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Open Prairie UCC
September 2014 Newsletter
God’s BIG Backyard!
On Sunday, Sept. 20th from 9am to 2pm
Open Prairie will be hosting its very first
day camp at Pilgrim Park. It will be a Bible
and nature oriented day of fun and
learning for children age 4 through 5th
grade. There will be Bible lessons, nature
walks, crafts, music and games! Our goal
is to get kids out into nature and to help
them understand that Jesus both created
the wilderness and spent time in it.
Children are asked to bring a sack
lunch. Cost is $5 for the day for supplies
and snacks, with scholarships
available. All children are welcome and
can bring friends. Registration is simple
and includes a health form. Forms are
available in the church office, on the
church website, or on the event page on
Facebook. You may also register your
children by calling Open Prairie Church @
(815) 872-5150 or emailing
[email protected].
Get ready!
Sunday School begins September 21st
@ 9:30! We have a host of new
teachers this year ~ Sarah Criner,
Sallee Beneke, Becky Perkins, Jack
Olson, and Jessica Gray! They’re all
very excited to work with our wonderful
kids! This is our rally day and we hope
to have all our students with us. We will
also do another backpack blessing for
those students were unable to be with
us Labor Day weekend. We can’t wait
to see you all there!
Be a coffee sponsor today!
Are you interested in being a coffee sponsor for a
month? For only $10 you could provide the coffee
that is served during fellowship hour following
worship each week! There is a sign-up sheet on
the counter in the office. Thank you!
WANT TO KNOW MORE?
INTERESTED IN EXPLORING CHURCH
MEMBERSHIP? Sharron Klingel,
Moderator Barry, Ron McCutchan and
Pastor Mary Gay have put the finishing
touches on a way to share more
information about the United Church of
Christ, our beloved Open Prairie Church
and at the same time get to know each
other. The first two meetings are
informational. The third meeting is for
those who think it may be time to become
official members. For all three meetings
we want to make clear ~ it’s not pressure,
just invitation. PLAN NOW to attend our
first meeting, an evening gathering @
Goldy and Pastor’s home on Sunday,
September 21, beginning @ 7:00pm.
Dine before you arrive, but please SAVE
ROOM for dessert!
Baby shower to welcome Baby
Boy Blogg!
Hosted by Goldy Mortensen, Becky
Perkins & Susan Hale at
Open Prairie Church
Sunday, Sept. 28th @ 3pm
Please come celebrate the joys of new
parenthood with Molly & Russ!
All of Open Prairie are welcome!
We’re doing a special gift for the baby ~ a
time capsule for him to open when he’s 21
years old! Please bring something timely,
funny or thoughtful to place in the
capsule! Thank you!
Attention Church Council Members! If you
have any agenda items for the Sept. 22nd
meeting, please let Barry know so they can
be listed for discussion. If it’s important to
you that an issue be discussed, let him know!
Please have your Council reports in by
Monday, Sept. 15th, so we can prepare
packets for everyone! Thanks!
September Food Bank
Cereal or oatmeal
PATIO PONDERINGS continues
and we hope you will join us for our September
meeting on Wednesday, September 17. We’ll
meet @ Goldy and Mary Gay’s home @
7:30pm. Our facilitators bring us a question or
thought to ponder, and we take off from there.
Ironically it has been either too rainy or too
humid and hot over the summer to really ponder
on the patio. We’ve been indoors and that has
worked as well. Come once or come whenever
you can to this monthly gathering.
Open Prairie Reads
On Monday, Oct. 6th @ 7pm we will gather
together to discuss Muriel Barbery’s The
Elegance of the Hedgehog. Please join us
if you’re able! We’d love to have you!
Church Council News
The next Church Council Meeting is
September 22nd @ 6:30 p.m.
These beloved folks would appreciate a card, letter,
phone call or a short visit:
Freida Anderson
c/o Liberty Village
140 N. 6th Street
Princeton, IL 61356
Mary Jane Goble
c/o Liberty Village
140 N. 6th St.
Princeton, IL 61356
Paul Goble
c/o David Carlson
32913 Hideaway Lane
Adel, IA 50003
NURSERY CARE doesn’t just happen. Thanks to a
committed group of volunteers, our youngest
congregants enjoy quality child care and a great time
when they leave after the children’s
message. Childcare is available for children
from infancy through first grade. For
children ages 2nd grades & up there are
activity pages! Linda Ernst is assisted by
Pam Lewis, Meagan Johnson, Jody Scott, and Dawn &
Katrina Rudolph. When you see them around town and at
church, please thank them for their ministry. It’s part of
GREAT STARTS in the faith right here at Open Prairie!
Church Council Minutes are available upon request. If you
would like a copy of the minutes please call or email Jessica
and ask her to send you a copy!
