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Pastor's message...
In James Carroll's poem, "All the Difference," he remembers those puzzle pages in which he searched for the picture of the man hidden in the scene. He would turn it upside down and stare until suddenly the edge of the clouds became an ear and a branch of the tree a smiling mouth, and there he was, a man. Now the simple scene was never the same, for you had seen him.
Faith is something like that.
For Christians there is a man
Hidden in every scene,
And his name is Jesus.
Once he has been met and seen,
No scene, no "seeing,"
Is quite the same again.
Let those love now, who never lov'd before:
Let those who always lov'd now love the more.
(from Pray From Where You Are)
Life itself is like putting together a puzzle. There are two days of the week on which, and about which, one should never worry. Two care-free days kept sacredly from fear and apprehension. The first of these days is YESTERDAY. Yesterday, with all of its faults and blunders, has passed forever beyond the reach of our recall. All that it holds in life, of the wrongs, regrets, and sorrows is in other hands than ours. It is in the keeping of Him who can bring the water out of the rock and sweet flowers out of the bitterest desert.
The other day we should not worry about is TOMORROW. Tomorrow, with all its possibilities, adversities, and perils is as far beyond the reach of our mastery as its dead sister, YESTERDAY. Its sun will rise in roseate splendor or behind a mask of weeping clouds, but it will rise. Until then the same love and patience that held YESTERDAY and will hold TOMORROW is not in our possession.
There is left for us but one day of the week, TODAY. Any man can fight the battle of today. Any woman can carry the burdens of just one day. It isn't the experience of TODAY that drives us mad. It's the remorse for something that happened YESTERDAY, and the fear of what TOMORROW may disclose.
Douglas Malloch, sometimes referred to as "the poet in the woods," has a helpful reminder for us in his poem, "Today":
Sure this world is full of trouble -
I ain't said it ain't.
Lord! I've had enough and double
Reason for complaint.
Rain and storm have come to fret me,
Skies were often gray;
Thorns and brambles have beset me
On the road - but say,
AIN'T IT FINE TODAY!
What's the use of always weepin'
Makin' trouble last?
What's the use of always keepin'
Thinkin' of the past?
Each must have his tribulation,
Water with his wine;
Life ain't no celebration.
Trouble? I've had mine -
but TODAY is fine!
It's today that I'm livin'
Not a month ago;
Havin', losin', takin', givin',
As time wills it so.
Yesterday a cloud of sorrow
Fell across the way.
It may rain again tomorrow;
It may rain, but say
AIN'T IT FINE TODAY!
However we experience that "seeing the man" it asks us to choose between life and death. We remember an ancient Easter tradition that reminds us of the treasure of Easter: Ever since the first Easter, a vast treasure has been accumulating--all the thoughts and feelings of faith, hope and love that Easter has evoked down through the centuries, the hidden, invisible treasure of Easter tells us we are something more than blood and bones, that we are hopes and dreams, joy and pain, anger and tenderness. Lent has led us to the acclamation of...
"Christ the Lord is Risen Today...Alleluia!"
Maggie and I hope you have a blessed Easter filled with faith experiences of love, peace and good will.
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April 6
Sacrament of Holy Communion
Sermon: "Gethsemane: When Life Presses In"
Theme: Food of Faith and Healing
Scripture: Isaiah 43:1-2; Psalm 121; Matthew 26
April 13
Palm Sunday
Sermon: "Calvary: The End or the Beginning"
Theme: God so loved the world...
Scripture: Luke 23:33; Hosea 11:8-9; Romans 8:38-39
April 17
Maundy Thursday
A Tenebrae Service of Readings and Music
April 18
Good Friday
Cooperative Service with Immanuel United Church of Christ
in Bartlett, IL, at 1 pm
April 20
Easter Sunday
Sermon: "Paradise Found"
Theme: The Garden of Life
Scripture: John 19:41-20:18
April 27
The First Sunday after Easter
Sermon: "And Miles to Go Before I Sleep" (Robert Frost)
Theme: The End is Not End
Scripture: Mark 16:1-8
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Here's a quick update on what your Church Council and its ministries have been doing for you, our Church, and our Community:
The Peterson property has been sold. Our new neighbors are Keegan and Kirsten Ovitt. Stop by and welcome this lovely, young couple to the neighborhood when they've settled in.
The Dixon property will have its lot line assessed and septic field located as the weather breaks. Also, a broken window and a broken pipe are in the process of being repaired. Then, hopefully the property will be ready to be listed for sale with a realtor.
Christian Education Ministry has picked the curriculum for Vacation Bible School (VBS) and the Fermilab field trip will be on Saturday, April 12, 10 am until Noon.
