Elmhurst Christian Reformed Church

06/05/2026

We've Got Issues
June 5, 2026 • by Gregg DeMey

After nine months of walking through the Bible, we’re turning a corner into how our Sunday morning summer worship services are structured. Of course, God’s Word is still going to be at the center of all things, but the way we enter into the Word is temporarily going to change.

We’re launching into a new series of messages for June and July called “We’ve Got Issues!”

There’s a very intentional double entendre behind that title! We’ve all definitely got issues when it comes to sin and our need for a Savior – happily, Jesus is the costly-but-simple answer to that issue! On a lesser level, we’ve got issues because the world is complicated and ever-changing, with novel topics, trends, and technologies we need to wrestle with as God’s people. Things could get a little wild as we try to find common ground in the light of God’s Word on a diverse assortment of topics, such as:

- What Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology means for human, spiritual beings
- What our expanding knowledge of the universe and possible life outside of Earth implies
- How to think Christianly about global migration trends
- What to make of modern concepts of gender and sexual identity
- How to be devoutly Christian and appropriately American at the same time
- The role of Israel in spiritual and political matters
- How a Christian can practice love and tolerance according to God’s standards

Needless to say, things could get a little spicy along the way! Let me assure you that Pastor Jeff and I will seek to root the perspectives we share in the Bible and not in our flimsy personal opinions. Secondly, we’ll be offering time and space for follow-up discussions immediately after each worship service in the Garden Room at 11:15 am. Hopefully, this will provide ample room for a Q+A, additional thoughts (from the congregation!), and perspectives on these complex topics.

I know that God is the God of all truth, so we don’t need to be shy about bringing any topic, trend, or new technology into the light of the Word for consideration! Looking forward to sharing this adventure with you.

– Pastor Gregg

05/31/2026

Serve Weekend May 2026

05/29/2026

Farmers Market Give Away
May 29, 2026

During the Memorial Day Parade in Elmhurst on Monday, I was joyfully reminded of how much fun it is to give away other people’s stuff. I honestly think it’s one of my top spiritual gifts!

Let me explain…

As a contingent of market volunteers paraded our way through downtown Elmhurst, we passed out slips of paper with essential information about the upcoming Elmhurst Farmers Market to anyone who looked eager to receive it (a little bit of fun), as well as 4”x4” sponge-like squares embedded with wildflower seeds, making for a simple way to water, plant and enjoy the beauty. That part was SO MUCH FUN. And virtually everyone on the parade route, young and old alike, appeared delighted to receive a free gift of seeds to brighten their little corner of the suburbs.

As opposed to giving away my own stuff, or even a gift of my own choosing (really hoping the recipient will like it!), giving away someone else’s stuff is a purer form of joy. There’s no ego involved or strings attached, simply the goodness of sharing.

I genuinely believe that this is at the top of the list of reasons that attracted me to, and keeps me going in, pastoral ministry. The best parts of church life are simply sharing what God has given and seeing it passed along to the people and parts of the Kingdom where it will serve best. Preaching is so much more fun when I can simply pass on God’s Word without any care in the world for what people think of me (still working on it). Music is so much more joyful when we musicians simply invite others into the dance-circle-with-God that we’re already enjoying. Time and money are happily parted with when we remember that those commodities never belonged to us at all, they’re simply capacities that God’s generosity has gifted and we get to pass along.

Whether it’s the upper case “Good News” or a form of lower case “good news,” it’s a joy to give other people’s stuff away.

Speaking of lower case good news, the Elmhurst Farmers Market kick off is coming this week! Opening Day is Wednesday, June 3 - here's the line-up:

🕖 7:00 AM – Market Opens
🎨 9:00-11:00 am - Children's Activities
-including bean planting, books, toys, coloring sheets, temporary tattoos and more! 🖍️🧩🧸⚽️
🎶 10:30 AM – Live Music Begins
🕐 1:00 PM – Market Closes

🥪🍕🥟 Ready to eat food trucks throughout.

If you’re able to go, I strongly encourage you to bring a friend - buy them something good to eat - and feel the joy it brings to give away some healthy food. Grace to you as you do,

– Pastor Gregg

05/28/2026

Serve Weekend is almost here! Join us this Saturday and Sunday as we seek to be the hands and feet of Jesus in our community.

Saturday opportunities include: the Dream Center, Lampstand Ministries, FISH Food Pantry, and Naomi’s House.

