Lynnette:

My fondest and most precious memory that took place in this [Cicero] church building was the day I sat in wonder and amazement as I listened to my daughter's solo, "Shout to the Lord," sung a Capella as part of a worship service. As Amber's voice rang out and filled the room, I was filled with awe and gratitude to the Lord for the work He had done in her heart and life, and mine. Praise the Lord!

Joyce:

Some of my favorite memories are of the annual church cleanings. We had fun together. It was great to watch Larry throw things out and Pat bring them back in! Also, I'll remember the Sunday Bethany and Mark were dedicated, and I'll remember Tracie's wedding, too.

Charmaine:

My favorite memories are of people, lots of people who are no longer with us: Mark and Polly, Bill, my parents and grandparents, Marie and Ann, Walter, John and Josephine and John II, Betty, Helen, and some who don't attend anymore like the kids from the neighborhood, and Terry.

Olive:

I have fond memories of the children singing at Christmas when Betty was in charge. All of the young people's programs had a lasting good impression and foundation for our children. They have all become active Christians - even though their paths have not been with this church. Also, I always appreciate the warm greeting extended to John whenever he comes to a church service or activity.

Jeanne:

My fondest memories are of the people of this church and not the building. That fond memory is of the love extended to each other especially in times of trouble.

Thelma:

One of my fond memories was meeting with the Ladies Fellowship group, although we had brothers there, too. We usually had Br. Siekman, Br. Woodley, and sometimes Br. Hollister as leaders, and if not, one of our elder sisters would lead us. Other brothers joined us as they retired. I remember us having quite a discussion as to what kind of dishes and drapery to buy for the basement. Finally decided to match them. We had dinners and lots of fun in the kitchen preparing them. Our church has been blessed with lots of good cooks: Sr. Stell being one of them. Most of our church members would come to the dinners. We had a Chinese dinner once and the ladies in our group dressed in our oriental costumes. We also had a fashion show at one of the dinners: "A Minnie Pearl Fashion Show." Each of us fixed our dresses with a little help and imagination from others. I also remember those that wanted to stay after Bible Study and sew cancer pads, lap throws and slippers as a way of helping others. A nice chatty time.

Andrew:

Since I was part of the group that purchased this [Cicero] church and the fact that God has abundantly blessed the congregation, I leave this place with sadness. On the other hand, I am convinced that God has directed us and is blessing our move to the new church. My prayer is that the Lord will continue to bless the ministry at our new location.

Mary:

My fondest memory was our wedding on May 1, 1965. Br. Bill performed the ceremony and was truly an encourager to both Rich and me. I would also like to mention that I have very fond memories of our Youth for Truth Conferences that were held on Easter weekend with many out of town youth and brethren attending.

Tracie:

I have very fond memories of going to Sunday School. My class of Maria, Jimmy John, David, Gail, Steven, Beth, and me was where I learned about true friendship. I will also remember packing the pews with about 200 people for our wedding in July of 1993. When David and I were Youth for Truth directors, we had a lock-in at the church one Friday night. At about 2 AM, the power went out, and it got COLD! It was a great evening of bonding with the teenagers.

Perspective

How well do you know God? How intimate is your relationship with Him? Most of us know much about God. We are good Bible students. But there is a real danger in being more concerned with Biblical and doctrinal knowledge than with knowledge of God. Knowing about religion and about the Bible and even about God is different than knowing God. Many of us know God by what we have read about Him and by what we have been told about Him, but it is still intellectual knowledge. If our knowledge lacks spiritual experience, then we probably lack any spiritual intimacy with God.

Ezekiel 33:31-32 (NIV) says, "My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to listen to your words, but they do not put them into practice. With their mouths they express devotion, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain. Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put them into practice." Too often sermons and praise songs and Bible lessons fail to challenge us to think and act counterculturally. The dumbing down of our culture, especially through television and the print media, has too often unfortunately infiltrated our churches. A church service is not a form of entertainment. Being a member of the body of Christ is not a spectator sport.

