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Millburn Congregational United Church of Christ

MESSENGER December 2016

Christmas Holiday Worship Schedule

Dec. 18th - Church School Program 10 a.m.

Dec. 24th– Christmas Eve Services 7 p.m. and 11 p.m.

Special music provided by the music department at

both services.

Dec. 25th– Christmas Day– one service at 10 a.m.

Special music provided by members of the music dept.

No church school– worship folders provided

Come join us at these services

to celebrate the birth of Jesus

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December 2016 SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY

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5:00 Soup Kitchen 9:00 Cookie Walk

6:00 Den 9 Craft and Vendor

Fair

4 5 6 7 8 9 10

8:30 Worship/Communion 6:00 Handbell 7:00 MYLO Xmas Party 6:15 Handbell Choir Parents’ Night Out

10:00 Worship/Commun. Concert @ St. Bedes 7:00 Troop 87 7:15 Adult Choir 6—9 p.m.

Xmas program rehearsal 7:00 Pack Comm. Mtg 8:15 House Band

11:00 Coffee Hour 6:30 Den 1, 2, 4

11:00 Handbell rehearsal Pearl Harbor

11:30 CLUB Remembrance Day

2:00 Recital

11 12 13 14 15 16 17

8:30 Worship 7:00 Pack 87 7:00 Troop 87 6:15 Handbell Choir 7:00 Compassionate

10:00 Worship 7:15 Adult Choir Friends

Xmas program rehearsal 8:15 House Band

11:00 Coffee Hour

MESSENGER DEADLINE

18 19 20 21 22 23 24

8:30 Worship 6:30 4H 9:00 Messenger 6:15 Handbell Choir Christmas Eve

10:00 Christmas Program 6:30 Den 4 Collating 7:15 Adult Choir Services at

11:00 Coffee Hour 7:00 CE Comm. 1:00 Homemakers 7p.m. and 11 p.m.

11:30 Mission Club 7:00 Troop PLC

1st day of winter

25 Christmas Day 26 27 28 29 30 31 New Year's Eve

10:00 Worship Service 7:15 Adult Choir

NO SUNDAY SCHOOL

11:00 Coffee Hour

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Pastor Jed’s Message Friends: There’s a little place I used to go at least once every year, this time of year, for a little perspective, shall we say, especially when I was in college and later in graduate school. This time of year is often stressful for students be-cause things are starting to get tight: at least one major paper will usually be due soon and probably a mid-term exam lingers, too - and if you’re a procrastinator now’s when you start to feel the heat: it’s one of those times when the weight of the world seems to bear down on a student. Anyway, it’s a place not far from here, on County Road A in Kenosha County, just a mile or so west of Sheridan Road. There’s a small bridge over a small creek called Pike River, which is a tributary of Lake Michigan and one of the streams to which the Chinook salmon return after having been out in the lake for four years. Mysteriously enough, in most cases it’s also the same stream in which they were hatched four years earlier. It’s this time of the year when they return to their home stream. They return to die, yes, that’s true - if you go up there right now you’ll find their carcasses littered on the banks of the stream and on rocks and in thick brush and weeds in the middle of the stream. And you can’t help but think when you see the carcasses about how they lived their four-year life out in that huge expanse that is Lake Michigan, the third largest body of fresh water on Earth, free to roam that great expanse of water at will yet somehow they return to the same place they were born. How much more amazing to consider their relatives on the west coast, where a salmon might be hatched in Washing-ton state and in the course of its life find itself off the coast of San Diego and still return to end its life in the same small stream where it began its life. But, of course, they also return to do whatever’s required for another genera-tion to arise next spring. It’s a drama that plays itself out every year. Yet how often are we aware of such things that go on all around us? How often do we give ourselves an opportunity to feel some awe and wonder? There’s been a lot going on around us lately, as we’ve been discussing the last few weeks. A lot of good things, of course, but there’s also been a lot of anxiety and, for some, even fear. And you know how it goes: you get focused on those things. You assign them a lot of weight – sometimes, usually - more than they deserve. You start to see the world through their narrow prism. And your world becomes very small. It occurred to me last Friday that it’s been a couple of years since I’ve been up there. I thought about going that very day. But of course, I got one of those phone calls I often get and decided I wouldn’t go, even though I really did have enough time (I can get there in a half-hour). Now I see clearly that that was a mistake. So, I think I’ll head up there in the next week or so and see if it still speaks to me in the way it used to, if it’s still capable of imparting something that we all desperately need from time to time, and which is readily available throughout God’s good creation if we can just get ourselves to open our eyes for a moment - and that is, a little perspective. So I admonish you, and I admonish myself: Let's find some ways to get a little perspective. Peace and Love, Pastor Jed

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Proposed Amendments to Church By-laws One of the tasks the Church Council has taken on this year has been a comprehen-sive review of the by-laws which govern the church. Below are the results of their review, including a description of the recommended changes, and a summary of the pros and cons of each amendment. The “red-line” copy of the by-laws with changes will be made available as well.

