I think we can all agree that life can get very exhausting sometimes. We’re entering a season when many holidays are approaching, and with them can come stress and fatigue. I will be honest, though: I enjoy this time of year in September not just because it’s my wife’s and my birthday month, but also because I get to see the creativity in each family’s traditions for certain holidays. Traditions are the pillars that support the framework of who your family is. With them come stories and history that reveal joy that the surrounding community can sometimes witness.
 
I’ve seen traditions like Halloween cookouts, where people in our neighborhood invite neighbors to join in. My family’s Thanksgiving traditions include cooking certain foods and playing certain games. For Christmas, we read The Night Before Christmas on Christmas Eve, right before everyone goes to bed, and pass around the first gift to everyone. Traditions matter because, for some, they’re part of who we are.
 
However, even though there is a lot of joy during these upcoming holidays, there is also hardship and sadness. I believe the church and the traditions each ministry brings to the congregation can help those who sometimes lose joy in certain seasons. I am currently working with our youth to create traditions that define who we are as a ministry, along with creating opportunities to bring new traditions to the families in our community.
 
​In December, we will have the Live Nativity led by our youth. It’s an event where we tell the story that changed the world, and we hope it becomes a tradition for families in our church and community throughout Advent. In February, we will host a gala dinner, and all money raised will go toward our summer mission trip. This event will be an annual tradition where church members can have an evening to themselves and enjoy a beautiful meal served by the youth group.
 
You see, the church, along with its ministries, creates opportunities people can look forward to year after year, which then become traditions in their own lives. Northbrook is constantly coming up with new ideas and visions, helping people of every age look forward and reminding us of all that God is continually at work through every season.
 
As we approach this busy time of year, I challenge you to think about your personal traditions, see how they affect your life or possibly the life of someone else. Then, if you need a new tradition for your family for any season, come out to Northbrook, where you can find the joy of Christ in pumpkins, trunk-or-treats, Christmas trees, food drives, craft shows, service projects, gala dinners, VBS, mission trips, and so much more.
 
My prayer is that you continue to build on your own traditions, but trust in the church and community to make new ones. I hope to see you and your family in one of the upcoming seasons.
 
Peace,
Erich Wills
Minister of Youth & Missions
 

​As each day, month and year passes, there are times when I reflect on my life and see so much—things I have accomplished, decisions I am proud of, mistakes I wish I could undo, relationships that changed me, seasons that tested me, and moments when God carried me, even when I did not realize how much I needed Him.

I have learned that my accomplishments, my experiences, and even the things I have endured cannot be the measure of my worth. They are part of my story, but they are not the source of my identity. My greatest treasure is knowing Christ, and I still have work to do. There is still more of God to know, more growing to do, more healing to experience, and more purpose to discover.

That is both humbling and encouraging.

I do not have to have everything figured out. I do not have to be everything I once thought I should be. I simply need to keep moving forward with Christ and the Holy Spirit.

So today, I choose to release what is behind me.
I release the regrets and disappointments.
I release the things I cannot change.
I release the temptation to measure my life by what I have accomplished or lost.
 
And I press forward.
I press forward because God is not finished with me.
I press forward because there is still purpose ahead.
I press forward because my best days are not behind me.
 
Perhaps that is what God is asking all of us to do in this season: not to run faster, but to keep going; not to have all the answers, but to keep trusting; not to focus on how far we have come, but to remain faithful to where God is leading us.

My Prayer:  Lord, help us not to become so preoccupied with yesterday that  we miss what You are doing today. Amen.

Scripture: Philippians 3:4b–14

With gratitude,
Phyllis Baskin
Office Manager

​This weekend we remember the atrocities of September 11, 2001. Where were you when you heard the news that our beloved country was under attack, with more questions than answers and filled with fear? I think we all have memories of where we were that horrific day and if our family members were safe. I was at the Delta gate in the San Francisco airport when the announcement came over the loudspeaker that all air travel had been halted. I was determined to just wait it out, anxious to get home to my family. It was three days later before I was able to return, on a totally silent flight, until the applause broke out when the wheels hit the ground, so grateful to have safely landed.
 
On that day, in a tiny town in Newfoundland, 6,500 international travelers (and a few pets) were sitting in planes on the tarmac, the closest landing strip for all planes flying over the Atlantic Ocean, when the call to land immediately was made. Gander residents immediately went into action, identifying places for these travelers to go, and sleep, and eat, so that they could disembark from their aircraft. Residents opened their small homes. Community buildings and churches were converted to dormitories. Bonds were formed. Cooks began amassing ingredients to feed all these travelers for 5 days, many who had loved ones who lived or worked in NYC and had no idea if they were safe. Many were not.
 
This true story is told in the 9/11 Memorial Museum. A book and a Broadway play also capture the beauty of this tiny town’s response during a time of such sorrow. The Mayor of Gander said “It was a community effort; there’s no question about it. It was the right thing to do in a time of need.”
 
May it be so, for you and for me.
 
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.    
2 Corinthians 1:3-4
 
With gratitude,
 
Christy Merritt
Godly Play Coordinator

Last year, Leigh Ann Launius did a wonderful job putting together the materials and structure for our
Wednesday Night Dinners. At one of our Women’s Ministry Leadership Team meetings, she said, “I need to
find someone to lead Wednesday Night Dinners.”

From somewhere in the room came a voice: “I’ll do it!”

I heard a few gasps and looked around to see who had responded to such a large task. To my surprise, everyone
was looking at me. It was me—I had volunteered!

My first thought was, What came over me? I already have other commitments! But almost immediately, I felt at
peace, and I knew I was supposed to take this on. I began reaching out to and working with the many small groups at Northbrook. It was my first interaction with many of these wonderful people, and I wondered if we would have enough volunteers. But every group responded with people willing to serve. The first few weeks were a little nerve-racking, but there was no need to worry. Volunteers showed up, served with enthusiasm, and provided great service and hospitality. During Holy Week, we had more than 90 people join us for dinner!

It has been a blessing to see people enjoying a meal together and then participating in the many programs that
take place on Wednesday evenings—Bible studies, children’s choir, adult choir, handbells, and more.
Wednesday Night Dinner has become so much more than a meal. It has become a place of connection,
fellowship, and belonging—a place where people can come together, slow down, laugh, talk, and truly see one
another.

One of the things I love most is watching our volunteers serve with such joy. They come ready to help, but they
also genuinely enjoy being together. They share conversations, laughter, and fellowship while serving others.
As someone who helps organize these dinners, it has been incredibly meaningful to see how serving can bring
people together and create a space where everyone feels that they have a place and they belong.

By the end of last season, 90 volunteers had given their time and talents to Wednesday Night Dinners.
Wednesday Night Dinner is a beautiful example of what can happen when we live out our commitment to
Northbrook United Methodist Church through our prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness. It takes many
hands and willing hearts to make these Wednesday evenings happen, and I am so grateful for every person who
has helped make them special.

As we start this next season of dinners I want to thank you for showing up, serving, sharing a meal, and helping
make room at the table. I am grateful to be part of this congregation and this wonderful ministry.

With gratitude,
Dianne Hiers
​Coordinator, Wednesday Night Meals