Hebron United Methodist Church

9811 Main Street, Hebron, IL 60034

Catch the Spirit!

Pastor’s Page

November 2019 www.hebronmethodist.org

Building Committee Update

During the past month some

significant progress on our roof

project has been made. Steve has led

a group of people including Bill,

Grant, Dave Menge, Natalie, and

James, in building the columns

which will support the roof structure

and are now working on splicing the

cracked rafters. Lath has been

removed from the east and north

walls. This repair work will most

likely be finished in the next

month. The roof will be supported

to cope with winter snows and

wind. The work on the trusses will

require some professional help due

to the length and weight of the

lumber used. We are grateful for all

those who have helped. If I have

missed anyone, I ask your

forgiveness and please let me

know. The volunteer help is a

wonderful gift to our congregation.

I have a passion for history and, in particular, American

history. I believe we can learn a great deal by paying

attention to our history. As we approach the season of

Thanksgiving, I am reminded of the spirit of thanksgiving

that has filled the pages of our American story. My concern

is that all too often we are either ignorant of our history or

we refuse to learn from it. Such neglect often creates

problems. As the philosopher George Santayana reminds

us, “Those who do not learn from history are condemned

to repeat it.” I believe Thanksgiving is an appropriate time

for us to stop and reflect on the blessings we experience as

being a citizen of this great land. Perhaps there is no better

way to remind us of this than to read President George

Washington’s National Thanksgiving Proclamation in

1779:

“Whereas, it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the

providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be

grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His

protection and favor; Whereas, both houses of Congress

have, by their joint committee, requested me ‘to

recommend to the people of the United States a day of

public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by

acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors

of Almighty God, especially by affording them an

opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government

for their safety and happiness!”

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Pastor’s Page (continued)

Now therefore, I do recommend next, to be devoted

by the people of the states to the service of that great

and glorious being, who is the beneficent Author of

all that was, that is, or that will be, that we may all

united in rendering unto Him our sincere and

humble thanks for His kind care and protection of

the people of this country.”

I believe that it would be appropriate for us to

ponder these words and ask ourselves how they

speak to us some two-hundred and forty years

later. I would hope that we would be motivated

also to give thanks to God for continued blessings

and earnest prayers for the Lord’s guidance in these

often perilous times. To take the blessings we have

received and the freedoms we enjoy for granted is

the most sure and certain way to lose both. As

Christians, I believe, we are called to take

leadership in such efforts to remember and give

thanks not in some partisan way but in the spirit of

gratitude that marks our faith.

May you and your family have a most meaningful

and blessed Thanksgiving.

Pastor Jim

N.O.W. - Nurture

We will be celebrating All Saints Day on Sunday,

November 3rd during our regular church service. We

light candles, ring bells of remembrance, and call the

saints lost in the last year by name. All Saints Day was

a day that John Wesley loved. In Wesley’s journal

entry from November 1, 1767, he calls it "a festival I

truly love." On the same day in 1788, he writes, "I

always find this a comfortable day." The following year he calls it "a day that I peculiarly love." And, why

not love a day that celebrates the lives of children of

God?

We are participating in the Christmas Gift Program

again this year, organized by the Alden-Hebron

Schools. If you wish to participate by purchasing gifts

for a child please let me know by Sunday, November

3rd. We’ll have the list of children on November

10th along with their wish list.

On November 10th we will be recognizing and

honoring our veterans. Also, that day is Organ and

You are joyfully invited to the COMMUNITY THANKSGIVING DAY DINNER

November 28th at the

HEBRON UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

9811 Main Street, Hebron, IL

The church will be open at 12:30 p.m.

with dinner being served at 1:00 p.m.

Come join us for good food, games and fellowship.

WE LOOK FORWARD TO SERVING YOU!!

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N.O.W. – Nurture (continued)

Tissue Donor Sunday. While we won’t be asking

you to donate organs that day we will be asking for

donations of tissue in the form of Kleenex, paper

towels and toilet paper. All donations will be given

to the Hebron Area Food Pantry. I want to thank

you in advance for your generosity.

We will again be hosting our Community

Thanksgiving Dinner on Thursday, November 28th,

opening the church at 12:30 p.m. with serving

starting at 1:00 p.m. The dinner is open to everyone

who wishes to enjoy a great meal and great

fellowship. If you’d like to help in any way please

let me know. We always welcome helping hands

and a dish to pass!

December 1st will be the Hanging of the

Greens. Hanging greenery traditionally is

associated with everlasting life. After church we

will decorate for the Advent season. There will be

a light lunch served to reward all of you for your

hard work.

I want to thank everyone for your hard work and

generosity in everything you do - not only for the

church but for the community. In the words of us

older folks - YOU ROCK!!

My prayer for you is that you will overflow more

and more with love for others. Philippians 1:9

Shirlee

Nurture Chair

It was a beautiful day for our Haunted Hebron 5K

& Pumpkin Party! We had 62 participants in the

5K and raised more than $500 for our Community

Vacation Bible School! Thanks to Debbie,

Stephanie, and Wendy for donating goodies and

cheering loudly for our runners during the

race. Special thanks also to Wendy who made

"HUMC kids" t-shirts for all the runners and

walkers from our church.

Kate Johnson

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Hebron's first Trunk or Treat was a success! Thank you Kate,

Wendy and Karen for representing our church at this community

event and thanks to everyone who donated candy for our trick-or-

treaters!

Happy Birthday!

