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.
