May 2024 Connections

THE SPRING AWAKENING ISSUE

Perspectives on New Beginnings from a Classroom to a Spring Garden

INSIDE

THE CLASSROOM OF GRACE

Susan Zimmerman

Learning more than she bargained for

MOTHER LOVE

Wallace Alcorn

Unspoken and unending love

PLANTING THE SEEDS

Virginia Hughes

Spring gardening and beyond

SUNRISE, SUNSET

Pat Cirrincione

Can a broadway musical be a spiritual experience?

12

AFRAID OF GOD

Judy Sattler

Reconsidering fear

22 THE COLLEGE CHURCH PRISON TASK FORCE UPDATE

Find out about one of our newest ministries

Our Pastors, Directors and Residents: Josué Alvarado, pastoral resident | Matt Anthony, pastoral resident | Cheryce Berg, director of children’s ministries Roger Burgess, pastor of visitation | Felipe Chamy, pastoral resident | Julie Clemens, director of disability ministries | Erik Dewar, pastor of worship and music | Baxter Helm, high school pastor | Dan Hiben, middle school pastor Tim Hollinger, technology director | Jim Johanik, pastor of evangelism | Ann Karow, human resources director | Howard Kern, facilities director | Bruce Main, pastor of visitation | Josh Maurer, pastor of discipleship | Curt Miller, missions pastor | Josh Moody, senior pastor | Richard Moomjian, pastoral resident Ben Panner, college pastor | Mindy Rynbrandt, director of women’s ministries John Seward, executive pastor | Nancy Singer, director of administration and finance | Wil Triggs, director of communications

Our Council of Elders: David Bea | Mark Berg | Mark Bradley | Howard Costley, chair | Steve Ivester | Glenn Kosirog | Josh Moody, senior pastor | Jeff Oslund Roger Sandberg | David Setran | Jeremy Taylor, secretary | Chad Thorson Brian Wildman, vice-chair

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

332 E. Seminary, Wheaton, IL 60187 (630)

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CONTRIBUTORS

WALLACE ALCORN

was born 93 years ago in Milwaukee to a father (of whom he has written here) who was a WWI veteran and engineering clerk, and a mother who worked out of the home only as part of the WWII war effort and to help their two sons through college He and Ann have been married for 65 years

PAT CIRRINCIONE

When not writing or praying for her grandchildren, Pat enjoys reading and baking and attending musicals Her greatest joys are God and her family, and time with both makes for much joy and laughter

SARAH LINDQUIST

serves with the Sanctity of Human Life Task Force and the Evangelism and Culture Impact Committee She homeschools her sons and teaches Suzuki violin and viola at the Community School of the Arts at Wheaton College

LELAND RYKEN

served as professor of English at Wheaton College for nearly 50 years He has authored or edited over fifty books He and his wife, Mary, have been members of College Church for nearly 30 years, and Leland has served on the Council of Elders and in Kids’ Harbor

JUDY SATTLER

and her husband, Tim, serve as College Church missionaries . Judy supports Tim in his role as founding partner at Fellowship of the Word She enjoys reading, writing and experiencing the wonders of God’s creation

NANCY TAYLOR

has attended College Church since coming with a friend to HYACKs, which also happens to be where she met her husband, Jeremy She currently serves in Kids Korner and the nursery

SHAUNA THORSON

has lived in Wheaton for most of her life and has attended College Church since 1979 Shauna was involved in student ministries, she and her husband, Chad, were married at College Church, and they raised their five children here as well Shauna enjoys time with her family and grandchildren, biking with her husband, reading and painting

LYDIA RENEE WRIGHT at fourteen-years-old, is the youngest regular member of College Church She is involved in KMs, our middle school ministry, and is in eighth-grade honors language arts at Kennedy Junior High School in Lisle

SUSAN ZIMMERMAN

loves studying Scripture in Women’s Bible Study and with the small group she and her husband, Todd, attend She recently appreciated the opportunity to sing with the choir during Passion Week services . She is looking forward to finding new inspiration for writing this spring and summer by keeping a journal highlighting travel experiences and time with grandchildren

GRADUATING TO SUMMER

WIL TRIGGS | EDITOR

May is the month for commencements and transitions to summer. I struggle with good-byes. Never liked them. Never will.

But I do like starting new things, exploring fresh looks at things I’ve been around and then discovering something I now see as new and fresh. It happens with the Bible or sunrises or my vegetable garden, bunnies notwithstanding.

There are many opportunities for discovery and renewal in this month and in this issue. Learning new things, such as Susan Zimmerman writes about herself and God, may be mirrored in our own lives. Virginia Hughes considers new perspectives on sowing and perseverance at a time like this. Pat Cirrincione reports a different sort of beginning again in light of a recent production of Fiddler on the Roof that she attended.

As Mother’s Day approaches, Wallace Alcorn provides a unique look back at his unique mother. Judy Sattler considers her own fear of and faith in God. Sanctity of Human Life Task Force member Sarah Lindquist writes about the legacy of life in a fresh way. And don’t miss the early look at our new ministry to prisoners from our Prison Task Force. And this May issues includes poetry from a new writer Lydia Wright, a student in our middle school ministry.

There’s also a special treat in the last two articles in this issue. Nancy Taylor writes of “A LIFE Well Lived,” to help us think through the stewardship of all God have given us. Her father, Leland Ryken, writes our Giving Joy column this month with a perspective on giving from William Tyndale. They make a wonderful combination.

For College Church, May is also the month for our Annual Meeting and the 2024 Annual Report. For me, that’s a lot right there. Add to it this year’s Gospel Now Project and, well, let’s just way I’m looking forward to June. But I have to say— participate in all this with all your heart. The call to pray, give and act, shouldn’t just be for a year, but for a lifetime. Let the journey, our journey begin.

THE CLASSROOM OF Grace

Susan Zimmerman

Many, many years ago, in a small, rural, Midwestern high school, a group of high schoolers sat waiting their teacher’s arrival on the first day of sophomore English class. The room was quiet. The students glanced at each other and shifted in their seats, wondering if they should perhaps sit up straight.

They were a small group, only a dozen or so. They should have been chatting, joking, laughing like newly confident sophomores thanks to their completion of freshman year. But this class was different, and they knew it. They were sort of a test case, the school’s early attempt at offering an advanced English class for underclassmen that would depart from the normal curriculum. (This was long before “A” level classes became standard fare in high schools.)

So now they waited, watching the clock crawl toward the first bell as well as eyeing the classroom door.

The buzzer rang, the door swung open, and the teacher, I’ll call him Mr. R., strode in.

He was young, but not so young that the students considered trying to hassle him like they might a first-year teacher. Kind of skinny. Jet black hair and intense dark eyes that quickly scanned every young face. He was carrying a single, thick textbook, identical to the one resting on each student’s desk in the room.

“Good morning! I am Mr. R., and this is advanced sophomore English. And this,” he said, frowning, then lofting the book and waving it like a flag, “is your textbook.”

He practically spat out the word, “textbook.”

“You can read it if you’d like,” he said. “But I don’t plan to ever use it.”

Then Mr. R. did something these students had never (and never would again in their high school careers) seen a teacher do. He threw the textbook across the room. All the way across the room. The book thudded against the shelves at the back of the classroom and came to rest on the floor, pages splayed open. Happily, it missed the students.

Mr. R. smiled. “Now,” he said, “I am going to teach all of you how to write.”

I am confident that throwing any object across a classroom is not an approved teaching method today, nor was it likely approved in Mr. R.’s day. But as a student in that class, to the best of my knowledge, he never got in trouble for the great textbook heave. None of the students had any intention of telling on him. To the contrary, we were all delighted. This new class, which the teacher introduced by doing something shocking and unorthodox, was going to be great.

And it was. Using his own lesson plans and handouts, lively chalkboard dialogue (this was long before whiteboards or anything digital), and passion for well-written English, Mr. R. taught us to write first paragraphs, then short essays, and finally, papers. He was a merciless grader, covering our writings with red inked corrections and comments. For students who previously took As and Bs for granted, he shocked us with early rounds of Ds and even Fs. His sarcastic wit headed off most if not all complaints over assignments or grades.

We quickly learned that the best way forward in this new and unusual class, where we never opened a textbook, completed a worksheet, or took a test or quiz, was to read, think, organize, write, rewrite, and then do it all again. And again, and again.

I have always remembered the moment Mr. R. threw the textbook. To use a cliché (which Mr. R. would hate), it was a game changer. It was a point of transformation that motivated me to learn a new approach to the task of writing. For me personally, it started the journey to my college major, career choices, and lifelong love of words and writing. But it also set the tone for all the detailed instruction and hard work that followed.

Because of course, I was far from done with my writing education when I finished sophomore English. I will never be done. There have been years of more classes, seminars, books and articles, mentors at work, editors, fellow writers who offer guidance. Reading good writing. And writing. Sometimes producing good prose, but sometimes not.

