October 2020 Connections

Connections Proclaiming the GOSPEL

LOCAL & GLOBAL STORIES, NEWS AND EVENTS of COLLEGE CHURCH

“Regardless of who is elected in November, God remains on his throne.”

See Four Reminders for Effective Gospel Witness in an Election Year

by Pastor Curt Miller on page 8

OCTOBER 2020

Side by Side

Face to Face

Life Lessons

A Missionary Story

COVID-19 Knocking at the Door

The Radical Grace of God

MARILYN PAPIERSKI | 14

GREG HURST | 20

MANNY MILL | 22

TABLE OF CONTENTS 4

October Highlights

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Four Reminders for Effective Gospel Witness in an Election Year | CURT MILLER

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Prayer Gatherings

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Pointing to Heaven and to Christ | THE STEEPLE STORY

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A Missionary Story | MARILYN PAPIERSKI

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In My Heart Language for the Good of My Heart | DOROTHY FORSBERG

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An update from the Sanctity of Human Life Task Force

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COVID-19 Knocking at the Door | GREG HURST

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Surprises of Hope | BARBARA MILL

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The Radical Grace of God | MANNY MILL

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Never Quite Good Enough | JENNI PAULSON

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Celebrating Baptisms

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The Book Corner | WIL TRIGGS

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Fall Staff Picks

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Looking Ahead

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Milestones

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On Becoming Ninety | WALLACE ALCORN

OCTOBER HIGHLIGHTS Sunday Morning Services Visitors are welcome in any and all services, no registration required. Feel free to invite people to worship with us.

9:30 a.m. Livestream service online, in-person worship in the Sanctuary (registration required).

Registration opens at noon on Tuesday.

10:15 a.m. College Group worship service under the tent in the north parking lot.

11:00 a.m. Outdoor worship in the Commons parking lot (weather permitting), no registration needed.

Oct. 4: James 4:13-5:12 | Warning to the Rich Oct. 11: James 5:13-20 | The Prayer of Faith New Preaching Series, Rebuild, The Book of Nehemiah Oct. 18: Nehemiah 1:1-11 | Start with Prayer Oct. 25: Nehemiah 2:1-8 | Take Courage

Adult Communities—in-person and Zoom options • Veritas: Saturday mornings 9:30 a.m. in Sanctuary

• Greek Class: Sunday mornings 9:30 a.m. in C101

• Logos: Sunday mornings 9:30 a.m. in Commons

• Forum 15: Sunday mornings 9:30 a.m. in C002 A&B

• Joint Heirs: Sunday mornings 9:30 a.m. in Commons Gym

• All Nations: Sunday mornings 9:30 a.m. in CL03

Children’s Ministries—registration is now open for: • Sunday morning Bible school • Children’s Choirs begin October 4 • Wednesday evening club programs for grades four and five, later in season for grades one to three

GriefShare—Tuesdays at 7 p.m.

Despite it being part of life, death is never easy. It hurts to lose someone, and it may be hard to feel optimistic about the future.

GriefShare is a 13-week class which features video seminars with experts, focused group discussions and personal study and reflection that can help you face your challenges and move toward rebuilding your life. GriefShare is held at College Church on Tuesday evenings at 7 p.m. Please email Christy at griefshare@college-church.org for more information, or call (630) 668-0878.

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High School • Sunday Night Live: All high school students are welcome! Sundays at 6:30 p.m. in the Commons Parking Lot. • Rooted Fellowship: Freshmen and Sophomores, Tuesday evenings from 6:45 to 8:15 p.m. in Commons Hall

Membership Class Saturday, October 17, 8:30 a.m.-12 p.m.

Ready to participate fully in the life and ministries of College Church? Come find out about College Church’s history, articles of faith, core values, initiatives for the future, ministries, missions and more. The one-day only fall membership class will be on Saturday, October 17, from 8:30 a.m. until noon; registration is requested.

For more info, contact Christy at membership@college-church.org, or call (630) 668-0878, ext. 175.

Grace Groups for Mental Health Are you or a loved one dealing with anxiety or depression or another mental health challenge? Has this time of COVID quarantine raised feelings of insecurity, fear, grief and created a state of anxiety as a new normal? Are you concerned about what others will think—those who don’t understand—when you share your struggles or those of a child or spouse? Are you looking for a safe and welcoming environment of people who "get it?"

Living Grace is a support group for those living with mental health challenges, and Family Grace, for those who support them. Time together is not intended to replace professional assistance when needed, but rather as an arm of the church to come alongside one another to encourage and uplift—to build a biblical and empathetic community of those who have or are living through it.

Grace Groups are part of the congregational care ministry at College Church and are open to everyone. Each session allows for personal discovery and relationship building through discussion and practice of the tools learned. Scripture-infused, the Grace Group lessons touch on how God sees the individual in these challenges and gives hope as we share and learn from the experiences of others.

Each session of the 16-week curriculum stands alone, which, if needed, allows you to come and go at any point and choose which topics are most beneficial to your situation and availability.

Some of the topics covered in our meetings during the year include: • Mental Health Recovery

• Grieving and Grace

• God Is Bigger Than Our Weakness

• Cycles and Triggers

• Medication

• Life-Giving Community

• Whole Health Strength and Renewal

• Staying Resilient

These groups meet the second and fourth Mondays by Zoom at 7 p.m. Join us from the comfort and privacy of your home. The $20 fee includes workbook, or $12.99 for the e-book version. For registration information, email Christy at gracegroups@college-church. org, or call (630) 668-0878.

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Put Your Faith Into Practice (James 1:22) at these seven outreach focused events. Check out page 11 for related prayer meeting information.

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4 Saturday, October 17

Sunday, October 4

3 p.m.—Visit Englewood Family Church, a church “replant” in the Englewood community, hosted by Englewood Family Outreach

Various Times—Prayer Walk, Chicagoland locations including Carol Stream, Wheaton, Englewood, Schaumburg and College of DuPage

2 Saturday, October 10

5 Sunday, October 18

9 a.m.—Women’s Monthly Gathering featuring missionary testimony, Commons Hall (masks required)

9:30, 11 a.m.—Community Outreach-focused service with an update from Daniel Bair, College Church evangelist

1 p.m.—Pray for Life at Planned Parenthood Aurora, sponsored by the Sanctity of Human Life Task Force

Curbside Drive for Outreach Community Center Christmas Store

7 p.m.—Introduction to South Asian Friendship Center in Chicago, Zoom call

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3 Sunday, October 11

Wednesday, October 21

11 a.m.—World Relief Zoom Town Hall meeting on, “Thinking Biblically about Immigration”

(Global Missions Sunday) 9:30, 11 a.m.—Missions-focused services with a missionary update and commissioning a new worker at 11 a.m.

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Thursday, October 22

7 p.m.—Caring Network Banquet, multi-site livestream event

9:30 a.m.— Missionary speakers in Adult Communities

Check out our website for the most current information, locations and sign-ups.

Email mkelley@college-church.org with any questions.

Want to learn more about…

OUR MISSIONARIES?

MISSIONS?

OUTREACH?

2020-21 Missionary Prayer Guide

Read Missions: How the Local Church Goes Global by Andy Johnson

Watch Christianity Explored available on RightNow Media

Consider joining the Missionary Preparation Program

Read Organic Outreach

by Kevin Harney

Participate in Midweek Prayer Meeting, every week at 7 p.m.

Meet with Emmanuel Tahear, ministry associate for outreach. Call the church office to set up a time.

Invite a missionary to your small group meeting or host a casual get-to-know-you.

