Moderator's Message
Karen Kaluzsa
Greetings from home!
As we come to the end of the church year, I would like to thank everyone who submitted their votes for our next Council which will take its place on July 1. I would also like to thank the Council members who served with me this year, and especially those who will be leaving Council: Kathy Haben, Jen Haseltine, Scott Johnson, Mark Lesswing and Nancy Schatzeder.
It has been an honor serving as Moderator and to lead such a dedicated, hard-working, and creative Council and church staff. I know everyone joins me in keeping our next Council and staff in our prayers, and please volunteer to serve as a Ministry or Committee member if you are able. The more helpers, the easier the tasks.
Blessings and peace,
Karen
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WE ACCEPT, EMBRACE AND AFFIRM THE DIGNITY AND WORTH OF EVERY PERSON, AS WE ARE ALL CREATED IN GOD'S IMAGE.
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What's Happening at Church...
Get involved (SOON?) and join a group, an event, or a LHC initiative.
Explore / Belong / Learn
Worship Service
- Sundays, 9:30 am - Tune-in to our
YouTube
Channel
Bible Study
- Wednesdays, 10 am -
POSTPONED
Meditation Group
- Thursdays, 9 - 10 am -
POSTPONED
Queen of Hearts Raffle
-
POSTPONED
Men of LHC Monthly Breakfast
-
POSTPONED
Sisters in Spirit (SiS) General Meeting
- Sunday, July 19, 11 am
via Zoom
A Book & A Prayer Book Club
- Thursday, July 16, 7 pm
via Zoom
Friday Night at the Movies
-
POSTPONED
BTW Deadline
- Wednesday, July 22
Church Council Meeting
- Tuesday, July 13, 7 pm
via Zoom
CHURCH OFFICE HOURS
- Monday through Thursday, 9 am to 3 pm, 630.584.4013
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Search Committee - Update
Joyful Search Begins...
The Pastoral Search Committee has had a quick start since we were called by the Council in late March. Using Zoom teleconferencing, we have 'met' twelve times; learning about the process from Kim Wood of the Fox Valley Association; and discussing the wants and needs of our Church as they relate to a new Pastor.
The Council has determined to search for a Designated Pastor, who is a pastor hired for a designated time and a defined purpose...which has been defined as 'growing and retaining our membership.' The Designated Pastor search is a shorter process than a Settled Pastor; and the Designated Pastor can be considered for the Settled Pastor position.
As a committee, we believe it is important to get insights from LHC staff regarding their working relationship with the pastor. We have included Larry Dieffenbach and Lori Prang in our meetings to learn about their perspective after many years of service and understand their expectations for a successful Pastor. Your Search Committee is focused on a fresh, forward look in selecting a Pastor—we are not dwelling on the process and decisions of the past. We offer an exceptional opportunity to someone who can lead our congregation of engaged members. We are intrigued with the concept of Little Home Church being a mentoring church, to a pastor with limited experience but a high level of energy and commitment to the congregation.
In the month of July we will be completing our Profile and other information for presentation to potential candidates. Our interview process will take place in August and September, with the goal of having our new Pastor selected by early October. We are grateful for the opportunity to serve our Church in this important work. Please contact any of us with your questions, comments and concerns.
Blessings,
Bob Kaska
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Worship & Spiritual Growth
Together/Online
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Can you believe we've already produced 15 online worship services? We will continue to provide our worship services each week via the LHC
YouTube channel
. Presently we have services through July planned. We're trying to keep members of our congregation involved and connected by asking them to be a pulpit associate or lead a children's message. Please consider participating. It makes each service special! It is simple and takes no time at all.
We have also begun to try and determine when we can safely return to worshiping together in the sanctuary. The UCC denomination has issued guidelines, as well as the CDC and we will be looking at both closely. Your safety is our #1 priority. We are considering a survey to our membership with what might be on your mind regarding a safe return. We will keep you posted.
In the meantime, we appreciate your continued support and your tuning into the services each week, whether it's Sunday morning or whenever it's convenient for you. Each service is a labor of love. If you have any ideas, or have a favorite hymn you'd like to sing please contact me and we'll see what we can do.
Samantha Prang
Worship & Spiritual Growth, Chair
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YouTube Instructions
Access our online services via the link in the weekly email announcement, or follow these steps to access the video directly on our LHC YouTube Channel:
1. Access your internet browser
2. Type in 'YouTube.com' in the search bar at the top of your screen and press the 'Return' key or 'Enter' key. This will take you to the general YouTube homepage.
3. Type 'Little Home Church by the Wayside' in the 'Search' bar at the top and hit 'Return' or 'Enter.' This will take you to our LHC YouTube channel.
