Volume IV Issue No.

The Official Newsletter of St. Johns UMC

July 2011

St. Johns United Methodist Church

1100 Ontario St. Oak Park, IL Tel No. (708) 386-5882

Open Hearts. Open Doors. Open Minds.

Women-to-Women:

One Body and One Spirit in the Lord

The tournament players sought to help the church and have fun.

By Kathlyn Talapian Women of St. Johns have gathered again on July 24 to have fellowship and get to know each other in the second event of Women-to-Women (W2W). The activity underlined the truth that we are all one body in Christ. Each individual may have his or her own characteristics and skills, but together, we make up the church of the Lord. Together, and through the Spirit of God, we can achieve great things that we never heard of. The highlight of W2W was a message delivered by Delia Ramirez of Humboldt Park Social Services. She talked of the wonders of being a woman as
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A Tournament for a Cause

St. Johns Raises $220 for Building Fund through Bean Bag Toss Games
By Linette Romualdo Kathlyn Talapian Erlinda Esteban and Ricardo Menacho were named as champions of St. Johns first Bean Bag Tournament, which was held on July 30 in the church gym. Competing against three other teams, the triumphant duo skillfully won their games with numerous bulls eye tosses. The Bean Bag Toss Tournament was a fundraising event initiated by the Finance Committee of St. Johns for the Building Fund of the church. Over-all, St. Johns raised a total of $220 from team registrations and donations. Finance Chair Evelyn Vicera perceived the tournament a success. She assured that "there will be another tournament soon." The UMYF also supported the event with their presence and through selling food and beverages. Youth President Joash Mencias believed that the fundraising activity "is a tool to help people come to church." Vicera is thankful to all the people who helped make the event a memorable one. One of these people is Bill Vainowski, who coordinated with Finance Committee for the game equipments. These games wouldn't be possible without his help, Vicera said.

Ramirez delivered the message during W2W

The Good News

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NAFAUM Sets Plans for Next Convocations

By Joash Mencias Delegates across the country and the Philippines, including about a dozen from St. Johns, attended the 13th Convocation of the National Association of Filipino American United Methodists (NAFAUM) in Campbell, California from July 5-8. The theme was Bridging the Waves, Journey to Hope. Delegates discussed issues in the Philippines and voted on various resolutions as well as new officers. The gathering wasnt all business though, as delegates spiritual needs were fulfilled through worship and Bible stud-

ies. Delegates also enjoyed fellowship with each other throughout the event. The Talapian siblings, the Mencias family and Willie and Beth Armea represented the congregation of St. Johns. An important matter discussed in NAFAUM was the location of the future convocations. Although the representatives of Northern Illinois Conference (NIC) originally planned to host the 2013 NAFAUM Convocation and Centennial Celebration, it was decided that the next gathering will be held in the California Pacific Conference. NIC will now host the 15th Convocation in 2015. Another matter was the election of new leaders of NAFAUM. Kathlyn Talapian was voted to be the youth representative on the Board of Directors. Rev. Lisa Gay Santiago of the Western Jurisdiction was elected as the new president. One slightly surprising vote was the discontinuation of the Paglago Fund, a program for emerging Filipino ministries

within the United States. The Board of Directors has formed a committee to be headed by former President Ruby Bago that will propose a new program in replacement of Paglago. Marcia McFee, the worship designer for the upcoming 2012 UMC General Conference, led the delegation through interactive worship experiences, combining traditional hymns with tribal and contemporary rhythms. Due to the high population of Filipinos around the Silicon Valley area, food was catered by Goldilocks, a popular Filipino food chain. Many delegates enjoyed a taste of home, especially those not from California. The last night was a festive occasion as delegates attended Hawaiian Night. People enjoyed food, performances, and dancing, especially after a tiring day of business sessions. As the convocation ended, many looked forward to the upcoming events of NAFAUM. Bago said, We look forward to extending the wave to all Filipino American United Methodists that are in Chicago.

The Good News

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Women-to-Women
Continued from front page

she has experienced in her life. She also discussed her mission with Humboldt Park Social Services, and encouraged St. Johns to get involved in mission work that helps people find hope and purpose in life. W2W began with welcome remarks from Darlene Rodriguez, Chair of the Outreach Committee, which hosted the event. She was followed by Elsa Pariona, who shared her story of how God has remained faithful in her life. Pastor Nancy Hunter led the group discussion after the inspirational message. The group talked about the key scripture of W2W, which was 1 Corinthians 12:12-31. W2W was filled with sharing of stories and life principles. More importantly, it was filled with smiles and open hearts to understand and to know deeper one another. Pastor Hunter explained that W2W seeks to enable women to understand themselves and accept each others gifts and talents, so that when we go outside in the future, when are better equipped to make a change.