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MISSIONARY CHRISTMAS

Please consider giving online.

STARS • Sunday mornings - live Zoom class, 9-10 a.m.

• Wednesday music - live Zoom class, 7-8 p.m.

Men’s Bible Study—Wednesdays 6:45-8p.m.

We are discussing Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology. Each week’s study stands on its own, so please join us at any time. Together, we’re going to dig a little deeper and develop our spiritual muscles so that we can press on in our faith and faithfully bring others with us! Please see the men’s webpage for details

Middle School • Weekly gathering happens Tuesdays, 6:45-8:15 p.m. for worship, teaching and small groups.

Women’s Ministries • Women’s Monthly Gathering—Gather in the Commons with College Church women on Saturday, October 10 (9-10:00 a.m.) for a round table discussion around the question, “What disciplines or practices promote growth in my relationship with Christ?”

This year we’ll explore this question as we look together at Bible study, prayer, worship, silence and solitude, and evangelism.

• Mom2Mom—October 5 – 7-8 p.m. Mom’s Night Out in the Commons. Join us as we begin our discussion together around Courtney Reissig’s book Glory in the Ordinary. After our discussion, join us for an informal hangout time outside with refreshments.

Save the date for November 2.

• Mom2Mom—October 19 – 9:30-11 a.m. Outing to Herrick Lake Forest Preserve Moms of preschool children, join us at Herrick Lake for an adventure exploring together God’s autumn creation.

Keenagers The Keenagers (age 55+) will have a special gathering on Friday, October 16 at 6:30 p.m. in the Sanctuary. We will be treated to an enjoyable concert by our own H. E. Singley (organ) and John Innes (piano), informally displaying their delightful talents. We will follow the church’s protocols for meeting in the Sanctuary on Sunday mornings – wearing masks and social distancing. After the program, weather permitting, we look forward to meeting and greeting old friends outside. If you have questions, you may contact Everett and Marcelyn Peterson at everett@petersonlink.name or (630) 784-0569.

Unfortunately, no punch or a scrumptious meal at this time. We look forward to resuming our usual complete evenings with dinner and a program when public health conditions allow.

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FACE TO FACE

Four Reminders for Effective Gospel Witness in an Election Year Curt Miller, missions pastor In Galatians 6:9, the Apostle Paul offers a timely and encouraging reminder, “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”

I wrote this article to encourage the weary and beleaguered believer. Consider taking these four steps as you continue your journey through the challenges and changes of these interesting days (and that’s putting it mildly).

freely, to peacefully assemble and to “petition the government for a redress of grievances.” Contrast those freedoms with the diminished or complete lack of freedom experienced by many Christians and non-Christians around the world.

REMINDER ONE: Remember Your Identity in Christ

• Mexico, known for its deadly drug cartels, follows Colombia as the number two most corrupt country in the 2020 ranking.

People identify themselves in a variety of ways.

• Relationally as mothers, fathers, wives, husbands, sons, daughters, aunts or uncles.

• Politically as republicans, democrats, independents, libertarians, constitutionalists.

• Vocationally as bus drivers, schoolteachers, coaches, doctors, business owners, etc.

Some use other identity markers to describe their ethnicity, nationality, fitness level, social status and academic level, to name a few. Those descriptions may be helpful, but for the follower of Jesus Christ, they are not ultimate.

As disciples of Jesus, each of us is a new creation in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17) to be conformed into his image (Romans 8:29), and we must do the hard work of actively submitting all to Jesus.

This submission includes viewing your identity as a disciple of Jesus to be more significant than any other identity factor. As you do this, your confidence in Jesus will grow, no matter how your circumstances change.

REMINDER TWO: Remember the Truth of God's Word Continue to spend time daily reading the Word and in prayer.

Practically, consider making note cards to remind yourself of truth. These cards should deal with the specific season you’re in or the temptations you experience. For instance, see page 9-10 for card examples.

REMINDER THREE: Remember Freedoms Granted by Government Governments of some countries grant more religious and political freedoms than others. American citizens have been granted constitutional rights to practice their faith, to speak

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Consider the following: • Colombia, which sees an estimated $14 billion a year in corruption-related costs, experienced a wave of antigovernment protests starting at the end of November.

• Bolivia's interim government announced in January that it will investigate nearly 600 former officials who worked under Evo Morales, who resigned from his presidency in November.

• Russia, which has been accused of election meddling and Olympic doping, joins the top 10 list this year after placing No. 12 in 2019.

• According to the Pew Research Foundation, Eritrea, Maldives and Mauritania are the top three countries with the most restrictive laws and policies toward religious freedom.

• According to the ERITREA 2018 INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM REPORT... Since 2004, Eritrea has been designated a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 for having engaged in or tolerated particularly severe violations of religious freedom.

Yes, there are challenges and tensions in the U.S. as well.

They bring sleepless nights to many of us. Nevertheless, as you remember your freedoms, remember there is a spectrum of chaos. Consider these two headlines from the past three months: • Massive Beirut blast kills more than 70, injures thousands • Fires Gut Europe’s Largest Migrant Camp on the Greek Island of Lesbos Citizens of countries whose governments grant extensive religious and political freedom have a significant advocacy role to play for citizens of countries with few to no similar freedoms.

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Prayer Gatherings Online & In Person Call the church office or email info@college-church.org for details on these prayer meetings.

Sunday Morning Prayer (Online) 8-8:40 a.m. Led by Pastor Eric Channing Monday Morning Prayer (In person) 6:15-7:15 a.m. in C104A. Led by Elder Rob Wolgemuth Wednesday Night Prayer (Online) 7-8 p.m. Led by the Missions Office • Oct. 7: Ben Pehrson, translating the Bible • Oct. 14: Dick Albright, training national leaders • Oct. 21: Kalli Hill, outreach to college students • Oct. 28: Wil Triggs, the persecuted church Friday Lunch Prayer for the Persecuted Church (In person) 12-1 p.m. in C103.

Abigail Prayer Fellowship will meet on Thursday, October 8, at 1 p.m. at church. Kristiana Miller is the speaker.

Hannah Prayer Fellowship will meet on Wednesday, October 14, at 1:30 p.m. in C103.

Leila will share about their life and ministry in SE Asia. We hope you will be able to join us.

Aaron-Hur Prayer Fellowship will meet on Thursday, October 15, at 7 p.m. at the home of Eric and Marilyn Enstrom, 1460 Stoddard Avenue in Wheaton, (630) 682-8341. Our guests will be Ben and Mandy Pehrson.

Our prayer pulse email goes out every Monday. You can get prayer updates via that email. Sign up by clicking "Enews signup" on our website. If you already receive other emails from College Church, click "manage my preferences" at the bottom of any email and select prayer pulse to add yourself.

Lydia Prayer Fellowship women meet at the home of Joyce Patterson, 925 Wheaton Oaks Dr., on Tuesday morning, October 13, at 9:15 to hear Leila share how a well-loved ingredient can be used to introduce people to the Bread of Life. Remember you don’t have to join a prayer fellowship to drop in to enjoy the group that day.

REMINDER FOUR: Remember That Your Actions Affect the Next Generation Many decisions you make are inconsequential; fewer decisions have a long-lasting impact. Every four years American citizens are faced with the latter. This article is not intended to tell you how to vote, but to remind you that when you vote, you vote not for yourself, but for your children.

Some outcomes, especially regarding the office of president of the United States, will have more of an effect on your children and grandchildren than on you. Here’s a question to ponder in the days to come: Will the policies being proposed by this candidate be policies that help your children flourish in their faith and experience the freedoms that you now enjoy?

