AND THE WALLS COME TUMBLING DOWN!

UPDATE: KIGOMA COMMUNITY CENTER

An update on the Oswego expansion

Construction is nearly complete! View the progress and read about the impact it has in the community.

WHAT JESUS PROMISEDWeeding the garden of the soul

THE GROWING SEASON

general

the devoted life

life in community

the generous life

In this issue:

Worship InfoP5

Who We Are /About WLP4

What Jesus Promised

P6-8

Growing in Student

MinistriesP10

And The WallsCome Tum-bling down!

P12-13

Growing in Children’s

MinistryP14-15

Come Be a Star at WSCA

P15

If You Build itP13

Moms By FaithP16

Update: Kigoma

Community Center P20-21

Growing in God’s Love

P18

3

Worship Information

Welcome to Wheatland Salem Church. We are a community of Chr istian believers captivated by a simple and profound mission:

Love God. Love Others . Change the wor ld.

If you’ve been around churches before that seems pretty basic . It is . But we‘re ser ious about it.

Whatever we devote our-

selves to – another per-

son, a job, some sor t of

lifestyle, some goal or personal achieve-

ment – changes us. Sometimes that is

amazingly good and sometimes it is

highly destructive. We become what we

worship. Getting the center of things

right is critically impor tant. The foun-

dation of our mission is making and

maintaining the connection with God

through Jesus Christ.

Those with whom we share life change

us, too. Community is one of God’s

amazing gifts. Wheatland Salem Church

values not only authentic personal faith,

but genuine relationships. This isn’t al-

ways easy, but we want to stay within

arms’ length of others so we can love

and be loved, forgive and be forgiven,

encourage and be encouraged, pray for

others and be prayed for ourselves. We

aren’t interested in love as a theological

concept or a theory, but as a practical

choice, a daily way of life .

And then, because we are changed

by God and changed by the people

with whom we share life, we influence

change in the par t of the world where

we live: our families, neighborhood,

school, spor ts teams, work, fr iendships

– you name it. When we are centered

on Christ and connected with others of

a similar hear t and mind, a lot of world-

changing happens. We seek to be the

good we want the world to become.

Our congregation lives out this mis-

sion through our values of authentic

faith, genuine relationships, vibrant wor-

ship, local and global missions, and an

unwavering focus on the next genera-

tions. Our logo seeks to communicate

visually that, among other things, every-

one is welcome to enter this commu-

nity of believers just where they are,

to explore the variety of ways in which

they can become par t of this mission,

imagine where the path of faith might

lead them, and find their center in Jesus

Christ.

If you are just beginning to explore

your spiritual journey, are reconnecting

with your faith, or are entering a new

season of your life , welcome to Wheat-

land Life.

Who We Are

About Wheatland LifeWheatland Life is a quar terly publication which is writ-

ten, designed, edited, and printed by members and staff

at Wheatland Salem Church. We do our best to ensure

that all content is accurate and error free, but we’re only

human. Email grace_toledo@wheatlandsalem.org with

typos or corrections.

Help OutIf you would like to volunteer your time or resources to assist with the

creation of Wheatland Life, contact the Communications Team:

Shawn Hubbard - shawn_hubbard@wheatlandsalem.org

Eric Stepien - graphic_ar ts@wheatlandsalem.org

Grace Toledo - grace_toledo@wheatlandsalem.org

4

Worship Information

Worship Info

Sunday Morning8:30 a.m. Traditional service in the Sanctuary9:45 and 11 a.m. Contemporary services in the Contemporary Worship Center

Healing ServiceFour th Saturday of each month at 5 p.m. in the Sanctuary

Weekly Prayer MeetingTuesdays, 8:00 - 9:00 a.m. in the Prayer Room

1852 W. 95th St, Naperville IL.

Naperville Campus

Oswego Campus1217 Wolf Road, Oswego, IL.

For information about our loca-

tions or driving directions, visit

wheatlandsalem.org/our-location

Scan these QR codes with your

smar tphone for a map of each of

our locations.

Naperville Oswego

Find Us Online

Use Your Phone

We begin regular Sunday morning worship at our Oswego campus on September 11th.Visit wheatlandsalem.org/oswego to learn more about our other Oswego campus events and how you can help with the September 11th launch.

Sermon SeriesJune - August, 2011Bible stories we thought we knew: fresh pickings from God’s word.

Have a hazy recollection of Bible stories? This summer we’ll explore Old & New Testament characters in a way they didn’t talk about when you were a child in Sunday School.

Get Connected / Stay ConnectedWant to keep “in the loop” about what’s going on? Be sure to.. .

