The Daily Herald from Chicago, Illinois • Page 94

Page 5 RELIGION Dailylleiald Saturday, November 20,1999 D14 NOTES ON RELIGION Christian preschool adding new class Agape Children's Center will add a new class for 3-year-olds beginning in January. The class is designed for children who turned 3 after Sept. 1. The class will meet from 12:30 to 2 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays at Community Baptist Church, at Main Street and Warren Avenue in Warrenville.

The curriculum will emphasize socialization, language development and motor-skill development. Class size is limited to 12 students. The class will be taught by two staff members. Tuition is $45 per month. Agape Children's Center is a DCFS-licensed, nondenominational, Christian preschool.

Agape's programs are based on the philosophy that children learn through play and grow with the knowledge of God's love. For details, call Linda Kile at (630) 393-4205. Single parents conference meets today at church The ASCEND Singles Group of Christ Church Oak Brook will hold a Single Parents Conference from 8:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. today at the church, 31st Street and YorkRoad The cost is $30 at the door.

The fee includes a continental breakfast and lunch. For details, call Brian GutowsM at (630) 654-8738 or Missy Hale at (630) 260-0559. Worship clinic to discuss keyboard music today Community Christian Church of Naperville will hold a worship clinic from 9 a.m. to noon today at 1701 Quincy Suite 17, Room 101 in Naperville. The clinic is titled "Keyboards Make a Joyful Chord Unto the Lord." It will be led by Gary Dole.

For details or to register, call (630) 548-3527. Plane crash survivor shares experience St. Walter Parish will hold an evening of thought provoking insights'from Jeff Miller of Schaumburg at 7 p.m. Sunday at the church, 201W. Maple Roselle.

story. He was on United Airlines Flight 232, which crashed in Sioux City, Iowa, on July 19,1989. For details, call (630) 894-5880. Spirit of Life chorus to perform at 2 churches Spirit of Life, a chorus of more than 75 people from the Chicago area, will perform a concert titled "God for Us" at 4 p.m. Sunday at Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church, 1116 E.

Devon Bartlett. The group is under the direction of David Earth. This concert is a sequel to last year's concert, "God With Us." An offering will be taken. For details, call (630) 837-1166. The Spirit of Life chorus will also perform at 7 p.m.

Nov. 28 at Lutheran Church of the Master, 580 N. Kuhn Road, Carol Stream. For details, call (630) 665-3384. Special guest to speak at worship services Naperville Baptist Church will present Justin N.

Fennell at the regular worship services at 9:30 and 10:45 a.m. Sunday at the church, 29W771 79th St Fennell combines a unique style of yarn-spinning stories, stand-up comedy and music for entertainment Trinity Lutheran Church 1101 KimberlyWay, Lisle Mile So. of Maple on Rt. 53) (630)964-1272 Thanksgiving Worship Services Wed. Nov.

24 7:30 p.m. Thurs. Nov. 25....9:30 a.m. Handicapped ace.

Child Care provided www.trinltylisle.org INTERPRETER PROVIDED Weekly Sunday Worship 8:30 11:00 a.m. i Gloria Dei; Lutheran Church Church Office (Voice) 630-968-6231 (TTY) 630-963-3904 and evangelistic ministry. For details, call (630) 420-7190. Labyrinth Walk offers way to express gratitude St. Thomas the Apostle Parish will hold a "Labyrinth Walk of Thanksgiving" from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.

Monday at the church, 1500 Brookdale Road, Naperville. This is one of a series of labyrinth walks that the church will offer. Each one will focus on a different season of the earth, of the church or oflife. In the spirit of the season, this walk will offer participants a way to express gratitude as they reflect on the directions of their lives. For details, call Sister Joan Weisenbeckat (630) 355-8980.

Bible study offered for young parents Faith Evangelical Covenant Church will hold New Oasis Bible Study from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Mondays at the church, Butterfield Road and Lakeview Drive, Wheaton. The Bible study is for young parents. Child care will be available. For details, call (630) 653-4140.

Group to perform Garden' Master's Backstage Players, a community theater group, will perform "The Secret Garden," a musical based on the children's classic, at 8 p.m. Friday and Nov. 27, Dec. 35, and Dec. 10-12 at Lutheran Church of the Master, 580 N.

Kuhn Road, Carol Stream. Tickets are $5 each. For details, call (630) 665-3384. Christmas Jazz Program to feature pianists Union Church of Hinsdale will hold a Christmas Jazz Program at 7 p.m. Nov.

