April 2023 FIRST LOOK Holy Week & Easter Services Maundy Thursday, April 6 6:00 p.m. Worship in Sanctuary and Livestream “My Father’s Kingdom” Matthew 26: 26-29 Maundy Thursday communion services will be also be held at Windsor Park at 2:00 p.m. and at Wyndemere at 3:00 p.m. Good Friday, April 7 6:00 p.m. Worship in Sanctuary and Livestream “Seven Last Sayings: A Passion Narrative of Our Lord Jesus Christ” Easter Sunday, April 9 7:00 a.m. Sunrise Worship 9:00 and 10:30 a.m. Worship in Sanctuary (10:30 Livestream) “Still Alive” Matthew 27:62-66, 28:1-15 Childcare is available on all dates (9:00 and 10:30 on Easter Sunday) Services are livestreamed at firstpreswheaton.org/Livestream. Pastor Kellen will share the message of hope “Still Alive” during our Easter services. Special This Easter! • Kids Church at 9:00 and 10:30 • Free family photos • A free Easter basket for all kids • Delicious cinnamon rolls Details about Easter at First Pres may be found at: firstpreswheaton.org/Easter Easter Invitation – Who Will you Invite? Church Family, If you’re reading this before Easter, there is still time to invite someone to join us for Resurrection Sunday! Has there ever been a more important invitation? Be encouraged to send a text, email, or share one of our Easter invite cards. In Matthew 11:28, Jesus says: “Come to me, all you who are struggling hard and carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest.” Whether it’s a family member, friend, neighbor, or co-worker, we have the opportunity to provide an invitation for others to experience the embrace that only Jesus provides. Thank you for sharing and showing the love of God. Blessings, Pastor Kellen
2 Palm Sunday at First Pres Devoted Community First Pres Sunday School children started the Palm Sunday celebration at the 10:30 service with an energetic palm processional, followed by sharing an enlightening song with the congregation. Pancake Brunch WF high school ministry students and leaders hosted the annual Pancake Brunch. Thank you to all who supported their upcoming summer mission trip to Imperial, PA!
3 The “Glisten, Sparkle & Shine” Women’s Ministry Retreat was held on March 11. Participants enjoyed a getaway with the girls for this day of soul-care and self-care, enjoying fellowship and spiritual exploration. Easter Egg Hunt Kids had a great time at the annual Easter Egg Hunt! After clearing the courtyard of all the eggs, each child received an Easter bag stuffed with activities, toys and candy.
4 – Stacey Chvatal, Director of Kids Ministry The month of March was focused on Holy Week and Easter in Sunday School. We have paraded with palms, learned about serving others like Jesus did when he washed His disciples’ feet, saw the light and the dark in the Good Friday story and rejoiced in the resurrection in the Easter story. Save the Date for VBS! June 12-16 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Register at: firstpreswheaton.org/VBS2023 Upcoming Sermon Series: More to the Story – Starting April 16 – Save the Date Pastor Kat Hatting’s Installation Service, Sunday, April 30 at 4:00 p.m. ADULT EDUCATION The Work Exchange: 6 Life-Changing Strategies for Empowering Your Work Sundays April 19-May 21 at 10:30 a.m. Led by Pastor Mark Irvin Whether you’re an employee or volunteer, owner or retiree, laborer or professional, a student or a parent, you may be experiencing frustration, exhaustion, or ambivalence in your day-to-day activities because of lies you believe about your work. In The Work Exchange, we learn how to turn everything around, and exchange those lies about our work for God’s truth. Each participant will receive a free workbook and resources. Class leader Mark Irvin worked for over 30 years in tech industry management and spent over a decade as a pastor, helping people thrive mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically.
5 Outreach 50 Year Celebration Saturday, April 22 Outreach, a longstanding ministry partner, is celebrating 50 years of working alongside the local church to transform lives in our community. On April 22, Outreach invites you to join the celebration. Festivities include a family friendly 5K Run, Walk, and Wheel taking place in Wheaton and a Celebration Dinner followed by an evening of worship with Kari Jobe at Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington. All ticket sales benefit Outreach’s youth development, family stabilization, transitional housing, and counseling services. Please join us as we continue the work of helping people become all that God intends them to be. Learn more at firstpreswheaton.org/Outreach50. ~ Camerata Chicago Concert at First Pres ~ First Presbyterian Church of Wheaton is pleased to host The English Connection With Soprano Katherine Petersen Saturday, April 22 at 3:00 p.m. in the First Pres Sanctuary Soprano Katherine Petersen performs Les Illuminations by Benjamin Britten with the Camerata Chicago Chamber Orchestra in a celebration of the music of England. Conducted by Maestro Drostan Hall, Camerata Chicago will also perform famous English classics: • Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis by Vaughan Williams • The Spanish Lady Suite by Edward Elgar • St. Paul Suite by Gustav Holst • Suite for Strings by John Rutter TICKETS: ORDER YOUR TICKETS AT firstpreswheaton.org/Camerata23 Use coupon code FPWH for a 25% DISCOUNT – Discount coupon is available online only and not at the door After Discount: Adult $37.50; Senior $30; Students $7.50; Children $1.50 Exodus Celebration of Hope Thursday, April 13 You’re invited to a hope-filled evening in support of welcoming refugees! On April 13, join with fellow church members at The Waterford in Elmhurst for Celebration of Hope. Our friends at Exodus World Service will share meaningful stories of refugees welcomed by volunteers. And Mission Partner Celebrations you’ll have an opportunity to partner with Exodus to help refugees flourish! Register and learn more at exodusworldservice.org. Contact Mike Rohl through the church office for additional information.
6 FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH of Wheaton 715 North Carlton Avenue, Wheaton, Illinois 60187 Phone: 630-668-5147 www.firstpreswheaton.org [email protected] Calendar and Church Office Hours The First Pres calendar of events is available online at: firstpreswheaton.org/calendar. Church Office Hours: Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. The church office is closed on Monday, April 10 Book Club Thursday, April 27 at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom The Book Of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel The April book is about “Eva Traube Abrams, a semi-retired librarian in Florida, who is shelving books when her eyes lock on a photograph in the New York Times. It’s an image of a book she hasn’t seen in more than sixty years – a book she recognizes as The Book of Lost Names. The accompanying article discusses the looting of libraries by the Nazis across Europe during World War II – an experience Eva remembers well – and the search to reunite people with the texts taken from them so long ago. The book contains some sort of code, but researchers don’t know where it came from – or what the code means. Only Eva holds the answer, but does she have the strength to revisit old memories? As a graduate student in 1942, Eva was forced to flee Paris, find refuge in a small mountain town in the Free Zone, where she began forging identity documents for Jewish children fleeing to neutral Switzerland. But erasing people comes with a price, and along with a mysterious, handsome forger named Rémy, Eva decides she must find a way to preserve the real names of the children who are too young to remember who they really are. The records they keep in The Book of Lost Names will become even more vital when the resistance cell they work for is betrayed and Rémy disappears.” Join your FPC book club for lively discussion and great fellowship. Contact the church office at [email protected] for the Zoom link. Donating Chancel Flowers There are several opportunities for donating chancel flowers. If you are interested in donating flowers for the Sanctuary, please contact the church office at 630-668-5147. Flowers may be given in memory of a loved one or for any special occasion. The cost is $50. The following dates are open for flower sponsors: April 30 • May 7 • May 21 • June 4 Chancel Flowers