There are no perfect analogies, but my path to learning how to write seems to me a bit like the path to spiritual maturity. There is the shocking, unorthodox beginning with salvation, the sinless and perfect Son of God taking upon himself our sin and the punishment we completely deserved. God “threw the book,” so to say, at his Son, so we would not be hit with his just wrath against our sin. This is the game changer, the time when God transforms a life, renews a soul and mind, and sets us on the path to a completely new future. All without any works or “good deeds” on our part.

But then we also need to continue in faith and “take the class.” Israel experienced the miraculous and dramatic rescue from

Egypt in the Exodus, beginning with the plagues and ending with the incredible parting of the Red Sea. Yet three days journey into the wilderness found them grumbling to Moses about the bitter water at Marah.

“I am astonished,” the apostle Paul wrote to the Galatian church, “that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel.” (Galatians 1:6)

The author of Hebrews spends much of his 13 chapters imploring his readers not to “neglect such a great salvation.” (2:3) “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.” (3:12)

The seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3 receive commendations for their faith and witness, yet also pointed warnings not to abandon their commitment to Jesus. “But I have this against you,” God says to the church in Ephesus (the church that made such a promising start under Paul’s ministry), “that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen, repent, and do the works you did at first.” (Rev. 2:4-5a).

I am no different from the people of Israel, the Galatians, the recipients of the Book of Hebrews, or the seven churches of Revelation. Making progress toward Christian maturity, experiencing daily spiritual renewal, is a daily, sometime moment-by-moment struggle. It will always be a struggle.

But there is hope. It is a grace to reflect on my salvation. Perhaps not so much on the specific time I trusted Jesus as a young child, though that is important. What I find even more helpful is to reflect on who Jesus is and what he has done for me. I appreciate so much the opportunities provided by the services during Passion Week, the regular observance of communion, and weekly worship services. They move me to understand more deeply and give thanks for God’s shocking and “indescribable” gift.

And then, just as I am given opportunities to hone the craft of writing, there are opportunities to pursue spiritual maturity and experience God’s gracious daily renewal. There is the community of God’s people, solid biblical preaching, Christian family and friends, small groups, and the support of others’ prayers.

But most of all, there is the immense privilege of being able to turn daily to God’s Word, where instruction, warnings, encouragement and renewal await in every passage. As a student in God’s classroom, I don’t have to nervously await his arrival and wonder if he is up to the task of growing and renewing me. He is. In Scripture and prayer, God’s mercies are truly “new every morning.”

Planting the Seeds

My husband entered the kitchen to see me sitting on the floor calmly scooping handfuls of spilled soil back into the seed trays I had meticulously planted a week prior. He understood how my steely calm and quiet in the middle of a big mess was a whole other level of “Oh no,” and after asking if he could help, skedaddled with relief that it wasn’t him who had bumbled those trays.

The gloriously large, sunny window is perfect for starting a few seeds in the kitchen, but my seed planting operation is always overcrowded. This year along with my regulars, I couldn’t say no to the dazzling prairie sun rudbeckia, mysterious delft blue nigella, those succulent watermelon-colored four-o’clocks and that fluffy bunny tail grass—it’s just the cutest thing. Yes, the rabbits ate all the creamy Italian sunflowers last year, but serious protection is going up this year and I am planting those again. Why not grow coleus seeds and fill that bare shady spot by the house? Wait, a giant marigold gets how tall? I must try it.

My decision to plant just a few trays in the warm, sunny kitchen always turns into way too many. It gets crowded and then on schedule, one clumsy movement creates a domino type of

spilling symphony. A gardener of many years may learn from some mistakes but will move onto other mistakes as long as she gardens. She has been through the gamut of disappointment and reaches for the seed packets to begin again.

Visiting Mom, still gardening as she approaches 96 years of age, we walk through her indoor plants that will soon be moved outside and muse about what’s coming up outdoors. At some point, Mom began sharing about the difficulties she and Dad faced early on when they began their missionary lives in the Philippines in the late nineteen forties.

As children, fairly accepting of our rustic upbringing, my siblings and I never thought to ask just how difficult the early days were. We were always taught that the grace of God sustained us. However, it was amazing how Mom did all the work about home yet kept up with Dad. She learned a new language, traveled, preached and built. She also birthed most of us eight kids in the Philippines and managed not to quit when it was impossible. And it was impossible a lot.

Mom and Dad had made it to their destination, a Bible school in an area near Cabanatuan City in the Philippines. A missions coworker looked Mom over

and scornfully said, “You look frail.” Dad explained that Mom was feeling a bit under the weather. The journey had been extra rough. A ride in a prop plane from Honolulu to the Philippines had turned into a hair-raising emergency landing at Wake Island Airfield, an American military base. Mom and Dad had camped outdoors, one eye on the plane, searching for a bit of shade for three days in the heat with scant provisions awaiting the delivery of engine parts.

Once arriving in Manila, they bumped along in Jeepneys, always the longest detours in those days as bridges and roads were being rebuilt after the war. They traveled in a farmer’s cart pulled by a Carabao and ultimately hiked the last few miles to the Bible school site.

Lest we forget, a couple of days prior to getting on the plane departing from San Francisco, Mom had been suffering from acute nausea. A doctor’s visit had diagnosed her with good news: she was expecting their first baby. Far from loved ones she flew, away from reliable medical care and reasonable comforts she can be seen walking straight into God’s fields to plant gospel seeds.

News of Mom’s pregnancy garnered a “Harumph,” from Coworker, who gestured toward Mom, “You’re not going to be worth anything in that condition.” If you’re wondering as I was, what Mom’s reaction was to these unfriendly comments made by a team member and Christian woman, no less, back in 1947; Mom held her tongue.

Just as the snake had a lot to say in the garden of Eden, battle scarred American Coworker talked a lot. She touted how her superior knowledge of languages had kept her alive at the prison camp. No “praise the Lord for his providence and shield during a terrible time of war.” She had worked out a translating arrangement with her captors and sang praises to herself for being so good at learning enough languages to save her own life. Coworker had been born in

Virginia Hughes

Japan to missionary parents and then transferred to the Philippines, which insured her fluency in English, Japanese and Tagalog.

She resented these two young upstarts coming in to share and possibly take over leadership of the Bible school. By today’s standards, she would be labeled toxic, cancelled, and put on leave or let go. Back then it wasn’t uncommon for a withering twig to be left on the branch serving in these remote, difficult to staff areas. At the least, Coworker needed a vacation.

The anticipation of starting a new ministry came under a cloud of disappointment working with a team member who would not willingly pray, plan or proclaim anything but bitterness. Mom and Dad did not ask to be transferred. They did not back out and dust off their feet from this assignment as Jesus had permitted his disciples to do outside the unwelcoming towns.

As months passed, there was no congenial sharing, no breakthrough to friendship with this particular coworker; only that she continued to make life nearly unbearable until she finally left for the U.S. on furlough and decided not to return. They breathed a sigh of relief and dug into their work with one less obstacle.

Jesus spoke of seeds and soil in his parable, “The Sower.” The sower gets the seeds planted. When the gospel seeds are shared, some hearts are hard, some are shallow, some are crowded, but some are ready and willing to accept salvation. It brings great joy to connect with a heart hungry for the gospel. This joy grew Mom’s faith like the sun and rain grow a garden and far outweighed any “minor struggles” as she calls them. From a difficult beginning Mom and Dad remained faithful and kept planting the gospel seeds. When life tipped over, which it certainly did, they set it upright and began planting again.

Sunrise, Sunset

PAT CIRRINCIONE

Irecently saw the play Fiddler on the Roof at Drury Lane. It’s a musical I’ve seen before, but this time the story touched a special place in my heart. The first time I saw this story I was enraptured by the music and wonderful acting. This time I was touched at the struggle of traditions and new beginnings. New events were occurring, and there was anger, discouragement and tears as we, the audience, watched the villagers endure the loss, not only of their traditions, but also their families, livelihoods, friendships and homes. This time around I completely saw the Bible come alive before me in the people of Anatevka in 1905.

From the beginning God created the first of everything. He is the initiator of all we know, the heavens and the earth. It is through him that everything began, and in such a beautiful setting, the Garden of Eden, Paradise. However, once humans were created, well, we all know that the traditions of Paradise flew away after a talking snake convinced Eve to take a bite of an apple, and poof! Another new beginning was about to occur— the not so nice world we have lived in ever since. Now don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot of nice here, but compared to Paradise?

Paradise didn’t need high-end designers when it had the designer. Can you see the lush shades of green, the clear pure water, the talking animals, and everyone getting along? I wonder what beginnings and traditions we would have experienced there. Would I have eaten chicken and fish, or enjoyed being vegan? We don’t know, but I am here, the firstborn grandchild of my paternal and maternal families, and that was quite an auspicious occasion. Not only the first grandchild, but also one who broke tradition—I wasn’t named after anyone in the family.

Because I was born in the month of March, I was named after Saints Patrick and Joseph. From my earliest days, I was known as Princess Pat, and held court daily from my crib. I was loved, coddled, cuddled and spoiled by all in my circle of influence.