28 at the church, Third and Garfield streets. Shoppers to leave with empty hands, full hearts BY DIANE DASSOW Daily Herald Correspondent Christ Church of Oak Brook would like people to get into the holiday spirit in a most unusual way. The church's mission leadership team is assembling Spirit Village for the second year as an alternative Christmas market. The event will take place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Dec. 4 at 31st and York Road, Oak Brook. Visitors to the market, however, will not be able to shop for goods to take home for themselves or their friends. Instead, they will have the opportunity to give to those they cannot see. "Spirit Village offers a gracious set of options for those eager to recover the original spirit of Christmas," said the Rev.

Daniel Meyer, senior pastor. "It gives us a chance to retreat from the getting-luxuries orientation of the secular holiday and reclaim the giving-hope mindset modeled by the Lord. This is a village where the heart of God meets the world." The outward appearance of Spirit Village is being designed and created by Phillips Displays of Oak Brook, a division of Phillips Flowers, in coordination with church members Carol Dill of Burr Ridge and Dale Olsen of Clarendon Hills. They will transform the church's fellowship hall into a turn-of-the century town, complete with village shops. Visitors to the free event can stroll amid lighted trees and relax on park benches while enjoying traditional Christmas music.

Other entertainment will feature chalk artists, an organ grinder and puppet shows for the children. Vendors will sell homemade cookies and pastries. Burlington Express of Hinsdale will provide complimentary hot chocolate and flavored coffees. Seamstresses have been working since the beginning of the year to make Edwardian costumes for the Main Street shopkeepers, Dill said. "It's very special and just so fun," she said.

But behind the elaborate exterior lies the. true heart of Spirit Village. In each village shop, visitors may donate coins or more to a variety of causes. "Our church has more than 70 missionaries around the world which we support," Dill said. "In the spring we requested each, in whatever field of service they are in, to give us a list of needs of the people they serve." Donations from Spirit Village netted nearly $100,000 last year from the 2,000 people who attended, Dill said.

These funds help meet the physical, spiritual and emotional needs of people all over the world. For example, a gift of $25 can provide dental care for a child in a state-run orphanage in a country that cannot be disclosed because of Christian persecution there, Dill said. And 20 cents provides a day's vitamins for a mother and child in India, where blindness occurs without them. "Often the most important thing we can do is send Bibles. We send Bibles for the blind and shut-ins," Dill said.

"On an Indian reservation in Minnesota, for example, so many of the elderly are thrilled to receive the Gospels in their native language." Along with its double goal of helping meet these needs and providing some special fellowship, Spirit Village helps to communicate to the younger generation the importance of giving. "I think the greatest joy we had last year was the children with their eyes twinkling, holding their jars of coins (to donate)," Dill said. "We are teaching our children that coins make a powerful difference in the world." For details, call Donna Lapped at (630) 654-1882. Villa Park church goes all out for madrigal dinners BY LAURA ZAHN POHL Daily Herald Correspondent Most church dinners don't feature jugglers, pages, lords, decorative castle windows and a five- course meal. "We wanted to do something out Of the ordinary, something that would be fun for people," said John Gould, a member of Community Congregational Church in Villa Park "A Knight to Remember" is scheduled for seatings on two different nights starting at 6:30 p.m.

Dec. 3 and 4. More than 100 of 135 available tickets have already been sold for those evenings. The church hasn't held a madri- gal dinner in a number of years, Gould said, so advance planning began in March for the entertainment, costumes, script and meal. Preparations have been extensive and have involved scores of church members.

"We didn't realize it would be as big of an undertaking as it is," he admitted. "It's probably something we'll do again, but we'll wait a few years." Decorating of the church meeting hall will begin immediately after Thanksgiving to convert it to a 15th century English estate banquet hall. Walls will be adorned with pennants, banners and armor, while the windows will look like those of an ancient castle. Costumes are being made for the jugglers, the musical quintet and the lord and lady of the manor. Diners are welcome to dress in appropriate costumes, but it's optional.

All of the evening's activities and entertainment revolve around the meal, Gould said, with a script combining humor and introductions to musical performances. "It's snappy 15th century patter," said Gould, who has theater and acting experience. "At one point, for example, we talk about etiquette, like how you shouldn't pick your teeth with your fingernail or something sharp. And we thought about having people eat with their hands, but who wants to wipe their hands on their good clothing?" The tickets, at $20 each, include the cost of a complete dinner. The five courses will feature beef barley soup, wassail punch, stuffed chicken breasts, salads, breads' and dessert.

