Church News
The latest news, announcements, and church publications to keep you up to date.
Advent Devotional
Our Advent Devotional this year is titled, bless the Advent We Actually Have by Kate Bowler. There is a special emphasis on the words “bless” and “Actually” which tells you the general focus of this devotion.
It will be a time to bless what really is… what is true about our lives as we prepare for Christmas and the coming of Jesus. It is the time to open our hearts to the reality that our lives are anything but perfect. Joy, sadness, celebrations, disappointments and everything in between are a reflection of who we are as we anticipate again what it means that God is with us.
You can view the devotional online by clicking the button below or pick up a copy in the literature rack in the back of the Sanctuary starting Sunday, November 26.
The First Pres Family Night Favorites Cookbooks Make a Great Holiday Gift
The new First Pres Family Night Favorites cookbook has arrived. The cookbooks are available on Sunday mornings in the Lobby and Wednesday evenings in Fellowship Hall. You can also contact the cookbook team at [email protected] to order a copy or
arrange for delivery of your cookbook. The cost is $20.
This beautiful 3-ring binder style book contains over one hundred delicious recipes. The cookbook is a collection of recipes created by the Family Night food team that are often enjoyed at Family Night. The book makes a wonderful gift for family and friends as well as a great addition to your own cookbook collection. With each purchase you will also receive access to an e-version of the cookbook.
Proceeds from the sale of the cookbooks will provide some new Fellowship Hall kitchen equipment with 10% of the proceeds going to mission to support food programs.
Support RefugeeOne in December – HouseholdGoods Drive
Over the past several months, the congregation has been focusing on our journey of faith. Some of this has involved looking inward at our own faith journey, enjoying fellowship within our faith community or practicing our faith through service and action. In December, you have the opportunity to be a part of a refugees journey to the Chicago area by donating household goods. First Pres is partnering with First United Methodist Church Arlington Heights and St. Johns United Church of Christ to assist RefugeeOne in stocking apartments for newly arriving refugee families.
Visit the giving tree in the Lobby on Sunday mornings or in Fellowship Hall on Wednesday evenings through December 10. You can select from a variety of needed items. All new items should be returned to church by December 17. If you have any questions please contact Michele Holifield.
Borrow from Mary and Martha’s Lending Closet for Holiday Gatherings
Perhaps you keep seeing signs or reminders about Mary and Martha’s Lending Closet and you are wondering what Mary and Martha’s is all about. Mary and Martha’s Lending Closet started in the fall of 2019 as a mission project to provide items for entertaining to those in the community in exchange for a monetary donation that is used to support food insecurity programs in the Chicago area. The closet
provides a way to reduce the items we have in our homes and provide funds to food programs such as food pantries, community gardens and lunch programs.
Are you planning a holiday party, entertaining a book club or committee meeting, but you do not have that beverage dispenser you need, or enough glasses for everyone? Maybe you need some serving platters. If your entire family will join you from near and far, we have tables and chairs available. Maybe you have a great idea for centerpieces, but you do not have the jars or vases you need. Maybe you would like to serve the popular Presbyterian punch, but you do not own a punch bowl. Borrow them from the Mary and Martha’s Lending Closet. No need to go and buy everything you need and then must find a place to store it forever. You can borrow items and then return them for the next person to borrow.
Contact [email protected] to set up an appointment to see what we have to offer.
Children & Youth Coat Drive
Sunday, October 15 – Wednesday, November 15
Coffee: Grounds for Discussion & Service will host a coat drive for kids in grades K – 8 to be donated to a local elementary school district coat closet. Donations will be accepted in a barrel in the Narthex.
Borrow for Holiday Entertaining!
Don’t Buy… Borrow from Mary and Martha’s Lending Closet for your fall and holiday gatherings! Perhaps you keep seeing signs or reminders about Mary and Martha’s Lending Closet and you are wondering what it is all about. Mary and Martha’s Lending Closet started in the fall of 2019 as a mission project to provide items for entertaining to those in the community in exchange for a monetary donation that is used to support food insecurity programs in the Chicago area. The closet provides a way to reduce the items we have in our homes and provide funds to food programs such as food pantries, community gardens and lunch programs.