My family members were the first to experience the delightful little one God had placed in their midst, and thanks to me, experienced a lot of firsts. I’m sure many of those beginnings added to the gray hairs on my parents’ heads. My beginning was a point in time when something began, numerous somethings as I continued to grow, as I’m sure were your experiences and of those around you.

I won’t go into my life history and bore you with all my beginnings, except for one: The momentous day when I trusted Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I fought this new beginning for many years while I created other new beginnings. Some of those ended well, while others were duds. However, since Christ brought me to him, kicking and screaming, I have envisioned the curtain torn in two upon his death on the cross. Ever since I heard him say “It is finished,” my heart, like the church in the Book of Acts, turned on fire for my Savior, the Son of the Living God.

In Scripture, God promises that in Jesus, all things are made new, and the former things fade away. God provides us with a brand-new beginning by forgiving and forgetting (Hebrews 8:12) your past. If the past trips you up, see your past the way God does—as no more, no longer determining your future. Isaiah 43:18-19 says: “Forget the former things, do not dwell on the past. See I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up, do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” (NIV)

In Fiddler on the Roof, Tevye must begin again as he loses his daughters through marriages that were not sanctioned by the local matchmaker; whose traditions were changing very quickly; and who had to leave his home and village to begin a new life with only his wife and two of his five daughters. His friends were all going to different locations in the world, probably never to be seen again. Where would it take all of them?

And where do God’s plans take us? If Jesus is your new beginning, he has the right to do as he pleases with his own creation. Look at his plans set before the beginning of the world. The God who created the sunrise also created his sunset upon a cross, only to have the Son rise again, giving us all new beginnings. Allow yourself to accept changes that might bring good things to you. New beginnings means that you are capable of knowing where you were lacking in the past and surging forward with excitement in Jesus’ name.

The Lord is faithful, and that’s a great promise! For the former things will pass away, and all things will be made new as God stands with us when we trip up and lifts us up when we’re down—and helps us to start over again.

Part of God’s character is to create. He is always working things together for good. He gives both desire and strength to pursue new beginnings and to accomplish them through his Spirit. This should bring a sense of awe and appreciation, knowing the God of new beginnings wants to work through us for his good pleasure.

Job got to witness this firsthand when everything in his life went wrong. Yet he turned to God and asked for help, and God restored him, giving him a new beginning. God is the God who restores. Remember, we are not alone. God was with Job (and maybe even Tevye) as he is with us every step of the way, until the day he comes again to establish a new and perfect world.

Artist SPOTLIGHT

SHAUNA THORSON

I have lived in Wheaton for most of my life, and have always loved being creative in floral design, in decorating, crafting, and raising my children. During COVID I picked up a paintbrush and some canvasses, and after some practice, was encouraged to try and sell my work. The Lord led my path to cross with a designer in town and her purchases gave me confidence to step out and make this a business. I love creating work that completes a space for a client and hope to bring glory to the Lord through each piece I create.

GALLERY

AWE + WONDER

EASTER AND BEYOND

Extended through May 5

Celebrating Jesus’ resurrection, and the new life every spring offers .

ARTISANS & CRAFTS

MAY 12 - JUNE 14

Celebrating the beauty and comfort of art made by hand

SUBMISSIONS: Open through May 7

GALLERY HOURS: Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 12-2 p m Also open on Sundays after the evening service

For other opening times, contact the church office at (630) 668-0878 or email artspace@college-church org

GATHERING

A monthly coming together, where we discuss our personal projects and the many facets of creativity and God

NOTE: New Summer Dates

We will be meeting on the 2nd Thursday of each month instead of Tuesday during the months of June, July & August

TUESDAY, MAY 14 at 7 p .m . in Crossings

May word for the month: Grow

This month, we will be viewing a one-hour film on Caravaggio and will spend some time discussing the relevance of his art for Christian artists today .

Look forward to seeing you there!

WORKSHOPS

JOURNALING THROUGH THE PSALMS

INSTRUCTOR: Wil Triggs

SATURDAY, MAY 18

10 a m -noon

Crossings Conference Room FREE

The Book of Psalms can inspire us to celebrate many facets of life and God the Lifegiver Explore the psalms, writing and prayer together in this pen-to-paper workshop Friend groups, families and all ages welcome

WATERCOLOR WORKSHOP: BASICS & BEYOND

INSTRUCTOR: Ruth Gregornik

SATURDAY, JUNE 29

9-11:30 a m

Crossings Conference Room SEATING LIMITED TO: 16

COST: $5

This workshop will cover techniques of watercolor painting from the basics and beyond, focusing on landscapes and worship inspired by the everyday beauty of God’s world Come away with at least two paintings and the confidence to continue growing in this beautiful medium! Supplies included

For more information or to sign up for a workshop, visit our webpage: college-church.org/artspace.

mother Love

WALLACE ALCORN

I don’t remember my mother ever telling me she loved me...

Isuppose she did say so at least once, but I just don’t remember. It’s not that Mom did not love me but that she didn’t say things like this. She and my aunts—especially my grandmother who imposed her values and attitudes upon them—were like this. Born in 1905, Mom’s generation was like this. They didn’t want their children to “get a big head.” They didn’t say, “I love you.” They just did.

My grandfather wouldn’t allow her to attend high school because “girls don’t need to be educated” beyond reading and writing. He finally consented to her pleas to enroll in Milwaukee’s Girls Vocational High School (Girls Tech) for just the two-years it took to learn how to sew and cook. Then, he demanded she find a job (low-paying as they were then) to help support the family.

But she wouldn’t tolerate such for her two younger sisters. She put her foot down and insisted they be allowed to graduate from high school. My aunts told me she was their hero and champion. The younger said, “Your mother is one big bundle of love.” Yet she mothered my brother and me as was expected of her.

I went to my father, when I was in junior high, and asked about a girl that “acted funny with me.” He noted girls that age sometimes so act with “good-looking boys.” My mother snapped, “He looks just like other boys. Just forget it.” (Then I heard she was telling her lady friends that I was “growing up to be a handsome young man” and “looking every day more like his father.”)

YOUNG WALLACE AND HIS MOTHER

Many years later, when my mother was dying, our daughter and my brother’s daughter were both expecting what would be the great grandchildren she would never meet. Mom held my hand in the hospital and said, “Tell the little ones I love them.”

Back again to when I was finishing Wheaton grad school and still not serious about a girl. Mother wasn’t happy about my plan to study in Edinburgh. “You’ll marry a pretty Scottish girl and always be going back to her home, and I’ll never see you.” Rather, and for other reasons, I did my doctorate in New York but, ironically,

I was to marry a girl born in England (of a Scottish father) whom I had met at Wheaton.

When the time arrived, I ordered Ann’s ring from Milwaukee and asked my father to ship it by air to Grand Rapids where I was then in seminary. He came home and found Mom packing her suitcase. “I’m going to meet my daughter!”

Years earlier when Mom had begun to worry about her bachelor son, I came upon her ironing my shirts. Without looking up, she said, “Wallace, when you marry, I hope it will be a girl who will let me love her.”

God Centered Life : Ways to Connect

The heavenly places. What are they? What does Paul mean by that term in Ephesians? You can listen through any podcast app, Spotify, the GCL app, online, as well as through finding a station near y ou. The GCL app is now really clean and simple. And the podcast works seamlessly. Just scan the QR codes below!

OPPORTUNITIES

FOR PRAYER

Call the church office or email info@college-church.org for details on these prayer meetings.

SUNDAY MORNING PRAYER: 8:15-8:40 a .m ., meets in C101

MIDWEEK PRAYER MEETING: Wednesdays at 7 p m via Zoom

MAY 1: Jim Hansen, mobilization with SIM at Ethnos360 Bible Institute I Waukesha, WI .

MAY 8: John and Elsa Maust, organizational leadership with Media Associates International out of Wheaton, IL

MAY 15: Bob and Becky Faber, organizational leadership with SALT Ventures in Bulgaria

MAY 22: Scott Hawkins, missions associate, evangelism with college students through International Students Inc . in North Carolina .

MAY 29: Curt Cole, organizational leadership and member care with Avant Ministries, based in Kansas City, KS

FRIDAY PRAYER FOR THE PERSECUTED CHURCH: 12-1 p m in the Board Room

AARON-HUR PRAYER FELLOWSHIP

will meet on Thursday, May 9, at 7 p .m . at the home of Ruth Diffin, 1917 Ardmore Lane, Unit B, in Wheaton (610) 291-2437 Our guest will be Anita Deyneka, serving in Ukraine

BARNABAS PRAYER FELLOWSHIP at its Wednesday, May 15, meeting will hear from Barbara Mill, serving with her husband, Manny, through Koinonia House National Ministries . The meeting will be at 1:30 p m on May 15 in the Arts Room at Windsor Park, as planned Both men and women are welcome

Afraid of God

JUDY SATTLER

Sometimes, I am afraid of God—the shaking in my shoes, fall on my face kind of fear. It doesn’t happen often and usually comes over me when I am thinking about him in all his unfathomable glory. It isn’t just awe or reverence that I am feeling, although both are inseparable from it, it is an overwhelming sense of his mysterious magnitude, his alien majesty, his unapproachable holiness that steals over me and causes me to tremble.

