Hi EPC Friends and Members, 

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

3 Things I'm Looking Forward To

1. Farewell Celebration for Emily - Join us this Sunday as we send Emily off to her next chapter. We'll have a special children's moment and treats after the service. We will miss Emily so much! Let's send her off with our love and prayers. 
2. Maundy Thursday Service -- On Thursday, April 14th, we'll begin our Holy Week Journey with a Service at 7:00 PM in the Sanctuary. The service will include shadows and the anointing of our hands. It will be a special service, meant to anchor us in reflection and contemplation before Easter Morning. 
3. Easter Service -- Easter is April 17 -- What a joy it will be to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus in our Sanctuary for the first time in two years! We'll celebrate with song, and flowers and a special intergenerational moment for children. During the children's time we'll be opening up 12 eggs to represent 12 different symbols of Christ's life, death, and resurrection. I'm looking for twelve volunteers of all ages to help with this. If you have a child or youth who would like to be a part of opening one of the eggs, please let me know! It will be a special moment to remember.  

2 Interesting Links

1. I love the book "A Church for All." What does it mean to be a church for all? If you're looking for something to stick in a child's Easter basket, this is the one! Maybe we could hand out copies at our PRIDE fest this year? 
2. Does anyone want to help me create an installation like THIS and hang it in our sanctuary on Pentecost? 

1 Thought

I've been thinking about this quote all week, particularly given the source.
"We make our world significant by the courage of our questions and the depth of our answers." -- Carl Sagan.

What are your questions? What are the answers?

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

It's not the same without you there, 

Pastor Traci

There will be a congregational meeting after worship on Sunday, March 27th. The purpose of this meeting is to elect new members. Please plan on staying to participate. 

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.

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. 

This year, due to supply chain issues an assortment of Easter lilies, tulips, hyacinths, and daffodils will be made available for purchase on Easter Sunday. If you would like to purchase one, please write your name on an envelope marked “Cristi/Paula” (available on the lectern at the sanctuary entrance), and enclose your payment. We ask that you take your flower home on Easter. The ones that remain will be donated to EPC friends by the deacons or for the garden.

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: 

March 26 & April 2 -- Garden Work Day
April 17 -- Easter Sunday + Children's Event
April 24 -- All Church Future Visioning 9am - 3pm 
May 7-8 -- Art in the Park 
June 5 - Pentecost Sunday
June 25 -- PRIDE!

Stay tuned! Pastor Traci is starting a live video podcast called EPC Live!  It will feature guests from our own congregation and community talking about various topics including outreach, service, big dreams and the Holy Spirit. It'll stream live to our YouTube and Facebook pages. Stay tuned for our first episode. 

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 helping 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

Pastor Traci will be on vacation from March 23 - April 6. In the event of a pastoral emergency, please contact the Rev. Jess Scholten from March 23 - April 2 at River Glen Presbyterian Church: (630) 357-5104.From April 2-6 please contact Rev. Lauren Cochran at Elmhurst Yorkfield Presbyterian Church at (630) 833-6600. There will be no Pastor’s Bible Study on March 23 or March 30. Bible Study will return on April 13th.

Join us for Sunday School downstairs this Sunday! We'll be talking about the beatitudes and what it means to be salt and light, downstairs! There's a coloring sheet below as well.

Click here for a Coloring Sheet!

10:30 Sunday Worship Livestream - Click Here!

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