September 17
October 22
November 12
Fellowship coffee will be held in the Narthex at 10:00 preceding the worship. Come early and have some coffee.
Fall Fellowship Opportunities
Spiritual Growth Event
Register Here
Fall 2023 Christian Education Offerings
September/October
One Day I Wrote Back: Interacting with Scripture through Creative Writing by Jane Herring
Sundays, Sept. 24-Oct. 29; 9:15am – 10:15
Herring leads you to talk back to those scripture passages you don’t understand. Ask questions, explore your life, plead, praise and ponder.
She provides reflection questions and simple practical exercises to encourage writing.
November
Sundays in November 9:15 am
We will kick off this observation by learning about the Papal Bull
Romanus Pontifix, of 1452 that declared war on the non-Christian world and gave Spain and Portugal rights to conquest.
We’ll watch a 45-minute video for this first session.
We will explore our denominational teaching about Christianity and Native Americans the next three weeks by reading United Methodist Resolutions 6025, 3321 and 3334.
December
Advent 2023
Wednesdays, Nov. 29- Dec.20; 10 am- 11am
Sundays, December 3-24; 9:15 am -10:15 am
With the help of Bishop Willimon, we will explore the Incarnation of Jesus with his new book, Heaven and Earth.
“It’s not within our own power to make afresh start. If we’re to have a future different from the past, it must come as a gift, something not of our devising. What we need is a God who refuses to be trapped in eternity, a God who not only cares about us but is willing to show up among us and do something with us, here, now.”
ASIAN HISTORY & CULTURE
THURSDAY, MAY 25
Over 15 people gathered in Wesley Hall to participate in the Northern Illinois Conference’s Second Quarter Film Series highlighting Asian American and Pacific Islander History and Culture. Participants watched Pew Research Center’s Being Asian in America.
We gathered over a meal catered by Ming Chef and heard a brief history of AAPI in North America by Dr. Dr. WOOHEE ANNE JOH. She also facilitated four panelists reflecting on their experiences of living in the United States and the church. You may watch this presentation by clicking this link.
The next film series is
PRIVILEGE, POWER AND RACE PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION
Thursday, September 21, 6:00 – 8:00 pm
Different locations across the conference
AI Sermon Series
June 4 and 11 at 10:30 am
What is it? How is it affecting us? Human technology offers opportunities to enhance the created order and destroy it. When the newspaper was introduced in the 1600s, many feared it would stop all human social interactions. It didn’t. AI does not have to be feared, only understood.
Join Pastor Joe for this two-part series that will explore these questions and look at how our spiritual practices can help us navigate these waters.
Peace and Justice Studies during Eastertide
Peace with Justice Sunday is a faithful expression of shalom in the Bible. It calls the church to strengthen its capacity to advocate publicly in communities and nations throughout the world. The offering is administered by the General Board of Church and Society and benefits peace with justice ministries in the annual conferences and around the world. Half of our gifts stay with local ministries in this conference and half support the work of Church and Society globally.
Peace with Justice Sunday is June 4th this year. In preparation for this offering, Pastor Joe will lead a 6-week Peace with Justice Study. The study will explore what the Bible says, what the church says, what the facts say and “what do you say”. The topics are: Peacebuiliding, Multilateralism, Non-proliferation and Disarmament, Occupied Palestinian Territories, Gun Violence, & Peace on the Korean Peninsula.
Study will have two in person sessions Sundays at 9:15 am and Wednesdays at 10 am. Begins April 23 and 26. Sign up in Narthex or complete the form.
Christians Against Christian Nationalism Workshop
On Sunday, March 19, Elena Aronson led over twenty people in a workshop exploring the origens and expressions of Christian Nationalism. Christian Nationalism claims that Christianity should have a privileged position in the public square.
Aronson provided a worksheet that helped participants counter the features of Christian Nationalism with civically-engaged Christian responses. For example: “America was founded as a Christian nation” is countered with “America was founded as a place of religious freedom.“
The unedited workshop is available on YouTube.