At these moments, I become acutely aware of the protection of the cross and of the extent of God’s love. What horrors, what torture it would be to cross the threshold of eternity and face such a one as God without the sacrifice of Christ to shield me from that holiness. Jesus’ death keeps me from the kind of unraveling that Isaiah the prophet described when he received a vision of the King of kings sitting on his throne (Isaiah 6). Because of Christ, I am made whole rather than falling into

tatters. I am no longer unacceptable. He is no longer unapproachable.

Some years ago, when this sense of fear came over me, I began searching the Scriptures for examples when others besides Isaiah may have experienced something similar. There is one incident in particular that I resonate with:

It was at the end of a long, exhausting day of ministry. Jesus and his disciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee to escape the paparazzi press of the crowds and get some much-needed rest. The disciples, some of whom were experienced sailors and familiar with the infamous caprice of the sea, became greatly afraid of the fierce storm that suddenly arose; afraid of the waves crashing over the sides of their boat and beginning to swamp and sink it; afraid they would all drown. In desperation they turn to Jesus who was asleep—

Wait a minute…asleep? How was that even possible? I imagine the disciples may have been asking themselves the same question. If the noise of the fierce gale and the bucking boat didn’t wake him, surely the cold drenching waves breaking over the gunwales and flooding their vessel would have done the job. That picture of Jesus asleep in the stern under such harrowing conditions is almost humorous. Some conclude that it is evidence of Jesus’ humanity, that he was so exhausted he didn’t wake up. I don’t know about that. I am thoroughly human and, while I can sleep through moderate turbulence on an airplane, I am certain I would not have been able to sleep through that storm no matter how tired I was. I think Jesus’ ability to sleep through such a tumult shows the opposite. I suspect part of the purpose of his peaceful repose may have been that his disciples needed to see more of his deity. As God has famously taught his children through illustration,

I think there could be something more intentional in this story of Jesus asleep in the boat. Was he able to sleep through the storm because he had no fear of his own creation? Was he asleep because he was resting in the arms of his Father, knowing that God’s plan was not for him to drown for the sins of the world and be raised again to life from the bottom of the Sea of Galilee? Was Jesus intentionally asleep because there was something he wanted his disciples to see and to know about him, just as there was when he delayed going to Bethany so that his sick friend, Lazarus, would die? Was his slumber a test to reveal their measure of trust in God? Or to show them more fully that he truly was the Son of God?

“Save us, Lord; we are perishing!” the disciples cried frantically when they had woken him. “Don’t you care that we are perishing?” Once again, fear drives out faith as it often does with many of us.

Despite their fear, their meager pocket-sized faith, Jesus showed them his power and authority over his own creation. The same voice that had said “Light” and there was light, rebuked the wind and the waves saying: “Peace! Be still!” The Lord spoke and the storm responded like an angry hound brought to heel. Incredible obedience. I imagine the perfect calm that ensued as one of those when a body of water is so still it looks like a sheet of glass.

The disciples were impressed—more than impressed—their perspective of Jesus was undeniably altered. They had traveled with him, eaten with him, slept alongside of him, watched him turn water into wine, heal lepers, paralytics and the demonized, and yet their response to Christ rebuking the storm was fear—not unlike the kind I have sometimes felt. “Who is this?” they asked one another. “What kind of man is this?” Through this traumatic, life-threatening experience

they had been shown the Son of God’s mysterious magnitude and his alien majesty. If it had been me in that boat, I might have been inclined to throw myself on my face and cry out: “Woe is me! I’m coming unraveled!” I see Jesus standing in that boat on a sea of glass, and I am reminded of the inspired monologue of Job 26, and in particular the line: “Behold, these are the fringes of His ways; and how faint a word we hear of Him! His mighty thunder, who can understand?”

I recognize the otherness of God and my inherent sinfulness and, like Isaiah, I feel as though I might fall apart. But Jesus rescued me from that when he came to earth to socialize with crooks; help the blind, the deaf and the stupid to find a better way; and gather in the strays to feed them the inexhaustible miracle-bread of himself. So then, fast on the heels of my fear of this awesome being is worship—and love. A kind of love that says: Thank you for loving me first so that I can love you and fear you without being afraid of you.

Peace in Troubled Sea

Lydia Wright

Lydia wrote this poem in response to the hopelessness she heard in the voices of her classmate’s poems. She has a heart for sharing God’s love with her peers, and the Lord has blessed her with many opportunities to share his life changing message while attending public school.

In darkness deep and soul asleep

blind by the night, black and dead

The cold empty night gives only pain

Drowning in the storm, with struggles in vain

With all hope lost, I whisper a prayer

My last chance, is there something there?

I put all my hope and trust in this

And what happens is impossible to miss

Through the downing waters dark

There is a lighthouse I must remark

The storm clams and the waters part

A great fire ignites in heart.

Sorrow and sadness are now of the old

As the flames burn to let new unfold

Now darkness runs and hides afraid

From the light this is my aid

Reborn, from the death within

To let the new and bright light in

In light, bright, and soul awake

Seeing with new eyes, joy and life

MILESTONES

BIRTHS

Trey and Mary Martin welcomed Beau Keller on April 15. Beau joins big siblings Magnolia and Bear. Beau’s maternal grandparents are Hal and Anna Walsh.

Lydia Christine was born to Pastor Dan and Amy Hiben on April 6. This is their first child, and first grandchild for maternal grandparents Chris and Sarah Tews and for paternal grandparents Brad and Teri Hiben.

Saoirse Beatrice was born to Patrick and Danika Kelly on March 29. This is their first child.

The warm full day gives everything needed

Just as one, no longer I, once pleaded

The light is written in my heart

And it’s words are only the start

The Word is a lamp unto my feet and the Word is a light unto my path

Because of this light I no longer suffer the wrath

The light has a name like no other

And it shall be shared with each other

His name is Jesus

If one has the dark empty hole in their heart

Follow Him and have a brand new start

Once being dead and blind

Now, leave it all behind

I know not what my path is yet to be

Just that he will guide me

However, I do know the end and through all, on Him, depend

However, I do know the end and through all, on Him, depend

Lou and Emily Fan welcomed baby Theodore on March 17. Theodore joins siblings James and Eloise.

Claudia Rose was born to Noah and Christy Lukins on March 11, and her cousin Luke James was born to John and Megan Bodett on March 17. Claudia’s maternal grandparents and Luke’s paternal grandparents are Mark and Brenda Bodett.

NEW MEMBERS

NATHAN ACHZIGER

Nathan has grown up attending College Church with his family—his parents Damon and Christina and his siblings Currently a student at Wheaton College, Nathan serves in HYACKs and is involved in College Group He is looking forward to serving with the Summer Crew this year

ANNE BAILEY

About four years ago, Anne was invited to attend College Church by her son and College Church member Scott Bailey, along with his wife, Greta, and their children As a retired nurse, Anne now enjoys time with her two sons and their families—including six grandchildren

BRADLEY BAILEY, JR.

Brad began attending College Church as a freshman in high school with his family—parents Brad and Vicky Bailey and his siblings He is currently involved in a 20s small group He works as an accountant at First Trust

ZACH BASTIAN

Zach and his wife, Lisa, have four young children His parents (Bob and Jan Bastian) and Lisa’s parents (Greg and Vera Cook) all attend College Church Zach works as an anesthesiologist, and enjoys playing tennis, traveling and playing with his kids in his free time

CYNTHIA BRUNO

Cynthia joined her family by adoption when she was six months old and grew up in the Chicago neighborhoods She works as an administrative assistant for an insurance company in Glenview She also takes voice coaching at Northwestern University . She enjoys the music ministry and has sung in choirs

JANICE BURTON

Jan moved to our area from Colorado . She is an editor/writer by profession and a former teacher She also served in Thailand with OMF International

KEN BYRD

Ken’s father is a missionary to Japan, and his mom is a fourth-generation Japanese Christian He grew up in Tokyo, Japan, until he came to Wheaton for college He is involved in our College Group and small group . He enjoys playing sports, board games and cooking

JOSHUA CARLSON

Josh grew up in the Minneapolis, Minnesota area, and began attending College Church after graduating college and moving to this area He is involved in the 20s ministry and small groups He works as an electrical engineer

CASSIE CROWELL

Cassie and her husband, Gabe, attended Moody Bible Institute where H E Singley was one of their professors . Through that connection they attended College Church and have stayed Cassie is a musician and works as a pianist, teacher, coach and freelance musician She is also a ministry associate in our STARS ministry

JOSH DEMOSS

Josh is the son of College Church members Shawn and Mary DeMoss, and brother to six siblings . He has served in HYACKs and children’s choirs He grew up as a pastor’s kid in New Jersey and moved to Illinois to attend Wheaton College He enjoys being creative in music and media, as well as sports and competitive events

CHURCH LIFE

MAY HIGHLIGHTS

SUNDAY MORNING WORSHIP SERVICES

Everyone welcome.

