February 15, 2010 - First Presbyterian Church of Lake Forest

MISSION PARTNER EXPANDSIn their 30th year of service, Sarah's Circle, one of First Church'spartner agencies in Chicago that serves women who are homelessand/or in need of a safe space, is embarking on a campaign to raisemoney for the purchase and renovation of a building. This building,4836 N. Sheridan Road will be the new "home" for Sarah's Circle.The building willhouse all of thecurrent programs;provide space for growth and ten units of permanent, supportivehousing for women with a history of chronic homelessness. Sarah'sCircle will be blending multiple sources of funds for the purchase andrenovation which will include the use of Illinois Housing DevelopmentAuthority's Affordable Housing Tax Credits. This is the exciting part:through this program, donors making donations for this project are ableto receive a tax credit against their Illinois income tax liability, as wellas charitable donation on their federal tax return. Contact ReverendCorey Nelson for detailed information. This is an amazing opportunityfor donors to make a huge difference with one of our mission partnersand receive an unusually generous tax break at the same time.Faraja Primary School &Opportunity International On February 19,Reverends Coreyand Melissa Nelsonwill be travelingwith Dave Tolmie,his father, Don,and others toTanzania, EastAfrica to visit theFaraja PrimarySchool and anOpportunityInternationalmicro-finance program. These are two of First Church's three keymission partners in the Nile River Basic Initiative (along with HANDSin Egypt). Corey is working with the church staff on ways to providedirect connections between this trip to Africa and worship services hereon February 21 as well as with students at Neal School the followingweek. Corey is scheduled to make a presentation of the site visit toLunch Bunch on March 26 and additional opportunities will bescheduled for presentations at church after their return. Corey willalso beexploringdesigns fora future First Church mission trip to Tanzania in which we invite manymore members of the congregation to visit face to face with our neighborsin East Africa.CALVIN’SCORNERIDELETTEBy 1539, living in Strasbourg and31 years old, Calvin was convinced by colleagues that he neededa wife, for several reasons. First, it was necessary, as a leaderof the new religion, to set himself apart from the concept ofcelibacy, that state being associated with the Roman Church.And second, how could he run a household, take care of hischronically poor health and devote himself to God all at the sametime? As he put it, “If I take a wife it will be because, being betterfreed from numerous worries, I can devote myself to the Lord”.In other words, “Calvin needed a housekeeper more than a wife.”After three possibilities of marriage failed to pan out in rapidsuccession in 1540, and after he had finally resolved to staysingle, he was introduced within weeks to Idelette de Bure(Van Buren). Idelette and her first husband were Anabaptistsfrom Liege and after arrival in Strasbourg, the husband diedfrom the plague, leaving Idelette a widow with two children.One of Calvin’s first tasks before he could marry Idelette was toinstruct her in the error of her Anabaptist ways and convert her tothe “true faith.” She was a few years older than he and “actuallypretty” a fact that Calvin’s friend Farel found “incredulous,” givenCalvin’s physical appearance and chronically poor health.Unfortunately, Idelette was also in chronically poor health anddeveloped a progressive decline beginning in 1545 resulting inher death in 1549, after only nine years of marriage. Thecouple had no living children. Their only child, Jacques, wasborn prematurely in 1542 and died within a few weeks of birth.After the death of Idelette, Calvin decided to remain single, thebetter to be able to serve the Lord. However, he missed hiswife terribly, writing that he considered himself only half a manbecause of his loss. And many years later in Geneva, when hewas criticized for being childless, he still felt great sorrow atthe loss of his only child, only being able to comfort himself inthe fact that his children were the children of the church.What makes First ChurchSpecial...That First Church truly welcomes everyone.My husband was raised in the Episcopal faithand I was raised Catholic and our family has neverfelt more at home than we do here! Anonymous