Fa i t hFa i t hFa i t h ofofof

D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 1 - J a n u a r y 2 0 1 2

Experience God’s Word Express God’s Love Equip God’s People

P e o p lP e o p lP e o p l eee

T h e N e w s l e t t e r o f F a i t h C h r i s t i a n R e f o r m e d C h u r c h

A DVEN T Thoughts on Advent… It is here again… The days are shorter, the air is colder, soon snow will be a regular item on the weather forecast. Advent season is upon us. Our first reaction to early signs of Christmas may be very negative as we see shopping malls and department stores trying to get an earlier and earlier jump on luring us to buy more of what we don‟t really need. Commercialism, materialism and superficiality threaten to take over this sacred Christian season of reflection and celebration. Don‟t let it happen to you. Start now. Be intentional. Do everything you can to minimize the gift buying, card writing, commercial chaos that attaches itself to the birth of Christ like parasites to an unsuspecting host. For if we can accomplish the necessary holiday tasks without draining our physical, emotional, financial and spiritual reserves we might just find ourselves in a place to enjoy Advent with all its soul satisfying, awe-and- wonder invoking mystery--the way we once did as a giddy 5 year old wak-ing up to find Santa has come. At the heart of Advent is a reality so much greater than any man in a red suit could ever deliver. God in his infinite love and infinite wisdom jumps in to his creation. Temporarily stripping himself of much of his divinity, Jesus “became nothing taking the very nature of a servant.” Entering the world in the weakness and fragility of a newborn baby, he goes on to “disarm the powers and authorities” set up against God and our ability to know and enjoy God. In the poverty and weakness of human flesh, Jesus shows us God‟s incredible grace and truth. Showing us a different way: a way of love, a way of mercy mixed with a way of suffering and sacrifice that triumphs over all the pettiness, shallowness, and selfishness that enslaves the human race. Love for rage, humility for ego, compassion for apathy, passion for boredom, community for loneliness, beauty for ashes… all of these and more are the gifts that are ready for us to open every day all because… „Unto us is born this day, in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord‟. As we head into Advent, don‟t let the madness and materialism the season brings with it cause you to miss this incredible occasion to reflect on and enjoy the gift of Jesus. Find ways to make this sole reason for the season meaningful and memorable to you, your family, your neighbors, and your co-workers. Merry Christmas. --Pastor Mike Laird

Advent Readings Nov. 27--Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

Advent Devotional Helps --The Journey, A Season of Reflections: Walking the Road to Bethlehem, by Adam Hamilton --Advent Conspiracy: Can Christmas Still Change the World? by Rick McKinley --Watch for the Light: Readings for Advent and Christmas, various authors (Books available from Amazon..com)

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests. Luke 2:10, 11, 14

I b

ring y

ou g

ood n

ew

s of g

reat jo

y: to

day in

the to

wn o

f David

a S

avio

r has b

een b

orn

to y

ou; h

e is C

hrist th

e L

ord

.

Dec. 4--John 1:4-5 In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

Dec. 11--Isaiah 40:3, 5 A voice of one calling: “In the desert prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. . . . And the glory of the Lord will be re-vealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

Dec. 18--Luke 2:10, 17-18 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. . . . When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.

Dec. 25--John1: 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. --Philippians2:5-7 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.

Thanks to Niki Tazelaar for “The Heavenly Choir”

Inside: Getty Concert, p2; Missionaries,

Life Issues, Evangelism Committee, p3; Deacon’s Corner, p3; Member News, Service Project, p. 4

Having the Gettys play at our

church was quite special. I en-

joyed hearing their original music.

The carols were my favorite.

--Linda Loerop

I attended the Getty Music event with my

family--was pleased to see many people I knew

and many I did not. . . . Wonderful musicians:

Patrick’s use of the variety of [wind] instruments

was quite amazing (I don’t think I’ve ever seen

or heard someone play “Irish” bagpipes); Bonnie

found Deborah’s violin playing of particular

interest. I have always appreciated Keith and

Kristyn Getty’s music, but I most appreciate the

lyrics . . . often taken directly from scripture; the

songs lined up very well with our reformed

tradition. Singing some of these in Faith’s

Sunday worship services made them familiar to

me and many others there. Keith and Kristyn

Getty connected very well with the audience; in

particular, Keith Getty knew his audience--[they

may have been] briefed in advance [about the]