We might compare the act of this type of voting to a horse pulling a cart with the nation’s children in tow. Turning to

the left or to the right will lead our children in two different directions, ending in two very different places. There is a ditch on either side of the road, and if you go too far on either side, you might just end up stuck in a place with no ability to move forward.

GOD IS IN CONTROL Above all, God is still actively in control of the entire universe and cares about your situation. Regardless of who is elected in November, God remains on his throne and our identity in him is secure. Though these days are filled with challenges, I encourage you to persevere. Remind yourself of who you are and what opportunities you have to shine your light. Don’t give up. One day the harvest will come.

About the Author | Curt Miller Curt serves as the missions pastor of College Church. He and his wife, Jennifer, have three kids – Caleb, Gideon and Moriah. Curt grew up in South Carolina and enjoys a good meal of shrimp and grits.

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SIDE BY SIDE

Pointing to Heaven and to Christ The story behind the storm-damaged steeple The fierce storm that ravaged through the Midwest on August 10 had one strong and surprising image—the College Church steeple. Images like the one pictured here were the main feature on the local news broadcasts that night and in the print and web editions of local and national newspapers. National news services picked up the images as well. In the days that followed, we began to hear from congregants and family members across the country reporting that they had seen the damage in their own news outlets.

The day after the storm, repair companies took the steeple down, covered the damaged roof for short-term protection, and the work began on roof repairs to the Sanctuary building.

College Church volunteers showed up ready to work. They cleared trees and worked together to clean up the debris.

While it would be easy to think that the steeple has always been atop the original building since it was constructed, long-time church members and the church archives tell a different story.

Ray Smith, a church member for almost 65 years, recalls a slice of College Church history. “In the 1930s a steeple was approved

by College Church, but the money apparently was diverted to aid Depression era needy. In 1979, my wife’s mother, Mrs. Charles Blanchard (Lillian) Weaver, spearheaded the initiative for a fund drive to buy a steeple in honor of Dr. Evan Welsh, a much-loved College Church pastor and retired chaplain at Wheaton College.” It was a fitting honor since Evan Welsh was the pastor in the 1930s when the steeple was first approved.

Ed VanDerMolen chaired the building/expansion committee back in the late 1970s and early 80s when the steeple came up again. “Tom Kay was the one who recommended us to consider it again,” Ed recalled, and then added, “The original church was built in 1933, but the congregation chose not to spend the money on a steeple at that time, but to do it at a later time. And no one ever got around to it.”

Until the spring of 1979 when a down payment was made to Campbellsville Steeples (now called Campbellsville Industries) in Campbellsville, Kentucky, to design and build the steeple for College Church. According to its website, Campbellsville Industries are the “Steeple People” and pioneered the prefabricated church steeple more than 50 years ago.

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Ed and another College Church regular Jim Joy pieced all the connection pieces together. “My first thought when I saw the pictures is that we didn’t tighten the bolts enough, but the base of the steeple was intact. I hung black felt over each window so it would look black. I often wondered if anyone would ever see that felt again.” Ed comments, “but sure enough when I went to the demolition there it was,” Ed comments.

“The steeple was to be installed on a Friday with the dedication service on Saturday. I got a call Thursday night that the truck delivering the steeple broke down and it would not be installed on Friday. The steeple arrived and was installed on Monday.

Evan Welsh good naturedly joked, ‘It is so appropriate that something that is associated with me is late, since that has been a characteristic of my life.’”

Ed remembers that the steeple was installed without the spire at the very top. A week later, the spire arrived, and a crane lifted a worker who sat in a basket with the spire to the top of the steeple where the final piece was slid into place.

On October 14, 1979, a week after Pastor Kent Hughes was installed as pastor, the spire was dedicated. “I just arrived at College Church when they put up the steeple,” Kent recalls. “I remember a sense of the moment. There had been

decades where this church had no steeple and, here I was, the new pastor, and I got to celebrate with them. I was thrilled to be a part of it.”

The May-June 1979 church newsletter describe College Church’s witness to the world as “one of the Word and the dedicated Christian lives of our members. Our witness has also been in loving outreach with the gospel to the far-off corners of the world.

“Now we are to have both: a steeple pointing heavenward to God as well as the ministry of the Word pointing men to Christ.”

When it comes to ministry of the Word, not much had changed in those 50 odd years since the spire was first dedicated.

The question that brewed after August’s storm was whether to replace the steeple and what the cost would be. There’s good news from the Board of Deacons: the steeple is fully insured and will not cost College Church a penny to replace. And Campbellsville Industries is already hard at work.

Another piece of good news—the spire itself wasn't damaged and will have its place atop the new steeple.

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SIDE BY SIDE

A Missionary Story Marilyn Papierski I want to tell you a story about a missionary family. Thirty years ago, this fall, a missionary couple left to serve Jesus on the field.

They weren’t off to save the world—that was God’s job—but they were prepared to offer their God-given skills and abilities to be used in whatever way God desired.

After 21 months overseas, they came back to Wheaton for an eight-month home and study assignment. The wife was also pregnant with their second child, due in October. Their daughter was turning two that August. God provided in big ways that year.

Scheduled to stay in a mission-owned apartment located in a rough part of Chicago, their support team immediately nixed that idea, especially with two small children and the husband away much of the time. This team found a reasonably priced onebedroom apartment in Wheaton and modestly furnished it for the time this family was stateside.

And how would you go about finding a medical group seven months into pregnancy? The couple met an ob-gyn through a short-term team that visited in those 21 months on the field, who would then connect mom to his medical group. One of the couples in the support team offered to watch their daughter when the time came for the delivery. That call went out somewhere around 5 a.m. on October 11, and they came. Another came to clean the small apartment after the birth of their son and took their daughter to the store to pick out a special toy just for her; the overwhelmed mom was overwhelmed. Another family in the church had just given birth to a daughter, the last in the succession of children, the first three of which were sons. They gifted their boy clothes to this couple.

No wonder this mom sat in the gallery in the Sanctuary, two weeks after delivering a healthy baby boy with tears in her eyes as the congregation sang out “Great is Thy Faithfulness.”

The memory is as clear to me today nearly 27 years later. We were that family.

That same group of people stayed with us on what turned out to be our final trip home from Ecuador in 2003. Access to our furlough home was delayed for a month. We knew about this right before leaving the field and were unsure where we would stay when we arrived. Members of our support team, heading north to their summer property, graciously extended free reign of their home for the month. We found out much later that they had

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intentionally moved up the dates of their summer cleaning on the property to coincide with our arrival.

Other friends stocked the refrigerator and cabinets with enough food for about three main meals, enough to get us to the grocery store in the coming days. There were coupons for local restaurants, fast food and otherwise, park district brochures, and to top it off, tickets to the DuPage County Fair and pool passes.

We have wonderful memories of a teardown across the street and the kids’ fascination of all the trucks that drove in and out.

Library books galore and summer reading prizes to boot!

There is no question of God’s provision for us through these very special people who are dear to our hearts even today.

Being a former missionary by title, I could tell stories of all kinds, but this is what I want to pass on to you. How blessed we were by the seemingly simple acts of kindness from our friends. None was too small because God knew what we needed. The kindness, the thoughtfulness, the love and the care we experienced.

Immeasurable!

I want to stir your hearts and minds to consider how you can get in on the exciting opportunity of blessing a missionary family.

Consider these practical needs.

ADULTS: • Offer airport transportation, coming and going.