Each amendment will be considered at the Annual Meeting in January. Any questions can be directed to any Council Member beforehand, but they will be openly debated as necessary at the Annual Meeting.

Amendment #1 The Clerk position and the Office Coordinator position are merged into one. References in the by-laws are amended to reflect this. The specific language (beyond the references) is as follows:

The Clerk is appointed to the Council by nature of he/she holding the staff position of Office Coordinator. This appointment shall be approved annually by the congregation at the An-nual Meeting. Should the appointment be rejected, the Moderator shall appoint an inter-im Clerk until such time that an election of a Clerk may be held, no later than 90 days after the Annual Meeting.

PROS

This amendment was discussed at the previous Annual Meeting in January upon the election of the cur-rent Office Coordinator as Clerk. At that time, the pros were relayed as having consistency in the posi-tion of maintaining records for the church as a whole, both administratively and on the Council. As a non-voting member, the clerical responsibilities could best be handled by someone who had been assessed and vetted for that responsibility during the hiring process. Centralizing all records with this individual is more efficient and limits confusion or ambiguity.

CONS

Again, as discussed at the previous Annual Meeting, the Office Coordinator is a staff position. As such, the individual in the position, if serving as Clerk, may be privy to information other staff may not, creating a potential conflict of interest.

Amendment #2 The Executive Council minimum meeting requirements are changed from “three or four” times to “at least three.”

PROS

This eliminates ambiguity in the by-laws and definitively states how many times the Executive Council should meet at minimum.

CONS

None identified.

Continued on page 5

From the Church Council

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Amendment #3 The Executive Council is given a deadline of September 1 of each year to complete performance evalua-tions, where previously a timeframe did not exist.

PROS

This eliminates ambiguity in the by-laws and definitively states how many times the Executive Council should meet at minimum.

CONS

None identified

Amendment #4 The election of standing committee vice-chairs was not explicitly codified in the by-laws. The specific lan-guage includes:

At each annual meeting, the congregation may elect a Vice-Chair of each Standing Com-mittee. The immediately preceding Vice-Chair will become the Chair of his/her respective committee.

In the event that an immediately preceding Vice-Chair is unable to serve as Chair, the con-gregation may elect both a Chair and Vice-Chair.

PROS

This officially codifies a process that the Church has been doing for several years and is consistent with the model of governance originally embraced by the Church. It changes no particular process, but makes it official in the by-laws.

CONS

None identified.

Amendment #5 A regular review of the by-laws is codified in the by-laws, requiring the Executive Council to complete such a review at least annually. The specific language includes:

The Executive Council shall regularly review the By-laws at least annually for accuracy and completeness. “Housekeeping” amendments, defined as grammar and spelling correc-tions, clarifications, and so on, may be completed by the Executive Council and ratified at the Annual Meeting.

Furthermore, any future proposed amendments may be submitted to the membership in email form as part of the summary and recommendation process. Existing methods of weekly bulletin, monthly newsletter, and/or special mailing remain.

PROS

This requires the Church Council to regularly review the by-laws to ensure that the practices of the church are consistent with the by-laws, and to find anything that may need to be changed.

Additionally, emailing amendments may reach more people and save on postage costs if a special mailing is the chosen method.

CONS

The email method may not reach the entire congregation as not all persons provide or have an email ad-

dress.

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Margo’s Message It’s that time of year again and final plans are underway for the Millburn Church Christmas Program, “The First Christmas Present Ever”, which will be held on December 18. We were so happy with the program in the sanctuary last year, we have a new tradition as part of the 10:00 service! On Dec. 4 will be our first rehearsal and on Dec. 11, is our dress rehearsal so the children will begin in Lauren Hall at 10:00 a.m. both days. It is very important to have your child/children here for both rehearsals.

We are asking the Church School children to bring a dozen cookies to share for the Coffee Hour after the Christmas Program on December 18. The Christian Education Committee will serve and provide the drinks.

There will be no Sunday school on December 25 and Jan. 1. We will provide Worship Folders to chil-dren who are in worship. We will resume Sunday School on January 8.

Youth News

The Jr. and Sr. High are hosting our first Parents’ Night Out or Drop Shop and Wrap on December 10 from 6:00-9:00 p.m. (see flyer attached!) We are offering Holiday Gift Wrapping, too! Parents, just drop off your children and gifts and we will take care of the rest. Cost: Free Will Donation with pro-ceeds going to Mission Trip 2017. Look for sign-up in Lauren Hall or outside the Preschool Classroom!

We will have our regular Youth Club this month on December 4 (our Christmas/Pizza Party) and Decem-ber 18 our Mission Club helping with the PADS meal!