1. Subscribe to our weekly e-news (go to wheatlandsalem.org/im-new)

2. Visit wheatlandsalem.org frequently

3. Like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter (@wheatlandsalem)

4. Join us for worship on Sundays

5

What Jesus Promised

By: Scott Field - Senior Pastor

B ecause in the way God has designed life,

growth is simply, and amazingly, normal.

We all know the secret: put a seed in the

right conditions and it will grow. There is no holding

it back. No matter if it’s a dandelion or a sunflower, a

silver maple or a sequoia – in the simple conditions

of appropriate soil, water, and sunlight, the seed will

sprout and grow and become mature. It is almost

a foregone conclusion. Fruit and vegetables don’t

worr y about tr ying harder so they grow faster or

better or bigger.

Most of us, however, worr y about tr ying harder a

whole lot. We labor under the assumption that if

we just work at something harder and longer, we’ll

get the results we have been seeking. We transfer

this perspective to our spirituality and put ourselves

under the burden of doing more, doing better, and

tr ying harder. Many of us end up, as Garrison Keillor

observed, worshiping at the shrine of Our Lady of

Perpetual Responsibility.

Is this what Jesus promised?

No wonder so many of us come to the conclusion

that really, actively following Jesus is for moral ath-

letes. We just don’t have the determination, strength,

and persistence to always do more and do better at

everything in our lives.

What Jesus Promised

Have you ever seen an apple break a sweat?

a tomato straining to ripen?

a cucumber fretting about wHat to be wHen sHe grows up?

of course not.

6

More than “Silly Love Songs”?Maybe we’re just trying too hard.

If we’re continually on over load, perhaps we’ve

actually missed the main point. The main point, at

least as we have it from the Bible, is not that we live

busy lives or, God forbid, driven lives, but holy lives.

This is shocking, unwelcome, even repulsive to hear

since our culture has done a ver y good job of hijack-

ing the image of holy living. It has become a carica-

ture of dull, lifeless, repressed, moral score-keeping

painted in just a few shades of gray. Nothing could

be far ther from the truth.

Here’s the gospel truth:

- God’s salvation frees us; it does not imprison us.

- Jesus brings our deliverance, not our

condemnation.

- The role of the Holy Spirit is not to remind

us to tr y harder, but to fill us with love, joy,

peace, patience, kindness, goodness,

gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control.

- God is still in the redemption business. God

specializes in turning the tables, confounding the

conventional wisdom, upending the anxious, and

generally bringing something very, ver y good

out of some very bad situations.

This IS what Jesus promised:

On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus

stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who

is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes

in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures

declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from

his hear t.’ ” (John 7:37-38)

Get it?

God’s way is the way we’ve been looking for all

along. Freedom. Grace. Truth. Peace. Joy. All the big-

gies we say money can’t buy, but we’re desperate to

attain anyway.

We can have a river of life flowing through the

center of our soul? Absolutely!

But we cannot experience it by trying harder.

In fact, we can only experience it by what pastor

and author John Or tberg has called, “tr ying softer.”

This is why apples don’t break a sweat and cucum-

bers don’t fret. When seeds and rain and soil and

sunlight get together, God has designed it so

those seeds grow up to what God intended

in the first place.

The same is true for the human soul.

We can be deeply relieved to know that it is God’s

Spirit that shapes and grows our soul. Our primary

task is simply to put ourselves in the place where

we shall meet the Holy Spirit. This isn’t creepy or

mysterious. It is pretty straightforward. At Wheatland

Salem we describe this ages-old spiritual strategy

as the Devoted Life, the Life in Community, and the

Generous Life. The “putting ourselves in the place

where the Holy Spirit has access to us” is simple, too.

Engaging the Scriptures•

Praying•

Worshiping•

Sharing life within a smaller group of other be-•

lievers on a regular basis

Living generously by investing our faith, our time, •

our abilities, and our financial resources for the

benefit of others in Jesus’ name.

What Jesus Promised

7

What Jesus Promised

These simple practices clear away the clutter and

allow space and time for the Holy Spirit to pour

God’s life-giving work into our fret-filled, over-

whelmed lives.

This summer, like all summers, will fly by.

Already we may have the calendar packed with

events, vacations, tasks, camps, spor ts, and the like

that we’ve designed to make it a “wonderful sum-

mer.” But we will likely come to the end of the

summer having had a good enough time but still

faced with the persistent question of “is this what it’s

really all about? We’ve been busy. We’ve tried hard to

make sure we all had a good time. But we still seem

to be missing something.”

With all of the reminders that God has woven

growth into creation from beginning to end, clear a

small patch in your soul. Give the Holy Spirit a little

room to work. Experience, maybe again or maybe for

the first time, the wonderful difference between the

burden of a hassled life and the joy of holy living. Tr y

a little softer and see what happens.

