Archive June 14 2020 _September 6 2020

September 6, 2020:

Welcome back to “What’s Happening”, and welcome to September!

While the weather outside was gray and drizzly, wasn’t the fall décor inside the sanctuary festive today? Big thanks to Donna Windberg and Judy Fash for the time spent decorating. A+

Today Children’s Pastor Miriam Sandoval continued the sermon series, “Armor of God“, with a message called “But God” from Ephesians 6:19-20. Our songs were “Power in the Blood/Are You Washed in the Blood”, “Holy Spirit You Are Welcome Here”, and a new hit from Christian radio, “Raise a Hallelujah”. Those lyrics were particularly appropriate in this time of social unrest. You can go to the main menu and click WATCH on Sunday evening to view our preaching service and past messages.

Thanks to everybody who brought nonperishables to share with our local food pantry! We appreciate the guys with muscles who did the loading after church. The Lees can give you more information about this community outreach ministry.

CHANGE OF PLANS: Because of dropping water temperatures, the baptism scheduled at the Griffords’ pool has been moved BACK TO THE CHURCH immediately after service NEXT SUNDAY. If you want to be included, speak up NOW so pastors can answer any questions before it is time to step into the tank. Remember to bring your towel, modest baptizing attire, and a dry change of clothing!

Graybars Project will host an appreciation meal for those who have supported our prison outreach by volunteering or donating this past year. Oct. 11 after service we will have lunch here at the church followed by a guest speaker who was a recipient of our group signed cards when he was incarcerated. Seating is limited, so sign up at the Connection Table.

If you have extra homegrown herbs, fruits, or veggies, we invite you to leave them on the hospitality table each week so that none go to waste. Leave what you can and take what you need. Thanks to the people who brought tomatoes and peppers to share today. (If you have empty egg cartons, how about sharing a few with Jan Golden who was kind enough to bring us fresh eggs again today.)

Have you reached out to check on our members who are still self-quarantining? We don’t want even one person to feel forgotten or alone during this pandemic. Directories are available on the Connection Table if you would like to call or send an encouragement card to friends you notice are missing. Those postcards are found under each seat. Fill one out, drop in the offering box on the Connection Table, and we will mail it for you.

Offering envelopes are found under each seat. Volunteers stay after service to do the financial bookkeeping, so please try to drop yours in the box on the Connection Table as quickly after service as possible so they can record a total and get home in a timely fashion. You can also use PayPal or mail your check. Thank you, faithful supporters! Because of you, we have been able to pay all the church bills on time!

Pastor Billy’s Book of Acts online study has included viewers from many states and multiple countries and has been averaging 300-400 participants each week! How exciting and wonderful is THAT? You are invited to tune in Tuesdays 6:30-7:30 pm on Pastor’s Face Book page!

Happy Birthday to Robbie Fosen! (Let us know if you have special news, birthdays, anniversaries, or achievements in your family, and they will appear here. We don’t want to miss anybody!)

Enjoy your Labor Day weekend! A tip of the cap to all the working people in America who are holding down the fort. Thank you for doing what you do! Take a breather on Monday and get some rest because Tuesday cometh. See you right back here on this page next Sunday afternoon!

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August 30, 2020:

Welcome back to “What’s Happening”!

Today was Communion Sunday, and we appreciate the blessing of being able to gather to fellowship, worship, praise, and refill our tanks to spiritually suit up for the week to come. Churchwide monthly prayer meeting was held after service for those who wished to stay.

Today Pastor Bob Smith continued the sermon series, “Armor of God“, with a message called “Prayer –Weapon of Our Warfare” from Ephesians 6:14-18. Our songs were “What A Friend We Have In Jesus”, “Nothing But the Blood”, and “Open Up the Heavens”. You can go to the main menu and click WATCH on Sunday evening to view our preaching service and past messages.

Pastor Billy’s Book of Acts online study has included viewers from many states and multiple countries, and has been averaging 300-400 participants each week! How exciting and wonderful is THAT? Everybody was disappointed this past week when technical difficulties that couldn’t be remedied in time forced a cancellation. Check back Tuesday 6:30-7:30 pm on Pastor’s Face Book page for a re-do of the lesson! Sorry about that, folks. It was just a burr under the saddle!

Special Ops Prayer Meeting was Friday evening with near a dozen attending. Thanks to all who came out to pray for the unrest of our nation and for the needs of our people. Pastor Bob can give you more info about this monthly gathering.

If you wish to be baptized, sign up on the clipboard on the Connection Table to be included in our September 13 event which will be held in the Grifford’s pool in Manhattan about 5 minutes from the church!

It is vitally important that we keep this ministry up and running even while several families are still worshipping with us from in front of their computer screens. Offering envelopes are once again found under each seat. Volunteers stay after service to do the financial bookkeeping, so please try to drop yours in the box as quickly after service as possible so they can finish and get home in a timely fashion. You can also use PayPal or mail your check. Thank you, faithful supporters! You are so appreciated!

