Hi EPC Friends and Members, 

Here's my "3-2-1" for this week...

3 EPC Happenings

1.  This Sunday's visioning event. Dr. Eric Sanders will be guiding us through a visioning exercise where we dream and think about the future of EPC and what the Spirit is doing in our midst. The event starts at 9:00 am and will conclude by 2:00 pm! Lunch and snacks will be provided! 

2.  NEXT Sunday, May 1 after worship, Community Kids is doing a service project! We'll be loading up the mattresses from the PADS area to donate them to a ministry in need! Please invite all of the young people you know to help with this event, starting at 11:30 am. We'll meet in the Nelson White room and head downstairs to load them up! (Pssst... you can help if you're a grownup, too, or you can show your support to the children and youth in our midst by working right alongside them.) 

3. All Creatures of Our God and King! On May 1 We'll be starting a sermon series focused around God's Creation and Creatures. Spring is a great time to reflect on new life, new growth, and the environment. We'll think and dream about how EPC can be a place where we protect and nurture the environment. 

2 Interesting Links

1. THIS is a lovely article about friendship. Love, love, love it. 

2. The GOLDEN RULE spans across the world's thirteen sacred texts. 

1 Thought

I've been enjoying reading from the stoic philosophers this year. There is so much wisdom in their writings. Consider this from Epictetus: 

"What is bad luck? Opinion. What are conflict, dispute, blame, accusation, irreverence, and frivolity? They are all opinions, and more than that, they are opinions that lie outside of our own reasoned choice, presented as if they are good or evil. Let a person shift their opinions only to what belongs in the field of their own choice, and I guarantee that person will have peace of mind, whatever is happening around them." -Discourses 3.3 18b-19

There you have it! Our 3-2-1 for the week. See you Sunday! 

It's not the same without you there, 

Join us THIS SUNDAY, April 24 for a day of discussion and excitement around the future mission, vision, and direction of EPC! This event will be facilitated by Dr. Eric Sanders, professor of Organizational Development at Elmhurst University and his colleagues. Lunch will be provided, and there will be an abbreviated worship service at 10:30 AM. Come one, come all! PLEASE NOTE: THIS EVENT IS SUNDAY!

We are honored to welcome the Rev. Marty C. Gool to our pulpit this Sunday! Rev. Gool serves as the Senior Pastor of New Deliverance Church in Chicago Illinois. He was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan and graduated from Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, with a Liberal Arts degree. He holds a Master of Divinity (M.Div) from Eden Theological Seminary with special emphasis in Old Testament studies. Pastor Gool was ordained in 1975 in the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church. He was installed as pastor of Chatham Bethlehem Presbyterian Church March of 1980. Pastor Gool pastored Chatham Bethlehem from 1980 until Chatham Bethlehem merged with New Deliverance in May of 2015. 

Rev. Gool is passionate about community service and making a difference in the lives of people by lifting up those who are unable to lift themselves. Through his life, he has desired to give voice to those who had none and purpose to those who were lost. 

Rev. Gool is the husband of Lynnise Gool, a retired schoolteacher of the Chicago Board of Education. They are the proud parents of four children who have embarked upon successful careers for which they are truly thankful.

In Memory of Helen Cline
April 20, 1924 - April 21, 2022
Memorial Service information will be forthcoming. 
"If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord." Romans 14:8 

Our friends from New Deliverance Church will be joining us this Sunday for worship and the Visioning Event. We will be sending diapers along with them from our collection for their diaper ministry. If you happen to be out and about this weekend, grab a pack for our friends. We can always use more! 

Join us for our new sermon series, All Creatures of Our God and King, beginning May 1! This sermon series will be focusing on God's beautiful creation and the creatures we find within it. Spring is a great time to reflect on new life, new growth, and the environment. We'll think and dream about how EPC can be a place where we protect and nurture the environment. Join us next Sunday as we begin by hearing about Birds. 

Elmhurst University’s Late Night Blues Vocal Jazz Ensemble, under the direction of Gayle Bisesi, is teaming up with Chicago artists Jess Brooks, Lewis Achenbach, and Kristin Wenc live in concert at Elmhurst Hall, 119 N. York Road on Thursday, April 28th from 7:30-9:30 pm to raise money for the people of Ukraine.  Come enjoy an evening of Live Jazz, Live Painting, and a Live Auction! For more information, contact Gayle Bisesi.

The Worship Team is looking for folks to serve as Liturgists or Ushers on Sunday Mornings. Ushers are responsible for welcoming worshippers, handing out bulletins, lighting and extinguishing candles, and setting out offering plates and returning them to work room. Liturgists participate in worship by leading the congregation in the call to worship, the passing of the peace, and the prayer of dedication. There is a sign up sheet in the lobby or contact the church office.

Check out our latest episode of EPC Live featuring Pastor Traci and our Pastoral Assistant, Kaleigh!  If you've not met Kaleigh before, here's your chance! Kaleigh and Pastor Traci talk about the work Kaleigh does at EPC and what it's like to have a virtual assistant in a church.

EPC Live! features guests from our own congregation and community talking about various topics including outreach, service, big dreams, and the Holy Spirit. It streams live to our YouTube and Facebook pages so be sure you are subscribed and follow us!

Masks are now optional in church, as of March 20. While we no longer require masks to enter, please be kind to those who choose to wear a mask. We will continue to offer the Peace of Christ using Covid friendly gestures. If local regulations change, we will update our masking policy.

Afghan Support Fund Update! A gift was made to Church World Service Afghan Assistance and Placement Program. The family has moved from an AirBNB to an apartment. Due to that change, our fund cannot help them with rent. We look forward to being able to help them with the airfare for 11 family members once their paperwork is processed. Please consider making a contribution by giving online, text to give, or placing a donation in the offering plate noting “Afghan Family Support.”

Make a Donation to Afghan Family Support

There is a lot going on in the life of the church in the next few months. Please make sure you mark your calendars for all of our upcoming events: 

SUNDAY April 24 -- All Church Future Visioning 9am - 3pm 
May 1 -- Community Kids Event!
May 7-8 -- Art in the Park 
June 5 -- Pentecost Sunday
June 25 -- PRIDE! 

There will be Sunday School downstairs this Sunday! All kids are welcome to join us for a time of learning and fellowship. Tuning in online? A Zoom Link will be sent out Sunday Morning. There's a coloring sheet below for the young and young-at-heart. 

Click Here for a Coloring Sheet!

Join us for our next Community Kids Event on Sunday, May 1, from 11:30 - 12:30. We'll be loading up mattresses that are no longer needed by DuPage PADS and will be donated to Grace and Peace church in Chicago. Please invite your friends and neighbors to help with this fun and easy service project. Community Kids helps kids connect with the value of serving and helping others.

10:30 Sunday Worship Livestream - Click Here!

Give to Elmhurst Presbyterian Church