June 2023 FIRST LOOK 3 Can I Pray for Myself? Church Family, Not a week passes as a pastor without being asked to pray for a new concern from someone in our congregation. Typically, these requests involve praying for a loved one’s illness, a family matter, or a work situation. While each request may involve a personal connection, I rarely or almost never am asked to pray for the same person who is requesting prayer. Over the years, I’ve made an interesting observation: It can be difficult to pray for oneself. This observation begs the question: Is it okay to pray for myself? The short answer is: Yes! In the Gospels, we routinely observe Jesus not only praying for his followers and enemies, but for himself. In his long prayer in John 17, Jesus prays: “Now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I shared with you before the world was created.” (John 17:5) Though he was God in the flesh, even Jesus in his humanity knew that he needed the power of prayer to complete his mission on earth. Jesus demonstrates that praying for oneself isn’t just allowed, but encouraged, as we seek to follow God more faithfully. Here are three ways to pray for yourself: Pray daily for faith – In all moments of life, pray that you would have a heart and mind filled with faith. Your faith brings hope to all situations, no matter how bleak. Pray that you would live a faith-filled life each day. Pray for your relationships – Whether it be with your spouse, children, or friends, pray that you would have a positive presence in the lives of those you care about. Pray that you would cultivate healthy bonds with those in your life. Pray for personal peace – When there is peace within, there can be peace without. Pray that you would have peace with your fears, your past, and in your work each day. Welcome the peace that passes all understanding to guide and direct all you do. As you pray, I hope that each of these petitions would be part of a vibrant life of prayer. Set aside time to pray each day as well as praying continually throughout the day. As you follow the lead of Jesus, be encouraged to pray for yourself, in addition to those you love, and the needs all around you. God bless you, Pastor Kellen P.S. I hope to see you for our Summer at the Movies series on Sundays in June and July! 2 1
2 Dear First Pres Family, Greetings from London! While I certainly do miss leading you all in musical worship, I am grateful for the opportunity to continue my work as a Wheaton professor, teaching for the Conservatory of Music's Arts in London course, specifically teaching 19th-century music. Latoya and Donovan traveled with me, and we are enjoying our time with my students and colleagues. Speaking of the latter, I know you all have and will be blessed by the musical leadership of my wonderful colleagues, Drs. Benjamin Klemme and John Rakes, along with our resident musicians in the Westminster choir. I look forward to returning to worship with you all, and even with a few new ideas after attending worship services throughout the UK. Blessings to you all! – Rev. Donté Ford A Word from our Minister of Music and Worship Summer Sermon Series Summer Pastors’ Bible Study SUMMER AT THE FINDING GOD IN FILMS “Hebrews: A Flourishing Faith” Wednesdays, June 7-August 30 7:00 p.m. in Stewart Hall Our faith is ancient. But it’s far from dead. Like a great sequoia, the Christian faith has grown and stood the test of time. But what of our roots? What does the faith of the ancient Hebrews have anything to do with our flourishing now? Join Pastor Kat and Pastor Kellen on Wednesday evenings this summer as we explore the riches of our faith in the book of Hebrews. “Summer at the Movies” Sundays, June 4-July 30 10:30 a.m. Coming to a church service near you, it’s Summer at the Movies! We hope you’ll join us for a sermon series that explores “God on Film.” Bring your friends and family as we look at pivotal scenes from movies new and old to discover our own starring role from God, the great writer and director of this life, who invites us to play a part in the greatest story ever told.
3 Youth Sunday May 21 The high school WF students led worship on May 21 for our annual Youth Sunday service. The guiding theme was from Jeremiah 33:3 – "Call to me, and I will answer." We celebrated graduating seniors Audrey Brcka, Emma Chojnacki, and Kyle Spiegel. Kyle gave an inspiring testimony about the word "hope," and how adults at First Pres have been influential in his faith journey. If you missed the service, be sure to check it out on our YouTube Channel! youtube.com/@FirstPresWheaton
4 Mission Group Serves at The Bridge Members of the First Pres Mission Team served on May 2 at The Bridge on the west side of Chicago, feeding about 60 people who are recently out of jail or prison. Abundant Compassion Bible Donations Recently, First Pres Wheaton was contacted by Love Packages out of Butler, Illinois regarding donating used Bibles. Love Packages (lovepackages.org) is a nonprofit organization which donates Bibles and Christian literature to people all over the world. They ship over 1,500 tons of recycled gospel literature to the mission field every year. We supplied them with over 500 used Bibles, Christian books, and more. We are excited to put God's word into the hands of many.