Sunday opportunities include: Yard Work for Seniors, Exodus World Service, Jubilee Resale, and our Blood Drive (give a pint — you’ll make more!). So many meaningful ways to serve.

Sign up today at
elmhurstcrc.org/serveweekend
or use the link in our bio.

See you this weekend!

05/27/2026

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice.”

Paul’s chains couldn’t silence his defiant joy. Biblical joy isn’t fragile happiness dependent on circumstances but a resilient song in the soul’s core. This joy thrives even when relationships fracture, bodies fail, or darkness looms. It’s rooted not in denial but in the unshakable nearness of Christ.

Philippians 4:4-9 | Pastor Gregg DeMey
elmhurstcrc.org/media/sermons

05/24/2026

Nearer than Hands and Feet: Philippians 4:(1-) 4-9

05/22/2026

Memorial Day 2026 – Remember
May 21, 2026 • by Gregg DeMey

The Memorial Day holiday encourages us to remember those who have fought and sacrificed their lives for the freedoms we enjoy. I have quite a few family members who served in the military: my dad, uncles, grandfathers, and nephews. But to my knowledge, I don’t have any blood relatives who gave their lives in service to the United States of America. Because I don’t have a direct family or personal connection to honor on Memorial Day, on Monday I’m going to remember these words prior to the Elmhurst Memorial Day parade from Billy Graham (d. 2018) who reflected on his time with President Dwight Eisenhower in 1955:

Some months ago when President Eisenhower was touring the battlefield at Valley Forge and was being shown from one historic spot to another, he made this statement at the conclusion of the tour: “This is where they got it for us.” What did he mean? He meant that those soldiers, and thousands of others in all the wars that America has fought, purchased by their blood the freedoms that we enjoy today in “the land of the free, and the home of the brave.” That terse statement from the lips of our president has rung in my ears for many months. These battlefields of the world today are hallowed and holy to every American, and we pause to give them our highest honors, humbly realizing the sacred trust that these, our war dead, have handed to us.

If you are searching for a thought or a word to share with your family, I invite you to share those noble words. If you have a family member or friend who contributed to our freedoms through the “purchase of their blood,” I invite you to name them and share their story with the living.

I can’t help but to remember another sort of war on Memorial Day: the war between the powers of life and death, light and darkness, good and evil, God and Satan. And how that battle was also won through the “purchase of blood” by one particularly fine young soldier. I don’t think it is out of order to remember this battle and to remember the Lord Jesus this Memorial Day.

Again, to quote Billy Graham: It seemed like a futile, hopeless struggle as Jesus Christ took on Satan’s task force single-handedly. The jeers of the rabble, the spittle of the soldiers and the sneering of the people were incidental compared to the inner struggle which was taking place in his soul. But I watch him as one hand is stretched out toward God and the other toward rebellious mankind, and he makes the connection and says: “It is finished.” He got through for us!

If we are to be strong spiritually, it will be through him. Thousands today are finding a fresh, new meaning of life through him. They are learning to say with confidence, “I can do all things through Christ, who gives me strength.” We can best keep faith with those who have gone before by keeping faith with ourselves, with our highest ideals and with God.

In addition to enjoying some early summer warmth and good times with good people this holiday, I also pray that your memory is guided to gratefully recollect the lives of those who have given us life. This Sunday’s worship at Elmhurst CRC is aiming to do exactly that. Blessing to you on the way - and if you see the Elmhurst Farmers Market crew marching in our town’s parade, give us a shout!

- Pastor Gregg

Billy Graham, Peace with God: peacewithgod.net.

05/21/2026

Marching in a parade on your bucket list?

We’ve got an event for you! We’ll be marching for the Elmhurst Farmers Market in the Elmhurst Memorial Day Parade on Monday morning, May 25, passing out flyers and seed packets to our Elmhurst neighbors. The weather is looking great, and it’s a fun way to spend part of your Memorial Day weekend! Interested? DM or email Rachel at [email protected] for details.

05/17/2026

Who Is He? Philippians 2:1-13

05/15/2026

Commencement
May 15, 2026 • by Gregg DeMey

It’s officially graduation season! And with it comes a barrage of open houses, laughter, tears, well wishes and the mandatory commencement speeches. Having had family members (including myself!) tapped to give one of these speeches on occasion, I have an appreciation for what a challenge it is to say something significant, succinct, touching, and funny in 12 minutes or less over a crappy PA system in a gym or outdoor stadium! There are a million ways commencement speeches can go wrong, but when they go right they can be amazing!

