Sunday Summary

It was another great Sunday here at CSUMC. Here are some of the highlights:

• Rob and Lorelle Wandell shared about the Handbell festival and how it will benefit Carpenter's place. The festival is This Saturday, April 28th at 4:30 and will be held at Rockford Christian High School. Tickets are $5 and proceeds will go to Carpenter's place. Please see the Wandells or Rob Kennan for tickets.
• We heard the news that Betty Lou Leach is finally home!
• Mary Pulliam of Love In The Name of Christ... Love, INC... here in Rockford brought us information on Love, Inc. Reminding us of how important it is for us to all be involved. Love Inc is a strategy for helping those in need in our Community. It connects people with the love of Christ outside the doors of our congregation. What a great ministry!
• The Choir presented "The Colors of Your Love" as the Offetory Anthem.
• The Scriptures were Acts 9:1-20, and John 21: 1-19.
• Rob shared "It is well with my soul" on the piano we had on loan from hosting the Mendelssohn Performing Arts Center's presentation of the renowned pianist Awadagin Pratt.

Pastor Keith's sermon was entitled "Love's Symtoms" and here are some highlights from his words:

• "The Goodness of God is always proven to be a reality in our lives and in our world, even in the face of tragedy like what we witnessed at Virginia Tech."
• The story of Jesus speaking to Peter and asking repeatedly, "Do you love me" is Jesus' way of letting PEter know that he is forgiven for his denial. Three denials become three confessions of love.
• Evidence of Love: On May 2, 1962, a dramatic advertisement appeared in the San Francisco examiner: “I don’t want my husband to die in the gas chamber for a crime he did not commit. I will therefore offer my services for 10 years as a cook, maid, or housekeeper to any leading attorney who will defend him and bring about his vindication.” One of San Francisco’s greatest attorneys, Vincent Hallinan, read or heard about the ad and contacted Gladys Kidd, who had placed it. Her husband, Robert Lee Kidd, was about to be tried for the slaying of an elderly antique dealer. Kidd’s fingerprints had been found on a bloodstained ornate sword in the victim’s shop.
  During the trial, Hallinan proved that the antique dealer had not been killed by the sword, and that Kidd’s fingerprints and blood on the sword got there because Kidd had once toyed with it while playfully dueling with a friend when they were both out shopping. The jury, after 11 hours, found Kidd to be not guilty.
• Evidence of Love: The story of Liviu Librescu, a holocaust survivor who was killed trying to protect his students in the Virginia Tech Tragedy.
• Evidence of Love: Jesus. Alghough he had been denied and betrayed, he did not stop loving the disciples. He came back to forgive them and help them learn how to minister without him.
• Pastor Keith also told this story: A Rabbi once asked his students, “How can you tell when night has ended and the day is about to begin?” The students argued for a while and finally one of them said, “Rabbi, could it be when you look off in the distance and see two trees you are able to tell that one is a fig tree and the other is a palm tree?” The Rabbi answered, “No.”
  So the students argued a bit longer until another brave pupil offered an answer. Rabbi, could it be when you look off in the distance, and seeing two animals, are able to distinguish that one is a sheep and the other is a dog?” Again the Rabbi answered, “No.”Finally, exasperated the students asked, “Rabbi, tell us then, how do you know when the night has ended and the day is about to begin?” The Rabbi looked at each of them in turn and said “It is when you can look upon the face of any man, woman or child and see there a brother or a sister. Because if you cannot do that, no matter what time of day it is, it is still night.”
• Pastor Keith reminded us that feeding God's sheep means showing God's love to all people!

If you missed any of our services this weekend, please join us again this week. Saturday at 5:12, Sundays at 8 and 10:45!

5:12...the Time and Place to be on Saturday Nights!

The 5:12 service this week rocked yet again! We had 40 people worshipping together with songs of praise. We had a special guest from Love, Inc., and the cafe' was busy after the service. How great it was to worship with everyone and share in God's love at this special time!

