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Thanksgiving is the earliest American holiday that celebrated God's blessing of a harvest that would allow His people the means to survive a tough New England winter, which was just around the corner. Pilgrims assessed the yield, storing enough food for the winter and seed for a spring planting and from the abundance, the extra, they threw a party. This was a time to thank God for blessings of the past year, for the present bounty and praise for a storehouse that would bring them crops for the coming season.
A few months ago I accepted a position in evangelism at Park Lane CRC. My rough plan over the next few years is to become an ordained evangelist and church planter. Who knows, I guess we'll see how it all works out. God moves (us) in mysterious ways, His wonders to perform.
In my personal challenge to express my thankfulness to God I am struggling with my responsibilities, not only to Him, but to my family, business partners and friends as well, somehow hoping that there will be a perfect balance, but realizing that sacrifices will have to be made. It hasn't been easy, and I don't expect it to be simple and uncomplicated.
For me, Thanksgiving is a time that brings my life into focus and, subsequently, into perspective. When I reflect on who God is and His loving faithfulness to me, the people that I love and the country I live in, I am overwhelmed with gratitude. When I think of the way He lets me know who He is and grants me salvation through His Son who is preparing my eternal home, I am overcome with thankfulness. Then I look back and remember everything I have done that makes me worthy of these gifts and inheritance and I know, for certain, that it's all grace.
Looking around at my brothers and sisters in Christ at Faith Church, I am encouraged by the many people who understand what tremendous blessings of time, talent and resources God has given us. They feel the burden to give back, in gratitude, a small portion of what God has given them. These are people who give generously and joyfully at every opportunity. Some don't even have to jeopardize their storehouse, they still have an overabundance to offer in thanksgiving. Some are poor widows who, by God's grace, are able to find the strength to give everything. But most of us fall in between the two extremes.
On the surface, we have very little in common with those early pilgrims. There never is a time when we worry about having enough food to eat. In the dead of winter we import fruits and vegetables from California and South America. We have freezers, dehydrators, canners and preservatives that make food storage safe and convenient. But even in this era of unprecedented prosperity and opportunity, what we do share with our forefathers is a realization of our total dependency on God for our existence, the abundant way that he has sustained us and our obligation to give Him all the glory and thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving. I am so very thankful for God's bounty in my life. For loving supportive family and friends. For the great leadership and example of brothers and sisters in Christ. For the privilege of serving. And yes, even for the basics of life, food, water, and a roof overhead. Thank you, dear Lord.
Nick P. A.
The Mission Committee and the Social Concerns Committee are working together this year on the Christmas Giving Tree. After hearing the Deters tell about the devastation from Hurricane Georges and the many needs of the poor people in the Dominican Republic, we felt it would be appropriate to find out how we, as a congregation, could help. We gathered some needs from the Deters and from Beth VerHage working in Bolivia. They will be written on snowflakes and hanging on the Christmas tree in the narthex beginning November 29.
If you feel led, take one or more snowflakes that have specific needs on them. It might be nice to enclose a Christmas card from you or your family. Place the unwrapped gift or gifts along with your card in the large box next to the Christmas tree.
Thank you for your support.
On October 25 Beth Paschell was the guest speaker for Adult Sunday School. Her topic was "Gambling-Its Promises and Misplaced Hope." Beth has been involved in this issue for many years and presented pertinent information.
The Illinois state lottery began in 1974. Since then, gambling boats that cruise have been legalized. There is a push on now for dockside gambling (non-cruising boats). If this is legalized in Illinois, gambling will mushroom. The reason is that the pressure will be put on for various forms of gambling in places other than boats. One real fear is that video poker machines will come to our neighborhoods. These are very addictive and would put the temptation right in our own back yard.
It is estimated that Americans lose $35 billion dollars a year through gambling and 40 percent of white-collar crimes originate with this addiction. The promises by politicians of increased revenue, more jobs, economic development and better education funding simply have not proven to be true. The harm of gambling on families far outweighs any so called "advantages".
