Connections Proclaiming the GOSPEL
local & global stories, news and events of College church
“The church has a responsibility to train our children to become lifelong worshipers.” Jennifer Wheatley Looks Back on page 7
MAY 2021
Face to Face
Side by Side
Locally Sourced
Crash Landing In A Corn Field
Compelling Biblical Truths
Resurrecting Biblical Hospitality
KATHERINE BAYLIS | 9
JOHN MELBY | 13
KAT HAASE | 15
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Connections May 2021
May Highlights
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Jennifer Wheatley Looks Back JENNIFER WHEATLEY
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Meet Christ Church
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Resurrecting Biblical Hospitality KAT HAASE
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Family Worship JOSH AND CATLYN MAURER
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Prayer Gatherings
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God Centered Life Update STANN LEFF
Crash Landing in a Corn Field KATHERINE BAYLIS
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New Members
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The Summer Book Group Short List
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Milestones/Looking Ahead
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The Bucket List PAT CIRRINCIONE
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Compelling Biblical Truths JOHN MELBY
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332 E. Seminary, Wheaton, IL 60187 (630) 668-0878 | www.college-church.org
Connections is a monthly newsletter published for and about the people of College Church. Send news items and suggestions to: connections@college-church.org. Keep Connections in mind to promote a community event to the College Church family. Send event information by the following dates: For the June issue: May 9 | For the July issue: June 9 | For the August issue: July 9
CONTRIBUTORS
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1 Katherine Baylis makes her debut in this month’s Connec-
tions with her story, “Crash Landing in a Corn Field.” When Katherine volunteered to write for us, we didn’t hesitate for a minute. As a twenty-something who is involved in the life of College Church, we look forward to reading more of Katherine’s writing in issues to come.
2 Pat Cirrincione graces the pages of Connections once again
with her trademark humor and common sense in “The Bucket List.” Pat might be the only person we know whose bucket list consisted of ballet, tap and jazz classes, flute/piano/voice lessons and finding God.
3 Jennifer Wheatley is more comfortable behind a music
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stand than anywhere else, but we were happy to oblige when she wanted to write about her years of ministry at College Church and the next steps God has for her and her husband, Greg.
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4 John Melby, a regular contributor to Connections, discovered two words at Men’s Bible Study this spring that changed the way he approached his study of God’s Word. Read his reflections of the study in “Compelling Biblical Truths.”
5 Josh and Caitlin Maurer not only are involved in helping
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us worship corporately through their music, but also are committed to helping their own children worship each Sunday. Read their thoughtful piece in this month’s Connections, “Family Worship.”
6 Stann Leff, is the executive director of God Centered Life
Ministries, a faithful member of College Church and proud father of Cheryce Berg, our own director of children's ministries.
7 Kat Haase, a member of the Evangelism and Culture Impact
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Committee, call the church to reemerge as a champion for families in her article, “Resurrecting Biblical Hospitality.” Kat’s heart for vulnerable children and families comes through in her conversation with College Church members and missionaries Rob and Laurie Nordstrom about Safe Families.
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Whenever Marr Miller is behind the camera, he not only capture God’s creation—as evidence in this month’s cover photo—but also God’s people globally and right here at College Church. He also serves on our board of missions.
Our Pastors, Directors and Residents: Eric Channing, pastor of congregational care and family ministries | Cheryce Berg, director of children’s ministries | Julie Clemens, director of disability ministries | Erik Dewar, pastor of worship and music | Zach Fallon, senior high pastor | Dan Hiben, middle school pastor | Tim Hollinger, technology director | Diane Jordan, director of visitation and care | Howard Kern, facilities director | Josh Maurer, pastorial resident | Curt Miller, missions pastor | Josh Moody, senior pastor | Ben Panner, college pastor | Mindy Rynbrandt, director of women’s ministries | John Seward, executive pastor | Nancy Singer, director of administration and finance | Mike Solis, pastoral resident | Wil Triggs, director of communications | Michael Walker, pastoral resident Our Council of Elders: David Bea | Howard Costley | Dave Gieser, vice chair | Randy Jahns| Heinrich Johnsen | Dan Lindquist | Josh Moody, senior pastor | Phil Nussbaum | Tom Nussbaum | Jeremy Taylor | Mark Taylor, chair | Tad Williams | Rob Wolgemuth, secretary
MAY HIGHLIGHTS
Sunday Morning Services Feel free to invite people to worship with us. Join us at 8:00, 9:30 and 11:15 a.m. College Group service in Commons at 10:15. Registration, masks and social distancing required for 8:00 (on Easter Sunday) and 9:30. Registration also required for the 11:15 service: college-church.formstack.com/forms/worship_signup Starts April 18, mask optional service at 11:15. No registration needed. Livestream broadcast is at 9:30 with a rebroadcast at 11:15. You can watch it at college-church.org/livestream Senior Pastor Josh Moody preaches from Amos, Wrong, Right, and Woke, The Good News of God’s Justice • May 2: For Three and For Four, Amos 2:4-5 • May 9: You Only Have I Known, Therefore…, Amos 3:1-2 • May 16: State of the Vision | How Big Is Your God? Daniel 1:1-21 • May 23: Corrupt Religion, Amos 4:4-5 • May 30: Yet You Did Not Return To Me, Amos 4:6-13
Adult Communities—in-person and Zoom options • Veritas meets Saturday May 2 at 9:30 a.m. shifting to Sundays at 9:30 a.m. beginning May 9, with Dr. Daniel Block teaching Ezekiel. Attend in person or via Zoom.
• Greek Class meets Sundays at 9:30 with Dr. Jon Laansma teaching 1 John. Available in person or via Zoom. Last class for the season will be May 2.
• Logos meets Sundays at 9:30 exploring the doctrine of salvation. In person or via Zoom. Last class for the season will be May 2.
• Forum 15 meets Sundays at 9:30 with David Fetzer teaching 1 & 2 Peter. Last class for the season will be May 2.
• Joint Heirs meets Sundays at 9:30 with a rotation of teachers teaching from the Book of Psalms. Available in person or via Zoom. Last class for the season will be May 2.
• All Nations meets Sundays at 9:30 with Steve Krogh leading the discussion of the sermon. Last class for the season will be May 2. For connection via Zoom, email sarndt@college-church.org for your link of choice.
Congregational Events We are pleased to announce the following opportunities for publicly expressing faith in Christ: • Infant dedications will be observed on Mother's Day, May 9. • Believer baptisms observed May 30 • Infant baptisms observed Father’s Day, June 20. • To move forward with any of these commitments, contact Christy at baptism@college-church.org or call the church.
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Children’s Ministries Sunday morning nursery, preschool and Bible school (grades 1-5), weekly reservations required. Wednesday Evening Clubs (Boys Brigade and Pioneer Girls) for grades 1-5. Registration required at college-church.org/children/weeklyprograms
Middle School Middle schoolers are meeting in Commons Hall on Tuesday nights beginning at 6:45 p.m. On Sunday mornings, plan to attend worship services with your family.
“Everyone who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock” (Matthew 7:24). Would you like to know how to interpret and apply what you are reading in your Bible so that you may be like the wise man that built his house on a rock? Hermeneutics, which is all about studying and interpreting the Bible, is our topic of discussion in Men’s Bible Study. Dr. Victor Kuligin and Pastors Josh Stringer and Ben Panner will lead the teaching through a variety of topics as we learn how to apply God’s Word to our daily lives. Each week stands on its own, so please join us when you can. For more information, please visit our Men’s Ministry website at collegechurch.org/men
Women’s Ministries Mom2Mom (Monday, May 3 | 7-8 p.m. | Fireside Room)
High School Sunday Night Live on April 11 and 18 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in Commons Gym. A special event is scheduled for April 25; details and time TBD.