• Meet them at their home to welcome them (appropriately masked and socially distanced of course!)

• Organize your small group to stock the kitchen with basics to get them through a few days of meals.

• Take them to a grocery store. Be prepared for an overwhelmed response to the mass choices if they’ve been living in a remote area. Jewel bags groceries for you; Aldi is self-service, and—oh my—I don’t have a quarter to get an Aldi cart.

Who knew?

• Introduce them to the community, for example, the park district, library, downtown, nearby parks.

• Be a good listener over a cup of coffee or tea—add a dab of cream and sugar and a lot of prayer!

• Don’t assume they know how to use all the modern conveniences that are part of everyday life here. Keep in mind they might know how to do something in their ministry country that would totally blow you away in the how-to department!

• Laugh with them, not at them.

YOUTH:

• Be a friend. They are people too. Give them liberty to be real without judgment.

• Take that dreaded first walk with them into KMs or HYACKs, and when all is awkward, be a bridge.

• Invite them to your small group and Men’s and Women’s Bible Studies.

• During the pandemic, when much of school has moved online, drive them by their actual school. Once we return to normal schooling, give a personal tour of the school, mapping out the best and fastest way to get to classes and, believe it or not, how to find a locker and open the padlock. Share some workarounds to making those tight minutes between classes.

FAMILIES: • Connect your kids with their kids so that when they arrive stateside, play dates are a natural progression to the relationship. Play games together on Zoom, write letters or emails, exchange pictures.

• Invite them over for dinner while they’re getting settled or before they leave. Coordinating that last house cleaning with packing and meal prep is a major feat to say the least.

• Offer to clean their house as a small group after they depart or pay for a cleaning service.

• At church, in these pandemic weeks, help them navigate the different service options; when we return to normal services and ministries, walk them through the maze of people and registration at Kids’ Harbor.

• Offer to get information to them about the school their kids will attend and how to register.

• Adopt a college student who may be missing family and home during their time in the area. Invite them for regular meals or offer a place to hang out.

• Offer free babysitting to missionary moms as they attempt to unpack, get groceries and do what moms do for their families when transitioning. Or maybe, give the couple a night out without the kids.

There are so many ways to say welcome to a missionary family—organically or in an organized way. If you are in the organic relationship crowd, take the step. If you prefer an organized approach, consider being part of a missionary welcome team.

Contact Marilyn Papierski at (630) 668-0878 ext. 191 or mpapierski@college-church.org or Michelle Kelley at ext. 156 or mkelley@college-church.org in the missions office and let them know that you would like to partner with others in loving our missionaries.

They will be blessed by your care and, I can with most certainty say, that you will be blessed, too.

About the Author | Marilyn Papierski Marilyn and her husband, Mark, served in Shell, Ecuador from 1991-2003 as missionaries with HCJB Global (now Reach Beyond) in hospital and school administration. They have two grown and married children, Sarah (Josh and a grandson arriving in November) and Stephen (Andrea). She misses the simple life of Ecuador, but was happy to leave the snakes, tarantulas and cockroaches behind!

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GLOBAL VOICES

In My Heart Language for the Good of My Heart An Update from Dorothy Forsberg

Imagine what it would be like to hold a Bible in your language for the first time. This is what is happening for the Yom people in Benin, a country in West Africa.

“The home of voodoo,” Benin is a former French colony, and French is the national language and the language used for schooling.

According to Operation World, however, there are 60 ethnic groups that speak 56 different languages. The Yom people group is one such group and has an estimated 300,000 speakers.

As of this past August, the Yom people now have the complete Bible in their heart language—the language they think in and understand best.

worked with the son of the first Christian to learn the Yom language.

In 1977, College Church supported missionary Dorothy Forsberg arrived and quickly became immersed in the Yom New Testament translation. Computers arrived in 1983. Unfortunately, electricity had yet to arrive to the city of Tchaourou. Undaunted, the Beachams bought a generator. Dorothy, who was born with a congenital absence of her left hand, likes to say she, “single-handedly keyed in” about half of the Yom New Testament in three-hour sessions each afternoon. Joyce Beacham did the other half while on a home assignment in the U.S. At last—New and Old in the Works

A Look Back. . .

This process didn’t happen overnight. In fact, the Bible translation project started in 1951, when SIM worker C. Gordon Beacham Jr. and his wife, Joyce, arrived in country. Beacham

Thirty-four years from when the translation project began, the Yom New Testament was published in 1985, arriving in Benin in 1986. A dedication ceremony celebrated both the New Testament and a new church building.

This year, Yom translators received Bibles. Pastor Issifou and his wife are on the left, Abel and his wife are on the right, the president of UEEB does the honors.

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Bibles in a shipping container, on their way to SIM headquarters

Bibles arrive in Djougou

Soon, Dorothy began to recruit an Old Testament translation team. They had a few drafts of the books of Genesis and Ruth and some of the psalms that Gordon Beacham had done, but the book they decided to tackle first on their own was Jonah. Dorothy thought it would be easy as a narrative text, even though the poetry of Jonah chapter two provided some challenges. All Bible translations need to be checked by a consultant, and the team found a member of Wycliffe Bible Translators willing to do the check. Thankfully, she was pleased with their translation.

Africa, Europe, Asia and Back

Piece by piece, the team translated the Old Testament and had it checked. Before publishing the Bible in full, they also wanted to update and revise the translation of the New Testament.

Thankfully, the consultant they had worked with didn’t need to check the update, since one of Dorothy’s colleagues, Pastor Issifou Korogo, had become accredited as a Bible translation consultant in 2010.

In early August, the ship and its life-changing cargo of 4,000 Yom Bibles docked. From the port city of Cotonou, the Bibles were transported to Parakou where SIM has a Benin headquarters, and from there to be distributed outward.

The text of the Bible, translated in Benin, was sent to Switzerland for page layout and publishing. It went back and forth multiple times as discussions arose about the best placement of hyphens with a double column layout. From Switzerland the Bible was sent electronically to South Korea for printing, which took about three months. Once printed, the Bibles travelled by boat from South Korea to Africa and landed at the port of Cotonou in Benin.

Originally, SIM planned to hold a large dedication ceremony in Benin to celebrate the completion of this project, but with the global pandemic, these plans were reworked. On Saturday, August 29, SIM leadership, the Union of Evangelical Churches

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Gordon Beacham working with André on the hilltop where they started the work at the Methodist compound, in the 1950s

Dorothy, Pastor Issifou Korogo and Abel Amos at an SIL workshop on the Book of Psalms (circa 1990s) in Kara, Togo

of Benin (UEEB) leadership, the bookstore leadership, leaders of the Yom group of churches, Yom pastors, representatives of the women’s organizations of the Yom churches, young people of the Yom churches, representatives of the Linguistic Commission for Yom and representatives of other UEEB churches in the town of Djougou gathered for a small ceremony. The plan is to hold a larger dedication service once restrictions are lifted.

Now that the Bible has been distributed in this people’s own heart language, Dorothy’s desire is “to see a strengthening of the Yom churches as pastors and elder leaders read the Old Testament Scriptures. They have had the New Testament since 1986.

And I hope to see people excited about having such a document in their language—Christians as well as Muslims and animists.”

In addition to supporting Dorothy since 1974, College Church also supported this Bible translation project at three separate times when they had funding difficulties and the final printing and distribution were in danger of being delayed. College Church also helped to provide funds to print 1,000 more Bibles than originally planned. In total, College Church has been blessed to give $12,000 toward this Bible translation project.

