Recent Blogs

The Independence Day holiday we just celebrated was another opportunity to prioritize some of the things we see as a blessing and as honorable as citizens and residents of this country. I thank God for being part of a nation that was built on a foundation of openness to diverse religious expression, diverse opinions across all types of communication, to peaceful assembly, and this list goes on.

Greetings to the Downers Grove FUMC family and friends! Sunday will be the first worship service for myself and Pastor Anna Voinovich to lead as the new pastoral team. We gratefully thank and richly bless Greta and Jim McDonald for leading this wonderful congregation as God's shepherds through worship, proclamation, pastoral care, teaching, and administration. We will work together as pastors and parishioners to continue the good work Jim and Greta both diligently performed for the building and strengthening of the family of God here.

Yesterday, June 21, we officially began the season of Summer. As all of us have known since childhood, summer is a season of fruitfulness in the natural world around us, as crops grow and trees and flowers come into fullness.

Our scripture reading for worship this Sunday will be John 15: 1-11, a passage in which Jesus uses an image of a vine and branches and growing fruit to illuminate the Christian life.

Thank you so much for the gift of last Sunday! - the beautiful reception for us in the Fellowship Hall, the warm greetings from so many of you, the cards and the very, very generous love gifts. We have loved our years at DGFUMC, and the reception will always be a special memory for us.

This Sunday, I'll be preaching on Acts 11, where Peter gets a new directive from God for food that had previously been forbidden in his Jewish heritage. Stepping across that boundary allowed Peter to enter fellowship with Gentiles, who were eager to hear about Christ. It reminds me about how we all have to put away old habits if we are to move into our tomorrows. From gun violence to getting used to people who are different from us, letting go of old understandings and welcoming what is before us will determine how we succeed in tomorrow's world.

This Sunday is Pentecost - a day that commemorates what many consider the Birth of the Church, when the small group of Jesus' uncertain followers were unexpectedly filled with the Holy Spirit. That gift of the Spirit, and the assurance of the continued presence of Christ with them, moved them to step beyond their closed doors into the world. They stepped forward in caring warmth, to speak with courage and compassion to skeptical listeners, and to become a growing band of people committed to meeting the needs of others in Jesus' name.

This Sunday is Mothers' Day, and in the church, it is a day we thank God for the gifts of all women who use their lives and talents to make a difference for others.

Wiring work is taking place early this week that may affect access to the DGFUMC email and server.  If you need to reach us, please call the Church Office at 6390.968.7120 between the hours of 9 am and 2 pm or leave a message. Thank you for your patience while we make some upgrades.

Yesterday morning, Jim and I had a delightful time meeting with Rev. Claude King, the incoming Senior Pastor of DGFUMC. We went out for lunch afterward, walking to a restaurant downtown.

I noticed one of our church members at a table we passed on our way to being seated. She was listening so intently to the friend at her table that I decided not to interrupt to say hello.

This Sunday, our church's Children's Choirs - Cherubs, Choristers, and Connection - will lead the 9:30 and 11:00 a.m. services with the skits and songs of their cantata "Let Your Light Shine."

What an important message! And what an important moment it is for a young person to find his or her voice is supported, truly listened to, and appreciated by adults in a faith community. Such an experience shapes confidence, a sense of self, and opens doors for a life of "learning to speak the truth in love." (Ephesians 4:15)