December 2022 Connections

“To marvel at the Incarnation is to be reminded of our sin and the loving sacrifice of God that redeems us. But to view one’s sin in contrition in the light of God’s good news is to be also lighthearted.”

Read “A Very Good Christmas, Jeeves” by Vijai John Kuruppacherry on page 8

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGE 02 December Highlights PAGE 05 From the Editor WIL TRIGGS PAGE 06 A Valuable and Vulnerable Resource ANITA DEYNEKA PAGE 08 A Very Good Christmas, Jeeves VIJAI JOHN KURUPPACHERRY PAGE 10 Hark Now Hear KEITH BODGER PAGE 11 Artist Spotlight— Marr Miller PAGE 11 Prayer Gatherings PAGE 12 Life’s Collision WILLIAM HOWARD & GLEN KOSIROG

PAGE 14 Milestones PAGE 15 Meet Your Leaders PAGE 16 The Charm Bracelets PAT CIRRINCIONE PAGE 18 Nothing Wasted JOY LOEWEN PAGE 20 The Bellows Tool of Serving JAY CUNNINGHAM PAGE 21 Under the Radar PAGE 22 At the Bookstall PAGE 23 Christmas at College Church PAGE 24 Campus Maps

Our Pastors, Directors and Residents: Josue Alvarado, pastoral resident | Matt Anthony, pastoral resident | Cheryce Berg, director of children’s ministries | Roger Burgess, pastor of visitation | 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 | 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 | Howard Costley, chair | Dave Gieser, vice chair | Randy Jahns | Heinrich Johnsen Josh Moody, senior pastor | Jeff Oslund | Roger Sandberg | David Setran | Jeremy Taylor, secretary | Chad Thorson | Brian Wildman

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 January issue: December 9 For the February issue: January 9 | For the March issue: February 9

CONTRIBUTORS

KEITH BODGER

has lived in Wheaton since he married his wife, Mel, 28 years ago. He and Mel have been at College Church since 2012 and they lead a small group together. Keith greatly enjoys winter and can be found shoveling at church when it snows on Sunday mornings.

PAT CIRRINCIONE

a regular contributor to Connections, enjoys reading, baking, crocheting, knitting and cross stitching. Her greatest joys are God and her family, and spending time with both has lead to much joy, fun and laughter.

JAY CUNNINGHAM

is proud and blessed to say he’s Paige Cunningham’s husband. Lord willing, they celebrate 45 years of marriage this month. His favorite season is winter, his Spotify playlist is quite eclectic, and more than once he’s been stopped at borders while smuggling in Bibles.

ANITA DEYNEKA

serves with Mission Eurasia, an organization she and her husband, Peter, founded. She works with A Family for Every Orphan. An avid reader, Anita has also authored several books including A Song in Siberia and Christians in the Shadow of the Kremlin.

WILLIAM HOWARD

has been a College Church member for nineteen years and has taught four-year-olds and second-graders in Kids’ Harbor. Retired after thirty-three years serving as a professor of English, he now teaches English to homeschoolers and international students.

GLENN KOSIROG

and his wife, Debbie, first visited College Church twenty years ago, and stayed. Glenn has served as a deacon and is currently on the board of STARS Family Services. You can also find Glenn serving in Kids’ Harbor on Sunday and Wednesday mornings.

VIJAI JOHN KURUPPACHERRY

has been attending College Church for the past 17 years. He’s served the church as a deacon and small group leader. He and his wife, Alma, live in Wheaton along with his two kids, Emma and David Kuruppacherry. In his spare time, he enjoys table tennis and reading with a nice cup of chai.

JOY LOEWEN

writes about her experiences and gives practical advice for sharing Jesus with a Muslim friend in her book, Woman to Woman, Sharing Jesus with a Muslim Friend , available at the College Church bookstall.

MARR MILLER

spent his early years in the Congo as an MK and began photographing in third grade. Retirement has allowed Marr to use his photography gift for churches and in Uganda, Brazil, Indonesia, Thailand and Chad. He has served as a deacon and is currently on the Board of Missions. Marr is the featured artist for this edition of Connections

COVER IMAGE: Marr Miller

DECEMBER 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 college-church.org/ livestream

Christmas: Can You Believe It?

Pastor Josh Moody preaching on Luke

SPECIAL DECEMBER EVENTS

MOM2MOM BIRTHDAY PARTY FOR JESUS December 12, 9:30-11 a.m. in Commons Hall

CHRISTMAS FAMILY EVENT (KIDS’ HARBOR EVENT) December 16, 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. (registration required)

ARTSPACE WINTER/ADVENT SHOW IN CROSSINGS Through Sunday, Christmas morning

ADULT COMMUNITIES

ALL NATIONS Sundays 9:30 a.m. in C104F

• TEACHER: Jim Tebbe

• STUDY: The Mission of God in Scripture—Daniel 1-6, signs in John’s gospel, end of Acts after Paul’s arrest, messages to the seven churches in Revelation

• DESCRIPTION: Exploring the mission of God in Scripture through Bible study. There will also be testimonies, information about and prayer for the church in different parts of the world.

DECEMBER 4: ADVENT 2— But I’m Too Old ! Luke 1:5-25

DECEMBER 11: ADVENT 3—But I’m Too Young! Luke 1:26-38

DECEMBER 18: ADVENT 4— Good Enough to Shout About, Luke 1:39-80

DECEMBER 24: CHRISTMAS EVE— It Really Happened! Luke 2:1-7 Services at 4, 7 and 9 p.m.

DECEMBER 25: CHRISTMAS DAY— Go and Tell Others, Please, Luke 2:8-20, services at 9:30 and 11 a.m.

SUNDAY EVENING WORSHIP SERVICES

Everyone welcome. In the Sanctuary at 5 p.m.

DECEMBER 4: The Silence of Christmas —Children’s Choir Program

DECEMBER 11: O Great Mystery —Adult Choir Program

DECEMBER 18: Bright Star Inn —STARS Christmas Program

DECEMBER 25: No evening service

FORUM 15 Sundays 9:30 a.m. in Welsh Hall

• TEACHER: Bruce Main

• STUDY: Life of Christ

• DESCRIPTION: In-depth study of important times in the life of Christ

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

• TEACHER: Jon Laansma

• STUDY: 1 John

• DESCRIPTION: Knowledge of Greek is not required for this class.

LIFE TOGETHER COMMUNITY Sundays 9:30 a.m. in Commons Gym

• TEACHER: Teaching Team

• STUDY: Varying Topics

• DESCRIPTION: Authentic, biblical community for adults ages 25–40

LIVING WORD Sundays 9:30AM in C104A & C104C

• TEACHER: Doug Moo, Josh Maurer and Felipe Chamy

• STUDY: 1 & 2 Thessalonians

• DESCRIPTION: Fellowship and exposition of 1 & 2 Thessalonians, with application to life today

LOGOS Sundays 9:30 a.m. in C104E

• TEACHER: Dan Haase

• STUDY: The Gospel of John

• DESCRIPTION: Appeal of Jesus

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

• TEACHER: Teaching Team

• STUDY: Varying Topics

• DESCRIPTION: Biblical community for 40s to mid-50s, including: single/married/widowed/divorced. Join us to be encouraged and thrive.