Join us at 8, 9:30 and 11 a m

Livestream broadcast is at 9:30 a m You can watch it at collegechurch org/livestream

Senior Pastor Josh Moody preaching

MORNING SERMON SERIES: GOSPEL. NOW.

MAY 5: Time to Reap! John 4:38

NEW MORNING SERMON SERIES: The Book of Chronicles

MAY 12: How to Turn Pain into Blessing, 1 Chronicles 4:1-10

VISION SUNDAY:

MAY 19: What Should Be the #1 Priority of Your Life? Philippians 3:12–16

CHRONICLES OF THE MESSIAH:

The summer schedule begins on May 26, with services at 9:30 and 11 a.m.

MAY 26: How Trusting God Wins Your Battle, 1 Chronicles 5:18-22

SUNDAY EVENING WORSHIP SERVICES

Everyone welcome. in the Crossings at 5 p m .

CHILDREN’S CHOIRS MUSICAL

MAY 5: “Forward by Faith” in the Sanctuary, with a reception afterwards in Commons Hall

EVENING SERMON SERIES:

Strength in Weakness

Evening Sermons from 2 Corinthians

MAY 12: 2 Corinthians 12:11–21, Pastor Curt Miller preaching

ANNUAL MEETING:

MAY 19: Annual Meeting, all members expected to participate

NO EVENING SERVICE:

MAY 26: No evening service on Memorial Day weekend

ADULT COMMUNITIES

ALL NATIONS Sundays 9:30 a m in C104F

• Teacher: Jim Tebbe

• Study: God’s Mission as seen in Scripture: The Life of Abraham

• Description: Besides studying Scripture, we will have testimonies as well as information about and prayer for the church in countries around the world as a regular feature of the class

FORUM 15 Sundays 8 a m in C104F

• Teacher: John Maust

• Study: “Holding to the Hope We Possess”

• Description: prayer time, singing and study with class interaction

GREEK EXEGESIS CLASS Sundays 9:30 a m in the Board Room

• Teacher: Jon Laansma

• Study: 1 John

• Description: Reading and discussion of the Greek New Testament Knowledge of Greek is not required for this class

LIFE TOGETHER COMMUNITY

Sundays 9:30 a m in Commons Gym

• Teacher: Teaching Team

• Description: Short teaching

with small group discussion Authentic, biblical community for adults ages 25–40

LIVING WORD Sundays 9:30 a m in C104A & C104C

• Teachers: Felipe Chamy, Grant Flynn and Josh Maurer

• Study: The Letter of James

• Description: Fellowship and exposition of James, with application to life today

LOGOS Sundays 9:30 a m . in C104E

• Teacher: Teaching team led by James Seward

• Study: Psalms

THRIVE Sundays 9:30 a m in Crossings-Clapham Main Area

• Teachers: Joe Becker, Dan Haase, Dan Lindquist, Mark Odell, Dave Setran, John Yoder

• Study: Gospel of John

• Description: Fellowship, teaching and prayer with an emphasis on applying God’s truth to our lives

VERITAS Sundays 9:30 a .m in C104B & D

• Teacher: Dr . Gregg Quiggle

• Study: History of the Reformation

• Description: Teaching and discussion about the Reformation All Ages Welcome .

WOMEN’S MINISTRIES

MOM2MOM

MAY 13: Evening Cooking Demo in Commons Hall at 7 p m

MAY 20: Park Playdate, 9:30-11:30 a m at Briar Knoll Park in Wheaton

WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY

See the Summer Preview on page 18

WOMEN’S GATHERING

MAY 11: 9–10:30 a m in Commons Hall

CHILDREN’S MINISTRIES (KIDS’ HARBOR)

SUNDAY MORNING

NURSERY (0–2) at 9:30 and 11 a m

BIBLE SCHOOL (preschool–fifth grade) at 9:30 a m

WONDERS OF WORSHIP “WOW” (K–third grade) during second half of 11 a .m . service .

CHILDREN’S CHURCH (older preschool) during second half of 11 a m service

CHILDREN’S CHURCH (younger preschool) at 11 a m

SUMMER SCHEDULE

May 19 is the last Sunday of the school year schedule for Kids’ Harbor Bible school (preschool–fifth grade) and for Wonder of Worship (K–third grade) The summer schedule begins on June 2

MIDDLE SCHOOL (KINGS MESSENGERS)

SUNDAY MORNINGS: 9:30-10:30 a .m , in the KMs room (Commons Lower Level)

MAY 5: KMs Sunday

MAY 12: KMs Sunday

MAY 19: Graduation Celebration

MAY 26: No KMs

WEDNESDAY EVENINGS: in the Crossings 6:45-8:15 p m

MAY 1: Connect Week – Gym Night

MAY 8: Small Group Week

MAY 15: KMs

MAY 22: No KMs

MAY 29: No KMs

HIGH SCHOOL (HYACKS)

SUNDAY MORNINGS: 9:30-10:30 a m in Crossings

WEDNESDAY EVENINGS: 7-8:30 p m in the Crossings (Clapham main area) or small groups

MAY 1: Large Group (Incoming Freshman Welcome Night)

MAY 8: Small Groups

MAY 15: Golden Globes (Clapham main area)

Wednesday meetings resume on June 5 .

COLLEGE GROUP

NO MEETINGS IN MAY STARS DISABILITY

Adult and Multi-Generational classes meet at 9:30 and attend church together at 11 a m Child/Teen class Sundays at 9:30 and 11 a m

KEENAGERS

Join the senior adults of College Church on Friday, May 17, as we enjoy a delicious dinner together, followed by an informative program . All of us have years of family memorabilia collected—often in a state of perpetual chaos We must prepare for a generational transfer of our precious memories, which this program will help us begin Hear Adam Pratt share with us how to Declutter Our Photo Life!

ARTSPACE

Details on page 9

MEMBERSHIP

Ready to participate fully in the life and ministries of College Church? Come find out about College Church’s history, core beliefs, ministries and what it means for you to be a member This one-day only membership opportunity will be Saturday, May 11, from 8 a .m . to noon; registration is requested For more info, contact Christy at membership@collegechurch org, or call (630) 668-0878, ext 175

Work with us.

Looking for meaningful part-time work at a great workplace? Check out these openings at College Church .

• Part-time Administrative Assistant for Student Ministries-High School (20 hours per week)

• Two part-time facilities positions

The evening begins with a reception at 5:30, dinner at 6, and the program at 7 p m Reservations are required by May 14 by emailing keenagers@ college-church org

Visit the college-church org/ job-openings or email Ann at akarow@college-church .org

Looking Ahead

SUMMER KICKOFF

Invite a neighbor or friend to join you at an all-church celebration on June 2 , from noon to 5 p m to kick off the summer This is the last day of Cream of Wheaton, and we want to encourage residents of our community to come to College Church Food options include authentic BBQ pulled pork, smoked sausage and ribs, burgers, hot dogs and all the fixings, plus desserts Food is free for all guests and all you can eat for $10 Also, enjoy live music, games, sports, inflatables and competitive trivia under a big tent We will have an open house to display many of the ministries we have to offer Save the date now!

SUMMER FORUM

The Word and the World: How the Storyline of the Bible Equips us for Faithful Witness

Making sense of the world, how the Scriptures confront and celebrate some aspects of our culture, and how to live and proclaim the gospel today

9:30 a m in Commons Hall

SCHEDULE

JUNE 2: The Word and the World: What we mean by BT and Culture

JUNE 9: Creation

JUNE 16: Fall

JUNE 23: Redemption Promised 1: Exodus

June 30: Redemption Promised 2: Kingdom

July 7: Redemption Promised 3: Prophecy

July 14: Redemption Fulfilled: Christ

July 21: Redemption Proclaimed: Church

July 28: New Creation

August 4: Applying BT, Engaging Culture

WOMEN’S MINISTRIES

Keep an eye out on our Women’s Ministry webpage and Instagram for news of Women’s Ministry summer events

Women’s Summer Bible Study: Summer provides a wonderful opportunity to invite your friends and neighbors together to be in God’s Word We will provide study guides, available in June, for you to use, when and where that works best for you

Share Your Gift: we’ll come together once a month (June, July and August) for fellowship and to learn a new art or craft

SUMMER BOOK GROUP

Join us for chapter-by-chapter book discussion throughout the summer

June 4 through Aug 6 at 7 p m in Commons Hall

Announcing the Summer Book Group Short List

One of the following books will be our selection Watch email, website and next issue of Connections for the final selection

• Beauty Is Your Destiny How the Promise of Splendor Changes Everything By Philip Ryken

• Friendship With God A Path to Deeper Fellowship With the Father, Son and Spirit By Mike McKinley

• The Heart in Pilgrimage A Treasury of Classic Devotionals on the Christian Life By Leland Ryken

• An Infinite Fountain of Light Jonathan Edwards and the Twenty-first Century By George Marsden