“Bible en yom” Praise God for the Yom Bible! Praise him for Dorothy Forsberg and Gordon Beacham and others who gave their lives for this Bible translation project. Pray for Yom believers in the days ahead and for Muslims and animists to come to Christ through reading the Bible in the language of their heart.

About the Author | Dorothy Forsberg Translator and missionary Dorothy Forsberg went to Benin in 1977, and kept her commitment to give the Yom people group a Bible in their heart language.

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LOCALLY SOURCED

An update from the Sanctity of Human Life Task Force

Praying for Life

Saturday, October 10

College Church members came together on August 15 and September 19 to pray outside the Planned Parenthood center in Aurora. It was a time of heartfelt prayer as we stood just yards away from the abortion facility as people were going in.

This Planned Parenthood is the largest abortion facility in the Midwest. Join us each month as we gather to pray.

Come and pray outside Planned Parenthood Aurora with members of the SOHL and College Church from 1 to 2 p.m.

• Praise God for the gift of life, and especially for the gift of new life in Jesus. Pray for those who don’t know Jesus to come to him.

• Pray for those considering abortion. Pray that God would open their eyes and their hearts to alternative options.

• Pray for healing for those who have had abortions and now live with the decision.

Caring for Moms and Babies We held our second diaper drive and happily greeted many of you as you pulled up in front of the church and generously gave baby care products to assist our ministry partner Caring Network fulfill their mission to help mothers in need. We filled four SUVs and one sedan to the brim with boxes and boxes of wonderful baby care items. Thank you!

Want to stay up to date with life-related news and events? Sign up for the Sanctity of Human Life task force monthly emails.

Visit college-church.org/sohl to learn more.

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FACE TO FACE

COVID-19 Knocking at the Door Greg Hurst

When Greg wrote his late July prayer letter, COVID-19 had its tragic grip on Bolivia. It still does. When this issue of Connections went to print, the Bolivian government continued to have strict national quarantine measures.

Jorge’s sister died two days ago in La Paz, Bolivia. Jorge said, “COVID-19 has knocked at the door of our house.” In a broken voice, he said, “Greg, I asked the Lord, ‘Why, why?’ But then I prayed with some of the men this morning from church and God gave me a profound peace….”

Last week, we prayed in a Zoom elder meeting for Pastor Edgar and his son who both had COVID-19. Two days later, Edgar sent me a message that his wife, Becky, had struggled breathing all night long. Yesterday, our assistant pastor Gumercindo tested positive. Presently, we have 10 families on the church’s prayer chain who have tested positive or have COVID-19 symptoms.

Jorge has also participated for two years in our monthly meetings to train church planters. Last week we prayed in our meeting for two leaders in the group who tested positive for the coronavirus. As a group of 12 church leaders, we talked about how God can use our churches to share and show Christ to our city during this pandemic.

Light Shines in the Darkness Recently, a CNN news story said that "Bolivia's hospitals and cemeteries are buckling as COVID-19 cases surge and reach the highest levels of government—including its Interim President Jeanine Añez.

"As one of the poorest countries in Latin America, Bolivia is on its way to become one of the world's worst affected nations in coronavirus per-capita deaths," the report states.

A heartbreaking, memorial video was sent out with pictures of the more than 100 Bolivian pastors who died from COVID-19 serving the spiritual and physical needs of their communities.

In these dark days, lights of Christ are shining throughout La Paz. Light shines when children from our church, who have been quarantined now for more than 120 days, invite their friends to participate in virtual Sunday school. Other lights shine when more than 100 women participate in a Zoom women's Bible study. Another light, unseen by most, shines when a church member drops off food and money for a friend in the congregation whose income has been wiped out by the quarantine. The light of God's presence is pushing back the darkness as God's people share and show Christ to those around them.

When SIM's Crisis Management Team gives us authorization to travel back to Bolivia, (we now have a target departure of

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early December) we will return to La Paz with this vision: To mobilize our congregation and other churches in La Paz to plant gospel-focused, disciple-making, missional churches that glorify God in their city, country, and world (Acts 1:8). Our prayer is that more and more lights will shine for Christ as the Holy Spirit multiples disciples and churches who glorify God. Prayers, Oxygen and Aspirin Sitting at an altitude of two miles high, the city of La Paz makes people aware of how much we need oxygen to breathe. When the hospitals collapsed last week, people began treating their COVID-19 symptoms at home with oxygen and aspirin. The city quickly ran out of both oxygen tanks and aspirins.

Last Thursday, we received a message that Cesar from Greg's discipleship group, tested positive for COVID-19 and was struggling to breathe. The oxygen levels of Cesar, his wife, son

and mother-in-law had dropped dangerously low as they fought the coronavirus from their home. That is when Saul, also from the discipleship group, worked for hours with Greg to find an oxygen tank in our storage room. Saul passed it off to Vladimir, another guy from the discipleship group, who waited in line at sunrise to get it filled and delivered to Cesar's family. The rest of the church unsuccessfully searched for aspirin at pharmacies until someone from the congregation found a few extra aspirins in their medicine cabinet.

We did hear from Cesar and his wife, and they are breathing better.

Cesar and his family will soon become a light in their neighborhood as they tell others about God’s spiritual and physical provision through a prayer chain, spiritual encouragement, an oxygen tank and aspirin.

About the Author | Greg Hurst College Church missionaries Greg and Faith Hurst serve the church in La Paz, Bolivia, and focus on discipleship through family ministry and church planting. Greg and Faith celebrated their 25th anniversary this summer.

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LIFE LESSONS

Surprises of Hope Barbara Mill, Operations Director, Koinonia House® Ministries Building Bridges. Restoring Hope. It is not just a catchy tag line. It truly is what we do. Back in January as we looked at our 2020 ministry schedule—prayer conferences in 10 Illinois correctional centers, special services in five other state and federal prisons, meeting someone at the prison gate and gathering weekly for Radical Time Out™ (RTO)—we were excited to see what God would do in the new year.

One surprise started in late February when an area church held its annual retreat for several hundred women. They contacted us for help in connecting with a prison because they wanted the ladies at the retreat to write notes of encouragement to incarcerated women. KHM was the bridge between the church and a chaplain at a federal prison for women in southern Illinois.

Then suddenly, like everyone else’s schedule, all those dates were cancelled. We immediately prayed to God the Father to show us what he would have us do. We knew that, more than ever, people needed hope, especially the living hope provided for us through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

(1 Peter 1:3-6) Our cry to God became, “Surprise us! Show us how to hallow your name in this unique time. Bring hope to the incarcerated.”

No one could have imagined that just two weeks after 500 cards were sent, that facility (like all prisons across the country) would go into lockdown. Visits stopped. Phone calls were restricted.

Most inmates were (and many still are) confined to their cells/ dorm rooms for 22-23 hours each day, seven days a week. Those notes became God’s messengers of hope to the inmates—there were complete strangers “on the outside” thinking of and praying for them!

And he did!

A few weeks went by, and the church began receiving replies from the inmates. The ministry leader wrote, “Oh to hear the hearts of these ladies. Everyone with Scripture. Took my breath away.” She was so moved by these responses that their women’s ministry team started a prisoner pen pal program, with 41 ladies eagerly volunteering to write to an inmate. A simple bridgebuilding task turned into a new avenue of communicating the gospel of Jesus Christ.

