|
Welcome to First Presbyterian Church of Evanston
If you are like me, you grew up believing that it is better to give than to receive.
In a voice from recent history, we hear from Anne Frank that, "No one has ever become poor by giving."
The Bible also tells us in John 15:12, "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you." This way of thinking - thinking of others - supposedly keeps us from becoming selfish, narcissistic, and indulgent.
But to accomplish this, we feel the need to be self-sufficient and asking for and accepting help denotes weakness. However, there can be disadvantages to prioritizing giving over receiving when it comes to real life interpersonal relationships. What about when we need help?
Is it difficult for us to receive the gifts of compassion, caring, or connection?
Why is it harder to receive than to give? We may see others around us who appear self-absorbed and come to believe that, if we accept help from others, then we, too, are selfish. This can keep us from receiving with humility and gratitude. Being a person who can both give and receive allows us to stay balanced.
Receiving also creates a connection. If we appear to have it all together all the time, it can generate distance. We can gift ourselves with valuable experiences when we make room for that caring relationship to come our way.
Also, if we are always the one who is giving, we stay in a position of control. It can be easier to extend a kind word or make a meal for someone because then we feel good about what we've done: "I was caring and generous." However, in a time of true weakness and need, we need to allow ourselves to be vulnerable for others to offer their gifts to us.
Recognize that by graciously asking for and receiving support from your church, you are giving others permission to do the same. The congregation witnesses this behavior and it then becomes the culture of our church.
As noted psychotherapist John Amodeo (PhD MFT) has said, "The parched earth can't let in a life-giving rain if it is covered by a plastic tarp... Without the capacity to be touched by caring and appreciation, we render these gifts less meaningful. Sacred receiving, letting things in with heartfelt gratitude, is a gift to the giver! When we are visibly moved, it conveys that they've made a difference in our lives. We may then bask together in a non-dual moment in which there is no distinction between the giver and the receiver. Both people are giving and receiving in their own unique ways. This shared experience can be profoundly sacred and intimate - a moment of delectable grace."
Our church is incredibly blessed and privileged with numerous resources available for anyone in need. We have the Counseling Center, Friends in Christ, Stephen Ministry, and the Parish Nurse Ministry. If you find yourself in need, allow yourself to receive, and remember, as Jesus says in Matthew 7:7, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you."
Blessings to you,
Julie Ruchniewicz
Parish Nurse
|
1. All supplies for the Deacons' Backpack Project must be dropped off in the church office by Monday July 27. Please contact Julie Stamos at [email protected] with any questions.
2. During the month of August we will move to one Sunday morning service at 10 am. During the service childcare will still be available and there will be Children's worship.
3. Five of First Pres mission partners on staff with the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES) will be with us on Sunday August 2. There will be a complimentary special brunch following the service-please join us! We will hear about student work throughout Africa and news from this World Assembly.
4. New Members Class led by Pastor Ray Hylton will be on Aug 8 from 9am-2pm for all interested in membership at First Pres Evanston. Childcare is available with reservation. Please RSVP to Janice at 847-864-1472 or [email protected].
5. First Pres Forums August 9, 23 & 30 after the worship service. We will host a series of discussions to inform and teach about issues surrounding the redefinition of Christian marriage and issues related to inclusion of gays in the life of the church. (For more details, see notice below.)
Click Here for the July 26 Bulletin. Click Here for the
July 26 Announcements.
|
Save the Date & Announcements
|
We welcome guest speaker, Rev. Dr. Doug Wilson. Doug has served for 28 years with Avant Ministries, a non-denominational church planting mission. Previously he and his wife Sheila spent 12 years in the Republic of Mali, a Muslim country in West Africa. He has a PhD in Intercultural Studies from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and has served as an adjunct professor or instructor at several institutions. Doug and Sheila have been members of FPCE for 12 years. They have three grown sons.
Join us in thanking Craig Johnson for two years of service as our choir director. He will be missed! Cake will be served in his honor during fellowship hour. Come by and thank him for his contribution to FPCE.
We offer our heartfelt prayers and sympathy to Jane Pranga for the loss of her mother who passed away July 15 in Wisconsin.
