JUNE, 2017 ▪ VOLUME 16, NO. 6
OK, SO NOW WHAT?...............................by Pastor Ken
As we all read this month’s Grace For Today, we will be in the halfway point of our calendar year. Now
that is not any real big revelation, as such is the case every June. However, the revelation and the reason for
the above question; “OK, So now what?” is because we are facing something we have not faced in my tenure
over the last 8.5 years. What we are facing is a budget deficit that is reaching extremely dangerous levels. Now
I can’t tell you how it pains me to be writing on this subject. I would much rather be writing about the entire
great ministry we have going on all throughout the summer of which we have much. To begin with, in June we
will be sending 23 confirmation youth to Sky Ranch in Colorado, exploring along the way the breadth and depth
of what it is to be a part of the ELCA. At camp, the youth will be discovering the wonderful majestic Rocky
Mountains and the Spirit filled faith formation piece of God’s kingdom that is Sky Ranch. Also this month some
of you will be attending the Northern Illinois Synod Assembly where we meet and share in the work, mission,
and ministry and worshiping joy of our synod. Along with this we will be doing all the regular ministry that is
Grace, like excellent faith filled Spirit driven worship, hosting and funding most of the ministry that flows from
the Direct Assistance Program (DAP), weddings, funerals if needed, baptisms, welcoming of new members, our
commitment of our tithe to the synod, and the list goes on and on. We do a lot, but what I want us all to realize
is that it is all capable of ceasing. Our entire ministry can cease to happen, that sounds drastic but it is the
truth. This would not happen immediately, but without our commitment, the chipping away of the stone each
and every year can pulverize all the solid ministry we share.
Please recall that as we presented this year’s budget we shared that if the down slide trend continues
we will be looking at some serious cuts in what we are able to offer. Let me also share that in our budgeting we
have made our budget expenses as lean as is possible and our staff does an excellent job of keeping our
expenses at, or most often, below budgeted amounts. Thus I again ask; “OK, Now what?” The answer to that
question is up to all of us to consider. I only ask that we each look at what our life together means to us and let
us figure out then how we might step up to the offering plate and see what we can do. As always, I thank you
for the generosity that you offer. May Christ be at the center of our response.
2017
NOMINATIONS —The
Nominating
Committee
invites
you
to
prayerfully
consider serving as an elected committee member for terms beginning in fall 2017. Please complete a
nomination form found at the Information Center, and return your form to the nomination box by June 25 for
consideration. Committee member openings include: church council, nominating committee, endowment
committee, preschool committee, and delegates for the Northern Illinois Synod Assembly.
LIFE LINE SCREENING- Life Line Screening uses ultrasound to view the plaque build up in your carotid arteries.
Blockages in these arteries are a leading cause of stroke. We are pleased to host this Life Line Screening event
on July 13 at Grace. Register for a Wellness Package which includes 4 vascular tests and osteoporosis
screening from $149 ($139 with our member discount). All five screenings take 60-90 minutes to complete. In
order to register for this event and to receive a $10 discount off any package priced above $129, please call
888-653-6441 or visit www.lifelinescreening.com/communitycircle or text the word circle to 797979.
GRACE SCHOLARSHIPS- The Readel Memorial Scholarship is available to students pursuing a Christian vocation or
continuing education. The Allen Memorial Scholarship is for students attending an accredited Lutheran institution.
Applications are available in the Church Office or on the Grace website in the section Forms and Documents under
Communication and Documents. Scholarship applications for both the scholarships are due into the Grace
Lutheran Church Office by July 1, 2017, and after review the payments are made in August.
PROJECTIONISTS FOR 10 AM SUMMER SERVICES AND BEYOND- We need replacement projections for the summer
and we would love to have these people remain on the schedule. This is normally a once every four week job. Likely
candidates should possess: basic computer skills (like how to operate a mouse!!), have good eye/hand
coordination, and dependably be at church 20 minutes before the service. If you act now, you can sit in with one of
our regular projectionists at a service to see exactly what it will be like to do this job. Our projectionists have been
faithful, all having chosen to do this job for many years. When conflicts arise, we as a people who enjoy projection
each week should see it as an opportunity to step up to provide the relief needed. Please see Ron Fredriksen after
the service to indicate your interest.
