Please remember March Food Drive for Beacon Place

Bring Food to Sunday Service or Jessen Office Bldg. in LB

Sean Miller and Bill Bartolotta with the Nic Barnum Band Lead March 12 Sunday Service

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I feel like I write this every week, but this Sunday will be "one to remember!" Sean will be sharing a message titled "A Little Bit of Wilderness Goes a Long Way" and I will assist with the service. Music will be provided our very own Bill Bartolotta, one of the most creative and outside-the-box guys I know. And, Bill will be backed up by the Nic Barnum band - a group of outstanding musicians, most of whom are part of our church family. The Chapel service begins at 10:00 a.m. - DON'T FORGET TO MOVE YOUR CLOCKS FORWARD ONE HOUR ON SATURDAY NIGHT FOR DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME!

Men's Dinner a Success;

Daryl Beese Honored as

"Chuck of the Year"

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The Stuart Room @ the Gorton Community Center provided a great setting for the 2023 Community Church Men's Dinner. Charlie Clarke (pictured in non-trekking attire) led the way sharing the inspiring the story - complete with images projected on twin screens - of his 28-day trek through the Himalayan range in Nepal last autumn.

Chef Jeff Yehle led the way on the food front, as all enjoyed tender medium rare steaks, chicken, salad, and pasta in addition to beverages - including a cabernet that was surprisingly good for a church dinner. Assisting Chef Jeff were sous chefs Rod Workman, Ross Jannotta and Charlie King - with Chuck Hauber among the many who did a fantastic job on clean up. And, it all would not have happened without 6th Man John Corrigan making things happen behind the scenes.

One of the great joys of the evening, which was attended by 60+ diners and an additional 25 guest who joined us for the program, was bestowing Daryl Beese with the "Chuck of the Year" Award (named after the late, legendary Chuck Gudbrandsen - WWII vet, family man, businessman and all around great guy with the world's best attitude).

Daryl has been a devoted part of the Community Church family for many years, participating in worship, fellowship events, as a musician and as part of the Dancing Bohemian Ukulele Team. Daryl is typically one of the first to offer assistance in a time of need, and these days we are DELIGHTED to have him serving our church each week making the sound and music portions of each week's service go flawlessly!

And, maybe best of all, Daryl is a beloved teacher in Lake Bluff School Dist..65 - just the kind of person we want teaching, caring for, and loving our kids. Daryl - a well-deserved honor!

Garage Sale Buddha

Surges Toward

New York Times

Best Seller List

(OK, maybe not "surges")

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I just ordered a few dozen author copies of Garage Sale Buddha: A Maverick Minister's Marginally Cultured Pearls of Wisdom. Next month, I'll be speaking at a dinner event outside the church and thought I'd be prepared in case someone wanted a copy. And, a few other folks have recently requested the book.

In the process of making the order, I had occasion to see the Amazon sales reports, which I had never previously checked. While most of the books were moved through the church and Lake Forest Bookstore, Amazon has sold some, too. Now, I won't bore you with all the ways they slice and dice the numbers; I'll just give you the biggie - sales rank. As of March 8, 2023, Garage Sale Buddha ranks 574,868 in Amazon book sales.

Wow! To think a year ago I had never even written a book and now I am on the edge of having authored one in the top half-million of all Amazon books currently for sale in the United States. (I'm curious what the books are, say, 5 or 10 ahead of me; I am happy to report that Garage Sale Buddha is currently like 800,000 places ahead of The Mullet: Hairstyle of the Gods). Based on the overwhelming success of Garage Sale Buddha (boy, I hope you all know this is tongue-in-cheek!) I'm wacky enough to have written a new book...

Doin' the God Thing to Be Published This Summer

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Doin' the God Thing: Making the Leap Toward Authentic Faith is currently at the editor and set to be published by Across the Lake Publishing. The book will be more focused than Garage Sale Buddha, which was a smorgasbord of innovation, faith, business, and the Community Church.