First Pres in August will host a series of discussions to inform and teach about issues surrounding the redefinition of Christian marriage and issues related to inclusion of gays in the life of the church. The first segment, Aug. 9, will review the history of the gay marriage issue in the national Presbyterian church, the Chicago Presbytery and at First Pres. The second, on Aug. 23, will review the Scriptural basis for differing points of view. A final segment on Aug. 30 will invite discussion about how our church can proceed, in unity and love, and how First Pres might be affected by decisions Session must make regarding gay marriage and related issues. A letter from Session, with a list of reading materials, is posted on the church website.
Please claim any personal items left at the front desk for specific members or in the lost and found by Sunday, July 26. All unclaimed items will be donated the following day.
Pray for Our Mission Partner
This week- 10th of Ramadan, page 94-95 in the 52 Weeks of Prayer for Mission book. Please pray that God will help them begin a center that presents spiritual and social development in a new area in our city.
This Sunday--please bring any old magazines that you don't want returned up to the Dining Room for Pastor Younan's Art and Music Mission Ed Class. All are welcome to join!
For those wishing to contribute to the IFES Sunday Brunch next week, we would appreciate your donation of 2 dozen cookies. Please take them up to the kitchen before the service on August 2.
The Nominating Committee requests your input to identify members for officer candidates to our Deacon board who can serve starting in 2016. Drop off Nomination Forms at the Reception desk or email [email protected] with your suggested officer names.
NUBS (6-8th grade) Summer Events:
August 28, 7-8:30 pm-- Meet at Andy's Frozen Custard, Downtown Evanston.
Chancel Bells' season starting soon! If you are interested in playing handbells this fall and have some musical background, sign up at Fellowship Hour or contact Pam Pettibone at ppettibone @juno.com. Rehearsals on Wednesdays at 7pm, starting on 9/2
The Nominating Committee requests your input to identify members for officer candidates to our Deacon board who can serve starting in 2016. Drop off Nomination Forms at the Reception desk or email [email protected] with your suggested officer names.
Eight people from First Pres will be going to the Guest Program of IFES World Assembly in Mexico- from July 23-26. Five of First Pres mission partners on staff with the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES) will be with us on Sunday August 2. There will be a complimentary special brunch following the service-please join us! We will hear about student work throughout Africa and news from this World Assembly.
Prison Ministry will be taking children down to the Logan Correctional Facility in Lincoln, Illinois on Saturday, July 25th. They will leave the FPCE parking lot at 6:15am and will return by 6:30pm. If you are interested in going with the team please contact Peter Steffen at 312-381-4347 (office) or home phone is 847-864-2839. Email Peter at [email protected].
The Book Club will be meeting on Tuesday, August 18 from 1:30-3:00 in the parlor. We will be reading Mary Coin. "Best selling author Marisa Silver takes Dorthea Lange's Migrant Mother photograph as inspiration for a story of two women-one famous and one forgotten-and their remarkable chance encounter."
Film Festival: Ten Thousand Villages-Evanston will be hosting a Fair Trade Film Festival on Sunday, Aug. 16, from 2-6 pm. Tickets are being sold in advance at the Ten Thousand Villages-Evanston store (719 Main St.) for $10 and can also be purchased at the door the day of the event. The film festival will begin at the store with refreshments and a little background information on the two films that will be viewed at the Reba Place Church Meetinghouse (620 Madison), Connected by Coffee and Divine Chocolate. As an added bonus, the public can purchase a raffle ticket for $10. The winner will accompany Cheryl Nester-Detweiler on a visit to the Minga Fair Trade Warehouse in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, on Tuesday, Sept. 29. All raffle proceeds will go toward strengthening our off-site program, which brings our beautiful artisan-made products and our mission of Fair Trade into those communities identified as Fair Trade deserts.
|
Be a role model for a homeless child! Volunteer at the New Life shelter, five minutes from church. Contact Tom Alrich [email protected]
Clothes Closet accepting gently-used, seasonal clothing: dresses, skirts, and other feminine apparel; jackets, blue jeans, slacks, shorts, belts, and shoes. Bibles are often requested and greatly prized by our guests. Note: Currently in urgent need of more men's clothing and shoes.