A week ago, at the commencement for North Carolina University’s class of ‘26, native Tar Heel and professional musician Eric Church gave what’s being called the speech of the year. At least a dozen friends and fellow musicians have shared this with me over the past seven days, and now I’m sharing it with you!

Eric Church chose to hold a guitar for the entire speech and draw a parable between the six strings of his guitar and what he calls the “six pillars of life.” A guitar has a low E, A, D, G, B and high E strings. Your life has: Faith. Family. A Spouse. Ambition. Community. You.

Here are a few excerpts from his thoughts about the Low E and the High E string:

"Your faith is the low E of your life. The thing that sits at the very bottom of you. Your belief about what this life is for, what you owe, what holds the universe together when science reaches the edge of its own explanation, and shrugs. The people who tend to their faith in ordinary seasons do not come undone in extraordinary ones. They still hurt. They still sit in hospital waiting rooms asking unanswerable questions at three in the morning.

But they have a foundation to return to.
The world will try to untune this string. Through busyness, through slow accumulation of a full schedule, a full inbox, a full life. Listen to me. Tend to your faith.
Not just when you’re broken, but when you’re whole."

And one about the small, high string at the other end of the guitar, representing your selfhood:

"This is the thinnest string. It’s the highest note. The one that carries the melody,
that single line above the chord that everyone in this room recognizes and takes with them on the way home. It’s also the one bent most easily by outside pressure.

You were made uniquely, wonderfully, distinctly.
There’s a sound only you can make, a voice that has never existed before you and will never exist again.
A contribution only you can bring, a way of seeing that belongs to only you. The world does not need another cover song. It needs an original."

If you have a graduate in your family or circle or friends, take the time to bless them with your time, affection, some good gifts, and some good words as well. God has given our graduates extraordinary gifts and potential to bless this world!

– Pastor Gregg

Watch Eric Church's commencement speech here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZYiwUdmEJc&t=1s

Read Eric Church's commencement speech transcript here:
https://singjupost.com/six-strings-eric-churchs-2026-commencement-speech-transcript/

05/10/2026

Philippians 1: 1-18a

05/10/2026

Paul's Conversion - Acts 9:1-19a

05/08/2026

Survey Says...
May 8, 2026 • by Gregg DeMey
On the long-running TV game show, “The Family Feud,” teams answer survey-based questions in a competition to earn points. A typical round starts with a question like, “Name something that is deep fried.” As the contestants respond with answers like, “Chicken” “French Fries” and “Donuts” the survey board reveals rank-ordered results of how successful they were at guessing what the majority of Americans had to say. (French Fries would be the #1 answer to the deep-fried question, by the way!)

We’re at a moment in our family life at Elmhurst CRC where we’re taking our own survey – not to start a feud or score points – but to help illuminate where God is leading us in the upcoming years. Because of our generous giving to God through the Hearts Ablaze campaign since the end of 2024, our church is on track to be debt free by Thanksgiving of this year! Amazing, and truly a cause for thanksgiving! This means that all of our tithes and offerings will be freed up for ministry, and our opportunities to serve and strategically say “Yes!” to the opportunities that the Holy Spirit presents to us will be at an all time high!

In preparation for this new season, we’ve formed a Strategic Planning Team to help our congregation discern where the voice of God is directing us next. One of the first tasks of this team will be to interpret the results of a congregational survey. Take it here: elmhurstcrc.org/survey

It’s anonymous, takes about 15-20 minutes to complete, and your perspective will help shape where we go next as a community. We want our “Family Feud” board to be lit but exclusively with the strongest answers to the question, “Where is God leading us in the years ahead?”

You might notice that there is an Up, In, and Out* structure to the survey. After a few demographic questions, there will be prompts about worship, community life, as well as outreach and service. And there’s space for you to share some of your own opinions, perspectives, and dreams for ECRC if you choose to do that as well.

So, take a few minutes, and take the survey! It will close at the end of this weekend. Take it here: elmhurstcrc.org/survey

– Pastor Gregg

Up = connecting vertically to God in worship
In = connecting to one another in Christian community
Out = connecting to our neighbors and the world through acts of service and proclamation

05/06/2026

Chris Klein has lived a life others didn’t expect.