Are you planning a fall get together, a holiday party, entertaining a book club or committee meeting, but you do not have that beverage dispenser you need or enough glasses for everyone? Maybe you need some serving platters. Maybe you have a great idea for centerpieces, but you do not have the jars or vases you need. Maybe you would like to serve the popular Presbyterian punch, but you do not own a punch bowl. Borrow them from the Mary and Martha Lending Closet! No need to go and buy everything and then find a place to store it forever. You can borrow items and then return them for the next person to borrow. Contact [email protected] to set up an appointment to see what we have to offer.
Christopher House: Family to Family 2023
It is a special time of the year when we remember the families of Christopher House. Many of us have enjoyed providing wrapped Christmas gifts for Christopher House families in the past years. Your gifts will meet some of the needs of a family and help them have a special holiday season. Please consider participating as an individual, family, club or group of friends. You may sign up Sundays, November 12, 19 and 26, in the Narthex before and after 10:30 am worship.
Gifts should be wrapped and dropped off between 8:30am and 9:45am on Saturday, December 2, in the East Parking Lot. Volunteers will load them on a truck and deliver them to Christopher House’s Logan Square location in Chicago. You can also buy an Aldi or Jewel $25.00 gift card. On the card with a Sharpie pen, please mark the dollar amount. You can bring to the signup table on a Sunday or put the card in an envelope, Attn: Liz Thompson, and drop the envelope at the receptionist desk with Carol Vega. These will be used for family meals for Christmas.
Christmas Flowers
Presbyterian Women will be available in the lobby to accept donations for Christmas flowers and décor on Sundays, October 29, November 5 and November 12. A suggested donation of $30 will be used to help provide a festive church for Advent and Christmas. Please stop by the table and help us beautify the church.
Wanted: Advent Candle Lighters!
Worship, Music and Sacraments (WMS) will be holding sign-ups for Advent candle lighting on Sundays, November 5 and 12, in the Narthex. We are looking for couples, singles or families in groups of two or more to read the liturgy and light the Advent candles for the 9:00am and 10:30am services starting on December 3 through Christmas Eve. No experience is needed! Contact Kris Ward, WMS Chair [email protected] if you have any questions.
October Restaurant Walk
Our popular Restaurant Walk fellowship program returns for another session! Meals will take place at MAGO, 115 W. Campbell St. in downtown Arlington Heights, during October. This is a great way to connect with other members of the congregation and support a local business.
MEALTIMES
- Sunday Oct. 8, 12:30 PM
- Tuesday Oct. 10, 6:00 PM
- Sunday Oct. 15, 12:30 PM
- Tuesday Oct. 17, 6:00 PM
- Sunday Oct. 22, 12:30 PM
- Tuesday Oct. 24, 6:00 PM
RefugeeOne News
On behalf of our team, I would like to share a little of our experience with Angelique and her family and RefugeeOne. We met with Angelique weekly (for the most part). We would usually have a plan for the visit; and just as often the plan changed at the last minute, so flexibility and ingenuity were incredibly important. With the help of a professional translation service through Heartland Alliance, we helped Angelique with essential tasks such as accompanying her on the CTA to the downtown DMV office to obtain a state ID, learn the bus route to her job as a housekeeper at a local hotel, register at a food pantry in her neighborhood, as well as getting her Wi-Fi account and modem set up.
We practiced the alphabet and simple English with Angelique (she’s a quick learner), brought cupcakes to celebrate family birthdays and provided first aid when we came to a visit, only to find that she had severely sprained her ankle. We got to meet her extended family as well.
Thanks to your generosity, we were able to help with Jewel gift cards for food, CTA passes, boots and warm clothes when emergency needs arose. We shared laughs together at our efforts to speak a few words of Kinyarwanda (which I gave up on quickly) and at the often bewildering aspects of life here.
Her children are adjusting well to life in the U.S. They are attending school, learning English and are favorites at RefugeeOne’s after school program. Angelique has said she’s very grateful for all that she’s received from First Pres as well as the opportunities the children have now. They walked over an hour each way to a crowded primary school in Rwanda, days that often stretched from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm.
Our six-month mentoring commitment has ended, but each one of us has special memories of Angelique and her family. We wish them well and look forward to updates from RefugeeOne on their progress.
– Kim Hogan
Children & Youth Coat Drive
Sunday, October 15 – Wednesday, November 15
Coffee: Grounds for Discussion & Service will host a coat drive for kids in grades K – 8 to be donated to a local elementary school district coat closet. Donations will be accepted in a barrel in the Narthex.
