Hi EPC Friends and Members, 

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

3 EPC Happenings

1. Pride -- THIS SATURDAY! Please plan to come to the EPC Family Pride Festival this Sunday from 12-3pm. Come and eat tacos, jump in a bouncy house, visit any one of the 30+ vendor booths from around Elmhurst, and just celebrate the beautiful diversity of God's creation. Pride is about celebrating the uniqueness in every human person. For LGBTQIA+ friends who have been the recipients of hate and exclusion, having the opportunity to be celebrated by a Christian community is deeply moving and healing. Our Elmhurst Presbyterian Church booth will feature a rainbow walk, information about membership, baptism, leadership and marriage, an invitation to a special worship service for name recognition and celebration, and an opportunity to light candles and receive a blessing. We also have tattoos and stickers. If you have even 30 minutes to hang out in our EPC booth, it will be a huge gift. I'm planning to be at our booth as much as possible, while still floating around. Thank you to everyone who has contributed time and energy to making this year's event a success, and to Jim Davidovich for chairing this year's Pride Committee. 

2. Sunday's Message -- This Sunday I'll share some of my thoughts on the Bible and LGBTQIA+ inclusion. It could be a sermon series over many weeks, so there will be a lot to cover. The focus text will be Acts 8:26-40 and the sermon title is "What is to Prevent Me From Being Baptized?" 

3. Our Amazing Vegetable Garden -- I was walking around the grounds today and noticing how beautiful and bountiful our children's vegetable garden is. This is due, in large part, to the faithfulness of our small but very mighty garden team. Have you ever thought about contributing to this effort? If so, please sign up on the sign up board in the Nelson White Room for more information or respond to this email. 

2 Interesting Links

1. If you're looking to think about the intersection between faith and LGBTQIA+ inclusion and to, perhaps, consider a new perspective, I'd recommend the following books: Outside the Lines by Mihee Kim-Kort, Transforming: The Bible and the Lives of Transgender Christians by Austen Hartke and God and the Gay Christian, by Matthew Vines. 

2. It's a couple years old now, but I highly recommend Ezra Klein's book Why We're Polarized as an important look into the sharp divisions in our country and some food for thought on building bridges. 

1 Thought 

 When you have more than you need, build a longer table not a higher fence.
- Source Unknown 

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

It's not the same without you there,

Elmhurst Family PRIDE Fest is THIS SATURDAY!! 
 Saturday, June 25 from 12-3. 

Please plan to come to the EPC Family Pride Festival this Sunday from 12-3pm. Come and eat tacos, jump in a bouncy house, visit any one of the 30+ vendor booths from around Elmhurst, and just celebrate the beautiful diversity of God's creation. Stop by the EPC Booth.

The garden team is looking for more help, especially with watering new plantings! The garden team typically meets ​​on Tuesday and Friday mornings, but that is subject to change depending on the weather.  We also need help tending the vegetable garden through the summer. Duties include watering, weeding, harvesting, packaging, weighing, and delivering. Interested? Contact Ruth Schroeter.

The Elmhurst Walk-In Assistance Network is looking for sponsorships for their 'Cue for a Cause event on September 4, 2022. Please see THIS link to sign up and consider becoming a sponsor and THIS link for more information.

Get ready! Bible Study returns this Wednesday from 12-1:00PM on Zoom! Join Pastor Traci Wednesday as we ask questions like, "What does the text say?," "What does the text mean?," and "How does it call us to live?." All are welcome to join in using the church Zoom link: bit.ly/EPCZoom

Did you know our presbytery, the Presbytery of Chicago, has an email list that you can subscribe to? Presbytery Connect shares upcoming events, timely news, and resources for your community. Be sure to sign up so you know what's happening! Click here.

Be sure you check out the Earth Care display in the Nelson-White Room to learn more about what we can do to help our earth and all of creation! It's a great way to get some resources to something practical in conjunction with our sermon series on creation! 

Please visit our website and update your directory listing! You can visit the directory by following the instructions above or use

. 

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

. 

Summer Wednesdays at EPC! Join us on Wednesdays July 20, and August 10 from 5:30-7:30 PM for a fun-filled gathering of faith, food, and fellowship. There will be dinner, a time of worship, and other surprises. Check out the sign up sheet to volunteer to help out OR to let us know you are attending! 

Our mission team, chaired by Anna Lu, has been hard at work! Be sure you check out what they have been up to and how to support them at their new display board in the Nelson-White Room.

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.

10:30 Sunday Worship Livestream - Click Here!

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