March 2018

First Chronicles
The Newsletter of the First Congregational Church of Evanston UCC

A New Framework
Many of you know that I was a hospital chaplain for Engaging Fully the Season of Lent
over 15 years. After that I studied pastoral theology
and care, taught pastoral care, and then came to First Thursdays, March 1–22, 7:00 p.m.
Congregational Church at a time when the congregation 7:00 p.m., Lenten Study Series, Church House
was healing from a pastor’s difficult departure. This year
I celebrate 30 years as an ordained minister, and I see in Sunday, March 25, 10:00 a.m.
retrospect that my years of ministry focused on healing, 10:00 a.m., Palm Sunday Service, Sanctuary
suffering, struggle, and hoping in the face of despair. At
this time in my career, and in the life of our congrega- Thursday, March 29, 6:30 p.m.
tion, it is time for a new vision—a new framework— 6:30 p.m., Maundy Thursday Service, Chapel
and we have a unique opportunity to shape this vision
together in the context of celebration. Sunday, April 1
Next year—2019—will 10:00 a.m., Easter Sunday Service, Sanctuary
mark the 150th anniversary of 11:30 a.m., Easter Egg Hunt, Memorial Garden
our congregation, so let’s cele- outside Sanctuary
brate! That year is also when I
am expected to take a three-
Other Upcoming Events
month sabbatical leave for
renewal. Anne Trompeter and
Saturday, March 3, 6:00–8:00 p.m.
Beth Babbitt Borst are meeting
Youth Serve Dinner at Hilda’s Place
with you in small-group settings
to talk about your vision for the
Sunday, March 4, 3:00 p.m.
church, how you like to cele-
Robinson Recital (Liebeslieder Waltzes), Sanctuary
brate, and your needs in and
around the life of your church
Sunday, April 22
family. I anticipate that our
Earth Day celebration in worship
visions will all converge into something even grander
than we can imagine individually.
Friday–Sunday, June 22–24
Our Lenten journeys are potentially like this as well.
All-Church Retreat, Tower Hill
This is a time to look at the past through a new lens.
Past regrets can be seen from a new angle as possibilities.
Stumbling blocks may appear more like building blocks.
Times of wilderness might begin to look like oases. The
events do not change, but our perspectives can evolve
and be transformed. The events of Jesus’ life—his heal-
ing, calling, teaching, suffering, praying—take on radi-
cally new meaning in the context of the resurrection.
I pray that this Lenten season will be a time of
re-framing for us all, as we reflect on and envision our
church life together. Daylight Saving Time
Blessings, Rev. Ann begins March 11
March Chancel Choir Anthems
March 4
Carl Schalk, “Christ Be Our Seed”
March 11
Philip Stopford, “Do Not Be Afraid”
Elizabeth Poston, “Jesus Christ, the Apple Tree”
March 18
Carl Mueller, “Create in Me a Clean Heart, O God”
Felix Mendelssohn, “For the Mountains Shall Depart”
(from Elijah)
March 25
G. F. Handel, “Lift Up Your Heads, O Ye Gates” and
“Behold the Lamb of God” (from Messiah)
News and Notes
Thursday Night Lenten Series Continues
The Board of Mission is focusing on the issues of anti-
racism, anti-violence, and housing and serving homeless
people. As part of this focus, the board is presenting
this year’s Lenten Study Series, “From Suffering to
Hope.” The series continues Thursdays at 7:00 p.m.
in the Church House through March 22.
March 1 Book study (Suffering and Salvation in Ciudad
Juarez by Nancy Pineda-Madrid) led by Board of
Mission chair Joseph Roberts
March 8 Speaker from the Church Alliance Against
Sexual Exploitation
March 15 Speaker from the Evanston YWCA on
violence against women
March 22 Series conclusion: Congregational Imperative
Youth Serving Dinner at Hilda’s Place on March 3
On Saturday, March 3, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., youth of
the church will come together to cook and serve dinner
to guests at the Hilda’s Place shelter. We could use your
help and would enjoy your company! Contact spetersen@
firstchurchevanston.org to RSVP.