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

• TEACHER: Neil Wright

• STUDY: Book of Revelation—Young parents are welcome!

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—not meeting this month—will resume January 15.

CHILDREN’S CHURCH (preschool) at 11 a.m. PRESCHOOL at 5 p.m.—not meeting this month—will resume January 15.

GOD’S CHILDREN SING (Kindergarten and Pre-K) and CHILDREN’S CHOIRS (grades 1-6) at 5 p.m.—not meeting this month—will resume January 15.

WEDNESDAYS

KIDS’ HARBOR WEDNESDAY CLUBS at 6:45 p.m.—not meeting this month—will resume January 11. The Wednesday clubs include Pioneer Girls (grades 1-5) and Boys Brigade (grades 1-5). Join us this year.

STARS DISABILITY

SUNDAYS

INCLUSION CLASSES at 9:30 and 11 a.m.

CHILDREN/TEEN STARS: 9:30 a.m. Dec. 4, 11, 18 in C001/C003 Commons Tunnel Level

CHILDREN/TEEN STARS: 11 a.m. Dec. 4, 11 in C001/C003 Commons Tunnel Level

ADULT and MULTI-GENERATIONAL STARS: 9:30 a.m. Dec. 4, 11, 18 in C002 & C005 Commons Tunnel Level

ADULT and MULTI-GENERATIONAL STARS: 11 a.m. Dec. 4, 11 in C002 & C005 Commons Tunnel Level

STARS Choir Dec. 4, 11 at 5 p.m. in C002 Commons Tunnel Level

WEDNESDAYS

PRAISE IN ACTION at Dec 7, 14 at 6:45 p.m. Welsh Hall in Sanctuary building

FRIDAYS

BUDDY BREAK on December 2, 6:30 p.m. in Commons Tunnel Level

MIDDLE SCHOOL (KM s )

SUNDAY MORNING FOUNDATIONS, 9:30-10:30 a.m. in the KMs room WEDNESDAYS large group gathering, 6:45-8:15 p.m. Crossings East

HIGH SCHOOL (HYACKS)

SUNDAYS at 9:30 a.m. in the Crossings Sunday night Discipleship in the Crossings at 7 p.m. WEDNESDAYS from 7:30-8:30 p.m. in the Crossings—Clapham main space

COLLEGE GROUP

SUNDAYS at 10:45 a.m. in the Crossings Building Gospel Friendships, Shaping Biblical Convictions HOME GROUPS: Monday-Thursday at 7 p.m. Bible Study of Romans

WOMEN’S MINISTRIES

MONTHLY GATHERING

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 3: in Commons Hall, 9-10:30 a.m. This year we’re looking at Matthew 22:35-40, seeking to better understand what it means to love God and how this impacts the way we love our neighbors. These mornings are open to all women and include a short teaching and time around tables with discussion questions. We’re excited to welcome Renew Project this month, to hear about how they welcome our refugee neighbors.

WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY

(Doesn’t meet in December)

Morning: 9:30-11 a.m.

Evening: 6:45-8:15 p.m.

In January, we look forward to diving into Luke’s Gospel and seeing the compassion of Christ revealed. We anticipate a joyful and fruitful journey together this year. To register, visit our website.

MEN’S MINISTRIES

MEN’S BIBLE STUDY

6:45-8:15 p.m.

Commons C002 (tunnel level)

There’s no registration needed, and we look forward to seeing you as we gather around God’s Word together. Our hope is to cultivate a hunger for God and an ability to handle God’s Word in daily life.

In January, we will study the Gospel of Luke together.

VISITORS LUNCH

Know someone new to College Church? If so, invite them to join you for a casual lunch in the Narthex (the Sanctuary Lobby) catered by Jason’s Deli on Sunday, January 22, at noon. Lunch is on us! Come and meet pastors and staff, learn about College Church and find out how you can get involved. Help us plan by checking the box on the online connect panel, use the QR code, or by emailing welcome@college-church.org .

KEENAGERS

Join the senior adults (55+) of College Church on Friday, January 20, as we enjoy a delicious dinner together, followed by an entertaining program. The special guest will be Jean Kuecher, puppeteer and producer of the Marionette Playhouse, who will present the biblical story of Queen Esther. Jean comes with her own stage, handcrafted marionettes, beautiful costumes, sets, lighting and sound! She holds a master’s degree in counseling and guidance and has used puppets to connect with people of all ages.

The evening begins with a reception at 5:30, dinner at 6, and the program at 7 p.m. Reservations are required by January 17 by emailing keenagers@college-church.org .

20 s MINISTRY

A landing place for you to grow in Christian community and launching pad to send you out in the ministry and mission of the church. Weekly gatherings and events. For more information, contact Kaitie Girgis at kgirgis@ college-church.org .

YEAR-END GIVING TO COLLEGE CHURCH

We invite each of us to prayerfully invest in the work of the kingdom of God in and through College Church.

GIFTS IN PERSON: Cash envelope contributions or checks may be dropped off at the church office until 5 p.m., Friday, December 30. Or they can be dropped through the mail slot on the southernmost door of the Commons until midnight December 31. Contributions dropped off after midnight will be credited to 2023 even if the check or cash envelope is dated 2022.

CHECKS IN THE MAIL: Checks received in the mail with the envelope postmarked December 31 or earlier will be credited to 2022, but those postmarked after December 31 will be credited to 2023 even if the check is dated 2022.

ONLINE GIFTS: Making online gifts is easy through our website at college-church.org by toggling over “IMPACT,” then click “Give” and “Give Online.” Gifts made before midnight on December 31 will be credited to 2022. Online gifts made after midnight will be credited to 2023.

GIFTS OF STOCKS OR MUTUAL FUNDS: In order for a stock gift to be credited for 2022, it must be received by Monday, December 26. To make a gift of stock or mutual funds, call the Church Office at (630) 668-0878 and ask for Dan Bauer, ext. 127, or Nancy Singer, ext. 113.

If you currently use contribution envelopes, a new box for 2023 with your name on it will be available in the Narthex. If you do not have contribution envelopes and would like a box, or if you would like to transition to online giving, please email Dan Bauer, Accounting Manager at dbauer@college-church.org for help.

FROM

THE EDITOR

GREATER GIFTS

Have you noticed that one-day sales these days never last for just one day? I think Black Friday ran for at least a week and Cyber Monday was at least two days—no, as I write this, I see that in the hands of some marketers, it is now week-long. I guess the current cultural environment means that a day is not as a thousand, it’s at least 48 hours, and stretched out as long as there are consumers out there willing to buy the goods and services.

But there are greater gifts than the ones we buy in stores or online.

People are gifts to us when they share their stories. As they did in this issue of Connections, and we get to know and think in fresh ways about Ukrainian orphans (p. 6) or take a second look at an old Christmas song (p. 10). We can ponder what it must be like to live in a country that left a scar and how God brings hope even in a situation like that (p. 18). I’ve never thought much about charm bracelets, but the story on page 16 gives me a new appreciation for them. When you share stories you are giving gifts to others.

So don’t let this Christmas season pass without the gift of stories. The stories we tell each other from our lives are treasures that only we can give. Words can be more meaningful than the tangible gifts we give.

And our first installment of “best books of the year” finds life in this issue as well (p. 22). Consider adding one or more of these on your list of reads for the new year. Watch for even more titles coming in the January issue.