Upcoming Worship Themes

Summer Series: Bible Stories We

Thought We Knew

6/12 Bible stories for 100 Pastor Bob preaching

6/19 Ruth: The outsider welcomed in Pastor Carol preaching

6/26 Lydia: spiritual but not religious Pastor Scott preaching

7/3 Abram: This is the best God could do? Pastor Scott preaching Holy Communion at all worship hours

7/10 Moses: falling forward Pastor Scott preaching

7/17 He said what?! Pastor Bob preaching

7/24 NoahandGod’sfloodrecoveryplan Pastor Scott preaching

7/31 Zacchaeus: wee man - BIG change! Pastor Carol preaching

8/7 Prophets run marathons Pastor Bob preaching Holy Communion at all worship hours

8/14 John the Baptist and the good news Pastor Scott preaching

8/21 You are here...where is God? Pastor Carol preaching

8/28 Friends at Bethany: Mary, Martha & Lazarus Pastor Scott preaching

9/4 David: Love for a renegade child Pastor Scott preaching Holy Communion at all worship hours

8

We’re launching Sunday morning worship on September 11th, 2011

Are you interested in helping us launch?

Join us at our Oswego Campus every Sunday morning for worship starting on September 11th, 2011. For more infor-mation about our Oswego Campus, please visit wheatland-salem.org/oswego.

WSC’s Oswego Campus is located at 1217 Wolf Rd.

View a list of serving opportunities and signup information on wheatlandsalem.org/oswego, under the ‘volunteer’ tab.

Contact Pastor Bob Butler for more information.

For more information, visit wheatlandsalem.org/oswego, or contact Pastor Bob Butler : email: bob_butler@wheatlandsalem.org; phone: 630.904.1035 ext. 134

Wheatland Salem is extending to Oswego...

Join the growth

Growing in Student Ministries

Growing in Student MinistriesBy: Shay Cranmer

10

The connective tissue of this issue of Wheatland

life is “the growing season”—and we’re in a re-

ally unique position of being both in a growing

and shaping season with our ministr y and ministering to

kids while they’re in their growing and shaping season.

However, a lot of potential volunteers get a little nervous

about kids and they can’t imagine getting past that first

step and actually showing up in a room full of teenagers.

I can still remember walking upstairs to the high school

room on the very first night that Colin and I were be-

ing introduced as the new Youth Pastor and his pregnant,

puffy wife. Let me tell you, even after working with kids

and teenagers for about ten years before that—there is

still a feeling of your stomach dropping out of your body

when being introduced to an entirely new group of stu-

dents. It’s nerve-wracking! So, what does it take to be a

killer youth leader? Can you really get past that awkward

first meeting, or will you always feel like you’re just “not

cut out to be around kids?” Here’s my in-the-trenches

tips on connecting with students.

Approach them. Students are funny. While you’ll get a

few super-extraver ts (maybe one per group) that might

come and talk to you, most are shy around new people.

I’ve seen lots of adults sit away from students and then

wonder why they didn’t have a good time. Choose a

student that’s a little disengaged from the group and in-

troduce yourself.

Ask questions! I used to play an improvisation game

where two people had to go as long as they possibly

could while only asking each other questions. It’s easier

in real life because the other person is actually giving

you answers that ser ve as bridges to more questions and

conversation. Questions are like gifts, giving the person

an oppor tunity to talk without having to wrack their

brain for what to say. The more questions you can ask,

the more gifts you have to offer to them.

Be yourself. Contrar y to popular opinion, the best youth

leaders are not spor t guys in their middle 20’s. Our goal

is truly to build a family around our students, and families

need grandparents and aunts and uncles and extra moms

and siblings. People in general, but especially youth, are

constantly assessing where they stand in regards to be-

ing well-liked and accepted. The most effective leaders I

have ever seen have all had something in common. They

were just fine being their quirky, boring, goofy, normal

old selves—which lends itself towards students feeling

comfor table being their quirky, boring, goofy, normal old

selves. They are just as worried about being liked by you

as you are worried about being liked by them. Like bears

and spiders. If you are genuinely interested in who they

are, they’ll pick up on that and feel comfor table.

An oft-quoted verse is Matthew 9:37—“the harvest is

many, but the workers are few.” However, verse 36, im-

mediately before that may be more telling. (36)“When

he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because

they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a

shepherd. (37)And he said to his disciples, “The harvest

is vast, but the workers are few.” Compassion was what

moved Christ’s hear t and adolescence is a time that needs

great compassion and understanding, but also when they

are close to the message of Christ like no other time. It

is difficult to get over the nervousness of approaching

any harvest, but that same nervousness speaks to the fact

that it is impor tant that we do.

