E-News March 12, 2026

Worship

In many modern contexts, it may seem sweet that Jesus welcomed little children. However, in Jesus' context, spending time with children would have seemed wasteful or useless. When Jesus blessed a crowd of children after the disciples rebuked them and tried to send them away, he once again reorients socially constructed hierarchies to center the vulnerable. Throughout his ministry, Jesus emphasized the last, the least, and the lost, building on the mandates of the Hebrew scriptures to care for the widow, the orphan, and the stranger. Deuteronomy repeatedly reminds the Israelites, "you were once slaves in Egypt." Their memory of oppression should impel them to provide for anyone under-resourced or cut off from the protection of a household. 


Join us on the fourth Sunday in Lent as we reflect on how the good news of God's kingdom teaches us to protect and care for the vulnerable. Our Lay Speaker, Gary Gruebnau will share the message this week. In-person service is at 10 a.m., and you can watch the live-streamed service at home as well via the church website or Youtube channel.



Click here to sign in your attendance on the website. If you have joys or concerns to share, please submit them with your attendance record. It's important for us to know you were with us and stay connected in prayer. 

Lenten devotional and prayer cards are ready for pickup at the lobby table. 

Take them with you this Sunday and

use them as your companion for the Lenten journey. 

You can also receive online daily reflection through the church Facebook page. Please click here to follow and like!

Easter Flower Sales

Orders are now being taken for Easter lilies, tulips, hyacinths and daffodils which will beautify our sanctuary on Easter, and may be taken home after our Easter service, or if you prefer, donated to beautify our church's landscape. Click here to order online. You can also fill out the order form in the Sunday bulletin or call the church office to place an order. Please remember to put "Easter flowers" on the memo line of your check. All orders must be in by March 15. Please order as soon as possible. Quantities are limited.

Grace Sightings

Praying Stitchers Sew Along

Items Received at the Praying Stitchers Meeting

Sunday, March 1 Service

Upcoming Events

Algonquin Lake in the Hills Interfaith Food Pantry is seeking valuable volunteers. The food pantry was established in 2000 to meet the growing needs of the underserved. Last year we served 12,105 clients and distributed 287,596 pounds of

food. Our gardens yielded 2,844 pounds of vegetables, herbs, fruits, & flowers. Of which, all was distributed freely. As our growing season approaches, we need volunteers to help feed our clients. Our hours are Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. both outside and in the pantry. The work varies from day to say. We are located on Pyott Road. To contact us visit alithfoodpantry.org and scroll to the bottom. Fill in the contact information and in the message section type “volunteer gardens” or “volunteer other” and submit. You’ll be contacted within a few days. For more info please contact Algonquin/LITH Food Pantry at (847) 854-1904.

Lent Study

The Last Supper: Conversations That Led to the Cross

Wednesdays at 10 a.m.


You're invited to travel with Jesus on the road to Jerusalem in this Lenten study that explores the parables and stories Jesus told at tables along the way to his final meal. Will Willimon asks readers to experience how these table stories―about searching shepherds, welcoming hosts, prodigal sons, and rejected invitations―illuminate the deeper meaning of the Last Supper and Christ's sacrifice.

An Afternoon of

Legos and Games

Saturday, March 14

2-4 p.m.

We invite all children to join us for an afternoon of legos and games. This is a kids drop off event, but parents are more than welcome to stay. Watch for the upcoming sign up in the church lobby or call the church office. This free event is open to the public, so please bring friends.

The Wednesday group invites you to join their service day at Feed My Starving Children at the Schaumburg location on Wednesday, March 25, 9 - 11 a.m. Click here to sign up.

We are looking for donations of pre filled plastic Easter eggs for the Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, March 28. Please drop off your donations by Thursday, March 26. If you don't have time to shop, you can make a donation and we will purchase the eggs for you. Thank you!

Breakfast with the Bunny
Saturday, March 28

9:30 - 11:30 a.m.


We welcome you to join us on Saturday March 28 from 9:30-11:30 a.m. for pancake breakfast with the Easter Bunny! We will also have a Petting Zoo from 10-11am, photos with the Bunny and a egg hunt! Reserve your spot for breakfast. Space will be limited. You can sign up in the church lobby or call/email the church at 847-669-9009 or christumcalgonquin@gmail.com with your RSVPs. This event is open to all. Invite the neighbor kids and your friends! 

Monthly Newsletter

The March Newsletter is available for pick up. You can pick up the newsletter when you are at church. You also have the option to read the newsletter on our website or down below in our "Conference E-news and Newsletters" section. If this does not work for you, we will mail out your newsletter. Please let us know if you would like for us to take you off the mailing list. Click here to read the March newsletter.

Please talk to the Sound Team if you have difficulty hearing during the worship service. We have hearing devices available for you, and if you're already using a hearing aid with a Bluetooth function, we can make adjustments for you as well. 

Stop by the sound booth to get assistance!

Are you ready for a clean out?

We have a new addition in our parking lot - at the Northeast corner across from the bank. You can drop off gently used soft items. Please see list below. If it is full, do not leave your items outside but donate them at another time. So far we have received $712.45. All donations will go to the mission fund. Thank you!




Ryan's Case for Smiles is a national volunteer organization that provides handmade whimsical pillowcases for children to help them cope with the stress of their illnesses and injuries. Cindy Kerr began making pillowcases for her son Ryan to brighten up his hospital room and put a smile on his face. Although Ryan is no longer with us physically, his legacy lives on in Ryan's Case for Smiles. There are over 100 chapters in the United States & Canada and over two million pillowcases have been delivered.