Beyond our own stories and the books we’ve loved this year, above all else—let’s not forget the greatest story ever—the one that God tells through the coming of Jesus. That’s a story that intersects with us in ways that only God could manage.

So, Christmas blessings to everyone. Let’s be little lights for the love of Christ no matter what path we find ourselves walking.

Valuable and Vulnerable Resource

Ordered by Vladimir Putin, the Russian military launched its heaviest wave of attacks on Ukraine in October, since Russia invaded that nation on February 24. Across Ukraine, missiles, rockets, drones and other weapons blasted 30% of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

Those same missiles, rockets, drones and other weapons destroyed children’s parks, schools, hospitals and other civilian targets in cities which were beginning to regain a sense of normalcy. Now, our ministry partners in Ukraine report widespread power and water outages, as Ukrainian responders work feverishly to restore what has been destroyed as temperatures are already near freezing at night.

Thousands of children with families, and especially those without parental care, are again at very great risk. Many now again shelter in frigid underground basements

and metros. Their urgent need is to not only escape active war but also lifethreatening temperatures as thousands more homes and evacuation centers are without heat and water. The plastic tarps many had put on their blown-out windows and bullet ridden roofs are no longer sufficient. The trauma experienced by children and families, evacuated after many months of living in basements and experiencing unspeakable horror, is again rising and terrifying.

A Family for Every Orphan, with which I serve as a missionary of Mission Eurasia, is primarily seeking to serve orphans and other vulnerable children and families. Sixty percent of Ukraine’s 70 million children have been forced to leave their homes, since the war, initiated by Russia, began February 24. More than half a million children have reportedly been deported to Russia and

their fate and status is currently unknown. Some of them were adopted by Russian people, who were instructed to change children’s names, so that Ukrainian links could not be found in their roots. About 20% of Ukrainian children remain in areas of the country still under Russian occupation, including in some of the most wartorn regions. Less than a year ago, these children went to school, had food and shelter, played games and lived normal lives. Today countless children are forced to sit in basements for months without means of subsistence, warmth and sometimes water. On the verge of survival, they face high risk of death and urgent need of help.

Save Ukraine—a network of churches, Christian organ izations and leaders across the nation—is the primary partner of A Family for Every Orphan. Their mission is to rescue the most vulnerable from combat zones and help them rebuild their lives—including orphans and other vulnerable children. They also provide special assistance to those with disabilities—currently, there are more than 164,000 children with disabilities living in Ukraine. The Save Ukraine network has set up 24-hour hotlines to which they respond, providing evacuation, food and other care, given with the hope and comfort of the gospel.

When families decide to evacuate, they often don’t have enough time to pack—and must leave their belongings at home. Many wander without any means to survive, including money, food, clothing, hygiene products. Those who had enough time to grab something have small backpacks with the most necessary items. Currently, a vital project is the “Save Me” Rescue Packs for children. These rescue packs include basic food items, water, safety and hygiene kits and a children’s New Testament. One backpack is enough to provide these necessities for three days, while a child is first evacuating. There is also enough space for a child to take one favorite toy. Mission Eurasia is providing children’s New Testaments for the backpacks. We know that many times the whole family reads and cherishes God’s Word.

Another critical need is to help with housing in safe places, where evacuees can temporarily live, rest and recover. Save Ukraine is currently constructing temporary structures for people displaced from their homes. As the war subsides and more people can return home, Save Ukraine will also build small modular frame houses, where families can live short-term—and some long-term.

Responding to its 24/7 hotlines, Save Ukraine is rescuing up to 500 people daily from active combat zones and taking them initially to one of 15 rescue hubs in safer places throughout Ukraine. Workers with Save Ukraine are grateful for the five armored cars, 22 vans, 11 ambulances, six buses and a gasoline tanker they now

have, and they thank God for all who have helped with this equipment, which will enable to them to help many more people. Since the war began, Save Ukraine has evacuated 70,000 children and families—including children from 22 orphanages—taking these children to places where they can sleep peacefully, and not wake up shaking from explosions and sirens. Save Ukraine members have also provided food packages for more than 81,000 people and helped thousands of adults and children with safe housing in Ukraine and abroad.

Even as Russian military, relentlessly attack Ukraine, with no regard of who is in their path of destruction, Save Ukraine and its teams are bring hope and help to Ukraine’s most vulnerable and valuable resource—her children. c

After the Russian military approached Lysychansk, life changed forever for Alla, her two little daughters and her mother who suffers from the aftermath of a stroke. For four months Alla and her family hid in a damp basement and as a result came down with pneumonia. It was impossible to receive medical care since the Russian military had bombed the nearest hospital. Still, despite all the difficulties, illness and pain—Alla’s arm had healed improperly from a severe fracture—she managed to cook meals on the fire amidst the shelling so that her family would not starve. She was cooking when a shell landed in her house. All five floors were blazing, and concrete slabs were collapsing from the ceiling and walls. There was chaos, screaming, dead and wounded people all around. Alla quickly gathered her documents from the now bombed-out apartment, realizing she and her family must escape. Our Ukrainian colleagues were nearby driving an evacuation bus to help the hurting. This Save Ukraine team made every effort to calm the children and their relatives and were able to take them to safety. That day, on the eve of the occupation of the city, volunteers evacuated 22 people from Lysychansk. Currently, Alla’s family is in western Ukraine and an A Family for Every Orphan partner ministry team is taking care of this family.

A Very Good Christmas, Jeeves

Vijai John Kuruppacherry

My favorite author of humorous fiction is P.G. Wodehouse, a British (later American) writer whose oeuvre was described by Alexander Cockburn as standing at “a slight angle to the universe, unreachable by almost anything but laughter itself.” In his complex plots, a protagonist is faced with situations so far-fetched and compounded on themselves that the reader wonders what if anything could extricate the poor “toad beneath the harrow” from such a mess.

Among Wodehouse’s most celebrated works are those focused on the amiable, muddled young gentleman, Bertie Wooster, whose universe is filled with people who, in their misguided pursuits to such varied ends such as courtship, making money, and getting even for a trifling, land him in hot water at every turn.

These include equally hapless friends, young women with a tendency towards practical jokes and fiery temperament, aunts who frequently enlist him in dubious schemes calculated to “bring his grey hairs in sorrow to the grave,” clergymen of various stations—curates, vicars and bishops and other representatives of authority such as magistrates, police constables and retired headmasters. To redeem such a one, only one person of infinite wisdom and sagacity proves equal to the task—Bertie’s personal valet, Reginald Jeeves.

A typical plot begins with something Jeeves may want his employer to do, such as travel around the world on a cruise, with which Wooster would immediately refuse to comply. Subsequent events would render his acquiescence absolutely necessary, after Jeeves has undone the Gordian knot in which Wooster finds himself, but not before the incredible farce has outraged the reader in the best possible manner. During this sequence of events, Wooster would often act contrary to Jeeves’ direction, from either a desire to put Jeeves in his place or misplaced confidence in his own wisdom, and inevitably be forced to concede and put his trust in “a higher power,” namely Jeeves.