Sharing is fun! If you have extra homegrown herbs, fruits, or veggies, we invite you to leave them on the hospitality table each week so that none go to waste. Leave what you can and take what you need. Thanks to the people who brought the cukes, tomatoes, and herbs to share. (If you have empty egg cartons, how about sharing a few with Jan Golden who was kind enough to bring us fresh eggs again today.)

Happy 3rd Birthday to Scarlett Hippenhammer! She is now officially a THREENAGER! (Let us know if you have special news, birthdays, anniversaries, or achievements in your family, and they will appear here. We don’t want to miss anybody!)

Have you reached out to check on those who have still not returned for public worship? We don’t want even one to fall through the cracks during this pandemic. Directories are available on the Connection Table if you would like to call or send a card to friends you notice are missing. It’s important to remind folks even though they are out of sight, they are not out of mind. Remember the Encouragement Cards under your seat! Fill one out and drop in the offering box, and we will mail it for you.

See you right back here on this page next Sunday afternoon! Remember to bring with you your non-perishable food items to bless the local food pantry. Have a blessed week!

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August 23, 2020:

Welcome back to “What’s Happening”!

Today was the first Sunday we all could gather for one service since the mandatory shut down in March and the reopening in June when we began two services. It was wonderful to see each other again even if it had to be from a distance! Thank you for wearing your masks and using the hand sanitizer to protect each other. Special thanks to Cynthia Petersen for disinfecting the seats before each service! We appreciate Pastor Billy respacing the chairs to help us keep a safe distance.

Humongous thanks to each of you who stepped up and served when we needed all hands on deck during this most unusual coronavirus season. God loves willing people who see a need and fill it without having to be begged to step up to keep the ministry rolling along. High respect and much appreciation! (We still have a vacancy for a person to flash the lyrics on the wall during singing! Just sayin’.)

Today Pastor Billy continued the sermon series, “Armor of God“, with a message from Ephesians 6:14-17. Our songs were “Eye of the Storm”, “Trading My Sorrows”, “Mighty to Save”, and “The Solid Rock”. You can go to the main menu and click WATCH on Sunday evening to view our preaching service and past messages.

Pastor Billy’s Book of Acts online study included viewers from twelve states and three countries this week, and he’s been averaging 300-400 participants each week! A police officer and his wife from Washington actually got saved during the lesson Tuesday! How exciting and wonderful is THAT? Check it out Tuesdays 6:30-7:30 pm on Pastor’s Face Book page!

Special Ops Prayer Meeting will be at the church on Friday, August 28, 6:30-8:30 pm. Drop in or stay for the entirety. This is specifically intercessory prayer for our nation and to do spiritual warfare against Satan’s forces coming against this country. Pastor Bob can answer any questions for this event.

We offer a blessing on each student, school employee, and parent who is trying to muddle through starting classes in person, online learning, homeschooling, and juggling finances, work, and homelife at the same time. We know it is not easy. Prayers for patience, energy, and wisdom as you kick off the new school year!

Our baptizing planned for March had to be postponed when we were forced to quarantine. If you wish to be baptized, speak with anybody on the pastoral staff and sign up on the clipboard on the Connection Table to be included in our September 13 event which will be held in the Grifford’s pool in Manhattan about 5 minutes from the church!

It is vitally important that we keep this ministry up and running even while several families are still worshipping with us from in front of their computer screens. Offering envelopes that were previously kept under each seat can now be found beside the lighted giving boxes on the Connection Table or under your chair. You can also use PayPal or mail your check. Thank you, faithful supporters! You are so appreciated!

Sharing is fun! If you have extra homegrown herbs, fruits, or veggies, we invite you to leave them on the hospitality table each week so that none go to waste. Leave what you can and take what you need. Thanks again to Diane Neakarse for sharing her homegrown tomatoes today! (If you have empty egg cartons, how about sharing a few with Jan Golden who was kind enough to bring us fresh eggs last week.)

Happy Birthday to Rita Brown today! Happy 28th anniversary to John and Carrie Grafrath! Happy Birthday to Chris Portwood on the 25th! Congratulations to Madison DesLaurier who landed a new job as Information Service Clerk at Streator Public Library! Get well wishes are going out to Nick Golden who has had a rough week! (Let us know if you have special news, birthdays, anniversaries, or achievements in your family, and they will appear here. We don’t want to miss anybody!)

Remember that end of the month churchwide prayer meeting will be after service next week. See you right back here on this page next Sunday! Thanks for stopping by!

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August 16, 2020:

Welcome back to “What’s Happening”! After that monster rare windstorm that blew through Monday, we are so very thankful we are all accounted for. Some sustained far more property damage than others, and several of us were without power during most of this week. THANK YOU to all who checked on and aided those in need from our church and community! We ARE and WERE our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers!

Today Pastor Billy stepped aside while Pastor Julian continued the sermon series, “Armor of God“. He titled the message “Suit Up! “with text from Ephesians 6:14-15. Our songs were “Today is the Day”, “Revelation Song”, and “Lord, I Need You.” You can go to the main menu and click WATCH on Sunday evening to view our preaching service and past messages.

