Notices

POP TOPS FROM SODA CANS are being collected by PW to benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities.  Small cardboard “houses” are available in the church office and the rotunda for families to use for collection at home, work, or collect them any way that works for you.  Please bring pop tops to the church office or the rotunda and place them in the marked containers located there.

DO YOU KNOW A FRIEND WHO JUST LOST A JOB OR WHO HAS BEEN LOOKING FOR WORK FOR SOME TIME?  Please tell them that First Presbyterian and Gary United Methodist Churches have a Career Ministry Group for people changing jobs or in any type of career transition.  They can join us on the 2nd and 4th Monday evenings of the month from 7:00 – 8:45 p.m. at Gary United Methodist Church.  Please enter through the west doors of Gary UMC.  Signs will be posted to direct you to the meeting room.  For more information, please contact Angela Stephenson at 630-784-0775.   We meet as a group to share ideas, spiritual inspiration, and prayer.  Then we break into small groups with facilitators to discuss challenges, successes, and where to get the resources you need for your job search or career change.  For more information, or to become a facilitator, please contact Vickie Austin at 630-510-1900, or Angela Stephenson at 630-200-2533.  The Career Ministry program is a partnership ministry of Gary UMC and the First Pres Church.

DONATE YOUR USED CAR THROUGH BRIDGE COMMUNITIES - Bridge Communities, a non-profit, transitional housing program serving homeless families in DuPage County, is looking for individuals or businesses that would like to donate used cars.  The cars are used by homeless families who are in transition to self-sufficiency; donated cars allow Bridge clients to commute to better paying jobs.  Donations are tax deductible for the value of the car.  To donate your used car, or to find out how to support Bridge in another way, please call Mark Milligan at 630-545-0610, ext. 10. 

BRIDGE COMMUNITIES SEEKS GAS CARDS FOR HOMELESS FAMILIES:  Bridge Communities, a non-profit transitional housing organization, a mission partner of First Pres, seeks donations of gasoline gift cards.  The current high price of gasoline has strained the budgets of Bridge Communities client families – many of whom are trying to make ends meet on $900-$1200 per month.  Filling a gas tank just to commute to and from work each month can easily be $180.  To donate a gas card, please mail it to Bridge Communities, 505 Crescent Blvd., Glen Ellyn, IL  60137, or call the office at 630-545-0610, ext. 12.  For more information you can visit the Bridge website at www.bridgecommunities.org.

WE HAVE THREE AEDs (Automated External Defibrillator) installed in our facility.  They are located in the Ministry Center near the Memorial Garden Doorway, the Rotunda on the link wall, and in the hallway between Stewart Hall and the Parish House.  An AED is a portable electronic device that automatically diagnoses potentially life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias and is able to treat them through defibrillation, the application of electrical therapy which stops the arrhythmia, allowing the heart to reestablish an effective rhythm.  AEDs are designed to be simple to use by laymen.  Each staff member has received AED and CPR training along with many elders, deacons, and ministry leaders. 

RECYCLE, REUSE… RESTORE HOPE:  Jubilee Cars and Jubilee Furniture Co., both divisions of Outreach Community Ministries in Wheaton, offer you the opportunity to donate unused or unneeded items that can be used to help others.  First Pres has supported Outreach since it's inception, and OCM continues to be a key mission opportunity for our church. 

BOX TOPS, BAR CODES, AND V-8 LIDS totaling $110 have been mailed to Kemmerer Village for their education program.  This is First Presbyterian Church's gift to them.  Thanks for not throwing away part of the packaging of products you use every day that can be changed into pennies, nickels, and dimes.  If you are not clipping and saving, please join us in collecting.  Take the sheet found in the narthex and rotunda that will tell you what products have these bar codes and box tops, or just check our website at www.firstpreswheaton.org/missions/kemmerer/overview.htm for information on what to collect and more about Kemmerer Village.

DON'T THROW AWAY YOUR OLD CELL PHONES AND INK JET CARTRIDGES - Genesis will continue collecting these on an ongoing basis.  Please put your old cell phones and ink jet cartridges in the green bin in the church office - Genesis recycles them as a fundraiser for the child we sponsor through Compassion International. 

FIRST PRESBYTERIAN PRESCHOOL has been serving the community since 1967.  Preschool is often a child's first school experience and sets the stage for future years of formal education.  First Presbyterian Preschool provides a safe, caring, Christian environment that stimulates the physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development of children.  For more information on our programs, please contact Chandra Gravit, Director, at 630-668-5147 ext. 27.

WORSHIP SERVICE CDs - a CD of one of each Sunday morning's worship services is available in the library in the Parish House.

YOU CAN HELP PALESTINIAN CHRISTIANS - The Olive Branch Chapter of Pilgrims of Ibillin is continuing to sell the beautifully hand-carved olive wood items that were on display at our Advent Festival on December 3, 2006. These carvings come directly from Bethlehem and Beit Sahour - the town of the Shepherd’s Field next to Bethlehem. Proceeds go directly to Palestinian Christians to provide employment and education for the children at Mar Elias Elementary School, founded by Archbishop Elias Chacour. For more information or to purchase these beautiful items, contact Cerena Fischer at 630-289-4942 or by email at cmfischer2@aol.com. You can also view photos and obtain more information on the Bethlehem Imports website - http://www.bethlehemimports.org.

Wellsprings 2: Joyful - the new CD of piano and flute music by Glauber Ribeiro and Jack Urban - is now available on the internet at http://cdbaby.com/cd/glauber3.  Like their original CD, Wellsprings, it features the same style of peaceful musical conversations, perfect for meditation, prayer meetings, or personal relaxation at home.  Wellsprings2:  Joyful was recorded in our church sanctuary on December 23, 2005. All of their CDs are available online at http://cdbaby.com/group/wellsprings, and you can even listen to the first couple of minutes of each song online.  These CDs are also available directly from Glauber Ribeiro or online from Amazon.com.

WORSHIP FLOWERS - Church members or friends may donate flower arrangements for the Sunday services.  Arrangements, which are made by Expressions Flower & Gift Shop, cost between $45 and $60.  After the services, arrangements are delivered by the Deacons to the hospitalized or ill. Special announcements are posted in the bulletin before Easter and Christmas, when donations are taken for the Easter lilies and Christmas poinsettias.  Please call Mary Burge at 630-665-7623 for additional information.

CARE CARDS - Please write a note on the Care Card located in the pew racks. Sign your name, place it in the offering plate or in the care box at the Welcome desk in the rotunda, and we will send them. You may also send Care Cards from our website anytime - just click on care card, type in the information, and then click on send.