“A Community of Faith, Family and Friends”
Pastor: Rev. Christopher Druce Jones
“O love that wilt not let me go, I rest my
weary soul in thee. I give thee back the life I owe that in thine ocean depths
its flow may richer, fuller be.
O light that followest all my way, I yield my flickering torch to
thee; my heart restores its borrowed ray, that in thy sunshine blaze its day
may brighter, fairer by.
O joy that seekest me through pain, I cannot close my heart to thee. I trace the rainbow thru the rain, and feel the promise is not vain, that morn shall tearless be.”
The Bouncing Betty was the worst kind of land mine in the Vietnam War. It was loaded with a spring so when you stepped on it, it flew into the air, about waist high, then exploded. It was designed to blow people apart and to strike terror in the hearts of young soldiers.
The plan worked on Craig Morrison. He was on patrol one day with five other guys and this little Vietnamese guy who was supposed to be their guide. They had been out about three hours, walking quietly through the bush, just looking and listening and trying not to get shot. Then they came to a clearing, maybe a hundred feet across. The situation had, “Bouncing Betty” written all over it. And Craig just knew snipers were hiding in the jungle through the other side, waiting for him and his buddies to step into that clearing. But the bush was too thick to go around the clearing, so they had no choice but to go through.
The Vietnamese guide signaled for quiet and pointed to his feet; then spread his fingers on both hands. “Stay quiet,” he whispered. “Follow me. Place your feet where I place mine. Stay ten yards behind the guy in front of you.” Craig had never been so scared in his life. The guide went ten yards out into the clearing and then motioned for Craig to follow. He did so very slowly despite his fears. He managed to keep putting his feet in the impressions left by the guide. He kept his head down, waiting for a sniper’s bullet to send him to the ground.
And then it was over. He took a deep breath and realized he had made it across. Shaking violently, he looked up and saw the little Vietnamese guy smiling at him. It was nice to have someone whose steps you could walk.
Many of us have had these scary moments of walking through the bush toward the clearing trying to follow someone else’s footsteps. Some of those impressions left by others were clear and others were not so clear. Yet we had to journey in order to get across. It is true that every day of our lives is a journey; some days are bright and sunny while others are filled with many a storm.
However, as people of faith, we have to keep journeying in order to get across to where God wants and needs us to be. And yes, sometimes we will feel the pricks of thorns, get scraped and scratched, and maybe even a cut or two. But we have to keep journeying as scary as it might be.
I am convinced though, we can only
get across; to that place by holding God’s hand. That means we have to
literally open our hands and place them into God’s hands and journey together
side by side. Holding God’s hands is never easy, but we can trust that God will
never let us go. Once we do this, I believe we will experience the words that
George Matheson penned in 1882: “O love
that wilt not let me go; I rest my weary soul in thee. I give thee back the
life I owe, that in thine ocean depths its flow may richer, fuller be.”
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Chris
A
Request for Prayer
Dear Members and friends of
LVUMC:
Greetings in the name of the
Risen Savior! I write this letter to ask for your prayers in conjunction with the
information I shared during the celebrations and concerns time in worship on
Sunday, April 15th.
After prayerful
consideration, I have requested from the Bishop to take a leave of absence. As
many of you know over the past two years I have experienced significant deaths
within my family and friend relationships. I have lost four close family
members and 2 close friends. And as I write this letter, my family has
experienced yet another loss of a young family member this past week.
I admit to you that the grief
and loss experienced has taken a toll on my heart and soul. My heart is broken
and aching and my soul is wounded. And I need time to heal in such a way that I
can be the most effective pastor God has called me to be. I feel and believe
taking a leave of absence to care for self will facilitate the time and space
needed for such needed healing.
I have come to learn over
these past two years that grief is not linear, nor is grief predictable. There
are peaks and valleys at different and sometimes odd moments in life. I have
also come to understand that grief brings up suppressed or unresolved hurts and
pains in a person’s life. It is through this leave taking that I will address
the grief, hurt and pain, and journey toward wholeness.
I therefore, ask for your
prayers for me and my family (immediate and extended) as all of us journey
toward healing and wholeness. While I will be leaving in June, it will not be
to another appointment. The Bishop has extended my time here at
I have been very appreciative
of your love and support to me and my family during our appointment here at
With sincere appreciation and
care,
Pastor Chris
H I L D R E N’
S
Thanks
to all the Angels who helped with the Easter party!
Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior ~ for without you there would be no party
The Gonsowski family, the Cribb family, the Reinarts family, Bob Churchill, Denise Voracek, Lafayette Withrow and Mark Keeney ~ for bathing the party in prayer
The
children ~ for coming and allowing us to share the gospel with you
Pastor Chris ~ wise counsel, prayers and storytelling
Voracek family ~ donation of the balloons, juice boxes and for
volunteering for the whole day
Kim Murphy ~ donations of hot dogs, hot dog buns, chips and candy
Lil Gofron ~ donations of chips, candy and plastic eggs
Connie Ross ~ donation of chips and candy
Becky Koman ~ donations of plastic eggs, candy, hot dogs and hot dog buns
Shelley Fess ~ donation of juice boxes, candy and volunteering at a craft table
Youth Group ~ for coming in early the morning of the party to fill the eggs with candy and then hide the eggs Gonsowski Family ~ donation of juice boxes
Kelsey Gonsowski & her friend ~ volunteering as a photographer and working at the craft tables
Arlene Loncsar ~ wise counsel and help with getting the information for the party in the Herald
Kelly Beall ~ donation of plastic eggs and volunteering at a craft table
Kelly Beall’s mother-in-law ~ volunteering at a craft table
Reinarts Family ~ donation of the crafts and volunteering your time to coordinate the party
Erin Poliakon ~ volunteering as a photographer and donation of chips
Lynn & Ted Cobb ~ organizing the egg filling event, donations of hot dogs, hot dog buns and candy
Robin Kolec ~ donation of chips, juice boxes and candy
Marie Rolec ~ donation of chips and candy
Sue Cribb ~ donations of juice boxes and drink mix
Kristin Barr ~ donations of juice boxes, candy and plastic eggs
Dan Reinarts ~ running to Gurnee to pick up the balloons
Peggy Styx ~ donation of juice boxes and candy
Julie Lemke ~ donation of juice boxes
Connie Olker ~ donation of hot dogs
Sharon Dewar ~ donations of hot dogs, hot dog buns and volunteering at the party
Jesse Lyons ~ donations of candy and plastic eggs
Herman and Dorothy Heitman ~ donation of chips
Carolyn Keller ~ donations of plastic eggs and candy
John Vancrey ~ organizing the youth group egg filling event, volunteering as a photographer and volunteering where ever needed at the party
Jan Park ~ volunteering in the kitchen fixing the lunch
Mark Keeney ~ volunteering in the kitchen fixing the lunch and volunteering where ever needed at the party
The Vancrey Family ~ for staying and pitching in where ever I needed you the day of the party
Olga Lindahl ~ donation of candy and eggs
Mary Ann Thomas ~ donation of candy and eggs
Barbara Gaylord ~ donation of plastic eggs
Donna Rosenburg ~ donation of candy and eggs
Connie Morton ~ monetary donation and volunteering the day of the party
Communication Team ~ for putting together a flyer of our Holy Week events
Everyone else who contributed in some way ~ THANK YOU!
The 4th annual Easter Party was a huge success! We were able to share the gospel messages of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection with 18 children and their families. All of this was made possible by the angels among us!
|
D A T E/T I M E |
E V E N T |
S P E C I A L N O T E S |
|
|
|
|