Robinson Recital: Liebeslieder Waltzes on March 4
Sing Joyfully presents Johannes Brahms’s Liebeslieder
Waltzes, Op. 52 and 65, on the Robinson Recital Series
at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 4. The performance will
feature soprano Lorelei McDermott, alto Kristi French,
tenor Garrett Johannsen, baritone Daniel Robinson,
and pianists Kingsley Day and Roger Stanley. A $10
donation is suggested for admission; a reception follows.
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March 4: Thanks and Blessings for Care Providers
We often forget to say thank you to the people who
work to restore health: the skilled physicians, the nurses,
the CNAs who tend our smallest needs, and the admin-
istrators who smooth the path.
Everyone has been a patient, and we’d like to take
one Sunday to say thank you. On Sunday, March 4, at
10:00 a.m., we will have a Service of Thanks and Bless-
ing for all who work in the medical care field. Please
invite friends, neighbors, and family members who work
as care providers.
This is no Oscar or Grammy recognition; there will
be no designer gowns, just a simple Sunday service, an
hour of our time and some refreshments to follow. We
will hear what scripture has to say about the healing pro-
cess and remember the skill and compassion given to us.
Christ is our model, but guests of any faith are welcome.
The Sunday Forum following worship on March 4
will be led by church member Rev. David Wywialowski,
director of outreach and health ministry for the Night
Ministry in Chicago. The program that David over-
sees—providing health care to homeless individuals
living in encampments—was honored with the 2017
Innovation Award by the Illinois Association of Free
and Charitable Clinics. We hope you will come to learn
more about this vibrant arm of the Night Ministry that
seeks to address part of the complexity of homelessness
in our midst.
Assembly Kits for Connections on March 18
Following worship on Sunday, March 18, all ages are
invited to meet in Fellowship Hall to assemble the
personal-sized items donated by the congregation this
winter into kits that will be distributed by Connections
for the Homeless. We’ll have zip-top bags and all the
supplies; we just need your hands to help sort and stuff.
A perfect service activity for all ages!
Youth: Join the Palm Sunday Procession!
Youth and families are
invited to gather in
the chapel at 9:45 a.m.
on March 25, Palm
Sunday, to process into
the Sanctuary with the
Chancel Choir. We’ll
be waving our palms as
we walk while singing
“All Glory, Laud, and
Honor.” Join us!

Easter Egg Hunt on April 1 at 11:30 a.m.
Children, bring your Easter baskets and join us for our
second annual Easter Egg Hunt in the Memorial Garden
on the south side of the Sanctuary building following
Easter Sunday worship. If you’re able, please bring a
dozen plastic eggs filled with a little surprise (i.e. sticker,
coin, small toy, eraser, candy, etc.) for each egg hunter
in your family. Drop them in the basket in the entry on
your way into the service, and our team will hide them
for you. All middle and high school students who would
like to be on the egg hiding team should join Sarah
Petersen in the Memorial Garden on Lake Street im-
mediately after the service to hide eggs for the younger
children (don’t worry, there are treats for hiders, too!).
Artistic Earth Day Service on April 22
This year we’re plan-
ning an extraordinary,
creative, intergenera-
tional service on
Sunday, April 22, to
celebrate God in the
Earth all around us.
The youth will be act-
ing out the book Old
Turtle, the Family
Choir will sing, and
congregants of all ages
are invited to make
art, play music, and
write prayers that
will be incorporated into the service. If you’d like to
be involved, contact spetersen@firstchurchevanston.org
to join in on the creation!
If it’s broke—let’s fix it!
As staff, members, or friends of the church, we are all
responsible for the upkeep of our beautiful buildings.
If you see something broken or missing (a burned-out
light, for example), please contact Melia Pappas in the
office by phone at 847-864-8332, ext. 22, or by email
at mpappas@firstchurchevanston.org. Be as specific as
possible with your observation. Let’s all collaborate in
being good stewards of our space. Thank you!
Help Wanted
FCCE Safety Monitor
Reports to Senior Minister
Hours: 8:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Sundays
Pay: $50 per Sunday
Requirements: high School diploma, ability to interact
with people from a variety of backgrounds; must be
punctual, dependable, and detail oriented. Must be will-
ing to complete CPR certification training and a back-
ground check.