Cody Nelson 11/2

Luella Tibbitts 11/4

Chela Johnson 11/8

Ulysses Johnson 11/10

Leah Arthur 11/11

Shirlee Correll 11/13

Eamon Johnson 11/13

Alberta Austin 11/14

Mike Schaid 11/14

Ashley Reins 11/17

Karen Vipond 11/25

Happy Anniversary!

Dawn & Danny Nelson 11/10

N.O.W. - Witness

First, as a follow up to our last article, I’d like to thank everyone who expressed interest in joining a group to further

explore our church’s inclusive expression. While travel and schedule constraints may prohibit a regular in-person

meeting, many of you expressed interest in participating online. We will consider putting together a private

Facebook Group where we can exchange ideas, share articles, and explore possible pathways for our church to

deepen its commitment to becoming God’s inclusive love. Please let me know if you are interested in receiving an

invitation through Facebook, or if you have alternative/additional ideas for online collaboration.

Second, we invite you all to participate in the Music & Movement Dance Workshops. We meet every Thursday at

1:00 (on Halloween we will meet at noon) at the Harvard Community Senior Center. Come learn some basic steps

and be part of a dance choreography while improving balance, rhythm and coordination. Registration is $5 and

there will be an opportunity to perform for family and friends at the culmination of the program in mid-December.

For more information, go to hebronmethodist.org/upcoming-events.

Finally, we have set the date for our Christmas Open House! Mark your calendars for Saturday, December 14 at

noon. The children will be presenting a unique retelling of the Christmas Story (kids, get your wands and Hogwarts

robes ready) along with a light chili luncheon. We will also be featuring a new exhibit: Ornaments from Journeys

Past. We will be asking you to share your most special or significant ornaments from home and tell us where they

are from, and why they are special to you.

Stephanie Claussen

Witness Co-Chair

N.O.W. - Outreach

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HUMC Kids

We’d like to thank everyone who participated in the HUMC Kids first

fundraiser at the end of September. We raised over $100 at our miniature house

auction. A special thank you goes out to Bill Elverman who did a great job as

the auctioneer! We appreciate all the support from our congregation, both for

the Night Ministry, and as we work with the children to Build Safe and

Supportive Spaces.

This past month in Sunday School, we have continued to explore stories in the

Book of Genesis about Noah and the flood, Abraham, Sarah, and Isaac. We

will move onto the stories of Joseph and Moses in the month of November.

Starting in December, we will be preparing for our Christmas Open House on

Saturday, December 14, where the children will present a unique retelling of

Jesus’ birth (hint: this year we may be trading in our light sabers for

Ollivander’s wands).

-Stephanie Claussen & Kate Johnson, Sunday School teachers

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• Alberta Austin, & her son Marty

• Dave Dickey

• Pastor’s friend Omar Logan, cousin Terri Ambrozich & friend Randy Ulery who has been admitted

to hospital/hospice and for Mary, his wife & their two sons who are at his side

• Our Distr. Supt. Rev. Darneather Murph-Heath’s mother (90) had a heart attack

• Erin’s friend Bud Milinac who has cancer on the back of his tongue

• Roy Bailey’s cousin, Leon Rhodes who has stage 4 cancer & his Uncle Gene

• Cheri Espe & her daughter, Brianna who had surgery for a tumor in her hip 9/19

• Shirlee Correll’s in-laws, Gene & Donna Correll

• Our former Pastor Paul & Lynn

• Anita Landry

• Ken Kraft

• LaVerne Schmarje

• Jeanne Johnson

• Terry Cheek

• Luella Tibbitts

• Nora Winn

• Denise & Dr. Dan Staten

• Bill Elverman’s friend, Tom, who has leukemia

• Dave Moore

• Betty Garrett, her daughter Holly & Doug

• Dorothy Peterson’s daughters Lisa & April & Amber & Ashley Lucas who had 51/2 hour operation

on her jaw

• Sue Stear

• Tim Mattheson who has cancer

• Debbie’s friend Mary’s husband who has bladder cancer

• Bob, who has rapid onset Alzheimer's

• We pray for the victims of the storm in TX & for the flooding around our own area & for hurricane

victims in the Bahamas and for the people in Syria & for victims of violence everywhere.

• We pray for the victims & their family & friends of the wildfires in L.A. area.

• LGBTQ members, friends, families and all those who were disappointed after the Special UMC

Conference vote & we are praying for GC2020.

• We pray for our church, our village, our leaders, local, state & national. We pray for our church

leaders in Hebron, our Elgin District Supt., our Bishop & in the entire UMC. We pray for our police,

fire & rescue men & women, please keep them safe while they are protecting us! We pray for our

diplomats, representatives, service men & women all over the world, please keep them safe. We

pray for the victims of the shooting violence everywhere and for the victims of weather-related

disasters, storms & flooding. Please keep our schools safe & our children & all children

safe! During a mental health crisis, anyone can call the 24-hour National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

at 1-800-273-8255.

In our thoughts and prayers…

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JOIN US FOR WORSHIP! SUNDAY SCHOOL 9:45 AM and MORNING WORSHIP AT 10:30 AM – nursery care provided

Find us on Facebook or at www.hebronmethodist.org

Plan for Worship

November 3 - All Saints Day

Luke 6:20-31; Daniel 7:1-3; 15-18 - "Recognizing Saints"

November 10

Luke 19:1-10; 2 Thessalonians 1:1-4; 11-12 - "Mark of Salvation"

November 17

Isaiah 12; Luke 21:5-19 - "In Our Midst"

November 24

Luke 23:33-43; Jeremiah 23:1-6 - "The Promise"

December 1 - First week of Advent

Matthew 24:36-44; Romans 13:11-14 - "Watchfulness!"