Reinhold Niebuhr said that the function of a sermon was "to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable." That maxim could apply to all the services that take place in and through our church. Too often, however, the comfortable just want to continue to feel that way. And it is very tempting and easy to cater to that desire. Amusing anecdotes do not necessarily function as parables. Invoking popular culture can seem to be an endorsement rather than a challenge of it. Don't misunderstand. I am not against being relevant, or humorous, or interesting. But being relevant and humorous and interesting should direct our attention to God's word. Too often it merely entertains and digresses us from the spiritual intimacy that we need as followers of Christ.

Ezekiel preached and the people listened and nodded agreement and even liked listening to him. But they failed to put his words into practice. They thought they knew God, but they only knew about Him. Too many other things were really more important in their lives.

Jesus Christ is the only way to come to a knowledge of God. He is the way, the truth, and the life. Millions of us claim to be Christians, to be followers of Christ. But we never learn to have the intimacy with God that Christ sought and prayed for us to have. Check out Jesus' prayer for you and me in John 17.

We walk around with WWJD buttons and wristbands. It's not a bad concept, but do we really know what Jesus would do? We often claim to know Jesus well enough to ask ourselves what he would do in order to arrive at an immediate solution to any moral dilemma or spiritual disagreement. Yet Jesus' closest disciples were often baffled by his reactions and behaviors. They were regularly taken by surprise. What he did was often puzzling, unconventional, unpredictable and counterintuitive. His teachings are full of paradoxes and often disturbing. People met him and he changed their lives. They went home either rejoicing or sorrowing, and often were plunged into self-examination.

We can only know God through Jesus Christ. And we can only really know Jesus through faith and the power of God's spirit working in and through us. For that there is a price to pay. We talk about wanting to have spiritual intimacy with God, wanting to be real Christians, wanting to be faithful followers of Christ. We even pray about it. But do we have the daily personal intimacy with God that the scriptures talk about and promise? Are we willing to be stretched and challenged to that degree? Is God the most important thing in our lives? Does being part of the body of Christ have true priority? How do these compare in importance with our spouses, our children, our relationships, our homes, our jobs, our goals, our aspirations? Into what pursuits do our daily energies go?

We are the ones who determine the degree of intimacy we have with God. We can be as close to Him as we choose to be. We can have true spiritual intimacy if we want it. The only question is the same as it has always been: are we willing to pay the price for it?

Viewpoints

Gehazi was the servant of Elisha the prophet, and his story is found in II Kings 4 & 5. This story has always touched me down deep, because I know that there, but for the grace of God, go I. Gehazi's sin resulted in leprosy for him and also for his children. That is an extremely high price to pay, but the price is high for the sin of wisenheimerism. Now, I know that the term wisenheimer is generally used in jest. Americans usually just brush off wisenheimerism as inconsequential, and sometimes it is; but not in this story.

Naaman was the commander of the Syrian army; a powerful and wealthy man with one big problem: leprosy. Now it came to be that the wife of Naaman had a maid that was taken from Israel. She told her mistress of a prophet who could cure leprosy.

It was worth a shot. When you have leprosy, you'll try just about anything to be rid of it. So the Syrian king wrote a letter to the Israelite king, which Naaman took to him, along with plenty of money and an entourage. When the king read the letter, he freaked! He figured this must be some kind of pretext to a quarrel and war, because who could cure leprosy?

Elisha heard of his predicament and sent word to send Naaman to him. So, Naaman and his entourage of men, horses, chariots and wagons descended upon Elisha's home, where Naaman expected a face-to-face meeting with Elisha. He didn't get it. Instead, Elisha sent a servant out, probably Gehazi, who told him to wash seven times in the Jordan River and his leprosy would be cured. That was it.

Naaman went away furious at what he perceived was shabby treatment from Elisha. But, after calming down, he proceeded to the dirty Jordan and dipped himself seven times. It was, without a doubt, a miracle: Naaman was cured! He was extremely happy, and wanted to pay tribute. He returned to the house of Elisha with the intention of giving him a lot of money. Elisha said no, and told Naaman to depart in peace. Gehazi saw Naaman offer his master lots of money. He saw Elisha refuse. He was sure he knew better, and set out to remedy the situation. On his own initiative, Gehazi went after Naaman and lied to him, asking for some tribute. He returned to the house of Elisha with a lot of money, which he hid.