STARS • Zoom Sunday morning class | 9:00 a.m. | May 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 • All STARS Parking Lot Event with dinner | 6-7 p.m., May 28
College Group Student Service: With COVID limitations, we are creating space for students to easily worship at 10:15 a.m. in the Commons each Sunday. Join us! Mid-Week Outdoor Small Groups: Monday-Wednesday at 7 p.m. Email Ben at bpanner@college-church.org for more details.
Men’s Ministries—Men's Bible Study Men’s Bible Study: Wednesdays, 6:45–8:00 p.m. In person C002, request Zoom link here: my.college-church. org/?page=3640
Join us as we discuss together the final chapter of Glory in the Ordinary by Courtney Reissig. We’ll review themes we’ve covered this year and consider together how to reflect God more fully in our parenting. Monthly Gathering, Saturday, April 10 | 9:00-10:30 a.m. | Commons Hall Women, join us Saturday morning (in person or by Zoom) for our Monthly Gathering discussion on the spiritual discipline of silence and solitude. This year we’ve been looking at spiritual practices that shape the follower of Christ – Bible intake, prayer, worship and fasting, and now—silence and solitude. We’ll enjoy a short teaching time on this, then roundtable discussions as we seek to consider together how to lean into this spiritual discipline. Next Women’s Monthly Gathering will be Saturday, May 1. Women’s Conference (May 14 & 15) Join us at College Church Friday night, May 14, for a session of worship, teaching and testimony. Plan to stay afterward for fellowship. Weather permitting, we’ll be outside on the patio. Then, come back Saturday morning for more time together in God’s Word and worship. We hope you’ll stay for a catered lunch on Saturday to wrap up our time together (lunch is optional). Due to COVID restrictions, we have limited spots available so be sure to register today to reserve your place.
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FACE TO FACE
Jennifer Wheatley Looks Back Jennifer Wheatley
You know you’re old when . . . you’re the only person left on staff who remembers bringing a floppy disk to work in the Brown House offices, hoping that a computer would be available! I began working with children’s choirs in 1990, and those early days in the church office, though a distant memory, keep coming to mind as my time working at College Church comes to an end. It’s with a mixture of sadness and excitement that I share with you that a new chapter is unfolding in our lives this summer. Greg and I are retiring and moving to North Carolina to be near our daughter Stephanie, her husband and our son-in-law, Chris Blumhofer, and our two granddaughters, Chloe and Marika. Preparing for this big change in our lives has brought back lots of memories. When the Brown House (situated along the north parking lot) was the church office, nearly 40 employees worked in that tiny space. The pastors (except for Kent Hughes) filled the upstairs rooms. Most of the non-pastoral staff occupied the basement. There was a rotating workstation that I could use when available. With my files stored in the back of our station wagon, I transported my work back and forth on floppy disks; I was doing remote work before it was trending. Back then, the main methods of communication were telephones and voicemail. (Email eventually became free in 1996, when Hotmail launched the first free web-based email service). So, in the early 90s, every communication I sent to children’s choir parents was contained on a postcard sent by snail mail. When creating programs for our children’s choir musicals and concerts, I would photocopy clip art and layout my programs on a lightboard. The finished product would then be sent out for printing. It was such a gift when Herb Carlburg had the technology to print our programs and brochures in-house. In my early days of ministry, I directed the Cherub Choir and was Paul Lusher’s secretary (the term “administrative assistant” wasn’t in vogue yet). Our part-time minister of music Paul was also responsible for our children’s choirs. As you can imagine, adding that to a very full music ministry schedule was difficult. As I began to help organize the children’s choir ministry, he asked if I would oversee the program. At that time, there were three children’s choirs and about 80 children involved. Our program has since peaked at nearly 200 children, and along the way, we’ve added a fourth choir.
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The first musical I directed was Music Machine, a story about the fruits of the Spirit. My husband, Greg, innocently volunteered to help me by singing the song “Have Patience” sung by Herbert the Snail. It was Marge Gieser who created a huge foam snail with a cutout for the head. When Greg’s solo came up, he slowly lifted the snail from behind the choir loft, poked his head out through the hole and sang “Have Patience” at a snail’s pace. I’m pretty sure Greg had no idea that a snail’s body would be involved when he volunteered. Thinking about it still makes me smile! Until the time of her illness, Marge faithfully worked with me on every musical we performed. An amazing artist, she would meet with my team each spring, listening carefully as we explained our vision. Then, we would step back and let Marge do her thing. Among our favorite musicals were Paul and Co. and Elijah. Some of you will remember the dramatic moment in Elijah when the great fireball falls from heaven to devour the altar. Marge led many hours of discussion coupled with trial and error to bring that fireball to creation! One of our most meaningful musicals was one that we created ourselves. Forward by Faith told the incredible history of College Church. College Church member Virginia Hughes thoroughly researched our history and turned it into a script. We added music, choreography, dance and special effects to create a musical that poignantly shows the faithfulness of God through difficult circumstances. Tim Hollinger worked his techno magic and spun us back in time to the 1930s by playing the music and events that represented each decade. There is real value in showing the children of the church where we’ve come from and how God has provided for us, especially when times are difficult. For many years now we have opened the choirs to families who want their children to have an opportunity to learn and grow within a children’s choir ministry but attend churches where
there is no children’s music program. And with the limited amount of time given to music in our elementary schools, I feel that the church has a responsibility to train and nurture our children to become lifelong worshipers in the church by instilling in them both a love for music and the tools they need to worship well. I am grateful that Pastor Erik Dewar is committed to finding the right person to oversee our children's choir ministries so they can continue to thrive. Children’s voices singing the truths of Scripture have a unique ability to touch the hearts of those who need to hear the gospel. I love the way D. L. Moody said it: “Singing does at least as much as preaching to impress the word of God on people’s minds.” I would add, all the more when it comes from the mouths of our children! One of my greatest joys is to see children who were trained in choirs now leading in worship. Jeremy Taylor and Rebecca Wolgemuth are just two of my former choir members who not only help lead in music but also send their children through choirs. Jeremy’s oldest daughter, Bethany, recently spent some time assisting me in children’s choirs. How can I be that old? And recently, we enjoy seeing Emma Kuruppacherry and Ambar Mejia-Gautreau and other high schooler students help lead in worship during the morning services.
From the beginning, Debbie Hollinger has served in this ministry as director of the Alleluia Choir for older girls. She has volunteered her time and given of her musical gifts all these years and has worked beside me planning and executing 60 musicals and concerts, as well as other singing opportunities that have come along for our children and teens. In fact, most of my volunteer staff has been with me for more than 15 years, and they continue to use their gifts to further our children’s music ministry. This faithful service is an incredible gift to me and to the church. As our season at College Church comes to an end, Greg and I will forever be grateful to this community of believers that has supported our family in training and nurturing us in the Lord. From the biblical training afforded our three children, where our kids came to understand the storyline of the Bible, the true gospel and saving faith in Christ alone to their HYACKs small groups to consistent expository preaching from the pulpit--we have all been blessed. I’m a big fan of denial, and I don’t look forward to saying goodbye to you and the children I serve. We plan to put our house on the market this month and anticipate moving later in the summer. This has been our church home for more than 30 years and finding a new church home will likely be one of the most difficult parts of our move. We covet your prayers as we make this transition! Thank you, College Church!
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Meet CHRIST CHURCH and pray for our new church plant
Thank you for your prayers for our new church plant. Lots of exciting things are happening and we want to ask that you continue to pray for us. The church is officially registered as Christ Church South Metro Atlanta, so now you can pray for us by name. Please join us in praying • that we would display God's glory by joyfully spreading the truths of the gospel. • that our ministry would be marked by gospel clarity and love. • that our team would prioritize knowing and loving Christ personally. • that our leadership team would be united in vision and Christlike love for each other. • that God would use us to make a generational impact in many families as we minister the gospel. • that many lives would be changed by the power of the gospel of God. • that our children would see the worth of Christ as we serve him. • that the Lord would continue to open opportunities for gospel partnership with other churches in the area.
