Join us Each week in person or online
Sundays at 10am.
This Week’s text
Acts 4:32-5:11
32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. 33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all 34 that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35 and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need. 36 Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”), 37 sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet. 1 Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. 2 With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet. 3 Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? 4 Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.” 5 When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. 6 Then some young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him. 7 About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 Peter asked her, “Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?” “Yes,” she said, “that is the price.” 9 Peter said to her, “How could you conspire to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.” 10 At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.
75th Anniversary of GEECC
Our church is creating a custom cookbook, to commemorate 75 years, featuring favorite recipes from our members! Please submit your favorite recipes so you can be represented in our cookbook. You can submit online or bring hardcopies into the office. Please submit by June 30th! Find all info about the church cook book HERE.
We are also asking you to upload pictures and stories that you have from over the years at GEECC. You may upload these things HERE or bring them into the office.
We are excited to start celebrating with you!
Fundraiser for The Ark Preschool
Where: Barone’s
75 Pennsylvania Ave, Glen Ellyn
(630) 858-0555
bpizza.com
When: Tuesday, May 18, 2021
11am-9pm - lunch or dinner!
Carry Out, Delivery, and Dine-in
***Be sure to mention The Ark Preschool fundraiser when you order. The preschool will receive 20% of the cost of your meal! For online orders, type “Ark” in the comments.
THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING!!
Sunday Morning Children’s Ministries
We look forward to welcoming you and spending part of your Sunday morning with your children! Our children’s check-in desk opens at 9:45 am and we currently offer three different classes: Nursery (birth to young 2s), Preschool (2s through preK); and Elementary (Grades K-5). For visitors or those who have not yet returned to in-person attendance, please consider pre-registering at https://rsvp.church/r/PVqdCJjl. (This helps us with supply planning and speeds up the check in process.)
Going God’s Way is the Best Way – Even When it’s Hard
Our preschoolers started the month in Genesis with the Creation Story and that first really bad choice made by people in the garden. They are learning that every day we have choices to make and that “God’s way is perfect!” (2 Samuel 22:31 NIrV). For this third Sunday in May, they will explore 2 Kings 5:1-14 and the story of Naaman. They will be learning that “I can go God’s way even when it’s hard.” To find out more about this week’s story, visit the children’s media hub on the church website.
What’s the Connection Between Commitment and God’s Character?
Our elementary and preteen students are exploring the connection between commitment and God’s character, as shown through God’s big story, the Bible. So far, we’ve learned we should Keep practicing what matters most, and that we begin when we Practice hearing from God. That’s right, we need to spend time with God’s Word, the Bible, to hear from God because we can’t do what God says until we know what God says. This Sunday, we’re adding a third guideline: Practice praying to God. We can pray anytime, anywhere because God is always listening. We hope kids will understand more about this important faith skill, PRAY, and find that talking to God is an essential part of growing in their faith. But we start out with a key question: How do you pray to God? Kids are just starting to discover that they can pray more than before meals and at bedtime. We hope the kids in your life learn that they can pray to God whenever they feel like praying with whatever words come to mind because God is always there to listen. We also hope that you will help them learn to pray as Jesus taught us. We will be exploring The Lord’s Prayer this Sunday and you can also learn how to pray this prayer in sign language by visiting The Good Shepherd series on the children’s media hub on our church website.
Movie in the field
(7-9pm)
We will be watching The Greatest Showman! Bring your blankets and pillows, pick a spot in the field, and settle in for a movie night.
Hi League & Jr League: May 21
Confirmation Sunday—May 23
Mark your calendars to Hannah and John Martin who are being confirmed! We will have Nothing Bundt Cake mini bundt cakes afterward in the parking lot to celebrate.
UNITE 2022
Dear Church Family,
Thank you for your continued support and care for the students in our church. After I announced that we would be beginning to plan and fundraise for UNITE (formally CHIC), I was excited to hear from so many of you about your memories of attending in the past and your enthusiasm to help our current students have the same wonderful experience in the future. I know that this is a life-changing experience for the young people in our denomination.
Because of this, I am saddened to tell you that the next UNITE event scheduled to be held in the summer of 2022 has been cancelled. The organizers prayerfully decided that they could not responsibility plan a gathering like this at this time. I have attached the official letter with the decision from Tim Ciccone, the Director of Youth Ministry for the ECC. To be clear, this is solely a decision about the 2022 event, and there is hope to return to the 3-year cycle of UNITE gatherings.
Please be praying with me, as I begin to consider other ways we can provide an equally enriching and transformative experience for our students.
Peace & hope,
Eliza