Member picture directories that were not distributed in March because of the shut down are now available at the Connection Table. Please take only one per family.

It is vitally important that we keep this ministry up and running even while several families are still worshipping with us from in front of their computer screens. Offering envelopes that were previously kept under each seat can be found beside the new lighted giving boxes also on the Connection Table. You can also use PayPal or mail your check. Thank you, faithful supporters! You are so appreciated!

Book of Acts online study lasts near an hour and can be found on Pastor’s Face Book page at 6:30 pm each Tuesday. No sign-up is required. Last week over 400 tuned in, so check it out if you haven't already!

Special Ops Prayer Meeting will be at the church on Friday, August 28, 6:30 pm. Drop in or stay for the entirety. This is specifically intercessory prayer to do spiritual warfare against Satan’s forces coming against this country. Pastor Bob can answer any questions for this event.

Today we thank Diane Neakarse for the tomatoes, Jan Golden for dozens of farm fresh eggs, and the nice mystery person who left tomatoes and peppers to share. If you have extra homegrown herbs, fruits, or veggies, we invite you to wash them and leave them on the hospitality table each week so that none go to waste. Leave what you can, and take what you need.

Happy Birthday to Oscar Hammerberg! Very best wishes going out to Kathy Felchlin, leader of our Senior Ministries, who celebrates on Monday! Happy Birthday to Rita Brown next Sunday! It was great to see Jessica Chicke come through the door months after her knee surgery!

We continue to repeat visitors who are worshipping with us while their own churches are still only online. That has been the silver lining behind this dark Covid cloud. August 23, NEXT SUNDAY, we will return to our usual ONE 10:00 am service. Thank you to all who have pitched in and served to make the two services possible this summer!

Some of you really stepped up and pulled double duty since March to keep the church running smoothly, and that is hugely respected and appreciated! Special thanks to the band and the tech team for rolling out of bed and coming in at 6:45 a.m. for rehearsals and playing for both services since our re-opening. They also drove in at night each week to tape the song service for viewers to watch during shut down so we all could stay connected. A catfish/hotdog thank-you lunch was held for these teams after church today.

Ministers and church staff enjoyed their annual appreciation meal Thursday at Hamada Japanese Restaurant in Tinley Park. We thank these ladies and gentlemen for their dedication to this church body.

We are trying hard to keep this flock healthy. As our elderly and more medically fragile brothers and sisters trickle back to church we respectfully ask that EVERY person don a mask that covers both mouth and nose while entering/exiting or mingling inside the church. Once seated safely at a distance from those you do not ride with or live with, the masks are encouraged, but are not mandatory. If you forget yours, there are paper masks found by the hand sanitizer by the hallway door.

Have a blessed week, and please make an effort to check on those who have still not yet returned for public worship. Thank you for all you do to help out around here. We hope to see you back at church next Sunday at 10 a.m.! We are excited and hope you are, too!

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August 9, 2020:

Welcome back to “What’s Happening”! Thanks for taking a couple minutes to read what is going on here this week.

Today Pastor Billy continued his new sermon series, “Armor of God“, and delivered this morning’s message called “Stand“. Text was from Ephesians 6:12-13. Our songs were “Sweet By and By”, “Always”, and “The Stand.” You can go to the main menu and click WATCH on Sunday evening to view our preaching service and past messages.

Member picture directories that were not distributed in March because of the shut down are now available at the Connection Table. Please take only one per family. Offering envelopes that were previously kept under each seat can be found beside the new giving boxes also on the Connection Table. The boxes are lit up so you can’t miss them. Thank you for remembering your church’s financial needs during our season of re-opening!

Our baptizing planned for March had to be postponed when we were forced to quarantine. If you wish to be baptized, speak with anybody on the pastoral staff to be included in our September 13 event which will be held in the Grifford’s pool in Manhattan about 5 minutes from the church!

Book of Acts online study lasts near an hour and can be found on Pastor’s Face Book page at 6:30 pm each Tuesday. No sign-up is required. Hundreds have tuned in across the country. Check it out!

If you have extra homegrown herbs, fruits or veggies, we invite you to wash them and leave them on the hospitality table each week so that none go to waste. Leave what you can and take what you need. Today we thank Diane Neakarse for the fresh tomatoes!

Happy Birthday to Judy Fash on Thursday! She is the good soul responsible for all the flowers and plants you see inside and out! Today is Carrie Grafrath's birthday!

We have been offering 8:30 and 10:00 services since re-opening. August 23 we will return to ONE 10:00 am service. We are excited to welcome repeat visitors who are worshipping with us while their own churches are still closed.

We ask that you be mindful of our more medically fragile brothers and sisters who are coming back to church. We discourage handshakes and hugs at this time as we are trying hard to keep this flock healthy. We respectfully ask that EVERY person wear a mask while entering/exiting or mingling inside the church. Once seated safely at a distance from those you do not ride with or live with, the masks are encouraged, but are not mandatory.

Have a blessed week, and please make an effort to check on those who have still not yet returned for public worship and remind them they are missed and loved. Thank you for all you do to help out around here. We hope to see you back at church next Sunday!