Description: Assure the security of the Sanctuary build-
ing on Sunday mornings, before, during, and after wor-
ship. Security includes locking and opening doors, wel-
coming visitors and members to the church, directing
others to needed supplies, and setting the alarm.
To apply: Contact Rev. Ann L. Rosewall, arosewall@
firstchurchevanston.org, 847-864-8332 ext. 21
Grant Researcher
Volunteer position. Seeking someone to research grants
for funding various projects at the Church House and
Sanctuary buildings. If you are a grant writer, all the
better! For more information or to volunteer, contact
Rev. Ann.
Save the Date!
June 22–24 All-Church Retreat at Tower Hill
Save room in your summer schedule for a weekend in
the woods and on the shore of Lake Michigan during
our annual All-Church Retreat at Tower Hill Camp and
Retreat Center in Sawyer, Michigan. We’ll be staying in
comfortable conference-style lodging with time for play-
ing, beaching, discussing, walking, relaxing, reflecting,
creating, singing, and more! It’s always a wonderful,
enriching weekend for all ages. If you’re ready to sign
up or want to join the planning team, email Sarah at
spetersen@firstchurchevanston.org.
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Looking in New Ways
Two groups of people help me to look at the world in
new ways: artists and youth. Artists often call attention
to what is special in the world and often point us toward
the unseen or the overlooked. Through color, rhythm,
movement, and imagery, poets of paint, music, dance,
and word highlight their view of the world and can
direct our vision in new ways. Similarly, youth offer us a
fresh perspective on our lives, which may have become
routine, expected, unchanging. Youth can be a bright
light shining on a tiny flower budding, a happy way to
wiggle down the street, a radical solution realized to an
old problem, a vision of the Spirit that makes us pause
and see anew.
At First Congregational we frequently find ways to
join youth and the arts for a double dose of fresh per-
spective on life and the Spirit. In Sunday School each
week we utilize the arts to gain a deeper understanding
of the lectionary lessons and allow children to express
their own connections to God. On a recent Sunday we
learned about the transfiguration of Jesus and spoke
about “peak experiences” or “God moments” in our
own lives: those times when the world suddenly seems
brighter and more connected, and we feel more present
in it all. The children offered a range of beautiful stories
from their own lives and represented them on paper
with
mark-
ers and
sequins.
Five-
year-old
Hailey
shared
a recent
memory
of making
her very
first snow
angel
on a
heavy
snow day.
In her
drawing,
Hailey
gives us
a heaven’s-eye view through the snowflakes of her angel
during the moment of its making. Hailey’s delight and
wonder are palpable in the sequined perspective of her
drawing and the brightness in her face as she displays it.
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Each year we also offer several opportunities for
youth creativity to change the way we worship on
Sunday mornings by including more drama and art. In
the last two years the youth have walked us through the
Passion Week story on Palm Sunday, but we’re trying
a fresh approach this year. As Palm Sunday falls dur-
ing Evanston schools’ spring break, we are shifting our
spring creative service to April 22 in celebration of Earth
Day to allow the most youth to participate. We hope it
becomes a vehicle not only for youth creative expression
but for the whole congregation to participate in celebrat-
ing God, the Earth, and creativity in a new way. The
youth will be dramatizing the picture book Old Turtle
by Douglas Wood. In the weeks leading up to April 22,
we’ll be creating large-scale puppets in Sunday School
and holding forums to involve the congregation in writ-
ing special prayers and liturgy for this service.
All youth are invited to have a role in the presenta-
tion of Old Turtle. Musicians of all kinds are welcome to
join in the making of special sounds and music for the
service. The sidebar lists rehearsals and creative forums
coming up in April. If any adults have a creativity you’d
like to share or are open to looking from a new view,
please contact me to join in creating this special worship
service or come to the forums planned for April. God
sees the world through our eyes; what a gift it is to bor-
row each other’s perspectives and see a little more of the
beauty God notices around and in each other.