Born with cerebral palsy, he uses augmentative communication to interact with the world around him. He first began using a communication device at age six — a step that opened doors many thought would remain closed. From being mainstreamed in school to earning a degree in Kinesiology from Hope College and pursuing a Master of Divinity at Western Theological Seminary, Chris’s journey is marked not by what he cannot do, but by what God has made possible.

Today, Chris is a speaker, teacher, and advocate who has spent decades encouraging others to persevere through their own challenges. He is also the author of My Big Toe and the founder of a nonprofit supporting individuals who use augmentative communication.

Come hear how God works through constraints to reveal His strength in Chris’s life.

Journeymen
6:30 a.m. • May 7
Garden Room

05/01/2026

“May”hem (and the Gift of Limits)
May 1, 2026 • by Gregg DeMey

May is the busiest month of the year for most of us living in the burbs of Chicago: there’s the end-of-school-year rush, graduation parties, sports, college decisions, concerts etc… I’ve heard this phenomenon described as "May Madness" or "Mayhem*," or around ECRC I’ve even heard “Maycember” in reference to the other busiest month of the year around church.

Given all the great activities and opportunities for being outdoors that May affords, there’s no possible way to cram in all of the good things. If you’re a person prone to FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out), May is likely a trying month for you!

Our staff has slowly been working through a great book called, Emotionally Healthy Discipleship, by once-burned-out but redeemed Pastor, Peter Scazzero. We typically read a chapter a month, take counsel with one another, and actually DO THE SPIRITUAL EXERCISES as a way of trying to ingrain Jesus’ patterns of behavior into our lives a little more deeply.

Our most recent staff meeting was focused on embracing our limitations (including the limit of calendars and time) not as barriers to fight, but as sovereign, God-given gifts to be embraced for our sustained spiritual health. Often, we have strong feelings or emotional reactions when we bump up against one of our human limits. Sometimes our limitations can frustrate or disappoint us (my three kids have sporting events at the same time, where do I go?). Other times, a limit can give us relief (Whew! I have a good excuse to say “no”), contentment or even joy.

The counter-cultural, crucial question to ask when recognizing that you’re bumping into a limit is this: Have I come to a place where I’m being led to accept a God-given limit and respond with humility and acceptance – or – have I come to a place where the Holy Spirit is inviting me to push through a limitation, perhaps even creating a spiritual breakthrough.

As a general disrespecter of my own limitations, this question really hits home! I know that the typical answer to the question above is to humble myself and accept that I can only do so much.

But when I consider Jesus’ example – who had infinitely more wisdom, capacity, and energy than me or you – who regularly drew limits around his time, number of close relationships, Sabbath practice, to name only a few, I recognize that I’m cutting myself off from a deep well of God’s grace by trying so hard to get it all done in my own strength.

So as May kicks off and the Mayhem begins, perhaps you, too, can benefit from letting the Holy Spirit shepherd you day by day through the calendar with that wise question: Is today a day where I’m being led to accept a God-given limit – or – is God possibly inviting me to push through a barrier for a higher cause or purpose?

– Pastor Gregg

* In defense of May, it’s also widely considered one of the best months around the Northern Hemisphere due to its ideal combination of warm, mild weather, blooming flowers, and long days. May is the peak of spring, offering comfortable temperatures for outdoor activities before the intense heat of summer.

04/28/2026

There are several email phishing scams circulating right now, and many of our members and friends have been affected. Some involve invitations from Evite or Punchbowl, while others appear as official e-signature requests (such as DocuSign) asking for logins or signatures.

These messages may come from people you know—or even appear to come from church staff.

Please exercise caution. We will never ask for your login credentials. If something seems “off,” especially if it appears to come from church staff, don’t open it and please call the church office to verify, if needed.

04/27/2026

Community Dinner this Wednesday — have you RSVP’d yet?

Join us for a delicious meal featuring pulled pork, mac & cheese, coleslaw, and desserts. After dinner, stick around for patio fun with s’mores and more!

Dinner will be served from 5:30–6:30 PM.
Please RSVP by Monday, April 27 at noon!

Menu:  Pulled pork, mac and cheese, coleslaw, and desserts.  Also, for the afterparty fun, there will be s'mores and more on the patio. Dinner will be served from 5:30 to 6:30 PM.  Please make sure to RSVP by Monday, April 27, at noon.

