11-08-05

For what do you give thanks? Do you give thanks for friends, for family, for health, for spiritual well-being? Do you give thanks for breath, for life, for an opportunity to serve? Do you give thanks for the little things in life? It seems that we are reminded by many that it is the little things in life which make the greatest difference.

How would it impact your life if you considered that God in Christ gives thanks for you?

With Thanksgiving approaching, we can look forward to turkey with all the trimmings. I wish that I could say that we look forward to Lions' football, but that is probably better left unsaid. Anyway, the tradition from which I hail celebrates the best of high school football on Thanksgiving morning. That is the day upon which all the greatNew England schoolboy rivalry games are played.

Commitment to our greater community, involvement with our city and its future, is something to which we are all called.

I invite you to join us for our ecumenical Thanksgiving Eve Service which will be held on Wednesday, November 23, at 7:00 pm. The Rev. Honorable George Heartwell will be our preacher.

The service is sponsored by the North End Pastors Association which includes: St. Andrew's Episcopal, Northlawn United Methodist, Faith Lutheran, North Park

Also, I should like to invite you to join us for our Wednesday evening programs in the month of November. On November 16, our speaker will be the Reverend Dr. Bruce Roller, who serves as the Executive Director of the United Church Outreach Ministry (UCOM). And on November 30, we will have the pleasure of hearing from Mayor Heartwell again when he leads us in our Advent study.

There is much to do and many ways in which to grow spiritually at Second Church. For what do you give thanks?

We are now serving Fair Trade coffee. Some may ask what Fair Trade coffee is. It is coffee that is purchased directly from the farmer in coffee producing countries and skips the many middle-men. It is like the Co-op system in the states. Farmers pool their resources to form a cooperative and sell their coffee directly to international buyers without relying on middlemen. This way they receive a fair price that covers the cost of production and guarantees them a living wage for their labors.

When I was in Honduras with the medical team, I would encounter the children of coffee farmers. Often they had diseases that were easily treatable, but they could not purchase the medicine because their income only provided for the absolute essentials. I remember one set of twins. One twin was healthy, but the second was dying. I found out that the woman was malnourished and that she could produce only enough milk for one child. The second child she fed rice water. It obviously was not sufficient to meet the nutritional needs of the child. By purchasing Fair Trade coffee, we are helping the families of coffee farmers from having to make such decisions. When you are here at church, enjoy a great cup of coffee, and know that we are helping poor farmers in third world countries.

MEMORIALS?Gifts toward the General Fund in memory of Wilma Baker were received from Clayton and Florence Nelson and David and Nancy Cotton. A gift from Evelyn Lewis in memory of Avis Elenbaas has been given to Mending God's House.

� Men at Work: Meet for breakfast and fellowship on November 16 at 7:00 am at the Cheshire Restaurant.

� Women's Bible Study: Meets on Tuesday mornings at 9:30 am in the Drawing Room.

� The Reverend Gary Davis: "Getting Acquainted with the Bible": Meets on Sundays at 10:10am in the Chapel.

� Pastors' Book Picks: The Good Book: Reading the Bible with Mind and Heart, Peter Gomes; Jesus Through the Centuries: His Place in the History of Culture, Jaroslav Pelikan.

The Reverend Peter J Gomes was born in Boston, MA in 1942. He is an ordained American Baptist minister. Since 1974, the Reverend Mr. Gomes has served as the Plummer Professor of Christian Morals and Pusey Minister in the Memorial Church at Harvard University. Among his many accolades, it should be noted that Mr. Gomes is the pastor who offered the invocation for President Reagan at one of his inaugural ceremonies and President Bush (the elder) at his inaugural ceremony. In addition to the Good Book, Mr. Gomes has authored a number of other works. His Strength for the Journey: Biblical Wisdom for Daily Living is a splendid collection of some of his best sermons.

Dr. Jaroslav Pelikan is Sterling Professor of History Emeritus at Yale University. He is the author of more than thirty books on Church history and tradition. His works are known for their academic rigor and critical insights. Jesus Through the Centuries, one of his most widely read books, is a fascinating study in how the figure of Jesus of Nazareth has influenced the development of culture in the West over the last two thousand years. Dr. Pelikan's other works include: The Christian Tradition, Mary Through the Centuries, and Credo.

Many demands are placed on office staff, including items to be copied, mailed, notices in the Sunday bulletin and the weekly Advance. These things require advance planning from the members and committees. If you have items, please adhere to the following schedule.

The staff works very hard to accommodate the needs of the Church and its membership, but it is a team effort. Please do your share.

RESPONDING TO GOD'S LOVE

Sitting in the choir looking at the children gathered for the children's sermon, I thought of how God's love is evident in our church. These precious children are "ours" for awhile. We must do something to keep them and their families active in our Church.

It seems so many young Confirmands drop out after confirmation. Where do they go? (1) To other churches with active and vital youth programs, or (2) stay at home because there is no program for them at our Church.

Our own three children were fortunate in having a minister and an adult volunteer to lead the youth program. All three of them, as adults, have stayed active and taken leadership roles in their respective churches. One of our daughters has said her experience with the youth program here at Second was the basis for her choosing to go into

ministry.

We are in great need for a person to lead our youth program. We have wonderful volunteers, but they need a leader.