We were surprised that our ministry would involve facilitating the supply of feminine hygiene products to one of Illinois’ prisons for women and that Koinonia House® Ministries (KHM) would purchase and deliver 2,400 bars of bath soap for the men at Stateville Correctional Center in Joliet. We were surprised that RTO never missed a meeting. Using technology, we continued to provide hope-filled messages and prayer times each Thursday evening for families of those impacted by incarceration and those who want a front row seat to how God can transform lives. We were surprised that an inmate’s fiancé from Chicago would be excited to do a weekly bible study over the phone with a just-released woman living in a small town in DeKalb County.

Like the Apostle Peter, we say, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead . . .” (NKJV)

LIFE LESSONS

The Radical Grace of God Manny Mill Isaiah 58:8-9, Hebrews 13:5 Moments from our past serve as benchmarks and present us with redemptive opportunities for healing and change—for our own good and for the good of others. That look to the past requires us to reflect so we don’t repeat the same mistake again, but rather radiate a testimony of hope to those who might come after us.

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I want to share with you my story and how God continues to surprise me. After all, I am his child, because I trusted Jesus as my Savior and Lord. He arrested me with his truth, and God the Father invaded me with his irresistible grace. To make a long story short, I was on the run from the FBI, hiding in Venezuela and facing 55 years in prison. That’s when my mother, a former witch turned follower of Jesus, confronted me with the gospel and God’s promise, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

(Hebrews 13:5) That verse gave me courage to come back to America to confront my crime, knowing that I would end up in prison.

While I was in prison, God surprised me as he used me to revive the English-speaking church in prison, where it grew from 12 attendees to more than 160, out of a prison population of 400.

I also planted a Hispanic church, with over 75 guys attending every Tuesday night and three daily prayer meetings.

On April 6, 1988, God the Father surprised me again: a seemingly impossible early release from prison. What mercy! A couple of months earlier, by God’s grace, I went to Washington, D.C., for Prison Fellowship’s discipleship seminar. Billy Graham was the speaker, and at a dinner, God put me next to Dr. Kenneth T. Wessner, who served on the executive board of Prison Fellowship and was the CEO and board chair for ServiceMaster Corporation. He also was a trustee at Wheaton College, where I had just applied for the Charles W. Colson Scholarship.

Despite some humbling moments for me, we began a lifetime relationship, and Dr. Wessner became my spiritual daddy.

When I was released from prison, the first thing I did was to look back at the prison I just left and said to myself, “I will always be an ex-convict, but, by the grace of God, I will never ever be an inmate again.” I had lost everything--ended up in prison, my first wife divorced me, and I did not see my two children for almost five-and-a-half years. But I had gained Christ. Aleluya! Now I could rely totally on God’s grace to empower me to do what was right in God’s eyes.

Shortly after my release, Dr. Wessner told me, “Manny, I am going to help you get into Wheaton College, but you have no room to fail.” Quitting was not an option. I was the first exconvict to graduate from Wheaton College with not only a bachelor’s degree, but also a master’s degree. God graciously used me to prepare the way for many who came after me and give hope to a multitude of inmates in jail and prison. God also broke through strongholds and made it possible for me to go to Israel, Greece, Holland and Egypt with Wheaton College while on parole, and even provided the finances to make it happen.

Aleluya!

More surprises from my Father. On the last day of my parole in 1989, he brought Barbara, now my wife, into my life. I call her “my human Holy Spirit.” God gave us two sons and reconciliation with my other children.

More than 30 years ago, God surprised me again with his call to Barbara and me to oversee a unique ministry.

It was Koinonia House, that began with a post-prison home in Wheaton and eventually developed into Koinonia House® Ministries. Our ministry has taken us to hundreds of prisons across America and around the world.

God has allowed me to write two books that have impacted thousands: Radical Redemption, my life story, and Radical Prayer. Both are also in Spanish, my first language.

It comes down to this—all of us desperately need someone from the outside to rescue us. We have all been hijacked by the deadly virus of sin, which entered the world through Adam and Eve when they chose to sin. That’s why Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, came to rescue us. He became human to die for us on the cross, landing us safely into the mighty hands of God, the loving Father, who is our provider and protector. He will free you from the guilt and slavery of sin, self, hell and the world, so you find your true identity, your destiny and your purpose. He will empower you to live.

Chuck Colson served as special counsel to President Richard Nixon. Colson was 34 years old when God’s irresistible grace saved him. He passionately served Christ, who had transformed his heart and life, for the last 40 years of his life. He was a dear friend and mentor to me, who made an eternal impact for Christ. His strong advice to me was, “keep your post and do your duty.” Here’s what he meant: don’t change course; love God and your neighbors, regardless of what they have done or where they came from, regardless of their culture, color, class, crisis or crime. Discover what you were created to do, then do it with every ounce of energy you have with gusto, purpose, passion and focus. Keep your eyes on your Creator, so you will become 100% fulfilled with overflowing joy and peace. I want to challenge you to become grateful, teachable, vigilant, joyful and humble. Determine to become a radical partaker of the grace of God. Be a man or woman of radical prayer for God’s glory.

Be surprised by our loving Father. Aleluya!

About the Authors | Barbara and Manny Mill Barbara and Manny Mill are members of College Church and local partners serving with Koinonia House® Ministries. Manny is the CEO and Barbara is the operations director of this ministry. KHM proclaims the gospel to those in prison and discipleship out of prison.

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I BELIEVE!

Never Quite Good Enough Jenni Paulson When I was in sixth grade, my grandpa died of cancer. A few months later, my grandma on the other side of the family also died of cancer. This was the first difficult time in my life that I can remember. It seemed to be a wake-up call for my mother, and we began attending church. I didn’t really know anything about church. It was all so new, but I wanted to like church desperately. I wanted to be “good.” About the same time, my parents were looking at an alternative to the public junior high school for me to attend. A friend invited me to check out the private Christian school she would be going to, and I leapt at the chance to have a friend in the same boat.

This new school was a completely different world to me. We had to wear skirts, carry a bible, pray at the beginning of class, listen to devotionals, go to Bible class and participate in weekly chapels with great music, excellent speakers and altar calls. My friend and her mother walked me through all of it, and I’m sure they were praying for me too! They took me to the Bible store to buy my first Bible, even showing me how to put tabs in it so I could easily find the unfamiliar books.

They invited me to youth group and included me in all the activities. I still remember the first Bible verse I had to memorize for school, Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” (KJV) As I was absorbed into this loving environment, I began to understand that I was sinful and that I could never be good enough for God on my own. Inwardly, I was self-centered,

prideful, lacking self-control and hot-tempered. At youth group, I accepted Christ’s complete forgiveness and his call on my life to be a follower of Jesus. I am so grateful for the grace that covered my life at an early age and lead me to Jesus.

Looking back on these events so many years ago and trying to remember what propelled me to Christ, and the condition of my heart back then, I see that I am still somewhat the same. I still struggle with selfishness, pride and careless words. But I daily trust in the sanctifying work of my Savior who is always faithful.

He has redeemed me.

Over the years, the basic outline of my testimony remains the same; however, the emphasis and lessons the Lord is teaching me vary. Today, I am struck by three things.

God’s plan is perfect. Out of tragedy he was calling me to him.

He used the death of an old, sick man to catapult me to faith, and my mother’s return to faith. There were a hundred different things that had to happen in order to get me to go to that Christian school so I could hear the gospel and receive it. God is sovereign in it all.

God uses relational ministry. My friend and her mother were ministering to me, and I didn’t even know it. They continued to include me and invite me and love on me for Jesus sake.

Doing life together and developing friendship is one of the most powerful ways we can share our faith.

Prayer is key. Perhaps I should have listed this one first. Prayer changes my heart and prepares the way for the gospel to be shared and to spread.

