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2007
Events
This page includes information and
pictures about events that either took place at First Presbyterian
Church or involved members or supported organizations in 2007.
Please contact Susan Miller at 630-682-0108 or by email
at GGM81@aol.com
with any items and photos you would
like to contribute.
Past events from 2008, 2006, 2005,
2004, 2003,
and 2002 are also online,
as well as upcoming events. Some
information and photos about events prior to 2002 can be found
in our Church
History Section.
A reception was held in Stewart Hall following the
11:00 a.m. worship service on December 9, 2007, to
honor and thank Matt Wright, our High School Ministry
Coordinator, for his work with the youth of our church
since November 2005. Although no pictures were
taken at the reception itself, Derrick Rohl had prepared
a group of photos showing some of Matt's activities
with our high schoolers in the prior two years.
Our Genesis middle schoolers had a BLAST
at the Wheaton Sports Center on November 30, 2007, enjoying swimming,
racquetball, and a massive sundae bar, and especially participating
in Hoops
of Hope,
the world’s largest shoot-a-thon, with 71 students
together shooting 5,726 free throws and raising over
$3,200 to help build a medical lab in Zambia, a country
hit hard by HIV/AIDS.
Everyone enjoyed a delicious brunch and
catching up with each other at the first CHCF
(Coffee House College Fellowship) Thanksgiving Brunch, which
was held in Stewart Hall on November 24, 2007.
An All-Church Men's Chorus with
about 60 singers ranging in age from 17 to 75 provided worship
leadership singing "Crown
Him with Many Crowns" at the 8:40 a.m. worship service on Sunday,
November 11, 2007.
On November 4, 2007, Rev.
Elizabeth G. Walker preached her candidacy sermon at
our 8:40 and 11:00 a.m. worship services.
At the Congregational Meeting held after the 11:00 service the
church members voted to approve the recommendation of our Associate
Pastor Nominating Committee to call her as our new Associate
Pastor for Pastoral Care Elect. Photos and more information
about her are online. Meanwhile just down the link in Stewart
Hall was the Presbyterian Women's
Mission Project Bake Sale.
Commencement
for the first graduating class of Mar Elias University, Ibillin,
Israel, was held on October 29, 2007. This was the first
graduating class of the first Arab University in Israel. Among
the speakers at the graduation ceremony were Archbishop Elias
Chacour and Susan Drinan, Chairperson, Board of Trustees, Mar
Elias Campus and First Presbyterian Church member.
Our high school students had a great
time at the WF Fall Retreat at Stronghold Conference, October
26-28, 2007, in Oregon, Illinois. The retreat focused
on the theme of "Transformation." Photos
are online at the WF website - www.ledbyyouth.com.
Our Genesis Middle schoolers had a BLAST
facing the challenge of the world’s
largest corn maze at
Richardson Farm in Spring Grove, Illinois, on October 14, 2007.
We thanked God for the wonderful
gift of animals at our our Blessing
of the Animals worship service on Saturday morning,
October 13, 2007.
Six of our choir members participated in
a presentation of bread from different countries on World
Communion Sunday on October 7, 2007.
On October 2, 2007, Afrizo,
the touring choir from Daystar University, a Christian Liberal
Arts College in Kenya, Africa, offered a spirited concert of
music and dance in our Ministry Center.
Everyone had a good time enjoying food and fellowship on October
2, 2007, at our Senior Luncheon, which is hosted by the Deacons
each year.
We welcomed our fall return to our three-worship-service schedule
and enjoyed a terrific picnic on Catch the Spirit Sunday,
September 9, 2007. Photos from the worship
services and the picnic are
online.
Our Coffee House College Fellowship (CHCF) had a great start
during summer 2007. Current CHCF information is also available
on the website.
At our Presbyterian Women (PW)
Mission Possible start-up
on Thursday, September
6, 2007, we assembled school
bags with school supplies for shipping to the Church
World Service warehouse where they are sorted and sent to disaster
areas at home and abroad. We then enjoyed lunch and an
overview of our 2007-2008 Horizons Bible Study, which
will be held during Circle meetings.
Our Genesis middle schoolers had a BLAST on August 26, 2007,
at Holes and Knolls miniature
golf course in Glen Ellyn.
Everyone had a great time at the WF
Road Rally on August 26, 2007, and photos are available on the new WF website, http://www.ledbyyouth.com. The
Road Rally is a scavenger hunt where all participants load into
vans and scavenge around town in search for the answers to clues.
Hospitality "Southern Style," plenty of delicious food, and entertainment were enjoyed by the large crowd at First
Presbyterian's Supper Club gathering, Southern Delights, on August 18, 2007.
Genesis helped
clean up the church grounds and enhance the preschool area in another
mission project on August 14, 2007.
Several Genesis volunteers went to the Milton
Township Food Pantry on one of their mission outings and
helped sort and stack cans of food on July 19, 2007.
Worship leadership at our 10:30 a.m. service on Sunday, July
15, 2007, was provided by the talented children who participated
in our SHINE program this summer.