Dutch and reformed background. From a techni-

cal standpoint, it seemed that adjustments to the

sound mix after the intermission allowed us to

better hear Kristyn Getty’s vocals. My sense was

that everyone attending appreciated the music

and the time of worship. --Brent VanDyk

I took my neighbor to the Getty concert. We both enjoyed it and the fact that we could worship together. The Gettys were sincere and their lyrics beautiful. The musicians were great-- especially loved the violinist! It was awesome singing “In Christ Alone”

and “The Power of the Cross” with the people who wrote them. --Linda Stodola

Hosting 3rd Thursdays for quite some time, our church has expanded its repertoire of non-Psalter cracking, keyboard tapping, guitar jamming, violin swinging, praise and worship singing music. This method of praising our Lord has a different rhythm than what the CRC has historically boasted, yet retains the Biblical messages that the great hymns bring to our worship and knowledge of God. Enter Rev. Schuringa with an out-of-the-box idea. We have sung Keith and Kristyn Getty songs, a Christian couple from Ireland, in our church services. Why not try to retain the band for a 3rd Thursday night of worship? Getty music blends Irish, folk, and Christian contemporary sounds into modern hymns that reach beyond denominational lines allowing us to experience, express, and get equipped for His service. With such a perfect fit for our church, Rev. Schuringa contemplated this past spring whether it would be possible to bring these big time Christian artists to our church. After making a call and stealthily negotiating a

concert for less than half the normal $30k fee, the giant motza ball was dropped right smack dab into Traci and my laps. When approached in May with the concert planning request, Traci and I had two very different reactions. Traci, the realist, felt concerned that we wouldn’t have time. As a head in the clouds optimist, I said “no problem.” So after getting a dose of what it would require from Traci, it was wisely suggested that the now known as “Justin and Traci's small group” take on this 1st of its kind event for our church. In spite of the nagging realization that we might not speak to each other at the outset, our gracious small group said “Getty up” to this “Apprentice-like” opportunity. So at this point, I need to apologize to our groupies as they actually have names and did a ton of work. But before naming them, you should have an idea of the necessary lifting to pull off this headliner night of worship. It required massive amounts of technical expertise, extra equipment, full use of our sound system, internet ticket sales, church member buy-in, significant donations covering over half the tab for reasonable ticket prices, parking coordination, shuttle services, green room setups, radio interviews and advertising, church usage obstacles, volunteers for CD sales, ticket collections, ushers, box movers, piano movers, a/v, drivers and dinner coordinators for the band; and so much more (deep breath). With that, a thank you to some of the folks that made it happen:

Steve and Jen David, along with the other audiophiles (Steve DeBoer, Todd

Lindemulder, Mike Printz, Matt Bulthuis, etc.), for keeping on top of everything technical and working some 14 hour days to get the church ready

Heidi and Matt Koster for not giving up on the radio idea, even after many

dead end phone calls, and for organizing the ticket sales

Kevin and Dawn Plowman for the parking duties and professional green

rooms

Luke and Becca Lentcher for coordinating the ushers and meals

Lindsey and Matt Van Schepen for parking coordination and water duties Faithful sponsors for donating $9k To our entire church staff, with a special shout out to Karen and Susan, for

taking on extra tasks for this event.

While it could loosely be called break-even from an accounting perspective, it was a huge gain for our church community. Kristyn’s voice gave us the chills. Keith entertained us. The amazing night of praise reached nearly 600 worshipers, likely 300 folks that rarely if ever walk through our doors. We received "God sightings" from a Sterling, IL lady for a memorable answer to prayer on her 39th anniversary of becoming a Christian and from folks coming all the way from Connecticut for the event. It became pure enjoyment for an astonished and now tighter small group and a night to remember for the guy that started it; a brief vacation from the complications of life, to simply enjoy a wonderful night of music. Finally, we believe it was a pleasing night for our Lord, watching His mission in action. With bright Thursday night church lights, we thank Him for weaving together excellence in His name through a bunch of fallen amateurs. He is God. He is good. He is very good. --Justin Hoogendoorn

Keith and Kristyn Getty in concert at Faith CRC, October 20, 2011

Compared to other contemporary Christian art-

ists the Getty’s modern hymns are just that,

hymns. Hymns focus on giving praise and

thanksgiving to God. In a musical landscape

where many contemporary Christian songs are

focused on us and on our own experiences, the

Gettys’ music unites the listeners by singing

lyrics about what God has done and is doing in

the world. They are also very distinct in their

modern folk Irish sound. --Bryce Vander Stelt

. . . total enjoyment combined with worship. I knew the songs (most of them); I was most impressed with the lyrics-- full of theology. The instrumentalists were “something else”! Such interesting music . . . full of energy. The Gettys combined humor and the serious with ease. I loved the concert! --Jan Slinkman

--spiritually uplifting, beautiful musical praise, evangelistic--a unique opportunity for our church and the local community to come together in worship. --Nan Loerop

Ray and Angie De Lange visited Faith CRC July 31.

