Bible Study: Sundays at ........9:15am (Sunday school at this time too) 2nd & 4th Tuesdays of the month (Ladies’ Bible Study) Wednesdays at 10am Thursdays at 10am (Nursery available for Sunday morning services)
MINISTER: REV. GERALDINE COLVIN SUNDAY SERVICE.......................10:00 AM
Heart Smart
JOSH BOOTSMA
As my wife and I went about repainting a room in our house (shout out to my friend Byron who did most of this for us!), there were weeks where the furniture was piled up and covered by a plastic sheet. There were various walls in various states of painted and unpainted.
Someone visiting our house during this process looked at a wall, and said, “You missed a spot.” Now, that comment rubbed some salt into my wound of insecurity. I’d hoped the room would be finished by the time company came. But it wasn’t. So that’s what I said, “It’s not finished yet. But it’s coming along.”
Besides repainting a room, I’m also working on my heart.
And sometimes people (especially me) point at certain areas of my heart and say, “You missed a spot.” In fact, my heart might be more “missed spots” than anything else! And this makes me sad, because I want my heart to look like Jesus’.
And so I remind myself: “The Lord
isn’t finished with me yet. But I’m coming along.”
2 Corinthians 4 says, “Do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.”
If you’ve given your life to Jesus, he’s busy renovating your heart. And he invites you to be a part of that process! So how are you partnering with him?
For me, being part of a community of believers is crucial in this process. And Covenant Fellowship Church of South Holland has started a Men’s Accountability Group to be a place of encouragement in the pursuit of healthy masculinity, sexual accountability, and Christ-like fidelity. If you’re interested in joining a community of men seeking to actively partner with God in the renovation of our souls, send me a note: joshbootsma@gmail.com.
Josh Bootsma Member, Covenant Fellowship Church cfcsh.org
Real Estate Specialists
Real Estate Questions & Answers
Question: I have a few questions about selling my home. I have an agent already, but I’m dealing with him long distance. There’s a potential buyer already who I was told wants the house but has some minor details about paying off bills before he would be qualified. Does this constitute a “qualified” buyer?
Answer: Whether local or long distance, the broker works for you. The questions you have should be answered by the salesperson. If the salesperson cannot or will not answer these questions to your satisfaction, then speak with the supervising broker. If necessary, ask to work with someone else.
NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING
On May 9, 2025, at 9:00 a.m., a Google Meets meeting will be conducted by South Holland School District 150. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss South Holland School District 150's plan for providing Special Education Services to students with disabilities who attend a private school within the boundaries of District 150, or whom are home-schooled and currently live within the boundaries of our District.
If you are a parent of a home-schooled or private school student who has been identified with a disability, or if you have further questions pertaining to this meeting, you may contact Kimberly Daniels, Director of Specialized Services at kdaniels@sd150.org.
Timely and Meaningful Consultation. Friday, May 9 · 9:00 –10:00am Time zone: America/Chicago Google Meet joining info - Video call link: https://meet.google.com/dmu-ahsf-pbp
A buyer is not qualified until he gets a preapproval or at least a prequalification letter from a lender. So, your potential buyer has not been qualified by a lender. If the buyer is unable to get financing, then any interest in the property is worthless. However, it’s often possible to clean up bills and negative items on a credit report and thus become a ready, willing and able buyer -- the type of
buyer that deserves your attention. Keep in mind that a buyer with a preapproval is a much stronger buyer than one who just has a prequalification. In this sellers’ market, buyers should get themselves preapproved with a reputable lender or lender that has been recommended by a Realtor. Preapproved buyers need to know that they have a better chance of having their offer accepted, over a buyer with just a preliminary prequalification. But there are also other aspects of a person’s loan that needs to be looked at. Talk to your salesperson about this.
How serious can a buyer be if they haven’t even taken the steps to get themselves prequalified to see if they can afford the payment on a particular home? Remember a house payment is more than just principal and interest, it’s taxes, insurance and one item that many people forget about…….maintenance!
Always remember, a letter from a lender does not guarantee that financing will go through, but it’s a good start.
CATHY & JIM HIGGINS
Services
AC/HEATING
SERVICES: Summer Special! Furnaces or A/C’s , Clean & check $59.95. Furnaces, A/C’s, Boilers, water heaters, sump pumps, humidifiers, installations, repairs, furnaces installed from $1495.00 R/D Heating & Cooling. IL. and IN.
In search of a Vintage Cobra Cb Radio Company Wall Clock. it would be square framed in black with white background and the iconic blue snake and lettering. Cobra used to give these to local Cb shops selling their products back in the day. Call Dan 312-7200844
For Rent
Rob daily until 9pm
708-898-8668
JUNK REMOVAL Time to make space! Cleanouts (garage attic, basement, shed). Hauling away appliances, furniture, trash. WE RECYCLE! Call ‘til 8pm. 708-8988668
BEAUTIFUL SOUTH HOLLAND ROOM FOR RENT IN A SINGLE FAMILY
King size bed, semi private bathroom with Jacuzzi tub. No cooking, full size microwave in room. Free lights, free gas. Only $225 a week, $500 move in fee. Background check required. Call 708-843information.