BIRTHDAY OPEN HOUSE- Lillian Granger would like to invite the Grace congregation to her 100th Birthday Open
House Celebration. She will be celebrating on July 2, from 1-4 p.m., at Heritage Woods: 4730 Squaw Prairie Rd.,
Belvidere, IL 61008 . If you are unable to attend the open house and would like to send a card, please send it to
the above address, Apt. #135.
PRAYERS-Please lift up these petitions in your prayers—To become a praying member of the Friends in Prayer,
please submit name and e-mail address to [email protected].
World: Bishop Elizabeth Eaton, churchwide staff & their families, Bishop Jeff Clements, synod staff & their families,
those serving in military conflicts, Arusha Town Lutheran Parish in Tanzania (our companion parish), Scott Bunch
serving in the military
Woodstock: Pastor Ken Gibson and his family; Pastor Amanda Bergstrom and her family; Grace Staff and Council
Health Concerns: Keith Bentley (friend of Diane Baker-Lockwood’s niece), Lois Bloese, John Bloese, Mary Sue
Boerner (friend of Paul Lockwood & Diane Baker-Lockwood), Dee Bohn, Jan Cawvey (friend of Kathy Stone), Ian
Clark (uncle of Bill Fleck), Patrice Dunn, Verna Eslick, Tannie Fiorina (mother of John Fiorina), Russ Freeman, John
W. “Jack” Fylpaa (father of Stephane Fylpaa-Asher), Paul Gergolla (son-in-law of Eileen Weide), Robert Giron
(brother of Patty Kozlow), Tamasa Gutierrez (mother of Patty Kozlow), Maroulla Hahne (friend of Martha & Bill
Fleck), Devin Harms (friend of Joe Evanoff), Cindy Hertrampf (sister of Tammy Hansing), Mary Hurst (friend of
Deborrah Evanoff), the Kamps family, Diana King, Nancy Knieja (friend of Martha Fleck), Diane Knowles, Keith
Kulpinski (friend of Spanbauers & Thurows), Colleen Kuraszek (friend of Adele Petersen), Ken Lindenmier (brotherin-law of Diane Baker-Lockwood), John Mahoney, Renee Merklin (friend of Rachel Bratanick), Tammy Millman
(daughter of Karen Millman), Carl Neubaum (son of Donna Neubaum), Carol O’Brien (sister of Bill Larsen), Gloria
Ogle, John Oliver (friend of Ron & Mary Koehn), Sue Olsen, Arne Olson, Carol Rank, Shawn Rank (son of Bert &
Carol Rank), Sheila Readel, Rene Rebman (uncle of Ron & Mary Koehn), Jean Reed (mother of Mary Hoyt), Joan
Russell (mother of Sheri Conover), Stanley Russell (father of Sheri Conover), Dick Schroeder, Ellen Schulz
(daughter- in-law of Diane Schulz), Bill Seger, Eleanor Setser, John Sorensen, Ginny Stroh (mother of Fay Wilson),
Doris Sunday, Marie Svoboda, Samuel Sweeney (nephew of Melissa McMahon), Ellie Mae Thompson (great niece
of Gladys & Ken Renner), Josh Tillman, Brian Tobin (grandson of Enn Teetsov), Bob Unglaube, Bud Winter, Harold
“Woody” Wolff (friend of Adele Petersen), Ruth Zirves
Joys: Baptism of Jack Robert Shanklin (son of Jacqueline & Nathaniel Shanklin), marriage of Maria Loomer & Ron
Page
If you wish to add a prayer request for this newsletter, please call the church office at 815-338-0554. Your prayer concern will run for
one week and may be renewed. Submissions to the Friends in Prayer e-mail and phone teams may also be submitted by telephone to the
church office or by e-mail to Gracewoodstock.org. Due to confidentiality laws, hospitals no longer notify churches or pastors when a
member is hospitalized. If you or a member of your family have a medical procedure planned or is admitted to the hospital, please call the
church office at 815-338-0554.
