Daily Podcast

The daily podcast (15 minute devotional, recorded in my home study each day) is available.

Click Here

It include music, scripture readings, daily thanksgiving, intercessions, and a benediction.

Plans for Easter Day

April 12

Plans for Easter Day:  In addition to the (now) normal video worship service for Easter Day, we will be inviting everyone to 

1) Dress up in your Easter best clothes

2) Drive to the church (at 9 a.m. or 10 a.m., your choice)

3) Stay in your car, but open your windows

4) Watch your pastor briefly turn into a street preacher

singing "Christ the Lord is Risen Today"

and reading the Easter Story from John's Gospel

5) Join the parade leaving the church

6) Drive past homes of several members and shut-ins

7) Honk your horn and show your homemade signs

The worship service will only consist of a hymn and a scripture reading.  The hospitality committee will direct traffic (we are trying to get permission to shut off the street so people can use the whole street to park in front of the church.)

Pick either 9 or 10 a.m. to come so we will not have a traffic or parking lot jam.

More directions will be given you next week.  We will STAY IN THE CARS.  But we will also be able to see each other, hold up signs, and be together in the face of our church building.

More details as we get closer to Easter Day.

Daily Update

Thanks to Val Gibson for playing the piano yesterday afternoon, and singers Jordan Thomas, Jie Wu, and Mark Richardson.  We were able to record hymns for Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, and Good Friday.  If you want to listen to those hymns (and even sing along at home) you can access them on my personal website if you  Click Here

Oscar Brown is in the hospital in intensive care.

Susan Bales is also at Sara Bush Hospital.

This Sunday we will welcome two more churches to our weekly video service:  Midland United Methodist in Kincaid, Illinois and Divernon Presbyterian Church. These two small churches are being served by my brother, Steve.  We are already including Jie's two churches:  Sidell and Chrisman United Methodist Churches. 

The sermon this Sunday (Palm Sunday) will be preached by Jie.  We also have a cameo appearance by Tammy Young with a special childrens' message.

Jerie Brown was on a mission yesterday to find 1/4" elastic for her 92 year old neighbor.  It connected her with several church members, and success was finally achieved when she got the sewing notions from Ann Livesay.

Jerie would like prayer as they are working to sell her father's home.  They have an interested buyer and need to get some bids back from some contractors, but are hopeful.  This is a really tough time to be selling a house! She also expresses appreciation for our church family and all the extra work people are doing to help keep us connected.  And she asks us to pray for Susan Bales (hospital) and all those in assisted living and in our church family.

Sue Warren is making isolation gowns for the Hilltop Nursing Home.  She is able to make 2 a day, taking up four yards of fabric, and has gone through her stash.  If anyone has fabric or a flat sheet they could contribute, she asks that you put it in a plastic bag at her back door, with your name.  (If you need Sue's address, contact me by email, as we do not print addresses or phone numbers over the internet, due to security.)

Sue was amused at Linda Hance finding her bundt pan, and imagined a cake in it, after all this time, now probably best used for a garden stepping stone.  We'll see what Linda has to say about that.

Phyllis Dickinson continues to share prayer requests with her Wednesday morning prayer group, and now with all of us.  Today was Ron's mother's birthday.  And even though she passed away several years ago, Phyllis and Ron enjoyed remembering her and talking about her on their walk today.  

Phyllis also shares this quote from a book her Choices Class is studying ( How Happiness Happens, by Max Lucado":   "You think the world needs more tolerance?  Then be tolerant.  You wish people would quit complaining?  When you quit, the world is minus one whiner.  Nobody gives a hoot about the poor?  The hoot level will increase with your compassion.  If you want to change the world, begin with yourself."

   Anniversaries

Personal Note

In this time of hardship and anxiety for so many people, we find ourselves pulling together and attending to the needs of other people.

One sign of this is in the offerings and pledges that people continue to send in to the church.  Because of this, we are able to continue paying our staff and others who are providing goods and services to the church.

Another group of people to keep in mind are those in our community who have small businesses.  Many of them are also trying to continue paying their staff, even though business is way down.  If you have a steady income, please consider continuing to support, in any way you can, people in our community who depend on your business for their livelihoods.  This is an important time to be both loyal and creative.