The Wodehousian idyll in the form of perpetually sunny gardens on the grounds of ancient castles, replete with feasting tables of delectable French dishes cooked by temperamental chefs, has been compared by Christian thinkers to Eden. This happy state is threatened often by powers that would usurp it, and to be banished from it is to be confronted by aunts with flaming swords. The one all-important thing missing from this pastiche is sacrifice, at least on the part of the one who “does all things well,” the valet Jeeves, who otherwise incarnates into the world of the noblesse, at ease with both classical allusions and modern scientific thought, but unperturbed by the “privations” that befall them. The other characters seem to sacrifice plenty, to great comic effect.

I can’t stretch these stories to be true parables. Jeeves, after all, is manipulating events if only partially to satisfy his selfish interests. He sacrifices nothing and shows no remorse in having his employer go through public humiliation to accomplish his desired end. But it is in the middle, between the presentation of the initial problem and its resolution, that I find myself in familiar territory—in the desire to control the destinies of everyone I care about, the petty dudgeon towards those with better understanding or experience, and the vanity that convinces me that I am better than I could ever hope to be.

find themselves outwitted by his resurrection, with the key to death and Hades in his hands.

To marvel at the Incarnation is to be reminded of our sin and the loving sacrifice of God that redeems us. But to view one’s sin in contrition in the light of God’s good news is to be also lighthearted. Fleming Rutledge writes in her book The Crucifixion, “It is with a sense of lightheartedness that one comes before the mercy seat of God, but none can understand this until the light of grace dawns upon them.” She describes as an example of this paradoxical response to the Incarnation the composer Bach’s cantatas, with “movements back and forth between deepest, heartwrenching lamentation and exuberant, life-affirming dance forms, suggesting the experience in life of having one’s deepest fear and shame understood by someone else in a context of promise and hope.”

Events that transpire convince me that his ways are higher than mine, his thoughts deeper. If a resolution presents itself, as it sometimes does, I’m enabled to see the Gordian knot that bound me. I look back on how I devised plans, dreamed dreams, and mobilized resources to loosen it, but God presents a different plan. If we can relax for a moment and see it all unfold, we may be outraged by its incredible farce. What could one expect from such a God, who incarnated into human form, lived among fisherfolk reeking of the day’s catch, ate with unwashed hands, and stumped the learned scribes of his day with stories so simple a child could comprehend and yet so layered that they confounded them?

Scripture presents Adam as a being made to rule the good land God made as God’s representative, but corrupted by the serpent, infecting him and his progeny with its venom that results in death over every human ever made. We see the ongoing interventions by God to carve out little Edens through Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, and others through history, resulting in short-lived victories that cannot seem to deliver God’s promise that the son of Eve will crush the head of the serpent’s “offspring.” Rulers who once showed promise are now revealed to be infected by the venom just as much as anyone else. Others take matters into their own hands, wresting control of kingdoms, allying with foreign empires, and finally turning out to be exactly like the nations that God replaced to make room for them. Called to be a holy people, Israel returns to its sinful ways, and is banished once again from the good land God gave them. God keeps his promise through the most unlikely event imaginable, a baby born into poverty, among animals, with the powers of darkness gathering to destroy him. When they finally succeed, they

Wodehouse’s world fills me with laughter and longing because it invites me to a resolution that, held in the context of all that went before, is utterly delightful. The stakes are not high but exaggerated—the prospect of being banished from the table of the chef Anatole, “God’s gift to the gastric juices,” fills his patrons with fear and trembling. We who inhabit a world with far more consequential results to our sin know that it takes God in Christ to save us from the serpent’s jaws. When we are rescued, we see that he has spread a table for us in the presence of our enemies, and our cup overflows, because “we have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering.” (Hebrews 12:22)

COMMUNION AT COLLEGE CHURCH DECEMBER 4

“I look back on how I devised plans, dreamed dreams, and mobilized resources to loosen it, but God presents a different plan.”

Hark Now Hear

Keith Bodger

In the mid-1980s when I was in my early 20s, each Christmas, for about four years, my friends and I would sing Christmas carols at a nursing home. The local newspaper would print the lyrics to the carols, and we’d use those printed songs to guide us through an hour or so of singing on a Friday night. The residents seemed to enjoy this unprofessional group of singers who were simply being nice to others at Christmas time. We would sing traditional carols such as “Angels We Have Heard on High,” “Silent Night” and “Jingle Bells.” But the one song that stood out to me was the lesser known “Mary’s Boy Child.”

“Mary’s Boy Child” had a revival of sorts in 1978 by musician Boney M, and likely got a lot of air play at Christmas time. I expect that’s how I knew it. The song was originally recorded by Harry Belafonte in 1956. It was a calypso Christmas carol, written by Jester Joseph Hairston from North Carolina.

According to Wiki, Hairston was a leading expert in Negro Spirituals and a choral singer/ conductor. His grandparents were slaves. Hairston wrote the song with a calypso rhythm for a Hollywood choir. I don’t expect my group of friends and I did the calypso rhythm justice, but we sang it. Or, at least, I tried to sing it. The song made me cry. I would move my mouth to form the words, but I could not often sing out loud because I was crying. What made me cry? Was it the lyrics? Was it the music? Was it the Holy Spirit tapping me on the shoulder? I don’t know. But I looked forward to singing this carol each Christmas, even though I didn’t understand it. The chorus made no sense. At that time, I didn’t go to church, and I did not know Jesus. Look at the words of the chorus: “Hark now hear the angels sing, a new King born today. And man will live forevermore because of Christmas Day.”

“Hark now hear the angels sing” was at least something with which I was familiar because of the other carol, the “Hark! the Herald Angels Sing” one. But it was the next phrase, “a new King born today” that confused me. I really didn’t know what they were singing about. Who was this king? Why didn’t I know of this king? What was his name? On what day was he born? It says born today but what specific day? Did it mean the Friday night we were singing? And what about Queen Elizabeth? Would she still be queen if there were a new king born today? It just didn’t make sense.

“And man will live forevermore because of Christmas day.” This lyric baffled me. Man does not live forevermore. We die.

I knew that. I knew people who had died. Even though we had Christmas Day, people still died. I just didn’t understand it. What was it about Christmas Day that caused people to live forevermore? The song was illogical.

But I cried. The nonsensical lyrics didn’t stop me from loving that song. So, I would sing along, to the extent I could, until the emotion overwhelmed me, and I would have to mouth the words and discretely wipe away the tears.

Eventually, the popularity of “Mary’s Boy Child” waned, and I didn’t hear the song anymore, until about ten years ago, when I found the song on iTunes and bought it. Now it’s a regular part of my (year-round) playlist. And now I get it. The angels did sing. A new King was born, and his name is Jesus Christ. And man will live forevermore because Jesus, our Savior, was born and we celebrate that on Christmas day. And I still cry.

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT MARR MILLER

Born to missionary parents in the Belgian Congo, Marr spent most of his formative years in the Congo with home assignments in Wheaton and Alma, Nebraska. His last two years of high school were in Wheaton. College began at John Brown University (JBU), interrupted by service in Vietnam followed by more studies at JBU, the University of North Carolina and DePaul University. His MBA is from Keller Graduate School.

Marr worked for a photo studio before returning to Africa with his wife, Mary, as short-term missionaries with AIM International in the then renamed Zaire. His main artistic interests are nature related, especially wildlife, scenic and landscape, although event photography seems to be the usual assignment. Lately, he does video work, which expands the art to include audio.

