PASTORS & PROGRAM STAFF

Long days and warmer temperatures often provide extra opportunities for rest, relaxation and reading. We recently asked Pinnacle Pastors and program staff to share their recommendations for summer reading and binge watching. We hope that you will enjoy all that summer brings, including a good book and fun movie.

SUMMER READING & BINGE WATCHING

Recommended by Dr. Wesley Avram

One serious and one not so much. First by a sociologist whose books I’ve been reading as part of a project of pastors thinking together about culture, Hartmut Rosa. He writes about the impact of acceleration on our lives. One of his books worth a read is called The Uncontrollability of the World (Polity, 2020).

The other book is an amusing read about the history of coffee − from the theological perspective. It’s by Tim Schenck and it's called Holy Grounds: The Surprising Connection between Coffee and Faith - From Dancing Goats to Satan’s Drink (Fortress, 2019). This one won’t change the world, but if you’re a coffee drinker you'll find it both fun and fascinating.

Only Murders in the Building on Hulu Steve Martin stars, with a great cast, in a delightful, creative, wellwritten, quirky and funny series. Staring with him are Selena Gomez, Martin Short, Amy Ryan, and Aaron Dominguez, Tina Fey, Nathan Lane, and others.

Recommended by

Rev. Erik Khoobyarian

Did you know that when the Bible refers to doves, they were more likely pigeons? Envisioning the Holy Spirit descending like a flock of pigeons has a whole different meaning, doesn’t it? Consider the Birds is a fascinating journey through scripture and Debbie Blue uses birds as our guide. As someone who doesn’t know a lot about birds, I learned quite a bit about the various types. I came to love the way she was able to describe the birds and I learned a great deal about the birds in every chapter. And as someone who loves scripture, I continued to be surprised, sometimes a little bit shocked, and always left with some new perspective that has stayed with me. Whether you are a lover of birds or not, and whether or not you have spent much time with scripture, there’s something in this book for everyone. Maybe, like me, you’ll look at pigeons with a little more intrigue (and respect)!

Recommended by

Dr. Michael Hegeman

In the last few weeks, I have read a remarkable set of books, recommended to me by friends, church staff, and congregation members. One of these books was the Pulitzer Prize winner All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. This story of two teenagers, one French, one German, takes place in the tumultuous years of WWII. As their respective countries are set on a devastating collision course, blind Marie-Laure’s and orphaned Werner’s lives are set on an intersecting path where something larger appears to guide their every step: an inner longing to see, to know, and to discover that which is beautiful and true. The horrors of humanity’s evil shatter their innocence, yet an inner light draws them together. Anthony Doerr has a genuine gift for capturing the music of human language on the page. Mystery, intrigue, and heroism haunt this compelling story of lives shaped by a light we may never see.

Recommended by

Kelly McGinn

Happy Summer! My summer book choice is The Four Winds by the great Kristen Hannah. This book starts off in my home state of Texas in 1921 with abundance, optimism and hope. But, this American epic takes a turn for the worse when Elsa Wolcott and her family try to survive during the Great Depression. They must make tough decisions to stay on the land they love or find a better life out west. The book is about courage, sacrifice, and the American dream.

Call the Midwife on Netflix Based on the memoirs of Jennifer Worth, Call the Midwife tells stories of the moving, funny and colorful journeys of midwifery in the 1950's. Each episode is its own story which keeps the show fresh. You will certainly be captivated by the love these midwives share to the patients they treat. It's a feel-good series!

Recommended by

Brandon Huenemann

I was first introduced to Goff as a keynote speaker at the National Youth Workers Convention a few years ago. I found him to be a captivating speaker and left wanting to learn more about him. Love Does is a New York Times bestseller filled with a collection of whimsical and uplifting stories that highlight some of Goff's most memorable and insane experiences.

The Circle on Netflix The fourth season has been released and I am so excited to watch it! It's a reality show where contestants only communicate using social media. Contestants build strategic alliances with one another in hopes that fellow players will like them and vote to keep them in the game. The catch, contestants can come into the game playing themselves or they can be a catfish. Deceptiveness and strategy are the name of the game. The winner receives $100,000.

Recommended by Hillary Mackowski

Sara Young provides an amazing daily devotional. Her latest edition is Jesus Listens, and each story is filled with prayers of peace, joy, and hope. I love beginning my day with these meaningful insights.

Joyce Meyer is an amazing teacher sharing her practical interpretation of the Bible. One of her latest is, Battlefield of the Mind for Kids. I highly recommend you to grab a copy, read it, and share it with a child that you love.

BRING THE ENTIRE TITHE INTO THE STOREHOUSE

BY GEORGE COLBERG

The compassionate life is a grateful life, and actions born out of gratefulness are not compulsive but free, not somber, but joyful, and not fanatical but liberating. When gratitude is the source of our actions, our giving becomes receiving, and those to whom we minister become our ministers. (Author unknown)

“God promises to meet our needs, not our budget.” Have you ever heard this old saying? I wonder if it was penned by a frustrated stewardship chair trying to make the last few gifts match up with the annual budget… In refection of this old saw, what catches your eye, or ear? Is our budget filled with superfluousness, are we ministering to the wrong people? Is it that our desire to “do good,” has outpaced our ability to do that good? Or are we being guided by God to remember He is always faithful and will never leave us? When we the congregants begin to assume we are in control of the church budget and the ministries we are serving is God making sure we remember “He is in charge,” and while we are required to be the hands and feet of God as we are here as His delivery service for miracles, not the ones creating the miracle.