• Remaking the World How 1776 Created the PostChristian West By Andrew Wilson

KIDS HARBOR

VBS (Mon-Thurs 1-3 p m ): choose one week

Open to children entering grades 1-5

• June 17-20

• June 24-27

• July 8-11

• July 15-18

Adventure Days (1-3 p .m .): sign up for one or more

• June 6: Open to children entering grades 1-5

• June 11: Open to children entering grades 4-5

• July 1: Open to children entering grades 1-2

• July 2: Open to children entering grades 3-5

• July 23: Open to children entering grades 1-5

Preschool Discovery Days (1-3 p m ): FULL—wait list only

• June 6

• July 1

• July 23

Sundays: starting June 2- August 4

9:30 a.m.: Nursery & Preschool Kids, entering 1-5th grade, are

dismissed during service for Elementary Summer Lighthouse

11 a.m.: Nursery & Preschool (only for children of 1st-time visitors AND KH TEACHERS)

5 p.m.: No Kids’ Harbor programs

STARS

June 15: Family Fun Event— Bowling

July Wednesday afternoons: Adult/Teen Music Camp

August 11: Family Fun Event—TBD

SUMMER COLLEGE GROUP

Join College Group on Tuesdays at 7 p m this summer for a weekly Bible Study starting May 28 at 322 E Union Ave We will dive into the 7 Letters to the 7 Churches in Revelation 1-3 .

HIGH SCHOOL

HYACKs will be meeting on Wednesday nights over the summer from 7–8:30 p m In addition, there will be an incoming freshman bible study on Thursdays from 3:30–5 p m in the Commons Gym, as well as summer discipleship groups for all incoming sophomores through seniors that will be studying the book of Galatians together For more information sign up for the weekly enews on the HYACKs page of the website

MIDDLE SCHOOL

KMs will meet on Wednesday nights over the summer at 7-8:30 p m In addition, there will be an incoming 6th-grade Bible study on Tuesdays at 3:30–5 p m in the KMs Room For more information, sign up for the Weekly Parent Update emails on the KMs page of the church website See you this summer!

ANNOUNCEMENTS

40 Days for Life Prayer

Saturday, May 11, 1-2 p m Join Sanctity of Human Life Task Force at 40 Days for Life’s year-round peaceful prayer vigil Meet on Waterleaf pregnancy center’s property across from Planned Parenthood Aurora’s driveway

Save the Date

Saturday, June 22 Rockford Walk for Life

Take the bus from church and publicly stand for life and be encouraged with others who value the human rights of the preborn Kickoff rally and walk begin at 11 a m

Under the Radar

HONEYROCK

Honey Rock Colors

It’s not too late to sign up to enjoy the fall colors at HoneyRock this coming September This yearly fall retreat, hosted by alumni and friends of Wheaton College and HoneyRock, is for ages 50+ The speaker will be Jeff Root and one of the many afternoon activities will be creating a pottery piece or two led by College Church member Linda Fallon There will be a bus leaving from Wheaton College if you prefer not to drive Sign up for a full week option: September 23-28, or a weekend option: September 26-28 email Leah Wolf leah wolf@wheaton edu or call (630) 752-6024

HALE STREET TENTS

On May 3, the Hale Street tents return for another summer of outdoor dining, live music and fun The tents are up through October 6

KLINE CREEK FARM

The 1890s farmhouse at Kline Creek Farm focuses on the busy season, Springtime on the Farm, Saturday, May 11, 10 a m

Newborn lambs and calves bring life to the farm as the draft horses prepare the fields for planting

NATIVE PLANT SALE

Native Plant Sale: May 18, from 9 a .m to 2 p .m at Mayslake Peabody Estate, 1717 31st St, Oak Brook

PHOTOGRAPHY SHOW

William North

our featured artist in the March 2024 issue of Connections has a photography show this month

Built to Last: Celebrating DuPage County’s Historical Architecture

The DuPage County Historical Museum 102 E Wesley St, Wheaton, IL 60187 (630) 510-4941

The pictorial journey highlights some of the influential historical architecture throughout DuPage County, and an array of styles gives us a look into the past May 1 to May 31, 2024

WATERCOLOR EXHIBITION

Philip Hossu

ArtSpace Gathering participant and frequent contributor to our galleries, will have a showing of his watercolors at Kindred Coffee in West Chicago Approximate dates are June 7-26, with a reception on closing night

MISSING SOMETHING?

Check the various LOST AND FOUND bins throughout the church for missing Bibles, notebooks, coats, travel mugs and more

ANNUAL MEETING 2024

CONGREGATIONAL NOTICE FOR ANNUAL MEETING— MAY 19, 2024

The Annual Meeting will be held on Sunday, May 19, beginning at 5 p.m. in the Sanctuary. All members are expected to attend the meeting and we encourage regular attenders to be present as well. The agenda will include:

• Receiving the 2024 Annual Report which includes reports from all our ministry leaders (copies of the Annual Report will be available at the Information Tables, beginning Sunday, May 12);

• Voting for the approval of minutes to the 5-21-2023 Annual Meeting;

• Electing board and committee members and other elected positions;

• Voting for the members to serve on the 2024-2025 Nominating Committee;

• Voting to approve Mathieson, Moyski & Austin as the independent audit firm for fiscal year 2024-2025.

EXCEPTIONAL MATTERS:

1. Voting to approve the Church Budget for 2024-2025.

2. Voting to approve the renewal of our line of credit.

3. Voting on a Resolution recommended by the Council of Elders to amend the College Church bylaws as follows:

RESOLUTION TO AMEND ARTICLE X, SECTION 5 OF THE COLLEGE CHURCH BYLAWS

WHEREAS, the College Church Bylaws allow for amendments at the initiation of the Council of Elders;

WHEREAS, Article X, Section 5 of the College Church Bylaws include the provision of two Disability Superintendents for the “organization, administration, coordination, and supervision of the Sunday morning disabilities ministry classes”; and

WHEREAS, the Director of Disability Ministries oversees a growing program of STARS disability participants for Wednesday evening programs and it is critical to have a third lay superintendent;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the College Church Bylaws be amended as follows:

Article X, Section 5. Disabilities Superintendents.

Three Disabilities Superintendents shall be responsible for the organization, administration coordination, and supervision of the Sunday morning and Wednesday evening disabilities ministry classes and shall work in cooperation with the persons responsible for other disability ministries. These Superintendents shall be elected to staggered terms. The Disabilities Superintendents shall report to a member of the Pastoral Staff as determined by the Senior Pastor, subject to approval by the Council.

RESOLUTION TO APPROVE THE 2024-2025 BUDGET:

WHEREAS, the Board of Deacons have submitted to the Council of Elders the 2024-2025 Church Budget;

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the 2024-2025 Church Budget approved by the Council of Elders and recommended to the Regular Members be approved.

RESOLUTION TO APPROVE THE RENEWAL OF OUR LINE OF CREDIT:

WHEREAS, Wheaton Bank & Trust extends an operating line of credit to College Church due 11-3-2024 unsecured, interest floating at Prime (interest only on dollars utilized during the year);

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the operating line of credit from Wheaton Bank & Trust be renewed due 11-4-2024 at the same terms through for one year.

Informational meetings will be held on Wednesday, May 15, at 7 p.m. and Saturday morning, May 18, at 8:00 a.m. in the Fireside Area.

Please plan to attend this important meeting in the life of College Church.

VISIT OUR WEBSITE TO SEE THE NOMINATIONS FROM THE NOMINATING COMMITTEE

OUR VISION

2024 INITIATIVES

Vision: “Proclaiming the Gospel”

PATHWAY. We will develop a simple invitational pathway for our gospel ministries: Discover Jesus, Grow in Your Faith and Impact the World. In 2024, we will continue developing that pathway by emphasizing and enhancing the “on ramps” to College Church in the following ways: 1) promoting Kids’ Harbor as one of the first impressions of College Church, 2) augmenting and strengthening our Front Door ministries, and 3) establishing a culture where our congregants willingly and effectively share our faith.

Rationale: After consultation with a Christian communications company, and surveying the neighborhood, we have discovered that we need to present the distinctive gospel ministry opportunity of College Church more clearly and invitationally to the surrounding community.

COMMUNITY. We will cultivate care, encouragement, and connection in 2024 by: 1) calling a pastor focused in these areas (title to be determined), 2) establishing a permanent CARE team to support congregational care, 3) expanding elder prayer for each member of the church by name, and 4) identifying and training Small Group Coordinators to support all of our Small Group Leaders.

Rationale: After conversations with key ministry leaders, it is apparent we need to increase connectivity between members and attenders of the church through mutually loving and caring hospitality.

DISCIPLESHIP.

We will elevate biblically rigorous and practical discipleship by, in 2024: 1) emphasizing and encouraging a renewed focus on discipleship in the context of church family life, 2) providing additional resources for personal disciple making as well as improving awareness and accessibility to them, and 3) offering two churchwide seminars on matters of current importance for being faithful disciples in today’s world.

