Friends-
For a long time, I have used this time around the end of the year to look back at the previous year, and ahead at the year to come.  Sort of a common practice I suppose.  And in some ways, kind of pointless.  I mean, I can't change anything that has happened in the past, and there is no way to know what the future will bring.

I think why I do it is to consider what lessons God may have taught me in the past year, what ones he might still be teaching, and what they might mean for me and the work I do going forward. And to remember all the ways he has blessed me.  Because I keep a journal, this process is fairly easy.  And I am always amazed at what I find...

What I find, pretty much every year, is that the year that is ending has been packed with lessons, blessings, adventures, struggles, and insights.  God has been so good to me and to us!  I shouldn't be surprised.  After all, God is love, and his promises are sure.  Apparently, he is also patient.  Because it seems that I need to keep relearning some of the same lessons!
  
The new year is just a date on a calendar.  But it helps me pause to consider what and how I'm doing.   It reminds me we are moving ahead towards a wonderful future- life forever with God!  This world can be great, or it can be hard, but the promise of eternity with the one who loves me most is keeps me eager to see what each new year, new month, new day holds for me.

I encourage you to ask God if there is anything he wants you to work on in this new year.  Or maybe something he wants you to leave behind.  He'll help you with all of it.  He loves us so much!  We can't know what the future holds.  But we can know the one who holds the future.

Happy and blessed new year to all of you!  
I love you all!
Gary


Calendar
Sundays - Every Sunday - Worship Service - 10:30 a.m. in person and via Zoom.

                   1/4 - Communion Sunday 
                         - Still time to bring in your coins for benevolence. 
                   1/11 - Pack up and put away Christmas decorations after worship service.
                   1/18 - Potluck and Annual Meeting after worship service

Wednesdays - Every Wednesday Bible Study - 7 p.m. via Zoom.

Thursdays - 1/8 - Church Board Meeting - 7 p.m. via Zoom.
                      1/29 - Coffee and Connections for Women - 11 a.m. Anderson Gardens 

Other News -
Zoom - Contact Gary at [email protected] for Zoom link. 

Packing Up Christmas Decorations - Sunday 1/11 - Our church looked so beautiful again this holiday season.  But it is time to take it down and pack it away.  Please stay after worship and help if you can. 

Annual Meeting and Potluck - Sunday 1/18 - Plan on staying after worship on Sunday, January 18 for a potluck and our Annual meeting. Bring a dish or two to share for the potluck. Everyone is invited to stay and participate in the meeting.  We will  look at the past, the present and the future. Watch your email for the minutes of the 2025 meeting.  Please read them ahead of time.  We will vote on accepting those minutes. The new lift makes it possible for everyone to attend now. So we hope to see you January 18. 

Coffee and Conversation - Thursday - 1/29 - Here is a fun opportunity for women to connect with each other over coffee and food and listen to beautiful music in the background at the same time.  We will meet at the restaurant at Anderson Gardens around 11 a.m. Megs Daily Grind takes over for the winter months.  They offer a simple menu of sandwiches, pastries, coffees, and other hot drinks.  This day the music is two violinists from the Rockford Symphony. Please RSVP to Leslie at 815 - 985 - 6533 by 1/28. We need to know what size table to get, so please let us know. 

Thanks - Thank you to Judy Murphy for the wonderful fellowship event we had on December 14. Thanks to the board for taking bags of goodies to our shut-ins. Thanks to Tim and Patrick Murphy for setting up our outdoor nativity set. Thanks to anyone who brought treats for Christmas Eve.  Thanks to Gary's office at Anderson Gardens for donating our beautiful poinsettias this year. They will be looking for a home after church this week, so feel free to take one. Thanks to anyone who we forgot to list here!

Keyboard - We will miss Evelyn the next couple of months as she and her husband are down in Florida. We so appreciate her music, so will look forward to her return. 

Baptisms - Anna and Griff Zick were baptized on Sunday December 28. It was a beautiful service followed by a great lunch.  We were blessed to have so many of their family and friends join us that day.  If you would like to be baptized, be sure to talk to Pastor Gary about it. 

