Main Stage Serving - You could help out!

Greetings neighborhood friends,

This weekend we have a special opportunity for you to serve as we wrap up the Celebration of Hope series. We are needing 22 of you, per service to be on stage to help us with the special offering that we are receiving at the end of the services.

If you can be one of the 22 per service please RSVP: Chris Hurta ASAP, He will only need 22 , so first come first serve. If you can help with this unique moment again email(Chris) at churta@willowcreek.org and let him know what service you will serve.

All who serve will need to meet 45 minuets before the service you attend in the "Bull Pen" in the main auditorium for detailed instructions.

This will be a really cool experience and I hope you can help us with this.

Area Invite to Outdoor Group

In the past, Sue and I have opened our house to an evening of just getting people together to enjoy each other's company.

This is a time for young, old, singles and families to spend some unstructured time together. Feel free to bring anyone. We want to invite you to join us this Friday starting at 6:30. If you are inclined to bring an appetizer, I'm sure it would be appreciated. When we were involved in an outdoor ministry at Willow, there was a group of us that planned and organized activities like this and other activities such as hikes, bicycle rides, camping trips, etc.

We would like to hear if there would be any interest in these activities. Sue and I just checked out a campground near the Indiana Dunes that, along with tent sites, has cabins to rent. Another friend is organizing a bicycle ride on a bike trail that starts at the Botanical Gardens.

Larry & Sue Schuerr
2122 Fairview Ave.
Fox River Grove 60021
lschuerr@comcast.net
Phone #s 224-217-1496 or 224-234-8042.

Beckoning Hands - Women's Grief Group

http://www.beckoninghands.org

End of the Food Challenge

Wow! That was a long 5 days. Just to clarify, I was tempted to eat lasagna but I didn't give in!!
My family and I made the food challenge. Kids did great and they pretty much followed the plan.

I hope you all learned something in the journey, whether it was identifing with those who live on a $1 a day or less. Or realizing that our stomach don't rule us and we can with God's help overcome physical desires. Even if you tried and fell short that is great that you tried and maybe God showed you something in trying it.

If you have any reflections about the last 5 days and the food challenge I would love to hear about it.

rboldt@willowcreek.org

Day 3 and 4 - The Food Challenge

FMSC - Dundee Crown Area - is FULL!

Wow!! You all did a great job of getting friends and neighbors to attend FMSC, we are completely full and we are nearly 2 weeks out. Great work!

If you or friends in the area did not get to sign up and serve at our neighborhood location you can still sign up to pack meals on Willow Creek's South Barrington Campus.

Just visit: http://www.willowcreek.org/coh/volunteer/

It is filling up but there is still space available.

Food Challenge - Day 1

5-Day Food Challenge - April 20-24

Are you getting ready for the 5-Day Food Challenge on April 20-24?

I am getting a little nervous as I remember how big a challenge this was last year for our family and many of the families in our area. I am preparing my heart and my body to identify with how so many people live in our world. Last year was difficult and hard but sometimes that is exactly what God uses to teach us things about himself and our world.

This is a chance to identify and see through the eyes of our brothers and sisters around the globe. This is a very Christ like attribute we are persuing as Christ took on human form to be with us and was like us and lived with us. He fasted 40 days! And he experienced pain and hardship just like we do.

This is a great way to follow Christ's footsteps, we can indentify with nearly half the world where one cup or eight ounces is a generous portion. Meat is a luxury. Fresh fruit is rare, available only if locally grown and in season.

Half the world’s population lives on no more than $2 a day. Approximately 1 billion people live on even less—only $1 per day.

More info at: http://www.willowcreek.org/coh/home/

Willow Creek - Easter Weekend Attendance and Prayer

What an incredible Easter weekend we experienced together! God moved powerfully in the lives of our congregation and the many folks who stepped through Willow’s doors—perhaps for the very first time. Look at these preliminary numbers around some of the elements of our Easter services at South Barrington.

§ Easter Service Attendance: 40,265
§ Bibles given out: 1451
§ Prayer cards received: 18,643

Many prayer warriors from our church and area have stepped up to help pray for these requests over the next 30 days. I have my stack of prayer cards and Shoji and I are praying through them each day for the next 30 days.

I think God has divinely appointed these cards to us and it is an honor to pray for them!

Back from Egypt

Shoji and I got back from Egypt last Friday just in time for the Good Friday Services. It was an amazing experience! We learned so much and met with many people who are be used by God.

I have been reflecting over Easter about our trip and how God is working in other countries. I think they are celebrating Easter next weekend in the Eastern Christian world. There are some really great churches there. One of my favorites was Kasr El Dobara, in Cairo, it is a Presbyterian church with a very modern approach http://www.kdec.net/English/index.html It kind of reminded me of Willow Creek, just Egyptian style. Very modern in their approach and relevant to the culture. I was so impressed with the young people there that were leading in the church and really doing frontline ministry. Both men and women leading in various ministries.

I have some great video clips I hope to post more of them soon.

Egypt Trip - We made it!

This is a couple days old, internet access is not so good. check out our video!