I don't know the answer, but I believe this Church has always pulled together and come forth with resources (money) when needed. This is a time of need for a youth minister/director. Please prayerfully respond to God's love.

Laura Van Skiver

EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBER: (616) 308-3757 Outside normal business hours (Monday-Friday, 8:30am- 4:00 pm), please call the phone number listed above in case of a pastoral emergency. One of the pastors will always have the phone.

November 6, 2005

GENERAL FUND 2005 BUDGET $453,111

Income Expected: $392,130

As of last Sunday: Income Actual: $357,048

Over/(Deficit): ($ 35,082)

Income needed Sunday: $ 8,714

Income received: $ 8,843

Mending God's House note balance as of October $197,091

Monies received this month: $ 2,094

Funds available for pay down: $ 21,828

Meijer Community Rewards*

October: $232 Year to Date: $ 2,189

*If you are not participating in this easy-to-use program, call the church office to learn how you can help!

Attendance on November 6: 9:00 - 37 ; 11:00 - 172

ALL CHURCH ADVENT PARTY!

The youth group will be sponsoring an all-church Advent party on November 20 from 12:00 to 2:00 p.m. Everyone is invited to attend! We will have lunch starting at 12:00, several craft and game stations and end with an Advent story and carols. There will be no cost, but we will be accepting free-will donations. There will be a sign up sheet located outside the drawing room, starting on November 6. Please be sure to sign up, so we have an idea of how many people will be attending. This will be a fun afternoon for everyone, so we hope to see you there!!! If you have any questions, please call Kirk and Gilda Sorenson at 361-0656.

All Youth are needed to help out at the Advent party on November 20. You will be helping to serve food, assisting with crafts and games and cleaning up. Please make sure you are downstairs IMMEDIATELY following the second service to help with food. This is an event sponsored by the youth, so you NEED TO BE THEREJ Any questions, let us know! Kirk & Gilda Sorenson

RECYCLING AGAIN!!! Thanks to Dave Francisco and Joel Vander Zee, Second's office will be in the recycling business again. Joel gently urged us to look into recycling again, and Dave was nice enough to call the City and pick up the bins for us. Currently, we will be recycling only paper and cardboard. The blue recycling wastebaskets with the recycling logo are located in the Church Offices and in the print room. PLEASE, DO NOT

THROW ANY TRASH IN THESE BASKETS. The secretaries have offered to sort, bundle and put the bins out on the proper days and they do not want to have to sort through

"icky" food cartons, drink cans, food, etc. Thank you for helping us help our county with this important matter!!!

REACHING OUT?

with the Outreach Board

FOOD PANTRIES?We will be taking our food donations to Smith Church next week. They can use a wide variety of food, especially for babies, such as Similac. Keep your eyes pealed for sale items and your hearts open for the pantries. Thank you!

LOOSE CHANGE?As of Sunday, October 30, our loose change fund has $16.85. We reached our $500.00 goal and will be sending a check to Senior Meals this week. Thank you!

HEIFER INTERNATIONAL

WOW! Did you take the time to read the bulletin board yet? Heifer believes that global problems can be solved if all people are committed to sharing what they have and caring about others.

The Christian Outreach Board's Christmas project this year is the Heifer Ark of animals. We are talking about the gift that keeps on giving in the form of animals. To fill the ark, a total of $5,000.00 is needed, and that is our goal. Starting on November 27, we will be collecting monies to purchase cows, pigs, goats, bees, trees and llamas to help fight world hunger. Please think about how you might give this year.

REMEMBER?our blood drive on Monday, November 28, at Northlawn United Methodist Church. Last drive, we had 2 donors from our church.

KINDERGARTEN - 2^ND GRADE v from 6:30 to 7:30 will have music and age appropriate activities.

ENTERTAINMENT 2006 BOOKS: The promotion for the Entertainment 2006 Book is beginning to wind down and will finish at the end of the month. Please plan to get Yours truly, NOW. They will be on sale (still only $35.00) this Sunday morning outside the Drawing Room.

This summer, the Diaconate Board implemented a program for making video recordings of Sunday worship service available to anyone, anywhere. Each Sunday we will video record a service and then DVDs will be mailed from the Church Office to people unable to attend services. Please help the Church Office keep aware of people who would benefit from this program of worship at home. Copies will also be available from the library, and our Church historians will keep one as well.

Now, we need a few volunteers to operate the video camera at a service each Sunday. Having a handful of responsible people would mean that no one has to be on duty every week. You get to do your best Steven Spielberg imitation (no special effects! - we're limited to zooming and panning) with professional equipment. If you'd like to participate in this unique ministry, please see Mark Pearson, or call me at 485-5063.

UPCOMING EVENTS AT

PILGRIM MANOR RETIREMENT COMMUNITY

December 5 @ 7:00 pm

?Good Medicine' Band

December 13 @ Noon

Faith Ambassador Lunch

(RSVP by 12/6/05)

December 24 @ 2:00 pm

Christmas Eve Party and Service

January, 2006

Senior Living Seminars

(More Information Coming)

2000 Leonard St (616) 458-1133

APPOINTMENTS OF THE WEEK

NOVEMBER 13 - NOVEMBER 19

Sunday, November 13

Tuesday, November 15

Friday, November 18

No Appointments Scheduled

Saturday, November 19