He has worked as an administrator with a mission agency, an HR director for a manu facturing firm, at a mortgage company and is now retired from property management. Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all 1 CHRONICLES 29:11

PRAYER GATHERINGS ONLINE & IN PERSON

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. in C101

Monday Morning Prayer 6:15-7:15 a.m. Board Room

Wednesday Night Prayer (Zoom only) 7-8 p.m.

DECEMBER 7: Steve & Lois Dresselhaus

DECEMBER 14: Jim & Nan Green

DECEMBER 21: TBD

DECEMBER 28: TBD

Friday Prayer for the Persecuted Church (Board Room) 12-1 p.m. Led by Wil and Lorraine Triggs. The weekly prayer guide is also available at our website: https://bit.ly/3vzdcAz

HANNAH PRAYER FELLOWSHIP will not meet in December. Meetings will resume in January.

BARNABAS PRAYER FELLOWSHIP will not meet in December. Meetings will resume on January 18.

AARON-HUR PRAYER FELLOWSHIP will not meet in December. Meetings will resume in January.

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.

Life’s Collision

Glenn and Debbie Kosirog came to College Church twenty years ago, and they needed help, support and a network. They found all three: at a welcoming class for newcomers lead by Neal and Joanna Conley and Jim (now with the Lord) and Freda Davis and in the STARS disability ministry and its caring community.

Connections, with William Howard, sat down with Glenn and talked about the ways God has been at work in his life.

married to Rachel who is expecting their fourth child. Kendra is married to Karl, is a speech therapist, lives in Wheaton and just had their third child.

Christy, the youngest, is 25 years old. She was born with Down Syndrome and a heart defect. Christy benefitted so much by having four older siblings. The old er kids were such a big help in caring for Christy. They rallied and were all on board. I believe each of the four older kids has become more tender because of Christy. Christy has impacted each of their lives. Nate and Emily have a passion for foster care and were recently able to adopt a lit tle boy they had been caring for, who has his own special challenges to overcome.

When Hannah shared her testimony at her eighth-grade graduation, she told of Christy’s influence in her coming to faith in Christ. Justin’s story of why he wanted to be a doctor, includes the impact of Christy on his life. Kendra’s decision to be a speech therapist was greatly influenced by the years of speech therapy Christy received, watching her language develop, and Kendra trying to help Christy say different words.

Talk to us about your some of the bless ings and challenges of raising a child with developmental disabilities. How do you think this affected your other children?

We have five children. Nate taught high school for several years and is now a stay-at-home dad. He and his wife, Emily, live in Denver and have three boys. Hannah is a major in the United States Air Force and is stationed in Wichita. Justin is a doctor in Oklahoma City and is

Tell us more about Christy.

Often, I say Christy is our greatest challenge and our greatest reward. We learned Christy had a heart defect within 24 hours of Debbie’s emergency C-section. About a week later, we received the official diagnosis that Christy had Down syndrome. I remember telling God, “I can handle the heart issue but not the Downs.” The reverse is true for me now. The leakage from one of

Christy’s heart valves has increased, and I pray for her physical heart and her spiritual heart.

In her first year of life, Christy had three hospital stays. During the first hospitalization, we began to use a feeding tube to help her gain weight. Putting that feeding tube in became a whole family event. We learned to work together as a team—a couple of us to hold her still, others to get the supplies ready so we could move quickly, one to put the tube in through the nose and down the correct passageway, and another to encourage.

The other hospital stays were for surgeries involving Christy’s heart, which included open heart surgery at 10 months. God provided a wonderful cardiologist and surgeon.

Christy’s care impacted the family-owned pharmacy as we moved into being provider of medical equipment because we needed the equipment.

It is amazing to see how far God has brought Christy, how he has provided for her, protected her, and blessed others through her. I remember thinking we would not be able to ski together as a family—something we love to do, but through volunteer trainers at a Colorado outdoor education center that teaches those with special needs, Christy learned to ski. Christy also learned to ride a two wheeled bike—another family favorite activity.

Christy always wanted to be a nurse and help people. God provided over and above. Christy works 12 hours a week at the Wheaton Eye Clinic, gets to wear nurses’ scrubs, and can walk to work. She also enjoys working at the Stars Resale Shop once a week. Christy loves music, dance, acting, taking viola lessons, attending the STARS Family Services art studio, and of course, social times with the STARS. She is quite helpful with home chores such as laundry and mealtimes. Christy is good at finding activities she enjoys—puzzles, paper crafts, basketball or Frisbee.

Christy has routines that are hard to break, but she does surprise us. She keeps me on track with discipline. I need Christy more than she needs me, and she points me to the Lord every day.

I believe you are also associated with Caring Network.

I serve on the board of directors of Caring Network, which has a vision for twenty-five new clinics by 2025 to provide an alternative to Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers, and Illinois is the leading provider of abortions in the Midwest. Along with Caring Network clinics is a program called “Restore” that provides afterabortion care. It is designed to show the forgiveness, truth and joy of Jesus Christ. The scars left after having an abortion go much deeper than physical. There is

deep mental, emotional and psychological pain. I will be receiving training to help men who have been involved with making the decision to abort a baby. For moms who decide to keep their baby and place them for adoption, we refer them to the Evangelical Child Family Agency that helps with adoption services.

At one point in your life, your commitments to your daughter, STARS and Caring Network collided with your profession as a pharmacist. Would you share with Connections what happened?

After receiving my pharmacy degree, Debbie and I moved to Chicago, and I worked with my dad in the two Kosirog Pharmacies my family owned. My dad wanted me to get more experience, so I worked part-time filling in at the VA Hospital downtown and then part-time for Walgreens, traveling to different stores. I was thankful when I went back to working full-time for my dad, especially after working at some Walgreens that filled more than 700 prescriptions a day.

Eventually the family pharmacy on Damen Avenue closed and I worked at the Kosirog Pharmacy on Western Avenue until it sold in January 2019. As a pharmacist, many customers would ask me for the morning after pill—and I would refer them to a pharmacy down the street. I was advised not to proselytize.

When the governor at that time mandated that pharmacists fill prescriptions for the morning after pill, another pharmacist and I joined in filing a suit against the governor. It was a long battle, about eight years. We lost several times in the lower courts. I remember walking around Springfield one time, crying out to God, “I don’t know where else to turn but you.”

Life’s Collision continued

It was God’s battle, and he fought for me. God also provided for our case in surprising ways. One Sunday, as I served communion, another communion server came late, but it proved to be God’s timing and providing. A conversation began. By the end of the exchange, my fellow server, an attorney, came on board to represent us in filing a brief needed the very next week.

At possibly the lowest point of the battle, when we were being persecuted in the media, out of the blue Mark Ramsey, an attorney from Washington DC, called. Mark had connections to Americans United for Life and to the American Center for Law and Justice. He wanted to represent us. We appealed on the right of conscience. The case went to the Illinois Supreme Court, and we won!

