Calling all incoming 5^th and 6^th graders! Join us this summer to bring God’s love to life through mission! We’ll learn about living with integrity, showing kindness and compassion in small and big moments, and finding hope in tough times. The week will involve loud, active, fun, and activities that are quiet and contemplative, but we will be learning about faith and growing together. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to grow in God’s love and have fun together! Friends are welcome!

Mission Factory is open to all rising 5^th and 6^th graders. We’ll meet from 9am to 12pm. For more information or questions about Mission Factory, please email Rebekah Anderson at [email protected].

Calling all 4-year-old preschool children-incoming 4^th graders!

Registration for Vacation Bible School is now open! Join us at First Pres this summer…Aka Camp Firelight! Surrounded by water, trees, and rolling hills, Camp Firelight is the perfect location for campers favorite summer activities. We’ll join first-time camp Counselor Sam and Lou the lightning bug to learn about facing our fears while trusting God. As our children (campers) see Counselor Sam face new challenges like leading campers on a hike and meeting a wise nature expert, they’ll learn important stories from the Old and New Testament. 

Through music, drama, storytelling, games, art, crafts, and snacks, we’ll learn about trusting God to Go with Us, Lead the Way, Share Wisdom, Bring Peace, and Spark Joy! 4 year-old (potty-trained) preschoolers—incoming 4^th graders are invited for this week of VBS fun from Monday, July 8^th through Friday, July 12^thfrom 9am to 12pm. For more information about VBS at First Pres, please contact Rebekah Anderson at [email protected].

The Wednesday Produce Market returns July 10, and runs through September 4, from 6:00 – 7:00 pm. We distribute produce from the Loaves and Fishes Garden free to the community, as well as provide a simple dinner. It’s a time of fun and fellowship and a way to connect with our neighbors. If you’re a gardener with produce to spare, we’d love your donations! We’re also always looking for volunteers. For more information about the Wednesday Produce Market or to volunteer to serve at the market, contact Kim Hogan at [email protected]. There will be no community dinner this year.

Myroslav Mykhailenko, Piano | The Peabody Institute

Myroslav Mykhailenko has been described as a “music prodigy from Ukraine” (WTTW’s Chicago Tonight). An avid soloist, collaborator, and chamber musician, he is a versatile artist who loves to pursue an active music career and create meaningful music experiences. Myroslav was the winner of the 2022 Chicago International Music Competition (Concert Artist Category) and Concours International de Piano Ville de Gagny in 2017. He also won prizes in the Medici International Music Competition, Rocky Mountain Music Competition, and Birmingham International Music Competition.

Learn more about Myroslav at www.myroslavmykhailenko.com

Mark your calendars for these exciting artists and concerts this summer. Each concert is free and open to the congregation and community, and will take place on a Saturday afternoon at 4:00 pm with a light reception following. Bring a friend!

Freewill offering will be taken. The concert will also be Livestreamed at firstpresah.org

Thursday July 25th, 7 PM in the Parlor

A Place Called Home: A Memoir, by David Ambroz

PORCHLIGHT BESTSELLER
Zibby Owens 2022 Book of the Year

A galvanizing, stirring memoir about growing up homeless and in foster care and rising to become a leading advocate for child welfare, recognized by President Obama as an American Champion of Change.

Summary via Amazon:

There are millions of homeless children in America today and in A Place Called Home, award-winning child welfare advocate David Ambroz writes about growing up homeless in New York for eleven years and his subsequent years in foster care, offering a window into what so many kids living in poverty experience every day.

When David and his siblings should be in elementary school, they are instead walking the streets seeking shelter while their mother is battling mental illness. They rest in train stations, 24-hour diners, anywhere that’s warm and dry; they bathe in public restrooms and steal food to quell their hunger. When David is placed in foster care, at first it feels like salvation but soon proves to be just as unsafe. He’s moved from home to home and, in all but one placement, he’s abused. His burgeoning homosexuality makes him an easy target for other’s cruelty.

David finds hope and opportunities in libraries, schools, and the occasional kind-hearted adult; he harnesses an inner grit to escape the all-too-familiar outcome for a kid like him. Through hard work and unwavering resolve, he is able to get a scholarship to Vassar College, his first significant step out of poverty. He later graduates from UCLA Law with a vision of using his degree to change the laws that affect children in poverty.

Told with lyricism and sparkling with warmth, A Place Called Home depicts childhood poverty and homelessness as it is experienced by so many young people who have been systematically overlooked and unprotected. It’s at once a gripping personal account of deprivation—how one boy survived it, and ultimately thrived—and a resounding call for readers to move from empathy to action.

Andrew Marlin, Bassoon | www.marlinbassoon.com

Born and raised in the Los Angeles area, Andrew Marlin began playing the bassoon at 14 years old. Ever since then, he has been working tirelessly to master his art and to spread the true joy of music to all who can listen.

Currently located in the Chicago area, Mr. Marlin has been actively freelancing and can be heard playing on a variety of musical platforms throughout the city. He has primarily performed with Opera Festival Chicago, Oistrakh Symphony of Chicago, Chicago Summer Opera, and Northbrook Symphony Orchestra. He is a Core Artist with CHAI Collaborative Ensemble, an ensemble dedicated to mixed vocal and instrumental chamber music.

As a passionate advocate for music education, Mr. Marlin has also further connected with the community to build up a private teaching studio and serves as the bassoon faculty at many schools throughout the northwest suburbs of Chicago.

Mr. Marlin is a graduate from Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing Arts where he received both a Masters of Music and a Professional Artist Diploma in Orchestral Studies. During his various studies at the Chicago College of Performing Arts, he was fortunate enough to study with Dennis Michel and David McGill from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Lewis Kirk from the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

Prior to his adventures in Chicago, Mr. Marlin earned his Bachelor’s of Music in Bassoon Performance from the University of Washington, Seattle where he was given the extraordinary opportunity to study with Seth Krimsky, Principal Bassoon of the Seattle Symphony Orchestra.

Freewill offering will be taken. The concert will also be Livestreamed at firstpresah.org

Mark your calendars for these exciting artists and concerts this summer. Each concert is free and open to the congregation and community, and will take place on a Saturday afternoon at 4:00 pm with a light reception following. Bring a friend!

Save the Date! Sunday, September 8, at 11:30am. As summer wanes and crisp fall air arrives, join us for our church’s Fall Kick-Off! We’ll be saying farewell to sunshine and sandals with a celebration for all ages. Enjoy delicious food, refreshing drinks, and plenty of opportunities for fellowship and fun. It’s a perfect way to reconnect with your church family and welcome the new season together!