Yet, I have shared we have met our budget through the Covid years and now as we return to some sense of normalcy, we are as usual running a little behind in our pledges and trending towards being short through both fiscal and calendar years. God is always good and His timing is always perfect, so I won’t tire you with a request to complete your pledges as the year grinds on, how about we trust God and follow the words of Malachai 3:10-12 ?

“Bring the entire tithe into the storehouse so that there may be food in my temple." "Test me in this matter,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “to see if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out blessing for you until there is no room for it all. Then I will stop the plague from ruining your crops, and the vine will not lose its fruit before harvest,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “All nations will call you blessed, for you indeed will live in a delightful land,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

Let’s pour out our blessings on others try to out-give God and all nations will call us blessed.

GEORGE COLBERG and his wife, Robin, joined Pinnacle in September 2018. He served as an elder and on the stewardship committee at Rancho Bernardo Presbyterian Church in San Diego. George is CEO and co-founder of Kalos Therapeutics, a biomedical company. He enjoys golf and travel.

RUMMAGE SALE UPDATE

BY MIKE CONKLIN

By just about any measurement, the annual Pinnacle Church rummage sale in March was a big success. The event raised just under $20,000, or approximately $5,000 more than the previous year, and those funds make possible late June’s Pinnacle Youth Mission trip.

“We couldn’t be happier over this year’s sale because it supports such a critical part of our programming,” said Brandon Huenemann, Pinnacle’s Director of Youth & Young Adult Ministries. “Our group gets an opportunity to put our faith into action through hands-on projects. It’s great for recruitment.”

For a week leading up to the sale, Fellowship Hall and adjacent buildings and grounds were abuzz with rummage activity. Donors unloaded everything from sporting goods and sofas to books and clothing, and volunteers quickly sorted and placed goods in orderly displays.

Brandon, in his youth directorship role, also serves as rummage sale chairman in addition to work trip leader. Over the years, this event has seen a Pinnacle youth group make mission trips to Belize, Chicago, San Francisco, Bahamas, Houston, Fresno, several Navajo Nation communities and additional locations. “There were some very high-quality donations this year, which greatly helped,” he said. “We also had a lot of volunteers.” This included veteran rummage workers as well as a squadron of high schoolers, some of whom will make the work trip.

The volunteer mix was especially notable for Susan Matura, a rummage leader. Her favorite part always has been the blending of ages and generations. “Everyone gets to know each other better,” she said.

Susan headed her own threegeneration effort, a rarity for the sale. In addition to herself, there was Lynn and Don DeHart, her snowbird parents from Massachusetts, and the youth group’s Timothy and Julia, her son and daughter. This year the trip goes to Puerto Penasco in Mexico, a coastal city on the Gulf of California. This will be the 14th trip made by Pinnacle youth.

PHOTO - Above, (l-r) Timothy Matura, Lynn DeHart, Susan Matura, Don DeHart and Julia Matura.

MIKE CONKLIN a member of Pinnacle since 2013 with his wife, Diane, was a long-time Chicago Tribune journalist. He left the Tribune to join the DePaul University faculty, where he taught and helped found its journalism department. Now he teaches part-time, writes, volunteers and hikes a lot.

Let the Little Children...

“Jesus called the children to him and said, 'Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it'.” ~ Luke 18:16-17

BY HILLARY MACKOWSKI

Pinnacle’s goal with child development is to help children grow like Jesus did. We encourage children to know the truth of their worth and potential because they are made in the image of God.

Many of you have noticed our children taking the lead during worship. We have enjoyed the addition of children serving as student greeters, acolytes and the reading of the Prayer of Adoration during our 10 am worship. Not only is this an incredibly joyful experience for the members and guests of the congregation, but we are impacting children and creating amazing leadership skills.

In the fall of 2019, we began to think about how we can provide an interactive role for children within worship. We know God values our children, not only for what they will become in the future, but for who they are today. We are honored so many children have stepped up and stepped into these roles. Some, you may notice, are full of confidence. While others are using these opportunities to develop their strength.

Providing these roles, adding to the culture of children’s structure, gives children a sense of who they are. We learn that children respond to cultural influences from birth. Customs and beliefs around food, artistic expression, language, and religion, affect the way children develop emotionally, socially, physically, and linguistically. So, as you listen and see our children taking the lead in church, we hope you’ll realize that, although we are the beneficiaries of their gifts, they too are being impacted. How lucky are we to be in the path of their success!

PHOTO - Above left Lia Jensen, Above right George Jones.

HILLARY MACKOWSKI serves Pinnacle as Director of Children's & Family Ministries. She is a graduate from Missouri State University and began her Masters of Business Administration at Drury University. Hillary and her husband, Scott, have four children; Ellie, Ethan, Eli and Emily.