Our mission partner, Pastor Younan Shiba needs a vehicle. His current vehicle is in need of repair. A loaner car or a permanent (donated) car would be appreciated. Contact Laura Casey at [email protected].
Interfaith Action, our Mission Partner, needs a Hospitality Center Greeter for Tuesdays 9-11 am. The Hospitality Center for the Homeless nees a volunteer to greet guests. They are located at St. Mark's Episcopal Church at 1509 Ridge in Evanston. If interested please contact Sue Murphey at [email protected].
Looking for families to host a female, Japanese, non-Christian college student from 8/17 through 9/11. The student will be working downtown. Great occasion to be Christian witnesses. Please contact Kay Sugiura at [email protected].
FPCE is seeking a part-time choir director. For more information, visit http://www.firstpresevanston.org/about-us/employment or email Elda McGinty, [email protected].
|
Do you need a ride, a meal or someone to run an errand for you? A member of Friends in Christ is ready to help with your need. Please Please call Bonnie Kath at 847-491-9194.
Christ Caring for People through People. Stephen Ministers are lay people trained to care for someone going through a difficult time by listening, supporting, praying and encouraging. If you could benefit from this confidential ministry call Kathleen Lin (773 465-8323) or Marge Stromberg (773 275-9449) for more details.
In Cases of after hour emergencies - please call our Emergency Answering Service at 866-259-7088.
The Counseling Center (TCC) provides professionally trained Christian counseling in our own facility. Contact TCC Director Charles Miyamoto 847-864-9133.
|
|
|
|
Our Mission
Sharing Christ,
Making Disciples,
Serving God's World,
By the Power
of the Holy Spirit.
|
| Just a reminder that we'll be moving to one 10:00 am service in August! |
Summary notes from the June Session Meeting are available here. The summary of the Chicago Presbytery Meeting is available here.
Paper copies are also available in our literature racks.
_______________________________________
|
GROWing Tip of the Week:
WORSHIP
|
FPCE FUN FACT
This month marks the 600th anniversary of the martyrdom John Huss by burning at the stake. He is pictured in the window on the north wall under the balcony.
|
_________________________________
LIBRARY CORNER
Please help us determine what kinds of books we should be purchasing.
What would you benefit from reading?
What spiritual topics would help you, your family, your marriage, etc. in your walk with Christ?
Let us know. Leave a note in the library's mailbox, slip it under the door, put it on the check-out counter, or email to: [email protected]
Thank you for your help.
Recent Additions to the library For Adults: Becknell, Thomas Of Earth and Sky: Spiritual Lessons from Nature
Bennett, William The Moral Compass: Stories for a Life's Journey
Chapman, Gary The Five Love Languages of Teenagers
Duncan, Ken The Passion: Photography from the Movie The Passion of the Christ Foxe, John Foxe's Book of Martyrs
Meardes, Carl Muslims, Christians, and Jesus: Gaining Understanding and Building Relationships
Muller, Wayne Sabbath: Finding Rest, Renewal, and Delight in our Busy Lives
Sittser, Jerry L A Grace Disguised: How the Soul Grows Through Loss
Turansky, Carrie The Daughter of Highland Hall (Fiction) For Kids Bea, Holly
Where Does God Live?
Clayden, Juie
Jonah: First Word Heroes
dePaola, Tomie
The Birds of Bethlehem
Finlayson, Linda
Adventure and Faith: Risk Takers #1 (Intermediate biography)
Hering, Marianne
Escape to the Hiding Place (Imagination Station Chapter book)*
Hering, Marianne
The Secret of the Prince's Tomb (Imagination Station Chapter book)*
Hutchins, Paul
The Chicago Adventure (Sugar Creek Gang - Intermediate fiction)
Munson, Diane
Night Flight (Intermediate fiction)
Tanner, Suzy-Jane
A Time to PrayMore Imagination Station books and other chapter books are on a spinner in the young childrens section of the library.
|
|