Friends-
I know this is a monthly newsletter. But today I want to focus on just one day. This day... This day. A gift. A treasure. The only one like it I will ever get. An invitation to adventure. It will go as it came- simply, innocuously. Unnoticed and underappreciated by most. Affirmed and appreciated by the handful who are awake enough to see and comprehend the beauty, the power, the ache of wonder. This day is no accident. It was created by a loving hand, a loving heart, an Artist's soul. I may be buffeted or left alone, but as I am able, I will embrace it. Savor it. Applaud it. Jump into it and live. I can list what it has brought thus far: a heron; a heartfelt talk with a dear friend; laughter; lessons; a beer on the porch. I don't know what it is yet to bring. I do know that I do not want to miss it. I must wait in readiness. I do... How about you? Have a great month... one day at a time. Gary Calendar Sundays - Every Sunday - Worship Service - 10;30 a.m. in person and via Zoom. Wednesdays - Every Wednesday Bible Study - 7 PM - via Zoom. Contact Gary at bridmin@aol.com for Zoom links Other News - Upper Room Devotionals - The September/October Upper Rooms are available in the church. Be sure to pick one up and use it for part of your home devotional reading. September Project - We would like to collect items for Rock House Kids in Rockford in the month of September. Their wish list for this month includes the following: lotions, capri sun drinks, individually wrapped desserts, blankets (light to heavyweight), and paper plates with 3-5 compartments. Rock House Kids is a ministry that seeks to feed at-risk children physically, spiritually, and emotionally. Gary recently toured their building and was very impressed with the work they do. Our church has supported them many times over the years. Any donation can be put in the bin in the fellowship room. Thanks - Thank you to everyone who donated school supplies in the month of August. They have been delivered to the Salvation Army in Belvidere. They will be used for low-income students. Thank you to Ginny Johnson for hosting our August outdoor worship and picnic. It was a great time! Bench - Have you seen the new bench in the front of the church in the little garden area? Thanks to the family of Lois Murphy for providing such a wonderful memorial to Lois. Prayers - Our prayers and sympathy to Kim Ball whose mother, Gladys Teslik passed away in August. Gladys was a dear woman. Gary and I first met her when we moved to town in 1983! Please keep Sara Akerlund in prayer as she broke her ankle this week. Please continue to pray for Gary's mom, Maxine, as she recovers from her toe amputation surgery. Congratulations - Tahelo Boezem recently received his Green Card! This allows him the authority to live and work in the US on a permanent basis. Welcome Tahelo! Looking Ahead - Charity Blanket Challenge - There are two months left to work on crocheting or knitting squares for a blanket for charity. Please talk to Jessica Boezem if interested in this project. Coin Collection - The final coin collection of the year will be the last Sunday, December 31. These funds are used towards our benevolence fund. Friends-
Church is where spiritual things happen, right? I mean like worship, and singing, and praying, and preaching, and fellowship. Those things happen there, certainly. But if we think that spiritual things only happen at certain times and places, we are badly mistaken. I am learning again that all of life is holy. That God is as present to me when I am mowing the lawn or doing the dishes, or laughing with friends, as he is when I am on my knees in prayer. There isn't a specific scripture I am thinking of that tells us this. I believe all of scripture is telling us this. And all of life is telling us this. When we begin to understand this, when we begin to seek and find God in all of life, the good and the bad, that's when our lives begin to get integrated. That's when life begins to make sense. I challenge us to look for the holy in the ordinary. To listen for God's voice in the silence. To worship him in all of life, because all of life, all that we are, and all that we have, is his. Just an ordinary day? Maybe not... Have a great August! Hope to see you this month! Gary Calendar Wednesdays - Every Wednesday Bible Study - 7 PM via Zoom. Thursdays - Caledonia Church board meets Thursday, August 3 at 7:30pm Sundays - Every Sunday - Worship Service - 10:30 am in person and via Zoom. 8/6 - Communion Sunday 8/13 - Worship outdoors and picnic at Ginny Johnsons - details below Email Gary at bridmin@aol.com for Zoom links Other News - Communion - We will have communion on Sunday, August 6. If you are attending via Zoom, please have your own elements ready. Outdoor Worship and Picnic - On Sunday, August 13 we will be worshipping outside. This time it will be outside at Ginny Johnson's beautiful property. She lives at 1980 N. Boone School Rd. The service will be at 10:30 as usual. Bring your own chairs. After the worship service, plan on staying for a picnic. To keep it simple, we are asking you to bring a sandwich for yourself (and your family) and then a side dish to share with everyone to go along with the sandwiches. If the weather does not cooperate we will postpone to another date. We will let you know by Friday 8/11 if it is postponed. Picnic Tables - Speaking of picnics, did you see the new picnic table at church? We will be getting at least one more. It is so nice! Thanks to the board for making this happen. We will be planning a picnic there soon as well. August Project - This month we are supporting the Belvidere Salvation Army School Supply Drive. They are seeking NEW supplies to give to Boone County children from low-income homes. School supplies are on sale now and so it is a good time for this particular project. Please consider picking up some things from this list and putting them in the bin in the fellowship room. Colored Folders Elmers Glue Spiral Notebooks/wide-ruled Glue Sticks 3 Hole Punch Notebook Paper-wide ruled Scissors Pens - Blue, Black, and Red Supply Boxes Crayons - 24 count Watercolors and Paint Brush Rulers Colored Pencils/12 count Highlighters Composition Notebooks #2 Pencils Calculators Erasers Index Cards - 3x5 Markers -8/10 count 3 Ring Binders Thanks to those of you who contributed to Carpenter's Place in July. So appreciated! Looking Ahead- Charity Blanket Challenge - Jessica Boezem is challenging us to participate in making a blanket for charity by the end of October. Individuals will knit or crochet squares and they are put together to create one big blanket. Please talk to Jessica if interested. |
AuthorGary Schwerin, pastor Archives
March 2024
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