Edgebrook Evangelical Covenant Church
6355 North Spokane Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60646
Phone: 773-763-4230
Fax: 773-763-2306
Website: www.edgebrookcovenantchurch.org
Giving Thanks Dinner and Offering
Each year, around Thanksgiving, we have a Giving-Thanks Dinner Program and offering. It gives us a chance to Thank God for His faithfulness to us. This year, the "Giving Thanks" Dinner and Offering will have a strong missions theme! The date is Sunday November 15th. Please mark this important date on your calendars. More details will be available soon. We anticipate a wonderful day of praise to God for His goodness to us and to our church.
The "Giving Thanks" offering this year will go toward meeting the recommended mission giving levels to the Central Conference and the Denomination. As a reminder, in order to balance our budget last year, we reduced our mission giving to the conference and denomination. As a congregation, we agreed that any surplus at the end of the year would be given to try to reach the recommended giving levels of 10% of our budget to the denomination and 5% to the conference. We are well below this goal.
The trustees have set a goal for the "Giving Thanks" offering at $9,000 with 1/3 to go to the Central Conference and 2/3 to the Covenant Denomination. We are hoping and expecting that our regular giving will remain at the faithful level that it has been. That will enable us to make this important and unprecedented gift to reach others for Christ and to continue to expand God's Kingdom.
Please join us in prayer, and consider your involvement so that together we can reach this goal!
In Christ,
The Trustees
Edgebrook Women Ministries Update
Just a reminder about the Women Ministries fall dinner – a correction from last month's Newsletter, when I reported the wrong date for the luncheon -- the date is Sunday, September 13, 2009.
And once again, the fall retreats are September 18 thru 20 or September 25 thru 27 at Covenant Harbor Bible Camp in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin – Pastor Karen Hinz, Speaker. There are still openings available and all are welcome.
Looking forward to seeing you at the luncheon in September.,
Barbara Agnello
Timely Adult Sunday School Class Kicks Off Fall Season
Sunday School for all ages begins on Sunday, September 20. Our Sunday School classes begin at 11:30am following worship and coffee hour and conclude at 12:15pm.
Our adult class continues a series that explores the various fruits of the Spirit. The title of the class is “Peace: Overcoming Anxiety and Conflict”. Tony Senatore will lead our class and it promises to be a lively time of discussion and discovery as we learn how to allow the Holy Spirit to develop that fruit in our individual and corporate lives.
Join us, won’t you? Especially In these times, having “the peace that passes all understanding” is something no believer in Christ should be without!
Priceless Treasures Sale a Great Success!
The Chapel was a busy place following worship on Sunday, August 23 as the Priceless Treasures Sale was conducted to benefit a project of Covenant Women Ministries. By offering gently-used household items and collectibles without prices to church members and friends, donors can clean out no-longer-needed goods and purchasers can acquire something they can use at a price they can afford. In the end, the biggest beneficiary of the sale is Leland House moms, who will enjoy the blankets created by Covenant Women Ministries members, the cost of materials paid for by proceeds from the sale.
The motivation for this particular Priceless Treasures Sale (this is about the fourth or fifth of this type of sale conducted at Edgebrook) was a desire to find new homes for two couches, two loveseats, and two chairs in the Anderson Room that will be replaced. While the Anderson Room furniture is not new and has served us for several years, it occurred to us that there was still life in the old couches, loveseats and chairs, and someone might be happy to acquire them. Once the decision was made to hold the sale, many people started thinking of items they could add to the goods offered, and the enthusiasm was contagious.
What a plethora of goods were displayed at the sale! Everything from tiny knickknacks (dust collectors, my mother used to call them) to some fairly major appliances (such as ironing board and iron, and vacuum cleaner) were “sold” for donations. It took a while for the shoppers to get used to the idea they didn’t have to look for price tags or bargain for a reduction in price, but once the idea caught on that the price is the buyer’s choice, everyone was generous in their payments. Thank you to the Trustee Board who granted permission for the sale and ordered the room setup, to all the volunteers who spent hours sorting through donations and setting everything out on the tables, and to the shoppers who helped us have a mighty movement of goods! Without everyone’s cooperation, this sale wouldn’t have taken place and Covenant Women Ministries wouldn’t be able to go ahead with the blanket kits for Leland House—this was, as they say, a “win-win” event for everyone.
This report wouldn’t be complete without the “bottom line.” Here’s the amount that was raised by the sale of Priceless Treasures: $937!!!