PRAYER GATHERINGS ONLINE & IN PERSON Call the church office or email info@college-church.org for details on these prayer meetings. Sunday Morning Prayer (Online) 8-8:40 a.m. Led by Pastor Eric Channing Monday Morning Prayer (In person) 6:15-7:15 a.m. in C104A. Led by Elder Rob Wolgemuth Wednesday Night Prayer (Online) 7-8 p.m. Led by the Missions Office • May 5: J & B, serving Asia from Wheaton • May 12: Philip B, serving in Asia • May 19: Speaker TBD • May 26: Speaker TBD Friday Lunch Prayer for the Persecuted Church (In person) 12-1 p.m. in C101.
Aaron-Hur Prayer Fellowship will meet on Thursday,
May 27, at 7 p.m. at the home of Eric and Marilyn Enstrom, 1460 Stoddard Avenue in Wheaton, (630) 682-8341). Our guests will be Phil and Jessica Smith, serving worldwide with Accessible Hope International.
Hannah Prayer Fellowship will meet on Wednesday, May 12, at 1:30 p.m. in C101. Jeff Dusek will be sharing. Jeff and Margreet serve with Missionary Athletes International (MAI) and its Midwest ministry, the Chicago Eagles. The Eagles strive to communicate the message of Jesus Christ through the environment of soccer. You are welcome to join Hannah Fellowship for an update with the Duseks and their vital ministry to the youth through soccer.
Lydia Prayer Fellowship will
gather with Abigail Prayer Fellowship this month.
Abigail Prayer Fellowship will meet on
Our Prayer Pulse email goes out every Monday. You can get prayer updates via that email. Sign up by clicking "Enews signup" on our website. If you already receive other emails from College Church, click "manage my preferences" at the bottom of any email and select Prayer Pulse to add yourself.
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FACE TO FACE
Crash Landing in a Corn Field Katherine Baylis
I landed a job. Two weeks after my college announced that it was closing because of some virus I’d never heard of, I packed up everything I owned in 48 hours, said goodbye to friends I thought I had two more months with and got on a plane to LaGuardia to move back home; and then, I landed a job. My mom laughed when I tried to describe the position to her because all I could remember from the interview was that it involved math. So, when I got the offer, we were pretty confident that God was at work. A landing place and a launching pad: the slogan of the 20s Ministry. Also an accurate description, I must admit, but “landing” makes it sound as if we planned it that way. If you were to imagine how one would land a plane, you might think of a runway and tarmac, perhaps even a near-miss with the Hudson River. You certainly wouldn’t picture it hurtling towards the middle of a corn field, the navigation system a wreck and the wings stuck on with chewing gum, but that’s a far more precise depiction of how I landed here. I thought I’d know what it’d be like to live on my own for the first time. It was a naivete akin to my belief as a precocious college freshman that taking Latin for the first time at the college level wouldn’t be that hard. It was. My friends and I romanticized independence the summer after our junior year while living in an apartment above a boutique in Forest Park and commuting to our internships. We meal-prepped and made elaborate Sunday morning breakfasts. A far more accurate representation of early-20s adulthood is the belief that pizza rolls count as a meal so long as you have a vegetable with it. For four years I had attended College Church entirely by myself and saw no problem with that. I served in the nursery, but I never stayed afterwards to chat. Year by year, the Lord worked on my heart, slowly peeling away the false perceptions I had, both of myself and how one was to live in a Christian community. In the darkest points of those years, I often turned to friends first who were only able to pull me up halfway. It became clear that just relying on friends wasn’t enough, but in the moments, when I should have been leaning on God, I instead learned to be satisfied with good enough. In my last year of college, I had a friend who insisted that I should go to College Group. I said sure. And then week after week found some excuse not to go. Thinking back, I’m
convinced now more than ever that God used her persistence as the battering ram to my wall of obstinance and indifference. I eventually joined a college small group. While I enjoyed the weekly gatherings and meeting new people, it was the friendships that formed because of that group and the conversations that came out of it that started to cause a change in my heart. The community I found in that small group became a lifeline during quarantine. During that time, I must have filled out a dozen surveys sent out from my university, each asking what students needed. We had no idea what we needed. But I think we were mostly lonely. We all handled it and engaged with that feeling differently, but it was there all the same. I don’t recall how I passed each day except that my thesis was somehow completed, and papers were somehow submitted. The brightest spots were my Zoom meetings with my writing cohort and our College Group zoom calls. It became a running joke to keep track of how many days it had been since I’d gone outside. Mostly I just wrote. When I moved back to the area for work, I knew I’d drown in a sea of new responsibilities if I didn’t have the grounding of a solid community. Among the many things I didn’t anticipate was the struggle to make friends. Thankfully, I live with a friend who also attends College Church which helped immensely. After a few emails back and forth with the leaders, my roommate and I set out to our first Thursday night small group meeting. So, I landed in 20s Ministry. It was during that time last summer when most everyone carried lawn chairs in their trunks. It must have been someone’s birthday because I distinctly recall being offered a piece of ice cream cake as dusk was starting to fall. As the weeks went on, our gatherings stretched more and more consistently past dusk and into the evening. It seems right to say I’m on the other side of it now, of being new and starting over, that is. But I didn’t get there as quickly as I thought I would. About three or four months in, both at my new job and in my new small group, I felt overwhelmingly lonely again, which didn’t seem right, considering I’d made friends in both my work and social circles and enjoyed both immensely. I realized I didn’t feel known. Although not overly shy, I tend to observe more than participate in large groups and I had
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started to feel as though I had unintentionally put myself on the sidelines. Eventually I started to see different friendships grow. It wasn’t until we had an influx of new people join our group that I realized just how much they’d grown and how comfortable it all seemed to me. The refrain of early 20s adulthood seems to be, “It’s just so hard to make friends.” I’ve seen it constantly across social media and heard it from nearly everyone who’s joined our small group. The pandemic seems to only have exacerbated what would already have been an inevitable struggle. But the real difficulty for people in this life stage lies in making Christian friends who can point you back to God. In my experience, the seasons when I’ve been the least connected to other Christians are the ones where my spiritual life has taken the most hits. It's the difference between elbowing your way down the crowded streets of Times Square alone versus walking with a few others going the same direction as you. One can accomplish much more in the latter scenario. While a strong community might not have been a central point to my spiritual life two or three years ago, I’m grateful that it is now.
College Church Fellowship Meals Friday night supper on June 18, or Saturday morning brunch on June 19 As we regather both as a church and as a community, we are excited to continue our Fellowship Meals. Meant to provide a friendly, informal and safe way to meet one another, come and enjoy a delicious potluck meal and a sweet time of fellowship together. This isn’t a gourmet supper club, but an opportunity to meet new people or strengthen and deepen existing relationships in our College Church family. All ages and backgrounds are welcome. We need both hosts and guests—especially hosts—willing to open their homes (or backyards, patios, nearby parks). Choose a Friday evening supper (for adults only), or a family brunch on Saturday (for families/all ages). These gatherings are for good food, good conversation and ideal opportunities to meet more people in our church family. Please sign up by June 8 to be part of these church potluck meals. If you have questions, please contact Jerry Jagrowski at 630-479-9314 / racharah@sbcglobal.net or Meagan Godoy at 630-200-8378 / meagan.godoy@gmail.com Please sign up below to be part of these church potluck meals: college-church.formstack.com/forms/fellowship_ meal_signup Sign up for the potluck!
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Adult life is incredibly weird. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve said that in the last year. I’m not sure what the past year would’ve looked like had I not found 20s Ministry. But perhaps I would have been okay. Perhaps I would have simply read more books, learned to cook better, gone on more walks to pass the time. After all, seasons of being alone do not always breed loneliness. But when I think of the incredible personal and spiritual growth I’ve experienced in the last year, I know it would not have happened had I not been surrounded by Christians in my life stage, supporting and challenging me. I’ve never stood in a corn field (shocking, I know) but I would imagine being lost in one would be rather disorienting. If you sit on the ground, you may feel protected but inevitably the enormity of the stalks will overwhelm you. You can wander, shouting over the tops, hoping someone will shout back. But if there were a clearing, some place where you could see around you for a second and where others might also find each other, it would all feel a little less terrifying. Because even if we’re all a little bit lost, at least we can be a little bit lost together.