11

“And the walls come tumbling down!”By: Pastor Bob Butler

And The Walls Come Tumbling Down!

S o, how’s it going in Oswego?” is the most

asked question by those I come across these

days. For some, it seems we have been talking

about Oswego forever and for others, they act

surprised and then inquisitive. Of course, the natural

flow of questions follows which then invariably leads

to them offering a suggestion that we should offer a

few ministries over there. It’s at this point I instantly

recall the story of Nehemiah. Nehemiah was a proph-

et who for twenty years commuted between Babylon

and Jerusalem to encourage God’s people to renew or

begin anew a faithful covenant with God by rebuilding

their war torn city. The covenant suggested required

faithfulness, laying hold of God’s forgiveness and learn-

ing to practice a more holy life . The task that most

symbolized the community’s commitment to God was

the rebuilding of the wall that surrounded the city.

This was a project so large it forced everyone to work

together while placing faith in God’s bigger vision for

His kingdom. Can you imagine how amazing it must

have been to live and be involved in that event? Rarely

in this life do we get the chance to be involved in

projects bigger than ourselves. Sure, we have all been

involved in a prayer, a conversa-

tion, a worship song or a sacrament

that has left us feeling God’s Spirit

profoundly. This sense of his pres-

ence serves as confirmation of our

walk with Him. More impor tantly,

it begins a journey of discovery. A

journey that can be troubling at first,

empowering after a shor t while, and

later strengthening as persistence

becomes more impor tant than strat-

egy. Have you ever connected to a

project so large, you knew He was

carr ying you, directing you and refus-

ing to let you quit?

This is how I describe our adventure

in Oswego. Everyday has had its

victories and challenges. The Oswego Youth Leadership

group is going well on Wednesday nights but we need

to connect with more kids. The Thursday night recov-

er y ministr y has been growing and lives are changing

but we need a musician or two to make the night

more worshipful. We’ve had some amazing Sunday

evenings in which those wanting to build the founda-

tion of the second campus have been transformed.

The Sunday teachings and testimonies have been

inspiring; sometimes to the point of tears and other

times the testimonies have kept us snickering for days.

It’s no wonder the group wants to do more together!

We are adding a woman’s study on Friday mornings

led by Kim Bockay and a Men’s group on Saturday

If you’d like to be involved in the efforts

to launch the Oswego Campus please

contact Pastor Bob Butler at

bob_butler@wheatlandsalem.org

or 630.904.1035 x134

12

mornings led by Kevin Blocker (both study groups

are in the latest Wheatland Salem ministr y catalog).

In addition to the on-going ministries, we’ve been out

meeting our neighbors, collecting goods for the local

food pantr y and suppor ting a local medical clinic. We

also have held a couple of preview services so people

can come and see who we are and how we worship.

In our first preview service in March, we had around

130 in attendance. The second service on Palm Sunday

continued our building process as we connected serv-

ing, fellowship and worship. As we move toward our

official first day of weekly worship the second week of

September, we will continue to offer children, youth,

and adult activities to cement our commitment to the

community and to each other. This summer we will be

offering Wheatland Café, Kids’ Club, Spor ts Camp and

two separate outdoor worship services. Our plan, like

Nehemiah’s, is to utilize all those in the community of

Wheatland Salem Church as well as all those we come

in contact with to build a community to “Love God.

Love others. and Change the world.”

Nehemiah had a mission to rebuild a city and change

the world of His people. We have a similar one. We

too, are called to build a community of believers that

are willing to be faithful and share Christ’s grace while

daily practicing what it means to be a Christ follower.

And The Walls Come Tumbling Down! / If You Build It...

Last Fall, after discussions spanning several months, the Wheatland Salem Church

Board entered into an agreement with Wheatland Athletic Associa-tion (WAA) for the use of church proper ty to develop a top quality youth baseball field. Many Wheat-land Salem families are familiar with spor ts programs for their own children. Many of our parents have coached WAA teams. WAA made a large financial investment in kind by paying for the construction of the field and will continue to pay for

its maintenance during the ten year length of the agreement. The field at Wheatland Salem will be used pri-marily by WAA teams whose mem-bers live in close proximity. These are our neighbors who will be playing ball at Wheatland Salem.

This multi-year agreement gives exclusive use to WAA teams for practice and games during baseball season. Essentially that means those children have use on weekdays from 3:30 pm until dusk, on Saturdays from 8 a.m. until dusk, and on Sun-days from 1 p.m. until dusk.

This par tnership between Wheat-land Salem Church and the Wheat-land Athletic Association is another way we seek to bless and serve the community by providing space to play for some of the 221 teams and 3500 kids involved in baseball, T-Ball, and softball.