---- Ann-Helen Anderson
Small Groups Kick Off the Week of September 28
Our small groups will begin meeting the week of September 28th. Our evening women’s small group (actually the Women’s Large Group!) will meet for the first time on Monday, September 28th at 7:30pm at the home of Frank and Chris Pokorny at 6357 North Leoti Avenue. Please see the article elsewhere in this issue of the Messenger for information on this group.
Another group will be offered that will meet at the parsonage beginning that week. Please be watching your bulletin or check the church website in September for details on this additional small group opportunity.
2009 Vacation Bible School Ministers to Over 50 Children and Adults
In our 19th year of offering a Vacation Bible School to the Edgebrook community, some new things were tried. The most significant was holding VBS in the evening instead of the morning. That allowed us to offer for the first time an adult VBS class.
Another change was having three coordinators (Ginny Ware, Sarah Henry and Pastor Greg) organizing VBS. We often joked that it took “only” three of us to do what last year’s coordinator, Linda Fusek did by herself and what our “VBS patron saint”, Mary Doucette, did for 17 years!
The total number of participants (47 children and 7 adults) was the lowest we had experienced in many years (60+ children attended last year’s VBS). However, the turnout was not disappointing, given that this was the first year we have tried an evening VBS and given that many of the children were entirely new to this ministry. Altogether, almost 90% of the children were from the community (i.e. not a part of our church family) and we had a total number of 44 volunteers share in this ministry, many for the very first time!
Our theme was “The Wildwood Forest – Discovering the Untamed Nature of God!” Monday’s emphasis was God is undefeatable; Tuesday’s: God is unmatchable; Wednesday’s: God is uncontainable; Thursdays: God is unpredictable; Friday’s: God is unforgettable.
The VBS Adventurers began each evening singing songs and seeing a drama based on a Bible story that illustrated that evening’s theme. The biblical truth was reinforced at each of the Adventure sites (refreshments, crafts, music and memory, games and lab experiments). The Adventurers went to each site every night. The night ended back in the sanctuary, singing our VBS songs and looking forward to the next evening’s program.
On Friday night, the Adventurers were given an opportunity to invite Jesus into their lives and begin or continue a lifelong love relationship with God and his son Jesus.
Our closing had the children enthusiastically singing the VBS songs they had learned. Parents and children then made their way to the chapel to enjoy refreshments that reprised each night’s VBS theme. A pamphlet was given to each parent that summarized the week’s VBS lessons, invited families to visit Edgebrook Covenant if they did not have a church home and explained how parents could talk to their children about God’s plan of salvation.
Our VBS Adventurers donated 205 non-perishable food items and school supplies for the North Park Friendship Center and also gave money towards the Covenant’s 2009 VBS National Project (educational scholarships for the children of pastors in impoverished areas of Ecuador).
THANK YOU to everyone who supported this year’s VBS outreach through your time, donations and prayers! A special thank you to all our volunteers listed below:
- Misty Meadow (Opening & Closing): Lynn Janken, Ron Ostrand, Kristina Gomez, Jason Nelson, Sarah Henry, Charlotte Mesimore, “Buzz the drummer,” Paige Luttrell
- Great Oak Theater (Bible story drama): Annie McCullah, Sarah Henry, Bunny Hughes, Paige Luttrell
- Treetop Art Studio (Crafts): Devyn Chambers-Johnson, Lisa Creeth, Ryan Chambers-Johnson
- The Heights (Music & Memory): Jennifer Reed, Cherie Sorenson (Jen Reed’s mother), Charlotte Mesimore
- Glow Rock Hideaway (Lab Experiments): Parker Luttrell, Linda Fusek
- Vineland Adventure Course (Games): Chris Edquist, Scott Reed, Ken McCullah
- Harvest Grove (Snacks): Ginny Ware, Sarah Henry, Shirley Sowell, Lois Janken, Paige Luttrell, Lisa Kowar, Ann-Helen Anderson
- Ranger Station (Adult Class): Keith and Laurie Bakken
- Registration: Jeannine Patt, Maureen Pankow, Tony Senatore, Judy Whipple
- Decorations: Ginny Ware, Rosemary Kafka, Jeannine Patt, Mary Coleman, Barbara Swanstrom, Nancy Senatore, Ann-Helen Anderson
- Guides / Helpers: Mady Baer, Kristina Gomez, Charlie Mesimore, Julia Bakken, Heather Kubit, Jason Nelson, Tommy Bakken, Paige Luttrell, Alice Senderak, Nicole Fiorito
- Our coordinators: Ginny Ware, Sarah Henry, Pastor Greg Mesimore
An Unforgettable Homecoming
Imagine your favorite homecoming experience. Maybe it was a high school or college homecoming event. Perhaps it was going home for Christmas or a special holiday. Because of our missionary experience we have been overseas twice for extended time periods, which led to emotional homecomings.