About the Author | Jenni Paulson Jenni and her husband, Nate, have two teenagers in the house—son, Jaden, and daughter, Jillian. Jenni has served in Kids’ Harbor and Upward Basketball. She currently serves on the Evangelism Committee.

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I BELIEVE!

Celebrating Baptisms September 13 testimonies

Ariana Herr (age 9) My name is Ariana Herr. I am in a family of seven. I have two younger brothers and two older sisters. I also like to read books and especially the Bible. I play softball and have a pet dog and a pet parakeet. The Bible sometimes seems complicated or unreal but going to College Church my whole life has helped me. At the end of each year, I feel closer to God and understand the Bible more than before. Now I understand and believe that Jesus is my Savior, and I'm on the right path with the Lord. I want to be baptized to become closer to the Lord. Being baptized is something that God wants Christians to do. The Lord has done a lot for me (like dying on the cross for my sins), so I want to obey him and be baptized.

George Truitt (age 16) I’m a sophomore at Wheaton Academy, and I play football and wrestle for sports. I also like to do quiz bowl, climbing team and trap shooting. I have been a Christian since the third grade, but in seventh grade, it started to click for me. When I had my hand injury during eighth grade in 2018, that’s when it sort of took a big leap, and it started being more of a personal faith. I want to be baptized because I want to make my faith publicly known, and I essentially want to say in front of a bunch of believers, “Hey, look at me! I’m a Christian and I am saved.”

Trevor Smith (age 16) I am 16. I go to Wheaton Warrenville South. Because I have God's Spirit in me, because I am a man of faith, because I am a prayer warrior, Jesus is my Savior. I know him a lot, and I know I can be with him forever in heaven.

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Caitlyn Knudson (age 12) My name is Caitlyn Knudson. I am in seventh grade at Franklin Middle School. My parents are missionaries, and I was born and raised with my older sister and brother in Bolivia, South America.

Because my parents are missionaries, I grew up in a Christian household. I have gone to church my whole life and went to a Christian school in Bolivia. When I was four, I accepted Jesus into my heart. Because of my faith in Jesus's death and resurrection, he gave me the Holy Spirit and eternal life. Since then I have learned more about God through family devotions, Bible class at school and discussions with my family and teachers. I want to be baptized so that I can publicly proclaim my faith. In the Bible, Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. I think it's important to follow Jesus's example. Baptism is a sign that you have been saved; it symbolizes your sinful life dying and starting your new Christ-led life.

Moriah Herr (age 11) My name is Moriah Herr, and I have four siblings. I go to Franklin Middle School, and I play the French horn and the piano. I like to play softball in my free time. Ever since I was little, I have gone to church every Sunday. Lately I have been either watching the live stream or going to the outdoor service.

It got me thinking that Jesus was really helping us through this challenging time. I started praying about people who are in a challenging time. This made me want to help others to know Christ as I was privileged to come to know him at a very young age. I want to be baptized because I want to lead others like my friends to know and love Jesus. I know that I can lead others even if I am not baptized, but I feel that God will guide me, and my path will become clearer if I obey him and am baptized.

Elsa Herr (age 13) My name is Elsa Herr. I am 13 years old, and I have four younger siblings and a dog. I enjoy reading, swimming and spending time with my family. I have always gone to church, but sometimes I used to find it hard to believe that God and Jesus could do things like create the earth, raise people from the dead and every other miracle in the Bible. I was so confused about how that was even possible. I also sometimes had a hard time believing that God would accept me. But in the past two to three years, I have begun to understand the Bible more and find it easier to believe that it is true. I believe that God and Jesus are capable of things that may seem impossible at first glance. I also have accepted that Jesus died on the cross for me and all the other sinners on earth.

I know Jesus is my true Savior, and I want to become closer to him. I want to be baptized because God commanded baptism, and I feel it is my job to obey God's commands. I also think it is important that I publicly declare my obedience to God and that I know Jesus is the only Savior.

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Lauren Walsh I'm 31 years old, married to Mike Walsh and we have a son who will be two years old the end of October. I had been attending College Church for about five to six years, when Mike and I first met. I have been attending regularly since. Before having our son, William, I was volunteering in the STARS program and loved it! Not too long after having Will, I switched to volunteering in the nursery and loved that as well. Being around young kids and serving them brings me so much joy.

Some things I really enjoy are spending time with my family and Mike's family. Whether it's just getting together to let the cousins play or going on family vacations. Family is really important to me!

I also enjoy going on walks with Will and watching him explore new things.

I grew up in a Christian home and gave my life to Christ at an early age. As I entered high school and attended public school for the first time, I started making my relationship with the Lord my own and a priority. I wasn't being fed Scripture and praying each morning like I was at Wheaton Christian Grammar School; I did it on my own surrounded, of course, with Christian friends from church and my youth group. I want to be baptized to publicly share my commitment to Lord.

I have had numerous conversations with my husband about baptism and what it means and why we are called to do it. For a while, I felt like I needed to be baptized so I could become a member of College Church, which is something Mike and I want to do. I also felt I needed to be in a certain place spiritually with the Lord, like on a spiritual high and things are going well in your relationship with the Lord. I felt like those were not good reasons to be baptized, and I struggled. After talking it through and understanding a bit more, I realized God doesn't want me at my best, he wants me in all stages, and even though I have questions, my desire is to know Jesus more and more and to bring my questions or confusion to him. Jesus is my Lord and Savior, and ultimately, I want to live my life for him.

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THE BOOK CORNER

Evangelism in a Skeptical World by Sam Chan Reviewed by Wil Triggs Just after the dinosaurs went extinct, I enrolled in Bible college.

Evangelism was a big thing for us. There was a campaign called “I Found It.” The college was abuzz. We volunteered to answer phones for people who called wanting the find “it.” Billboards, bumper stickers, televisions ads, the campaign was everywhere.

Back then, I had friends who considered themselves to be evangelists. Most of them had developed an approach to talking with people about Jesus. It was often using a gospel-focused tract such as “The Four Spiritual Laws.” These people memorized the tract and then went through it with people, kindly and patiently covering all four points with the people they were talking with.

I thought of those days last year when we had a contemporary outreach “Explore God,” which garnered various levels of participation from churches, including College Church, to welcome people to talk about God and look at what the Bible has to say.

A 2019 Barna study reported that “almost all practicing Christians believe that part of their faith means being a witness about Jesus (ranging from 95% to 97% among all generational groups), and that the best thing that could ever happen to someone is for them to know Jesus (94% to 97%). Millennials, in particular, feel equipped to share their faith with others. For instance, almost three-quarters say they know how to respond when someone raises questions about faith (73%), and that they are gifted at sharing their faith with other people (73%). …Despite this, many Millennials are unsure about the actual practice of evangelism. Almost half of Millennials (47%) agree at least somewhat that it is wrong to share one’s personal beliefs with someone of a different faith in hopes that they will one day share the same faith…. Sharing the gospel today is made harder than at any time in recent memory by an overall cultural resistance to conversations that highlight people’s differences.”

These challenges in our populations and in the culture at large is why I found Evangelism in a Skeptical World so refreshing. Author Sam Chan is an evangelist based out of the City Bible Forum in Sydney, Australia. In some ways, the book reads like a textbook on evangelism. I wish we’d had it in my evangelism class back in Bible college.

Chan analyzes gospel tracts, their strengths and weaknesses.

He provides samples/summaries of evangelistic talks and messages. Rather than memorizing a single tract, Chan suggests

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being versed in many, as well as looking at culture for metaphors and stories that will engage people. He includes several tracts in the book.

