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Volume IV Issue No. 7 The Official Newsletter of St. John’s UMC August 2011
By Kathlyn Talapian
With open hearts and open mindspacked with other overnight retreat necessities, children, youth andadults alike gathered at St. John’s forthe first official family Vacation BibleSchool. There were classes for allages, and everyone learned about the stories and lessons of Simon Pe-ter’s spiritual journey with Christ.
Bearing the theme, “SonRock,”
VBS was an overnight event fromAugust 12-13. The theme verse was
1 John 3:1a, which says, “How great is the love the Father… that we
should be called children of God!” “I’m sure that everyone who came
to VBS went home with a smilelike me,” said Elizabeth Cyrwus.
“It was nice learning more about
ourselves through studying Pe-ter’s experiences with Jesus.”
There were more than 50 kidsand adults who attended theevent. Delegates were divided tofive age groups, and they enjoyed
VBS Officially WelcomesAdults as Delegates
Babies’ Hideout: St. John’s Opens a Nursery Room for Toddlers
By Joash Mencias
If you’ve gone upstairs to the Sunday school wing lately, you would
have noticed a change in the pre-school classroom. The room was reor-
ganized and divided to accommodate a new nursery room that lets par-ents take their baby and still listen and watch the service. The project,led by the Junio family, provides parents greater comfort and easewhile simultaneously receiving spiritual guidance during the service.
The new nursery room is located on east side of the education wing.It features a new clean beige carpet and is surrounded by foam puzzlenumbers. A rocking chair and other seats provide comfort for the par-ents. To the back of the room are windows opened to the balcony sothat parents can hear the message. And its outer upstairs location pro-vides immediate escape during baby tantrums and weeps.
April Cyrwus, a Sunday School Assistant, was impressed with the re-sults. "It’s nice to see an actual nursery room now. Parents can now
worship while taking care of their child.”
“We are all
Children of God!”
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St. John’s UMC 1100 Ontario Street
Oak Park, IL 60302
(708) 386-5882
Open Hearts. Open
Doors. Open Minds.
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The Good News
A Sunny Picnic for People with Warm Hearts
Page 2 August 2011
“Don’t let smaller things dis- tract you from the bigger work
of God around the world.”
nice and warm, and it barely driz-zled. It was the perfect time to en-joy summer and have fun with eachother.
Youth Coordinator, Camille Ag-paoa, enjoyed the gathering, saying,“I loved the church picnic. I would
definitely go to the picnic next year.I ate lots of food, chatted with
By Linette Romualdo
The picnic tables of the UMCCampground in Des Plaines, IL
were filled with food and people inthe spirit of fellowship as St. John’s
held its church picnic on August 6in spite of the rainy weather fore-cast. Fortunately, the weather was
VBS
Continued from front page
bible discussions, music and craft times. As fun filled the air, each groupmade a name of what they would be known, such as the Tiger Babies(Preschoolers), the Powerpuff Boys (Elementary kids), and Voltron Force
(High schoolers).During the closing worship, each group presented what they have
learned in their classes. The kids recited memory verses, showcased theirworks of art, performed skits and danced to songs, while the adults ledthe hymn singing of the service.
The youth group presented their symbolical art, which was made of wood and recycled materials. According to Kayla Mendoza, they allpicked up things in the park that showed who they were before they ac-cepted Christ and who they are now. They combined all their stuff to cre-ate an image of a person (an empty Gatorade bottle) kneeling down infront of a cross, surrendering his life to God and letting Him be in control.
VBS Kids presented in the Sunday worship service songs that they
learned in the event. Several participants and facilitators also shared in-sights during joys and con-cerns. The VBS group made abanner which was hung innarthex.
Christian Education ChairRonald Romualdo, alongwith Pastor Reuel Talapian,Pastor Nancy Hunter, theSunday School teachers aswell as a couple of volunteeradults, led the planning and
execution of VBS this year.
friends, spent quality time withchurchmates and swam with them.It was a great experience since Igot to enjoy everyone's company
while enjoying the nature as well.Thank God for that wonderfulday.”