SPACIOUS AND QUIET
2-BEDROOM, 2-BATH CONDO AVAILABLE IN A 55+ BUILDING
NEWLY RENOVATED
2 BEDROOM, 1 BATHROOM IN CALUMET CITY.
$1,350/MONTH, one month security deposit, background check required. Owner pays gas, tenant pays electric. Laundry onsite, parking offsite. Quiet building. Call 708-288-5358 for more information.
APARTMENT FOR RENT- Available Now
Flexsteel Sofa ($575) & Loveseat ($400). Both power remote. From Pet and Smoke Free Environment. Call 773-343-0424 to view in South Holland Storage Area.
Craftsman weed trimmer 2cycle gas /oil mix needs tune up won’t start tap and go line advance with extra line $25 Craftsman 1/2 hp garage door opener motor needs gear inside $25 wall switch, visor remote, safety sensor eyes included ( No Track) 312-720-0844
- $900 a month. - 2 beds, 1 bath, live-in kitchen. Private parking. No pets. One month security and rent required. 17701 Commercial Ave in Lansing. Apartment 2W on second floor. Seniors welcome. Call Winston - 708-251-8266
For Sale
CAR / TRUCK TROUBLE? Vehicle shopping?
LOCATED AT 18855 BURNHAM AVE #135, LANSING, IL 60438. This well-maintained unit features a patio off the living room, an ample dining area, and a master bedroom with two closets and a private bath. The
space. 708-898-8668
Property
underground garage with living environment. Rent is $1,600 per month with
Samuel Ellison at
TWO BURIAL PLOTS IN CEDAR PARK CEMETERY, Calumet Park. Call 708-567-4475 for details.
Loveseat, very pretty, sofa sleeper, very comfortable, earth tone colors. $249. Two identical living room lamps from Florida, 32 inches tall, very pretty, $150. Located in DeMotte. Call 219-5883322 for more information. Lamps could be delivered.
1 GE electric stainless steel double oven, 1 Amana electric glass cooktop, both are in excellent condition. $600 for both or available separately. Best offer considered. 5 foot long, 30 inches high all glass jewelry case with light, $100 or best offer. NordiTrack treadmill in great shape, $150 or best offer. For more information, call 708536-3228.
Boat Motor, 9.9 Mercury w/ 6 Gallon Gas Tank, Very Clean, Runs good, firm $400. Trailer tire mounted 4.8 x 12” white rim, $12. 708-877-6088
Antique outboard motors . 2 Johnson1 Scott Atwater. $250 for all . 219-923-7716
3-Step Skinny Mini Step Ladder w/multi purpose tray Used Once$25.00 Heavy Duty Dolly Can move Furn. $20.00708474-9568
taxes have spiked for nearly 250,000 Cook County homeowners.
how to help them.
By Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi
Last summer, residents of Cook County’s south and west suburbs got a shock when they received their property tax bills. The typical homeowner saw their tax bill go up by 20%, while many experienced spikes far higher than that. Meanwhile, taxes went down for the average commercial property.
This problem is not isolated to one area of Cook County. While some towns and villages have experienced larger tax increases than others, residents in every part of the county, from the northwest suburbs to the far reaches of the Southland, have seen unsustainable bill spikes.
At the Cook County Assessor’s Office, we have just released a new tool to show the scale of the problem. It’s available at https://www.cookcountyassessor.com/historicalanalysis-property-tax-spikes-2020-2023.
From 2020 to 2023, this data shows that nearly a quarter of a million households in Cook County saw a 25% increase in their property tax bill from one year to the next.
And if you dig into the details, the results are even more bracing. In many parts of the south suburbs, such as Richton Park and Chicago Heights, more than half of all homeowners had a 25% bill spike. In Calumet City, nearly 4,000 homeowners collectively paid $9 million more in property taxes due to these increases. The tool allows you to explore this data for yourself by municipality, township, state legislative district, and Chicago ward.
But we didn’t just put together this data because we think it’s interesting. Rather, it demonstrates what many homeowners already know: The property tax system in Cook County does not protect residents from large increases in their bills. In a strained economy where people budget for modest tax increases, I think that’s fundamentally unfair.
For that reason, my office helped craft legislation earlier this year to protect against property tax bill spikes. It would create a “circuit breaker” program at the state level. As the name suggests, this program would function like a circuit breaker in your home, stepping in to assist when there’s a large surge. The legislation, filed as SB1978 by Sen. Patrick Joyce and HB3808 by Rep. Justin Slaughter, would credit homeowners for some or all of the change in their taxes. That keeps increases at a manageable level, ensuring that nobody is hit with a tax bill that’s much higher than their old one.
When I attended a dozen town halls in the south suburbs last year, I heard from countless residents worried about dipping into their hard-earned savings or even being forced to move out of their homes. A long-standing problem is becoming a crisis. There’s still time to prevent it, but we must move to create safeguards now.
The circuit breaker program is one such safeguard. If you think protecting homeowners from property tax spikes sounds like a good idea, I encourage you to get in touch with your local lawmaker and tell them to support this legislation.