Looking Ahead - 
Chili Cook-Off and Dessert Bake-Off - Sunday 2/8 -  Get those chili and dessert recipes ready for our annual Chili Cook-Off and Dessert Bake-Off .  Our friendly competition will be on Super Bowl Sunday after worship.  Or Souper Bowl as we like to call it!  We will head downstairs right after church.  Look for a sign-up sheet later in the month.  If you don't want to compete. there is other things that you can sign up to bring.  Be sure to bring a big appetite!

Friends-
Take a deep breath...  Now let it out slowly...  Now do it again...

You might need to follow these instructions a few times- maybe a few times a day- in these days heading up to Christmas.

No matter how we say we are going to simplify our holidays- fewer gifts, fewer parties, less travel - it seems that the frenzy finds us, and we get caught up in it without really knowing that we have.   Take a breath... let it out slowly...

I want to make a case for building silence and stillness and slowness and maybe solitude into your preparations for, and celebration of, Jesus' birth.  It really is holy time.  It's why keeping the sabbath is one of the commandments.  You didn't know that?  It is!!  It's why Jesus invites us to come to him for rest.  He knows we need downtime.  And holidays tend to steal it away.  And leave us feeling drained, or frustrated, or even empty.

Don't let that happen.  Make sure that Jesus is in the middle of all you are doing to celebrate his coming.  Listen and obey when he tells you to take a break.  Help out those who seem to be overwhelmed.  Even mere moments can be revitalizing when they are used to remember that the God who is with us- Immanuel- really is, and longs for us to be peace-full, rested, joyfull, childlike, and full of wonder and awe.

So make your plans, make your preparations, look for the perfect gift for your nephew- and focus on the one who invites us to rest, to be renewed, to remember.  And who offers us the best gift of all... Himself.  Take a breath... let it out slowly... now do it again...

Eager to celebrate these days with you!
Gary

PS  Normally, I find a time during the week to come out to the church to pray, prepare, etc.  During advent, I'm coming out late afternoon/early evening, to savor the beauty and peace of the sanctuary.  It's one of the ways I'm grabbing peace during the season, and I encourage you to join me... no program, no music.  Just silence and beauty.  Or come on your own.  It's really too beautiful to savor only on Christmas eve.  Don't have a key?  We can get you in...


Calendar
Wednesdays - Bible Study - 7 p.m. via Zoom.  Every Wednesday except 12/24 and 12/31.
 
                        12/10 - Women's Book Study - 6 p.m. - Church Basement.

                        12/24 - Christmas Eve Service - 4:30 p.m. - in person in the Sanctuary and via Zoom. 

Thursdays -   12/4 - Church Board Meeting - 7 p.m. - via Zoom. 

Sundays - Every Sunday - Worship Service - 10:30 a.m. in person and via Zoom. 

                         12/7 - Second Sunday in Advent Worship and Communion Service.
                                 - Congregational Meeting after worship.

                         12/14 - Third Sunday in Advent Worship Service
                                   - Special Christmas Fellowship in the basement after worship. 

                         12/21 - Fourth Sunday in Advent Worship Service

                         12/28 - Final Worship of 2025 and Final Coin Collection of 2025
Zoom - Contact Gary at [email protected] for Zoom link.

Other News -
Advent devotionals  We have quite an assortment of Advent devotionals available to anyone who would like to borrow one for the season.  They will be on display in the library.

Congregational Meeting - 12/7 - Please plan on staying for a short congregational meeting after worship this coming Sunday, December 7. Decisions on the budget, specifically the Pastor's salary, will be discussed. Grab some coffee and a treat, then head back into the sanctuary. Everyone's input is valuable. 

Special Holiday Fellowship - 12/14 - Judy Murphy is planning a special time of food and fellowship to celebrate the season after worship on Sunday, December 14. She will be hosting this in the church basement.  This will be a wonderful time to enjoy one another's company and to enjoy some holiday treats. We have access to the basement now for everyone with our new lift. So use the stairs or the lift if you need to, but just come on down. Talk to Judy if you want to help. 

Holiday Helping - We have several ways to help during the holidays. Pick one or all to participate in. 

1. We are collecting non-perishable food for the food pantry.  There is a bin in the entryway of the church to drop off your donations. 

2. We want to send a few baby gifts to Stephanie Taylor for her new daughter, Georgia.  That bin is in the fellowship room.  Gift cards are welcome too. 