Now, there are at least two schools of thought as to his motive. One is that he was greedy, and meant to keep the money for himself. The other is that he had good intentions. He thought Elisha had made a mistake in refusing the money, and this was his way of rectifying the mistake. He was setting the money aside for a rainy day in case his master needed it.

Personally, I lean towards the second thought, which is why I categorize his sin as wisenheimerism. He thought he knew better than his master, and he was gonna fix it. I shudder to think of how many times I've observed a situation, thought I knew better, and sought to fix it without thinking it through. This was the sin of Gehazi, for which he and his descendants received leprosy.

Naaman sought to fix his leprosy. He followed what he thought were ridiculous instructions, and was cured. Gehazi sought to fix a mistake. He circumvented what he thought were ridiculous instructions, and was given Naaman's leprosy. As Jesus told the people of Nazareth, "There were many lepers in the time of Elisha, but only one was cleansed, Naaman the Syrian." Naaman followed instructions and was blessed. Gehazi, the wisenheimer, defied instructions and was cursed.

To observe a situation and think you know a better way is not a sin. But the next steps you take are critical as to whether you will be blessed or cursed. Consider those steps carefully. Learn from the lesson of Gehazi and Naaman.

Roy's Reflections

On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side." Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?" Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace, be still!" And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, "Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?" (Mark 4: 35-40)

In 1941, this nation was in denial of its responsibilities to its neighbors by ignoring the Blitzkrieg of Hitler's invading armies. With the memories of World War I (the war to end all wars), this nation was determined to not get involved and to remain isolated from its European friends, but we were rudely awakened by the event of Pearl Harbor. That unspeakable event brought this nation into a war with the evil forces in both Europe and Asia. This "Sleeping Giant" (a quote by a Japanese Admiral) was awakened. "God didn't you care?"

Now once again the forces of evil have struck out against America and its citizens and we are crying out, "God, don't you care?" It's an honest cry. I have cried it out to God many times in desperation and it has been screamed out by countless others throughout the ages. A mother weeps over a stillborn child; a father is torn emotionally when he can't provide for his family because of a job loss, or the tears of a young child falling on the casket of a departed parent. "God don't you care?"

Across this country, the winds of war howl and the seas rage, the impatient and frightened scream with terror as once more a sleeping nation needed to be aroused from its slumber to take stock of what is truly important. Suddenly, in a nation that prohibited prayer, that nation is now desperately asking for prayers. Churches have been noticing an increase in attendance. Divorce litigations have been postponed or cancelled as people have second thoughts. This country has become more united than it has been in over fifty years, and we are still crying out, "God don't you care?"

The losses, as yet unknown, could have been in the tens-of-thousands in those two buildings; trains filled with passengers were suddenly prevented from entering ground zero, possibly saving another six thousand plus lives. That section of the Pentagon was not at full occupancy at the time of impact due to construction, saving many more lives. The aircraft flying into the buildings could have been filled with a thousand people but had only twenty percent of its capacity. I am not making light of the six thousand who perished, but ask yourself this question: If we put into perspective the vast number of additional lives that could have been lost, why do we still have so many people crying out "God don't you care?"

When Jesus awoke, he never put His hand on the tiller of the boat; what He did was rebuke the wind and command the sea "Peace, Be Still". The Lord doesn't change the course we have chosen, but he will protect us from the surrounding dangers according to the will of God. We do not need to fall down in desperation and fear, crying out "God don't you care?" God expects His sons and daughters to be confident in Him and His Son so that in any crisis we, above all the rest, are the ones who will meet His expectations. God expects us to do the one thing that glorifies Him the most, and that is to remain steadfastly confident in Him and Jesus, regardless of the circumstances or situation. May each of us call to mind the words of that inspirational hymn "God Will Take Care of You" !

A Daughter's Heart

It seems as if the airwaves and the print media have selectively commented on the U.S. Census Bureau report that was released on May 15, reflecting population trends and living patterns during the ten-year period ending in the year 2000. This report is disturbing, to say the least. It appears that Christianity is, how shall I say, "losing the war" on preserving the God-ordained family as we know it.

