Holy Week Services
Richard Gehring
Step into the story this Holy Week.
Join us for a “Funeral for Jesus” on Good Friday, April 3 at 7:00 PM. Through music, scripture, and heartfelt tributes from Simon Peter and Mary Magdalene (two of Jesus’ closest companions), we’ll put ourselves into the shoes of Jesus’ family and closest friends as they mourned his death. The service will be livestreamed for those who can’t attend in person.
Then, come celebrate the joy of Easter morning with us!
We’ll begin at 8:30 AM with a brief outdoor service at the Madison Street entrance, followed by our traditional and much beloved Easter potluck breakfast at 9:00 AM.
At 10:00 AM, our Easter worship service comes alive with joyful singing, the flowering of the cross, and the celebration of communion. We invite you to bring fresh flowers to help transform the cross into a symbol of new life.
And don’t let the kids miss the excitement—our Easter Egg Hunt kicks off right after the service!
In This Issue
A Community Garden of Faith
Barbara Krehbiel Gehring
Richard and I have a plot in the community garden in the park across from the church. As we turn our calendars to April, we begin to think about preparing and planting.
They say that gardeners and farmers live by faith, live by hope more than the average person. Will this tiny seed turn into what I envision? I won’t know until I plant it, water it, weed it, tend it, and wait for it. I don’t know, and yet, in hope and faith I plant seeds.
Being part of a community garden is great. Our living room picture window offers a view of all the plots. Some grow gorgeous flowers. Others grow yummy vegetables. When my harvest yields more than I need, I may offer it to others. I’ve given and received often in this community of gardeners.
I like to think about the church as a community garden. One of us plants encouragement, while another plants insight. One volunteers in the nursery planting seeds of nurture to the most vulnerable in our church family, while another takes a meal to someone at a vulnerable time, planting seeds of service. No one can plant all the seeds by themselves. But everyone has something to contribute.
Later this month, the Ministry Team will distribute the volunteer and gifts discernment survey. What will you plant in our LMC community garden?
Lead Pastors Heading for Sabbatical
Carlen Sellers, Pastor Congregation Relations Committee Chair
As part of our church’s covenant with our pastors, we include a three-month sabbatical for every three years of service to our congregation. This is a recommendation from Mennonite Church USA and a benefit we provide to our pastors to promote their wellbeing, provide time for reflection and spiritual renewal, and to prevent burnout.
Barb and Richard have served a second three-year term at LMC and will take a sabbatical this year from mid-summer to early fall. During their time away, they will participate in activities focused on renewal, relationships, resourcing, and reflection. They will spend time with family, as well as travel to Turkey and Greece, paying special attention to the Apostle Paul’s journeys in this region. They will also attend a retreat sponsored by Luther Seminary at Ghost Ranch in New Mexico, and take time for visioning and goal setting.
During their sabbatical, Barb and Richard will not be available to the congregation for any reason. Nathan will assume additional responsibilities, and the Pastoral Care Team will be here to support our needs. Please stay tuned for more information on this as the sabbatical draws nearer.
World Café Next Steps
Caroline Steelberg
The World Café series on Welcoming and Building Community generated a lot of data! Over the course of three Sundays in February, LMCers from the Venture Club to long-time congregants gathered café style in the Fellowship Hall to discuss questions related to becoming a more welcoming congregation within our church and in the broader Lombard community. Now what?
The Ministry Team will meet this summer to look at themes that arose from the data and consider concrete, tangible ways to respond to what we learned. No single item emerged; however, it is clear that people experience welcoming at LMC when they feel seen, heard, and can be themselves. We are also a congregation that likes information to be communicated clearly and visibly. We want people to have an understanding of our unique Anabaptist perspective. And we appreciate food and nametags!
If you haven’t taken the time to look over the data yourself, click here to view the complete set from all three weeks. What themes pop out at you? How can you integrate them into your own personal style of welcoming, perhaps toward a person who’s a bit different from you? How can you be intentional about making that person feel safe, that they belong, and want to make LMC their spiritual home?
Phase 4 Renovation at a Glance
Project Spending
- Spent-to-date: $38,253
- Remaining: $531,74
- Paint, new carpet, updated lighting, etc. are still to come in our Christian Formation spaces, but the cabinets give a foretaste of how functional, warm, and inviting these classrooms will be at the project’s end.
Vacation Bible School Coming in July
Nathan Perrin
Save the date! We’ll hold Vacation Bible School at LMC on July 6-10, 9:30-11:30 AM. Please mark this special time in your calendars and also explore your own interest in volunteering.
VBS is an amazing opportunity for our children to learn about God and create good memories they’ll carry with them for the rest of their lives. We treasure the calling to walk alongside our youth and grow together with them. Please contact Pastor Nathan if you have any questions or are interested in helping out in any way.
IMC Annual Assembly
Nathan Perrin
Themes of social justice and the celebration of our Mennonite heritage wove throughout this year’s Illinois Mennonite Conference Annual Assembly. Special guest preacher Brian Zahnd invited attendees to reflect on the importance of beauty as a theological concept, while also encouraging ongoing resistance to Christian nationalism. The assembly featured three workshops: one led by the Parish Collective on neighborhood ministry, another by Mennonite Action Chicago focused on activism, and a third exploring Immanuel Prayer.
The conference provided generous and delicious meals, and I enjoyed the spaces for connection and conversation. During the business meeting, we heard about exciting opportunities and ministries that IMC supports. This was the most active IMC assembly I have experienced since starting ministry at LMC in 2021, with an impressive amount of work and effort behind its planning.