LIFE LESSONS
The Bucket List Pat Cirrincione
I remember it clearly. My “Bucket List,” created in my midthirties, was a list of what I wished to accomplish before I died. Was I ready to share this list, and my escapades, with the rest of you? After much prayer, thoughtful mind wrestling and more prayer, well why not. I couldn’t be the only one out there wondering if they should share a “bucket list,” and what if, just if, it could be a gift to another person? This seemed unbelievable, but then, a lot of unbelievable has happened since the Lord came into my life. As I mentioned, the list began in my mid-thirties…. the desire to do things I’d always wanted to do as a child growing up, but in a family of six that lived paycheck to paycheck, my dreams weren’t going to be fulfilled. There wasn’t money for music lessons, let alone dance, voice or drama classes. These were considered a frivolity when money was needed for food, clothing and bills. Instead, I lost myself in books and movies. I became Jo March from Little Women, Anne (with an E) of Green Gables and studied dance by watching Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly dance in their movies. I dreamt dreams of grandeur while helping the family get by, which wasn’t a hardship as I loved them all so much. Still, a girl can have her dreams of becoming the next prima ballerina. Hence, the “bucket list.” It consisted of taking ballet, tap and jazz classes, flute and piano lessons, voice and finding God (yes, in that order, again, what did I know). It began with taking ballet classes at a ballet studio that forced my first position turnout, (a big no-no when it came to adults like myself, because it could ruin your knees). Yet it was so exhilarating to be in pink tights and a black ballet leotard and pink ballet slippers, holding on to the ballet barre as I learned the five-ballet foot and arm positions. I was in heaven but wanted more than pliés and arm positions. I found another studio that trained its dancers to become real live ballerinas. My new ballet instructor told me not to expect much at my age as she handed me a band for my knee and asked why I was forcing a turnout. I was also told that I would never be able to accomplish the splits or earn my point shoes. Did that deter me? Always one to rise to the occasion of a challenge, I disciplined myself to work at home every day on the splits until I was able to do them and earned my point shoes. The hard work led to a small part in The Nutcracker! Imagine
that! Baryshnikov had everything on me! Four years later I was not only doing pointe classes but taking tap and jazz classes as well. I was in dance heaven! Eventually the director asked me to teach three- and four-year-olds the joy of ballet and to fill in teaching the new older adults like I had once been. Then it happened. I came down with dancer’s feet, with bunions that would surprise me with their pain as I was walking and make me hold on to a wall for support. Off I went to a podiatrist, who had begun his career in New York working with ballet dancers from the ballet companies located there. Yes, I needed surgery, and yes, if I kept dancing there could be a reoccurrence. Hence, my dancing career came to a screeching halt, but oh, what a thrill it had been! Meeting dancers from all over the world, doing workouts at LeBarre, and even getting invited to New York for a weekend to practice with New York City Ballet, which I never got to go to because of my surgery. After four years of hard work and enjoyment, it was over. Now what? Not one to be deterred, I decided that it was time for flute, piano and voice lessons! I began weekly piano lessons from the same woman who came to the house to teach our sons. She was very sweet but made me aware that I would need to practice a lot! My fingers required a nimbleness they no longer possessed. However, I stayed at it every day for about a year, and to this day, I can play a fairly decent Chopsticks. Flute was another story. My sister, who is very good at anything she does, was blowing into that instrument and emitting beautiful sounds from her second week on. Me, not so much. After three weeks, I still could not get one sound out of my flute, and the instructor even suggested that maybe I should just give
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up and quit. I just couldn’t do it; quit, that is. I persisted and within another week, I was getting sounds out of my flute that probably alarmed anyone who heard them. I did get better, but knew a philharmonic orchestra was not in my near, immediate or future life. Voice led me to a Sweet Adeline barbershop group chorus in town. Again, my sister and I went together, and yes, they took her immediately, while I was placed in a probationary capacity. They just weren’t sure about my voice quality, even though I had always thought I had a lovely singing voice. Again, I persisted, worked hard and eventually my sister and I had our own quartet! We called ourselves “The Resounders.” All this led me to win the “most improved” voice award. My dance background also led me to becoming the chorus choreographer. But alas, all good things must come to an end. Over those four years, I learned about discipline and a little about a lot; however, the best was yet to come. All this time God had been steering me towards him. Little did I know that I was on God’s “Bucket List.” His list is what began my next journey and destination. Although my original bucket list bridges are burned as far as my active participation, the decision to follow God in my life has been the right one to pursue and build my life on, and it is also becoming one of my greatest strengths as God’s grace continues to be sufficient for me. As Elisabeth Elliot said in Ellen Vaughn’s book Becoming Elisabeth Elliott, “the second that any of us starts to get preoccupied with our power, platform, image, or identity is the moment that we run into trouble. The search for recognition hinders faith. We cannot believe so long as we are concerned with the ‘image’ we present to others. When we think in terms of ‘roles’ for ourselves and others, instead of simply doing the task given us to do, we are thinking as the world thinks, not as God thinks. The thought of Jesus was always and only for the Father. He did what he saw the Father do. He spoke what he heard the Father say. His will was submitted to the Father’s will.” I began to realize that I was thinking as the world thinks, not as God thinks. In trying to transform myself through the worldly disciplines of dance, music, drama and voice, my transformation (although I didn’t know it then) had already been planted. My courses of learning and training from my “bucket list” were preparing me for learning and training in the Word of God, the Lord’s Supper and fellowship. As J. I. Packer says in his introduction to Donald Whitney’s book Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life: “God has called us to pursue godliness through practicing the disciplines out of gratitude for the grace that has saved us, not as self-justifying or self-advancing effort.” God prepared me for the workout to find health for my soul.
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“In any discipline, whether it be sports, music, the trick is to bring the materials to life and deliver it in such a way that it becomes a gift to the world” (Overcomer, by Chris Fabry). A discipline, no matter what it is, should be worked at with all your heart, as if you’re working for the Lord and not for people. My identity was being tied to what I gave my heart to, and the Lord wasn’t in first place. Like Jacob, in Genesis, my human strengths and weaknesses had to be matured by God’s refining work in my life. It hasn’t been easy. I was not, and am not, always obedient but God has been tenacious in his pursuit. He keeps designing circumstances to break me of my wrong thinking and actions. For example: a few years ago, as I was working out at the health club, I saw a ballet barre. I could not resist walking over to it and raising my right leg on it to do some stretches. To my embarrassment, I couldn’t bring my leg back off the barre! I stood there, on one leg, for what seemed liked hours before I had the nerve to ask another person for help in getting my leg down. That was God’s sense of humor at play, while showing me my sin of pride. He continues to be committed to my growth in him, even with my ongoing setbacks. As I learned to discipline myself in dance, voice and music, I wasn’t sure where any of it was going to lead. I had a full-time job and was raising a family, but God’s plan persisted. Imagine if God had not taught me to give up on any of my dreams, I would not have understood what his dream was for me….to be “born again.” Little did I realize that he was steering me toward his personal and interpersonal spiritual disciplines. Like my bucket list activities, his spiritual disciplines are activities that need to be practiced for the purpose of godliness. In his book Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, Donald S. Whitney sums it up well when he mentions that “the only way to be spiritually disciplined is to model what we are taught in the Bible, knowing and experiencing God and growing in Christlikeness.” Hence, what God was really allowing me to learn from my bucket list endeavors was that the more I practiced, the deeper I would come to understanding each of his disciplines. With God’s help, and the discipline he taught me in dance, music and voice, I would learn that disciplines are means, not ends. That as we grow in conformity (both inward and outward), that my bucket list was really an exercise in how to grow in conformity to both the heart of Christ and the life of Christ. Without learning to practice in ballet, music and voice, my performances would have been mediocre, filled with vanity and empty. Who knew that God foresaw all these things long before he brought me home? My bucket list was just the beginning, as God was going to lead me into something much deeper – the spiritual disciplines he was going to set before me.