It is important for our state legislators to feel the pressure of opposition on this issue. If our representatives don't hear from us, they assume we approve of gambling or don't care if it is advanced in our state.
Christ Hospital hosts meetings on Thursday evenings for Gamblers Anonymous. There is also another meeting held at the same time for Gam-Anon, which is for spouses of gamblers. The hotline for Gamblers Anonymous is (312) 346-1588.
Marylyn. L.
Social Concerns
Committee Member
After church on Sunday, October 23, a group of college-age students and high school seniors set out for Starved Rock State Park with Barb DeB. and Jan B. The two of them put together some great sack lunches for us, and even had enough left over for some people to take food back to school with them!
The weather was very nice, and the park was really busy. Once we got there and started to hike, a few people broke off from the rest of the group by taking an alternative route to the trails-they scaled a cliff! We all had a great afternoon full of hiking, swinging on vines like Tarzan, squeezing through incredibly small spaces, and climbing on forbidden cliffs. We had a wonderful time enjoying God's creation and fellowship with each other.
Is this a ministry for you?
Angel Tree is ministry of Prison Fellowship, a ministry started 20 years ago by Charles W. Colson. Prison Fellowship exists to assist and exhort the Church of Jesus Christ in its ministry to prisoners, ex-prisoners and their families. Angel Tree distributes Christmas Gifts and the Word of Jesus Christ to children of incarcerated parents. There are about 1.5 million children of prisoners in America today. Angel Tree tries to reach at least a half million of these children each year, not with a phone call, but a personal visit where the gospel is shared and a personal gift is given. Children of prisoners are six times more likely than other kids to become criminals themselves. Angel Tree is a program providing an opportunity to make a difference in averting the next wave of juvenile crime.
If this peaks your interest or pricks your heart or spirit to action, there are two ways in which you can help this ministry. First, volunteers are needed in the Chicago area to make personal contacts with these children and families. Contact Fay Canty-Gray for information:
Fay Canty-Gray
P.O. Box 641309
Chicago, IL 60664-1309
Phone: 312-460-0055
Fax: 312-578-9484
Second, this ministry exists on donations. Each gift costs $7.00. It is only through the generosity of Christians throughout the United States that allows Angel Tree to reach at least a third of the children of prisoners with the True Light each Christmas. Send your donations to:
Angel Tree
1856 Old Reston Avenue
P.O. Box 97103
Washington, DC 20090-7103
Your Mission and Evangelism Committee
This is the theme for Sunday's worship on December 6. To act on that message, all families are invited to contribute a Christmas ornament for the new tree in the Fellowship Hall. You may want to make one as a family project or choose any kind that you like. Just hang it on the tree on December 6 or later. We will all see how Faith's tree grows!
Lindsey Renee R. was born on September 23, at 8:43 p.m. She checked in at 7 lb. 15 oz. And 21 inches long. She took her time coming into the world and has kept that philosophy throughout her short life. She enjoys swinging in her swing, sitting on Mom and Dad's lap, eating, sleeping and watcher her big brother Tyler play with his toys. Lindsey has also adjusted well to having two furry friends to watch over her. (Beethoven and Fluffy are the family dogs.)
When Lindsey is not at home, she can be found at the her babysitter's house where she is well taken care of by "Mrs. D" while Julie is at work.
Many and varied would describe the activities of the second month of the 1998-99 Cadet season.
Our first major activity this past month was an opportunity to visit the Tinley Park Village Hall. We were given a brief history of the village, taught a little bit about our local government, and we opened up their council meeting with the presentation of the flags and the Pledge of Allegiance. The boys should be commended for their attentiveness and we're hopeful that they learned a little bit about government. We're also thankful to the village for their friendliness and patience in dealing with this large group of boys.