They described their life and work in Guadalajara

Mexico --at 6 million residents, Mexico’s 2nd largest city. “We focus our

discipleship efforts mainly on the English-speaking population of

Guadalajara, a community of expatriates as well as Mexican speakers of

English. There are 50,000 resident U.S. citizens in addition to other English-

speaking foreigners. Many are retirees, but there are also large numbers of

teachers, students, and business professionals. One of the largest groups we

minister to are medical students (the only U. S. accredited medical school in

Mexico is in Guadalajara).” For 18 months Ray and Angie worked with two

church plants, but since May 2010 they have been able to concentrate on

one: the English Fellowship of Guadalajara. Meeting for worship at The

Bridge Club of Guadalajara, “English Fellowship has discipleship groups for

men, women and medical students as well as an AWANA program for

children. We are also actively seeking ways to make disciples through

compassion and benevolence ministries in the city.” (Taken from Ray and

Angie De Lange’s Mission Brochure)

Grace Tazelaar (November Missionary of the Month) is Missions

Director for Nurses Christian Fellowship (NCF) --a Ministry of InterVarsity

Christian Fellowship. Her October 2011 Newsletter lists several Christian

healthcare organizations with which NCF is working to promote (among

other things) Best Practices in Healthcare Missions and to help improve

student service learning programs offered by many colleges and

universities. “Our desire is that students are provided learning experiences

that not only meet their educational goals and objectives but also contribute

to the well-being of the people and the health programming of the host

countries.” Grace notes hopeful signs in publications (the Journal of

Christian Nursing is one) that more attention is starting to be paid to the

need for improving standards.

Grace recently conducted workshops at the Global Health Missions

Conference (Nov. 10-12) annually put on by South East Christian Church of

Louisville, KY. One of the organizations NCF partners with, Grace is on the

planning committee--meeting and consulting year-round to provide this

opportunity for medical students and health professionals to come together

to learn and share what’s happening around the world in health ministries.

NCF’s health resource team will also help plan the seminars at Urbana 12.

For praise and prayer requests regarding her work, please see her letter

Greetings from Grace.

(Mission Statment:

“Go out and preach the Gospel to those in our communities.”) The Evangelism Committee is off to a good start this year. We have had two good stints at PADS, (hosting Saturday night shelter for the homeless at Elmhurst Presbyterian Church) with both months filled to capacity. The men’s and ladies’ breakfasts were enjoyed by all in attendance. Currently we are sending out Thanksgiving and Christmas postcards to surrounding neighborhoods inviting them to our holiday worship services. Please pray for our committee as we reach out

to others. --Barb Holtrop

The Christmas season is a time for family and celebration. It is

great to see our church filled with students and family who were away. It is wonderful to enjoy special Christmas music and programs at church, the decorations, and the fellowship. The deacons will be visiting with each of the widows and widowers in the church to deliver poinsettias, and we will be helping others in the distribution of turkey dinners (Thanksgiving) and Christmas gifts to those in need. It truly is a time of giving and sharing the blessings that God has poured out on us. Please consider this sea-son how you can support the church, staff, programs, and supported ministries through budget giving. We still have a ways to go to catch up with where we should be right now, and are praying that we will be able to meet our budget and continue to expand our ministries in the years to come. As a service to the membership, the deacons will be preparing and distributing annual statements, for your year-end financial planning and tithing, before the end of the year. Thank you for your support, and a very Merry Christmas to you as we celebrate the birth of our Savior together. --Your Deacons