A new Western Suburbs chapter (Kane Co & McHenry Co, IL) has recently been established. We will be delivering bright, fun pillowcases to Ascension St. Alexius Women & Children's Hospital in Hoffman Estates, Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington, and Lurie Children's at Northwestern Medicine Hospital in Huntley. The Ryan's pillowcase pattern is available at:  caseforsmiles.org 

If you are interested in sewing Ryan’s Case for Smiles whimsical children’s pillowcases for hospitals in our area, please contact Jean Jaderborg at 815-508-0497

Connect

Join the small group meetings and stay connected.

Contact these leaders to participate. 


...Wednesday Spirituality Group at 9 a.m.

...Linda Mullen

...mullen520@comcast.net

..

...Thursday Bible Study at 10 a.m.

...Lisa Greenwood 

...lisajoegreenwood@yahoo.com

. .Amy Doyle
...amybryandoyle@aim.com 

..

...Saturday Men’s Group at 7:30 a.m. 

...Bryan Doyle

...amybryandoyle@aim.com 


...Praise Team & Bell Choir 

...Becky Kock

...bkock@yahoo.com

Missions

In the month of March we will be collecting for

Grafton Food Pantry.



Items that the Food Pantry is currently in need of due to short supply from the Food Bank and other vendors:


Food Items:

THIS MONTH THEY NEED PEANUT BUTTER!

canned tuna

canned chicken

canned salmon

fresh, canned, or frozen fruit

healthy snacks

juice, tea, applesauce

yogurt, pudding, jello


Personal Care and paper goods:

deodorant, razors, feminine hygiene products

soap, body wash

toilet paper, paper towels, tissues

napkins, paper plates and cups


ANYTHING IS GREATLY APPRECIATED

 

Alternate to shopping: If you prefer to give a monetary donation, please make the check payable to Christ United Methodist Church. It is very important that you write on the memo line “Food Pantry.”

Drop off pantry items any time during office hours, Tues - Fri, 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Give

You can now make all your donations online. Click here or scan the QR Code. You can also mail the donation to church or use EFT (Electronic Fund Transfer). The Stewardship letter and pledge cards have been mailed out. We ask that you prayerfully consider supporting the ministry of CUMC in the following year. Please bring or mail the filled out pledge card before the end of the year. Thank you! For any assistance, contact Joe Greenwood at josephgreenwood@yahoo.com .

 

In Other News...

Please sign up on the calendar (inside the kitchen cupboard door) on a Sunday you would like to furnish a light treat and serve coffee & juice. All supplies except "treats" are at the church.

Thank you, Janet Kleckner

March

April

March 1 - Linda Riggs

April 5 -

March 8 - Maurice & Jennifer Pang

April 12 -

March 15 - Enrico & Daisy Santoso

April 19 -

March 22 - Cooper Family

April 26 -

March 29 - Mindy Zeppo


Prayers of the People

Prayers of Intercession

For Thelma Jones who is at Northwestern Hospital in Huntley, with severe back pain

For Doug Literski who will have an ablation procedure tomorrow morning

For the friends and family of Eric & Michele Linner's good friend, Jeff Wilson, who suddenly passed away

For Don Deak who is being treated for AFib

For the Kilberger's friend, Gary, who is suffering with a slow growing blood cancer

For Judy Lantinen's husband, Keith, who had basal cell carcinoma on his leg and prostate cancer

For Linda Mullen's friend's, daughter-in-law, who was taken by ICE

For Lisa Greenwood mother, Patricia English, who is receiving chemo

For Larry Huber who is continuing his healing and recovery at home

For those who are affected by natural disasters throughout the world

For those who struggle with mental health and their families

For our local communities, our nation and our world

For peace and resolution in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict

For the grieving families and communities of gun violence
Prayers for the ceasing of state violence and the protection of all people

F
or this world that is in need of God's healing touch. Where there is war, bring peace; where there is despair, bring hope; and where there is division, bring unity.

For God's protection over the vulnerable and for wisdom to guide our leaders.

For us to be instruments of God's peace, to treat all people as brothers and sisters.


“Merciful God, hear our prayers!”

Praying without Ceasing

We never pray alone but together as a community. We have a prayer chain, a small group of those who pray for submitted requests throughout the week. Let us pray for our church family, friends, neighbors, and our nation. Let’s draw the circle wider. Contact the pastor to join.


If you would like to keep your prayer request in beyond 2 weeks, we would appreciate if you contact the office with an update.

Weekly Meetings

Joyful Ringers

Thursday, March 12 at 6:30 p.m.


GA Meeting

Thursday, March 12 at 7 p.m.


AA Meeting

Saturday, March 14 at 7:30 a.m.


Finance Meeting
Saturday, March 14 at 9 a.m.


Leadership Team Meeting
Saturday, March 14 at 10 a.m.


Legos and Games
Saturday, March 14 at 2 p.m.


Praise Team

Sunday, March 15 at 8:45 a.m.


Easter Choir

Sunday, March 15 following service


Praise Team Practice

Sunday, March 15 following service


GA Meeting

Tuesday, March 17 at 7 p.m.

Conference E-News & Newsletters

NIC E-News


Prairie Central District News


CUMC Monthly Newsletter


March/April Reporter


UM News

Welcoming the Full Inclusion 

oAlPeople


Website: www.gocumc.org

christumcalgonquin@gmail.com

(847) 669-9009

Office Hours: Tuesday - Friday 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.

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