So – please be aware of lots of kids on the church proper ty when you are driving into the parking lots and, if you have a lawn chair with you, stop by to watch a game or two!

Where do you put 3500 kids who want to play T-Ball, baseball, and softball? Some of them will be playing at Wheatland Salem this summer!

Partnership between WSC and the WAA hits a home run!

If you build it… By: Scott Field - Senior Pastor

13

Growing in Children’s MinistryBy: Linda Young - Coordinator of Children’s Ministry

As I star ted writing this ar ticle, I was looking outside

my front window and saw the daffodils and tulips

coming up. The whole yard seems to be coming

alive, and is changing from brown to green. The buds are

all over my trees and you can actually smell spring in the

air. I’ve even star ted growing some seeds in the house to

plant in my garden later on in May. I love this time of year

when we see such dramatic change in our scenery and the

growing that is taking place.

As we entered the spring, we held our first spring break

camp in Oswego. It was called Camp Break Out and we

had 20 children attend from the area. We traveled with Paul

through the week, and learned of his unfailing love for God.

We learned that we can “Live Out Loud” just like Paul did,

and share our faith and love of God with others. We did

woodworking projects, and even created our own miniature

golf course for golfing at the end of the week. We had 16

willing hear ts come along side of the kids to make this week

happen. We were all blessed by our time together.

Children’s Ministr y in the summer is much like my yard

and garden; it just keeps growing and going. June 13th -16th

we will be having Kids’ Club, our VBS. This year we are

anticipating 300 children with the addition of the Oswego

area children. The kids from the Oswego area will be taking

a bus from the Oswego Campus and joining us here at the

Naperville Campus for Kids’ Club each day. This year our

theme is Mission: Possible; we will be secret agents. Look

around the Naperville Campus for clues to this summer’s

Kids’ Club.

How do we keep growing and going in Sunday School

this summer? Well, that’s easy! We will be learning about

Bible Heroes and their stories. Each week at 9:45 a.m.

we will travel from Bible Time to Game Time to Craft /

Activity Time. Be prepared for fun

each week! This is not our normal

Sunday School routine so join us for

something different this summer.

Brook Cherith Camp closed its doors at the conclusion

of camp last summer which left many children and me with

a heavy hear t. But, when one door is closed another door

opens. The door that has opened for us is Reynoldswood

Camp in Dixon, Illinois. We have 20 children registered

to attend this camp, and we will be there the week of July

10th-15th. We are all called to go and to serve, and God

has called me to attend camp with our kids from Wheat-

land Salem. I went to Brook Cherith for the last 6 years,

and I am off to Reynoldswood with our kids this summer.

There is still time to sign up so don’t miss out on this

oppor tunity.

“What is the value of going to camp?” you may ask. Camp

is an amazing experience for children from the moment

they are dropped off. They learn how to be independent,

make new friends, spend time outside and away from

electronics and do so many new activities. It’s a great envi-

ronment to grow in their faith, and I have seen so many kids

at camp accept Jesus as their personal Savior and friend.

I know each year that I go to camp my faith is renewed and

my time with the Lord in a nature setting is like nothing

else. Summer Camp is a fun, faith filled week that all kids

will enjoy.

Spor ts are a big par t of summer, and an American past

time. We are proud to be hosting our 8th annual Spor ts

Camp. We par tner with Unchar ted Waters Spor ts Ministr y

out of Colorado Springs, Colorado. This year our theme

is Breaking Free, and we will be offering soccer, basketball,

cheer leading, and volleyball at the Naperville Campus.

Growing in Children’s Ministr y

14

If you’re not interested in spor ts we also offer a drama

component. The last day of camp we have a time for par-

ents to come and see the cheer leaders and drama kids per-

form, and the coaches will play against the soccer, volleyball,

and basketball players. Spor ts Camp runs the week of July

18th-22nd. We will run the camp in the morning in Naper-

ville and in the evening in Oswego. At the Oswego camp

we will be offering soccer, basketball and cheer leading.

Spor ts Camp is a fun week of learning and playing the spor t

you choose, and it is also a time to learn of spor ts heroes and

how they relate to people from the Bible. UW Spor ts Ministr y

always brings the best coaches to lead

us in spor ts and the word through our

week together. We need about 25-

30 people to help to make this happen.

Our greatest number of volunteers is youth, and to watch

them grow, lead and share is always a wonderful bonus to

the week.

As you can see, Children’s Ministr y does not slow down

in the summer ; in fact, this is our busiest time of the year.

This is the perfect “Growing Season”. We have so much to

offer the kids of WSC and their fr iends this summer. I know

I will be at these events and I hope to see your kids and their

fr iends too. God has big plans for us this summer. Come

and join us.

