Greetings to all God’s faithful servants, All year
round we celebrate different Christian traditions, to express our faith in God, and we have come this far, because we hold on to our
faith in Jesus, which is the core of our Christian living. For these past few days we enjoyed the Goodness of being together
with the family, and our children enjoyed the short vacation. Some of you are excited that your loved ones are coming home, but probably
some of you are also sad that your loved ones are going away, to respond to the call of duty. I urge everyone to continue to
pray for the safety and peace of mind of all who are going and are still in
Easter season has just begun, and just like Christmas, some families spend more time to gather together, enjoying egg hunting, and
gathering around the table with all the bountiful meals, and some of you have planned to go to a wedding, or some went to watch an
awesome movie. For Christians, this is a season to celebrate Jesus victory over death and a time to renew our strength,
our faith, our devotion and our relationship with Jesus and with each other. Renewal is an act of restoring something important
in our life, just as Jesus, has done when He restored His relationship with His disciples. At first, Jesus didn’t go to the father
after His resurrection, but instead he went to his disciples, to tell them that His relationship with them is not severed by death.
(John 20:17-18) Jesus said to her, "Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father, but go to my brothers and
say to them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God. Verse 18, Mary Magdalene went and announced to
the disciples, "I have seen the Lord"; and she told them that he had said these things to her. This is why we celebrate the
resurrection of Our Lord Jesus, to restore our relationship with HIM.
Easter season doesn’t end just on the day when we have our Sunrise Service or Easter egg hunt. According to the United Methodist Christian
Calendar, Easter Season begins at sunset on the eve of Easter and extends for fifty days, through the Day of Pentecost and Pentecost
means "50" in Greek. We celebrate Easter Season for a savior that is alive, and that is how we differ from other non-Christian religions.
We have a risen Christ who died for our sins and arose from the dead. Maybe some of you are weary and tired with all the burdens
that you are carrying. I pray that may this season renew your life.
Before I end this letter, let me share with you a beautiful message from one of God’s creations, “The Peacock Feather”. Every
bird and feather have different stories, every animal fur has a warm touch, but if you see a peacock feather, you will be amazed and
think that there are many beautiful eyes looking and watching you. God’s eyes are all over the world. Imagine how many people
God is watching right now, and just like a peacock feather he has his beautiful eyes watching over us. If you are weary and tired,
put a feather of a peacock in your house to remind you of God’s all seeing eye. God values each one of us and it is written in Matthew
6:26 "Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are
you not of more value than they?" God bless you and have a blessed Easter season.
Newsletter
Volume 1, Issue 9 May 2011
The Pastors Desk
Rev. Rolland Hayag.
“It’s In Our Hands”
All children from Northern Illinois Conference United Methodist churches, in grades 1 - 8 are invited to enter.
The
Rainbow Covenant Art contest is held to show this years’ theme on the cover of the 2012-2013 booklet. This is a way for the youth
of our Methodist congregations to participate in this important mission project. Each booklet for the Rainbow covenant ministry
gives the details of our conference mission projects and the missionaries that we support with our financial gifts and prayers, both
here in our local districts and abroad.
To quote a line from Bishop Hee-Soo Jung at the 2008 Annual Conference, “God doesn’t
have any hands but your hands”.
The cover artwork will be voted on by the attendees of the Rainbow Covenant Luncheon at our Northern
Illinois Annual Conference this June, 2011.
Thank you for all your support of the mission of our Northern Illinois conference.
Drawings
must be on 8 1/2" X 11" white paper, with the width at 8 1/2 ".
On the lower right hand corner on the BACK of the artwork, please print:
Artist's
name, age, address, phone number, church, and District.
They must be mailed by May 23, 2011 to:
Mari Schirmer
7S 348 Baltusrol
Lane
Naperville, IL 60540
Spring Into A Good Mood!!!
Presented by stephanie stichter
Join
us at Riverview Estates for an interactive presentation for National Mental Health Awareness month. Improve your health, ward
off depression and enjoy life!!!
Wednesday May 18, 2011, 1:30 p.m.
For more information:
please call Angie or Tami at 815-537-1172 or
email to tflores@good-sam.com
Hope to see you there!