October Newsletter Deadline
~Sept. 26th ~
The church is open 8:15-12:15 p.m. Monday-Thursday,
8:15-12:15. If you have any questions or should need
anything, please give Jessica a call at the church! (815)
872-5150
LADIES LUNCH BUNCH
Fridays at 12:30
All Ladies Welcome!
Join us for weekly
Bible Study discussions
with Pastor Mary Gay~
Mondays @ 10:30!
We’d love to have
you join us!
Sept.
Sept.
Sept.
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Sept.
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Sept.
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Michelle Coleman
Ardyn Johnson
Ray Kuhnert
Karen Martin
Fox Webber
Steve Gunning
Rod Jaggers
Brian Taylor
Beth Bickerman
Molly Blogg
Goldy Mortensen
Sallee Zearing
If a birthday has been omitted or is incurrect, please let
Jessica know. She can update the church records. Thank You!
News from the
Committees
of Open Prairie
Church
Mystery on Marion…
Attention!
An all points bulletin is being issue from
Open Prairie for the following missing
item!
Name: Tablecloth
Description: White stripe, polyester,
rectangular
Size: Fits an 8ft table
Last seen: Unknown
Reason for disappearance: Suspicion is
that the victim was removed from premises
for laundering.
The item can be returned anonymously, no
questions asked. We’re requesting its quick
return since the item’s presence is
requested for luncheons.
The family of Kathy Hornbaker deeply
appreciates the cookies and help at the
refreshment table for her memorial
service. A heartfelt thank you goes out to
all the ladies who graciously baked the
53 (or more!) dozen cookies. Thank you
to those who willingly volunteered to
help serve refreshments that day. As
always, OP is there when needed!
Gratefully, Sharron Klingel
Hey, all! Fellows hip Team would love it if
you could please check your linen closets to
see if you might have kitchen towels you
don’t recognize. If you do, they might
belong in the church drawer! The kitchen is
down to six dishtowels, so any that are
found & returned would replenish what we
have! If you also happen to have any
dishtowels of your own that are still in
reasonably good condition but you no
longer want, the church would gladly and
lovingly take in any you choose to give up!
Fellowship Team thanks you!!
Mission Team
The Mission Team had a very successful
August! We recently sent off a total of 16 CWS School
Kits!! That’s up from our last reported amount of 12
kits! The supplies just kept rolling in. Open Prairie you
are astounding in your generosity. Thank you, thank
you! The kits have been mailed off to the east coast to
be distributed wherever CWS feels they are most
needed. We also handed off the surplus supplies of
crayons, glue, and pencils to a classroom at Douglas
Elementary. They were surprised and thanked us
immensely! Thank you, thank you!
The Mission Team also raised a total of
$288.00 at the Wizards Wonder Faire at the Princeton
Library. Thank you to all our bakers, candy makers,
and workers! We really appreciate all your hard work.
The event was a success!
We’d like to thank all of you who have been
purchasing the lovely cards in the lobby with the
beautiful painting of Open Prairie’s building front. ALL
the proceeds from the sale of these cards goes directly
to Missions. Cards go for $1.50 ea., or 5 cards for $7
and 10 cards for $13. They make lovely gifts!
We would also like to thank those of you who
have opened your wallets ~ some of you for the
second time ~ to help cover Mission’s costs for the
two Coneflower produce boxes we donate to the
Bureau County Food Pantry. You have contributed
$170.00 in the last month!!! WOW! Thank you!
Our can collection bin has been overflowing
the last few weeks. Keep up that recycling! All of your
cans are recycled and the proceeds from which are
given to Heifer International to help farmers in third
world countries. We also still accept your ink
cartridges!
Thank you Open Prairie for supporting
Mission Team!
Safe Conduct Policy for Open Prairie
The revised Safe Conduct Policy has been
reviewed by Council and is ready to be voted on by
the Congregation at our semi-annual meeting in
November.
This policy will soon appear on our Open
Prairie web-site. (www.openprairie.org) Please
take the time to read it so that when we vote you
will be informed. This policy applies to everyone in
our congregation, and its intent is to ensure that
our church is a safe and healthy environment for all.
This policy and its mandates are required by
our insurance policy.
– The Stewardship Team
It’s that time of year again!
The 2014 Bureau County Area
CROP Walk is coming up!
The event will be held
Sun., October 12th
The walk will begin at 2pm at the First
United Methodist Church. Are you
interested in being a walker with
members of the Mission Team and Pastor
Mary Gay? We have sponsorship
envelopes available. Each walker raises
money which is donated to alleviate
hunger in our area and internationally.
Last year alone, 15 area churches
participated in the walk and raised
$17,000! Please consider joining us for
this great event!