SIDE BY SIDE
Compelling Biblical Truths John Melby
Exegesis and hermeneutics Exegesis and hermeneutics? Attending in person at the first Men’s Ministry session of 2021 on Wednesday, February 3, I learned about the words “exegesis” and “hermeneutics.” At first, those two words seemed boring or hard to understand. I was thinking why am I in the room? This was an ideal time for Zoom. I could use my static screen portrait and hide out when the learning became too tough.
house on the rock. What does that really mean? How do I build my house there? Is it a solid, stable place in which to actually live? Is the rock a place of fearing less and knowing more truths about life and the life after based on deeper study of the Bible? The first place to start in answering those questions is a deeper, wider and more wise study of the Bible. Seems obvious. What is happening for me is that this Men’s Bible study is more complete in answering those questions.
Thankfully, the teaching team grabbed my whole attention early in the meeting. The study quickly became more compelling and richer to me vs. my previous Bible studies. The Men's Bible Study teachers began teaching about how to study and interpret the Bible in a way I had not previously experienced.
The reality is, for me as a lifelong Christian, I have dimly studied the Bible. Yet, I think I am a faithful Christian. In college, I took semesters of study in both the Old and New Testaments. Now, I consistently attend church services and men’s ministry each week, and I usher.
The current Men’s Ministry study is titled, Building Your House on the Rock. The guiding book for the study is How to Read the Bible for All its Worth by Gordan Fee and Douglas Stuart. My two cents? It is an excellent Bible study book.
As far as real Bible study, however, I was not building my house on the rock. With this session, that Bible learning ambivalence is fading away. The teachings have brought a brighter and enriching light into my faith.
Summarized from the book publisher’s information:
How so? What is happening in the Men’s Bible study meetings to brighten that light after many years of living in a lowlight Bible knowledge The College Church’s Men’s Ministry has world? been meeting on Wednesday evenings at
The focus of the book is on differences in genres within the Bible. There are practices both live in the Commons, room C002, and Well, back to exegesis and to encourage an appreciation by Zoom. The Men’s Bible study enriches hermeneutics and adding for simply reading the a man’s personal spiritual life, by growing the word “truths.” The first Bible. The authors, Fee his knowledge of God and his Word through two are year 2021 new words (former Wheaton College a church community of men. For more for me. Truth, of course, is instructor) and Stuart, are information, go to: college-church.org/men something most everyone two experienced seminary searches for all their lives. professors who believe in Absolute truth is being the understanding, obeying and best version. applying biblical text. The In the current secular world, it is generally popular to think book emphasizes both exegesis and hermeneutics. there are no absolute truths. Relative truths are popular and As I attend each study session, either in person or by zoom, reveal from a thought process in which most every decision is there is a combination of learning about various Bible relative. What is true for some might not be true for others. translations and interpretations as well as an emphasis on better Today, culture is more a “whatever” relativistic world. understanding biblical context. Also, there is analysis on how the gospel is threaded throughout the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. Going back to the title of the current Men’s Ministry session, I was curious how this Bible study was going to help me build my
As Christians, we know that Jesus Christ teaches about truth. He says there is truth, and he is the truth. John 14; 6, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
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Then what are exegesis and hermeneutics? How do they help us define truths? How do they help the Bible come alive for those who study it? In their book, authors Fee and Stuart wrote that one of the main objectives in writing the book is the goal of describing the different genres of the books of the Bible. The study strategies, as an example, for the Book of Psalms and the Epistles should be different. They clearly are different and were written in different times in history. Exegesis and hermeneutics are key tools used in Bible study strategies. Fee and Stuart define exegesis as the careful, systematic study of the Scripture to discover the original, intended meaning—to learn what was the original intent of the words of the Bible. Hermeneutics is “the process of applying the original text and i’s intended meaning to become culturally relevant to today’s reader.” Another way to describe what exegesis and hermeneutics are comes from a YouTube video of Fee in the classroom teaching. In that, he said exegesis describes the then and there while hermeneutics explains how to move to the here and now. Exegesis describes what was happening at the time of the events being written from perspectives of the writer and reader. Hermeneutics explains how readers of the Bible now can apply what was written back then to their lives today from God’s perspective. Basically, what is God teaching? Why is this so important? From my personal example, prior to the Men’s Bible study, I thought parts of the Bible, especially the Old Testament, were less real and relevant to my everyday life than the New Testament what Jesus taught. However, what I am learning is the foundation of the Christian faith is in studying the entire Bible. My opportunity is doing more of it. Truthfully, I spend too much time researching something to buy and less time studying the Bible. The Wednesday evening Bible study amps up my Bible study light making the Bible more interesting…actually, compelling! Whether in person or attending by Zoom, the learning light is shining brighter. By the way, in the pandemic world, I find Zoom meetings
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and in person attendance are a combination that works well. I can follow conversations and understand messages either way. Obviously, being in the room makes for more of a community of people gathering in His name. However, not having to drive a half hour each way is helpful. That may be one reason Men’s Ministry has more Zoom participants, in addition to pandemic concerns. Also, with Zoom attendance, I am able to do some iPad researching while the speaker is talking. I have not missed a class this session attending both live and by Zoom. The exceptional teachers, the rich content and the Fee/ Stuart book all keep the study at a rich, intelligent and wise level that that I have not experienced before. These compelling studies have triggered my own Bible research. As mentioned earlier, I watched a video of Dr. Gordon Fee lecturing in a classroom to young missionary students. One section describes what Fee thought God’s teaching plan is. Fee concludes that God himself has chosen to speak his truths not by great voices from heaven. God speaks his word in real situations to real people in a real historical context. God choose to become involved in human history. The incarnate Son of God wore diapers in a real world, and he lived a real human life. It was not a fake human life, and it was not some kind different human than ours. Jesus is truly God and truly man. So, God has lived out a truly human life on the planet earth. That should give us great courage as we regard how God chose to come and make himself known to us and how he revealed himself to us in Scripture. The Bible would have been a simple thing if we only had just so many propositions to follow. As it is, we always have to wrestle with the exegesis and hermeneutical questions. Praise God! He chose to reveal himself in history where we are now. His teaching plan does have a requirement to diligently study and apply the learning. This session of Men’s Bible study is giving me that gift. Thanks, and praise to God! Please consider attending the men’s Bible study. All men are always welcome at any meeting. If you have not attended before, maybe start first by attending via Zoom meeting.
LOCALLY SOURCED
Resurrecting Biblical Hospitality Kat Haase, member of our Evangelism & Culture Impact Committee
Safe Families for Children is a movement fueled by thousands of families who practice biblical hospitality. By extending hospitality to others in need, Safe Families for Children returns the church to its historic role of caring for the orphan and the widow. Safe Families facilitates local church families to host vulnerable children and creates extended family–like supports for those families in desperate need. Local churches, including College Church, have families who volunteer and are trained to care for children whose parents or guardians are struggling by opening up their own homes to the children for weeks or months at a time. Safe Families provide for the less fortunate families in their communities by: • Keeping children safe during a family crisis such as homelessness, hospitalization or domestic violence in an effort to prevent child abuse and/or neglect. • Supporting and stabilizing families in crisis by surrounding them with caring, compassionate community. • Reuniting families and reducing the number of children entering the child welfare system as an alternative to foster care, where appropriate The church is reemerging as a champion for families in need, even as our society faces legal and governmental constraints and depleting resources. College Church would love for more families in our church to prayerfully consider opening their homes in this way. Laurie and Rob Nordstrom are College Church members. They have four children and have been involved with Safe Families for Children. Here they tell a little more about their experience: Laurie, how did you first come to know about Safe Families? We learned about it through College Church. A number of families have been involved in Safe Families over the years, and the church encouraged people to consider it. Peter and Elizabeth Hubbard shared their experience with us as well.