Congregational Life Ministry is glad to announce the return of the pancake breakfast after worship service. The next one will be on Palm Sunday, April 13. Bring your appetites to one of our favorite fundraisers.
Evangelism Ministry is pleased to report that two new members have been installed. We are also continuing to research the New Beginnings Program that is being offered by the UCC.
Facilities Ministry has added 3 more committee members to help with the much-needed organization and implementation of church repairs and upkeep. Welcome and thanks!
Outreach Ministry--The opportunity to support the Food Pantry is manyfold: donate an Easter dinner, pick up food from the local Jewel store on Mondays, help stock the shelves and help distribute the food stuffs.
Stewardship Ministry--Be on the lookout for a Time & Talent Survey coming your way soon.
Worship & Spiritual Growth--Coordination of Pulpit Associates & Ushers for Sunday services is ongoing, and you can expect more spectacular music to celebrate Lent and Easter.
But wait, there's more:
The Interim Pastor Search Committee has been assembled and has already put the wheels in motion to have an interim pastor in place soon. Following church bylaws, the moderator, moderator-elect, a past moderator (Ann McLaughlin) and a member-at-large (Kathleen Sullivan Kaska) form this committee. A meeting to outline the interim pastor job requirements and compensation has already occurred, and a July 1 target date for securing this hire was determined. Please contact any member of the committee for additional information or to share your input. Frequent updates will be provided to the congregation.
Blood Drive--Next scheduled date for donating blood at LHC is Monday, May 19.
Questions? If you have a question about anything...please see one of our Council Members, Members at Large, or give me a call at 630.816.7723 or email me at gregsasst@aquascapeinc.com
Blessings, and I'll leave you with this:
1 Corinthians 16:14, Let all that you do be done in love.
Kathy Haben
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Activities...
A Book & A Prayer Book Club
4th Monday of every month
7 pm in the Parish Hall
Our April read will be "The Shape of Mercy" by Susan Meissner. This book won the Christian Book Award in 2009 in the fiction category. Here is one review of the book:
"It is the kind of inspirational fiction that prompts readers to call up old friends, lost loves or fallen-away family members to tell them that all is forgiven and that life is too short for holding grudges. Achingly romantic, the novel features the legacy of Mercy Heyworth--a young woman convicted during the Salem witch trials--whose words reach out from the past to forever transform the lives of two present-day women. These book lovers--Abigail Boyles, elderly, bitter and frail, and Lauren Lars Durough, wealthy, earnest and young--become unlikely friends, drawn together over the untimely death of Mercy, whose precious diary is all that remains of her too short life. And what a diary! Mercy's words not only beguile but help Abigail and Lars together face life's hardest struggles about where true meaning is found, which dreams are worth chasing and which only lead to emptiness, and why faith and hope are essential on life's difficult path. Meissner's prose is exquisite and she is a stunning storyteller. This is a novel to be shared with friends."
So won't you share in our discussion and join us on Monday, April 28 at 7 pm...and bring a friend!
Future books:
May - The Heart of Horses, by Molly Gloss
June - English Creek, by Ivan Doig
Next meeting:
Monday, April 28, 7 pm, Parish Hall
Contact: Kathy Haben, 630.876.0620, khaben@att.net
Palm Sunday
The choir will sing "Crown Him with Many Crowns" by Marty Parks and "Festival Sanctus" by John Leavitt. Also, The Adult Bell Choir will perform a beautiful arrangement of "Jesus Loves Me."
Maundy Thursday
"A Service of Music and Meditation."
This moving and contemplative service will feature anthems by the choir, readings, hymns in the Taize tradition, and communion; we will be joined by guest musicians from The Elgin Symphony.
Easter Sunday
 Come celebrate the resurrection with glorious music. This year the choir will be accompanied by The Chicago Youth Symphony Brass Quintet and Robert Vanderschaaf on the organ.
The Special Brass Quintet is the senior brass quintet of the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra's Chamber Music Program and Symphony Orchestra. Trumpeter John Lash is a senior at Geneva Community H.S. Charles Stuedemann is a member of the second Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra's Chamber Brass Quintet and is filling in for Martin Movagh. Charles is a freshman who also attends Geneva Community H.S. Tuba player Benjamin Casey attends Downers Grove North H.S., Elizabeth Tobin who plays the French horn attends Glenbard West H.S., and trombone player William Sheppard attends New Trier H.S. in Winnetka. Benjamin, Elizabeth, and William are all seniors at their respective high schools. John and Benjamin both plan on pursuing music in college next year.
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Ministry news...