04/26/2026

Free Time - Acts 16: 16-34

04/24/2026

Hallelujah, Anyhow
April 24, 2026 • by Gregg DeMey

Sometimes I feel the need to praise God, even when I don’t feel like it.

Have you ever felt like going to church would be hypocritical because you just weren’t feeling it? Ever been so sad, depressed, or weighed down that music just felt like noise?

I’ve been there, too! And yet, there has always come a moment for me when I know it’s time to praise God anyhow.

Sometimes the next “Hallelujah” costs a lot.

We’re not the first followers of Jesus to face this dilemma. In the Book of Acts, chapter 16, early Christians named Paul and Silas have gotten unjustly entangled in the Roman legal system, been brutally beaten in body, and then imprisoned so securely that their ankles were shackled to the walls of jail. If ever there was a time to not feel like worshipping God and thanking Jesus for his goodness, it was a night like that. And yet… Paul and Silas started singing songs of praise in the middle of the night. Hallelujah, anyhow. Their willingness to push through their pain and frustration was part of God’s plan to deliver further spiritual breakthroughs.

That’s been my experience as well. A willingness to push through temporary pain mysteriously permits the Spirit of God to cause surprising transformation.

Maybe you’re not feeling the goodness of God right now. Maybe the words of the hymns and praise songs are getting stuck in your throat. That’s OK. I encourage you to ask God to bring you a moment, sooner rather than later, when the time will be right to push through the pain and offer up a “Hallelujah” anyhow.

There have been a number of songs that have helped me do that through the years. I’ve linked to four of them below, along with some of the pertinent lyrics. Maybe one of these songs could help you find your voice-of-praise if you’ve temporarily lost it.

– Pastor Gregg

Hard Fought Hallelujah
I don′t always feel it, but that's when I need it the most
So, I′ll keep on singing 'lil my soul catches up with my song
There's times when my hands go up freely and times that it costs
There′s days when a praise comes out easy, days when it takes all the strength I got
I′ll bring my hard-fought, heartfelt, been-through-hell “Hallelujah”
And I'll bring my storm-tossed, torn-sail, story-to-tell “Hallelujah”
God, You've been patient – God, You′ve been gracious
Faithful, whatever I'm feeling or facing
So I′ll bring my hard-fought, heartfelt, it-is-well “Hallelujah”

Blessed Be the Name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name, when the sun's shining down on me
When the world's 'all as it should be' – Blessed be Your name
Blessed be Your name on the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering – Blessed be Your name
Every blessing You pour out I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord, still I will say
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name
You give and take away – You give and take away
My heart will choose to say, ”Lord, blessed be Your name”

Hallelujah, Anyway
Yeah, I hear a hymn of triumph in thе wilderness of my lament
In thе lowlands or the mountain tops, I won’t forget
All that goodness that You have shown me
The promises that You have kept
There’s better days on the horizon up ahead
Even if my daylight never dawns
Even if my breakthrough never comes
Even if I’ll fight to bring You praise
Even if my dreams fall to the ground
Even if I’m lost, I know I’m found
Even if my heart will somehow say: Hallelujah anyway

Sing Your Praise to the Lord
Sing your praise to the Lord
Come on everybody, stand up and sing one more hallelujah
Sing your praise to the Lord
I could never tell you just how much good that it's gonna do you just to sing, Anew
The song your heart learned to sing when He first gave His life to you
Well life goes on and so must the song
You gotta sing again the song born in your soul when you first gave your heart to Him

04/23/2026

We are looking for a photographer for a Mother's Day event at church on Sunday, May 10. If you know someone who might be a good fit -- please DM us!

04/17/2026

Easter Gets Personal
April 17, 2026 • by Gregg DeMey

Easter is a big day. Full of color, great music, and celebration. It’s legitimately the highlight of the year for me just as Jesus’ resurrection is the highlight of our faith. But as amazing as Easter Sunday can be, the Monday after Easter always feels strange and awkward. Unlike Christmas, where most of the population has time to linger and lean into an extended holiday period, the days after Easter force us back into business as usual.

On one level this bothers me: shouldn’t Easter change everything?! On the other hand: the real power of Easter lies NOT in spectacular short-term changes, but in the transformation of the ordinary in human life.