Page 2 June, 2017 Worship ~ Evangelism ~ Ministry with the Poor ~ Spirituality ~ Discipleship ~ Youth ~ Leadership
February 27, 2008 Page 2
Worship  Evangelism  Ministry with the Poor  Spirituality  Discipleship  Youth  Leadership
LOVING SPIRIT……………..by Pastor Amanda
“Loving Spirit, loving Spirit, you have chosen me to beyou have drawn me to your wonder, you have set your sign on me.” ELW 397
At the beginning of June, we will celebrate Pentecost in worship, and then enter into the long church season
of Pentecost. On Pentecost Day, the fiftieth day of Easter, we celebrate the Holy Spirit and the birth of the church,
and I am grateful for both of these gifts.
An amazing mark of the Holy Spirit is its diverse and unpredictable ways. We hear about the Holy Spirit as a
continued presence, a companion and advocate, sounding like the rush of a violent wind, translating between
languages, giving gifts, and uniting as one. We are assured of the Spirit’s presence, even when we don’t know what
to make of it. We sing of the Spirit as “loving,” as a “spirit of gentleness” (ELW 396), or of “God of tempest, God of
whirlwind,” (ELW 400), or we might simply pray “Holy Spirit, come to us. Veni Sancte Spiritus” (ELW 406). The Holy
Spirit can be full of surprises.
And the church is this gathering of God’s faithful people who have been sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked
by the cross of Christ forever. Just like the many and varied ways of the Spirit, we as the church, live out our lives of
faith in many and varied ways. During the month of June, we will pray for confirmation students and chaperones as
they travel to Confirmation camp at Sky Ranch in Colorado. We will delight in God’s creation during monthly outdoor
worship service. And at the end of the month, we will gather with people new to this community for a New Members
Breakfast, to share and learn more about each other and about Grace Lutheran Church. Is there someone you know
that would like to know more about Grace? Invite them to breakfast (Sunday, June 25, 11 A.M.)
I pray that the stirrings of the Holy Spirit continue to make Christ’s love known to us and to the world this
season of Pentecost, this summer, and always. May the loving Spirit indeed draw us to the Spirit’s wonder as we
remember the sign of the cross that has been marked and sealed on our lives in baptism.
SENIOR LUNCHEON – June 27 – Welcome to Summer! We have a super cool menu for you to enjoy: Waldorf Chicken
Salad, Picnic Coleslaw, potato chips, strawberry banana dessert along with iced tea and lemonade. We will have
Patrick Kennelly coming to tell us how to protect ourselves from scams targeting seniors. This is information you need
to know! Cost is only $5, so bring a friend or two! If your friend hasn’t attend a Senior Luncheon this year, both you
and your friend will receive a dollar off coupon toward a future Senior Luncheon. Please sign up in the Activity Binder
by June 25. Questions, call Shirley Busse at 815-338-9063 .
COACH BUS TRIP– Sunday, August 6- “Church Basement Ladies” at the Fireside Dinner Theatre. Fireside has brought
in Curt Wollan, the original director who conceived and created the show. Curt is a 1973 Graduate of Luther College in
Decorah, Iowa. He commissioned the writing team of Jim Stowell, one of Minnesota’s favorite storytellers and Jessica
Zuehike, a performance arts educator and daughter of a Church Basement Lady to develop the script based on a set
of books by Janet Letnes Martin and Suzann Nelson. For more information about Curt, our Menu or to sign up, see the
Activity Binder. Cost is $90 Sign up and pay before July 2 to avoid the $10 late registration fee. Questions, call Shirley
Busse at 815-338-9063 This trip is handicap accessible.
VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL– Our VBS theme this year Maker Fun Factory: Created by God, Built for a Purpose. This will
be a great week of innovation and science fun. Kids discover they're lovingly crafted by God. Mark your calendar for
July 17-21. Vacation bible school needs up to 75 volunteers( ages 6th grade to adult) to help out throughout the week
from small jobs to running stations. Contact Carrie Fiorina in the church office if interested.