Please spread the word about the 5:12 and come Rejoice with us!!

Great Concert!

All reports state that the concert at Wesley Willows last night was a great success! Congratulations to the youth and children's choirs for all their hard work and for their willingness to share their gifts with the community. They had a great audience and everyone loved hearing them sing!

Dining with Deborah and Dorcas

I had a wonderful day today with two of our UMW (United Methodist Women) circles. I first stopped in at the Deborah circle for coffee hour. The ladies were so welcoming and it was a wonderful meeting! I shared with them my story of how I came to be a minister and also shared my ideas and excitement about what is going on at CSUMC. Then it was off to lunch at Dorcas Circle...it was a delicious lunch! I shared ideas and stories with those wonderful ladies as well. What a wonderful way to spend the morning! We have amazing UMW groups here at CSUMC! Thanks Ladies!

PRIMETIME PREVIEW!

Tonight in Primetime, there's alot going on! The biggest thing is that the youth and the children's choirs will be heading out to Wesley Willows for a concert. This should be a really special event for the kids AND for the WW residents, so we're all very excited!

There is NO BIBLE IDOL tonight due to the concert!

The Sunday Summary

Sunday was a great day to be in worship here at Court Street. Spring has finally sprung in Rockford and you could feel the warmth inside the sanctuary. The choir was on a "break" this week (they deserved it after all of that fantastic Easter music). Becca brought the message this week. The scriptures were Psalm 150 and John 20:19-31.

Pastor Keith did a neat trick with a glass of water, a paper clip and a piece of paper. Did you know you can get a paperclip to float in a glass of water?? Pastor Keith showed us how (well, he showed us at the 10:45...at 8:00 it didn't quite work out).

Becca's sermon can be read by clicking here.

We had a "mission moment" at each service about Rosecrance and the wonderful work that they do. Please remember to save your pennies for Rosecrance!

Finally, the hard part...

We said goodbye to Julia Schade. Julia has been the Assistant Music Director here at CSUMC for nearly 2 years. She has worked tirelessly to bring quality music to our church and served in the "interim" between Music Directors. She is amazingly talented and has so many gifts. Julia shared her Organ and Drum postlude with us again this week and it was a fitting end for her time here. She received a much deserved standing Ovation. Julia moves on to become the Music Director at Grace United Methodist Church here in Rockford. We will miss her very much and we wish her much success and happiness as she grows and develops in her musical career.

Rejoice Rocks!

The 5:12 service on Saturday was very exciting. We had 50 people in attendance! The Cafe was definately the hightlight of the evening and big thanks go out to Betsy and the Galloway's for all their work in the Cafe.

Here's what one of our youth had to say:

It was INCREDIBLE !!!! We had over 50 people there and we had great music and prayer and great goodies at the END !! All you guys who missed it dont feel bad come back this Saturday because God always gives us a second chance So... here's yours if you want a fun filled LIFE Come here at 5:12!! I promise you will have a BLAST and wont wanna leave!

Couldn't say it better myself...please join us this Saturday at 5:12!

REJOICE with us!!!

Tonight at CSUMC, we begin our new Saturday Rejoice service.

Come, "Catch the 5:12" with us. Worship begins at 5:12 and should end by 6pm. Following the service, join us for the 5:12 Cafe where we will enjoy coffee and snacks and have a chance to digest the service.

The 5:12 is a "contemporary" service in a "traditional" space. We mix modern praise music with the beauty of our very traditional sanctuary. We will have music, prayer, reflections on Scripture, and communion all in a way that is NOT "Christianity Lite" but is honest, relfective, and lighthearted. We take the word of God seriously, but we don't always take ourselves seriously.

So, come as you are...Jeans, sweats, "Saturday Night going-out" clothes...dress up, dress down... it doesn't matter. Come worship before you "Go out" on Saturday nights! Join us at 215 N. Court Street here in Rockford...

And CATCH THE 5:12!

Jeremiah Wins!!!