The Evangelism Committee is hosting a "Get to Know the LHC" casual buffet at the home of Carol Berger on Sunday, April 13 at 5:30 pm. If you know of someone who is interested in learning more about us, please let me know. All visitors are welcome.
We are pleased to welcome two new members to Little Home Church, Maureen O'Donnell and Richard Olsen who joined our church family on March 23. Maureen was sponsored by Kathy Haben and Richard was sponsored by Valerie Baldwin.
 Ms. O'Donnell's life has certainly demonstrated the love she has for children and she comes to our church with a list of impressive credentials. Maureen is a certified teacher for grades 6-12, has been an ESL volunteer for four years, taught religious education for four years in the Catholic Church, and taught Junior Achievement for 13 years. She was also employed by AT&T for 25 years. Presently, Maureen is a nanny for three children in Wheaton. Maureen lives in Wheaton and came to our church when she was drawn to the UCC by a friend who lives in Maine. After visiting her friend for many years, she came home and began searching for a UCC church. She heard about the LHC, attended many times and never left. LHC was exactly what she was looking for, and we are so happy to have her. Maureen loves to garden, cook and travel. She is a credited tour manager and has traveled to England and Ireland 15 times. Presently, she is also working on her family genealogy. Maureen comes to our church family with many talents and we welcome her! Next month we will feature Richard Olson. Stay tuned! Carol Berger, Chairman
Join us on Saturday, April 12 for a tour of the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, located just outside Batavia, IL. It is a US Department of Energy national laboratory specializing in high-energy particle physics. The tour will be from 10 am until Noon. This tour is open to participants, ages 10 and older, however the Lederman Science Center will be open for children to play with hands-on exhibits.
Also, we are planning a camping trip for the children around Easter. Watch for more details on both events.
Vacation Bible School 
VBS will be held July 7 thru 11, 9-11 am. This year's theme is Workshop of Wonders featuring games, crafts, songs and science experiments. Write with invisible ink, play with pulleys, make your own book and more. We are inviting all children, ages 3-12 to come join the fun.
Outreach
Donations of paper products for the food pantry located at Resurrection Church can be dropped off here at LHC church, and they will be delivered to the pantry. Needed items: paper towels; toilet paper; and tissue.
Facilities 
This Ministry has recently created a comprehensive list of maintenance and repair needs of our nearly 150 year-old property. As the list grew, and grew, it became apparent that we must become more proactive--as opposed to reactive--regarding our facilities. Our list is long, and is a working document in at least three ways:
1. While we have identified many things needing attention, we know there are others we haven't noticed or thought of, so the list will grow.
2. We have tried to apply our best guess when it comes to amounts and costs for most of the items, but a few things remain "To Be Determined." Thus, the list contains numbers which are both uncertain and incomplete, and this means that the bottom line will be increasing.
3. We have included a column for priority, which is currently empty. The items on the list are identified as either exterior or interior. Some of the interior items cannot be completed until an exterior item is done, and all of the exterior items are impacted by the weather. In addition, priority will be impacted by the availability of funds.
We are trying to change the way we think about our facilities, viewing this not as a short-term punch list, but rather a five-year (or longer) plan. Last year, the facilities budget included a little over $6,000 for maintenance. Compare this with our incomplete list, which totals $160,000. We anticipate that the facilities ministry will build upon this list every year. This will require us to build up reserves over time so that we can prepare for large projects. It is my hope that by the time our 150th Anniversary rolls around in 2021, everything will be shipshape!
Over the next weeks and months, we will be prioritizing the work and updating the master list as we go. (Copies of the list are available in the main office or via email.) If you have suggestions for projects, priority, cost, grants, contractors, or anything else, please let one of us know.
Thank you!
Anne Bouchard, Chair
Committee: Rik Alex, Phil Aughnay, Judy Hopkins, Alex Kentfield, Maureen O'Donnell, Dan Roach
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Education... 
Quiet Time Bags
Canvas bags with crayons, storybooks and activity books for children during worship are available in a basket at the rear of the church. Please return them to the basket after worship.
Morning Bible Study
Presented by Rev. Ron Purser on Wednesday mornings at 10 am in his office. No preparation is necessary. We hope you can join us.
Children's Sunday School
Sunday School is held during the Sunday service. Come have fun learning and playing at Little Home Church! All children are welcome to join us for a Bible story, crafts and music. Parents, if you'd like to see what we're doing you're welcome to sit in.
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Our love & prayers...
Recently hospitalized or ill...