By: Nancy Brossman - Wheatland Salem Christian Academy Principal

The Growing Season reminds us of the wish that educators and parents have for our

children and students in those lazy days of summer. We look for ways to have a continuum of their develop-ment and learning curve while still

enjoying the less demanding schedules we have for the other nine months! Statistics show that children frequently experience “summer learning loss” and spend the first month in the fall re-learning skills that seemed well established at the close of the school year. Keeping children engaged in interesting and recreational activities help to retain those developed skills. Our S.T.A.R program, Summer Themes for Academic Readiness, is a blend of academics and camp activities combined. Incorporating academics with fun outdoor activities will provide an excellent oppor tunity

to retain the developed skills and continue their learning in many ways. The S.T.A.R. program is offered Monday – Thursdays, 9:00 a.m. to 12 noon. Children will be grouped by Three year old and Pre-k or Kinder-gar ten and First Grade. Registration is on a weekly basis to allow for other summer activities families may have planned. New themes will be offered each week; themes as well as other additional information can be obtained by going to our website at wheatlandsalem.org and click on the Wheatland Academy link, 2011 Summer Program info.

Come be a S.T.A.R. at WSCA!

15

Moms By Faith

Moms By Faith (MBF) is a group of moms of all

ages, walks of life , and Christian faith,

suppor ting each other through life and

motherhood. The vision of MBF star ted out as a way to get

connected with other moms for suppor t, encouragement

and faith discovery. We have Faith Enrichment Days, activities

with our kids (Meet & Greets), Mom’s Night Outs, Couple’s

Night Outs, playgroups, lunch outings, charity events, librar y

activities, and much more.

At 11 p.m. the night before MBF’s ver y first Meet & Greet,

my mind was racing as I was praying, “Lord will anyone show

up? Was I crazy to star t a mom’s group? Oh Lord, just bring

at least a few moms to the door so I am not standing in

there alone with my son! Are you sure you want me to do

this? I am a mess. I’m just finding my own way on my jour-

ney. What if they ask me questions? What do I know about

star ting a Christian mom’s group? Okay, Lord, you say to

‘…walk by faith, not by sight’. I can’t do this but I know you

can. It’s all yours. Go for it!” By the way, 25 moms, with kids

in tow, attended that day. Lord, how great Thou ar t!

Recently when I was asked to talk about MBF and the

growth MBF has experienced over the past two years, my

mind immediately began swimming with images of the

moms and families with whom I’ve come in contact, the

friendships that have developed, the suppor tive community

that has been built and simply the fun times we have shared

through MBF. The growth of MBF in membership and

number of events just astounds me but I don’t believe

there are any pie char ts, graphs, or growth analyses that

could possibly measure the work that God has done and is

continuing to do through this group.

God has used MBF to bring moms closer to Him. Moms

who didn’t know what they believed are now in growing,

active, life-changing relationships with God. Moms who

were stumped on their journey have been rejuvenated in

spirit. Moms who felt their faith had grown stale have been

refreshed and feel alive in Christ. Moms who were afraid

to use the word Jesus or God outside of church are

sharing God’s love with friends and family. Moms who

only attended church are now par ticipating in church. The

impact this is having on every area of their lives is mind

blowing. God has not only used MBF as a gateway to bring

moms closer to Him but to bring moms closer to a whole

community of faith. When the group first star ted, a good

number of the moms were not connected to a church on

a regular basis, but since that time God has used MBF as a

gateway to bring people into communities of faith, whether

at WSC or other churches and groups in the area.

Friendships are being woven and bonded together with

Christ as the center. Moms are sharing their hear ts and

their lives with one another in community with Christ.

Children who may never have experienced the love of God

are now hearing the name of Jesus spoken aloud in their

homes with honor, and are enjoying fun Bible stories at

events, at home and at Sunday School. Husbands who were

bogged down with life’s burdens and star ting to wonder

if there was more to life have also been affected, whether

directly or indirectly, by their wives’ growing faith. Entire

families are being impacted, and that’s something I can

barely fathom.

To see and personally experience the amazing way God

uses MBF as a tool for His Kingdom has been the privilege

of a lifetime. I know that God doesn’t need my help or MBF

to do His work. He is God and can choose to work in what-

ever ways He chooses, but I am so deeply thankful that He

has allowed us “in” on His work. I am beyond words when

I glimpse God using MBF as His tool. I am grateful that I am

able to be a witness of His awesome plan.

Here we are two+ years later with blessings beyond

measure! Could it possibly get any better? God has

used MBF as a tool to catapult my own faith into a most

astounding relationship with God I never knew possible. My

cup runneth over! I cannot wait to see what He has in store

for MBF next but one thing I know for cer tain, it’s going to

be an amazing ride!