Jeremiah was the winner in Wednesday's Bible Idol! He pulled out a narrow victory over Joash and Ezekiel. The judges are very discerning and chose a great Bible Hero for tonights winner. Jeremiah will join the other contestants in the semi-finals on May 2! And watch out for the finals...when 3 lucky contestants will appear LIVE in PRIMETIME!!!

Primetime is ON!!!

Snow? What Snow? There's no snow in April! Primetime is ON for tonight despite that white stuff outside!

Come and join us!

Tonight we have our usual activities-- Choirs for the Youth and Kids, The Gospel of John Class, Bible Idol, Youth Time and Dinner. Also tonight, Leta is beginning her Spanish Class. Come and brush up or learn the basics of this very commonly used language!

See you tonight in primetime!

Wow...What an Easter!

To say that Easter Sunday was wonderful here at CSUMC would be a gross understatement. It was GLORIOUS celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and what a blessing it was to share it with so many people.

NOthing could rival the full voices accompanied by the organ, the brass instruments, the youth orchestra, and the harp as we sang together "Up from the Grave He Arose!" What a beautiful way to celebrate the resurrection!

Featured Music for the day included:

Organ Preludes:

• My Faith Looks up to Thee --arr. Karvonen
• Alegretto -- Merkel
• Oh, the Angels Rolled the Stone away --American Spiritual
• All Glory Laud and Honor -- arr. Southbridge
• Come, You Faithful, Raise the Strain --arr. Krapf
• Verset de Procession sur l'Adoro Te --Boelleman

Other Musical Pieces presented:

• In Joseph's Lovely Garden presented by the Genesis Quartet
• The Jubellation ringers presented Fantasy on 'Hyfrydol'
• Great Day! featuring Harp and Organ
• The Youth Choir sang, This is the Day accompanied by the brass ensemble.
• During the Gospel Dramatazation, the choir presented Jubilate!
• The offertory anthem was also presented by the choir: On this Jubilant Day.
• The congregation was invited to join in the Choral Benediction, singing The Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's Messiah
• And organ postlude pieces: Entrata Festiva and Joyful Recessional

Pastor Keith presented a Dramatazation of the Resurrection Account from the Gospel of Luke which included an interlude by the choir.

The other Scriptures of the day were: Psalm 118, 1 Corinthians 15: 19-26, and John 20:1-18.

Rev. Becca led us in the naming of our spiritual gifts. These were collected during the offering and were consecrated to God for God's use.

We celebrated communion together in thanksgiving and joy for the resurrection!

It was a wonderful Easter Sunday at CSUMC! He IS RISEN INDEED!!

Good Friday

Today is Good Friday, and alot of my non-Christian friends always want to know "what's so Good about a day when someone was crucified?" Well...there are lots of theories on what the "Good" means. Some people say that its an etymological switch from once being called "God's Friday". Others say that it's about the GOOD that God did from a tragedy in the reconciliation of the world to God.

Here is an article written by Ken Collins that discusses the differences. Wikipedia also has a good article.

So, what *Is* so good about "Good Friday" and why do we celebrate it? Well, first I'm not so sure it's a "celebration". It's not really a "holiday" but rather it's an observation. It's a day to observe and remember the crucifixion of Jesus and the things that occured on that day. We recall the death of Jesus and the painful events of that day. This is not supposed to be a happy day...but we aren't supposed to spend the whole day "wallowing" in the sorrow of the crucifixion either.

See, we are a Resurrection People. We KNOW what happens. We KNOW the end of the story. We know that Easter means that Jesus did not stay in the tomb. On Good Friday, we don't have to pretend that Easter hasn't happened yet. We remember Good Friday so that we can more joyfully celebrate Easter.

I don't really know if we should call it "Good Friday" or if we should call it "Black Friday" or "Authentic Friday". I don't know how to feel about the fact that someone who preached a message of love, tolerance, and forgiveness was executed so cruelly. All I know is that one man's life was so brilliant and so powerful that he inspired fear and confusion in those who had power. They couldn't allow him to live.