Jim Winquist, Sharon Bergland, Bill Ferguson's father, and Tim Haben's father Condolences to... Family and friends of Marjorie Chadwell, who passed away March 5. Although Marjorie had moved from Illinois years ago, the Little Home Church was always in her heart. She was 95.  Family and friends of Theo Moore, who passed away March 14. He was 94. Theo was a long-time member of Little Home Church. He had a long career with the United States Army as an aviator and retired with the rank of Major. His funeral was held at this church on March 21, with a full military 21-gun salute. Carol Hancock and family on the death of her mother, Eunice Plass. Family and friends of Bradley VandeDrinke who passed away suddenly. He was 50. Thank you to our service men & women:
SGT Samantha Prang
SGT Greg Haben
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Sunday Service
9:30 am
Wednesdays, 10 am
Council Meeting
Tue. Apr. 8, 7 pm
Fermilab Outing
Sat. Apr. 12, 10 am-Noon
Palm Sunday Service
Sun. Apr. 13, 9:30 am
'Get to Know the LHC'
Evangelism Event
Sun. Apr. 13, 5:30 pm
'By the Way' Deadline
Mon. Apr. 14
Maundy Thursday Service Thu. Apr. 17, 7 pm Good Friday Service Fri. Apr. 18, 1 pm Immanuel United Church of Christ, Bartlett Easter Sunday Service Sun. Apr. 20, 9:30 am Children's Easter Egg Hunt will follow
'A Book & A Prayer'
Book Club
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Pastor
Pastor Emeritus
Reverend Dr. Don Heinrich
Director of Music Organist
Larry Dieffenbach
Office Manager
Lori Prang
Moderator
Kathy Haben
Moderator-elect
Susi Winquist
Stewardship Ministry
Ann McLaughlin
Evangelism Ministry
Carol Berger
Outreach Ministry
Valeri Baldwin
Congregational Life
Ministry
Susannah Lesswing
Jane Shelton
Christian Education
Ministry
Lori Haseltine
Worship & Spiritual Growth Ministry
Sandy Antonelli
Facilities Ministry
Anne Bouchard
Dan Roach
Members at Large
Louise Aughney
Kathleen Sullivan Kaska
Financial
Art Zwemke
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Help decorate our sanctuary for Easter with beautiful flowers: Easter lilies, hyacinths and tulips. Just choose the type and number of plants at $10 each.
You can indicate if the flowers are in memory of a loved one, or in honor of someone special.
Payment is due with your order. Look for the order form in the Sunday bulletin, on the church web site, or give the office a call at 630.584.4013.
Orders are due by April 13.
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fellowship
Provide flowers to decorate the altar or host a fellowship hour after worship as a wonderful way to recognize an occasion or to remember someone special.
Email the office or use the
sign-up sheets posted in the Parish Hall if you would like to participate. A reminder call will come from the Church Office so you can note what should be listed in the Sunday Bulletin.
Open dates are noted below. Check the church web site for updates. |
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Altar Flowers
Apr. 6
Karwowski
Apr. 13
Montgomery
Apr. 20
Easter Flowers
Apr. 27
Atkins
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Fellowship Hour
Apr. 6
Baldwin
Apr. 13
Haben
Pancake Breakfast
Apr. 20
Easter
Apr. 27
Atkins
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facebook
page
Give us a "Like"
...we now have 77!
Post a photo or send any info, photos or notes to be posted on the Page to the Church office.
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Apr. 2
Kay Brynelsen
Alex Karwowski
Gary Stevenson
Apr. 11
Rich Doerr
Arnie Biondo
Apr. 13
Missy MacCarthy
Apr. 14
Susan Sherwood
Joe Sterner
Apr. 15
Rik Alex
Apr. 16
Sandy Antonelli
Apr. 17
Cooper Hadfield
Apr. 20
George Bouchard
Latham Weibel
Apr. 24
Peg Schramuk
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we
noticed
Many thanks...
to Art and Gail Zwemke, and Kathy Haben for their tireless efforts in selling the Peterson House. Their hard work has truly been a blessing for Little Home Church. We now have more than 124,000 reasons to be grateful to the three of you!
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Going paperless & postage-less...
Notices have gone out to all who still receive this electronic newsletter in the mail to confirm whether they want to stay on the postage mailing list, or be added to the electronic email list.
Contact the church office to continue getting a hardcopy in the mail, or be added to the email list: 630.584.4013
Thank you!
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UCC Daily Devotional
"Taking the Long View"
by Richard L. Floyd
March 18, 2014
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Spring just might come...
So the Gardening Angels will be digging-in again soon to keep our Courtyard Garden a lovely retreat...and they plan to host a Garden Party fundraiser to help with that effort. Seeds of ideas have been planted...details will be sprouting!
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add an email address to our list...!
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