Growing in Christ:
Spiritual Growth
Class on Invisible Children April 1st - two sessions, one at 9:30 and again at 10:45 a.m. A short film entitled Invisible Children will be shown with discussion to follow. Invisible Children is a hilarious, heart-wrenching documentary about the 20-year-long war on the children of northern Uganda. This is a fast-paced film viewed through the eyes of young writers as they see the plight of the African children who live in fear of rebel soldiers and are forced to fight. Come and experience this compelling video.
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Saving Jesus Our video-based exploration of new understandings of Jesus’ life, ministry, teaching, death, resurrection, and meaning, featuring some of the leading scholars of progressive Christianity, will continue for three Sundays after Easter. Join Steve Braden at 9:45 a.m. in the Reception Room for:
April 15 — The Atonement
April 22 — The Resurrection
April 29 — The Importance of Jesus |
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| Coming Soon!
Women's Spring Retreat
Behold, I am Making All Things New | |
Mark your calendars now for a relaxing day of fellowship and renewal. The activity leader is Cheryl Ann Miller with Bible study by Kathleen O’Connell.
When: Saturday, April 14
10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Where: Fernwood Botanical Gardens, Niles, MI
Who: All women are invited!
Cost: $20.00 includes lunch
Brochures are available in the literature racks.
Registration deadline is April 8 .
Brown Bag Book Bunch
Here is the schedule of books that will be discussed at the Brown Bag Book Bunch. Please come and join our group at 11:00 a.m. in the Reception Room with your lunch in hand!
| April 2 | Song of the Lark
| by Willa Cather |
May 7
| Stones from the River
| by Ursula Hegi |
Join us in the Reception Room.
Servants of Our Church and Community
This is the first in a series of articles about "servants" in our church. The intent of these articles is two-fold: (1) to recognize members of our congregation who do whatever is needed for our Presbyterian Church and for the community at large, and (2) to learn about our servants and rejoice in having them with us in our church and in our community. If you’d like to suggest a person (because they demonstrate the love of Christ in actions from the heart of a servant) for one of these stories, please forward their name(s) to the Church Office. Remember, age doesn’t matter.
We won't identify the subject of our articles by name, but we will describe some of their life’s experiences as well as demonstrations of their faith through service. Some of you will be able to identify the person immediately, but if you don’t, we’re sure you will be thankful we have these special people in our midst.
Story #1—A Culture of Service
The first of our series about "servants in our midst" is someone I met during one of our Presbyterian Feast Meals. These "Feast Meals" are great, because you can really get to know someone far better there than you can just sitting next to them in worship on Sunday morning. The person of whom I write was gracious and invited me to tea at her home one day. The following is what I learned about her life. Hers is a life filled with travel and adventure, but moreover, hers is a life that shows a life-long love of fellow man, as well as a dedication to service in the church and in the community.
At age 20, after getting a teaching certificate, teaching a couple of years, and learning about nursing in Chicago, my friend ventured out unaccompanied on one of the first ships to sail out of a U.S. harbor after the end of the Second World War. The ship was the M.S. Gripsholm and it was bound for Palestine. It was a dangerous time, and she recalls having signed papers agreeing that she would not sue the ship operators if, when encountering a mine in transit, she became injured or killed. The ship sailed past the Azores, past the coast of Africa, the Straits of Gibraltar, and Italy (where she caught a glimpse of a smoking volcano) and then to the harbor of Naples, still in ruins from the war.
The ship went onto Greece; there she saw the Acropolis from the harbor where food and supplies were off-loaded for the war-ravaged hungry. She was sailing into the area where Christ's disciple, Paul, had once sailed many years before. Finally, the ship reached the port of Haifa (then in the territory of Palestine), where her feet touched land again after nearly three weeks at sea. Her destination was the American University of Beirut where she would become a teacher to children of ambassadors, missionaries, and university instructors. She soon learned that her students had already been to China, Russia, Iceland and the world over, so there were many things to learn, as well as to teach, just imagine this great learning experience. During that period of time in Beirut, Arab lands were given over to the Jewish people taking refuge from Nazi Germany and other areas in Europe. Many of the Palestinians lost their farms in this relocation and migration, and many Palestinians themselves became refugees in their own land.
