Going Green with Brandi in Dundee Crown

God said man should rule over the earth (Genesis 1:26). The earth isn’t just this massive blue and green globe. It is the awe and beauty that God created for us! We have inherited it and we are leaving it for all of God’s children. Your respect for God’s creation will be a legacy not soon forgotten. So, what does “green” mean? Here is what some of your neighbors do that inspire me and a few practical tips you can follow and some on-line resources to help get you there.

At a neighborhood table gathering, the hosts set up separate trash cans for “trash”, recycle-able items, and “plastic plates and forks”. What an encouragement for those of us who don’t want to throw away “perfectly good” plastic plates and serving-ware.

Wave to my friend at Woodman’s on Monday’s who not only brings her 3 yr old and 1 yr old, but also packs up the reusable bags for her groceries too.…my neighbors have an annual used toy & book sale to benefit African orphans. Why have a company manufacture something brand new, utilizing materials and energy, when you can just wash a “used” item and it is like new!

Some practical tips that make a big difference purchasing food. When possible, buy food in God’s packaging, rather than man made. Convenience foods are horrible for the environment, not to mention your health. In addition, produce need not come packaged in a hard shell or have Styrofoam underneath. Single use items come with unnecessary packaging. Buying heavily used items in bulk is a great way to save on packaging. Just because we recycle the item, it still takes energy to initially manufacture it and then to recycle it into another item.

Eat less meat. The resources needed to raise livestock, including feed, water, fossil fuel and land, dramatically surpass those required for raising vegetables and grains. As concerns for profitability grew, the space used for raising animals shrank, which has resulted in animals being exposed to high levels of toxins from too many waste products in too small an area. Runoff from farms threatens crops grown nearby.

On a more personal level, the health benefits of a plant-based diet can't be ignored. Heart disease and many cancers have a direct link to meat consumption.When packing a lunch, use reusable plastic. It’s just as easy to put a container in the dishwasher, as it is to put a plastic bag in the garbage.When cleaning your house, use non-toxic products that are safe for our atmosphere and you! If something causes cancer and harms air quality…why not opt for a kinder, gentler product that doesn’t give you a headache when you use it? Trust me; you don’t need a different cleaning product for every surface of your home, either! Be creative! There are many alternate ways to use everything. From egg cartons to the cardboard box, sour cream container, or the “other” side of the paper. You can get more use out of items before discarding or recycling. So now you know me, I’m the mom who cuts the commercial napkins in threes when I’m not using a washable cloth. I clean with diluted vinegar, and when I buy detergents, I make purchasing choices that reduce environmental impact by buying plant based ones. You’ll see me walking to the gym (weather permitting) or trekking the kids to the neighborhood strip mall when we are out of something. Say hi and let me know about your tips on going green!

Here are some resourceful websites.
https://www.dmachoice.org/MPS/mps_consumer_description.php Stops most junk mail. http://www.obviously.com/junkmail/ Informative tips on reducing junk mail.
http://www.catalogchoice.org/ Free service that stops catalogs from being mailed to you.
http://www.paperbackswap.com/index.php or http://www.titletrader.com/ You can "swap" books, CD’s & DVD’s with people.
http://www.eartheasy.com/live_nontoxic_solutions.htm - Great website for green choices.

Brandi - coodohs@yahoo.com

Supporting our Military Personnel

Did you know that Willow Creek is supporting our military by offering Community Care Workshops or Support Groups at ½ price for military and their spouses?

That means Marriage Matters, Divorce Recovery, Grief Support, Oasis, Good Sense, Two to One, Solutions, Grace Works, etc. can be a place of spiritual, relational and emotional healing for our soldiers. With staggering statistics of post traumatic syndrome, suicide and divorce—from our military returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, we can offer truth, grace, healing and growth.

If you know a soldier who needs our support, please have them register by filling out the on-line registration (www.willowcreek.org/community_care), printing it and mailing it with ½ the registration fee to:
Willow Creek Community Church
CCM/Workshops
67 East Algonquin Road
S. Barrington, IL 60010
OR by calling Kate at 224/512-1549.

Saying Goodbye to Randy Frazee & Gene Appel

This weekend's service was both a happy and sad time. The announcement of Randy Frazee and Gene Appel both leaving and their words to the congregation were very sobering and penetrating. It seems that we just got these two guys! But then I realize Gene has been here five years and Randy over two. Where in the world did the time go? I think that is evidence that I am getting older!