SNA Urges For Praxis of Faith to the Lord

By Linette Romualdo Reena Monalie Ramos testified about her youth experiences and mission trips in the Philippines and Kenya during the recently concluded SNA, July 24. The contemporary worship, entitled "Praxis: Faith in Action," also featured special music from Edison Park UMYF and a poem about faith by Kathlyn Talapian. 15:2 Exodus and Rejoice! Dancers led the praise singing, performing songs like "Run" by Hillsong and "What Faith Can Do" by Kutless. Pastor Reuel Talapian gave a message about faith shown through our actions. He reflected on SNA's theme verse, which was James 2:18b: "I will show you my faith by what I do." SNA ended with a closing prayer and benediction by Pastor Jerry Grim. Rejoice! Dancer Elizabeth Cywrus said, "I learned this SNA that no matter what's happening, you always need to keep faith. With it, you go the extra mile with God. Like the song What Faith Can Do says, anything could happen as long as you have faith." The next SNA is on August 20,

and it bears the theme, Mission:Possible. Its inspired by theme verse, Matthew 19:26b: "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

Fruits of the Vine

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MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
By Joash Mencias Lolit Flores Member, Membership Care Committee The Grape Vine (TGV): How long have you been attending St. Johns? Lolit Flores (LF): Since 1994. We came through the invitation of June Ariba. TGV: Why did you choose St. Johns? LF: I wanted a church that was active especially for my kids and grandkids. I wanted them to participate in activities. TGV: You are known for your cooking skills. Where did you get them? LF: I think I got them from my mother. TGV: St. Johns is ________________ LF: The place where I learned to become closer to God.

FAITH
By Kathlyn Talapian When you feel like falling, Have faith, God is always there When you feel like failing Have faith cause theres nothing that you cant bear Im walking in a cave that is long and dark Yet Im not afraid His love ignites a spark Of light, of hope To guide my way Of strength, of courage To help me face the trials of the day Life could be so hard, bleak and uncertain As if theres nothing else in the world but suffering and pain Yet God has plans, and though we cant always understand We need to just have faith and surrender all in His hand.

Our God, Our Protector

By Gloria Domingo Are you experiencing hardships in life? Did u lose a job, a loved one, your home or property? Do you need healing emotionally or physically? There are a lot of terrible things that we can name that happens to people who believe in God, who try hard to do what is right at all times, who try to serve God the best way they can, and who go to church and pray. Maybe you are asking God, why me? Why are we being punished? What have we done to deserve such hardships? Why do we suffer when we dont deserve it? What do you do? Do you really have the right to question God? Do you really think God is so cruel to punish you for something you didnt do? Did God abandon you? Is He listening? Had He forgotten all about you? Is there really God? If there is one, what kind of God do we have? There are lots of questions that, to tell you the truth, I cant answer. But think hard, my sisters and brothers. Does your trust in God run so low? Didnt all the Bible lessons, sermons and fellowship at church prepare you to face all the hardship life brings? Is it right to turn away from God at this time when you should call

Him more? When you are down and feeling hopeless, discouraged, isnt it the time to pray more, to give more time to God, to trust God and show Him that you have faith in Him, that you believe in Him and are putting everything in His hand, that God is in control? Isnt this the time to show God that you believe and no matter what the situation is, you wont abandon Him. Yes, abandon Him. Friends, hold on to your faith. Dont turn your back on God. When you are down and feeling low, you should turn to Him. Hes the only one whom you can depend on. Hold on to God. Keep up the Spirit. Dont give up.
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Fruits of the Vine

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I can see myself involved with this organization every year. It has now become one of my life passions to raise money for Relay for Life. I do hope that in my life time, my friends and family will never hear the word cancer. If they do, I hope that American Cancer Society have the funds and the research that will cure cancer. Midwest Professional Dental is now a proud sponsor of American Cancer Society Relay for Life. I also have my father-in-law in mind and prayers when I raise funds for this organization. As a Dental Hygienist, I want to raise

the awareness on oral cancer. Early detection of oral cancer is very important. We can use the Vizilite test to detect the cancer early at an early stage. This is very affordable at our office (only $39.95). I was asked to be part of the committee of the Relay for Life next year. I gladly accepted this invitation. The relay was held for twelve hours where we celebrated life, remembered our love ones and fought back at cancer and became survivors.

