
SESSION 12:SELF – CONFIRMA-TION RETREAT
3.4 – 3.6
SESSION 13:CREEDS 4.3.2016
CONFIRMATION 8.28.2016
NUMC Youth
3 rd : B a c k t o S c h o o l B re a k fa s t — 8 : 3 0 - 1 0 a m
1 0 t h : Yo u t h G ro u p / C o n f i r m a t i o n — 5 : 3 0 - 7 : 3 0 p m
1 8 t h : M L K S e r v i c e D ay
2 4 t h : We S u r v i v e d F i n a l s ! L u n c h 1 1 a m - 1 2 : 3 0 p m
2 4 t h : Yo u t h G ro u p 5 : 0 0 - 6 : 0 0 p m
C o n f i r m a t i o n — 6 : 0 0 - 7 : 0 0 p m
3 1 s t : Yo u t h G ro u p 5 : 0 0 - 6 : 0 0 p m
C o n f i r m a t i o n — 6 : 0 0 - 7 : 0 0 p m
4th-6th: Confirmation Retreat
13th: Youth Group—5:30-7pm
20th: Palm Sunday Lunch—following worship
25th: Youth Good Friday Service
27th: Easter Sunday
March
March Madness
Ping Pong Tournament
February 26th
March 6th
March 13th
March 20th
All games following worship in Penberthy
January
February 7th: Souper Bowl—11am
10th: Ash Wednesday Service
14th: Love Your Neighbor Concert—5-9pm
21st:: Youth Group 5:00-6:00pm
Confirmation—6:00-7:00pm
28th: Youth Group 5:00-6:00pm
Confirmation—6:00-7:00pm
Winter 2016
unfinished
NUMC kids!
J a n u a r y 1 7 t h : Tw e e n s G ro u p
1 8 t h : M L K S e r v i c e D ay
March
12th: Kids Day Out - Spring Party!
20th: Tweens Group
25th: Good Friday Service
27th: Easter Sunday
Have an idea, question, or desire to serve the church in a new way?
Contact Alison at [email protected]
tweens! 3rd-5th grade fellowship
Tweens meets on the 3rd Sunday of
each month at the church February 7th: Souper Bowl
14th: Love Your Neighbor Concert — 7-9pm
21st: Tweens Group
27th: Sprouts Family Potluck— 4-6pm
Meets quarterly for family fellowship and kids care
1190 Western Avenue
Northbrook, IL 60062
Phone: 847-272-2442 Fax: 847-272-8091
Email: [email protected] Mailing Label
NORTHBROOK UNITED METHODIST CHURCH