Doin' the God Thing is written as the title suggests, for people who are interested in "doing the God thing." That is, for folks who are considering moving forward toward developing an honest, trusting, and impactful spiritual life. Along the way, there will be tales both a little wacky, and hopefully, inspiring.

Each chapter of the book will include discussion questions, and Sean and Tom will use Doin' the God Thing in church and community study / conversation groups this fall. And, as with Garage Sale Buddha, all proceeds from Doin' the God Thing will benefit the Community Church. - TD

Margo Moreland Basketball

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Margo Moreland Basketball Carnival & 3-Point Shoot

Sunday, March 12 

(12:00 noon - 3:00pm)

Lake Forest High School Field House

1285 McKinley Rd, Lake Forest, IL 

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3 - Point Shoot Competition

If you can shoot a rack of basketballs...you can participate! Make a donation of $25 and see if you will be this year's champion! Five age divisions!

Basketball Carnival

Fun-filled carnival games all with a basketball theme. Kids earn Margo Dollars at games and can then spend those dollars at the prize tent. Make as little as a donation of $30 includes game tickets, pizza & drink voucher & 3-point shoot try!

100% of all donations go directly to families in need. Since 2002, The Margo Moreland Charitable Foundation has funded over $500,000 in grant requests for Conductive Education therapy services, as well as tuition and travel expenses for Conductive Education summer camp. We've also provided equipment for individuals and schools, and funded traditional therapies including horseback riding (hippo-therapy)."

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- Kraig & Jennifer Moreland

FOR INFO JUST CLICK MARGO

Meditation

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The Community Church has offered meditation on and off for over 20 years. We've had a number of folks lead a variety of forms of meditation, including silent and guided. When the Rev. Zach Hancock joined our church 7+ years ago, he developed "Community Contemplation" into a consistent, year-around program that met during the week as well as on Sundays. When the weather was nice, Community contemplation was typically held on the beach in Lake Bluff.

Though Zach & family moved back to the Boulder, Colorado area, Community Contemplation has continued through the devoted leadership of volunteer David Andersen (pictured). While a number of other people often lead meditation sessions, Dave has been the glue holding it together - thank you, Dave!

Currently, meditation aka Community Contemplation meets on Friday mornings @ 9:00 a.m., most often at the north shelter of Lake Bluff's Sunrise Beach. Bring a chair or a mat to sit on during the chilly season. On Sundays, meditation is @ 9:00 a.m. in Reid Hall - the building just north of and attached to the Chapel.

Steve & Bea' Rashid's Studio 5 Features Dance, Comedy, and Music in Upcoming Weeks

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There's a LOT cooking at Studio 5 on Dempster in Evanston in the coming weeks. If you'd like to know more, just click on Studio 5. And, making it even more cool is that the couple whose picture is below - Paul and Victoria Zielinski - may look familiar to some of you...

If so, it's either because (a) you are a big fan of LA & Chicago comedy, (b) you know they are the parents of vocalist and songwriter & Community Church favorite Evangeline (Eva. B. Ross) or, (c) you've seen them in church. Yup, we've got comedians coming to church now - hopefully not looking for material @ our Sunday services.

The bottom line? If you are in the market for top notch dance, music, or comedy, Studio 5 is a place to check out. Also, say "hi" to Paul and Victoria on Sunday, as they recently moved back to Chicago from LA.

P.S. - If you go to one of Victoria and Paul's upcoming shows @ Studio 5, you'll get to see the third guy in the picture above whose face I chopped off (sorry) while cropping the photo - actor and comedian Dana Olsen. Click HERE for more info.

Send Me Your Shots!

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Please don't hesitate to send me pictures you think are cool for inclusion in this newsletter. While I can't guarantee they will be in the newsletter, I'll do the best I can. Today, 2 "sunshots" from this past week by Jan Luciano at Sunrise Beach, and Pam Campbell.