What made you interested in getting involved? Six years ago, College Church was encouraging adoption, foster care and Safe Families as good options to reach out and minister to the needs of children and families. As we looked into the different options, we thought that the ministry of Safe Families fit our family the best. We believed it was a ministry that our whole family could be involved in, and our children would learn a great deal from. What has been your involvement? We have hosted five children over the past five years. One child was a preschooler, and the other four were babies. What has been something unexpected in your involvement? One of the greatest blessings has been experiencing the body of Christ working together through Safe Families. We have brought children into our home, but the body of Christ has received them and has together ministered to them. This would have been almost impossible by ourselves. You don't have nine months to prepare for a Safe Families child; sometimes it is hours, and you never know what age child will come into your house. Suddenly you need diapers or clothes for a fouryear-old, boys’ things or girls’ things. The body of Christ has provided diapers, meals, used clothing, highchairs, babysitting, encouragement and respite. Nothing is more exciting and encouraging than working together as the body of Christ. As missionaries, we see that partnership all the time to reach the lost with the gospel. When we signed up for Safe Families, we actually didn't expect that we would have the same experience of teamwork as we do in missions. How has the experience affected your family or extended family? Welcoming another child into your home is not easy. A new child disrupts your family dynamics in multiple ways. We were surprised at how quickly our own four children adjusted and accepted these little ones. They quickly became very attached to the Safe Families children. It was extremely difficult when the time came to say goodbye and return the child to his or her
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is the grace God has extended to us. How great is his love for us. Just as we love these children even though they can't give us anything, He also loves us even though we can never repay him. Why is Safe Families an important ministry? Safe Families is at heart a hospitality ministry; it's giving a cup of cold water in the Lord's name to the needy. There are many struggling families out there who have few or no relatives who can help them in a crisis. Who better to come alongside them than Christian families? Many children would have ended up in foster care if a Safe Family had not been available to care for them while their parents recovered from illness or found a safe living situation.
family. As parents we wondered if the emotional stress on our children was too much to ask of them. In faith we say, “No, it's not too much for them.” Our kids are learning what it means to love and lose. And then, not to become hard or bitter, but to open their hearts and love again. What is one thing you learned about God from your involvement? We've learned more about God's grace and love. We've extended grace to these families for a short time, but how much greater
What is something that you would like our congregation to know about? The average Safe Families child will stay with you for about two months, but placements range from two days up to six months. You will have a coach or social worker that meets with you and helps you throughout the placement. The goal of Safe Families is to protect the child during the crisis and then reunite the child to the parent(s). If you are interested in hearing more about Safe Families, please contact Laurie Nordstrom or email Kate Roe at kateroe0325@ gmail.com
Visit Pastor Josh’s Bible-teaching ministry at godcenteredlife.org. You can have daily devotionals delivered right to your inbox. There is also a daily teaching program streamed online, through podcasts, and at over 50 radio stations nationally. You can listen locally on Moody Radio (WMBI) at 10 p.m. M-F and 7:30 p.m. on Sunday. Your prayers and partnership with this ministry are greatly appreciated.
Peaceful Praying Outside Planned Parenthood: Planned Parenthood in Aurora is the largest abortion facility in the Midwest where about 300-400 babies lose their lives each month. Waterleaf, a pregnancy resource center, is across the street. Abortion industry workers report that when women see peaceful prayer outside an abortion facility, abortion appointment cancellations go up significantly. We will pray outside Planned Parenthood on Waterleaf's property for an hour monthly in cooperation with 40 Days for Life. There will
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be plenty of space for social distancing. Sarah Lindquist will guide this time of singing a few hymns and prayer for the babies, clients, workers, our community, and nation. • When: Saturday, May 8, from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm • Where: Planned Parenthood, 3051 E New York St, Aurora, IL 60504 • Parking: Please park in the AutoZone or Mariano’s parking lot.
LIFE LESSONS
Family Worship Josh and Caitlin Maurer
Thinking about bringing your children into the service to worship with you can seem like a battle not worth fighting. We sat down with Josh and Caitlin Maurer to ask why they invest time and energy to include their children in corporate worship. Kid’s Harbor hopes this interview will help families see the fruitfulness of worshiping together and give practical ideas of how to do it. Why include young children in corporate worship? Josh: Parents, first, be convinced this is a good thing. There are all sorts of obstacles. There are days when we think, “Why are we doing this?” If you are considering bringing your children into corporate worship, it is crucial to believe worshiping together as a family is important. When we look at the Scriptures, all the way from the beginning, we see an assumption that families are together, and kids are hearing the reading of the law and asking questions about the law. From the beginning of the Bible all the way to the New Testament, the assumption is that children are present. Paul wrote Ephesians and Colossians to be read publicly, and he addresses children. What does that imply about children’s presence within the larger community? Also, things are more often caught than taught. Discipleship implies modeling. Yes, teaching too, but there is untapped power in children just watching mom and dad worship, open their Bibles, read, pray and sing. One of the things that convinced me years ago when I was pastoring was the pervasive influence of simply 18 years (give or take) of watching mom and dad engage with God. One writer says, “You’ll never know what crack your influence in engaging with God might open in a child’s heart for the spirit to grab hold.” Of course, the small ones are not cognitively grasping much of what is happening or embracing abstract concepts, but they are learning from watching. The key is that parents are actively engaging with God. If parents are just bumps-on-a-log, then maybe kids would be better off in a separate class. Barna statistics show that families with a regular rhythm of worship together by and large have kids that continue with church into adulthood. Of course, this is not automatic. Kids become their own person and are responsible before God, but generally, if parents are genuinely engaged in worship, it has a positive impact on kids. The value of being together is in the multiplication of these experiences over time—they are not always immediately identifiable.
What does bringing children into corporate worship communicate to their hearts? Caitlin: Some of the messages we communicate to our kids are: • You, little person, are an important part of this family (church and nuclear). Your voice matters, and this Word being preached is applicable and life giving for all of us. • You can join in and take responsibility for your own faith and participation. You can pay attention and learn something and express yourself out loud. Look at all these other people who have broken families and are imperfectly walking with the Lord or are learning about him for the first time. • God is worthy—of our praise, our attention, our unity, our repentance, our faith, and our trust. • We like you! We want you here with us. We want to hear your questions later and have conversations about what you heard and observed. • We are the church—in the building with other believers and out and about as a nuclear family. How do you prepare children for corporate worship at home in your family devotional time and conversations about church? Josh: During family devotions, we practice sitting still and quiet. Kids can be taught to sit still. It is possible, but it requires some fortitude on the part of the parents. When they act up, we remind them in sensitive ways of expectations and discipline them in age-appropriate ways. It’s hard, but so many times parents don’t want to have the struggle, the fight, the battle of the wills when we are trying to focus ourselves during church.
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Give kids practice at home with times to follow instructions. It takes a while. Commit to the long haul! A valuable idea might be to read the scripture passage that will be preached on ahead of time together as well. Also, when we are putting the kids to bed on Saturday night, we share what we are excited about for Sunday to foster anticipation like gathering with our church family, singing, and learning.
reminders or has a bad day and doesn’t want to write, but on the whole, she can write down what is going through her mind as she listens to the sermon.
How do you prepare specifically that day?
Josh: There is no shame in taking your children out. Make use of the narthex and balcony. You are not disrupting the service! Frame distraction under the sovereignty of God. God knows what is coming ahead of time, so in the quietness of your own heart, understand that whatever happens in the service is good for us. Take it in stride. The hustle and bustle are real life. Sometimes we set up Sunday morning service as the holy of holies. But Paul calls the church a “household,” so we should expect household needs taking place when we gather. Imagine being in the first century church. Most Christians were in house churches. What did that look like? There was reverence, but it was not like Carnegie Hall. All the things that we love on Sunday mornings can be done in the midst of distractions or changes to our plans.