3. We typically help a family from the Caledonia School.  Tim Murphy has been working with the school and has been in touch with a family that the school suggested.  The mother is a single mom of two, who is out of work as a school bus driver due to a broken wrist. Her kids are 9 and 17 years old.  The mom is asking for a gift card so she can pick out the gifts and food that are needed. If you want to help, we are looking for monetary donations.  We will accept those in the offering plate.  Just be sure to designate that it is for the Caledonia School family Christmas gift. 

4. Also, did you know that every year the church board puts together baskets to deliver to our shut-ins and anyone who might benefit from this kind of gift? Such a generous act for people who might feel left out. 

Christmas Eve Service - 12/24 - We will gather together for our Christmas Eve service at 4:30 P.M. this year. It is always a beautiful time to hear the Christmas story, sing favorite carols, and enjoy the beauty of the sanctuary.  We hope to see you there.  It is the perfect time to bring guests. 

Coin Collection - 12/28 - Our last coin collection of the year is Sunday, December 28.  This collection is used for our benevolence fund. Please bring your coins.  Bills accepted too!

Thanks - Thanks to the faithful few who helped decorate the church for Advent/Christmas. It is beautiful as usual.

Thanks to an anonymous donor, Joel McGinnis has a new laptop to use for Sunday morning Zoom worship. Thanks to Joel for his faithful commitment to that endeavor. 

Our lift celebration and PieLuck were a huge success.  Thanks to everyone who helped make that day a very special day. Thanks again to all the trustees who made the lift happen. Thanks to Tim Murphy, who did lots of extra cleaning before several events in the basement. 

Looking Ahead - 
Annual Meeting and Potluck - 1/11/26 - We will gather for our annual meeting and potluck after worship on Sunday, January 11. If you attend this church, you are welcome and encouraged to attend. We start with a potluck and then follow with a business meeting.  We look at 2025 and do some planning for 2026. Everyone's ideas and input are needed. Plan on bringing a dish or two for the potluck. More information will be in the January newsletter.

Friends-
After this past Sunday's talk on "silence", Jen reminded me that we have in Rockford a group that live lives of silence every day!  The Poor Clares are a group of Franciscan nuns who live in a convent in south Rockford.  Part of their commitment is a vow of silence.  They get to speak only a very limited amount, giving their lives to service, worship, and prayer.  I wonder... what would that be like?

So far, this fall has been more full than most for me.  I feel I am scrambling to keep up.  I love what I get to do, but there is so much of it!  All the more reason for me- and you, if your days are also full- to find time to be still, to listen, to relax.  I have to remind myself that God is never in a hurry, that He is always in control, that if God isn't rushing, I don't need to either.  I need to remember what a friend told me once... that every "yes" is a "no" and every "no" is a "yes".  When I say yes to something, I am saying no to something else.  I want to be sure I am saying yes to Jesus and to all he intends for me.

When life gets to be too hectic, too crazy, too busy, too full, give it all to Jesus.  Sit quietly with him for a bit and wait for his peace and joy.  Let him tell you what is, and what is not worth pursuing.  And then resume the work he has given you, yielding to and depending on his strength.

Again, "In repentance and rest is your salvation,  in quietness and trust is your strength."  (Isaiah 30:15)

Have a great month!
Gary

Calendar
Wednesdays - Bible Study - Every Wednesday at 7 p.m. via Zoom.    
                        10/15 - New Women's Book Study - October 15 - 6:00 p.m., Starbucks -7290 E. Riverside

Thursdays - 10/2 - Church Board Meeting - 7 p.m. via Zoom

Saturdays - 10/4 - Oral Staman Memorial Service - 2:00 p.m. - Sunset Funeral Home
                      10/25 - Dorothy Snuggs Memorial Service - 11 a.m. - Church Sanctuary 

Sundays - Worship Service Every Sunday - 10:30 a.m. in person and via Zoom. 
                    10/5 - Communion Sunday    

Other News -
Zoom - Please contact Gary at [email protected] for Zoom links.

Sympathy and Services - We would like to extend our sympathy to the family of Oral Staman, who recently passed away. Oral and Diane attended our church for years, but they had moved to Texas in recent years.  We especially want to remember his wife, Diane, their three children, and their families.   A service for Oral will be held at Sunset Funeral Home, 8800 N. Alpine, in Machesney Park on Saturday, October 4, at 2:00 p.m. The visitation starts at 1 p.m. There is no fellowship time after the service. Pastor Gary will be officiating.