Children from four-year-old preschool through fifth grade
had a wonderful time at Vacation
Bible School from June 26-29,
2007.
Our Genesis middle schoolers had a
BLAST celebrating
Christmas in June and welcoming our new 6th graders into the
ministry on June 24, 2007.
Everyone had a great time at our Supper Club Scandinavian
Fest on June 2, 2007. Organized by Kay Nelson Jenner,
assisted by Paul and Marlene Luhrsen, there were displays of
many Scandinavian items, clothing, and photos, as well as plenty
of delicious food. Our
featured guests were the Nordic Folk Dancers of Chicago.
On Youth Sunday,
May 20, 2007, all of the sermons were presented by our
high school seniors and are online in mp3
format.
At our annual Sunday
School Program on May 13, 2007, the children
in classes from 2 year olds through grade 5 gathered in Stewart
Hall to share their scripture memory with each other and their
parents. Everyone also enjoyed a slide show with photos
of various Sunday School activities from 2006-2007.
A Taizé Prayer
Service was held on Friday, May 11,
2007, at 7:30 p.m. in the Rotunda here at First Presbyterian
Church.
Everyone enjoyed our Senior
Spring Luncheon sponsored by the
Board of Deacons on May 10, 2007.
A busload of 45 First Presbyterian Church members and friends
enjoyed visiting Springfield on
Saturday, April 21, 2007, as part of the Red Carpet Fellowship
Trips program.
Our WF youth attended a retreat at Dickson Valley Retreat
Center April 13-15, 2007. This retreat was mandatory
for our 2007 Confirmation Class.
Our Genesis middle schoolers had a BLAST at Chasers
Laser Tag in Aurora on April 13, 2007.
Easter Sunday services on
April 8, 2007, gave those attending a choice of three very different
types of worship experiences.
Children age 3 through Grade 3 and their adults had a wonderful
time at the annual Easter Egg
Hunt and Craft Party on April 7, 2007.
On Palm Sunday, April 1, 2007, our
choir led the pastors and the members in a procession from our
Parish House entrance on Carlton Street around to the front of
the church and into the Sanctuary, with everyone carrying palm
fronds, before both the 8:40 and 11:00 a.m. worship service.
The First Pres Saturday-Nite Supper Club kicked off this
year’s season with the Second
Annual St. Patrick’s Dinner held in Stewart Hall on
March 17, 2007.
Our Genesis Middle schoolers had a BLAST at First Presbyterian
Church during their March
Madness Survivor Night on March 9, 2007.
Forty members of First Presbyterian Church and their guests
made the trek into Chicago on a snowy winter day on February
25, 2007, to attend the Inaugural Red Carpet Fellowship
Trip to the House
of Blues for their Gospel Brunch.
Hollywood
Daze,
a tribute to Hollywood starring Dr.
Paul Kirbas (and many other local community members) was presented
in the Ministry Center on February 16 to18, 2007. Proceeds benefited
the Outreach Community Ministries Older Adults programs in Carol
Stream.
Dr. Paul Kirbas joined the Fifth Grade Sunday School for
their fourth annual “Interview
with the Pastor” on Sunday, February 18, 2007.
Our middle schoolers had a great time with their friends and
connecting with God at the Genesis
Winter Retreat at Covenant Harbor Retreat Center, Lake
Geneva, Wisconsin, February 9 - 11, 2007.
Scout Sunday was held on February 4, 2007. Scouts served
as ushers, and a display about scouting was presented in the
Ministry Center between the 8:40 and 11:00 a.m. worship services,
along with freshly made donuts.
Our Genesis Middle Schoolers
had a BLAST bowling at Brunswick
Zone in Carol Stream on January
28, 2007.
Our annual congregational
meeting on Sunday, January 28, 2007,
began about 12:15 p.m. with a lunch in Stewart Hall. The
meeting was held next, and then Dr. Paul Kirbas presented his
outstanding “State
of the Church” address. He laid out what was right
and wrong plus the directions we should go. It was
very informative and well received. Everyone then enjoyed singing,
accompanied by David Lincoln on the piano. The meeting was very
well attended as was the first annual congregational meeting
in recent memory in which we combined food, fellowship, and music
with handling church business. Left click on this
link to listen to the “State of the Church” address
using Window's Media Player, Real Audio, or any other mp3 player.
To save the mp3 file on your own computer, RIGHT CLICK the hyperlink
to the file and choose 'Save Target As' (Internet Explorer) or
'Save Link As' (Netscape Navigator). Then specify the directory
where you want to store the file and click 'Ok.'
Our WF group (high school ministry) hosted a Second
Chance Prom with a theme of Old Hollywood on the
evening of January 27, 2007. This was designed as an opportunity
for adults to attend a prom of their own and was also a fundraiser
for the WF June mission trip to Westmoreland, TN, to rebuild
homes and restore hope.
Twenty-nine First Presbyterian members traveled to Pearlington,
MS, to help provide post-hurricane assistance to members
of that community January 14-20, 2007. Photos and reflections
from this mission trip, including a slide show, can now be viewed
on our website.
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