Caitlin: Grab a worship bag on your way into the service. These are great, but we save these materials for sermon time. We reinforce our expectations that our children should stand, sit, sing and speak along with the adults as the opening sections progress. It’s ok if they are just observing too. For toddlers, I pack a few special items—bangle bracelets, paper, pencils, crayons, post-its, a notebook, quiet toys, or stickers to use during the sermon. Small books that they know and can independently look at are great. Teach them how to speak in a whisper voice! Practice and reward it at home, and then use it in church too—make it a game if you have to. Water WOW packs are great (the water pen on reusable pictures). They make zero mess and can be used over and over. I pack a little mirror so they can stare at their little selves and make faces or play peekaboo. Set yourself up for success with bathroom breaks right before church and maybe a treat incentive at the end. A doll, stuffed animal or toy that they can snuggle and put to sleep is good too, since they’ll likely be quiet while “baby is sleeping.” What are some things your kids do during the service? Josh: Our two-year-old loves to change laps. We don’t expect her to sit in one place during the whole sermon. I know she is two and isn’t understanding most of what Pastor Moody says, and I’m ok with that because every night at home we are teaching her on her level. More important for her is seeing mom and dad singing and engaging with God. Our older girls have a notebook they bring to the service to take notes in as they listen to the sermon. Our 8-year-old writes down words that she hears or is thinking about. Maybe she writes down a phrase. I always look over it after church during lunch and we have a short conversation about it. She knows dad is going to ask about it. Our nine-year-old listens carefully, and we ask her to write down whatever strikes her or something that she has a question about, and we will talk about it later. It doesn’t have to be an outline. We tell her, “You are listening to a word from God that is meant to penetrate into your mind and heart in a direction of encouragement, challenge or change. What is God prompting your heart to ponder? If you need to stop and pray for a moment, by all means do that. This is not an assignment to hand in after the service.” Every once and a while, she needs
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Measure where your own child is at and set expectations for them assuming that as they get older, they can handle more. What if my kids don’t behave perfectly in the service?
Also, commit to the long haul. You can’t try for two weeks and then give up. That’s not how it works. Kids have to be conditioned, and after a month or two they get the rhythm. For us, it’s now a rare Sunday that is really hard. Caitlin: Keep in mind, there needs to be a “period of adjustment.” It won’t be great the first time...it might take several weeks to get into your family’s rhythm and find it lifegiving for you all. However, if expectations are fair and some reward of quality time or incentive is given for even small gains, it will get better! What closing encouragement would you give to parents? Josh: Kids are being shaped. There is so much pressure on us culturally right now to view our kids as independent choicemakers who can create their own stories. There is an impulse to fear indoctrination or shaping kids too much, and my response to that is that kids do not know what is best for them, pure and simple. Parents’ jobs are to help shape them into the person that God calls them to be. How that plays out in terms of church is helping them understand that church is absolutely vital. It is important for us to be at church to receive and also to serve. We drill it into them, and they don’t always like it. They don’t always like a lot of things that are good for them. It’s not always peachy, and sometimes Sunday morning drives are the absolute worst. What can go wrong does. But when that happens, we pause, pray, remember God’s providence over this moment, and try to get back on track. If you put in the work especially when they are young, it will get easier. And not only that, it will become enjoyable, a highlight of your week.
SIDE BY SIDE
God Centered Life Update Stann Leff At God Centered Life, our passion is the Gospel. Our vision is all generations living for God. God Centered Life (GCL) is an extension of College Church’s ministry outside of its four walls—the broader media ministry of Senior Pastor Josh Moody. Each day it distributes Bible teaching from the pulpit ministry of College Church to a growing audience in the United States and around the world. The ministry features a daily Bible teaching broadcast now heard on more than 50 radio outlets and several Internet channels, as well as an array of devotionals, articles and other helpful resources. The ministry website, www.godcenteredlife.org, ministers to more than 4,000 users each month and has seen visitors from 186 countries in the last year and all 50 states. Ministry Impact International reach is inspiring. How wonderful that God Centered Life can leverage the teaching of Pastor Josh and share it globally. The media ministry truly is an extension of College Church’s global mission effort. Yet touching individual lives with the gospel is what the work of GCL is all about. Here is a sampling of the notes and letters the ministry has received: I ended up re-dedicating my life on Monday, then I ended up turning on Moody Radio Tuesday… I want to be truly a godly believer like James 1 says. I need the implanted word. I raised my hand at home. God bless your ministry! God bless you in Wheaton especially at this time. Thanks for these messages. Thank you for your daily message and resources to keep us on the narrow path. Thank you for all of your wonderful broadcasts. I listen to them most weeknights. Please keep up the great work. God Centered Life has been encouraging and has sent some great resources in the mail and I really do appreciate all of that very much. Thank you so much. Website Traffic – Visit godcenteredlife.org God Centered Life features a robust web presence providing access to audio teaching, blog posts, devotional materials and articles. These resources are vital as they encourage spiritual growth and provide a means to allow listeners to catch portions of messages missed on the radio. The potential for reach is virtually unlimited online. The website saw more than 50,000 users for the 12 months ended March 31, 2021. This is up from 28,900 during the 12 months prior, reflecting an increase of 74%! The devotional pages are particularly popular among users and were visited over 100,000 times in the last 12 months. If you would like to receive Pastor Josh’s daily devotional via email, simply visit the website at www.godcenteredlife.org and go to the devotional page.
Online Broadcasting – Visit www.oneplace.com/god-centeredlife/ God Centered Life’s daily Bible teaching program is offered online at the GCL website, but is also distributed on several other online platforms, including OnePlace.com, MyHopeNow.com, twr360.com (the worldwide ministry platform of TransWorld Radio) where you can hear both the most recent program as well as archived sessions. In addition, the largest Christian radio Bible teaching station in the Dallas area hosts God Centered Life in its limited circle of trusted Bible teachers at teaching.kcbi.org Online teaching portals provide specific and clear mechanisms for measuring listening audiences (which is difficult with Christian radio). For example, OnePlace.com has seen more than 44,000 streams of GCL content delivered to users in the past year, and more than 1,300 individuals have registered to become connected with the ministry. Radio The radio station network has expanded over the past year. In addition to the flagship broadcast here in Chicago, heard Monday through Friday at 10 p.m. on WMBI (90.1 FM) and at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday evening, God Centered Life is heard in Cleveland, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Madison and on nearly 50 other radio stations in Iowa, Minnesota, Georgia, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and downstate in Central Illinois. Each of these stations has expenses associated with the radio broadcasts, and God Centered Life relies on its partners (mostly here in the Chicago area and many from College Church) to support the broadcast financially. We anticipate donors in other areas will begin to cover the local costs of broadcasting in the future. The weekly radio listenership on the stations airing God Centered Life is difficult to estimate, but certainly exceeds 100,000. We praise the Lord for this powerful ministry tool which reaches far beyond the walls of our church. While some feel radio is no longer a vital medium of communication, it still reaches more than 90% of all Americans over the age of 18 every week. For years to come, radio will be a vital ministry tool, even as other audio teaching mechanisms (online, podcasts, smartphone apps, etc.) grow alongside it. As additional resources become available, more stations will be added. About the God Centered Life Team The ministry of GCL is led by Stann Leff serving as executive director who oversees a capable team, all of whom serve the ministry on a part time basis. Todd Busteed serves as the onair host of the broadcast and engineers the technical side of the program; Dick Epps, former longtime member at College Church, assists in stewardship development for the ministry; Anna Litfin assists with administrative support, and Robb Hansen and the firm Next Level Insights provide station relations services, broadcast strategy and website support. We also are supported by an elder liaison. Josh Moody is our president, and our board of directors includes Nancy Singer, David Gieser, Howard Costley, Bruce Howard and Tom Paulsen. To learn more about God Centered Life, go to www.godcenteredlife.org and sign up to receive the weekly devotional. Also, follow us on social media @godcenteredlife on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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NEW MEMBERS
Andrew Aldridge
Joel Barnes
Katherine Baylis
PLACES LIVED: Grew up in Wheaton and attended College Church.