For the Beauty of the Earth,
Sarah Petersen, Director of Learning and Outreach
Rehearsals and All-Ages Forums
for Earth Day Service
Sunday, April 8
Sunday School: fitting parts for Old Turtle
11:15 a.m. Forum: “God Is...”
(liturgy and prayer writing)
Sunday, April 15
Sunday School: Old Turtle rehearsal
11:15 a.m. Forum: Making Creation Art
Saturday, April 21
3:00–5:00 p.m. Dress rehearsal in Sanctuary
Sunday, April 22
9:00 a.m. Final dress rehearsal in Sanctuary
10:00 a.m. Artistic Earth Day Service
Award Recipients Honored Welcome to New Members!
At the annual congregational meeting on February 11,
three members received awards. Ashley Scott lives
Man for All Seasons: George Gauthier in Chicago and
George served the church through many works in learning at
seasons in his years on the Board of a consulting com-
Trustees and the Buildings and Grounds pany in Evanston.
Committee. He is available for consulta- She spends her
tions, advice, referrals, troubleshooting, free time exploring
reassurance, and support. Melia Pappas, the city with her
our church administrator, was thrilled that George boyfriend, Robert,
would be honored in this way. He is the first call when playing with his
there is an issue with the roof or other systemic construc- daughter, Hailey, or
tion trouble. George follows the teachings of the book of snuggling with her
James, where we learn that faith without works is dead. pup, Oliver.
Based on the dedicated nature of George’s work among
us, his faith is very much alive. Robert Benirschke
Woman for All Seasons: Thekla Metz lives in Evanston
It is fitting that Thekla is a woman for with his daughter,
all seasons, since she has been integral Hailey, and par-
to implementing the “Seasons of the rot, Apple. They
Spirit” Sunday School curriculum for moved to Evanston
our children for over six years. Through about three years ago when Robert took a job directing
creativity, kindness, a good sense of clinical laboratories for a local hospital system. Robert
humor, and a love for children, Thekla uplifts the work spends most of his free time with his daughter and his
of the Board of Christian Education; supports Sarah Pe- girlfriend, Ashley, but also enjoys working around the
tersen, our director of learning and outreach; and helps house, traveling, and reading.
the numbers of engaged children and youth continue
to grow. Having been a confirmation class teacher and a Candy Heaphy is new to
pageant leader, Thekla is now ready to dive into an Earth Evanston, moving back to
Day pageant in April. In the coming seasons, Thekla will Illinois to be near one of
serve on the Board of Trustees. We are thankful for her her two daughters and three
presence and service to God in the church. grandchildren. Over the
Pilgrim Award: Mark Daniels years, she has served in the
Mark has been so much more than Peace Corps, done a lot of
church moderator for the last two photography and quilting,
years. He provides a voice of calm and and worked at a college in
is a cheerleader for new projects, such the continuing education
as hosting Crop Walk and overnight department. Here she’s
shelter and supporting exploration of elevators in our looking forward to making
buildings. As a champion of human resources, Mark connections with like-
leads us in ways of evaluating, supporting, and showing minded people and finding
appreciation to the church staff. He is a presence of sup- meaningful activities.
port for your senior minister, offering a listening ear, a
reminder of hope, and perspective. With former mod- Debbie Mansen is married to longtime First Congrega-
erator Nancy Anderson, Mark took on the stewardship tional member David Mansen. She grew up in Evanston
campaign for 2018—one more indication of willingness and attended First Presbyterian Church. After many
to step up in any way to further the work of our church. changes in life, she returned to Evanston and is very
In sum, Mark is an exemplar of Christian values: faith, excited to join and serve in the fellowship here. Debbie
hope, and love. will be serving as a deacon this year.

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 Happy Birthday to everyone cele­brating
a birthday in March! Birthdays are
acknowledged at the Second Saturday
Brunch (second Saturday of each month).

Michaela DeStefano Caden Krei

Henry Doyle Haven Krei
Julia Doyle Charlotte Lillquist
Gabriel Fredrickson Tom Lindsey
Robert Gaskill Barbara B. Meyer
Margot Goode Matthew Munro
Gary Hardesty Jane Omundson
Candace Heaphy Harrison Stamell
Craig Johnson