After Beirut, my friend volunteered to serve in a Mennonite orphanage in France. Accepting money only for transportation and lodging, there she served about 180 children—mostly boys about seven years of age. They spoke German, French and Spanish, so my friend learned "kindergarten French" to communicate as she cared for and nursed these youngsters. My friend still had time for side trips to places including Damascus, Jerusalem, Cyprus and Turkey. While in Turkey she became a YWCA camp counselor, but once there, much to her surprise, she ended up becoming the camp's director.
After her return to the United States, she completed a Master's degree at Goshen College, and raised a family with her husband. As the 1960s arrived, she and her husband sponsored families relocating to the United States from a variety of countries, many of them from southeast Asia, with the help of Church World Service. One such family actually lived in the home of my friend and her family for several months, until these newcomers to America got "on their feet." The many people she and her husband befriended stayed in touch over the years, and together she and her husband reaped the blessing of many life-long friends as a result of their sponsorship.
This servant in our midst grew up in Nappanee, over 80 years ago, in a family that taught the value of Christian service from an early age. As a child of the Great Depression and growing up in a family with few material things to offer others, much less for themselves, her family still hosted children from the poorest inner city neighborhoods in Chicago for several weeks each summer. It was there near Nappanee that these city kids learned about life in the country. For some of the children, it was not only their first experience seeing a real cow, but also for seeing that the dinner table brought not only food for nourishment, but also an opportunity to pray and learn Bible verses at each meal.
After three-quarters of a century of this life of service, my friend became a Deacon and Elder at First Presbyterian Church of Elkhart, and she still serves wherever she sees a need. You will see her with other members attending to the tidying of the church pews for Sunday services. As well, she’s used her sewing skills to make baby blankets for the underprivileged and book bags for schoolchildren. Our servant is active in the Presbyterian Women's circles and served as Missions Chairperson, being there for the start of Suzanna's Kitchen; her service there continues to be gladly received. Today, my friend is still full of as much energy as that "Eveready® Batteries Bunny," only in her case, she beats the drum with a purpose that seems to say: "I serve as Christ serves us." My friend's long life of service often operates unnoticed in the background. Yet, service of this kind, given freely from the heart, is the honor and duty to which our Lord and Savior has called each of us.
To the cause of Christ, my friend has given of her resources in so many ways; albeit, my friend is but one of many servants in our midst. Surely, our congregation is blessed. Let us be grateful for each of these servants, and may we do likewise, each being an active servant to the greater Glory of God.
Written by: Carol A. Miller
Lent is a time for drawing closer to God in prayer, study, and worship. Come Wednesday night on March 28th for:
We welcome Kristy Nix as our new interim coordinator of Children’s Ministries. Kristy has studied elementary education at Ball State, and has a passion for children. She and her husband, Robert (a newly-elected deacon) have three children: Evan (9), Olivia (7), and Elliot (8 mo.). 
It's Remarkable What Your Gift Will Do.
Church Community Services (CCS), our ecumenical food pantry, distributes bags of food and (as funds are available) assistance with rent and utility payments to local families needing emergency help. Our church supports CCS with regular donations from our mission budget, and a number of our members make individual contributions toward rent assistance (since CCS now incorporates the work of the former Dave's Place). Several of our members volunteer at CCS, and they can always use more volunteers! We collect grocery donations each Sunday on the following schedule:
Church Softball…The team is being organized NOW! If there are enough women interested in playing, we’ll have a coed team—otherwise, we’ll sign up with the men’s softball league. Please call “coach” Bill Loftus (266-6984) to sign up!
Spring Clean-Up…The date has been set for April 21 , starting at 8:00 a.m. Bring rakes, tarps, shovels, and work gloves.