Live Auction $ 6094.25 Cash & Carry 408.50 Food Sales 351.00 Bake Sale 243.00 Cash Donations 405.00 Total Receipts $7501.75 Less Expenses 500.00 Net Profit $7001.75 Many thanks to everyone who made the 5th annual church auction such a wonderful success. The auction committee appreciated all the help they received from church members and people in the community. All of the auction proceeds will go directly to the church operating budget. Dan Haley and Gary Doolittle, Co-Chairs

Auction Results

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Church Happenings & Committees

Annual Cookie Walk Our 10th annual holiday cookie walk will be Sat-urday, December 3rd from 9 am – 12 pm. All bakers get your cookies and candies ready for drop off at the church from 6:30-7:30 pm Fri-day, December 2nd or 8-9 am Saturday morn-ing. There is a sign-up sheet in Lauren Hall for those who wish to bake and/or help during the sale. Homemade cookies and candies will be on sale for $7.00 a pound. A Christmas Room will also be available with all your favorite Christmas items and decorations for sale. In addition to our cookie walk there will be a craft/vendor fair from 9 am – 3 pm. Spaces are still available for those interested. Please con-tact Julie Zehner at Julie@thezehners.com for more information or a registration form. Tell your family and friends to “Shop Local”—shop Millburn Church!!

Chili Cook-Off On January 29, 2017, we will hold our ninth annual Chili Cook-off. It will be held after the 10:00a.m. service in Lauren Hall. All are welcome to bring their ready to eat favorite chili. This has always been a fun family affair and very well attended. We need at least ten chilies to sample. Besides chefs, we need tasters who will sample the chilies and judge their favorite chili by casting their vote. A trophy will be awarded to the winner. Grilled cheese sandwiches, lemon-ade and cookies will also be served. There is no cost to participate in this annual fun event. Look for the chef sign-up sheet in Lauren Hall very soon!. If you have questions call Margo Paramski 847-525-3591

News from the Worship Committee

The holiday season is approaching and this committee has a lot to do to get ready. The Sanctuary was decorated with the help of the youth group. Thank you! A poinsettia flower signup sheet is on the bulletin board in Lauren Hall to help decorate for Christmas Eve. Please sign up and help make our Sanctuary look beautiful! There will be two services on Dec 24th: 7:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m.. Next year we will replace the 7:00 service with a 4:00 service to better serve our families with small children and for those who have other evening family activities. Since Christmas falls on a Sunday this year, we will have one service that morning led by Wayne Novak at 10:00 a.m..

We are interested if anyone in the congregation has ideas for sermon top-ics. Expect some committee members to be asking you during coffee hours.

Nancy Tschannen Chair

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Concerns

Richard Heinlein Recovering from an accident that damaged a finger

Lorna Jacobs Recovering from a broken knee

Tom and Marianne Turnbull Health concerns

Mourning

The Tannebergers and Warrens Passing of Grandpa Terry

Family of Terri Young Reznar Passing of Terri

Continued Prayers

Chuck Beach’s sister Experiencing health difficulties

Ryan Hinshaw’s friend, Daniel Diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma

Jenna Moran’s friend, Mason Has an inoperable brain tumor

Diane Etienne Concerned for her mother undergoing testing for a mass

Paige Force’s grandmother, Ruth Suffering from memory loss and recent fall

KJ Young Suffering with an undiagnosed stomach ailment

Stacy Messner’s brother Struggling with ALS

Lynous Jones

Toots Bennett

Sarah Storaasli

Vera Myers

Alicia Rayner

Muriel Kaminski

Norma Welch

Glenda Class

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Church Anniversaries

20 years– 12/8/1996

Virginia Meyer Mary O’Young

10 years– 12/10/2006

Mike Szpylman Vicki Szpylman

Ginny Zarinebaf

Happy Anniversary to our members!!

December Birthdays

Glenn Semple 02

Angie Farella 03

Erin Strang 03

Cameron Crombie 04

Alyssa Dragin 04

Joe Farella 05

Sandra Holst 05

John Ryckman 05

Kory Daley 06

Ryan Hinshaw 06

James Grimes 08

Laura Kovach 09

Lorna Jacobs 11

Logan Durst 12

Steve Smith 14

Jennifer Chivers 15

Mary Lester 16

Elizabeth Moy 19

Ayla Pietraszak 19

Donna Geary 21

Vicky Hess 21

Penny Smith 21

Norma Welch 22

Marianne Turnbull 23

Mary Doden 24

Brent Doden 26

Mike Anthony 30

Patricia Decker 30

Brent Hartman 31

John Turnbull 31

November Coffee Hours Thank you to the following people/groups for hosting a coffee hour in November.