The gathering began aroundlunch time and almost immedi-ately, the campground became fullof cars and people. Church mem-bers brought different food, suchas chicken afritada, spaghetti,pizza, salads, chicharon and awhole lot more. The UMC Camp-ground had lots of space for the
children to run around and play.At around two in the afternoon,
the pool was opened. Kids, youthsand adults took advantage of thesweltering weather and relaxed inthe cold water. Meanwhile, asmoms chitchatted on the table andyouths swam and enjoyed thepool, the men had cheers andlaughs while playing bean bagtoss. Some also played basketballin the court that was also available
for use.The church picnic was initiated
by Keith Miranda and the UnitedMethodist Men. It was scheduledearlier in the summer season but due to severe thunderstorm onJuly 25th, it was postponed untilAugust.
The adult group decorated wooden crosses.
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Page 3 August 2011
The Good News
UMM Concert Features
Creative Musical Acts
of Worship
By Joash Mencias
When someone sings a Christianrendition of Usher’s hit song, “OMG,”
it’s not what people have in mind
when expecting a church concert.But that’s exactly what happened at
the annual Chicago NorthwesternDistrict Men’s Concert Festival.
Jaquay Wilkerson, 19 years old, fromResurrection United Methodist Church performed the unconven-tional song with modified lyrics.
Numerous churches includingResurrection and St. John’s attended
the 2-hour event on August 27 at Elston Avenue United Methodist Church. Various choirs and worshipgroups from Resurrection, ElstonAve., Edison Park, and St. John’s
United Methodist churches per-formed.
St. John’s musical presence wasdefinitely noticed with a variety of talent. 15:2 Exodus, the St. John’s
worship team, provided praise andworship music with classic songs set
to the beat of a cajon.Also hyping up thepraise was the Rejoice!Dancers. The Celebra-tion Choir performed agospel-blues renditionof “Standing on the
Solid Rock” that in-
cluded several youthmembers singing.
Other highlights of the night include thechoir of Resurrection,who brought the audi-ence to their feet withsoulful gospel songs. As previ-ously mentioned, one of theiryouths performed a rendition of Usher’s “OMG”, which lightenedup the crowd atmosphere. PastorDwayne Grant, also from Resur-rection, accompanied the congre-gation in hymns with his bluesand jazz renditions of classichymns. An acrobatic interpretive
dance led to the audience holdingtheir breath as the Edison Park
MYX youth group amazed thecongregation with lifts and acro-batic tumbling.
The district men’s president,Leon Deloney, said during theevent that everyone who per-formed during the night will comeback next year to make the con-cert bigger for the glory of theLord.
St. John’s Reaches Out to Hepzibah for the New School Year By Kathlyn Talapian
“Back in the days when I was inschool, I always felt kind of bad whenI didn't have any school supply likethe kid next to me. There were timestoo when kids made fun of others be-cause they didn't have supplies or be-
cause they only had hand-me down supplies. I knowthese things still happen today, and I know we at St.John’s can help and donate something for these chil-
dren,” Outreach Chair Darlene Rodriguez said. These insights inspired Mrs. Rodriguez to launch
the School Supplies Drive back in 2009, donating
boxes of art and writing materials to institutions suchas Hepzibah Children’s Association, Sarah’s Circle and
Pacific Garden Mission. Shiela Farrales joined herteam this year and accepted the responsibility of be-
ing the project coordinator.For about a month, the duo encouraged members
to support the drive and think of the kids who are not as fortunate as we are. Through God’s grace, the team
was able to donate 10 new book bags and approxi-mately $70 worth of school supplies to the children of Hepzibah. The donations were brought to the charityhome on August 23 by Frank and Mrs. Rodriguez.
Ms. Farrales thank all the people who contributedhelp, time and support to the project. “We have to be-lieve that we can make a difference. We (the OutreachCommittee) is not asking for a lot of money. What matters is the effort and commitment to help others,”she said.