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August 2, 2020:

Welcome back to “What’s Happening”! Friends, we’ve done another week together, and here’s the wrap up…

Today Pastor Billy began his new sermon series, “Armor of God“, and delivered this morning’s message called “This is War“. Text was from Ephesians 6:10-12. Our songs were “Your Grace Is Enough”, “Break Every Chain”, and “All My Hope Is In Jesus.” (The extended version of that last song has been watched hundreds of times on a Face Book video if you care to view.) You can go to the main menu and click WATCH on Sunday evening to view our preaching service and past messages.

After four months of quarantine, we are finally able to resume collecting for the local food pantry. Thank you to all who brought non-perishables today to share with families in our community who need a hand up during this national rough patch. Durk and Linda Lee can give you information about this ministry if you want to learn more.

“Special Ops Tactical Prayer Night” (doing warfare with the enemy) was held here Friday evening. This was a call to pray for our church, our community, our nation and leaders. Thanks to the Smith for overseeing this, and thanks to those who came to pray.

We NEED some of you with basic computer skills to step up and help us at the tech table to put lyrics on the wall. You will be well trained, and it is not difficult. There are enough tech savvy members in this church to be able to take a turn now and again. Please get in touch ASAP if you are willing to fill this need.

Our baptizing planned for March had to be postponed when we were forced to quarantine. If you wish to be baptized, speak with anybody on the pastoral staff to be included in our next baptizing which will be held in the Grifford’s pool in Manhattan!

Book of Acts online study lasts near an hour and can be found on Pastor’s Face Book page at 6:30 pm each Tuesday. No sign-up is required. Check it out!

If you have extra homegrown herbs, fruits or veggies, we invite you to wash them and leave them on the hospitality table each week so that none go to waste. Leave what you can and take what you need.

Happy Birthday to Deacon Blaine Petersen on the 8th! Phyllis Grifford celebrates Tuesday in Florida! Carrie Grafrath up in New York celebrates next Sunday!

Congratulations to Freda Wolfenden who welcomed great granddaughter, Liliana (Lily) to the world this past week!

We are sending a shout out to Elena Sandoval who spent time in the hospital this week. We miss her and send love and healing prayers while she recuperates at home.

We are temporarily offering 8:30 and 10:00 services to assure we have room to social distance, so choose a time that suits you, and come back to church! We are excited to welcome repeat visitors who are worshipping with us while their own churches are still closed.

We ask that you be mindful of our elderly and more medically fragile brothers and sisters who are coming back to church. We encourage waves, elbow bumps and smiles vs handshakes and hugs as we are trying hard to keep this flock healthy. We respectfully ask that EVERY person a mask while entering/exiting or mingling inside the church. Once seated safely at a distance from those you do not ride with or live with, the masks are encouraged, but are not mandatory. If you forget yours, there are free paper masks found at the desk by the hallway door. Note the hand sanitizer at various locations in the building. Be smart and be safe.

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July 26, 2020:

Welcome back to “What’s Happening”! Those who rolled out of bed for church were surprised with free cheesecake! Aren’t you glad you came? You snooze, you lose!

Today was Communion Sunday, and Pastor Billy delivered this morning’s message called “Devoted“. Text was from Matthew 28:16-20. Our songs were “I Will Give You All My Worship”, “Let It Rise”, “Goodness Love and Mercy”, and “10,000 Reasons”. You can go to the main menu and click WATCH on Sunday evening to view our preaching service and past messages.

Dr. Mishel Rych was presented with roses from her husband, and then the pastoral staff asked a special blessing over her career. Congratulations on earning that PhD, Mishel!

We ask that you be mindful of our elderly and more medically fragile brothers and sisters who are coming back to church. At this time, we are encouraging waves, elbow bumps and smiles vs handshakes and hugs as we are trying hard to keep our flock healthy. We respectfully ask that EVERY person a mask while entering/exiting or mingling inside the church. Once seated safely at a distance from those you do not ride with or live with, the masks are encouraged, but are not mandatory. If you forget yours, there are free paper masks found at the desk by the hallway door. Note the hand sanitizer at various locations in the building. Be smart and be safe.

Thank you to Cynthia Petersen for disinfecting all the chairs before both services so we all can have a nice, clean place to sit!

Speaking of Cynthia, for years she and her family have faithfully served in so many ways here. Her tech team member, Joey Meskin, is having to work Sundays for a while which has left us with nobody to relieve her to flash the song lyrics on the wall. We NEED some of you with basic computer skills to step up and help us in this area. You will be well trained, and it is not difficult. There are enough tech savvy members in this church to be able to take a turn now and again. Please get in touch ASAP if you are willing to fill this need.

Our monthly food pantry collection will resume NEXT SUNDAY after four months of no donations because of corona shut down. Please bring non-perishables and leave them on the large table in the back.

Our baptizing planned for March had to be postponed when we were forced to quarantine. If you wish to be baptized, speak with anybody on the pastoral staff to be included in our next baptizing here!