Christopher House & Firman Community Services Collection
Sundays, October 1 – 15
Presbyterian Women will be holding their annual collection of financial donations for the purchase of food items for the families served by Firman Community Services and Christopher House, two organizations that help families in need. Cash and checks, payable to Presbyterian Women, will be accepted in the Narthex between services. Donations will also be accepted on the church website. Donations will help these organizations to purchase nutritious items for their clients.
PADS Site to Reopen Tuesday, October 3, 2023
The First Pres PADS overnight shelter will open on Tuesday, October 3. The overnight shelter provides dinner, breakfast, a to-go lunch and a place to sleep for about 30 people experiencing homelessness from October to April. Every Tuesday evening, we open our doors in partnership with other area faith communities and Journeys the Road Home. To keep our shelter running, we need many volunteers. Each evening, we need twelve volunteers to fill our shifts. Training is provided for all volunteers. We also have many opportunities to donate food and other items for our guests.
The PADS leadership team will have an information table in the lobby on Sunday morning, October 1. If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact one of the First Pres PADS site directors – Amy Hempleman, Cathy Mataloni or Michele Holifield or email [email protected]
Please Donate a Bag of Candy for Trunk or Treat
We need your help! Last year’s Trunk or Treat event in the West Parking Lot was such a huge success that we ran out of candy. This year we are asking the congregation to help out by donating a bag of candy. Candy can be dropped off at the church starting on October 1. Also, if you are interested in participating by decorating your car trunk, please contact Rebekah Anderson. Thank you for your help making this event so much fun!
Fill the Jar for Novi Life Kit Backpacks
From October 15 through October 31 you can help First Pres fill a jar with monetary donations to support the Novi Life Kit Backpacks. The jar will be located near the large First Pres backpack reminding us of our journey and call to be Jesus’ hands and feet throughout the world. You can donate in several ways throughout this time.
- Drop monetary donations in the jar found in the lobby on Sunday mornings and in Fellowship Hall on Family Night. (Checks can be made out to First Presbyterian Church Arlington Heights.)
- Attach your donation to the bookmarks found in the Sanctuary pews or seat backs in the Chapel.
- Donate online by selecting Novi backpacks from the giving options.
- A free-will offering will be taken during our Annual Speaker event on Sunday, October 15 at 4:00 pm.
The Novi Life Kits help children in high-stress areas affected by war and conflict. They are game-oriented, non-digital backpacks containing self-regulation toys and a dice-based mechanism to tailor activities to their age.
Peace & Global Witness Offering
On World Communion Sunday, October 1, we will receive the Peace and Global Witness Offering. We celebrate on World Communion Sunday that all creation is connected. Through our participation in the Peace and Global Witness Offering, we extend Christ’s peace throughout our community and the world. Extending the peace of Christ throughout the world is part of our call to an active and engaged faith.
Our congregation retains 25% of the offering to be used in our community. This year ,the Mission Committee will commit our portion to support Chalice House. First Pres is currently a community partner with Chalice House, a ministry working with Interfaith Community for Detained Immigrants to provide housing for families seeking asylum. You can contribute to the Peace and Global Witness Offering online or at church, with envelopes available in the pew racks. Thank you for your generous contributions to spreading peace in our community and world.
May Restaurant Walk
SIGN-UP SUNDAY MORNING OR ONLINE
Our popular Restaurant Walk fellowship program returns for another session! Meals will take place at Peggy Kinnane’s, 8 N. Vail Ave. in downtown Arlington Heights during May. This is a great way to connect with other members of the congregation and support a local business.
MEALTIMES
- Thursday, May 4, 6:00 pm
- Sunday, May 7, 12:00 pm
- Thursday, May 11, 6:00 pm
- Thursday, May 18, 6:00 pm
- Sunday, May 21, 12:00 pm
Calling ALL TALENTS!
Calling ALL TALENTS of Arlington Heights!! First Pres will be hosting our Annual Talent show on Sunday, March 19th, at 4pm and we invite everyone in the community to come share their talents! If you sing, play an instrument, tell a good story, juggle or even tell a good joke we have a spot for you!
There are four categories of performers with prizes for each category:
- K-5th grade
- 6th-12th grade
- Adults (non-retired)
- Adults (retired)
For vocalists or instrumentalists, we are happy to provide keyboard accompaniment.
Contact Adam Hendrickson at [email protected], for more information or to sign-up. Deadline for sign ups is March 15th.