Additional resources include:
Christian Nationalism Reading and Resource List
- Articles
a. What is Christian Nationalism? – Christianity Today
i. https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2021/february-web-only/what-is-christ
ian-nationalism.html
b. Views of the U.S. as a ‘Christian nation’ and opinions about ‘Christian
nationalism’ – Pew Research Center
i. https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2022/10/27/views-of-the-u-s-as-a-ch
ristian-nation-and-opinions-about-christian-nationalism/
c. Black, Evangelical and Torn – New York Times
i. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/14/magazine/black-evangelicals.html
d. White Christian Nationalists Want More Than Just Political Power – Atlantic
i. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/01/white-evangelicals-fixa
tion-on-washington-dc/617690/
e. What Does ‘White Christian Nationalism’ Even Mean, Anyway? – Sojourners
i. https://sojo.net/articles/what-does-white-christian-nationalism-even-meananyway - Books
a. Taking America Back for God: Christian Nationalism in the United States –
Andrew L. Whitehead & Samuel L. Perry
b. Postcards from Babylon: The Church in American Exile – Brian Zahnd
c. Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and
Fractured a Nation – Kristin Kobes Du Mez
d. American Idolatry: How Christian Nationalism Betrays the Gospel and Threatens
the Church – Andrew L. Whitehead
e. Unsettling Truths: The Ongoing, Dehumanizing Legacy of the Doctrine of
Discovery – Mark Charles & Soong-Chan Rah - Organizations
a. Christians Against Christian Nationalism
i. https://www.christiansagainstchristiannationalism.org/
ii. Instagram: @endchristiannationalism
Lenten Sermon Series 2023
Sundays at 10:30 am February 26-April 2
In conjunction with the Salt Creek Cluster of United Methodist Churches, First Church will explore the Lenten season with common objects found in the scriptures: dust, bread, cross, coins, shoes and oil. This series is inspired by Jill Duffield who reminds us that God works through the ordinary and goes to great lengths to communicate with us about Jesus Christ, salvation, grace, and reconciliation.
Drawing from the Christian contemplative tradition, Duffield reminds us that it is often in “hindsight that God’s providence becomes recognizable.” Throughout his teaching, Jesus taught that the kingdom of God is near and in our midst. Each week through these objects you will be asked to consider the possibility, the promise, that God is present, speaking, seeking to be in relationship with you.
Finally, the churches in the cluster will participate in a pulpit exchange. First Church will be welcoming Reverend Hong-kien Jeremiah Lee of Addison: Good Samaritan Church and the Reverend Juyeon Jeon of Bensenville: First UMC. Pastor Joe will be preaching at Addison: Good Samaritan and Elmhurst: Christ and Villa Park: Calvary.
Unwrapping Christmas
7 Lessons on Jesus–A sermon series beginning January 8
These seven lessons on Jesus give us time to unwrap the gift of Christmas by considering the nature of the kingdom he proclaims and the his call on our lives.
Children’s Christmas Tree is Here! – November 27th
For children the crunch of wrapping paper and finding a hidden treasure within can mean so very much. That’s why for fifty-six years the members and friends of First Church have delighted in taking children’s names from our Narthex Christmas tree. This year the name tags will appear on Sunday, November 27th. Once again children from Lord’s Lambs Ministry in Pembroke and from Bethany Pastore El Buen Church in Chicago will be the recipients of our gift giving. If you take a pair of tags from the tree, please remember to write your name and phone number on one tag, place it in the basket, and take the matching tag with you, so that you have the child’s age and size for shopping. After wrapping the gift, please securely attach the tag that you took with you to the present. If you prefer, sending money for others to shop for you, your monetary gift is also much appreciated. Please make checks payable to First United Methodist Church Elmhurst or use this PayPal link: HERE or use this QR Code:
Gifts will be delivered on Sunday, December 11, after worship. Over the years, these Christmas gifts have brought joy to literally tens of thousands of children. Be part of the joy and take a tag or two from the tree this year!