Rationale: After a churchwide discipleship survey, we have ascertained a growing need for more rigorous and practical discipleship that is coherently coordinated across both small and large groups.

CAMPUS. We will increasingly activate our campus by utilizing the Crossings as a crossover space to reach the community and for student, worship and family space, funded through the Gospel Now Project launched in 2024, prioritizing safety and accessibility upgrades to our parking and other key areas, and studying the highest and best missional use for our portfolio of rental properties.

Rationale: After the Site and Facilities committee’s extensive work surveying the ministry pinch points, it is apparent that we need to develop our ministry space, and we will target the Crossings space.

PARTNERSHIPS. We will leverage the church’s history of church planting, training programs, and connections across the country and world by: 1) expanding the scope of our church planting efforts to include planting, strengthening and revitalizing, 2) hosting a prayer gathering for College Church members interested in this work, 3) exploring partnership with one new organizational partner, and 4) seeking to develop one new church partner in each category (planting, strengthening, revitalizing) by December 2024.

Rationale: By partnering with likeminded churches and organizations, and by broadening our scope to include planting, strengthening, and revitalization, we can increase our gospel impact through gospel-centered, Bible-preaching churches.

The College ChurCh Prison Task ForCe uPDaTe

“Every door flew open. All the prisoners were loose.”

Along about midnight, Paul and Silas were at prayer and singing a robust hymn to God. The other prisoners couldn’t believe their ears.

Then, without warning, a huge earthquake! The jailhouse tottered, every door flew open, all the prisoners were loose. Startled from sleep, the jailer saw all the doors swinging loose on their hinges. Assuming that all the prisoners had escaped, he pulled out his sword and was about to do himself in, figuring he was as good as dead anyway, when Paul stopped him: “Don’t do that! We’re all still here! Nobody’s run away!”

The jailer got a torch and ran inside. Badly shaken, he collapsed in front of Paul and Silas. He led them out of the jail and asked, “Sirs, what do I have to do to be saved, to really live?”

They said, “Put your entire trust in the Master Jesus. Then you’ll live as you were meant to live—and everyone in your house included!” (Acts 16:25-31 The Message)

Wouldn’t you like to have had a front row seat to Paul and Silas’s release from prison, to hear the jailer’s question, to witness the power of the Holy Spirit?

There are men, like the jailer, who are hungry for Jesus—men who live just a short ride from Wheaton in Joliet, in the minimum-security wing of Stateville Correctional Center. The College Church Prison Task Force is looking for volunteers to join them on Saturday mornings in providing a church service and direct ministry to the men of Stateville.

The only qualifications are a willing heart, a driver’s license (or state ID), connection to College Church and some of your time.

We have been granted favor to hold this service every Saturday, and more believers are needed to help. Guys, could you pray about serving one or two Saturdays a month? We meet at 9:15 a.m. in the Commons lot, pray, and the journey begins. Volunteers help with music, share a Scripture, share a testimony, lead testimony time, preach or help with individual or group prayer time. The Lord has plenty of room for your gifts and skills.

¿hablas español? If so, we really need you. If you sing, play an instrument or can bring a portable instrument we’ll buy you a pizza. We need you, and we are back around 1:45 p.m.

Can’t go to prison? No problemo! There are many ways to help.

• Come send us off with prayer in the parking lot (5 minutes).

• Commit to pray at home during our services (15 minutes).

• Pray for the names of men who share requests (10 minutes).

• Help establish a new ministry of weekday, in-person visitation.

• Be a pen pal to help disciple believers behind the walls.

There is room for you.

If you want to chat about it, call or text David Sohmer (630) 640-1061, Dennis Brown (479) 283-1095 or Jay Cunningham (630) 297-3792. Come and see for yourself!

at the BOOKSTALL

Graduation books for all ages .

Bookstall Price: $7

Bookstall Price: $15

DON’T WASTE YOUR LIFE

by John Piper

This book is a perennial favorite to give to high school graduates

The book contains a great reminder that we shouldn’t spend our life seeking superficial and trivial things but use our lives in pursuing our purpose of bringing glory to God This book is deep, but accessible

IMPOSSIBLE CHRISTIANITY

by Kevin DeYoung

Sometimes the Christian life is a struggle We face trials and have sins that can be hard to break Kevin DeYoung reminds us that the Christian life isn’t impossible to live We are able to follow Jesus, obey his commands and do so with joy

OH, THE TREASURES YOU’LL KNOW

by Dan Olson

This fun parody of Dr Suess’s  Oh, the Places You’ll GoI has a The Pilgrim’s Progress theme It’s not just a kids’ book, but great for all ages . This can be a gift for your graduate . Your family can write notes of encouragement, congratulations and exhortation inside

Bookstall Price: 3 for $22

WHEN PEOPLE ARE BIG AND GOD IS SMALL

by Ed Welch

Do you struggle with being a people pleaser? Or are you afraid of the fallout from certain decisions? Do you fear man more than you fear God? Well-known biblical counselor, Ed Welch helps our anxious thoughts by giving biblical reminders of how the Lord would have us think about these possible areas of weakness

Bookstall Price: $7

SUMMER BOOK GROUP SHORT LIST

Available at the bookstall

• Beauty Is Your Destiny How the Promise of Splendor Changes Everything By Philip Ryken

• Friendship With God A Path to Deeper Fellowship With the Father, Son and Spirit By Mike McKinley

• The Heart in Pilgrimage A Treasury of Classic Devotionals on the Christian Life By Leland Ryken

• An Infinite Fountain of Light Jonathan Edwards and the Twenty-first Century By George Marsden

• Remaking the World How 1776 Created the Post-Christian West By Andrew Wilson

LOOKING FOR LEGACY

SARAH LINDQUIST

Ancestry.com exploration has been a delightful experience for my family. My cousin Rebecca has become quite the expert researcher and has created multiple family trees on the site for friends and family. Recently, she researched my dad’s side for me to complete my family tree picture. My family tree is not that interesting or unexpected: Swedes in Sweden marrying each other for generations and then crossing the Atlantic to Ellis Island in the early 1900s.

My husband, Jayme’s, information was much more varied and intriguing. Thanks to Rebecca’s research, we encountered ancestors that were previously unknown to him: Germans in North Carolina, Scots in Virginia in the 1600s, Swedes arriving in Delaware in the 1600s, members of Capet French royal house, George Washington’s grandparents, the Vanderbilt family in New York, Humphrey Bogart, English Quakers migrating to Maryland, Ohio and Illinois, and a governor of Maryland in the 1700s.

One youth was adopted by Native Americans in West Virginia and another man fought in the Revolutionary War, imprisoned by the British in New York. An Indiana newspaper in the 1800s records a great great-grandfather’s sentence because “his greed led him to rob his neighbors by passing counterfeit money upon them” though he had previously been “regarded as an honest old farmer.” So many new revelations! The legacy of these ancestors from the 1600s echoes even today. Other than that counterfeiter, we hope for a legacy like the brave and adaptable ones from this family tree: Plymouth pilgrims, immigrants, pioneers in covered wagons, war heroes and founding fathers whose names etched on monuments. When examining our lives, whether in high school trying to pick a college, in midlife making a direction change or in retirement reflecting on the past, we want significance. Can our choices

have true, lasting significance for us and others in the scope of our lives?

An ancestral tree is an impactful example of how one person can change the trajectory of a family. We may feel insignificant now, but under the branches of a family tree, giving life to one person affects hundreds and thousands of individuals. Sever just one individual from the tree by mistake and generations, perhaps me, would disappear from the Ancestry.com screen.

God has an interest in family trees. In the Bible, we see ordinary faithfulness and brave choices in Jesus’s family genealogy. In Jesus’s ancestry.com family tree, discover Rahab who believed in God’s power, hid Israelite spies, then later joined the Hebrew nation as a foreigner from a different culture. She believed and acted in faith. Mary had the world’s most famous unplanned pregnancy announcement— from an angel, no less—and committed to raising and instructing Jesus before she even knew what Joseph would do!

Joseph chose to protect and love Mary and Jesus instead of leaving them to fend for themselves by breaking off his relationship with Mary for embarrassing him. What parallels to emulate for us. Like Joseph, do we follow God’s instruction and practically care for those with unplanned pregnancy? Like Mary, do we value preborn life and have faith in God’s purposes that we might not quite understand and didn’t expect? Like Rahab, do we fear God more than the people surrounding us and act, even if it is personally risky or frightening?

You truly affect history with your legacy. We’re impressed with ancestral endurance whether it’s leaving one’s country of birth, and then fighting a war for that new country, but how do we show endurance in an atmosphere that challenges our faith now? How do we show bravery today?

Christ calls us to seemingly ordinary faithfulness acts such as donating to Coins for Caring Network or talking

with friends and family about the image of God in all people. Take a step this month to leave a faithful legacy, encouraging life to flourish your family tree and to grow others’ family trees.