When I first read Randy's Books "Connecting Church" and "Making Room for Life" about five years ago, I really resonated with the ideology. It brought me back to my childhood, my hometown, and my family. So his leaving is naturally sad. But the thing I realized was that the ideology does not reside with one person. If an idea is right and true and good, then we can live in that idea independent of who our current teaching pastor is. For me the neighborhood ideology has become reality. There is no going back now. I cannot. My neighbors and the community of Algonquin have become my way of life. Most of our closest friends live here, my children's friends live here and since we live here, we are part of this community.

Also, we are happy that Randy, Rozanne and family get a great opportunity to continue their ministry in another great church. We will miss them and wish them God's blessings.

I have not had as much of an opportunity to work with Gene Appel, which makes my next statement even more amazing. Ever since the first time he met me years ago he has remembered my name! Not only that, he remembered things about me, like I had children. Of all the leaders I have been around at Willow, Gene has been the most authentic and joy filled. I am sure Gene had a number of rough days but his joy, the joy of the Lord, was truly his strength. I am really going to miss that and him. But we are joy-filled for the church that Gene and his family land at. They will be truly blessed.

Finally, the Lord is teaching me about faith. We must have faith that God will guide us in the midst of change. Change happens and sometimes it makes us sad but we also need to put on our glasses of anticipation. We are looking to God to make His next move within Willow Creek church. That should give you some excitement and joy as we know that God is guiding us. We just need to trust, and that trust is called faith.

If you missed this weekend's service and announcement click here to see the note from the Willow Creek elders.

Vote for Dundee Crown Boys Basketball game to be on TV

Hey DC Area, here is a great opportunity to put the Dundee Crown Chargers High School Basketball game on Fox TV!! Your votes (yes votes this is Chicago!) can help. You can vote once per hour but you only have until tomorrow night!

You have to login to the link below and then vote!

Vote for Dundee Crown Basketball

Meeting Neighbors at Freecycle

This is a great website and highly relevant to your neighborhood! Freecycle is a site organized by town or area and you can post messages about things you want to give away or things you might need. It is kind of like a Craig's List for free stuff. I recently signed up at http://www.freecycle.org/ for the Algonquin area and posted a message to offer a baby crib. I got 3 people interested in just a couple hours. I also offered a chair we no longer wanted and again within hours of posting it a nice couple came to our house and picked it up! Even more amazing as we talked in my garage I found out they live one sub-division away and knew a bunch of people we knew! But wait it's even more amazing, this couple had just gone to the Imagine Christmas Service at Willow Creek with some of their Willow Neighbors and loved it!

So, if you want to meet some folks from your neighborhood... try giving something away!

Biblical Literacy Class - In the Neighborhood

Biblical Literacy is coming to a couple Neighborhoods near you! Biblical Literacy is a four-week, highly-interactive course that teaches the fundamentals of how we got our Bible. This first of three modules will cover how the Bible came to us, how the Old and New Testaments are organized, and how the 66 book canon was recognized.

The on-campus classes are FULL but we are bringing it to you in the Neighborhood!

Algonquin Area (January 21, 28, February 4, 11 - from 7:00-8:30pm ) email Doug Yonamine to sign up.

Sleepy Hollow Area (Febuary 17, 24, March 2, 9 - from 4:00-5:30pm) email Jack Gallaway to sign up.

If you would like to attend, e-mail the people above with the names of the people who wish to attend the class with you. You need to attend all 4 of the class dates.

If you would like to host a class in your area email Ryan.

Barry Idstein's passing way

Barry Idstein passed away last week. Barry's brother Bob and his family attend Willow Creek. Bob Idstein is on staff with Willow Creek in the Trades and Engineering ministry and Bob's daughter Meghan is on staff in IS. A service for Barry was held on Monday December 31, 2007.

Cards to:

Bob and Barb Idstein & Family

409 Scott St

Algonquin IL 60102-2863

Called to Care Training - Jan 12th at Willow

Wouldn't be great to know what to say when someone is dealing with really hard circumstances? Or have some tools to have hard conversations with people?

Caring for others doesn't require grand gestures. It also doesn't require you to throw away boundaries and become so attached to someone else's problems that you lose balance in your relationship. Because many of us just don't know how to achieve that balance, we escort people and their problems to the church or to spiritual leaders or to anyone we think knows more about caring than we do.

You can learn more about how to care for yourself and others in this great training on Jan. 12th Called to Care

Imagine Christmas Total Attendance

During our 12 Imagine Christmas services our attendance at South Barrington was 79,236. That along with 6,106 in attendance at the four Regionals makes for a grand total of 85,342 people who saw and heard the message of Christmas and it's true meaning.

I know that a lot of you have some great stories from the Imagine Christmas services. Please email them to me we are always looking for encouraging stories to share.

What a great way to end this last year. I am anxious to see what God will be doing through us in 2008. I hope that this coming year turns out to be one of the best for you.