On the original "Good Friday"
people made it bad
3 days later
GOD made it Good.

Good Friday Services today are at noon in the chapel at CSUMC. Please join us as we remember Jesus's life and death.

Last Night's Maundy Thursday Service...

It was a lovely service. The worship committee did a beautiful job decorating the Dining room and Kay and Judy made delicious soup for dinner. As part of the service, there was a foot washing opportunity and this is what I wrote as I watched:

Watching the washing

hands

feet

water

love

families sharing

hearts opening

watching the washing

husband

wife

servant

served

family of God

offering itself

in service

in love

and my tears flowed

cleansing myself

as I sat there

watching the washing.

It was very powerful to be sitting there just taking it in as people washed each other's feet or hands. I saw the beauty of our congregation in a new way.

Thank you to all who shared.

Maundy Thursday

What is Maundy Thursday?

I have a non-protestant friend who asks each year, "When do you do that Monday Thursday thing?". I usually chuckle and remind her it's "MAUNDY" Thursday and that it's celebrated during Holy Week (which her church doesn't celebrate). But, it always makes me wonder how many of us don't reall know what "Maundy Thursday" is either.

Well, for starters let's talk about that funny word "Maundy" what does that mean? Well, it comes from the latin word mundatum which we get the word "mandate" from. It means to command or order or entrust. This recalls that Jesus gave the "great commandment" of "Love one another" to his Disciples. (See John 13:14).

This day commemorates the "Last Supper", the washing of the Disciples feet by Jesus, and the giving of the great commandment-- all of which took place (according to Scripture) just before Jesus' arrest, trial, and crucifixion.

This is the meal where Jesus speaks to his Disciples and friends and tells them that whenever they eat bread or drink wine that they should remember him. Of course, they didn't really understand what he was saying at the time, but in our hindsight it is clear that he was giving them a way to remember him after his death. We don't just "celebrate communion" on this day, but rather we celebrate the very beginnings of the communion meal and honor the first time it was said "Do this in remembrance of me."

Here at CSUMC we will be commemorating Maundy Thursday with a light meal, foot washing, and a celebration of communion. The service begins at 7pm and is in the Dining Room.

Holy Week Continues!

Here are our remaining service times for Holy Week!

Wednesday, April 4:
Lenten Community Service, 12:00 in the Chapel.

Thursday, April 5: Maundy Thursday.
Celebrate the institution of the Lord's Supper at our service at 7pm in the Dining Room.

Friday, April 6: Good Friday.
Come and meditate upon the crucifixion of Jesus at this special service. 12:00 in the Chapel.

Sunday, April 8: EASTER SUNDAY!!!
Come celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ at our combined 10:00 am service in the Sanctuary

Spiritual Gifts Spotlight

This is the last spiritual gifts spotlight. This Sunday we will be presenting our gifts to God and consecrating them during the Easter Service. For more information or to order a copy of the book, please contact becca at the church or via email.

The Mysterious Gifts!

The body of Christ is not without mystery. There are some gifts within the body that cannot be explained, yet cannot be completely ignored. These are the gifts that make us all a little uncomfortable in our own skin, and yet they too are part of the whole body!These mysterious gifts are: Healing, Working Miracles, Speaking in Tongues, and Interpreting Tongues.

The Gift of Healing

• Feels compelled to pray for the healing of others.
• Has prayed for people and they have gotten better.
• Can "channel" God’s grace and healing love to those who are suffering.
• Feels moved to be near someone who is sick or suffering.
• Prays for those who are physically or emotionally ill.
• Has a strong sense that God listens to prayers for healing.
• Gives time and energy in offering aid and comfort to others.
• People often just "feel better" when this person is near.