We also want to offer our sympathy to the family of long-time member Dorothy Snuggs. She died recently after she turned 101 years old. A service for Dorothy will be held at our church on Saturday, October 25, at 11 a.m. There will be a luncheon in the basement after the service.  Pastor Gary will also officiate at this service.  

New Women's Book Study - A new monthly women's book study is starting on Wednesday, October 15, at 6 p.m. in Starbucks at 7290 E. Riverside.    The study will focus on the book The Expectation Gap by Steve Cuss. There are still 4 books available for sale from Britni Zick in the fellowship room for $18. Or feel free to purchase your own.  Please read the introduction and first chapter for the October 15 meeting. The November date is November 5. If you have questions, please talk to Barb Kohl or Britni. 

Lift Celebration - PieLuck - The long-awaited lift will hopefully be finished in October!  We want to have a ribbon-cutting and celebration sometime after it is finished. We are hoping to have long-time member Marilyn Orr be the first to ride it to the basement.

That corner room in the basement has always been called the Pie Room. The former Ladies Aid held fantastic church dinners and always served homemade pie for dessert. The pies were stored and cut in this little room before being served to the public. Instead of a potluck to celebrate, we are going to have a Pieluck.  We thought it would be fitting to celebrate our new lift by eating pie!  Thanks to Britni Zick for the idea.  Gary had the idea to get Marilyn on it for its inaugural ride. We will let you know when we have a date for this event.   We will  be looking for volunteers to make some homemade pie. 

Friends-
I talk a lot on Sunday mornings about the importance of a relationship with Jesus; of letting him live in you; of becoming like him.  That's really the point of all Christ-centered teaching.  Becoming like him, abiding in him.  Not so we will be comfortable and safe.  But so we can bear much fruit.  So we can change the world in his love, and by his power.

You won't hear me taking on political or social issues much.  But that is not because those issues are not important.  They are very important,  and I have strong opinions on all of them.  Jesus himself, in inaugurating his ministry, said he'd come to "preach good news to the poor... bind up the broken-hearted... proclaim freedom for captives and release from the darkness for prisoners". (Isaiah 61 and Luke 4)  Near the end of his life, he declared, "whatever you have done for the least of these... you did for me," declaring further that how we treat the least determines where we spend eternity. (Matthew 25).  Oh, those issues are important!

But how we live out our faith depends on first having a deep and active faith, one grounded in a personal relationship with Jesus.  He invites us into a relationship of deep intimacy with himself, then sends us out to love and serve the world as he did, and does.  We become his hands and feet.  Never think that just coming to church is enough.  It is but a step towards the end of reaching the world for Jesus.  And that means prayer and worship, as well as standing for justice and truth.

Folks, it's a big assignment.  Way too much for us on our own.  But we are not on our own, are we?

With you in his service-
Gary

Calendar
Wednesdays - Bible Study - Every Wednesday at 7 pm via Zoom except September 3. 

Thursdays - 9/11 - Church Board Meeting - 7 pm via Zoom

Sundays - Worship Service Every Sunday - 10:30 a.m. in person and via Zoom
                  9/7 - Communion Sunday
                  9/14 - Worship Under the Oaks - weather permitting
                  9/21 - Worship 
                  9/28 - Alternate date for Worship Under the Oaks

Contact Gary at [email protected] for Zoom link.

Other News -
Willow Creek Presbyterian Bed Build - Saturday 9/6 - The Willow Creek Church has invited us to help once again with their bed build.  They will be building beds from 9 am to 1 pm this Saturday.  Head on over and offer some help.

Prayer time  We have been trying to meet for prayer once a month without a lot of success.  But we are not giving up!  It is far too important!!  If you would like to gather for prayer, please talk with Gary about your ideas for when it works best.  And watch this month for an email to let you know what we are going to do.  We already have some ideas...

Church Anniversary Celebration - Our 130th anniversary service and picnic were a huge success.  Thank you to everyone who helped in some way. It took many people to make it such a great day!  Thanks for the food, the flyers, the flowers, the fun, and the friends you invited! A special thanks to Kyle and Britni Zick for running with Gary's idea and making it all happen.