Pastor Bob invites you to “Special Ops Tactical Prayer Night” (doing warfare with the enemy) on Friday, July 31, 6:30-830 pm at the church. This is a call to pray for our church, our community, our nation and leaders. He and his wife, Heather, will be there to pray with whoever shows up. You can come for part of the time or stay for the whole two hours. This will become a regular prayer night that will be the same time on the last Friday of every month.

Our regular monthly churchwide prayer meeting which has been on Zoom during our shutdown was held in person after the second service next today.

Want to study the Book of Acts from home? Pastor Billy’s evening online study is going exceptionally well with folk from multiple states joining. No sign-up is required. Class lasts near an hour and can be found on Pastor’s Face Book page at 6:30 pm each Tuesday.

Happy Birthday to Pastor Bob and Grant Cromwell this week!

Claps and cheers for Madison DesLaurier who just landed a new job at Lost Marketing in Chicago. She is going to officially be a marketing assistant/executive eventually being promoted to management! Also, sending get well wishes to her as she had surgery this week.

Congratulations to Phil and Leslie Graniczny’s daughter, Heather McDonald, PhD who has been promoted to Asst. Dean of Faculty at Chamberlain University!

If you have extra homegrown herbs, fruits or veggies, we invite you to wash them and leave them on the hospitality table each week so that none go to waste. Leave what you can and take what you need.

We will see you back at the church next Sunday morning! Please continue to check on each other as several of our families are still sheltering at home. Enjoy this final week of July!

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July 19, 2020:

Welcome back, family and friends! Let’s see “What’s Happening here at Revolution” on this monsoon Sunday!

Slowly but surely, we are headed back towards normalcy. Today was the fourth Sunday we were able to meet after being shut down for months during virus quarantine, and we saw more of our members walk through the door for the first time since we re-opened! We are temporarily offering 8:30 and 10:00 services to assure we have room to social distance, so choose a time that suits you, and come back to church!

We respectfully ask that EVERY person wear a mask while entering/exiting or mingling inside the church. Once seated, the masks are encouraged, but are not mandatory. No, there will not be “Mask Police” roaming the aisles issuing citations, but we do ask that you be mindful of your more medically fragile brothers and sisters who are making the effort to come worship.

Pastor Billy delivered this morning’s message called “Do It“, teaching about water baptism and the eunuch. Text was from Acts 8 and Matthew 28:18-20. Our songs were “Unchanging”, “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus”, “Living Hope”, and “Lord Prepare Me”. You can go to the main menu and click WATCH on Sunday evening to view our preaching service and past messages.

If you wish to be baptized, speak with anybody on the pastoral staff to be included in our next baptizing here!

So many of you say you love our time of music and singing, but that does not magically happen on its own. Your fellow church goers volunteer and serve to make that possible. Joey Meskin was working the tech table once a month but is now having to work Sundays which leaves us with an opportunity for a couple of new volunteers to come aboard. Several of you have computer skills, and if you are willing to flash song lyrics on the wall during worship, we will get you plugged into our volunteer pool! Your church NEEDS you to step up and use your smarts at this time! If we all do a little, nobody has to do a lot.

Our regular monthly churchwide prayer meeting which has been on Zoom during our shutdown will be held in person after the second service next Sunday. Everybody is invited.

In your bulletin last week you received an insert called “NEW THRU 30” which breaks the New Testament into daily chunks that allows you to finish it in thirty days. We hope this will be helpful to encourage daily Bible reading.

Want to study the Book of Acts from home? Pastor Billy’s evening online study is going exceptionally well with a couple hundred folk from multiple states joining. No sign-up is required. Class lasts near an hour and can be found on Pastor’s Face Book page at 6:30 pm each Tuesday.

Happy Birthday to Leslie Graniczny today! Samantha Jasinski in college in England celebrates on the 24th. We must stop for a minute and remember our beloved Ronnie Hajek who is celebrating his birthday with Jesus. He will be forever remembered and missed at this church.

Mishel Rych has earned her PhD in Psychology! Congratulations, DOCTOR Rych! What an accomplishment! Mishel and Darren also celebrated their wedding anniversary this week!

Debbie Struck’s Wednesday brain surgery was cancelled for the time being. Best wishes, Deb! We’re all over here clapping and cheering for you that you will have a good medical report!

You will notice that every other row is now taped off to ensure we are giving each other recommended safe distance. If you are from the same family or ride together, it is fine to sit together. Otherwise, please spread out. For now, hugs and handshakes are on hold to avoid passing germs to others who are fearful or fragile. Please be respectful of these temporary changes as we seek to keep our flock as healthy as possible.

Offering envelopes that were previously kept under each seat can now be found beside the new giving boxes on the Connection Table. Thank you for remembering your church’s financial needs during this quarantine and re-opening! While you are back there, be sure and pick up your free “Daily Bread” devotional and a Revolution Church bumper sticker.

Please continue to check on each other as several of our families are still sheltering at home. We will see you back at church next Sunday morning!

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July 12, 2020:

Good Morning, family and friends! Let’s see “What’s Happening”!

