Westchester Community Church
United Church of Christ
1840 Westchester Blvd  Westchester, Illinois 60154
(708) 865-1282

WCC Website:www.forministry.com/USILUCOFCWCCUW
Church email:  westcomchurch@hotmail.com
Rev. Joseph E. Mills, III Pastor
Rev. Godwin Kanjaka Raj, Tamil UCC
UCSI Website: www.ucctamilchurch.com

Sunday Service :10:00 am
Office Hours  Monday-Friday 9:00 am - 4:00 pm 

Volume 18  Issue 2
Issue Date August 24, 2011

                Pastors Message

“As Goes Westchester…”

                Why should we care about Westchester?  As members and friends of our church, it should seem to be obvious.  But the obvious is no longer in our culture.  With an increasingly transient population, and with an ever-increasing dependence on e-commerce, physical locations become less important for many people.  But they are still important, especially when people are considering where to raise their children, or when they consider their primary asset, for many to be their homes.

                When I first came here, it was no longer than one day when I had been informed that this town was called “Deadchester”.  There was nothing here, according to the self-proclaimed experts.  Westchester was dying, because it was beginning to see cultural and racial change.  And, the high school….  I have lived here for eighteen years.  Yes, Westchester as a community has some limits, but I love living here.  We are physically located in almost as perfect a location for access to city, country, shopping, and events as anywhere I have ever lived.  Yes, driving anywhere has its challenges, but we live in a centrally important location for the area.

                When our church was first built, we were very central to activity in the community. The southern part of Westchester was just beginning.  Shopping along the Boulevard and immediately on Mannheim was healthy.  When I first moved here, we had most of the amenities needed to live very well.  The town even had a comic book store!!  But that closed, two weeks after I moved here.  Over the next ten years, shopping along Mannheim and Roosevelt changed.  As with many near-Chicago suburbs, many people started moving further away.  But most of our members stayed faithful to our church.

                Why should you care about Westchester, even as many have moved further away? It is because as goes the health of the community goes the health of our church.  As our community has a stable population (meaning not a “too high” rate of home turnover) and a stable business climate, so then will our church be able to continue to attract people who live locally.  Why is this important, you might ask?  After all, we have a 500 member basically healthy church.  It is because we are no longer centrally located in Westchester.  We are demographically near its center, but the Boulevard is not a traveled street as is Cermak, Mannheim, or Roosevelt.  People don’t just find us by accident.  They have to look for us.

                We are responding to these changes in two main ways.  First, we have had to learn to adapt to a younger culture that does almost everything by computer.  We have had an excellent website, put together over the years by a member who selflessly spent more hours than you can possibly guess to promote our church.  But the name on the website is not easily accessed or guessed from a casual observer.  So several members have gotten together to put together a new, more easily found site that will help people “find” us.  Basic things that the last generation assumed are not assumed.  Google maps and many pictures will dot this site. Linkages; meaning connections to other sites will help people find us perhaps when they are looking for mission and service opportunities.  Linking us to things like:  “Are you considering a place to get married?” are being developed.

                The second main way is as we become understood as the “community’s church”.  That has been part of our name for years, but more recently has become a rallying point both for our health and our community’s health.  It is clear that we are the one place the community allows and trusts to hold community-wide forums and are known to support community events.  If you want to build a church, you must connect with the community, and show not only that you care about it, but that the church is open to it.  Otherwise residents do not see relevance, and stay away.

                I have recently been appointed to be part of our community of Westchester’s Economic Development Committee.  For those of you who may not know, I have either been the Chair/President of many non-profits and/or its Financial Committee Chair.  I know a lot more about business and money than most people think.  I can “spreadsheet interpret” like the best of them.  You may not believe this, but even as communities like LaGrange and Hillside have made many powerful changes (and LaGrange intentionally over a 20 year period of time), our community actually compared with them in overall sales until only the last couple of years.  But many of you have seen that we have too many vacant lots, and we have clear limitations in certain areas (clotheries, sit-down restaurants).  Various community lawsuits have made it difficult to re-zone or redevelop areas that could help our community generate important tax dollars to help stabilize existing businesses and help homeowners in seeing less pressure on the dependence of property tax dollars to pay for all village services.