The homecoming event for the Illinois National Guard from their tour of duty in Afghanistan was the most powerful and meaningful I have ever experienced. A group of us from Edgebrook (Pastor Greg Mesimore, Tony Senatore, Marty Chagdes, and Keith Bakken) were invited along with the Fuhr family to witness the return of the Col. Dan Fuhr (yes, Dan received a promotion to Colonel!) and the 178th Battalion of the Illinois National Guard.
On August 3rd we went to Soldier Field on Chicago's beautiful lakefront. What a fitting place to hold a homecoming ceremony for soldiers! We arrived at 9:30 AM to a boisterous crowd of family members and friends waiting. The event was not held on the actual field (which was good because it rained). It was held indoors in a huge corridor - a giant hallway that many of you have walked in order to get to your seats at a Bears game.
A makeshift stage was set up and American flags were everywhere. The media was there in full force. Many on-air personalities were visible as they went through the crowd doing interviews with families of the heroes. The ceremony was to begin at 11 AM. Dan's wife Chris couldn't hide the emotion of the moment. She had not seen her husband for 11 months! Children Alyssa and Ben were all smiles at the thought of hugging their daddy. We waited for two hours and the crowd got larger and larger. Welcome home signs, pictures and posters adorned the walls and some had T-shirts made up with photos of their favorite soldier.
Many in the crowd, including Chris Fuhr, were receiving texts from the soldiers who were coming in buses from their debriefing at Fort McCoy in Wisconsin. They were moving fast thanks to an escort from the state police. They are in Elgin...They are passing the Des Plaine oaisis...They are at "the Junction"...They are here! The crowd was buzzing! Waiting! Hoping! And finally they arrived. First a color guard and then walking alone in front of his men was Col. Dan Fuhr followed by 144 freedom fighters and heroes. There was a surge of people to the front to get a glimpse. People standing on chairs, flashes of cameras. It was amazing. The soldiers marched in formation. They traded in their rifles for yellow roses. This was actually only 1/5 of Dan's men. Homecoming ceremonies had already been held for others in the Illinois National Guard in Woodstock, Kankakee, Elgin, and downstate.
There were two short speeches by a general and by Governor Quinn. This was not the day for long speeches. Finally the general called in a loud voice: "Company dismissed!" and the barriers holding back the families were released. What happened next was the finest homecoming moment ever witnessed. Hugs, tears, smiles, kisses, and squeals of joy echoed throughout the stadium hall. For us there was the sense of answered prayers and a huge sigh of relief to see our friend Dan. We had to wait for Fox News to finish interviewing him to get a hug. His smile was a mile wide! I'm home.
We thank and praise our God for his protection over Dan and his men and for the good works that were done for the people of Afghanistan.
Update from Bobbie Zerfas in Jordan
The busyness of summer has suddenly come to a halt and I find myself with more than enough breathing time to relax, sit down and write to you and actually get bored for once this summer. Before this week, I had not actually been home for more than two days since school got out in June. In that time, I finished up my school beautification project by painting a world map in the corridor, taught leadership at a camp down on the Red Sea, did some Independence Day partying at the embassy, participated in some preparatory meetings for the upcoming training of the new group of volunteers, had an extremely successful second Camp GLOW Jordan, and hosted three friends from home on a week-long Jordan extravaganza tour.
I would like to thank all of you who helped to support me and the other volunteers responsible for this year’s Camp GLOW. Again it was one of the most satisfying and enjoyable weeks of my year/service. The campers were once again an amazingly bright and intelligent mix of Jordan’s future leaders. Two of my favorite quotes from camp were (verbatim):
- “Camp GLOW learned me to have a beautiful confidence. I feel we must shine like the sun. We must have role in the community not just ‘the man.’”
- “Camp GLOW describe to us how we can make Jordan bright and develop the women’s powers. I thinks it’s the best thing happen in Jordan.”