Today was the third Sunday we were able to meet together publicly after being shut down for fifteen weeks during coronavirus quarantine, and we saw more of our members walk through the door for the first time since we re-opened! Thanks for coming out to join us! We are temporarily offering 8:30 and 10:00 services to assure we have room to social distance, so choose a time that suits you, and come back to church!

Pastor Billy delivered this morning’s message called “Discipline“. Text was from 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 and Hebrews 5:11-14. Our songs were “Let the Praises Ring”, “Holy Spirit, You Are Welcome Here”, and “Give Us Clean Hands”-- which is humorously appropriate for these days when hand sanitizer is gold. If we kept our hearts and minds as clean as our hands, what better Christians we all would be! You can go to the main menu and click WATCH on Sunday evening to view our preaching service and past messages.

We are tweaking the way we do things as we receive your feedback for what is needful and what is not during these early days of re-opening. Beginning last Sunday, EVERY person is requested to wear a mask while entering/exiting or mingling inside the church. Once seated, the masks are encouraged, but are not mandatory. No, there will not be “Mask Police” roaming the aisles, but we do ask that you be mindful of your brothers and sisters who are making the effort to come out and worship.

Every other row is now taped off to ensure we are giving each other recommended safe distance. If you are from the same family or ride together, it is fine to sit together. Otherwise, please spread out. For now, hugs and handshakes are on hold to avoid passing germs to others who are fearful or fragile. Please be respectful of these temporary changes as we seek to keep our flock as healthy as possible.

In an effort to minimize many hands touching common objects, the pew Bibles and the community coffee pot will be unavailable for a while. It’s BYOB&B (Bring your own Bible and Beverage)! You are welcome to bring your coffee/tea/water in a mug if you wish. Just be sure it has a lid as we just had the carpets cleaned.

With some of our regular members still home in quarantine and others on vacation, we can use a few more folks to fill in the gaps while we have two services. If you are interested in rocking babies, assisting in kids’ ministry, filming the sermon, or helping flash song lyrics on the wall, let us know via connection card, and leaders will be happy to train you and get you plugged into our volunteer pool!

In your bulletin you received an insert called “NEW THRU 30” which breaks the New Testament into daily chunks that allow you to finish it in thirty days. We hope this will be helpful to encourage daily Bible reading.

Happy Birthday to Samantha Getty on the 14th and to Leslie Graniczny on the 19th! Happy 21st Birthday to Nathan Herrera!

Loving wishes and healing prayers are going out to Greg and Debbie Struck as she undergoes surgery to remove a brain tumor Wednesday. Best wishes, Deb! We’re all over here clapping and cheering for you!

We will see you back at the church next Sunday morning! Please continue to check on each other as several of our families are still sheltering at home. Enjoy this week of sunshine!

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July 5, 2020:

Good Morning, church family! Welcome back to “What’s Happening”!

After surviving FIFTEEN weeks of coronavirus quarantine shut down, this was the second Sunday we were able to meet together publicly! Thanks for coming out to join us! This is 4th of July weekend, and several wore their patriotic outfits. There was such an atmosphere of joy and happiness among us as we got to see our friends again. We will have an 8:30 and a 10:00 service at least through July, so choose a time that suits you, and come to church!

We are tweaking the way we do things and are learning as we go during these early days of re-opening. Beginning today, EVERY person was asked to wear a mask while entering/exiting or mingling inside the building. Once seated, the masks were encouraged, but were not mandatory. Every other row was taped off to ensure we were giving each other the recommended safe social distancing space. For now, hugs are on hold to avoid passing germs to others who are fearful or fragile. Please be respectful and mindful of these temporary changes as we seek to keep our flock as healthy as possible.

Pastor Billy delivered this morning’s message called “Distance“, the story of Zacchaeus, the man with short legs who climbed a tree to see Jesus over a crowd. Text was from Luke 19 and Ezekiel 34:15-16. Our songs were “Lord I Lift Your Name on High”, “There Is A Fountain”, “Star Spangled Banner” instrumental, and a patriotic medley of “America the Beautiful -- God Bless America -- and Battle Hymn of the Republic”. You can go to the main menu and click WATCH on Sunday evening to view our preaching service and past messages.

Thanks to Bruce Smit for decorating his 1930 Model A Ford truck and offering a spin around the parking lot to masked passengers who wanted a quick joyride between services!

In an effort to minimize many hands touching common objects, the pew Bibles and the community coffee pot will be unavailable for a while. BYOB (Bring your own Bible) or read along on your phone. You are welcome to bring your own coffee in a travel mug if you wish to enjoy a beverage while at church.

Please stop at the Connection Table and drop your tithes and financial gifts into the new frosted boxes George Carroll made for us since we are no longer passing the baskets hand to hand during this virus season. Offering envelopes that were previously kept under each seat can now be found beside those boxes. Thank you for remembering your church’s financial needs during this quarantine and re-opening! Rent, utilities, insurance, supply purchases, and other financial obligations continue to come due, and we need EVERYBODY who call Revolution Church “home” to step up and do their part. Thank you to our contributors!