Our next major event this past month was the annual "Mega Breakfast". Cadets and counselors were up before the sun preparing eggs, bacon, sausage and pancakes. Attendance was good and the food was delicious. The counselors and boys deserve a lot of credit for all their efforts in the success of this event. We'd also like to thank the sponsors for their monetary support, Mitch Iwan for all the supplies and expertise he provided, and to all who came, ate and generously donated their dollars. (Thanks, too, to the wives and moms for washing that sausage/bacon smell out of the uniforms.) This is a major fund-raising event for our club, and we've very thankful for its success each year.
We now look ahead to the coming holiday season. We look forward to good times together, a time to thank God for all the ways our Lord has blessed us, and to the celebrations of our Savior's birth.
As always, we thank the congregation for the many ways in which you support us, and we request your continued prayers for safety and success in all our activities.
George Z.
For the past couple of months, ETM has been studying Christian relationships and how to grow as a Christian. Some of our meeting topics have included: Attitudes and Problems, Preventing Problems, Temptation and Integrity -- pretty deep topics and some excellent discussions with our 7th and 8th graders.
Just so you're not thinking our meetings are jam-packed with all heavy discussion, here's an overview of what our meetings are like:
4:30 Music and mingling
4:40 Games, including things like Finger Blasters, which are foam rockets we pelt at each other, relay games, caterpillar races, gorilla, gun, karate, and other fun things.
4:50 Attention Grabber - an activity to introduce our topic of discussion. For example, our topic on integrity was introduced by playing, "Two Truths and a Lie." Everyone had to write down three things about themselves, two were true and one was not. After reading them out loud to the group, everyone else had to guess which one was false. We had some pretty good liars in the group (including the adult leaders.)
5:00 Small Group Discussion or Large Group Discussion
5:30 Full Group Wrap Up
5:30 Snack and Announcements
6:00 Worship together.
Parents take turns bringing our snacks, so we'd just like to say, "THANKS!" You've all done a great job providing us with great treats!
Outings and Service Projects: On October 16 the ETMers had a great time at Navy Pier. We went to the Omnimax Theater and saw "Into the Deep". We also walked around the shops, had supper and had a fun, but a little scary, ride on the ferris wheel. On November 22 ETM led the service at Bridgeview Health Center. We sang some songs and shared musical gifts God has given us. What a great way to start off the Thanksgiving week, by giving thanks for what God has given us to share, and giving thanks for elderly people in our lives!
Young Peoples is going awesome! We have a really big group this year. It's such a good thing to see so many new faces each time we meet.
At our last large group we played a few games and got to know each other's names a little better. We ended the night watching a movie, "Stupid Parent Tricks". We watched the movie to help us start thinking about our upcoming small group session. We will discuss parents and how they help us and love us, even if we don't always agree with them or get along with them. However, we thank God for blessing us with our parents.
Thanks to all those who sold and bought Christmas trees, wreaths and Koeze nuts. Delivery/pickup is scheduled for December 7. See you there!
Keep saving up for L.A.!
I had the nicest Christmas list,
The longest one in town-
Til Daddy looked at it and said,
"You'll have to cut it down."I knew that what he said was true
Beyond the faintest doubt,
But I was amazed to hear him say,
"You've left your best friend out."And so I scanned my list again,
And said, "Oh, that's not true!"
Bud Daddy said, "His name's not there-
That Friend who died for you."And then I clearly understood
'Twas Jesus that he meant'
For Him who should come first of all
I hadn't planned a cent.I had made a lengthy Christmas list
And left the Savior out!
But, oh, it didn't take me long
To change the list about.And though I've had to drop some names
Of folks I like a lot;
My Lord must have the most-because-
His name is at the top.
Across the country the Ten Commandments is being forced out of our public schools, government buildings and courtrooms. One man, Judge John Devine of Houston, has been in a 26-month lawsuit, fighting for the right to keep the Ten Commandments in his courtroom.