Go to momsbyfaith.org for more information or contact

Allie Hasan at (630) 416-3211.

Moms By Faith

16

by Allie Hasan

Plan to bring your Reconnect Christmas offering on Sunday, December 19th. Our goal is $50,000.

God’s greatest commandment is to love God and to love others (Matthew 22:37-39). How do we step out of our own comfor t zones to reach

out to others to show this love? Do we grow when we serve others? What does this look like in reality? One of my favorite books is John Or tberg’s If you Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get out of the Boat. This title alone is a definite statement of taking risks, growing in faith and God’s love. When we stay focused on Jesus our lives are transformed, our hear ts are changed, and we grow clos-er to Jesus, even though waves are crashing up against us. Wheatland Salem Church is a phenomenal church with lots of wonderful ministries. So much so, that at times, I see the church as the boat, or a comfor t zone. It can be a safe place protecting us from the waves of the realities of life around us. How can we be like Peter and step out of the boat, or in this case, get out of the four walls of our church building and make an impact for Jesus?

Serve the Community Days are intended to be a catalyst to go out and be the hands and feet of Jesus, giving people an active way to live out our mission, vision, and values of WSC. It gives the oppor tunity to Love God, Love Others, and Change the World through being the body of Christ out in the world. God’s love gives us the capability to out-stretch our arms to others. Loving others stems from God’s love and our trust in God to guide us. The hope is that each one who serves becomes more prepared for everyday service to make a long-term impact for Christ’s Kingdom through the relationships built with God, with one another, and with others outside our church building.

Many people have shared great stories of stepping out of their comfor t zones and taking risks to serve others. Taking this risk can be scar y, but the benefits outweigh the risks and in this case, the risks are healthy ones. Most people I talk to have been impacted by God’s love and they are amazed at what God taught them through their ser vice toward others and are energized to serve others on a more consistent basis. This year, Serve the Community Day was May 7th. My ques-tion is what happens to these people and organizations on May 8th, May 9th, etc. ? Therefore, I challenge every-one to at least one of three “Stepping out of the Boat” experiences to grow.

1. Sign up for a Serve the Community Day if you have never done one (the next one is in October) or contact the place you did serve and see how you may help in the future. 2. Serve someone who is in need that you may know at work, in the neighborhood, or in your family. Listen to God’s nudging on your hear t and act upon it. This may be a meal, a prayer, a hug, etc. Step out in faith, share God’s love, and let God guide you. 3. Prepare “Grace to Go” bags and put them in your car and then encourage others to do the same. A “Grace to Go” bag is a Ziploc bag (or other reusable bag) filled with items that someone who is homeless might need. Keep this bag with you and when you see someone who may need it, strike up a conversation, ask the person’s name, pray with the person, and offer the “Grace to Go” bag. You will be amazed at the blessing you both will receive.

Taking risks for God is an amazing growth experience. As Jesus said, “Whatever you have done for the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” (Matt. 25:40) I pray that each one who reads this takes the opportunity to seek God’s guidance in their life and how they may make an impact in the name of Jesus to further God’s Kingdom. The following are some Scriptures to develop deeper into God’s idea of serving and generosity:

Mark 10:35-451. 2 Corinthians 8:1-9:152. Matthew 5:13-163.

Growing in God’s Love Sometimes Means Taking Risks

By: Kim Neace - Coordinator of Outreach

Growing in God’s Love...

toothbrush•toothpaste•deodorant•shampoo•soap•sanitizing wipes•sunscreen •

warm caps •

socks•water bottles•juice drinks•nutrition bars•canned foods• (that don’t require an opener)

McDonalds dollars•

Suggested bag items:

18

Visit wheatlandsalem.org for speci�c times and registration information.

Daily ThemesBreaking Free From:

Blame to Responsibility• Lies to Truth • Weak to Strong Relationships • Fear to Faith • Temporary to eternal•

Join us for a fun-�lled week of basketball, volleyball, cheerleading, soccer, or drama*!

For kids grades 1-6 in the Fall. O�ered in both Naperville and Oswego, July 18-22.

*volleyball and drama will not be o�ered at the Oswego location.

Sports Camp 2011: Breaking Free

Tanzania Community Center Update

For Christmas 2008, the Wheatland Salem congrega-

tion did something we had never done before. We

called it Reconnect Christmas. We had two desires:

So we went boldly where we had not gone before.