PLACES LIVED: Grew up as a pastor’s kid and has lived in NJ, MI, FL and IL; also lived in Washington, D.C., and Dallas, TX.
PLACES I’VE LIVED: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and Connecticut.
FAMILY: Youngest child of members Brian and Donna Aldridge; brother to Katherine and Mary. 9 TO 5: Student at Indiana University, soon to be commissioned into the Army after graduation. PASTTIMES: Reading, movies and video games.
FAMILY: Married to Cary, two teenagers – Jessi and Reagan; son of longtime members Don (now deceased) and Joanne Barnes; brother-in-law to Kelly Hubbard. 9 TO 5: VP of Business Development for Magellan Health; has worked in that industry for 30 years. PASTTIMES: Activities with the family such as attending and participating in sporting events. CHURCH INVOLVEMENT: Has taught in Kids’ Harbor and was involved in Legacy Adult Community, small group, Upward basketball, ushering and more.
Cher Chao PLACES LIVED: Born in Taiwan, but lives in Guangzhou, China, where her parents are doing church planting. FAMILY: Has relatives in China and Taiwan, as well as two older siblings in the states. 9 TO 5: Student at Wheaton College PASTTIMES: Enjoys books, music and watching videos of The Bible Project.
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FAMILY: Her parents were missionaries teaching in Hungary when they met. Her father passed away when Katherine was 10 months old, and the family was living just outside Vancouver. She and her mom moved to the states when she was six to be closer to her mom’s family. Lived in CT until coming to Wheaton College. 9 TO 5: Works at Tyndale House Publishers as a Bible buyer. PASTTIMES: Reading, playing piano and sketching. CHURCH INVOLVEMENT: Small group, Kids’ Harbor nursery.
Viktoria Carderelli
Jazmin Castanon
Nate & Aimee Callender
PLACES LIVED: Born and raised in Brazil. Came to the states as an international high school student. Viktoria was recruited to play soccer at the University of Wisconsin. She came to College Church at the invitation of her former college roommate (and fellow Brazilian), Rebecca Orellana.
PLACES I’VE LIVED: Grew up in Chicago suburbs; college in Wisconsin.
PLACES LIVED: Nate grew up in Ecuador. Aimee grew up in Eugene, Oregon.
9 TO 5: Plays soccer, works at Amazon and is considering physical therapy school.
FAMILY: They met in college and married three years later. They have two children and a puppy!
PASTTIMES: Enjoys working out and playing soccer, reading her Bible and listening to sermons and going to new places.
9 TO 5: Nate works in information technology. Aimee is an associate professor of psychology at Wheaton College.
FAMILY: She has four siblings including a twin sister. She is the only one in her family living in the U.S.
CHURCH INVOLVEMENT: Small group.
9 TO 5: She works as a medical scribe at Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge. She’s also studying to take the MCAT in May.
PASTTIMES: Both enjoy time outdoors, taking walks or hikes and spending time with the kids and puppy. CHURCH INVOLVEMENT: Aimee has served in Kids’ Harbor and participated in Women’s Bible Study.
PASTTIMES: Learning more about Scripture through reading, study and online sermons and lectures; also playing soccer, cooking and travel. CHURCH INVOLVEMENT: Women’s Bible Study, small group.
Kevin & Suzanna Dickson FAMILY: They both grew up in Wheaton. Suzanna’s parents are College Church members Terry and Vonnie Van Someren. They are also related to Grant & Lisa Gibbons. 9 TO 5: Kevin owns a residential heating and cooling company in Naperville with his brother-in-law, Nick Van Someren. Suzanna worked as a pediatric nurse at Lurie’s Children’s Hospital and is now a homemaker full-time. PASTTIMES: Kevin enjoys watching sports and playing them with his kids. They enjoy time with their extended families. Suzanna enjoys working out and running, as well as time with friends and reading.
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BOOKSTALL
Summer Book Group 2021 The Summer Book Group Short List Here are book possibilities for the Summer Book Group. Watch future enews for the selection and details. Check them out: Delighting in the Trinity
Chasing Contentment
An introduction to the Christian Faith
Trusting God in a Discontented Age
By Michael Reeves
by Erik Raymond
ivpress.com/delighting-in-the-trinity
crossway.org/books/chasing-contentment-tpb/
Winsome Persuasion
Theologies of the American Revivalists
Christian Influence in a Post-Christian World
From Whifield to Finney
by Tim Muehlhoff and Richard Langer
by Robert W. Caldwell III
ivpress.com/winsome-persuasion
ivpress.com/theologies-of-the-americanrevivalists
Winsome Conviction Disagreeing Without Dividing the Church
Global Awakening
by Tim Muehlhoff and Richard Langer
How 20th-Century Revivals Triggered a Christian Revolution
ivpress.com/winsome-conviction
by Mark R. Shaw ivpress.com/global-awakening
MILESTONES Condolences • Pray for Brooks (Susan) Locke and family as they grieve the loss of Brooks’ father and College Church member, Jim Locke, who passed away unexpectedly on April 2. • Pray for Frederick Miller and family as they grieve the loss of his wife, Carol, who passed away on April 12. • Pray for the family of Gerrie Castillo, missionary of College Church, who went home to be with the Lord on Saturday, April 10. • Pray for the family of Janet Strobeck who passed away on April 7. Services have been held. • Pray for Marve Mayer and Janice (Rick) McKinley and family as they grieve the loss of Marve's wife and Janice's mother, Shirley, who passed away on April 4.
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• Pray for Janet Orme and family as they grieve the loss of Janet's brother, Paul Gilbert Truax, who passed away on Easter morning, April 4. • Pray for Shelley ( Jack) Swanson and family as they grieve the loss of Shelley’s mother, Mary Nelle Schaap, who died on April 3 at the age of 98, in Montrose, Colorado. • Pray for Karyn Hecht and family as they grieve the loss of Karyn’s father, David Cornwell Hecht, who passed away on March 31 in Vernon, Connecticut, at the age of 90. • Pray for Steve Ivester and family as they grieve the loss of Steve's father, David, who passed away on March 28 in New Hampshire. • Pray for Mary Hamm and family as they grieve the loss of Mary's husband, Dave, who passed away on March 22.
Marriages & Births • Ezra Benjamin Vazquez was born to Chris and Abby Vazquez on April 13. Ezra’s maternal grandparents are Claudia and the late Lee Gerwin.
• Henry James was born to Jay and Leah Gulbransen on March 27. Henry’s paternal grandparents are Ned and Linda Gulbransen. • Felicity Grace Ying was born to Andrew and Rebecca Boston on March 26. Felicity joins her two big brothers, Samuel and Jeremiah.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Service and Engagement Committee is spending the month of April “reaching out” to connect with members and regular attenders of College Church. This is just a way for them (and us!) to say hello to as many people as they can. Whether or worshiping via livestream or in person, we want to connect with you!
Tuesday, May 26 Watch for the sign-up link this month
Announcing our Kids’ Harbor Crew Team (formerly SICM) for Summer 2021: Ready your spyglass to watch for fun summer elementary activities like, “Ahoy, Crew!”, “Crew Club”, and “Crew Adventures”! All activities will take place Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Thursdays between 10:30-12 or 1:30-3. “Ahoy, Crew!” introduces kids to the Crew team with fun games and activities. Crew Club will be a Gospel-focused VBS-style outreach at church. Crew Adventures will be theme-based activity days. June 6: – Family Worship Sunday; no KH programs – Training for all summer KH volunteers June 13-August 15 9:30 Bible School programs for preschool and elementary; nursery available
New! 9:30 elective for upper elementary: “I’m a Christian Now!”; reservations needed New! 9:30 Family Discipleship workshop for parents and children up through 5th grade; topical, twice a month and reservations needed 11:15: Family worship in corporate service (limited nursery and preschool offered only for visitors or KH teacher’s children)
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