This is important to him because he believes America's history abounds with references to God's law as the basis for our government. He says, "the Commandments are a foundational part of our culture . . . and we have an obligation to teach these laws."
Judge Devine commissioned artist Pat Young to paint a frameable picture of the Ten Commandments. Faith Social Concerns has copies of this picture and has permission from Christian High, Southwest Tinley and Southwest Oak Lawn to present it to the students in chapel periods with a brief talk on its background and our influence as Christians on our culture.
Since this is a special project, we are looking for donations to help defray the cost of framing. It will cost $105.00 to frame three pictures for all three schools. If you are led to help with this endeavor, you can leave a donation in Marilyn L's mailbox. Please make checks out to Faith CRC.
Thank you.
(A copy of this rendering is displayed on the Social Concerns bulletin board.)
Many, many children in Honduras have been orphaned by the devastation of Hurricane Mitch. Hogar de Ninos, Nazareth, the orphanage that our Sunday School has been collecting for has been challenged to take in 25 more children, in addition to the 90 they already have. They are appealing for more sponsors for these children and help to provide for them.
If you can help or would just like more information, please contact John or Elaine H. (they have a video and brochures). Also, please help your children contribute to the great need through our Sunday School offerings to "All God's Children."
In the first article I wrote on religious persecution, the subject was how godless ideology affected the people of China. This same ideology, which is communism, also affects the people of Romania. After World War I, they were very conveniently on the side of the Allies, and were nicely rewarded. When Hungary was carved up because it had sided with Germany, the European Allies gave Transylvania, a land that had been inhabited by Hungarians for many, many years, to Romania. The Hungarians living there were to a large extent Christians, either Catholics or Protestants.
In time the Romanian leaders accepted Russian communism. The regime became very corrupt. Many people suffered, but particularly the Christians. Reformatus ministers were thrown in jail and suffered unspeakable torture, simply because they were Christian leaders. Several books have recently been written about these imprisonments, (one of which is, Light Through the Bars, by Kalman Csihe.) The minister, who was later to become the pastor of the Reformatus Church in "The Citadel" of Turgu Mures (called by the Hungarians Marosvarsarhely), was one of these unfortunate prisoners. However, God was watching over these godly men. During the Carter Adminis-tration, Romania's need for economic aid came before Congress. The U.S. President demanded that Romania release all of its political prisoners including the ministers if they wished to receive economic aid. They were promptly released.
Nevertheless, this was not the end of religious persecution. During the Bush Administration the plight of the Hungarian Christians very suddenly broke into the headlines. A Hungarian minister, who is now one of the bishops in the Reformatus Church in Romania, refused to obey the orders of the Romanian police to vacate the manse and leave his church. His parishioners knew what was happening to their minister, and they tried to guard him by standing in front of his house. More and more people came, even non-churchgoers. A great crowd of people came and stood there throughout the night. Soon the police became afraid. The situation got out of hand, and there was fighting. The result of this standoff was the capture of Ceausescu, the head of the government. On Christmas Day (1989), much to the surprise of the world, Ceausescu and his wife were shot and killed. I remember President Bush being appalled. It was the Romanians themselves who did this to a terrible dictator.
This is not the end of religious persecution. True, one of the heads of the monster had been cut off, but nine heads reared up. What was the immediate aftermath for the city I came to appreciate? Elona Fulop, the minister's wife, told me about the fighting in the streets of Marosvarsarhely in the 1990s. They fought the police too. They wanted to regain control of the big Bolyai High School, which had been confiscated by the government. This school had been built by the Hungarians back in the 16th century, was dedicated to the memory of an outstanding Hungarian mathematician (Bolyai), and belonged to the Reformatus Church. The church had owned 60 properties used for Christian education (schools) and for the faculty housing. All of these properties had been taken away from the church. The police won the battle, and many of the Hungarian men lost their lives. The minister (Denes Fulop) very quietly told me that he wanted to keep his young people in Marosvarsarhely, and he had to find something to attract them to this place that offered them so little. The Reformed people were not permitted to teach their culture, religion or language to their children in the schools. So it was his idea to teach English, a language which can be used worldwide. He himself speaks very little English. His wife taught herself some English. Today they spend two million lei per month for rent for a building to have English classes. (This is a big sum for them.) They have no central place for their students to have a library or to have activities together. Their young people are scattered.