You can also go to www.cwsglobal.org to see
more information on Church World Services
and the CROP Walk program.
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Goldy and I were discussing our names
this morning. With Goldie Hawn having
become prominent through “Laugh In, ” many
people think that’s how she spells her name.
Goldy is how she spells is, and that matters. I
also have an unusual name. It is not
uncommon for women named and raised in the
southern states to be called by our first and
middle names. People not only mispronounce
my name. There is also an assumption that it
couldn’t possibly be Mary Gay. It must be Mary
Kay, they think, and then, upon learning that it
is Mary Gay, they insist that the spelling should
be Mary Gaye. Throughout our lives we’ve
been questioned about our names. Is that your
real name? Goldy and Gay are family names.
Goldy’s father is Howard Goldy, and her
grandfather is Sam Goldy. These men were
farmers north of Rockford. My maternal great
grandmother is Georgia Gay, daughter of W.J.
Gay, farmer in the Brooks and Woolsey area
south of Atlanta. On another note Sean was
checking us out Tuesday @ Walmart. When I
greeted him with “Hi, Sean,” he looked at me
and a smile broke out on his face. “Thank you
for pronouncing my name right. You wouldn’t
believe how many people call me ‘seen’ or
‘see-ann.’” We had a laugh about that. Names
are important. Authors are incredibly deliberate
when naming their characters. Parents enjoy
the naming process when they adopt or give
birth. Jesus is a modernization of Joshua, for
instance, which means “he will save his
people.” Saul’s name gets changed to Paul.
Scripture is filled with rich and varied names!
As for nicknames, they’re touchy. Leave
nicknames aside altogether. . . until a person
says, just call me _______. Nicknames imply a
degree of intimacy and familiarity. Calling
someone by name, and the name by which
they wish to be called, is a way to honor
another.
In my seminary days it was a privilege to
share some classes with Elaine Klaasen. She
was the first Klaasen I met, so one day I asked,
“Elaine, what kind of a name is Klaasen?” It
might have been something about my tone, but
the look on her face was that of someone
insulted. She responded that Klassen is Dutch
and she is proud of it. I realized that day that it
is possible to hurt someone by mishandling
their name, or calling them something other
than their name. Whether surnames or given
names, our names are important to us. We like
to be called by our names, and we like to have
them spelled correctly. Elaine, if you read this,
you can see I learned a lesson.
So, for all of us on this holy ground of
names, what we might do is repeat the name a
person tells us they want to be called and if
need be, let them know we’d like to spell it
correctly.
I’m enjoying the newcomers who visit us
at Open Prairie. I’m not as good at names as I
once was. Pray for me that I remember and
honor our guests and all who enter with a joy
and appreciation of their names.
Your sisters in Christ,
Paster Mary Kay and Goldie ( :
Pastor Mary Gay and Goldy
Additional items of note:
 Pastor Mary Gay continues as a
member of the Theology and Peace
Board. She leaves for New York City
and White Plains, NY after worship on
September 14 and returns Thursday
evening, September 18. You can find
out more about the upcoming Theology
and Peace Conference in May of 2015
and more about the mission of T&P at
our website: theologyandpeace.org ~
 Pastor Mary Gay has been invited to
share an invocation at the September
30 Princeton Rotary Club meeting.
Thank you, Bruce McVety, director of
Freedom House, for this honor and
invitation to our pastor.
 Members and friends of OP have joined
in the joy of poetry @ the Poetry Nights
@ 4&20. The next one will be on
Friday, September 19 @ 7:00pm.
Whether you are one who wishes to
read a poem you have written or listen
to the works of others, the evening is
great fun and surprises happen. Come
for coffee and tea on the house, and
perhaps one of their delicious desserts.
 MONDAY MORNINGS are abuzz @
OP. Join the buzz and discussion,
always insightful and never boring that
we have @ our 10:30am Bible study.
Whether you can be a regular or wish to
come occasionally, we welcome you
and will be honored if you can join us!
 CONTEMPLATIVE PRACTICE is our
new title for what we were calling
Centering Prayer. We’ve also changed
the time to the morning. We assemble a
little before 8:00am on Wednesdays so
that we can begin on time. After 20
minutes of silence together we depart to
our next locations. Come every week or
when you can.
Princeton Coffeehouse Presents:
Scott Cook
September 27, 2014 @ 7:30pm
Scott Cook is an Alberta, Canada-based,
tirelessly traveling songwriter with his heart
forever on his sleeve. He brings humor, a
disarming honesty, years of roads, and a
deep love of humanity to his songcraft and
storytelling. He is equally at home alone on
stage, accompanying himself with guitar,
banjo, ukulele, and mbira, or backed by his
acoustic trio the Second Chances. Cook’s
songs are true stories set to music, drawing
on influences from folk and old-time country
to soul and blues. He has made his living
playing music full-time since 2007. He’s
averaged over 160 shows and 10 festivals
each year for the last 7 years. He’s performed
and showcased at over 500 different venues
and over 120 festivals in Canada, United
States, Europe and Asia.