The Illinois State Department of Health had previously given me an award for helping the women of Illinois as the number one provider of breast pumps for women. Yet there I was in court for denying women their health rights. Mark Ramsey used the award to help with defending the case. It was a turning point. And it was because of

Christy that I had gotten into breast pump sales. When Christy was an infant, Debbie was pumping so much to have milk for Christy’s tube feedings. It’s amazing and awesome how God brings everything together. One more story. I was once asked to reverse the effects of the morning after pill. A mom changed her mind, and now wanted the baby. A Catholic nurse in California referred the woman to our pharmacy. There is a short window of time, about seventy-two hours, where this is possible. I prayed with the mom in the store, and nine months later she gave birth to healthy twin boys. Recently, the mom sent beautiful pictures of the boys heading off to their first day of preschool. Praise God!

What are ways we at College Church can become involved in sanctity of life issues or help in our disability ministries to encourage and care for young, teen and adult STARS?

Pray, pray, pray that God will open opportunities to serve. There is a special place in God’s heart for widows, orphans, the unborn, the vulnerable, the handicapped, the least of these. They need support. Pray out of obedience. God will provide opportunities. We think these vulnerable adults and children need us, but we need them as they all point us to God in unique ways.

MILESTONES

MARRIAGES

Jasmine Aughenbaugh married Timothy McDunn at College Church on November 18. Tim is a regular attender of College Church.

College Church member Jessica Johnson married Thomas Miller at College Church on Saturday, October 29.

College Church member Susanna Ramsden married Micah Roy on October 2.

Ryan Kastilani and Sarah Jagrowski were married on September 30 in Woodville, Washington. Sarah is the daughter of College Church members Jerry and Laura Jagrowski

BIRTHS

Julianna Joy was born to missionaries Stephen and Karis Rigby on November 12. Julianna joins her siblings Abigail, Eoin and Zaks .

Victoria Noelle was born to Anthony and Abby Valerio on October 27. Victoria joins her big brothers Anthony and Michael

Isaiah Daniel was born to Karl and Kendra Bratt on October 23. Isaiah’s maternal grandparents are Glenn and Debbie Kosirog .

Calvin Micah was born to Trent and Bridget Tovsen on October 4. Calvin joins his brother, Oliver. His maternal grandparents are Jeff and Alison Oslund .

DEATHS

Pray for Paul Robbins and family as they grieve the loss of Paul’s wife, Mary, who passed away on November 26.

Lois Erickson entered the presence of Jesus on November 19. Pray for her son, Kurt (Julia), and family as they grieve the loss of Lois.

Pray for Jeff (Cheryl) Kirchman and family as they grieve the loss of Jeff’s mother, Carol, who passed away on November 4 in the Dekalb area.

Pray for Carlos (Alex) Bell and family as they grieve the loss of Carolos’ father, Larry Bell Williams, who passed away on October 30.

Pray for Linda (Paul) VanDerMolen and f amily as they grieve the loss of Linda’ mother, Rosemond Fik, who passed away on October 26.

Meet Your Leaders

KOLBY ATCHISON

WHERE I SERVE: board of deacons

WHY I SERVE: As a member of the body of Christ, I am committed to helping our church however I can. I am very grateful for College Church and the ways it has blessed my family.

THREE WORDS THAT BEST DESCRIBE ME: loyal, hard-working, fun

MY FAVORITE HANG-OUT SPACE: bike rides with my kids

ADRIENNE CASSEL

WHERE I SERVE: board of deaconess

WHY I SERVE: It helps me feel more connected and I want to serve the body of Christ.

THREE WORDS THAT BEST DESCRIBE ME: friendly, loyal, family-oriented

MY FAVORITE HANG-OUT SPACE: anywhere in the mountains or on my backyard swing

LIBBY NEWTON

WHERE I SERVE: board of deaconess. I have previously served on the hospitality committee and have taught in Kids’ Harbor Bible school

WHY I SERVE: I want to serve and support members of the College Church community. Additionally, it has been a wonderful way to meet new people and learn about ministries here at church.

THREE WORDS THAT BEST DESCRIBE ME: caring, steadfast, patient MY FAVORITE HANG-OUT SPACE: at my family’s lake house in Eagle River, Wisconsin

ASHLEY GOSSELIN

WHERE I SERVE: nursery and in HYACKs (the high school ministry)

WHY I SERVE: I’m called to serve as a part of the church body, and I enjoy being a part of both the little ones and the but with the high school students.

THREE WORDS THAT BEST DESCRIBE ME: adventurous, loyal, dependable

MY FAVORITE HANG-OUT SPACE: my home

God Centered Life

the media ministry of College Church, features the Bible teaching of Pastor Josh, both online and on the radio. This exciting ministry with a global reach continues to grow in impact. Here in the US, the program is heard on the radio in about 70 locations.

Globally, the ministry also has a mission impact. The teaching is heard online through the OnePlace and TWR360 platforms, which have extensive listenership outside North America. Imagine! More than 35,000 people have been touched with some form of gospel content through this outreach of our church, either an online audio message, a spiritually encouraging article, or a devotional reading.

You can listen locally on Moody Radio (WMBI) at 10 p.m. M-F and 7:30 p.m. on Sunday and can have daily devotionals delivered right to your inbox.

Your prayers and partnership with this ministry are greatly appreciated.

godcenteredlife.org

FACE TO FACE

The Charm Bracelets

Pat Cirrincione

While watching our two oldest granddaughters a few months ago, the youngest, Katie, asked if I would help her straighten out her bedroom. Little did I know what I was getting myself into as I gazed upon a room that made me think: “Oh no! My granddaughter has turned into a hoarder!” Stuffed animals everywhere, books all over the place, dolls and their various paraphernalia lying on her bed and the bunk bed above hers, art projects covering her dressers. Where to begin I quietly shrieked to myself! Take a deep breath, the Lord said, smile and tackle one group of things at a time.

Okay, I can do that, and then Katie and I talked about a plan of attack. First, we organized all the stuffed animals, then we weeded out her books and straightened out her bookshelves (the weeded books would be handed down to her younger cousins). Next, we cleared the furniture of all but the most valued art projects and threw out the rest, and then placed all the dolls in their respective homes. We threw the garbage out. The last item to investigate was this little square box that now sat prominently on the main dresser, once we cleared it of various and sundry items. In this box were charms for a bracelet, but minus the

bracelet to attach them to. How could this be? Well, it could be because Katie didn’t realize they could be attached to anything, let alone a bracelet! Looking at those charms prompted me to do

something when I got home. I pulled out all my charm bracelets and took a walk down memory lane.

My very first charm was an airplane I received from my parents. It came with a note saying they were sending me on my senior class trip to Washington, D.C. Looking at this, plus all the charms on my various charm bracelets, made me see images in my mind that had not faded, but some had even grown stronger in time.

“The dominant theme that kept creeping into my head was one of nostalgia, which can be the gift that keeps giving.”

The dominant theme that kept creeping into my head was one of nostalgia, which can be the gift that keeps giving. Even with all the accelerated progress and movements in our lives, these charms provided ample opportunity for remembrance, and the lamentation or celebration of things past.