I’ve read them all over the course of my life but reading them all together with his helpful analysis puts them into the context of real life.

These are not tools to memorize and share, cookie-cutter style, but legitimate expressions of our faith that we can use, adapt and share as God guides us through our interactions with people around us.

“Jesus had different answers for different people,” Chan writes.

“To Nicodemus, Jesus talked about being ‘born again’ ( John 3:3). But to the woman at the well, Jesus offered ‘living water’ ( John 4:10). So, Jesus was letting the audience set the agenda.”

Of course, Jesus did set the agenda, but he listened to the people and adapted his approach to them based on where they were.

He had the advantage of being God, which is a pretty big advantage, and it’s not always easy for us to discern people. But the point is that we have a whole world of stories, metaphors, Bible stories and gospel plans of salvation that we can pull from when we talk to people. The gospel presentations and examples in this book can be tools or levers we can reach for when we talk with others about Jesus.

The book is also full of stories or people sharing their faith in big and little ways relationally. It’s an inspiration and a book to prayerfully savor as we look out at the people around us.

Order your copy at the online bookstore of College Church: www.10ofthose.com/us/products/4511/evangelism-in-a-skepticalworld

Fall Staff Picks Visit our online bookstore 10ofthose.com/us/partners/collegechurch for these tiles and more!

Nancy Singer The Accidental President: Harry S. Truman and the Four Months That Changed the World

by A. J. Baime

Mike Solis Finding Grace in the Face of Dementia

by John Dunlop

Mindy Rynbrandt Teach Me to Feel: Worshiping Through the Psalms in Every Season of Life

by Courtney Reissig

Michael Walker

Wil Triggs Evangelism in a Skeptical World

by Sam Chan

Trusting God

by Jerry Bridges

LOOKING AHEAD

International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church

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MILESTONES Marriages & Births • Vivienne Jade Atchison was born to Kolby and Bethany Atchison on September 23. Vivienne joins her brother Justus.

• Caleb Anders Farnsworth was born to Graham and Emily Farnsworth in Memphis, Tennessee, on September 6. Caleb’s paternal grandparents are Craig and Jane Farnsworth, and his maternal grandparents are Gary and Valerie Chase.

Condolences • Pray for family and friends of longtime College Church member Bob Sorrill, including his daughter, Sally (Dave) Madio as they grieve the loss of Bob, who passed away on September 29. Services were held in Quincy, Illinois.

• Pray for the family and friends of former College Church member Ken Fisher, including his wife, Bunny, as they grieve the loss of Ken, who passed away on September 28 in Colorado.

• Pray for Tammy Lam and family as they grieve the loss of Tammy’s sister, Connie Grillo, who passed away on September 24 in Tennessee.

• Pray for Jeff (Patty) Mann and family as they grieve the loss of Jeff’s father, Leonard Mann, who passed away on September 24 in Carol Stream.

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• Pray for the family and friends of Jean Sawyer, who passed away on September 21 in Carol Stream. Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. on Monday, October 5, at Hultgren Funeral Home, 304 N. Main St., Wheaton. The funeral will be at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, October 6, at College Church, followed by interment at Wheaton Cemetery.

A livestream of the funeral service will be available at boxcast.tv/view/memorial-service-for-jean-sawyer-214034.

• Pray for retired missionary Gene Taylor and College Church member Ginny O’Brien as they grieve the loss of Gene’s wife and Ginny’s sister, Lois Taylor, who passed away on September 21 in Fort Wayne Indiana. Services were held October 3.

• Pray for Peggy (David) Hackett and family as they grieve the loss of Peggy’s father, Robert Hathaway, who passed away on September 19.

• Pray for Ken (Sara) Heulitt and family as they grieve the loss of Ken's mother, Lillian Evensen, who passed away on September 13 in Bend, Oregon.

• Pray for Sarah Lindquist ( Jayme Moore) and family as they grieve the loss of Sarah’s father, Ned Lindquist, who passed away suddenly on August 20 in Elgin, Illinois.

On Becoming Ninety

By Wallace Alcorn On August 29, I became ninety-years-of-age. I’m completely inexperienced, and I’m not sure what to do about this condition.

I hear people ask, “Where did all the years ago?” Well, I lived each for exactly twelve months, and they went one-by-one until there are ninety. And I know where they are now: in the past. I can’t retrieve them and live them again. Not even one. But I can live upon them.

On this anniversary, someone is likely to ask, “If you could live your life all over again, what would you do differently?” Put this way, it’s nonsense. A life, by definition, starts with one blank to be filled in year by year of living. The blanks for various lives vary in size by how many years will need to be accommodated. None of us knows this, only the number already lived. How many remain is equally unknown (except statistically not as many).

The only way this silly question could make any sense would be: If you could hold onto all you have learned in this life and then begin your life all over again, what would you do differently? If that were so, it wouldn’t be my life at all. The first ninety years of my life are already lived and can never be lived again. To be

actually my life, it would need to be without what I have learned to this point. In this case, what would I do differently? Probably nothing. I’d make the same dumb mistakes because my life is exactly what my life has been.

Being impossible for this to be the question, it must be: Given the life I have lived for ninety years, how am I going to live the years remaining?

The sad fact of the matter is, although I have lived through ninety, I have not actually lived every one. It can be understood I wasn’t yet able really to live the first several. I feel God’s forgiveness for wasting many and blowing a few. But even these God’s grace has redeemed by what I learned from them. With forgiveness and healing, two wrongs can make a right.

What I am doing with my remaining years is to live every one of them. This is that difference. I am under commission so to live the life God gave me ninety years ago as not just to “give” God the glory but, by his grace, to be the glory God created and redeems. The Lord and I are going to enjoy these years so much that I suspect I’ll go into heaven kicking and screaming (and then ask forgiveness one last time).

About the Author | Wallace Alcorn Wallace Alcorn has been a pastor, teacher and army chaplain.

332 E. Seminary, Wheaton, IL 60187 • Phone: (630) 668-0878 • www.college-church.org Connections is a monthly newsletter published for and about the people of College Church.

Send news items and suggestions to: connections@college-church.org.

Take advantage of events—some one-time, some ongoing—that are taking place around town this month. Also, keep Connections in mind to promote a community event to the College Church family. Send event information by the following dates to connections@college-church.org.

For the November issue: October 7 | For the December issue: November 7 | For the January issue: December 7 Our Pastors, Directors and Residents: Eric Channing, pastor of congregational care and family ministries | Cheryce Berg, director of children’s ministries | Julie Clemens, director of disability ministries | Erik Dewar, pastor of worship and music | Zach Fallon, senior high pastor | Dan Hiben, junior high pastor | Tim Hollinger, technology director | Diane Jordan, director of visitation and care | Howard Kern, facilities director | Josh Maurer, pastorial resident | Curt Miller, missions pastor | Josh Moody, senior pastor | Ben Panner, college pastor | Mindy Rynbrandt, director of women’s ministries | John Seward, executive pastor | Nancy Singer, director of administration and finance | Mike Solis, pastoral resident | Josh Stringer, pastor of discipleship | Wil Triggs, director of communications | Michael Walker, pastoral resident Our Council of Elders: David Bea | Howard Costley | Dave Gieser, vice chair | Randy Jahns| Heinrich Johnsen | Dan Lindquist | Josh Moody, senior pastor | Phil Nussbaum | Tom Nussbaum | Jeremy Taylor | Mark Taylor, chair | Tad Williams | Rob Wolgemuth, secretary

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