He is currently on tour in support of One More
Time Around, which Canada's premier roots
music magazine Penguin Eggs calls "as
much a manifesto as a musical work,"
teeming with "wry observations and hopeful
life lessons." Its opening track "Pass It Along"
won the Folk and Acoustic category in the
2013 UK Songwriting Contest, with UK
magazine Maverick Country naming him "one
of Canada's most inspiring and imaginative
storytellers". Fellow Canadian songwriter and
three-time Juno winner David Francey sums
it up: "Scott Cook has distilled his travels
down into songs powered by a sharp eye for
imagery, a healthy dose of humanity, and that
unforgettable voice, that at the same time
intones the rigors of the road and the most
comfortable couch you have ever slept on."
Cook won Male Artist of the Year at the 2012
Edmonton Music Awards; he won the Folk
and Acoustic category in the 2013 UK
Songwriting Contest; he’s sold over 5000
albums independently; and has charted on
Euro Americana, Earshot, Roots Music
Report, Folk-DJ charts. For more info, music,
photos and hobo travelogue can be found on
http://www.scottcook.net.
UPCOMING PRINCETON COFFEEHOUSE EVENTS:
2014-2015
September 27th Scott Cook
All shows begin at 7:30 PM. There are no advance ticket sales. All
seating is general admission, and the recession-proof ticket price
remains a modest $12.00. Doors open at 7:00 PM. The Princeton
Coffeehouse is located at Open Prairie UCC Church, 25 E. Marion
Street in Downtown Princeton. We still serve Open Prairie’s fair trade
coffee, as well as assorted teas and homemade desserts. For further
information, check our website at: www.theprincetoncoffeehouse.com
Friday, September 12th
Princeton Community Band Concerts in Soldiers &
Sailors Park at 5:30PM ~ The concert will be 45
minutes in length with no intermission. The concert
is free, lawn chairs are suggested.
Friday-Sunday
September 12th - 14th
34th Annual Homestead Festival
homesteadfestival.com
Sunday, September 14th
Jazz Worship Service 10:30AM
St. Matthew's Lutheran Church
Saturday, September 20th &
Sunday, September 21st
Princeton Greater City Golf Tournament
Saturday, September 20th
Easter Seals 3rd Annual Golf Scramble
Spring Creek Golf Course
Saturday, September 27th
The Princeton Coffeehouse presents ~ Scott Cook
in Concert. Doors open at 7PM
Admission is $15
theprincetoncoffeehouse.com
Saturday, September 27th
Princeton Moose Lodge Fundraiser for Easter
Seals for Autism Awareness
Open Prairie UCC
25 E. Marion Street
Princeton, IL 61356
(815) 872-5150
Email: [email protected]
Office Hours M-T, 8:15-12:15
Church Web Site: www.openprairie.org
September 2014
SUNDAY
MONDAY
1
TUESDAY
2
WEDNESDAY
3
THURSDAY
4
FRIDAY
5
SATURDAY
6
8am Centering Prayer
12:30pm Lunch Bunch @
Kramers
Labor Day
7
8
10:30am Worship
10:30 Bible Study
6:30pm Choir Practice
9
10
11
12:30pm Lunch Bunch @
4&20 Café
7pm OP Reads
MGM gone
6:30pm Choir Practice
4pm Outreach Committee
6pm Prairie Circle
15
16
17
18
19
MGM returns!
10am Meet @ Pilgrim
Park for set-up
12:30 pm Lunch Bunch @
Kramers
25
26
27
12:30pm Lunch Bunch
7:30pm Princeton
Coffeehouse~ Scott
Cook!
9:45am Choir Rehearsal
10:30 Worship
8am Centering Prayer
MGM leaves for Theology
& Peace Conference in NY
Church Council Reports
due!
MGM gone
MGM gone
6:30pm Choir Practice
7:30 Patio Ponderings
MGM gone
21
22
23
24
9:30 Sunday School Begins!
10:30 Worship
10:30am Bible Study
7pm Inquirer’s Class @
Pastor & Goldy’s house
29
9:30am Sunday School
10:30 Worship
10:30 Bible Study
20
9am-2pm God’s Big
Backyard Camp @ Pilgrim
Park!
PM: Sanctuary in use for
private wedding
8am Centering Prayer
6:30pm Church Council
28
3pm Blogg Baby Shower
13
8am Centering Prayer
1:30pm Peace & Justice
14
12
Rosh Hashanah
30
Newsletter Deadline!