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Page 4 August 2011
Fruits of the Vine
SNA: GOD IS IN CONTROLBy Linette Romualdo
Entitled "Mission:Possible," Saturday Night Alive highlighted a testi-mony of pain, hope and grace from Monica Salgado. The contemporaryworship service, which was held on August 21, also featured a specialperformance from Heavenly Angels, Mandell UMC’s youth liturgical
dancers.Salgado talked about the difficult experiences she had in her life,
emphasizing how she conquered the challenges put upon her throughGod’s help. "He completed me," said Salgado during her testimony.
According to her, she is grateful that the trials and problems she hadenabled her to share life-lessons to people. It also inspired her to takeup the mission to help other children overcome their circumstances aswell.
SNA was inspired by Matthew 19:26b: "With man, this is impossible,With God, all things are possible." "This theme and verse reminds us of how powerful God is. If we only let Him be the captain of our lives,anything will be possible," Worship Chair Roselin Romualdo explained.
15:2 Exodus and Rejoice! Dancers led the praise singing, performingthe songs "Here in My Life" and "All Things Are Possible," both by Hill-song. Pastor Reuel Talapian shared a message about how the Biblesays many stories of the impossible becoming possible like the story of Naomi, a young widow who had no hope for herself to re-marry that she even urged her daughter-in-laws to leave her. But she met Boaz,whom she married, in away that only God couldhave designed.
The evening event concluded again as asuccess. Mrs. Romualdosaid, "Worship is thebest offering we cangive God, and we areblessed that we can ex-press it freely and crea-tively at SNA."
A Dirge of aGentle DoveBy Kathlyn Talapian
It really feels so sad to fail
The millstone inside that seems
like I cannot take
I want to cry, to shout
and release the pain
Why do I have to be doomed
in this solitude state?
Isn’t my hundred and one
percent enough?
Am I not worthy
to gain the trust?What’s wrong? Could anyone
please tell me why?
‘Cause I’m torn into pieces
yet all I can do is to sigh
Regrets, misery, distress
and depression
I want to run and leave
this uncertain condition
These repulsive feelings smother
me at the present situationCould anybody save me from
absolute self-dejection?
I yearn to be free
I desire to find serenity
I want to be at ease
But my sorrow, it hinders me
Questions pack my mind
But it’s the answers
I could not findCan I be deaf
and blind for all my life?
‘Cause it’s the reality
I’m not prepared to abide
So now I come to my Lord
I seek to be filled
with His heartening words
I knock at His presence to be
bind with one accord
I long to be healed
so please help me, O Lord.
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Page 5 August 2011
Fruits of the Vine
By Gloria Domingo
Food is a very interesting subject
to talk about. Food is something we
all need and enjoy most of the time.
There is food for our body’s mainte-
nance, but there’s also: “Food for
thought” – to enrich our mind;
“Food for soul” – to feed our soul
and renew our Spirit, and “Manna
from heaven” – food that God alone
can provide.
Food that Rock the Soul For Jesus is the “Bread of Life,”
He said, “I am the Bread of Life, he
who comes to me will never be hun-
gry. He who believes in me will
never be thirsty.” (Please read John
6:25-59)
What a promise. Don’t you want
to enjoy the feast that Jesus had
prepared for us? The invitation is
open to all. Come and dine with
them.
Thinking of food makes me hun-
gry and my senior citizen brain well
stimulated. My soul is craving formore spiritual food that only God
can satisfy. O can’t wait for the time
I’ll have appetizing, well-prepared
dinner with the Lord. It’s something
to look forward to.
For the time being let me share
with you this recipe that you may
want to try (See Shrimp Salad Rec-
ipe).
Now on the practical side, let
me with you these tips on getting
the right watermelon, that’s the
juicy fresh, sweet, mouth-watering
kind. This is from Reader’s Digest (Bob
Morrissey – the executive Director of
the National Watermelon Assoc.):
1. You have to check the weight.
The heavier it is, the better. Melon is
made up of 92% of water.
2. Color – it should have a yellow,
creamy bottom, which is a sign that it
is not fully ripe.
3. Thump – that’s the sound it
makes. Put the melon on the counter
and give it a palm smack. The more
hallow the sound is, the riper it likely
to be.