5 Commemorating Juneteenth On Sunday, June 25, we will recognize the Juneteenth Holiday during worship. Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, is a federal holiday that marks the day in U.S. History (June 19, 1865) that African American slaves were granted freedom. Juneteenth is both a celebration of freedom from oppression, and a lament of the injustices of racebased chattel slavery. As Christians, we worship the one true God who is righteous and just, and calls his people to “love mercy, act justly, and walk humbly…” (Micah 6:8) The effects of race-based oppression that began with slavery still ripple into American society today. Our faith requires us to work towards a vision of God’s kingdom in which all people can flourish. This requires us to acknowledge the injustices in our history, in order to repent and walk in another direction. To that end, our commemoration of Juneteenth during worship on June 25 will include: ● Lamenting the ways Christians in U.S. history have accepted the lie that humans have varying degrees of value based on skin color ● Considering the Civil Rights era, and the resistance of equality for all in this region of the country ● Confessing the ways in which First Pres Wheaton resisted the work of the Civil Rights movement. Specifically, in 1964-65, our congregation failed to support our assistant pastor, Reverend Gordon Ingram, when he preached in favor of open housing for our Black siblings and praised the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In that time, our church and its members disregarded God’s call for justice when we released Reverend Ingram from his role at FPW because of his teaching and support of the Civil Rights Movement. ● Praying that by confessing our history and acknowledging the ways in which we were wrong thinking, we will remember and return to God’s call for justice in the future. We give thanks to the Micah 6:8 team at First Pres, which has worked diligently to learn about racial injustices in our country, researched the local history that is relevant to our congregation, and is engaging in the work of anti-racism. If you have any questions or are interested in joining the committee’s work, please reach out to Pastor Kellen, Pastor Kat, or any of the Micah 6:8 team: Barb & John Gassensmith Louise & Richard Lauber Colleen Powell Sue & Mike Rohl Beth & Matt Stremel
6 Men’s Spring Breakfast First Pres men and guests enjoyed a delicious breakfast and fellowship on May 11 at the annual Men’s Breakfast. Guest speaker, former Parish Associate and Wheaton College Chaplain, Pastor Steve Kellough, delivered an inspiring message for all. Joyful Generosity Women’s Ministry Strawberry Brunch The annual Strawberry Brunch was held on May 4, with 40 women gathering for a delicious brunch prepared by Sarah Circle. The outgoing and incoming WM Board members were recognized and we congratulated Nina Koelpin and Jeanne Kovanda as the two newest recipients of the Presbyterian Women Honorary Life Membership award. School Supply Drive – July 2023 Collection dates to be announced We are praying that children will get off to a good start this school year and you can help! Please consider donating backpacks and school supplies to help children supported through People’s Resource Center and The Bridge Chicago. This annual mission effort is such a blessing to many children who are in need during this time. Shopping: We have created online shopping lists on Amazon and Target. You are also welcome to shop at any store of your choosing. A general supply list has also been created to help you with your purchases. You may ship backpacks and supplies directly to the church or drop off your contributions in the Rotunda. Donations will be received through July 23. Drop-off hours will be from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon on Fridays, and also on Sundays before and after church services. • Amazon shopping list: firstpreswheaton.org/Amazon • Target shopping list: firstpreswheaton.org/Target • General supply list: firstpreswheaton.org/SchoolSupplyList Financial Contributions: If you would like to make a financial contribution for this mission, you can give online at firstpreswheaton.org/onlinegiving (select “School Supply Drive” in the Fund dropdown menu) or write a check to First Presbyterian Church of Wheaton and designating “School Supply Drive” in the memo. If you plan to contribute financially, make your contributions by Friday, July 14. This will allow our shoppers some time to purchase necessary supplies. Please contact the church office if you have any questions. Thank you for supporting the children this year!