If you are interested in serving as a nursery attendant, assisting in kids’ ministry, or helping flash song lyrics on the wall, let us know via connection card, and leaders will be happy to get you plugged into our volunteer pool! With some of our regular members still home in quarantine and others on vacation, we can use a few more folks to fill in the gaps while we have two services this summer.

Our monthly food pantry collection will resume the first Sunday in August after all this re-opening dust has settled and we have found our new normal. Keep your eyes open for sales on non-perishables between now and then.

Warm Their Soles outreach to the homeless is on hold until further notice. Men’s Donuts and Devotional will resume in September.

Pastor Billy’s evening online study on the book of Acts is going exceptionally well with folk from multiple states joining. No sign-up is required. Class lasts near an hour and can be found on Pastor’s Face Book page at 6:30 pm each Tuesday.

Much love and sympathy is going out to Judy Christensen on the loss of her beloved old dog, Buddy. We also give our support and love to the Rych family as they unexpectedly had to say goodbye to their sweet dog, Opal. There is not much that crushes the heart and soul more than losing a loyal, furry companion.

Happy Birthday to that little firecracker, Avery Hippenhammer, who is turning “five fingers old”!

We will see you back at the church next Sunday morning! Enjoy this week of sunshine!

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June 28, 2020:

Good Morning, church family! Welcome back to “What’s Happening”!

After FIFTEEN weeks of coronavirus quarantine shut down, we were finally able to meet together publicly this morning! Woo-Hoo! We had an 8:30 and a 10:00 service and shared in Communion, also. Thank you for coming out to God’s house! There was the sweetest spirit in the place, and many commented on feeling it. It was truly wonderful seeing all of your smiling faces on something other than a computer screen! More of our families will be returning in weeks to come, and before you know it, we will have a full house again.

The Kids’ Church area looked fantastic today! Did you see it? Magic Autumn Hensle showed off his creative talents by creating some professional looking columns, fish, and a fisherman all from balloons! The Sandovals had the room decorated with a fish theme motif to go with the sermon about being “fishers of men”. Pastor Julian brought his cuddly new dog, Winslow, with him as it is now the mascot of children’s church!

Pastor Billy delivered this morning’s message called “Discover“ with text from Matthew 4:18-22 and Luke 5:1-11. Our songs were “Love the Lord”, “Blessed Assurance”, and the new hit favorite by Cochren and Co., “Church (Take Me Back)”. You can go to the main menu and click WATCH on Monday afternoon to view our preaching service and past messages.

Great big thanks to each person who came out to clean and organize the building so it would be sanitary and tidy for today’s re-opening! Special thanks to George Carroll and Greg Fash for building the double coat racks at our entrance! Judy Fash, a florist and our official church decorator, has outdone herself with summer decor inside and out. The silk arrangements on tables and the plants under the cross got so many compliments. Excellent job!

In an effort to minimize many hands touching common objects, the pew Bibles and the community coffee pot will be unavailable for a while. Bring your own Bible or read along online with your phone. You are welcome to bring your own filled travel mug if you wish to enjoy a beverage while at church.

Thank you to those who came to the church Friday evening for a time of prayer for our community, our nation, and for the needs of our congregation. Pastor Bob stayed at the church for three hours for those who wished to drop in to pray.

The monthly prayer meeting scheduled for this evening via Zoom has been postponed. Sorry about that! Listen for announcements online for the new date and time.

Our monthly food pantry collection will resume the first Sunday in August after all this re-opening dust has settled and we have found our new normal.

Warm Their Soles outreach to the homeless is on hold until further notice. Men’s Donuts and Devotional will resume in September.

Pastor Billy’s evening online class is in full swing. Everybody is invited to the FREE study on the book of Acts on Tuesdays at 6:30 pm! No sign-up required. Class lasts near an hour.

Thank you for remembering your church’s financial needs during good times and bad times! Covid or no Covid, the rent, utilities, insurance, supply purchases, and other financial obligations must be met here. Collection baskets are no longer passed to prevent spreading germs from hand to hand, so tithes and offerings can be mailed or dropped in the new collection box at the door. Let’s thank George Carroll again for constructing these boxes for us.

Happy Birthday to Brittany Batsch on the 2nd! Happy 45th Anniversary to Pastor Bob and Heather Smith!

Mike and Erin Van Kuiken are finally parents! We thank the Lord for the long-awaited and safe arrival of little Henry James on June 22nd! He was 5.5 lbs and 21 inches long. Dawn Gonda is coordinating Fishes and Loaves meals for them if you would like to bless them and help out a bit while they adjust to family life.

We will see you back at the church next Sunday morning! Feel free to wear your patriotic clothes as it will be 4th of July weekend! Have a blessed week!

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June 21, 2020:

Good Morning, church family! Welcome back to “What’s Happening”!

First let us give a tip of the cap to fathers, grandfathers, step-dads, foster dads, and men who have acted like dads to us. Some are still walking this earth, but others wait for us in Heaven. Happy Father’s Day to all! Thank you for all you have done, are doing, and will do in the years to come! You are appreciated and loved!

