Weds @ Noon

Christopher Urban, organ
Music that follows the story of Holy Week, from the triumphal entry of Jesus in Jerusalem to the Last Supper to the glory of the resurrection on Easter.

Children’s Ministries is sponsoring an all-ages Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 8, at 10:00 am to 11:00 am in the church Parlor, Narthex and Library. You just might find the golden egg! We will separate the children by age group before the hunting begins and each group will have their own area to search. Knowing this event is the Saturday before Easter and many will have plans, we will keep it simple with donuts, juice and coffee – no full breakfast this time and no need to bring anything to share. Join us for fun and fellowship! Registration closes before spring break. Contact Nick Pulikowski at [email protected] with any questions or register directly through the Children’s Ministries Weekly Newsletter.

6:30 am Sunrise Worship
Outdoor Gathering | North School Park. If inclement weather, service will move to Chapel

8:00 am Modern Worship
Compass Band | Chapel

9:30 & 11:00 am Traditional Worship
Chancel Choir and First Pres Brass | Sanctuary

HELP US FLOWER THE CROSS

On Easter Sunday, please bring cut flowers to help flower the Easter cross in front of the Sanctuary doors on Dunton Ave. Flowers are a symbol and a reminder of the power of resurrection and rebirth.

Join us for an Easter Breakfast in the Parlor after our 6:30 am Sunrise Service or before our 8:00 am Modern Worship Service.

On Sunday, April 16, we will have one service at 10:30 am where our children will present the musical
A Technicolor Promise with music by Allen Pote and words by Carole McCann. This catchy, fun musical retells the familiar story of Noah and the ark through music and drama. The show also reminds us of God’s overwhelming love, grace and the wonder of creation through the magic of rainbow imagery and song. A presentation you don’t want to miss.

On Saturday, April 22, the Board of Trustees and the Facilities Team are sponsoring an all-church clean-up day.
Meet in Fellowship Hall to get your assignment and help keep our facility beautiful. There will be jobs for all
ages from closet clean-outs, cleaning kitchens, cleaning stair railings, trips to Goodwill and much more. We will serve a pizza lunch at 11:30 am to celebrate all of our hard work. For questions, please contact Michele Holifield at 847-243- 7195 or [email protected].

Join the Chancel Choir, Men’s Chorus and orchestra for a light and colorful celebration of music. Music from The Sound of Music, Rent, West Side Story, Candide, and other classic, American musicals will be offered as featured works. It will be a fun afternoon of music you won’t want to miss!

First Pres will be hosting our annual

All-Church Retreat at Friendship
Park Conservatory on April 29 from 11:00 am–3:00 pm. The theme of the retreat is Exploration and Authenticity— Time to Rekindle the Gift. Our retreat speaker is pastor and poet, Arianne Lehn.

This is an important opportunity for the members of our community to reflect on the special gifts God has bestowed upon us and how we can bring those gifts to fruition in the world.

Arianne says: “In your heart are planted unique passions, desires, and wisdom only you can be and bring to the world. But this treasure is easily buried. The light quietly dimmed. As we live our lives, we accumulate layer upon layer of expectations and responsibilities. In seeking to care for those we love, provide and achieve (all important in their own way!) we keep our eyes and ears outward, focused on who we’re told to be. When we do, we miss the voice with both the greatest vulnerability as well as the highest authority— The voice of God within you.”

Each of us wants to reach our life’s end believing we were our true selves living out the purpose God gave us. And yet, when we are not in the daily practice of listening for the voice within us, we will spend most of our time not doing the things which actually matter the most to us.

In this retreat, we will accompany one another on one of the most important exploratory journeys we can make—the pilgrimage into our deepest hearts, which is, in turn, God’s

heart. We will reflect on what our inner voice is and how
we connect with this deep wisdom. We will do some digging (however far we need to go!) to listen for what’s at the bottom of our hearts. And we will take the next step in returning to and rekindling the gifts God has placed within us.

The morning session will primarily be in lecture format. Arianne will share some ways we can hear and connect
with who God has made us to be. Over lunch, Arianne will provide a handful of questions for people to consider and chew on individually or together as they digest the morning’s reflection.

The afternoon session will be more experiential. We will have space for both individual and small group time in which we engage tangible forms of connection with our inner voice and wisdom (e.g. writing, art, silent meditation). Arianne will offer participants about twenty minutes to delve into one of these practices on their own, then bring them into small groups to share about this experience before coming together as a whole for the remainder of the session.

Arianne’s prayer and hope with this retreat is to provide space and empowerment for people to connect with the heart of who they are, find tangible ways to live by that compass, and by doing so, to use Paul’s words to Timothy, to “rekindle the gift of God that is in you” (2 Tim. 1:6).

The cost for the retreat is $20 for adults and $10 for those 18 and under. Lunch is included. During March, members of the CLE Committee will be out in the lobby in-between services taking registrations. There will also be a link to the signup in Weekly Highlights. We are limited to 100 people, so make sure to register soon as it’s going to be a wonderful event!