As we are middle of the Coins for Caring Network baby bottle drive. It was this gospel-centered ministry that impacted Olivia’s family tree. Olivia came to Caring Network feeling overwhelmed. She was shocked by her positive pregnancy test result at home. She had previous abortions and was afraid she’d never get pregnant again. Her boyfriend was initially supportive, and they planned to continue the pregnancy.

A few days later, he changed his mind and told her she needed to have an abortion. When she arrived at Caring Network, she was set on aborting her baby. She had an ultrasound and found out she was already in her second trimester. Crying and stunned by seeing her beautiful baby, she said, “I know in my heart I won’t be able to have an abortion now.” Caring Network provided Olivia with information and resources, as well as spiritual encouragement to move forward in her decision to become a parent. After her session, she shared the ultrasound pictures with her boyfriend. Olivia said, “He completely melted,” and now they are in a much better place than when they first searched for Caring Network’s services. Olivia’s mother even offered to help her take care of the baby.

By empowering women to choose life for their babies and helping them overcome obstacles, new family lines are being created that once were at risk of being cut off. Let’s support the increased number of Caring Network clients by generously surpassing last year’s total of $11,109.03. Take a bottle from outside the Sanctuary, Commons lobby, and Kids’ Harbor.

Scan or click here to give online!

Nancy Taylor

LIFE WELL LIVED A

Idid some research this week on famous last words. Unsurprisingly, many of them are expressions of love to a spouse. A few are sad, though not as many as I expected. Some are clever or witty. Some are a bit of both—Sir Winston Churchill reportedly said, “I’m bored with it all.” In contrast, John Quincy Adams said, “I am content.” Some are inspirational, such as Nathan Hale’s “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.” Of course, when we turn to Scripture we find some more satisfying last words, such as Moses’s farewell address in Deuteronomy, Paul’s last letters or Jesus’ Great Commission before his ascension.

Last words often reflect the kind of life a person has lived. Those who spend all for the sake of the gospel die with praise and gratitude on their lips as they catch their first glimpse of glory. Those who live a life of bitterness often die in loneliness and regret, uttering words of hopelessness or despair.

All this serves as a reminder that we have a great opportunity— each of us on this day—to determine which direction we want our life to go. The big and small choices we make day by day add up to a life, so if we want to finish well, we need to choose wisely. We will never regret choosing to invest in eternity. We likely will regret wasting our days on petty pleasures or distracting ourselves with endless entertainment.

As part of the Gospel Now project, we are encouraging each person to consider what step of stewardship God is calling them to take. Stewardship is simply a term that points to the spiritual reality that everything we are and have comes from God, and we are merely caretakers of it. Your time? A resource God has given you for the purpose of loving him and loving your neighbor. Your talents and abilities? Those come from him as well and are intended to be used to glorify him. Your money? Provided by God with the expectation that you will use a portion to further his kingdom and help others.

In thinking about stewardship, it’s helpful to think in terms of an acronym someone recently shared with me: LIFE— LABOR, INFLUENCE, FINANCES and EXPERTISE. Those

are categories of the things God has given you to use for the building of his kingdom. And Scripture makes it clear that we will be held accountable for how well we do this. The parable of the three servants in Matthew 25:14-30 teaches that each person is responsible to multiply what we have been given in a way that honors our Lord and Master.

So, then, how can we steward our lives—everything God has given us—in a way that pleases the Lord? It begins by taking an honest look at how we are doing. Visit the Gospel Now table in the fireside area and pick up a LIFE inventory tool. It asks thoughtprovoking questions to help you consider how you are currently using your LABOR, INFLUENCE, FINANCES, and EXPERTISE and how you might better leverage those for kingdom purposes, and then invites you to make a personal commitment to what you sense God is calling you to do. Prayerfully engage with these questions or find another tool to help you consider how well you are stewarding what God has provided.

Next, we need to take action. It’s not enough to resolve to do something, we need to actually put it on our calendar, add it to our financial planning, or make a phone call. This is where we often lose our way, so don’t put this step off.

Third, we need to make a habit. Experts tell us it takes 21 days to form a habit. If you sensed that God is calling you to invest more in a discipling relationship, make that first phone call to set up a time to meet over coffee, and then don’t leave your first meeting without setting up your next one. If you sensed a prompting to give more regularly to the ministry of College Church, set up a recurring payment plan. Put safeguards in place to help you follow through on your commitments.

And finally, we need to periodically re-examine our commitments. Are there things you’re currently doing or have always done that may not be as fruitful as they used to be? Are you in a new season that calls for new habits? Set up regular times of prayer and reflection by yourself and, if you’re married, with your spouse, to examine how you are stewarding your LIFE on a regular basis.

Whatever our last words this side of eternity turn out to be, our aim is to hear God say to us the words the master spoke in the parable of the servants: “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful. . . . Enter into the joy of your master.” (Matthew 25:23) May each of us live with that end in mind as we strive to steward well what we have now, in this life, for the sake of the gospel.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO GIVE?

Among the memories that I cherish most from half a century of teaching at Wheaton College is the series of annual baccalaureate sermons that Duane Litfin preached during his tenure as president of the college. One of these was a sermon on the widow’s mite (Mark 12:41-44). It is obvious that the story centers on the act of contributing money, but exactly what does the story say about giving? Not what we might think.

According to Dr. Litfin’s sermon, the incident is intended to make us ask, What does it take to impress Jesus? Part of my fondness for this particular baccalaureate sermon is that I heard it just as I was putting my finishing touches on an address that I was preparing to deliver at an international Milton conference. My subject was Milton’s sonnet on his blindness, which ends with the line, “They also serve who only stand and wait.” The question, “What does it take to please God?” gave me the perfect approach to Milton’s sonnet.

According to Dr. Litfin, the point is not primarily that God wants our money, but instead that he wants us and as an extension of that everything we own. This provides a good avenue to consider what the life of William Tyndale can teach us about giving.

At the end of this time, he was strangled to death and his body burned at a public execution.

What did Tyndale give to the Kingdom? He gave himself. God calls very few of his followers to the degree of deprivation that Tyndale experienced, but as we ponder Tyndale’s example, we can find many implications for ourselves regarding how we can give. There are many ways to give in addition to contributing money.

This does not mean that giving money is unimportant. As proof, we can consider little known heroes of the faith whose individual financial donations made it possible for Tyndale to compose the most influential book in the history of Englishspeaking lands, the English Bible.

After concluding that his life’s calling was to translate the Bible into English, Tyndale left his farming shire and went to London in hopes that the Catholic bishop Cuthbert Tunstall would add him to the group of young clerics who lived and ate at his residence. The bishop flatly refused Tyndale’s request because he was hostile to the idea of laypeople having the Bible in their own language. In fact, when Tyndale’s 1526 New Testament later made its appearance in London, the bishop publicly burned it in the churchyard of St. Paul’s Cathedral.

Tyndale was raised in a farming community in England at the transition from the fifteenth century to the sixteenth. This was the end of a long era when people were deprived of access to the Bible in their own language. In fact, owning or teaching any portion of the Bible in English was forbidden and punishable by death. A famous example occurred in Coventry in 1519 when a woman and six men were burned to death for teaching their children the Lord’s Prayer and Ten Commandments in English. By the age of thirty, Tyndale had become convinced that his calling in life was to translate the Bible into English. What did Tyndale give to this cause? He gave everything. When he realized that translating the Bible into English would be impossible in his native country, he moved to Germany to accomplish the task. He thus gave up his homeland. He gave up marriage and family. He gave up a regular income and even a stable place to live. He was on what today we call a “most wanted” list, this one of Catholic bishops and government officials in England. As a result, Tyndale lived his years as a Bible translator as a fugitive in hiding.

Eventually Tyndale was discovered and imprisoned for sixteen months in the dungeon of a castle near Brussels in Belgium.

After Tyndale had been thwarted by the bishop, a wealthy cloth merchant with Protestant convictions named Humphrey Monmouth gave Tyndale temporary room and board in his home. At the end of a year in London, a group of London merchants known as the Christian Brethren paid for Tyndale’s trip to Germany and early days there. Several years later, Monmouth paid a heavy price for helping to finance Tyndale’s translation work and circulate copies of his New Testament after they had been smuggled by boat into English. He was imprisoned for a year in the Tower of London but avoided the martyrdom that other Protestant prisoners at the Tower endured.

Back in Tyndale’s native farming vale of Gloucestershire, Tyndale’s brother John suffered a fate similar to Monmouth’s. He was arrested and punished for having corresponded with his brother in Germany and for sending money to aid William’s work of translation. While living in several different cities in Germany and then Antwerp in Belgium, Tyndale relied on the generosity of patrons who were sympathetic to his work of translation. What does God want from us? God wants us, in whatever ways we can contribute to his work. Sometimes the contribution is financial. But we need not feel guilty if we are people of modest financial means. Giving might take such seemingly small forms as extending temporary room and board to someone or paying for a specific need. Timely gifts for a specific need, even when small in themselves, can have an effect all out of proportion to the modest amount of money involved.

What William Tyndale most tangibly gave was the gospel.

Leland Ryken