                Why should these things concern us?  After all, our church is a “haven” from the world.  We can go back and forth from our homes near or far and know it is there.  But if we want our church to retain its health, we must have a healthy balance between people who attend locally and people who live further away.  Otherwise, like far too many churches, we will begin a rapid shrinking.  After all, if the church is far away, and gets smaller, it begins to become easier to not want to travel all the way here.  But if our church retains its vitality, and has both Christ-led mission and local purpose and relevance, people will want to come here.

Things for faithful consideration—in the Christ -, Pastor Joe

 Come Study With Us

SUMMER SCHEDULE

The Wednesday Bible Study  meets Wednesdays, 9:30 am, Westchester Health and Rehab. Center
Faith Conversations—Meets the 1st and 3rd Sundays after church at 11:30 am. 
Sunday Morning Bible Study—Meets the 2nd and 4th Sundays after church at 11:30

THANKYOUS

 To the Wonderful people at WCC Mission Board.  On behalf of the directors, staff and most of all our clients, the children and teens we serve, I want to thank you for your enormous gift of $100 toys and gift cards to the Pediatric Oncology Treasure Chest Foundation.  Sometimes the best treatment for childhood cancer comes from knowing that a toy, gift or a gift certificate awaits each child or teen after every painful procedure.  Your donation helps make the dream of providing gifts to these children and teens a reality, and for that we are most grateful.  The Pediatric Oncology Treasure Chest Foundation

The Voluntary Service Department of Veterans Affairs of Hines Hospital want to thank the WCC congregation, sassy stitchers and mission board for the calendars, assorted personal items, playing cards, socks and lap robes.  For many of our veteran patients, hospitalization can be a difficult time.  Your act of kindness provides some comfort.  Barbara Hunt—Chief, Voluntary Service

Dear WCC, Thank you for your gift of $25.  Your donation will be used to support the Spring Storms USA Fund as per your request.  Gifts to One Hour of Sharing make is possible for the UCC to immediately provide clean water, food and medicines to our partners in Haiti and Chile following the recent earthquakes.  A portion of the offering is always set aside for immediate disaster response.  Susan M Sanders, One Great Hour of Sharing Administrator

Pastor Joe and Youth Group, Words cannot express how appreciative we are for  your donation to purchase a new log splitter.  You are more than generous and reflect the heart of Tower Hill Camp.  Thank You Kim Bosse

Pastor Joe,  Thank you for all the time and effort that you put into our wedding.  We really do appreciate all that you did for us.  Vanitha and I especially liked the session we had with you on the 29th of October as we learned a lot about each other. We will always think back fondly to that conversation.  Sincerely Dev & Vanitha

Dear Rev Mills, Thank you for supporting us in our time of sorrow.  Your comforting words during the service mean so much!  Sincerely, the Byrd, Vosberg, & Rimpson Families

Annual Kitchen Supplies Shower—  Items Needed:  beverage and luncheon sized napkins, 6: paper/foam plates, quart and gallon sized resealable plastic bags, paper towels, dish detergent and powdered dishwasher detergent.  Drop the items off in the narthex or office during April and May.  ???, call Charlene Dolnics at 708/345-1816.  Thanks!!!

 Prayer Concerns

WE GRIEVE

PEOPLE AT THEIR HOMES:

IN IRAQ:

PEOPLE AT LONG-TERM CARE FACILITIES:

FRIENDS TO KEEP IN PRAYERS:

PEOPLE AT AREA HOSPITALS:

SENIOR Youth

 (7^th – 12^th Grades)

Aluminum cans for recycling (not steel or tin cans).  Please bring them the first Sunday of the month.  Cans can be left in the narthex by the blue recycling can near the back door. 