I was thrilled to see the girls’ progression over the week. They displayed a maturity and enthusiasm that I do not often encounter here. As the week progressed, it was apparent that their confidence - not just in their English capabilities, but also in themselves and their abilities - became stronger. This year we implemented a strategy for the girls to try to bring the ideas and principles of Camp GLOW back to their home communities, to give every girl the opportunity to participate in leadership and team building activities - regardless of English performance. A Club GLOW training session, as well as a manual, was give to each of the girls. I will be excited to hear from the volunteers in their villages to see how the girls develop their individual clubs when the school year begins.
After camp, I was lucky to have three friends from home make the long journey to come see me for a week. We saw the country from north to south, did lots of hiking and touring of historic sites, and even stopped off in my village for a little while so they could see the people and place I have been surrounded by for the past two years. It was an incredible opportunity to share where I have been and what I have learned.
I have gotten a lot of emails recently about my plans for afterward, seeing as my two years should be coming to an end very shortly. Well, for those of you who have not heard through the grapevine, I have decided to extend my time here until the end of the year. An opportunity presented itself to work with the new group of volunteers during their pre-service training. I will be the resource volunteer coordinator - basically a fancy way of saying a liaison between the trainees, the pc staff and the host families - for the incoming TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) volunteers. I know the economy isn’t doing so great right now, and since I am not planning on entering grad school until the Fall of 2010, I figured why not just stay a little longer? I will now be here until the end of December and then plan to do some traveling before finally heading back to the States sometime in late winter/early spring. At the end of September I will be moving out of my village and to a new city, Mafraq, about an hour and a half northeast from the capital.
So, even though I am not officially leaving Jordan until December, I am in the process of saying my goodbyes in my village and packing up my house. It’s a bit bittersweet. One the one hand, I am ready for a change and a new challenge. On the other hand, it is hard to say goodbye both to the people and my house. My family here has welcomed me with opened arms and treated me like one of their own since the day I met them. And my house has been my one safety net from the outside world for the past two years. I have lived longer in this apartment than anywhere else in the past nine years. Needless to say, I’m a bit attached.
I hope everyone’s summers are going well. Though I have some time before I see all of you, I am still anxiously awaiting that time.
-- Bobbie Rose
PS… A friend and I have been working on creating Wikipedia sites for our villages. Here is the link to mine (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safina,_Jordan) It's not much, but it's a start. The main photo is actually out of my living room window.
Update from Barb Swanson in Belgium
The Styrofoam background scene of the bayou has been painted, name tags have been printed, craft supplies have been assembled...does this sound like "VBS is coming soon" to you??
We've watched our registration numbers jump from 26 to 37+ in the last week. We're a bit nervous, hoping that we have enough crew leaders. Yet we're reminded again that each year God has provided enough...kids, teen helpers, adult volunteers, funds to make it happen and lots of enthusiasm to share Jesus with the kids. This year it's extra special that there are 5 children who are coming because of contacts made through the refugee ministries.
Pray with us: -that the truth about Jesus will be proclaimed in all that we say and do -for Jared Baker, our Covenant colleague and VBS director -that the kids will be challenged to grow in their faith -for physical strength for the adult volunteers!! -that we would have our eyes, and hearts, open to those "God moments" that we're expecting will happen.
Expecting great things because we serve a GREAT GOD!!
And thanks for your prayers,
Barb and Steve Swanson
Update from the Clausons in Mexico
Dear Edgebrook family,
After a long week of saying goodbye to many good friends and coworkers in Monterrey and preparing our home for others to live in it for a year, we made the 1600 mile drive to Wisconsin.
We will be participating in Covenant Mission's orientation for missionaries returning to the US. We look forward to connecting with other missionaries from around the world and hearing their stories as we share what God is doing where we are.
And we’re coming to visit Edgebrook on Sunday, September 13, 2009! We can’t wait to visit with all of you and share how God has been working in our lives and the lives of those we have been serving. Looking forward to seeing everyone!
Blessings,
Erika & Nils
Update from Erin Neises in Spain
Spain Prayer Warriors - thank you! I now am an official Spanish driver! Through this whole driving school experience, God opened the door to witness to my teacher and my classmate. I was able to share with them how to have a personal relationship with Jesus, how to invite him into their lives, and how Jesus has changed my life. Please pray for their acceptance of Jesus in their heart and for God to tear down walls of lies in their lives.