4. Click on the worship service you'd like to watch.
Please call the Church Office if you're having any trouble. 630-584-4013
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Music Notes
Virtual Worship
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“The greatest rewards come when you give of yourself. It’s about bettering the lives of others, being part of something bigger than yourself, and making a positive difference.”
– Nick Vujicic
Thanks to all who have participated in the services in June! Thank you for the many compliments. We intend to continue featuring our membership in worship and want to encourage, educate, and engage people to share their stories and their journeys.
July 5
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Jim Benzing will be preaching and Nick Metzger will be singing.
July 12
- will be a lay led service focusing on church growth that will continue through the next two Sundays.
July 19 & 26
- will be services much like Father’s Day and feature the various ministries and members of our church council.
We could use some pulpit associate volunteers and folks to do the children’s worship time as well. Be a star!
On a personal note, my sincere thanks to all of you for your kind words and expressions on the death of my father. We held a private memorial service in Michigan on June 27.
Keep the faith, keep in touch.
Peace,
Larry Dieffenbach,
Director of Music, Organist
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Our latest batch of Prayer Shawls has been blessed. The making of a shawl is a spiritual practice which embodies our thoughts and prayers for the receiver and is symbolic of an inclusive, unconditionally loving God. If you know of anyone who is ill or struggling and in need of a shawl...warming, comforting, enfolding and embracing, please let the
Church Office
know. We are grateful to Susi Winquist and Lori Haseltine for their love in making this latest batch.
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When we took the Outreach survey back in January, we could have never imagined that we would be headed for a pandemic in the coming months. However, your Outreach committee has been working to continue to implement the results of the survey, especially in this great time of need for people in our community. The most positively supported item of the survey was the support of individual members bringing charities to our awareness.
For example, Lori Prang brought us our "Mardi Bra" event that collected & shipped bras to survivors of sex trafficking in developing countries, providing them an ability to earn a safe income selling them in the second-hand marketplace. In that spirit, if there are charities which are near and dear to your heart that you know are struggling due to the pandemic especially, please reach out to me and we can discuss how to best support them!
This month, Outreach has supported two separate charities on special request. A request was received from the Director of Development for
Fox Valley Hands of Hope
, and we were able to provide funding for a Zoom subscription which significantly positively impacts their ability to continue their important volunteer work for those that they serve. Additionally, we were able to provide a donation to Reverend Dr. Terry Gallagher’s charity, Earth Justice as a thank you for providing us with beautiful sermons.
Our important work continues even though we are not in person
!
Karissa James
Outreach Ministry Chair
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Stewardship
Spring Campaign
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The Spring Campaign has taken on additional significance as the possibility exists that some of our traditional fundraising activities that are “group focused or dependent” will be limited in scope with lower attendance this year.
Contributions have been coming in weekly and we thank those who have already donated. We also realize with everything that has been in the news during this past month grabbing our attention, that donating to the Spring Campaign may have slipped your mind. So, I would encourage you to write a check today or send your contribution via
Pay Pal
or
Credit Card
while this is fresh in your mind. We need everyone’s help to support Little Home Church and hope you are able to give generously.
Please stay healthy and safe.
Pete Connolly
Stewardship Ministry Chair
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The Queen of Hearts raffle remains inactive during this period of shut down. Thank you to everyone who has supported us in the past, and we are looking forward to resuming the Queen of Hearts when our establishments, churches and restaurants are able to reopen.
Fundraising Committee
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We'll keep y'all
posted on the date of
the pop-up...!
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Update...
Pop-Up Rummage Sale
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Things are really piling up!
We are collecting a lot of great items to sell and will start sorting it all soon.
We have already sold items on Facebook Marketplace and will continue to do this. We have even sold a number of yard tools directly from a church member's garage to their work associate...!
Set-Up and Sorting Teams
will be organized in the second week of July for the fun process of setting up tables, racks, and sorting and arranging items. Masks, social distancing, and fellowship will be the mode. We'll send an email blast with all the info.
Keep Cleaning Out...
DROP-OFF
INSIDE
Parish Hall only!
Monday through Thursday during church office hours: 9 am to 3 pm
Friday & Saturday by appointment
Please...DO NOT leave items outside.
NOT a Church Dumpster...
We do ask that you donate thoughtfully. ‘Reusable’ does not necessarily mean ‘re-sellable.’ Help us by asking yourself, “Would I buy this in this condition?” before donating an item. We need things to sell...!
Thank you,
Kathleen Sullivan Kaska and Mary Roach
Pop-Up Co-Chairs
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Joyful Progress!
The Joyful team has been working closely with architect, Lisa Sharp and her team of specialists to finalize the scope of Phase 1 of our renovation plans. We will meet with Lisa on July 6 to close up loose ends, and again on July 10 for a final review of the documents. We expect that documents will be released for bidding on the 10th, with bids due on the 31st of July. We expect to award the contract on August 14, with subcontractor contracts awarded on the 21st. Construction is expected to be substantially complete by October 30 with the final punch list and contract close out on November 13, 2020! Once we begin construction, Lisa informed us that we will not be able to use some or all of the sanctuary and Parish Hall for 60-75 days. Exact details will be provided closer to construction.