Our Youth Group will again hold a Youth Group Plant Sale. Orders and payment are due by March 14th.  Plant pickup is May 12th & 13th.  Our prices have remained the same as last year. Order forms are available in the narthex, please look one over and take one for a friend.  All profits will go to support our summer mission trip to Tower Hill Camp.  Thanks

YOUTH OVERNIGHT &

TOWER HILL TRIP

Our next Youth Overnight will be Friday March 16-17, beginning at 8 p.m.  Members may bring one friend only!!  Cost is $5 per person for food, movies, and munchies.  We will also plan future activities, including offsite fun events and service projects!!

The following will be the Tower Hill trip, April 27-29 –cost $35.  You MUST register with the church office.

OUR CHURCH AND YOUTH GROUP ARE ON FACEBOOK
Go to Westchester Community Church on Facebook, and you will find us!
We will have updates on Youth and Church Events—give us your email address (members and youth), and we will “friend” you!!

Summer is right around the corner, it’s time to start thinking about Summer Camp for your children Family of God Camp will be held June 17-23.  Remember Coins for Camp pays for half of the camp for your child.  If necessary further scholarships are available.  There are many other Youth and Adult camps available, please look at the brochures available in the Narthex. 

SUMMER MISSION TRIP

We will go to Tower Hill Camp and spend a week improving the facility as part of our ministry to help our Illinois Conference.  It will be July 22-29—cost will be $100 (and youth group monies will pick up the rest).  You MUST sign up in the church office and MUST provide the deposit of $100.  Thank you.

WCC ACTIVITIES

New Address For:
Mr. Dick Widick
Saratoga Drive, Suite 113
3460 Saratoga Drive
Downers Grove, IL 60515
(only the suite # has changed)

If you want to be added to a Email notification list, please email the church westcomchurch@hotmail.com and let us know that you want email notification on events of the church.  Please remember that if your email address changes, you are responsible to let the church know this.  Thanks

The date has been set… Westchester Community Church Flea Market will be held on Saturday, May 5th from 9 am—2 pm.  Food will be served from 9 am to 1:30 pm.  The event will occur Rain or Shine!  The Flea Market will be in the Field Fellowship Hall and in the parking lot on the north side of the church.  You can rent a table with two chairs for $20, or two tables with four chairs for $35 or pull in your car and use your trunk or your own table for $15.  Tell your friends and spread the news.  We need vendors and people to buy tables by Sunday, April 22nd.  We are looking for people who would be selling new or slightly used items, for example:  household items, decorative items, toys or vendors selling their products.  Proceeds from the selling of tables and the food purchased will go to the general fund of the church.  To reserve your table or to ask questions call the church office 708/865-1282 or Barb Mills 708/562-0759.

The WCC Thursday morning volunteers (TERRORS) We work TWO THURSDAYS each month.  Winter/Spring schedule is set for March 15 and April 5 and 12.  We meet for breakfast at 7:45 am at LePetite Restaurant on Mannheim Road and work from 9 am until noon.  New volunteers are always welcome.

The Sassy Stitchers meet on the third Monday of every month at 7 pm in the Library.  Please come out to knit and crochet.  Lessons and  projects are offered.

A FINANCIAL MOMENT

“If you have much, give of your wealth; if you have little, give of your heart” - Ancient Proverb

Information about our Deficit

At present, many wonderful gifts have come in to help erase our deficit.
We thank you for your gifts, and hope that you will give a special one-time gift—mark it:  Deficit Eraser
This will allow us to pay all our bills, not make cuts, and continue important ministries

IF YOU HAVEN’T YET MADE A FINANCIAL PLEDGE TO THE CHURCH, PLEASE DO SO—AS YOU GIVE REGULARLY YOU HELP OUR CHURCH BE STABLE!!

**Thank you to our Tamil UCC who recently took a special collection and donated $2,400 to our church for help with the deficit!!