We called upon one another to redirect our Christmas

spending; to set aside 25-50% of what we normally spend

on gifts and bring it for one big offering on a Sunday

morning in worship. And the offering, 100% of it, would

go to underwrite the costs of building a community

center in the village of Kigoma, Tanzania. This would

have an enormous benefit for the children as well as the

entire community of that town situated on the shore of

Lake Tanganyika. Our mission par tners there, Lowell and

Claudia Wer tz, had been dreaming of such a facility and it

seemed that Wheatland Salem might, with one large gift,

cover the cost of the entire facility. The goal for our first

Reconnect Christmas offering was $80,000.

God apparently had bigger things in

mind. On that Sunday we received

$148,000 and enough joy so that

just telling the story again gets us

smiling and laughing.

The extra funds provided for the

construction of a larger facility

that includes a librar y and a radio

station, as well as the originally

intended space for teaching,

meeting, and community programs.

Construction takes longer in

Kigoma – cement is mixed by

Update: Tanzania Community Center

First, could we do something to help ourselves,

personally, spiritually, as a congregation, get

beyond the cultural celebration and connected

in a ver y practical way with God’s gift of

redemption in Jesus? We wanted the “reason for the

season” to be more than a bumper sticker. We

wanted to do more than remember to go to

church at Christmas.

And second, what sor t of gift could we bring

that would make Jesus smile?

by Pam Moga

20

hand and carried in baskets; skilled labor is available, but

not abundant. The building is near ly complete. It has not

yet been “officially dedicated” but the pictures here show

the building and the first public event there: the gradua-

tion of 87 students from the Joy in the Harvest Computer

School and a crowd of near ly 300 who came to celebrate.

It was a big day in Kigoma – we trust the first of many,

many impor tant days related to that building.

We had planned to have a small delegation from

Wheatland Salem in Kigoma this summer for the

dedication of the building, but other matters have

prevented attendance. We do anticipate getting a

team there as soon as possible to rejoice with our

sisters and brothers in Kigoma as they extend the

work of Christ in that area.

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1

by Pam Moga

21

WSC Staff Directory

Lead Staff:

Scott Field, Senior Pastor, ext. 227Carol Gr iffith, Assistant Pastor, ext. 226Bob Butler, Assistant Pastor, ext. 134Amy Altenbern, Director of Ministr y, ext. 136Tar i Crema, Church Administrator, ext. 217

Pastors:

Scott Field, Senior Pastor, ext. 227Carol Gr iffith, Assistant Pastor, ext. 226Bob Butler, Assistant Pastor, ext. 134Ann Bergl ind, Admin. Assistant to the Pastor s, ext. 228

Caring Ministries:

Carol Gr iffith, Assistant Pastor, ext. 226Becky Keller, Next Generation Care Coordinator, ext. 114

Worship Arts:

Jen Liskey, Coordinator of Worship Ar ts, ext. 133Teddy Bennett, OrganistVicay Lauderdale , Choir Director

Outreach:

Kim Neace , Coordinator of Outreach, ext. 223

Volunteering/Connecting at Wheatland Salem:

Tar i Crema, Church Administrator, ext. 217

Adult Ministries:

Amy Altenbern, Director of Ministr y, ext. 136

Student Ministries:

Colin Cranmer, Coordinator of Student Ministr ies, ext. 141Pam Fecht, Student Ministr y Program Suppor t, ext. 140

Children’s Ministries:

Linda Young, Coordinator of Children’s Ministr y, ext. 409Vicki Saunder s, Childcare Super visor, ext. 407Deb Lionberger, Sunday School Super visor, ext. 410

Office Administration Team:

Grace Toledo, Office Administrator, ext. 222Kim Bailey, Administrative Assistant, ext. 225

Communications Team:

Shawn Hubbard, Coordinator of Web Ministr y, ext. 230Grace Toledo, Office Administrator, ext. 222Er ic Stepien, Graphic Ar ts, ext. 229Tom Har le , Technical Ar ts Coordinator, tech_ar ts@wheatlandsalem.org

Technology:

Jeff Mar tin, Systems Administrator, ext. 162

Business Office:

Theresa Stonehocker & Jul ie Cichy, Finance , ext. 220Ann Bergl ind, A.P. and Payroll , ext. 228

Wheatland Salem Christian Academy:

Nancy Brossman, WSCA Pr incipal , ext. 414Val Bi l l ingsley, WSCA Assistant Director, ext. 408Nancy Eble , WSCA Assistant Director, ext. 415Janet Bratta, Administrative Assistant, ext. 413

All staff can be reached at 630.904.1035 and their extension or at firstname_lastname@wheatlandsalem.org

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Check out The Well, a creative student-driven community where students learn how to use their gifts to tell God's story, take care of one another, and learn about their place in God's plan for humanity. Time is split between large group gatherings at the church, and small gatherings at house groups. This year, we'll be working in seven week blocks, each series looking at a new element of the Bible.

Sunday Nights @ Wheatland Salem Church

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