E-News May 14, 2026

Worship

Last Sunday, after the worship, a tree was planted near the church entrance. 

I was told that a golden maple tree was chosen because it maintains a beautiful yellowish-green through spring and summer and changes color in fall. 


A tree has been an important centering image for me for many years, ever since I got my very first Upper Room devotional journal. With a picture of a beautiful tree, Thomas Merton's words were printed on the page: "A tree gives glory to God by being a tree." That phrase made me ponder how I can give glory to God by being the kind of human being I am. The barren trees of winter teach me resilience and endurance. The splendor of autumn trees enriches my spirit, making me yearn to grow mature. The blossoms of spring trees remind me of the power of resurrection and new life comes alive. I will miss four seasons of the Midwest. I will miss my church family. 


As I spread dirt on the ground with Kat, I prayed to God, the generous sewer and gardener, to nurture all children of God at CUMC. I prayed that the Loving Spirit continue to nurture, sustain, and empower the congregation. I prayed that you all abide in God's presence and find your spiritual home at CUMC.


I said in a covenant group recently that I feel uprooted, as I have been around Northern IL for the last 27 years, which is longer than the time I lived with my parents in South Korea. But wherever we are, we are joined together in the vine; we are the branches indeed. 


Thank you for journeying with me and allowing me to be your pastor. 

Thank you for the gift of a tree. 

I hope to see you at Sunday worship!


Blessings & Peace,

Pastor Mi-Sook


You can watch the service online 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. 

Grace Sightings

Mother's Day Service and Tree Planting

May 3 Service

Silent Service Auction

This year’s Silent Service Auction brought in over $1400! A big thank you to all who donated items and service as well as everyone those who made purchases.

Upcoming Events

Graduate Recognition

Sunday, May 17 at 10 a.m.

Join us as we celebrate and recognize our graduating students and children that are moving up. If your child or grandchild is graduating and you would like for them to be recognized, please submit their names to the church office or let Pastor Mi-Sook know.

Send Off Party

for Pastor Mi-Sook

Sunday, May 17
Following Service

Let us come together to celebrate Pastor Mi-Sook and send her off with all our amazing memories and love as she embarks on her next adventure. To help us plan enough food for everyone, we kindly ask that you RSVP by Sunday, May 10, 2026. You may RSVP by clicking here OR fill out signup sheet at Church. As a lasting tribute to recognize Pastor Misook’s seven years of faithful service and leadership, we will plant a tree in her honor on Sunday, May 10, immediately after service.

Chicagoland Voices will present a Spring Concert on Monday, May 18, 2026, 7:30 p.m. at Raue Center for the Arts in Crystal Lake that will feature a wide variety of choral music including contemporary choral, spirituals, vocal jazz, and their acapella group, C16. Some composers featured include Morten Lauridsen, Elaine Hagenberg, Rollo Dilworth, Paul McCartney, Lucy Walker, Charlie Puth and many more. Tickets are $23/adult and $20/student if you buy directly from a choir member. If you buy from the box office, there are additional fees.

Woodstock Pride Parade
Sunday, June 14 at 11 a.m.

Join us for our 4th year at the Woodstock Pridefest Parade on Sunday, June 14th. Help us represent CUMC as a Reconciling Congregation that welcomes all God's people. Please speak to Lisa Greenwood or Debbie Thomas if you would like to march in the parade with our church family.

We invite you to join us for a three-day Midwest Mission trip, July 12 - 14, in Pawnee, IL.  We have 16 spots for our church group, and the First UMC of Woodstock team will join us. If you would like to attend, please sign up in the church lobby or call the church office.

Minecraft VBS Day of Fun

Saturday, July 25

10 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Sign up in the lobby and join us for a Minecraft VBS day of fun. "Putting on the Full Armor of God." We will have a special "Minecraft themed" catered lunch from 12:30 - 1 p.m.

Monthly Newsletter

The May/June 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 May/June newsletter.

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.

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.



If you are interested in sewing children’s pillowcases, for hospitals in our area, please contact Jean Jaderborg 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 May we will be collecting for

Crystal Lake 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:

Ramen Soup (all flavors)

Canned Chili (Beef or Chicken)

Canned Beef Stew

Paper Towels

Sugar

Canned Pasta

Laundry Soap

Dish Soap

Crackers

Toilet Paper

Bar Soap

Tea

Coffee..

Shampoo

Tooth Brushes

Tooth Paste

Adult Protein Drinks

Jelly (any flavor except Grape)

Large Juice

Pancake Mix

Oil...

Flour

Cereal (Heart Healthy)

Rice & Other Whole Grains

Facial Tissues


Size 5 and 6 Disposable Diapers!!


Gluten Free products are always a great choice!!


Additional Items that the Food Pantry seldom purchase, but can always use:

Canned Tomatoes

Condiments (Ketchup, Mustard, Relish, Mayonnaise, BBQ Sauce)

Salad Dressing

Spices

Salt & Pepper


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

May

June

May 3 - Janet Graf

June 7 -

May 10 - Janet Kleckner

June 14 - Linda Riggs

May 17 - Send Off Party

June 21 -

May 24 - Joe & Eleanor Kilberger

June 28 -

May 31 - Mindy Zeppo


Prayers of the People

Prayers of Intercession

For Charlotte Letterle's brother-in-law, Mike, who is being treated for colorectal cancer

For Thelma Jones who is at Avondale Estate

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 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

GA Meeting

Thursday, May 14 at 7 p.m.


AA Meeting

Saturday, May 16 at 7:30 a.m.


Praise Team

Sunday, May 17 at 8:45 a.m.


GA Meeting

Tuesday, May 19 at 7 p.m.

Conference E-News & Newsletters

NIC E-News


Prairie Central District News


CUMC Monthly Newsletter


May/June 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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