If you have a better way of getting
good watermelon, I would like to hear
from you. I hope to see and taste juic-
ier, sweeter ripe watermelon in the
church soon.Now on the “Trivias” side. Did you
know that the biggest source of sin is
food?
Eden – The forbidden fruit is a
cause of sin. Adam and Eve
were told not to eat the fruit
yet the disobeyed.
Esau – traded his birth right to get
for food, so he didn’t get the
blessing due for him.
MEMBER SPOTLIGHTBy Joash Mencias
April Cyrwus
Vice-President, UMYF
The Grape Vine (TGV): How long have you
been attending St. John’s?
April Cyrwus (AC): 15 years, since I was 1year old!
TGV: What’s the best thing about st johns?
AC: It's like a family. We look out for each
other while we all get together every Sun-
day to worship God.
TGV: If you had to choose one word to de-
scribe St. John’s, what would it be? Why?
AC: Together because we do our ministries and service to God to-
gether. We grow together, and she make God known to others to-
gether.
Shrimp Salad
Ingredients:Shrimps – blanchedGinger – grated
Onion – choppedCelery – choppedCucumber – cubeLimeSoy SauceOlive Oil
1. Blanche shrimps in boiling water.Peel.2. Mix lime, ginger, onion, soy sauce.3. Pour oil slowly to vinaigrette.4. Put celery and cucumber in a con-
tainer. Add the peeled shrimpsPour vinaigrette.
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Page 6 August 2011
The Grape Jelly
V X Q M Q F M L T V X S F N J B S T D S
U R R P E N S B G Q X R K Y J I W N W P
R E E E S R E D L O F T H E S A U R U S
R P S W S T C B M X K G E J S Z K E J U
S A A H R I Y I L S R O S S I C S P J Z
E P R E E S T A P L E R D G R V Y N U U
C H E S T D F B N V R M A R K E R S J A
K P B L H P E N C I L S H A R P E N E R
C A P I G L S A S C J H N O T E B O O K
I R A C I Z E F L S S G K Q E O E Q Z M
T G P N L O U Z I F B L C O F L O M S A
S I E E H R S L C M R D A P Q G J T X SE H R P G G S F N F E H Z D G P C C K F
U G C D I A I O E D S R I D N I D K P H
L H A E H N T A P O S Z N W M Y H N H G
G D M R K I W O T W U A I J U U Z L B Q
Y O R O B Z F A Q N O N P I E I X K D L
N O K L X E L B T Q L V K C A P K C A B
Q M T O Y R P P J C P A H O F N G I V P
O L U C T E P B E C I K R C D H M K Y G
** Word Search **
BACKPACK
COLORED
PENCILS
ERASERGLUESTICK
GRAPHPAPER
HIGH-
LIGHTERS
MARKERS
ORGANIZERPAPER
PENS
PENCILS
PENCIL
SHARPENER
FOLDERSSCISSORS
NOTEBOOK
STAPLER
THESAURUS
TISSUES
The Grape Vine Staff
Kathlyn TalapianEditor-in-Chief
Joash MenciasLinette Romualdo
Reporters
Gloria Domingo
April Cyrwus
Adrian FarralesContributors
Ronald RomualdoPictures Resource Person
Rev. Reuel TalapianAdviser
Food that Rock the Soul
Continued from page 5
Israelite – gone to Egypt for food and became
slave for many many years.
In the wilderness the Israelites were given Mannabread and quail for meat yet they complained
and God listened. Hence, it took them 40 years
to reach the promise land.
There could be other instances that you can add to
these. Go on, search the Bible – Happy Reading!
Hope you get something out of this article. I do hope
this satisfied your appetite a little bit and make you
crave for more knowledge about God. Have fun, feast
in the word of God. Learn more about Him. Have a
relaxing moments with Him. Spend time reading yourBible. You’ll be glad you sought and discovered God.
Enjoy your best with God!
School Supplies
Continued from page 3
The Outreach Committee invites everyoneto help pack snack lunches for the peopleaided by West Suburban PADS in the comingmonths. Please see Mrs. Rodriguez for moreinformation
B y A p r i l C y r w u s