Saturday, November 4
- 8:00am NSMC and CCMC Women’s Breakfast
- Join us for a joint Women’s Breakfast at Jelly Café, 795 Dundee Road, Palatine (see Google map)
- No RSVP necessary
- All day: Illinois Mennonite Conference at Menno Haven Camp & Retreat Center
- Anne, Patty, and Suzanne will be in attendance
- Exploration of ways to move forward as a conference
Sunday, November 5
- DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME ENDS: please “fall back” an hour so you don’t arrive an hour early for worship
- 9:30am NSMC Hybrid Worship (contact Anne for details on how to join Zoom)
- Service Project: Food Collection for PADS (see desired foods list below)
- 12:00pm Potluck
Monday, November 6
- 7:00pm Joint Worship Planning meeting
- Planning for Advent and Epiphany
Tuesday, November 7
- 7:00pm ARCC (Action/Reflection Creation Care) meeting
- Shelly will be presenting what she has learned about an El Niño year.
Thursday, November 9
- 7:00pm Zoom Bible Study with Shane (contact Anne for details on how to join Zoom)
Sunday, November 12
- 9:30am CCMC Hybrid Worship (contact Anne for details on how to join Zoom)
- 11:30am-1:30pm Viewing of documentary “Traces of the Trade” at First Presbyterian Church, Libertyville (see Google map)
- See additional information below with an RSVP link
In case you didn’t see it above, please note that daylight saving time ends at 2:00am this Sunday, Nov. 5. Please set your clocks back one hour. If you arrive early for worship, you may get recruited by the musicians.
Mark your calendar! We are invited to an Advent Beer and Hymn Sing on Friday, December 1, 7:00-9:00pm. The address is 1528 W Farwell in Chicago (see Google map).
Patty Peebles welcomes all harmonizing people or anyone who just likes to sing. It will be a fun evening of singing and refreshments. Bring a drink and a snack to share (beer, wine, kombucha, juice…whatever).
Our next ARCC meeting will be Tuesday, November 7, 7:00pm. Shelly will be presenting what she has learned about an El Niño year. Anne will send out a Zoom link.
PADS Lake County (Providing Assistance, Dignity, and Shelter) is a community-based organization that provides trauma-informed support, resources, and shelter to individuals and families experiencing a housing crisis. They are reaching out to ask for our help in stocking their food pantry with essential items to ensure that no one in our community goes hungry.
We will be collecting items on Sunday, October 29 and Sunday, November 5. Please bring donation items to church and we will deliver them to PADS. Here’s a list of their most wanted items.
Their priority items include:
- Multigrain Cheerios – 18 oz
- Shelf-stable milk
- Compleat Chix and Dressing
- Compleat Turkey or Manicotti
- Compleat Meatloaf and Gravy
- Campbell Chunky Soup
- Fruit cups
- Nuts
- Nature Valley Protein Bars
- Target Bags
Additionally, they’re in need of the following necessary food bag items:
Breakfast Items:
- Bagels with cream cheese
- Instant Oatmeal
- Muffins (store-bought)
- Granola Bars or Breakfast Bars
- Breakfast Meal Replacement drinks
Lunch Items:
- Crackers
- Bag of chips
- Instant Ramen Noodles (cups)
- Fruit Cup Packs/canned fruit
- Protein Bars
- Tuna Packs
- Chicken Salad Packs
- Beef Jerky
- Popcorn
- Jello Cups
Dinner Items:
- Non-perishable Microwaveable meals
- Canned baked beans
- Mac and cheese (boxes or cups)
- Canned Chili
- Microwavable Rice packs
- Sardines
Drinks:
- Juice Packs (apple juice/fruit juice)
- Water bottles
- Hot Chocolate Packs
- Plastic Plates
In Traces of the Trade, Producer/Director Katrina Browne tells the story of her forefathers, the largest slave-trading family in U.S. history. Given the myth that the South is solely responsible for slavery, viewers will be surprised to learn that Browne’s ancestors were Northerners. The film follows Browne and nine fellow family members on a remarkable journey which brings them face-to-face with the history and legacy of New England’s hidden enterprise.