We are approximately 1/3 rd of the way through the five-year campaign. Eighty-four families and individuals have made multi-year pledges and given single gifts which amount to just over $1.5 million. To date we have collected $643,393 toward pledge commitments, and we also have received approximately $9,700 in additional gifts earmarked for the campaign, unrelated to specific pledges. In early July, Financial Secretary, Ann McLaughlin will generate a report for everyone who has pledged, showing your progress to date.
Unfortunately, due to ongoing COVID related restrictions, we have not been able to meet with the congregation to discuss progress and answer any questions you may have. We hope to host an in-person meeting or Zoom meeting sometime in the next month or so. We also plan to have some sort of groundbreaking event once construction dates are set. So, stay tuned!
Anne Bouchard, Chair
Joyful, Joyful, We Restore Thee Capital Campaign
Committee: Anne Bouchard, Greg Hege, Bob Kaska, Kathleen Sullivan Kaska, Susannah Lesswing, Andrea Redmond, and Susi Winquist
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Meets 3rd Thursday, 7 pm
NEXT MEETING is July 16 via Zoom
Becoming
by Michelle Obama
The LHC Book Club’s July selection is
Becoming
by Michelle Obama. The memoir of former First Lady Michelle Obama talks about her roots and how she found her voice, her time in the White House, her public health campaign, and her role as a mother. Our discussion will take place on Thursday, July 16 at 7 pm over Zoom, and all are welcome to join us! The meeting has not been set up yet, so contact the church office to get the Zoom dial in information.
If you have any questions, please let me know, and I look forward to a lively discussion.
Best,
Karen Kaluzsa
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Our group of five continues to meet weekly on Friday mornings by way of Zoom. We have recently engaged with new residents of Wayne by writing personal notes from members of our group. These letters included a church brochure as well as a recommendation to engage with us on our YouTube channel.
Weekly we speak to updates from each of our respective committees to which we are liaisons as well as general updates about the Congregation.
We were able to stay engaged in Flag Day Events this year although the parade and picnic did not occur. The ringing of our church bell at 4 pm signaled that picnics at home should begin. This was the alternative for this year's festivities as communicated by postcard that went to all Wayne residents with our church address as the return address.
Looking forward; we plan to attend the TPIRC Summit again in September. This year's
Summit will be held virtually. We are also looking to engage with the coach who was selected by Pastor Richard as part of the TPIRC Lilly Grant. We would utilize this coach for our small group as it is a part of the grant we are not taking advantage of currently.
If you have any questions, do not hesitate to reach out to us.
Emily Miller
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Flowers, Fellowship,
Ushers & Pulpit Associate
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With temporary suspension of our worship services we are tabling our need for ushers, flowers, fellowship, and pulpit associates. But in the meantime...
here's a little flora from the LHC courtyard garden
...!
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Happy July Birthdays!
July 2
- Greg Hege
July 4
- June Bruskewitz
July 6
- Grace Hadfield
July 10
- Doug Hancock
July 18
- Meg Withall
July 20
- Art Zwemke
July 22
- Kim Kentfield
July 25
- Mary Roach
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To those recently ill or hospitalized...
Kathi Abell, Jeff Schramuk, Don Heinrich, Meg Withall
Congratulations to...
Gianna Marchese who was married on June 27 in Michigan to Timothy Green. Also blessings to her proud Mom, Jan Marchese...!
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THANK YOU TO OUR CHURCH STAFF, COUNCIL, AND ALL VOLUNTEERS
Pastor Emeritus
- Rev. Dr. Don Heinrich
Pastor Emeritus
- Rev. Ronald Purser
Director of Music/Organist
- Larry Dieffenbach
Office Manager
- Lori Prang
Custodian
- Geraldine Fields
BTW Editors
Lori Prang and Kathleen Sullivan Kaska
Graphic Design
Kathleen Sullivan Kaska
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NEW
CHURCH COUNCIL
Moderator
- Carol Berger
Moderator-elect
- Bob Kaska
Christian Education
- Jane Shelton
Congregational Life
- Mary Emily Anhalt
Evangelism
- Mary Roach
Facilities
- Kit Dewitt
Outreach
- Karissa James
Stewardship
- Peter Connolly
Worship & Spiritual Growth
- Samantha Prang
Members at Large
- Chuck McDonough and Jennifer Harmon
Financial Treasurer
- Susi Winquist
Financial Secretary
- Ann McLaughlin
Clerk
- Kristen Thornton
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Thank you for continuing to remember Little Home Church by the Wayside.
Your support is greatly needed and appreciated.
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