Life Chain Sunday (the1st Sunday in October) shows support for the unborn. On street corners across the nation

demonstrators carry signs (eg. “Abortion Kills Children”) and silently pray that passing motorists will be influenced to endorse pro-life. At Ogden and Har-lem, I noted positive “thumbs up” or the “tooting of a horn” but no negative signs, an improvement over past years’ balance of positive and negative responses. --Kathy De Vries The CareNet Dinner (Thur. Nov. 3, 2011) celebrated 30 years of ministry to families, women and children in DuPage County. Thousands of babies have been saved because of services lovingly offered to women experiencing

unplanned pregnancies. Two families testified how CareNet’s emotional and spiritual support in very difficult circumstances changed their lives. Keynote speaker Janet Parshall, well-known host for Moody radio station, gave an overview of progress nationally. There are 1,137 CareNet centers vs. 887 Planned Parenthood centers in the US. Statistics: 1.2 million pregnancies aborted; 3 million unplanned pregnancies every year; 53 million lives lost since Roe v. Wade. A CNN poll shows 62% want abortion to be made illegal; and the under-30 age group is less pro-choice, viewing abortion as a human rights violation. Parnell said “Satan has been in the business of destroying babies since we walked out of the garden. God tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart; He gently leads those that have young. Isaiah 40:11” Local CareNet facts: 3 of 4 women considering abortion and seeking Care-Net help choose life; 40% of Dupage County teens in high schools have heard CareNet's "Amplify" message of abstinence until marriage. As a result, the county's teen pregnancy rate has declined 4 years in a row. --Kathy DeVries and Jan Slinkman

Men’s and Women’s breakfasts: The October 8, 2011 Men’s Breakfast was attended by about 40. Bryce Vander Stelt described what influenced him in his childhood and youth to choose Youth Ministry as his career (particularly pointing to his father’s advice to look for work giving one joy and

satisfaction) then shared his vision for Faith CRC’s Youth Program. The 2nd Annual Women’s breakfast, Sat., Nov. 12, was attended by over 50. Speaker Laura Laird told of her passion (awakened while on a service project) for working with underprivileged children, be they home-less, inner city kids, or on the mission field. She used that passion in many parts of the world including Kenya. The Lord had different plans for her life she discovered and she found herself back in the States. As she married and starting raising a family, the passion for working with children never diminished but she struggled with worry that she wasn't righteous in the eyes of the Lord because she wasn't doing enough for the Lord. She thought maybe her righteousness came from her work with underprivileged children. Finally realization came, bringing joy, that she is righteous because of God's gift of righteousness. Laura shared one of her favorite verses, Hebrews 10:14 "Because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy."

--Barb Holtrop and Cindy Vander Naald

DEACON’S CORNER

Life Issues

MISSIONARIES

NOTE: For your December planning--there will not be a Christmas Tea this year, but we want to wish you

a very Merry Christmas. --the committee

EVANGELISM COMMITTEE

Anneka Lynn Canelos

was born on October 11,

2011, joining sister

Donna Jean. Her parents,

William and Catherine

Canelos, presented

Anneka for baptism

November 20.

Anneka’s relatives

include grandparents --

Al and Sharon Miedema; aunts and uncles--Brad and

Kathy Miedema and their children (Zach and Virginia)

Randy and Cassie Miedema, and Christina Miedema.

Her Great Grandparents are Robert & Carol Venhousen.

The text read for Anneka is Psalm 34: 8 “Taste and see

that Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in

him.”

Tapestries of Life--House of Gems Orphanage With the early 1980s donation of 27 acres of property

located in Guadalupe, Mexico, Steven and Cathy

Brewer’s vision of an orphanage for homeless children

here started to be realized. Pictured is the 2-story 55,000

sq. ft. dormi-

tory which will

house 400

children.

Volunteer

crews from all

over the U.S.,

Canada, and

Scotland have

worked on the project over the years. (Information from

www.tapestriesoflife.com)

Sat., Oct. 22, 2011, four men from Faith CRC--Don

Oostman, John Lindemulder, Todd Lindemulder, and

Bill Hoving--joined a crew totaling 14 from the U.S. to

begin work on the cafeteria. After worshiping in El

Paso , they joined Pastor Steve’s crew of 20 local

workers in Mexico. Monday to Wednesday, 800 feet of

trenching for footings was dug by back-hoe, pick, and

shovel, and rebar was installed. Thursday seven cement

trucks poured their loads; Friday 3 crews began laying

the first tier of concrete block which will be the form for

the concrete floor (to be poured after installation of pvc

pipe, drains and electrical service is completed).