Watch the trailer for Traces of the Trade
First Presbyterian Church in Libertyville has invited us to a screening of the documentary on Sunday, November 12, 11:30am – 1:30pm as an introduction to an inter-denominational initiative to learn together about addressing racism. Box lunches will be provided if you RSVP.
RSVP for November 12 Traces of the Trade
This documentary is a stepping stone to shared learning experience called Sacred Ground. It begins in January and consists of inter-denominational small group gatherings either in-person or on Zoom that meet twice a month. Small groups are invited to walk through chapters of America’s history of race and racism, while weaving in threads of family story, economic class, and political and regional identity. The 11-part series is built around a powerful online curriculum of documentary films and readings that focus on Indigenous, Black, Latino, and Asian/Pacific American histories as they intersect with European American histories. This series is open to all, and especially designed to help white people talk with other white people. Participants are invited to peel away the layers that have contributed to the challenges and divides of the present day – all while grounded in our call to faith, hope and love. The three participating churches are First Presbyterian, Annunciation Episcopal in Gurnee, and NSMC.
Mennonite Church USA has launched “Learn, Pray, Join: End Gun Violence,” an initiative to bring awareness to the complex issue that intersects with poverty, racism, discrimination, criminal justice, education and the environment. Read more here: mennoniteusa.org/educate-topic-lpj Visit the initiative page here: mennoniteusa.org/lpj-end-gun-violence
Did you know that Mennonite Church USA has a health plan? The Corinthian Plan provides health coverage for eligible pastors, church employees and their families. Current participants of the plan are also welcome to ask questions. Learn more during an upcoming Zoom meeting on Nov. 3 at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT. Register here: https://shorturl.at/tBMV7 View the PDF here: mennoniteusa.org/TCP-zoom-meeting-PDF
Katie Graber, Anneli Loep Thiessen and Sarah Kathleen Johnson share a glimpse into the new resource, Guide to Voices Together Songs and Resources with Connections to Indigenous Communities in Canada and the United States, which was recently released by the Voices Together team. Read more here: mennoniteusa.org/connecting-communities-voices-together
Join us for our second Learn. Pray. Join: End Gun Violence webinar, Intersectionality of Gun Violence, focused on the intersectionality of gun violence and the call to explore our Anabaptist response to it. This webinar will provide information about the impact of gun violence on different communities, as well as provide information about mental health impacts, including suicide and how congregations can walk alongside those at risk and their family/friends. Register here: https://shorturl.at/irS58 View the PDF here: mennoniteusa.org/lpj-end-gun-violence-webinar-PDF
–from Creation Justice Ministries 52 Ways to Care for Creation
Indigenous Peoples’ Month
Learn about the indigenous people who lived on your land first. What is the name of that nation? How does the nation relate to the land and ecosystems? Learn, pray, acknowledge, and stand in solidarity.
–from Creation Justice Tips | United Methodist Church
What is Eco-Grief?
Are you aware of eco-grief? That sense of loss of control in response to visible devastation—from draught, flooding, superstorms, wildfires, and heat waves—can be debilitating, especially among young people who also fear the loss of a good future. Help by listening, finding actions to do together, and looking for signs of hope. Trust the Creator and resolve to be among the hands, feet, and voices needed to move us all to a better place.
Practical Ways to Enjoy Clothing
Changing seasons bring on the desire for changing wardrobes. Before you race off to online or local clothing stores, listen to Joshua Becker for practical ways to enjoy clothing without falling into the traps of consumerism. Shop with a friend or family member who has also seen the 4-minute video.
–from the Sierra Club
100 Things You Can Do to Save the Planet
- Substitute simple cleaning formulas whenever they get comparable results—soap, water, bleach, vinegar.
- Collect memories not things. Collect things from the natural world and bringing them home…rocks, pine cones, shells, fossils, minerals, old glass bottles, old stuff laying around the desert…it is much more interesting when these things are in their natural environment and in context. People can also stop collecting store-bought items for their homes…I just stayed at a home where they collected baseball caps, clowns, all things fitting into a seaside theme, dolls, old board games, and more. Everything has to be manufactured and that usually takes natural resources.
–from Ecocation
50 Ways to Save the Planet
- Buy from companies with eco-friendly policies; boycott those without.
- Invest sustainably & switch to a green bank.