Gould has put in extensive time to oversee the event, which he labels "dinner theater." "We want people from outside the church to join us for an event like this," he said. "We want to create new friendships." Community Congregational Church is at 410 S. Cornell Villa Park. Tickets are $20 each and are available by calling (630) 834-8352 or (630) 889-9010 The holiday program will feature We need to learn from our elders before it's too late pact disc, "Santa Baby." An offering will be taken during the program. For details, call (630) 323-4303.

Concert will feature -)WlRJ fefWt classical music Bethel United Church of Christ will present "An Evening in Song" at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 29 at the church, 315 E. St. Charles Road, Elmhurst.

The performance will feature well- known classical music from opera and art song literature. Performers include Amberleigh Aller, lyric coloratura soprano; Rachel Cobb, soprano; Sharon North Jones, soprano; Christopher Cascketta, baritone; Jay Morrissey, tenor; and Jeffrey Panko, pianist. Tickets are $20 for adults, $18 for seniors and $12 for students. Tickets can be purchased in advance by sending a check or money order to: Bethel United Church of Christ, 315 E. St.

Charles Road, Elmhurst, IL 60126. Tickets will be sold at the door if available. For details, call (630) 2794040. A generation is passing. Demographers tell us that within the next 15 years or so almost all of the World War generation will have died.

parents and grandparents, our! aunts and uncles, our former teachers, coaches, pastors, doctors, dentists, lawyers, our bosses and mentors. These are people who have lived more, experienced more (just think of the Great Depression or World War ED and, I am convinced, learned more than any of the rest of us. And these are people whom we love deeply and will miss dearly. Sometimes we've lost track of that. We've gotten so wrapped up in our own lives that, except for their unexpected health or perhaps financial crisis, we've been able to take this whole generation for granted.

They've always been there they always will be. Well, they won't be much longer. Look around. Who do we see now that is not likely to be part of our lives five. 10 or 15 years from now? Rev.

Ken Potts That's life Take note friends a generation is passing. Let's make time for them while we have time. Rev. Ken-jRottsi is executive 'director of Midwest Resources, an interfaith center for individual, couple and family therapy with offices in Oak Lawn, La Grange, Wheaton and Barrington and throughout northeastern Illinois. i i What are we doing now to enjoy and enrich these people's and our own lives? How are we sharing with them our appreciation and love? You know, we're all impressed by the stories of people confronted by a life-shortening illness who radically change the way they relate to those around them.

We need to bring just that same attitude to our own relationships with those people around us who, we can no longer deny, will be with us for only a short time more. Medinah Baptist Church Medtnah Christian School 900 Poster, Medinah Sunday Worship Blinded Worship Styles CMdnn's Ctioich Adult Bibb Fellowships Youth Bible Studies Children's Sunday School 10:45 School ol Disciplsstiip 11M A Place To Call Home! Activities For Your Family Awana Creative Mothering The G.A.P. (Jr. High) Network (Sr. High) Smalt Groups Prime Time (Sr.

Adults) Cfeorch Phone; TRINITY CHURCH OF THE NAZARENE The church with a heart welcomes you! REGULAR SERVICES Early Morning Celebration 8:15 A.M, Sunday School 9:30 A.M. Late Morning Celebration 11:00 AM. Evening Celebration 6:00 P.M. Children's and Teen Ministries (Nursery provided for all services) WEDNESDAY EVENING MINISTRIES 7:00 P.M. Adult: Bible Study Children's Program Jr.

High: Power House Sr. High: Soul 2 Soul GERALD CARNES SR. PASTOR 1451 Raymond Drive Naperville, IL 60563 Phone: (630) 778-0328 FAX: (630) 778-0331 E-Mail: Families Under Construction A Parenting Class For Parents of Junior Senior High Students Starting December 5, 1999 Media Influences Good Friends At the Evangelical Free Church 1551 E. Hobson Rd. Naperville, IL (630)983-3232 service 7:30 Seeking.

Reaching. Building for tomorrow. Seeking. Reaching beyond ourselves, individually and collectively in Christian love. First Presbyterian Church of Wheaton is local, national, and international mission, youth programs, Christian education, men's and women's ministries, small group ministries, and more.

We possess the faith and the imagination to build on our relationships with God. A unique congregation committed to achieving extraordinary things with the grace of God! i You're welcome to us. FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF WHEATON 713 N. Carlton Avenue, Wheaton, 630.668.5147 www.firsrpreswheaton.org Sunday services Adult and Children Education 10:00 care available.