On Tuesday, Gary, the cement contractor from New

York who has supervised construction here over the

years, experienced chest pains and was rushed to the

hospital. (Doing well after two angioplasties, Gary ex-

pected to be released Nov. 5). Todd Lindemulder was

able to help cover Gary’s supervisory duties. The crew

left Friday, satisfied that all the work planned had been

well-accomplished. --Don Oostman

On November 2, William Bolt was one of 100

veterans to participate in the final Honor Flight

Chicago trip for this year. Honor flight pairs veterans with escorts to

assist them as they visit the World War II memorial and other memorials

in Washington D.C. The round-trip, beginning from Midway Airport

early in the morning and returning the same day, is capped with the “mail

call” delivery of letters from family, friends, and school children. Bill

was drafted in 1943, and after starting out in a horse cavalry unit, was

transferred to the 759th Tank Battalion. Bill’s tank unit landed several

days after the initial D-day Invasion in Normandy, and crossed the French

countryside helping to provide fire-power for the infantry. Bill remembers

crawling out of the bottom escape hatch of one tank destroyed by a

German turret, and the “oppressive cold and snow while crossing

Germany, digging fox holes at night to sleep, with the tank parked as

cover above the hole.” (from the story by Ed McMenamin, Elmhurst

Press, Friday, Nov. 11, 2011)

Honor Flight Chicago is a non-profit organization started in 2008 by

four Chicago-area women to honor military veterans, especially those of

World War II. Over 35 flights have taken place (at no charge to the

honorees). An estimated 25,000 World War II veterans live in the Chicago

area; the average age of those on the waiting list is 88.

(www.honorflightchicago.org).

There are 10 members of Faith CRC who are World War II veterans.

John Zeilstra took part in the Honor Flight on June 26, 2008 and John Vos

on October 22, 2008.

This Newsletter provides the Faith CRC congregation information about our ministry, events, and people, while honoring our Lord Jesus Christ. People of Faith is published 6x/yr. by Faith CRC, 1070 S. Prospect Ave., Elmhurst IL 60126. (ed.- kjgreenfield@sbcglobal.net) Senior Pastor – Dr. Gregory D. Schuringa Pastor of Congregational Life – Rev. Michael Laird Church Office – 630/279-1776 Fax – 630/834-5748 www.faithelmhurst.org

MILITARY NOTES

2011 International Camporee, July 27–August 3 Wow, what a fantastic time! The Camporee was set in the middle of a 600 acre hunting club: Camp Whitetail, Michigan. The mix of heavily wooded areas and open fields made the location ideal for the Camporee. After the Cadets located their gear the serious business of building a shelter with their Cadre began. Shelters are constructed by lashing poles together to form the frame. The frame is then covered with plastic. Home sweet home for the week. Meals were cooked over an open camp fire. Cadres are made up of 8 cadets, 2 counselors, and a Junior Counselor. The first day everyone is a total stranger, by the end of the week great friends. The week was full of activities: archery, riflery, geocaching [treasure hunt using GPS], service project, a trip to a water park which also included racing go-carts and more. The Sunday church service was attended by 3,600 Cadets and guests. What a magnificent time of praising God. The camporee even featured a flood. The last night 8 inches of rain in 4 hours made things a little Interesting. Attendees from Faith were: Cadets Jacob Leazott, Dan Tobin, Jonah Vander Naald and Junior Counselor Andrew Groenewold. Adults who served on staff were Bill Hoving, Dave Kragt, and Judy and Lambert Bronger. Next Camporee: 2014 in Alberta, Canada. --Lambert Bronger

We honor and thank our members who are currently serving as well:

Ryan Holtrop--in Stuttgart, Germany as a military police officer. He will

be there for two years. Address: 571st MP Co

APO, AE 09348

Brian Langeland -- Address: 601 Telegraph Canyon Rd Apt. 106

Chula Vista, CA. 91910

Jeremy Hoving--stationed at Fort Benning, GA; he has completed basic

training and is now in advanced training for the army infantry. Graduation

is December 9, followed by a break (home) and re-assignment January 2.

Watch for the January Series: at 11:30 AM CST beginning Wednesday, Jan.

4 and ending Tuesday, Jan. 24. Embarking on its 24th year, The January Series

of Calvin College has been recognized as the leading lecture/cultural arts series

in the country. Faith CRC has been a remote webcast site since 2008. For

details see http://www.calvin.edu/january/2012/ Flyers will also be available.