Here are a few statistics that further define what I'm writing about:

1. Up 72%-Households headed by unmarried partners, most of them involving people living together out of wedlock
2. Up 25%-Households headed by single mothers
3. Up almost 62%-Households headed by single fathers
4. Below 25%-Households with nuclear families. "Nuclear family" means basic social unit consisting of parents and their children living in one household. (This is the lowest it has ever been in.)
5. 33%-Of all babies born to unmarried women (3.8% in 1940)

Dr. James Dobson has these comments about the report:

"In essence, the old taboos against divorce and cohabitation are disappearing, and the culture is abandoning its commitment to lifelong marriage. Indeed, I doubt if most young adults have any significant understanding of why previous generations defended the family so vigorously or why they were disdainful of those that blatantly "shacked up." It was because they violated Biblical moral principles that were deeply ingrained within the culture. That belief system has almost disappeared. Now, the divorce rate is actually higher by a small margin among born-again Christians than for those who profess to have no faith at all. These social changes represent a growing decadence with far-reaching implications for the future."

I was floored to read the full census report, Dr. Dobson's full commentary, as well as those published in newspapers and magazines, such as Newsweek.

My questions are these &endash; who suffers most as a result of America's changing values? And, who can do something to reverse the disintegration of the nuclear family?

My answer to the first question is simple &endash;CHILDREN suffer most. The United States is the world's leader in the percentage of single parents among industrialized nations; what kind of national chaos will exist if this trend is perpetuated? (It is predicted to do so.) It causes me to think of a world where children have multiple "caregivers" (and I use the word loosely), loads of half-siblings and very portable lives. Is this the kind of instability we as Christians want for our nation's children? I think not.

As Christians, we are to be "Christ-like" in all that we do (Philippians 1:27, 2:14-16). We are to live lives that bear fruit (Matthew 7:18-20, John 15:5 and Galatians 5:22-23), and bear witness to Christ himself (2 Corinthians 2:15 and 3:3). Is it enough to be Christ-like in our own congregations?

Jesus Christ was the a-typical leader, yet the perfect model for one. As a servant-leader, living in perfect harmony with His Father's will, he broke through all kinds of barriers &endash; he spoke to women in public (e.g. John 8:3-11), touched lepers (e.g. Mark 1:40-43), dared to challenge the learned (e.g. John 10:22-38), and more. What would Jesus say about this report? What would Jesus say we're to do about the coming generations of children who are not exposed to the Biblical moral principles we attest to today? I think Jesus would say to His Church &endash; "There is much to do."

I think our work with the Romanian orphanages is one way we can influence today's children with Christianity. I think the work we've done in the not-so-distant past with the Cicero neighborhood children is another way we can teach & witness Christianity to children. I think there's more to do, as I'm sure you do too.

"Follow God's example in everything you do just as a much loved child imitates his father. Be full of love for others, following the example of Christ who loved you and gave Himself to God as a sacrifice to take away your sins." (Ephesians 5:1-2a)

SOURCES:
1. Family New from Dr. James Dobson, July 2001.
2. www.census.gov
3. Barbara Kantrowitz & Pat Wingert, "Unmarried, with Children," Newsweek, 28 May 2001, p. 46.
4. "Nuclear Family Fading," The Gazette, 15 May 2001, p. A1.
5. Eric Schmitt, "For First Time, Nuclear Families Drop Below 25 Percent of Households," The New York Times, 15 May 2001, p. A1.
6. "Christians Are More Likely to Experience Divorce than Non-Christians," Barna Research Online, 21 December 1999.
7. "Breakdown on Family Breakdown," The Washington Times, 25 March 2001, p. B2.

Lombard Church Building Dedication, November 11, 2001

9:00 AM Worship

9:30 AM - 11:30 AM Sermon and Dedication by Elder Dennis Thorfeldt

Open House

5:30 PM Dinner

6:15 PM-7:00 PM Musical Concert

For accomodations, call Jeanne