Let’s see what’s going on with our flock this week as we enter WEEK FOURTEEN of no public church. If all goes as planned, this is our last Sunday that quarantine will hold us back from gathering to worship! June 28th we will have identical services at 8:30 and 10:00 am., and you may attend whichever you want, but remember children’s church and nursery is only provided at the 10:00 service. We will be taking Communion together, also.

Pastor Bob Smith delivered this morning’s online message he called “ The Father’s Love “ with text from 1 John 3:1. Our songs were “Happy Day”, “Good, Good Father”, and “Even So Come”. You can go to the main menu and click WATCH to view our music service along with today’s and past messages.

Pastor Billy’s new evening online class is in full swing. Everybody is invited to the FREE study on the book of Acts on Tuesdays at 6:30 pm! No sign-up required. Class lasts near an hour.

We are STILL making budget because of all of YOU who continue to give offerings and tithes during shut down! Thank you for remembering your church’s financial needs! We are like “the little engine that could” and just keep chugging along during good times and bad times!

Proud grandma, Lakeda Vaughn, is happy to share her granddaughters’ achievements: Trinity Montgomery graduated 8th grade from Irons Junior High School in Conroe TX! Payton Johnston graduated kindergarten from Suchma School also in Conroe! We sure miss these folks. Lakeda watches online service and also participates in Pastor’s Tuesday online Bible study. She is most certainly still a member of our fellowship even though we are separated by geography.

Donna Windberg’s oldest grandson, Charlie Atkins, left NC for TX for basic training in the Air Force a couple weeks ago but is already in a 14-day quarantine because one of the men with him tested positive for Covid-19. She asks us to pray God will put a hedge of protection over him so he will not catch the virus. We wish Charlie nothing but the best!

We will see you IN PERSON at the church next Sunday morning! When you see Penny Knott walk in, be sure and wish her a Happy Birthday as she will celebrate on Tuesday. Have a super-duper week!

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June 14, 2020:

Good Morning! Welcome back to “What’s Happening”! Looks like our communities escaped damage during the tornado warnings and storms, and for that we are grateful! Let’s see what’s going on with our family this week as we enter WEEK THIRTEEN of no public church.

Pastor Billy delivered this morning’s online message he called “Freedom vs Responsibility “ with text from Philippians 2:1-4. Our songs were “Trading My Sorrows”, “All My Hope”, and a remake of the classic hymn, “There Is A Fountain Filled With Blood”. You can go to the main menu and click WATCH to view our music service along with today’s and past messages.

Our long-awaited big news is that Revolution Church will open the doors for public services again on June 28th! (This is your cue to clap and cheer!) We will offer identical 8:30 and 10:00 am services for a little while to allow for social distancing. Childcare and children’s church will be provided only at the later service. Listen and watch for online updates for our new normal in upcoming weeks.

Pastor Billy’s new evening online class is in full swing. Everybody is invited to the FREE study on the book of Acts on Tuesdays at 6:30 pm! No sign-up required. Class lasts near an hour.

Pastor Billy posted a Face Book and email-linked survey regarding your thoughts and feelings on reopening the church. Please answer those quick questions so leadership will know how best to proceed in coming weeks of transitioning back to public services. This is your final week to voice your preferences before the questionnaire is removed.

We are STILL making budget because of the goodness of God and of all of YOU who continue to give offerings and tithes during shut down! Thank you for not forgetting your church’s financial needs!

Happy Birthday to Jan Golden TODAY! Judy Christensen celebrates on the 18th! Sending love to both these ladies! Durk Lee turned 86 Wednesday! He’s getting near 90 but acts like he’s 50! If he would tell us the secret location of his fountain of youth, some of the rest of us would like to splash in it, too!

Donna Windberg’s oldest grandson, Charlie Atkins, left NC for TX for basic training in the Air Force. Because of Covid-19 travel restrictions, she was unable to fly down to tell him goodbye and give him Mamaw hugs and kisses. She prays he will stay true to his Christian upbringing and be a shining light to all he encounters in the service and that God keeps the temptations of the world away from him. Where he will be stationed is yet to be determined. We wish Charlie nothing but the best!

Brainiac Calvin Petersen graduated Lincoln-Way West High School magna cum laude! He received awards for AP Scholar and perfect attendance since FIFTH GRADE! A ceremony may be scheduled for later in the summer. Calvin plans to work in the fall and will be attending Joliet Junior College in January.

If YOU have a special accomplishment, birthday, or anniversary, please let us know so it will show up here for the group to see. This is your final invitation to acknowledge the graduates in your family.

Come right back to this page next Sunday to see what else is happening here at Revolution in June. Remember that next Sunday is Father’s Day, so think ahead for a way to remember or honor your dad. Have a blessed week!

Come right back to this page next Sunday to see what else is happening here at Revolution in June. Have a super-duper week and remember to check on each other while we are forced to be apart! Even if we don’t always agree with what we see happening in the world around us, we can still be kind to each other. Let’s remember to do all things with love, because love wins every time.

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