Help Bernie's Book Bank Give Children Reading Opportunities!
Book Drive December 17 - February 8!

Reading is the single most important skill a child needs to learn. Yet studies show that 61% of low-income families don’t have any books at all in their homes for their children. Bernie’s Book Bank aims to change that statistic by pouring quality children’s books into “at-risk” homes, ensuring that children have access to books from birth, and arrive to school “reading ready.”

Bernie’s Book Bank is the logistical bridge between where books are today and are no longer being used, to where they are not but are desperately needed. Bernie's does three things exceptionally well: collect hundreds of thousands of new and gently used books, process them into collections of six age-appropriate and -leveled books, and deliver them directly into the hands of low-income children who have none of their own.

Widowed? Help is here and hope is possible...
February 14, 6-8 p.m.

Do you dread the lonely days and nights? Wonder what to do with your spouse’s belongings? Feel like your brain is in a fog? Unsure of how you’ll go on? Joyful Harvest will be hosting a GriefShare Loss of a Spouse workshop on Thursday, February 14, from 6-8 p.m. At the Loss of a Spouse seminar you’ll discover:

• Other people understand and have found ways to make it through
• Why it won’t always hurt so much
• Reasons for hope
• Practical tips for coping with the death of a spouse

It hurts to lose someone. Find help at GriefShare.
Saturdays, 9-11 a.m., beginning February 23.

GriefShare is a friendly, caring group of people who will walk alongside you through one of life’s most difficult experiences. You don’t have to go through the grieving process alone.

It may be hard for you to feel optimistic about the future right now. If you’ve lost a spouse, child, family member, or friend, you’ve probably found there are not many people who understand the deep hurt you feel.

This can be a confusing time when you feel isolated and have many questions about things you’ve never faced before. GriefShare groups meet weekly to help you face these challenges and move toward rebuilding your life. GriefShare seminars and support groups are led by people who understand what you are going through and want to help. You’ll gain access to valuable GriefShare resources to help you recover from your loss and look forward to rebuilding your life.

Come and find the support and help you need. Call the church office for more information - (847) 497-4569

Saturday moringings, 9-11 a.m., beginning February 23.

Ash Wednesday Worship - March 6, 7:00 p.m.

Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent. On this day, Christians focus intensely on our sin and the necessity of Christ's suffering and death to earn our salvation. We use ashes (traditionally made by burning palms used on Palm Sunday of the previous year and mixed with a small amount of olive oil) which are applied to the forehead of each worshiper during Ash Wednesday worship. The smudge mark made by the dirty ashes in the sign of the cross is a powerful reminder that we are going to die, and that our only hope lies in Jesus Christ – our hope for forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life in heaven.

Please join us Wednesday, March 6, at 7:00 p.m. for our Ash Wednesday service.

2nd Annual Bird House Painting Contest!
March 16, 1 p.m.

Joyful Harvest will, once again, be sprucing up the great outdoors with our 2nd annual bird house painting contest! Last year we had over 45 people come and paint beautiful bird houses that they could then take home and beautify their neighborhood! Cost is $20 for each birdhouse, paints and decorating supplies are included! Spots are filling up fast, so please register by signing up in the narthex, or by calling the church office at (847) 497-4569! All proceeds go to build houses for the homeless in Mexico!

Lenten Mid-week Worship - Prayer Around the Cross
Beginning March 13, 7:00 p.m.

Prayer Around the Cross is a meaningful devotional prayer service that is a contemplative and filled with music, scripture and silence. It stems from the ancient and emerging worship movement with a Post-Modern component in the Taize’ style. We will offer a variation of this service here at Joyful Harvest on the Wednesdays during Lent.

A large cross lying in the sanctuary as the center focus of our worship. Rather than sit in chairs for the whole service, we will encourage those gathered to move from station to station in the worship area. There will be several interactive stations around the cross. Some will have a worship assistant to aid worshippers at that station. Others will be areas that are more or less devotional areas of solitude with devotional aides. Some stations will remain the same each week, such as the opportunity to light a candle and place it at the cross and the station for healing prayer.

During worship, there will be times of music, times of scripture readings, and times of silence. The scripture readings will be both silent by the worshippers and aloud by a lector.

Times of silence will have suggestions for devotion while others will be left to the thoughts and concerns of worshippers. We hope those who come will find these Lenten services meaningful and engaging. The service will have a variety of opportunities for all ages. There will be stations that are designed just with children in mind. At the same time, there will be stations that adults will find spiritually and intellectually stimulating. Our focus throughout Lent will be on the cross of Christ and God’s redeeming love for the world.

Wednesday Evenings, March 13, 20, 27, and April 3, and 10 at 7:00 p.m.

Has the true meaning of Easter
gotten a little fuzzy?

Tijuana Mission Trip!