6th - Members of MYLO

13th – Cathy and Terry Knight

20th - None

27th - Advent Faire/Christian Education

Committee

Sign up sheet is located on bulletin board in Lauren Hall. Please consider hosting a coffee hour. Coffee, tea, plates, plastic cutlery, napkins provided by the church.

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The 2016 women’s retreat has come and gone. I personally want to thank Deb Morrissey (the Worship Leader), Diane Etienne, Carol Rossi, Margo Paramski, Maureen Slade and Susan Foster (Session Leaders), and Donna Lynn for making the retreat special. This year’s retreat was titled, “Garden Getaway:”

Session 1: We began focusing on Ecclesiastes 3, and the seasons of our lives (such as season of change, for example). Our seasons are constantly changing, but through them all, God is in control, and we can trust Him no matter what is happening in our lives.

Session 2: We discussed what beauty is, and how God makes everything – including us – beautiful. He is the Master Gardener, who makes our lives beautiful according to His design.

Session 3: We took a physical walk with and spoke to God, where we dove deeper into ourselves, and at the same time enjoyed the beauty surrounding us.

Session 4: We can walk with God by walking alongside others and supporting them in times of need. In this session, we decorated a flower pot (along with potting soil and seeds), and prayed for that per-son.

Session 5: In this session, we thought of the personal weeds, disease, and pests in our lives (these are things that interfere with our lives so that we cannot totally enjoy God’s blessings). Here, we also prayed for each other, and turned to God for the healing of our hearts.

Session 6: The retreat wrapped up celebrating all that God is doing in our lives. There is joy in each season of our lives, and we focused on being grateful for the gifts God has given us.

In this hurry up life, it’s wonderful to slow down and grow closer to God…and each other. It’s also a time to support each other, as it is a time in which we let our feelings come closer to the surface.

Next year’s retreat is titled, “Sweet Life Café,” and will be held on Friday, October 7 evening through Saturday 8 evening at Wonderland Camp in Camp Lake Wisconsin (it is right by Twin Lakes).

I’m also having a mini-retreat (approx. two hours long) at church in March titled, “Lemonade: When Life Gives You Lemons.” Cost will be $10 for supplies (look for more information on the bulletin board in January).

Anyway, I want to thank everyone for supporting the retreat. It is an uplifting time where we get to know each other on a different level and (of course) become closer to God.

Nan (Nanette) Thorson Retreat Director

2016 Women’s Retreat

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Bring the kids to Millburn Church and The Junior and Senior High Youth will baby-sit!

Price: Free Will Donation

All Proceeds to Mission Trip 2017

December 10, 2016

Time: 6:00-9:00 p.m.

Bring your Christmas Gifts

and we will wrap, too!!

Supper Will be Served

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Messenger Team

Editor/Publisher—Kris Franks psychokittie53@hotmail.com

Collators:

Ron Bratzke, Lynnette Bratzke, Donna Geiger, Ruth Young Deadline for article submission is the 2nd Sunday of each month. Next deadline is Sunday, December 11th. Email your articles, comments, kudos, etc. to Kris Franks, Editor or to the Church Office Coordinator. You can also drop off your sub-missions at the church office.

Church Staff Pastor Jed Watson

pastor@millburnchurch.org

Monday – Thursday- 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Wednesday - Pastor’s study day

Friday - Day Off

Margo Paramski, Director of Christian Education

directorce@millburnchurch.org

Monday and Tuesday – 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Laura Dragin, Office Coordinator

secretary@millburnchurch.org

Monday 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.,

Tues, Wed, Fri — 8:30 a.m.– 12:30 p.m.

Becky Fuller, Music Director

Beckyfuller03@gmail.com

Millburn Church Early Learning Center

Julie Zehner, Preschool Director

preschool@millburnchurch.org

Worship 8:30 a.m. and 10:00 a.m.

Nursery Care and Sunday School at 10:00 a.m.

www.millburnchurch.org

T: 847-356-5237 F: 847-356-5669

The entire Millburn Church Staff would like to wish you and your family a

Joyous Christmas and Happy New Year!!

Pastor Jed

Margo Laura

Julie Becky

Ruth Kris

Kids page answers:

Across

1. Joy 2. Shepherds 3. God

Down

1. Jesus 2. see 4. Angels

5. night 6. afraid 7. sky

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7

4 5

6 1

2

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Across Down

1. Great gladness, happiness 1. ______ was the newborn savior.

2. Those who care for sheep 2. To look with your eyes. (Rhymes with “bee”)

3. “Glory to ____in the highest”. 4. God’s messengers

5. Opposite of day

6. Fearful

7. The space high overhead, the heavens

(rhymes with “pie”)

Answers on page 12

The Angels tell the Shepherds

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Millburn Congregational United Church of Christ

19073 W. Grass Lake Rd. Lake Villa, IL 60046

Empowered by the Holy Spirit, we worship God as a spiritually alive church, welcoming all and reaching out with love as Christ’s disciples.

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