As I kept gazing at, and touching each charm, I began to realize (yet again) how blessed I was. I have visited at least twenty-six states, two countries and three large amusement parks. Several of my bracelets hold two high school class rings (mine and my mom’s); one holds her baby ring. One holds an old boyfriend’s ring (whoops! Should have given that back!). There are Christmas charms, a charm with our wedding date, and charms in the shape of birth certificates for each of our sons. There is a high school diploma charm and football, basketball and soccer charms. Also hanging from one bracelet is a Sweet Sixteen charm and a Friend’s Forever one from my friends in college. There was a charm of a race car, bringing back memories of going to the racetracks and reminding me of how I occasionally drag raced down Route 83 in the days before shopping malls and office buildings and no stop lights. You could cruise down Route 83 all the way to Route 66. Then there are my Harlequin charms from my time on the stage, and a pen and quill for my writing dreams. There’s even a music charm for winning “most improved voice” when I sang with Sweet Adelines. So many fun memories. Each one could conjure a story, and all I can say is thank you to God for the wonderful memories of people, places and things.

Then I began to wonder as I had wandered. At this time of year, as Christmas approaches, what would Mary’s, (the mother of Jesus), charm bracelet have held? Would there be an ankle charm? A baby charm? A star charm? A charm of shepherds and sheep? Of Magi from the east? A charm with a lock of hair from her firstborn, Jesus? A donkey? A cross? We know from Luke 2:51 that “…his mother treasured up all these things in her heart.” From her

time of conception, until she died, Mary kept her memories not on a bracelet, but in her heart. What a blessing, what a life so full of watching miracles performed, of seeing her son walk and talk among his people. Of seeing him touch so many lives. What can compare to this? Nothing.

May I ask you to do something this most blessed of seasons? If you’ve got charm bracelets or old photos languishing in a box, pull them out this Christmas and share them and their stories with your family. Don’t be surprised if some of them aren’t interested but do enjoy the fun of sharing your past memories with those who will enjoy hearing the stories, as well as your telling of them.

Far better than the stories behind charm bracelets or old photos is Mary’s story that, through God’s grace, has become our story to declare again and again to future generations.

Katie’s room has returned to a jumble of stuffed animals, books, and dolls, but soon it will have a bracelet to place those charms on, in that little square box somewhere on her dresser. Merry Christmas.

NEW LEADERS NEEDED

Seeking new leaders to start new groups in the new year.

COME TO OUR TRAINING LUNCH

If you are a current leader or think this might be for you, come to our January 8 lunch in Commons Hall.

Sign up today via the QR code or by visiting http://bitly.ws/xmkK

If you have questions, email Josue at jalvarado@college-church.org

Nothing Wasted

Joy Loewen

A PIONEERING FAMILY

I was raised in a pioneer visionary missionary family who ministered among the Somali Muslim people for fifty years. Their first twenty years were spent working among Somalis in Yemen where I was born. When Mom and Dad received the long-awaited permission to reside in Somalia, they moved there and opened up a hospital, clinics and schools. The translation of the Bible into Somali, when there was no alphabet at the time, was an incredible challenge. It was exciting to be part of a pioneer endeavor where Scripture and worship songs were birthed for the first time in history. I remember being part of daily prayer meetings where big needy prayers were lifted up to God. Miracles were expected and they happened. The memories of those prayer meetings where so much faith and perseverance had to be exercised shaped much of who I am today. When the missionaries had to leave Somalia Dad started up a radio program called Voice of New Life. The radio programs have been discontinued but have since been expanded and are now available on the internet for Somalis living anywhere in the world. My parents, Warren and Dorothy Modricker, were College Church missionaries and we spent some of our furlough years in Wheaton. We have all been the recipients of the church’s outstanding hospitality, material generosity especially of clothes and housing, prayers and financial support.

EXCITEMENT, ADVENTURE, TRAUMA

The excitement and adventure of missionary life seemed to pulsate in me being raised in such a courageous pioneer visionary family. Yes, there was excitement and adventure, but the truth is I was actually traumatized by some of the things I went through in Somalia and left

that land unhealed. Living in Somalia had some dangers. One of those was walking through the murder of one of the missionaries. Mr. Merlin Groves was murdered and his wife survived a brutal stabbing. Their children were our playmates. I was left frightened especially of Muslims well into my adulthood. We often form generalizations which are distorted. A magnified fear and anxiety that all Muslims are dangerous took root. I had a bad case of Islamophobia.

Ed and I met at Moody Bible Institute. While there we responded to a missions talk. We prepared and went to Pakistan to work at TEAM’s hospital. For me the response was primarily out of obedience to the Great Commission. There was no particular love for Muslims yet birthed in me for I remained unhealed. In fact I did not really know apart from a doctrinal fact that God loved me. I had become a child of God but did not know how loved a child of God I was.

A MISSIONARY DUTY

Three months after we arrived in Pakistan, and I had acquired a minimal level of language proficiency I asked a senior missionary if she would take me to a tailor’s home to get some Pakistani outfits sewn. I had a plan to share the gospel in my bare minimal Urdu with the tailor. I put together a three minute speech and memorized it going over it many times. When I arrived at the tailor’s home neighbor women crowded into the courtyard to get a view of the foreign woman. Someone offered me a chair while the women all sat around me on mats. I shared my memorized three-minute gospel presentation which I suspect no one understood but I was flying high. I had become a missionary! I never inquired of their names or their stories. There was no love between us. I just simply did my missionary duty to fulfill my calling from God. It was actually very empty. Empty of love and the power of the Holy Spirit.

JESUS LOVES ME, TOO?

It was in Pakistan where God began a big healing job in me and revealed his deep love for me and for Muslims. One day I got the nerve up and shared with a senior missionary my dilemma. “I know that God loves the Pakistani Muslims but I don’t know God loves me.” He was understandably shocked and replied, “I’m sorry I can’t help you.” I felt so dismayed and ashamed but God was directing everything. Shortly after that I came down with hepatitis. While on my sick bed, in the middle of the day, I heard an inaudible voice say, “Joy I love you.” Those words were repeated multiple times and came washing over me like a big wave. When I recognized that it was the voice of God speaking to me I told him, “Stop I got it.” You might say I moved from being mostly obedient to falling in love with Jesus; ...from head to the heart. God removed the fear of Muslims from my life and replaced it with his love. Fear and love cannot coexist. From that point on the reason for giving my life

in cross cultural ministry among Muslims moved from obedience to love and compassion.

A REDEEMED SUFFERING

We served in Pakistan from 1978–1988. We were bewildered when we sensed God was redirecting us with our two children to return to Canada to minister among Muslims there. In 1988 we didn’t know anyone we could ask to help us to know how to proceed. At that time not many mission agencies accepted sending countries as legitimate places to minister but thank God that has changed significantly. Arab World Ministries accepted us to work with them in Canada until that agency was absorbed into Pioneers. The last thirty-three years we have been involved with Muslim international grad students, refugees from war torn Islamic countries, Muslims who have immigrated with professional skills, asylum seekers and followers of Jesus from Muslim background. We have a wonderful open door in our own country with complete freedom to share the gospel.

Today I thank God for all that I went through growing up in Somalia because God has redeemed much of the suffering and removed my fears and anxieties of Muslims. God has healed me. God loves Muslims and so do I. John 3:17 says: “God did not send His Son into the world to condemn it but to save it.” We partner with God in his heart cry. My earlier suffering and trauma have enabled me to understand what many of my Muslim friends have gone through. God does not waste anything but can redeem everything for his glory and purposes.