Yet these people are undaunted. When I was there, they were beginning to draw up plans to put a structure in the garden of the manse. It would be used for teaching, activities and library work. They had precious little money, but they had a great Will and a trust in almighty God.
While I was riding back to Hungary with David Pandy-Szekeres, we talked about the stranglehold that the Romanian government has upon the minority populations of Romania. What could we do? This is religious persecution, but it is even greater than that. The government wants to rid this part of Romania of all Hungarian influence-cultural, legal, political and religious.
In other words, they would like ethnic cleansing. The government harasses the churches, takes over the schools and the curriculum and tries to destroy the culture of the minority people. These are Reformed people! These are people who are just as committed to Calvinism as we are. How can we let our brothers and sisters in Christ be destroyed? The CRWM has sent English teachers there, a very worthy, but small, step. I think that only if we unite as Reformed Churches to let our government know about the practices of the Romanian government, will we be effective. The Romanian government should not be allowed to get away with this impunity.
We must first of all earnestly pray for these Reformed people. We can also contact them to let them know that we care for them. And lastly, we must unite as fellow Reformed believers to let our federal government know that the Romanian government is abusing its minority citizens. Romania should not have Most Favored Nation trade status when they practice human rights abuses.
Economic deprivation is the only language the Romanian government knows.
Alice W. for the
Social Concerns Committee
J-922 Samuel Morris, Baez, Kjerstl,
922 Martin Luther, the Great Reformer, Bouth, Edward
J-922 Lydia, Gregger, Katherine
922 D.L. Moody, Harvey, Bonnie C.
George Miller, Harvey, Bonnie C.
J-922 David Brainerd, Hasler, Richard D.
David Livingston, Larsen, Dan
Paul, Larsen, Dan
Florence Nightingale, Lorene, Kristi
Thunder in the Valley, Lorene, Kristi
922 Jim Elliot, Miller, Susan M.
J-922 Peter, Miller, Susan M.
Billy Graham, Wellman, Tom
922 Billy Graham, The Great Evangelist, Wellman, Tom
C.S. Lewis, Wellman, Tom
Corrie Ten Boom, Wellman, Tom
David Livingston, Wellman, Tom
Gladys Aylward, Wellman, Tom
John Bunyan, Wellman, Tom
John Welsey, Wellman, Tom
Mary Slessor, Wellman, Tom
Mother Theresa, Wellman, Tom
J-922 Billy Sunday, Wellman, Tom
922 Sojourner Truth, Whalin, Terry
Apostle of Simple Faith, Whale Terry
232. The Case for Christ, Strobel, Lee
908
J-FIC Hardy Boys (44) Castle of Fear, Dixon, Franklin W.
FIC Out to Canaan, Karon, Jan
Left Behind, LaHaye, Tim and Jenkins, Jerry B.
J-921 David Brainard, Hassler, Richard
241. Should My Children Listen to
652 Rock, Menconi, Al
246.7 Communicating Spiritual Values, Menconi, Al
248. Equipping Your Child for
845 Spiritual Warfare, Laurent, Dr. Bob
371. How To Work With Your
103 Child's Teacher, Schimmels, Dr. Cliff
649. Surviving the Terrible Teen
125 Years, Schimmels, Dr. Cliff
649. Helping Your Child Love To
58 Read, McEwan, Elaine K.
790. Family Vacations That Work,
191 Hansel, Tim
923 The Life of Thomas J. Jackson, Williamson, Mary L.
E Russell Sprouts, Hurwitz, Joanne