Over to the right are a series of pictures from my youth group, who are not only a body of believers but great friends. Carmen, Ana, Juan Fer, Guille, Eliel, Jacob, Vito, Melisa, and many more are strong believers growing up in a society that tells them they are weird and looks at them as ‘different’. Our group is growing in numbers and the youth are becoming active leaders in church and their surroundings. What we want is to build up are Spanish leaders to reach Spaniards.
This past year I have had the privilege of discipling Rebeka, who is just 12 years old and who has a knack for prayer. She is now sure of her salvation and growing in confidence to share the truth to her friends in school. Guille is another example of a heart set on fire for God. He has done a discipleship program for YWAM in Minnesota and now is going to Argentina to YWAM Counseling School. I have spent this last month helping him get a support letter together so that he can raise funds to get to Argentina and invite people to join in God’s work.
There is a very deep yearning for girls in my church to be discipled, so I am praying for God to open new doors this coming year and also to play sports with them. God is continually showing me how much I can impact kids here with sports and that He wants me to do a girls soccer school this coming year at church. Pray that He can use me and many more people to build up the body of Christ.
PRAYER REQUESTS FOR THIS COMING MONTH
- Trip to Northern Spain-Agape European Staff Training: (http://enstc.blogspot.com/) I am going to the region of Galicia just north of Portugal for a 2- week Staff Training conference which is required by Agape Spain. Agape has a house on the Camino de Santiago (Path of St. James) which serves travelers as they make their way on the pilgrimage, giving them food and shelter. Pray for no problems traveling to Galicia, that this time will be filled with growth in God's word, and that He will use me to reach lost travelers and share the truth about who He is with them.
- Trip to the States (Aug 10-Sept 24): My trip back home is all coming together: places to stay and people to see. Some places I will be going to are: WI, Chicago, MN, Boston for a good friend’s wedding, and possibly NE. Some churches I will be visiting are Edgebrook Cov, Northwest Cov, Woodlands, and Cape Cod Cov. Please pray for God to lead to me all the hearts that are prepared to join His Spain Ministry Tea and for me to meet tons of new people, as many supporters have fallen off this ministry team.
- Pray for my youth group at church: We are just starting to get more active as a group doing excursions on the weekend. We have been hiking, climbing up waterfalls, and camping. God is bringing a unity to our youth that is unprecedented and filling their hunger with His word. We are also redecorating our youth room, so pray for people's willingness to help finance the $300 job with paint and a few pieces of furniture from Ikea!
- Pray for the future: I am called to be a missionary for life, I am called to disciple, and I am called to be in Spain. Praise the Lord for revealing my calling and why He created me! Please begin to pray with me as I begin to discern where God is leading me after this last internship year with CCC in Málaga til Aug '10. My heart's passion is share the truth about Jesus with everyone because there are so many lies planted in this world, with so many eyes covered in this world.
BLESSINGS FROM MÁLAGA as I am overjoyed to share with you God growing in people lives here in Spain!
-- Erin
Women's Group Begins New Study
Going up against heavyweights bent on her destruction, Esther trusted God and landed a blow that saved her people. The Old Testament story of Esther is a profile in courage and contains many modern parallels for today's woman. Esther's destiny can be yours as you know more deeply the God who is in your corner.
Join Beth Moore and the Women’s Large Group in “Esther: It’s Tough Being a Woman,” an in-depth and very personal examination of this great story of threat and deliverance. Beth peels back the layers of history and shows how very contemporary and applicable the story of Esther is to our lives. If you've ever felt inadequate, threatened, or pushed into situations that seemed overpowering, this is the study for you. Just as it was tough being a woman in Esther's day, it is tough today. This portion of God's Word contains treasures to aid us in our hurried, harried, and pressured lives. And while God’s name isn’t mentioned once in the book of Esther, “his hands are all over this story,” as Beth says!
Our journey together will start on Monday, Sept. 28 at 7:30 PM – and we’ll be meeting on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of the month at Chris Pokorny’s home at 6357 N. Leoti Ave. in Chicago. If you would like to attend, we encourage you to purchase the member’s guide workbook, which can be purchased on Amazon.com and Christianbook.com – or call Chris at 773-594-0541 or email her at clpokorny@aol.com to order a copy for you. While not required, the workbook will enrich your experience. The workbook costs $14.95 plus shipping. We look forward to having you join us!
September Greeters
In September we look forward to being greeted by:
September 6 – Kenneth Kling and Fridolf Pearson
September 13 – Heidi and Tom Oliva and family
September 20 – Nancy and Tony Senatore and family
September 27 – Melissa and Phil Nelson and family