The Gift of Working Miracles

• Is able to recognize the miraculous wherever it occurs.
• Firmly believes that God works miracles.
• Has a very powerful prayer life and often has prayers for the impossible answered.
• Has experienced personal miracles in his/ her own life.
• Never seems to doubt the presence or power of God.
• Seems to have a direct connection with God which is often confirmed through answered prayers.
• Believes that miracles can and do happen.
• Works as God’s instrument in the lives of others.

The Gift of Speaking in Tongues

• Has spoken in a foreign language of which they have know prior knowledge or education.
• Able to "pick up" other languages quickly and easily and communicate across barriers.
• Often can’t find words in their primary language that "work" in a situation, but instead instinctively knows words from another language that will work instead.
• Often uses another language for prayer.
• Has experienced an "ecstatic utterance" that is not an earthly language.

The Gift of Interpreting Tongues

• Understands others when they pray or speak in tongues or other languages, regardless of exposure or education.
• Feels led by the Holy Spirit to offer interpretation of words being spoken or prayed.
• Has interpreted tongues or foreign languages.
• Has an innate ability to learn and understand different languages and cultures.
• Naturally attract people from other cultures because they just seem to "understand."
• Is sensitive and open to the Holy Spirit.

If you believe you have one of these gifts, please consider how you can best use your gift to serve God, your Church, your family, and your community. If you know someone with these gifts, please tell them that you see their gifts.

The Sunday Summary: PALM SUNDAY!

It was a beautiful Palm Sunday here at CSUMC. Many thanks to Becca, Kathy, Nancy, Randiann, Bruce J, and Matt W for their help with the decorating. HUGE Kudos go to the Palm Weaving Class memebers for the decorations they created...they made our sanctuary so beautiful.

During the 8:00 and 8:45 services, Pastor Keith presented a dramatic reading of the Passion Narrative from Luke.

During the 10:45 service, there was a group reading of the passion presented by Helen Gibbons, Randiann King, Jim Gibbons, Rob Wandell, and Bruce Martin. They did a beautiful job! There was also WONDERFUL music from the Kids Choir and the Chancel Choir with their versions of Hosanna!

Next Sunday is Easter! Worship with us here at 10am!

Mystery Mission Adventure!

Our Mystery Mission Adventure was a huge success! Thanks to all who participated. We started at 1pm at the church where we helped stuff all the Easter Letters and get them ready for the mail. Then we headed over to "Just Goods" which is the Fair Trade Store here in Rockford. There we learned about "Fair Trade" and explored all of the things in the store. There was so much to see!

After Just Goods, we headed out to hang "door hangers" in some neighborhoods advertising our church and our "Open Doors" and our "5:12" service. 100 door hangers dont' go very far and we learned that pretty quickly, but it was not raining at the time, so that's good.

Then we came back to the church for a break and a snack and helped carry the post-office items out so they could be taken to the post office before we loaded back up and headed to Bruce's neighborhood. THere, we walked the neighborhood knocking on doors asking for donations for the shelters and charities in the area around our church. We collected a van load of stuff! It was very cool! We have pictures, and hopefully we'll have them up on the blog soon. We came back to the church and unloaded it all and returned the Church Van.

After that we headed to Bruce Martin's house for our dinner. We had hot dogs and smores and all sorts of yummy stuff and then we settled in to watch our movie. We watched Jesus Christ Superstar while some of us worked on weaving our palms for the decorations for Palm Sunday.

All in all it was a GREAT DAY! THank you to all who donated, to Bruce and Kathy for their help, and to all the youth who gave so freely of themselves!

Last week's Bible Idol Winner: ESTHER!

It was a very close race between Esther and Isaiah, but the lucky streak for females in our competition has continued. The judges were very impressed with Esther's bravery and her ability to save her people! Congratulations to Esther!

REminder: THere is no Primetime or Bible Idol this week due to Holy Week.

Unintentional Hiatus

Sorry for the unintentional hiatus, dear readers, Holy Week is a very busy time in the life of the church! Becca will be trying to get the blog "caught up" today, so there will be lots of entries!

Thank you for your patience!