MANNA order forms are collected the last and first Sunday of every month.  MANNA will then be distributed the second Sunday of the month.   Please remember those families who might be having a tough time right now with job loss, by buying a few extra cards for Pastor Joe to distribute.  **Please note $25 Visa Gift Cards are no longer available, $50 denomination will only be available** If you have any questions, please call Sue Becerra or Charlene Dolnics

LENTEN INFORMATION
(please see the Lenten letter inside this Column)

DO YOU HAVE OLD, WORN-OUT BIBLES AND DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH THEM?

Its funny.  We know what to do with American Flags that have become
tattered, but we show such little respect for Bibles.  When they have clearly become damaged, or are not used, it is ok to dispose of them.
So Pastor Joe will hold a service of “De-Sanctification”, allowing used and worn out Bibles to be properly disposed of, including recycling the paper.
A service of De-Sanctification will be held on Sunday, April 22 during worship.  Bring in Bibles that you know should be “retired”, and we will properly take care of them.

ACTS 15 TEAM UPDATE

Acts 15 is a ministry of our church, helping us to focus on Christ-led ministry and leadership.  Recently we asked you two questions:  What are the things you like, that keep you coming to WCC?  - and  -  What is the purpose of a local church?  Results of these questions are posted in the narthex.
The new question:  What is it that you believe God wants all churches to truly be about?  Please come to church the next two Sundays and write down your answer to this, or email your response to westcomchurch@hotmail.com 

Thank you!!

Scrapbooking and Cardmaking Fundraisers will be on Saturday, March 24th and April 28th Scrapbooking goes from 9:30 am until 11:00 pm.  Please see our flyers in the narthex for price details.  Cardmaking goes from 10:00 am until 2:00 pm.  Lunch for those making cards if $5.  Spread the news and ask anyone that you know who likes to scrapbook or make cards to come out, share ideas, and have fun being together!  Donations of salads or desserts are needed.  Volunteers are needed to work the lunch or dinner shift.  If you can make a donation or can work contact Barb 708/562-0759 or Mary 630/734-8295 or Brenna 708/344-7414

EASTER MISSION SPECIAL GIVING
IN-REACH AND OUR DEFICIT

With no embarrassment, we are holding our Easter Mission for a combination of our In-Reach fund, to help members of the congregation in need (of which there are many), and to help with our Church Deficit.  Please make a gift out to the church, and mark it “In-Reach”.

OTHER SPECIAL WAYS TO GIVE TO MISSION

We have been asked by many members about how to help with the recent tornados in the Midwest.  You can make a gift to our church, mark it “tornado relief” and we will get it to our Illinois Conference to help.  Likewise, remember to support our sister church St. John UCC—the main thing they need is money.  A gift through our church marked “St. John UCC” in the bottom left hand corner will get there!!

What:  Doers & Goers Bunco Night—When:  March 17 @ 7 pm—Where:  Monahans—4 Chatham Lane, Oak Brook—Hosts:  Monahan and Sweazey— Cost:  $7  St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner.  Try your “Irish” luck and join us for a rousing game of Bunco.  Bring a White Elephant for exchange.  RSVP by March 10th. 

HELPING OUR COMMUNITY KNOW ABOUT OUR CHURCH EVENTS

When you have an event or important notice for the Village, Please contact Carl Panek at carlpanek@aol.com or 708/865-1782.  Also remember that church information should also be given to our church secretary for inclusion in Columns and bulletins.

**Pictures may be received - but they need to be in digital form (we can convert your printed pictures in the office)!!

The Big Red Box on the south side of our parking lot is for collecting clothing, shoes and linens.  WCC gets paid based on the weight of the items, and we then give the money to St. John’s UCC for their ministry.  Items you bring are used to help people in need and any unusable items are sold for scrap.  So clean out that closet and put any discarded items in the red box.  Thanks, the Mission Board

Please keep donating food, it will be used for our local food pantry and for our St. John UCC mission pantry.  This will be greatly appreciated.  We will also take items for St. John—and soon we will have another way to donate clothes and make money for St. John

WE HAVE MEDICAL SUPPLIES
THAT YOU CAN USE

Our church has medical supplies for lend.  (wheel chairs, crutches, walkers, commodes, shower chairs, etc.) If you need something, just call the church office to check for availability.  The only thing we ask is that you return it when you are done so someone else can use it!  Thanks!!