EXCERPTS FROM INDEPENDENCE SUNDAY MESSAGE at Fresno Christian Fellowship UMC, July 3, 2011 of Justice Ruben T. Reyes We pause and thank God for American Independence Day. In the Philippines, July 4 is now observed as Filipino-American Friendship Day. June 12, is the new Philippine Independence Day to commemorate its earlier liberation from Spanish Rule 113 years ago. We have a saying Ang hindi lumingon sa pinangalingan ay hindi makararating sa paroroonan. Literally, he who does not look back to the past will not reach his destination. Essentially, he who is not grateful to his benefactor will not succeed in life. We are grateful to the Lord for the gift of freedom of worship. We are joined by 11 million other Methodists worldwide. We thank our forefathers and those who have led us to enjoy this privilege. We cannot overlook that were part of a chosen people, blessed with the free exercise and practice of religion. In many places, people are still unable to worship publicly in a Christian setting. Reading, discussing, and distributing the Bible is forbidden, preaching the Gospel and sharing the message of salvation in Christ is banned. Our son, Pastor Winston, and some companions went to China for evangelism. After a few days, they were threatened with deportation. Similar restrictions are enforced in other non-Christian countries. How fortunate are we!

The event itself is a lot of fun. I have gain new friends in the process as I welcome everyone in my circle of friends. Jasmine and Nathan had an awesome time this year and even I had a blast. My husband Ron is always such a big help as supporter to everything that I'm involved with. He also sees himself doing this event every year. I also thank the members of St. Johns who came this year and supported our event. This August, Midwest Professional Dental is going to sponsor the Oak Brook Relay for Life. Hope to see you all there. My God bless us all with good health. With Love and Prayers From the Smiths Family, Ron, Maryrose, Nathan and Jasmine

August 12-13 (7 PM5 PM) Coordinator: Ronald Romualdo Open to the whole family!

The Grape Jelly

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** Word Search **
W V Y T Z W Q I P F R I S B E E V I D R A C M Z P J K M H V G Q I J Y S K L G D T Y W I M J U E P O R P M U J D W N P Z E Q L P N R P S N K J F C I J S Z I I X R H X T M E L G Q S B U V F V A F C N D S J G T B M O Q G N I T A O B J H A K G K T T Y A C E N O I B M J O Y C F M X V I H G K R L P G A I Y K U M T T N P K O J J M H B I I S K C B E A A W D P S Q L C Q J W E M C E T L R P W L C A W U N L G P S X C B N B C V E D H L D I Q Z E E V G K N U N I H C Z R K Y A M V M K D Y B N V R E J C B N I X F H B L L Y R R B B Z N A O W J Z B T F M A E V P G K A A J Z S D R A O B E T A K S S W P C D G L L N V E H K A W O J H R C A B O U R N L M S L I D E A G T H I J P B G R L C W M I R F I S H U I C E C R E A M J N C U T E K I H K A U E E H E N O I T A C A V E S U R F O Z H O P S C O T C H G X Q G X

1) Psalm 118 is the middle chapter of the entire Bible 2) Psalm 117, before Psalm 118, is the shortest chapter in the Bible 3) Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible 4) The Bible has 594 chapters before Psalm 118 and 594 chapters after Psalm 118 5) If you add up all the chapters except Psalm 118, you get a total of 1188 chapters. 6) That's Psalm 118 Verse 8 - which would be the middle chapter of the entire Bible

BARBECUE BASEBALL BIKE BIRDWATCH BOATING CAMP CANOE

CLIMB DIVE ICE CREAM FISH FRISBEE GARDEN HIKE

HOPSCOTCH JUMPROPE PICNIC SKATEBOARD SLIDE SURF SWIM

SWING VACATION VOLLEYBALL WATERSKI

The Grape Vine Staff

Kathlyn Talapian
Editor-in-Chief ktalapian_8@yahoo.com

God, Our Protector Continued from page 4 Pray more, serve more, read the Bible, hold on to His promises. He wont abandon you. You are not alone. Believe. Dont make the mistake of turning your back on God. This is the time you need Him more. Hold on Him more, talk to Him, work harder and have faith in Him. Dont you think you need God more during the lowest time in your life? When you are down then you need someone to support you. Keep trusting. He is our hope. He knows our need. He will take care of you. Everyday I keep praying that no matter what happened to me, God will keep on protecting me. Thank God for His enduring love. Amen.

Joash Mencias Linette Romualdo

Reporters

Justice Reuben T. Reyes Gloria Domingo April Cyrwus Adrian Farrales

Contributors

Rev. Reuel Talapian

Adviser