God has given me many opportunities to help equip Christian women in befriending Muslim women with the hope of sharing the Good News with them. To reach the millions of Muslim women will require a great equipping of Christian women who will love them deeply and sacrificially with the love of Jesus. They will be largely reached oneon-one as a neighbor, work colleague, or classmate. The secret is not only sharing the Good News with them but to actually love them. I discovered missionary work is empty and powerless without encountering God intimately and without loving the person. My expe rience at the tailor’s home showed me clearly what was needed to be effective and fruitful for God’s glory.

Joy writes about her experiences and gives practical advice for sharing Jesus with a Muslim friend in her book, Woman to Woman, Sharing Jesus with a Muslim Friend , available at the College Church bookstall.

The Bellows Tool of Serving

Jay Cunningham, member of the Nominating Committee

The most important tactical tool for your wood-burning fireplace is the bellows. Rapid expansion and compression of the bellows forces air through a small nozzle and increases oxygen supply, thereby raising the rate and intensity of combustion. With just a few hedge-clippinglike movements of your arms, and a whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, those quiet embers begin to glow brighter and brighter until, suddenly, they burst into flame. Soon, the logs are burning, too, their mesmerizing flames throwing off light and heat, creating a cozy atmosphere.

No analogy is perfect, (bear with me now) but imagine that the work of the Nominating Committee at College Church is a bellows tool. Working with the glowing embers identified by the congregation, we gently stir up or fan the flame of desire and aspiration for ministry. The Holy Spirit is like the wind that fans those embers into flames.

This January, all College Church members will receive an invitation to recommend names of individuals the Lord brings to mind to serve in elected leadership positions. You can begin praying now for the Holy Spirit to point out other College Church members whom you can see serving in these positions.

Perhaps you already know someone who might be a good fit for serving as a deaconess or the recording secretary, the nursery superintendent or church treasurer. Perhaps you have thought of someone who could serve as an elder or on any of the other boards, committees and elected positions. You can find all these elected roles and who is currently serving at college-church.org under the Discover menu and select “elected positions.”

There is tremendous precedent for choosing leaders when you read in Acts chapter 6 that the people were encouraged by the apostles to choose people to serve who were “known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom.” Here’s an idea: pause right now and ask the Lord to begin to show you people in our body who are “known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom.” Thanks!

Once you start to pray, you might observe that fellow church member Suzy has a heart for people. She loves serving others. She goes out of her way to be sure that strangers are welcomed, that no one gets left behind.

She’s quick to offer prayer for someone who looks like they could use it. Or perhaps you Suzy is good with numbers (“Well, she’s a lot quicker at math than I am!”) and has a mind for organizing businesses. Or she might be naturally gifted at connecting with pre-teens or middle-school kids and they seem to enjoy being around her. She’s the kind of person others wish to follow. Well, enough about Suzy. You get the idea.

Here’s the cool thing: among all the other marvelous blessings we enjoy as believers, we are entrusted, through the nominating process, to help the entire body at College Church function as God intended.

In one of the great leadership passages in Ephesians 4 we are encouraged “to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” When you and I pray for the Lord to show us who our leaders should be, we are helping to equip College Church so that all the parts are held together by the leadership joints…everything is welloiled and in good working order. (Think, the Tin Man after the oil can is applied).

Do you want to be a fully engaged member at College Church? Do you want to help fan into flame the gift of God? Start now by preparing your heart to help the Nominating Committee.

More amazing facts and riveting stories will be forthcoming about elected positions. For more information, drop us a note at nominations@college-church.org. Thank you!

2022-2023 Nominating Committee:

Allison Bonga

Jay Cunningham

Teri Hiben

Josh Moody

Jeff Oslund

Becky Sandberg

Dave Setran

UNDER THE RADAR

It’s no fun to hear about an event after the fact. That’s why we’re Introducing Under the Radar. If you know of a local event that includes College Church members or attenders or may be of interest to them, email connections@college-church.org with the details and we may be able to include your event in this space.

MESSIAH

presented by the Community School of the Arts at Wheaton College

Suzuki Strings Christmas Concert featuring calligraphic artwork by Timothy R. Botts.

Students ages four through high school will perform familiar Christmas favorites such as the “Hallelujah Chorus,” “Joy to the World” and “For Unto Us a Child is Born.”

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 10 AT 10 A.M.

Edman Chapel at the corner of Washington and Franklin Admission is free for this family-friendly event

at the Bookstall

BEST BOOKS 2022

We asked ministry staff and elected leaders to share favorite books they read in 2022. Here is a partial list. We will publish more in the January issue of Connections and all titles will be published at onewordjournal.

JOSUE ALVARADO, pastoral resident The Cross of Christ*

By John Stott

Stott helps us to see how the cross is central to the gospel in a profound but simple way.

CHERYCE BERG, director of children’s ministries Holier Than Thou*

By Jackie Hill Perry

Jackie writes, “[B]ecause God is holy, all that He says is true and all that He does is good....Hear this: God’s words and works can be trusted because it is impossible for God to sin against you.”

MARK BERG, elder Beyond Entrepreneurship 2.0

By Jim Collins

Classic business book—profound concepts made accessible and applicable

O Jerusalem

JAY CUNNINGHAM, deacon Created to Flourish

By Peter Greer

This book opened my eyes even more to the amazing impact that Hope International (and other micro finance organizations) have had by helping the poorest of the poor to get lifted out of poverty by creating very small businesses. Trust groups, populated mostly by women, serve to not only teach simple skills like saving and investing, but also are the central place where the gospel is shared and lives are changed. This is a strongly hopeful book.

This Land of Snow: A Journey Across the North in Winter

By Anders Morley

This memoir of a young man’s cross-country ski trip from the Pacific Coast of British Columbia to Central Canada was a fascinating read. The writing is strong, and the use of language and analogy is captivating. I was excited to read a book by a fellow Taylor University grad...but I was disappointed in the end to learn that Morley no longer believes in God and much of the book’s introspective nature tended toward selfishness and how others had disappointed him in his life. He also had a patronizing view of women. But if you like snow or skiing or nature... there’s a lot in here that is beautiful.

Affirming the Apostles’ Creed*

By Laurie King Fiction,

Sherlock Homes & Mary Russell

1920s,

Project Hail Mary

By Andy Weir Science fiction—very creative

No Little People*

By Francis Schaeffer

A collection of Schaeffer sermons— a classic

By J.I. Packer

This delightful, short book is well worth a read. Packer provides the history of this central Christian creed, breaking each line into a jam-packed theological package of the wonders of God. This book helped really appreciate what we recite at College Church on a Sunday morning, and taught me how creeds are one key way to pass down theological truths from generation to generation.

*available at the Bookstall

CHRISTMAS AT COLLEGE CHURCH

CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICES

December 24 at 4, 7 and 9 p.m. “O

December 4 at 5 p.m.

December 11 at 5 p.m.

December 18 at 5 p.m.

CHRISTMAS DAY SERVICES 9:30 and 11:00 a.m.

He Has Come!

Christ has come—three words change all Three words reverse our very Fall! We are not left by God above He came He came He came in love! We come to Him not first, you see We live by God’s Priority He came, he comes, he’ll come again Praise the Advent Lord! Amen

CHILDREN’S CHRISTMAS CHOIR CONCERT

GREAT MYSTERY” ADULT CHOIR CONCERT

STARS CHRISTMAS PROGRAM

—RICHARD MOOMJIAN