The Fish Fry Committee will be giving out a ticket to a lucky winner.  The Fish Fry will continue this offer until the end of the season. So please attend future Fish Frys so you can be a lucky winner too!!

UPCOMING LOCAL AND AREA UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST (UCC) EVENTS

Sunday, March 25—the Open House for our Chicago Metropolitan Association Office (CMA) - 2-4 p.m. at 1407 E. 60th St. (60th and Dorchester Ave.) - which is part of the new campus for Chicago Theological Seminary.  Come, and meet our new CMA Minister, Rev. Vertie Powers, and CTS Seminary President, Dr. Alice Hunt!

Our next Cluster 4 meeting will be held HERE at Westchester Community UCC on Thursday, March 22, 6:00 p.m.  - we will have pizza and topics about ways to help our churches be healthy.

The Cluster 4 Music Fest will be Sunday, April 29 (time TBD) at the 1st Congregational UCC in Western Springs.  Keep the date open!

Special Congregational Meeting April 15, 2012, to approve the salary portion of the 2012 budget.  The presented budget was not ready for approval at the January 22nd Annual Meeting due to additional time needed for further review by the cabinet.  The cabinet has since met and approved the budget, which is now ready for a congregational vote.  Please plan on taking time to attend this special congregation meeting following church service on April 15th for the purpose of approving the salary portion of our budg

Blood Program kicks off a new year of drives

     With plenty of help from members of our church family, the Westchester Blood Program held its first drive of the new year on Jan. 21 and collected 113 units.
Even though the turnout was lower than normal due to a storm that dropped 6  inches of snow the previous day, the number of pints was enough to tend to the needs of 300 hospital patients. 
The group’s next drive will be Saturday, April 21, at the Community Center from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Among the donors at the Jan. 21 drive (held at Divine Providence School) were these from our church family: Karen Lindstrom, Bruce Achilles, Tom Bieber, Cathe Flynn, Dorothy Malczewski and Brenna McKenzie.
And among the volunteers who worked at the drive or helped prepare for it:

      Peggy Ruiz, Jan Fritsche, Dorothy Malczewski and Carl Panek, who is the WBP  director of donor relations.

      Anybody who would like to be a donor or a volunteer should contact Carl Panek at 708-865-1782.

COMMUNITY & UCC ACTIVITIES

HELP NEEDED

A local Printing Business is looking for a part time employee who knows Multi  1250 and 1650 presses.  Please call the church office, if you are this person or know of anyone.  Thanks.

VOLUNTEER FOR BEDS—

HELPING THE HOMELESS

Beds Plus is in desperate need for volunteers.  All you need is to volunteer for 4 hours a month.  If you can help please call 708/354-0858 ext 2.  Many shifts available.

OUR ILLINOIS CONFERENCE NEEDS YOUR HELP!!

The Illinois Conference of UCC is looking for some help with the 2012 Annual Meeting to be held June 8 & 9 in Oak Brook.  They need volunteers for greeters, registration, childcare or snacks.  If you are interested, please call the church office.  Thanks.

EASTER BREAKFAST WITH
OUR KIWANIS AND VILLAGE

Will be Saturday morning March 24
7 am until Noon—$6 for adults and $4 for children, 2 and  under free. 
The Breakfast will be next door at our Community Center.  Easter egg and candy hunt to start at noon sharp.     

WILLING TO HELP OUR VILLAGE WITH E-RECYCLING?

Saturday, April 14, 8:30 to Noon—the Village will hold a computer/tv/electronics devices recycling day behind Village Hall.  They also need help—and you can simply show up and help residents and neighbors as they bring their recyclables so that they can be properly disposed of, as opposed to going into landfills.  Thank you for supporting this!