7 – Stacey Chvatal, Director of Kids Ministry VBS 2023! June 12-16 from 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Confirmation Blessing Thank you to all of our church families for making this Sunday School year a great one! A huge thank you to our teachers and high school helpers who taught our kids with kindness, energy, and a big love for God. Thank you to our students who showed up every time they came to class with open hearts and minds. We discovered new things about stories we've heard a hundred times and also learned about parts of the Bible we hadn't heard before. We created, experimented, and played as we pieced together how these stories can be applied to our lives right now. I can speak for all of the Sunday School teachers when I say that it was a pleasure to work with these children, and we can't wait to see what next year brings! In the meantime, I'm excited to invite our incoming Kindergartners through incoming 5th graders to Kids Church this summer! Each Sunday we will be dismissed from the church service before the sermon and will head to LL105 to continue the learning that we've been doing all year. We will be learning favorite Bible stories, including Noah’s Ark, Jonah and the Big Fish, and many more. We'll all be together in a one-room setting, so kids of all ages can get to know each other and work together. I am looking forward to a great summer in Kids Church and hope your family can join us! Thank you for sharing your kids with us this past year! We look forward to seeing them this summer! Ki ds CHURCH On May 7, we blessed eight students who began confirmation this spring and will complete the class this fall. Please pray the Spirit moves in these students' lives as they learn, meet together, and are mentored by our congregation. Students pictured (L to R): Mackenzie Scott, Ella Wagner, Sophia Bormann, Zachary Pirok, Hayden Schroeder, Mason Phillips, Emma Hilton, and Lauren Zeuch.
8 We had a wonderful year at First Pres Preschool! May was a busy and exciting month...trips to Cosley Zoo, “I Am Special" celebrations, science and so much more! As we end our year, we say good-bye to nine incredible classes of preschoolers. We celebrate all of their hard work and accomplishments! It has been truly amazing to watch them grow physically, socially and emotionally, learn new concepts, and acquire new skills over the course of our school year together. We wish all of you a fun-filled summer full of new experiences and adventures! And, for those of you returning in the fall, we look forward to seeing you in September to begin another school year! We have been blessed in so many ways as we continue our mission of providing early education to the community here at First Presbyterian Church and we want to thank our church community for their support and encouragement of First Pres Preschool!
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 Summer Office Hours: Monday through Thursday 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Fridays 8:30 a.m. - 12:00 noon Book Club Thursday, June 29 at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkeson Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkeson is about two estranged siblings who delve into their mother’s hidden past and how it is all connected to her traditional Caribbean black cake. Upon her death, their mother, Eleanor Bennett, leaves behind a voice recording about a puzzling inheritance: a black cake, made from a family recipe with a long history. In her message, Eleanor shares a tumultuous story about a headstrong young swimmer and the mystery of a long-lost child. It challenges everything the siblings thought they knew about their lineage and themselves. Can Byron and Benny reclaim their once-close relationship, piece together Eleanor’s true history, and fulfill her final request to “share the black cake when the time is right?” Join your FPC book club for lively discussion and great fellowship. Contact the church office at [email protected] for the Zoom link. Cross-Stich Embroidery By Diane Freeman-Hodges On display in June and July on the Link Artist Reception: Sunday, June 11 following the service “I love crafting and am usually working on a new one as frequently as possible. I find it very relaxing. My favorite is cross-stitch embroidery. I’m happy to share these with you. Have a happy summer!” ~ Diane Freeman-Hodges Ten units of blood were collected at the First Pres May Blood Drive. Because of you, your team, your congregants and the generous donors – up to 30 lives were saved! Words can hardly convey how grateful we are for this partnership. We look forward to saving even MORE lives with at the next blood drive on July 29. – Camille Piazza Versiti Blood Center of Illinois May Blood Drive