RUMMAGE SALE DONATION- Did you happen to donate a bag of old family photos from the late 1800’s to the
rummage sale by mistake? A family name on the back is Hansen. See the church office to claim the pictures.
NEW MEMBER ORIENTATION— Grace will be hosting a new member orientation breakfast on Sunday June 25, 2017 at
11:00 a.m. following the 10:00 a.m. worship service. We will be having juice, coffee and some sweet treats. Those that
would like to become members of Grace or get more information on what it means to be a member of the family here
at Grace, please sign up at the Welcome Center in the activity binder or call the church office, 815-338-0554.
MONTHLY NEWSLETTER DEADLINE–The deadline for the July newsletter is June 15. Send articles to Tammy Baier at
[email protected], or the church office. Questions: Call the office at 815-338-0554.
Worship ~ Evangelism ~ Ministry with the Poor ~ Spirituality ~ Discipleship ~ Youth ~ Leadership
June, 2017
Page 3
Here is your link to the Weekend Worship Participants:
Schedule:http://www.gracewoodstock.org/WeeklyNews/Monthly%20Worship%20Participants.pdf
PREPARE THE WAY
CAPITAL CAMPAIGN UPDATE
Committed— $497,556.06
Received—
$489,533.45
Goal—
$780,430.00
If you donated Small Catechisms
for Lent, please pick them up in
the church office.
LIBRARY NEWS - Stop in at Grace
Library and check out the new arrivals. Just in time for the Reformation Celebration there are several new books on Martin Luther
including "The Wit of Martin Luther," "Papa Luther," and "When
Lightning Struck! The Story of Martin Luther." Also we have received
several new children's books and
DVDs. Come in and take a look!
Walking Together - Synod
News. Walking Together is the
weekly e-news of the Northern
Illinois Synod. Everyone is
encouraged to subscribe by
using the online form at http://
nisynod.org/pubs/wt/ or by
sending names and email
addresses to [email protected].
SAVE THE DATES–
Sky Ranch JUN 9-19… NIS
Assembly JUN 16-17… Fair
Trade Coffee JUN 17 & 18 … New
Member Orientation JUN 25…
Senior Lunch JUN 27…
Welcome New Members JUL 9...
Life Line Screening JUL 13…
Fair Trade Coffee JUL 15 &16…
VBS JUL 17-21…
Senior Lunch JUL 25…
Preschool open House AUG 5…
Visit the Grace website for the most up-to-date
information for all that is happening at Grace!
February 27, 2008 Page 4
GRACE STAFF & COUNCIL
Senior Pastor/Rev. Kenneth D. Gibson
[email protected]
Office Phone: 815-338-0554
Home Phone: 815-527-7215
Associate Pastor
Director of Senior High Ministries
Rev. Amanda Bergstrom
Cell Phone: 630-664-9016
[email protected]
Director of Communications
Tammy Baier–[email protected]
Director of Music Ministries
Ron Fredriksen
[email protected]
Parish Musicians
Terry Aavang, Jan Burns, Dale Carlson,
Tammy Baier, Carrie Filetti
Director of Preschool Ministry
Chris Learman
[email protected]
Preschool Staff
Tammy Baier, Melissa McMahon,
Nancy Mojica, Erica Schwanke
Director of Educational Ministries
Office Assistant
Carrie Fiorina
[email protected]
Director of Senior Ministries
Shirley Busse
Secretary–Denise Klabunde
[email protected]
Building Supervisor/Ken Zank
Custodians/Chris & Kim Ethridge
Officers & Council
Andy Bellavia,Cathy Buhrow, Beth Miller,
Rob Ribbe: Ryan Baier, Mike Freeman,
Robin Gibbs, Ken Hansing, Gayle Hoch,
Sue Olsen, Adele Petersen
[email protected]
Office Hours: 8:30 am–3:30 pm, M–Th
8:30 am-12:00 pm, F
Worship  Evangelism  Ministry with the Poor  Spirituality  Discipleship  Youth  Leadership