It dawned on me some years ago that Jesus’s public ministry ended on the cross. While Jesus had been cheered by crowds on Palm Sunday, jeered by a mob at his trial, and though he had taught huge throngs of people during Passover week in Jerusalem, there were no more large gatherings on the other side of the empty grave. There was no post-resurrection victory tour. No spectacular public speeches or high-profile sermons from the mouth of the Risen One. Jesus’s public ministry concluded with his final breath, “It is finished.”

But in a new Easter season where the public facing ministry ceased, Jesus’s private ministry—tailored to individuals in personal and tender ways—picked up! It all started with Mary Magdalene who was lost in her tears and grief on that first Easter morning. Jesus spoke her name and gave her the massively significant job of being the first message bearer of the Good News of the resurrection. Jesus met her in just the way she needed.

Similarly, Jesus met a man named Saul while he travelled down an ancient highway. Saul hated Jesus, his church, and was on a trip with orders to put some of the first Christians in prison. What could soften the heart of a guy like that?! Jesus knew, and provided that strong-minded, strong-willed man of conviction with just what he needed: a blinding vision, a thunderous voice from heaven, and a case of temporary blindness. Jesus knew he wanted Saul on his Gospel team and gave him the original “Damascus Road” experience!

The same principle applies today. Real Easter living is more likely to appear in divinely customized, personal, even tenderly intimate settings rather than in grand, spectacular, public ones. For mysterious reasons that I cannot explain, this pattern seems to please God and bring him greater glory.

It was so fitting that our church had the opportunity to lean into this Easter reality last week by exercising our muscles during Serve Weekend. Here’s the real secret to Serve Weekend in my opinion: there is spiritual, resurrection power in serving others personally – AND – there is spiritual, resurrection power in serving alongside Christian friends, shoulder-to-shoulder. A few hours of working alongside somebody in Jesus’s name can accomplish more relational connection than a year’s worth of casual, post-church coffee conversations!

The resurrected Jesus meets us personally. It’s amazing when we share that pattern with a sad and lonely world.

– Pastor Gregg

04/10/2026

Change of Service
April 10, 2026 • by Gregg DeMey

Back in February of 2020, our Elders at church approved the implementation of the concept of 5th Sunday Serve: Anytime there was a 5th Sunday of the month, we would pause from our ordinary Sunday morning worship rhythm and mobilize as many willing hands and feet as possible to serve our community in Jesus’ name. Do you remember what happened in March of 2020? Let’s just say that our inaugural 5th Sunday Serve scheduled for the spring didn’t go exactly as planned. But, by August 2020, while most of Chicago was still shut down due to COVID-19, we were able to organize and follow through on our conviction that the local church is at its best when we’re serving our neighbors directly.

We’ve continued to serve every 5th Sunday since summer 2020, but over time we began noticing an alarming trend: So many 5th Sundays coincide with times of year when lots of our people were out of town: Spring Break, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, the weekend between Christmas and New Year etc... It’s been a struggle on many 5th Sunday weekends to maximize participation. Given this uphill battle with the calendar, our Elders decided at the end of 2025 to change our service from the 5th Sunday Serve model to a “Serve Weekend.”

Here’s the new plan, starting this very weekend—we’re expanding our serving opportunities from 5th Sunday Serve to four special Serve Weekends throughout the year. These are the dates: April 11-12, May 30-31, August 29-30, and November 21-22.

If this first Serve Weekend is coming to you as a surprise, it’s not too late to jump on board.

You can sign up at elmhurstcrc.org/serveweekend

There are two significant benefits to this new model:

First, by offering opportunities to serve on Saturdays and Sundays, we can partner with more organizations around Chicago, many of which are closed on Sundays. By offering opportunities to serve over the whole weekend, I’m also hopeful that more of us at ECRC can find a window of time to get our hands dirty, too!

Second, with the new Serve Weekend model, we’ll have an in-person worship service from 10-10:30 am on Sunday, and then move out to some of our serve project options. Many folks have missed the fellowship of in-person worship along the way, and we also have first-time guests and visitors every single week at ECRC. So, we can better welcome the neighbors that come over to our place, too!

I’m really looking forward to this weekend myself! As a guy who spends way too much time in public, I’m delighted to have some behind-the-scenes opportunities to be of use. I’ll be in Villa Park raking leaves on Saturday morning (free exercise) and hopefully talking with some aging homeowners about how their lives are going. Then, after worshipping on Sunday morning, I’ll be donating a pint of blood. So many different ways to be of simple, humble use in the Kingdom of our Risen Lord!

– Pastor Gregg