Join us Each week in person or online
Sundays at 9:30am.
QUICK LINKS
THIS WEEK AT A GLANCE
Sunday Sermon
Bearing Fruit
Matthew 7:15-20
FEATURED UPDATES
CHURCH PRAYER MEETING!
“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” Colossians 4:2
The Church prayer meetings are on Zoom every Monday night at 7pm!
Zoom ID: 859 848 614
Password: geecc
All are welcomed to this sweet hour of prayer! See you there!
Next steps
Starting this Sunday January 22nd – Next Steps: Discerning God’s Will for Our Lives, a class for Young Adults (college-aged and 20-somethings, taught by Pastor Dawn and Dr. David Lauber, held in the North Alcove)
Starting next Sunday January 29th – Your Family Story: Parenting with Purpose (Three-week class Jan. 29, Feb. 12, Feb. 19, taught by Dr. David and Tara Van Dyke, held in Munson Hall)
-Pastor Dawn Lauber, Associate Pastor of Congregational Life
IMPORTANT NEWS FROM THE ARK
BOOK CLUB
The GEECC book club is starting a new book on January 26th! Join us on Zoom each Thursday evening, 7:30-8:30pm as we discuss Pastor David Swanson’s “Rediscipling the White Church: From Cheap Diversity to True Solidarity”.
All are welcome!
Pastor Swanson is the Pastor of New Community Covenant Church, a multicultural congregation in Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood, and speaks around the country on the topics of racial justice and reconciliation.
If you are interested in joining, contact Darren Miller, Mary Crickmore, or the church office.
Men’s Ministry Update
Covenant Point Men's Retreat: Feb. 24-26, 2023
Each year, Covenant Point hosts a men’s retreat for Covenant Churches in the Midwest. We have had a number of men from our church attending this annual event in years past. Whether there is one, or a dozen men from our church, it has always been a great time of fellowship, worship, and learning. Please check out the link below to learn more (and register if you wish).
2023 Men’s Retreat Covenant Point Bible Camp
7pm Friday, Feb 24 – 10am Sunday, Feb 26
Come for a weekend of fun, fellowship, meaningful conversation, and worship. Invite your friends for the excellent food, good times, and life-giving worship and messages. Recreational opportunities include a broomball tournament, afternoon jam session (bring your own instrument), snowshoeing, cross-country skiing on our groomed trails, sauna and polar bear dip, or games and conversation in the dining hall.
Check-in begins at 7:00 PM on Friday, with our first gathering at 8:00 PM.
MISSIONS FOCUS
Missions Focus
Ministry Partner Update: Glen Ellyn Food Pantry
In its January 23, 2023 newsletter, the Pantry reported that with the increase in grocery prices it is experiencing an especially busy start to the new year and that extra help is needed, due to the surge in need. On one recent day, for example, the Pantry welcomed 17 new families and distributed nearly 500 bags of food, compared with 100 bags of food distributed on many days in the summer of 2020. The Pantry indicated that it has had generous community support and is doing its best to meet the challenges of the current economy.
The “Winter Top Needs” listed in the newsletter last week are jarred pasta sauce, canned tomato sauce/tomato paste, canned beef stew/sloppy joes, coffee/tea, cooking oil, mayonnaise/salad dressing, Club crackers, toothpaste, shampoo/conditioner, and liquid hand soap. The most-needed items on a week-to-week basis are shown on the Pantry’s homepage and Facebook page.
Join in a Ministry Celebration
Looking ahead, we hope you will be able to join us at church Sunday, Feb. 12 in celebrating with Scott and Mary on their 37-year missions ministries. We will provide more information about them in the GE COV newsletter next week and they will share about their ministries on Feb. 12.
Other Items
Information on ongoing needs and opportunities with our missions partners is available from Darren Miller via missions@gecovenant.org and the missions partner websites. Let Darren know if you would like to be added to the distribution list for our partners’ newsletters. The GE COV Prayer Letter, available via Diane Brown, shares how we may pray for our missionaries. Our missionaries and ministry partners are highlighted in the missions display case in the church atrium.