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I was recently in Costa Rica, and I found myself enamored with the blue morpho butterfly. On one side it just shines with its iridescent blue wings, and the other side it looks like a common moth to hide from predators. I have a great picture of the blue morpho who in the butterfly house at Monte Verde Rain Forest sat on Jerry’s hat. That filled us with surprise! It wasn’t in a hurry to fly away, but it just rested there. What a wonder! What a miracle of God’s creation.

I have a long history with butterflies and moths. My father was a butterfly collector, entymologist, and science teacher. From the time I was born, they filled our home, and my favorites were always the blue morpho and the monarch. I have seen many a monarch emerge from their chrysalis over the years, but I had never really seen the chrysalis of a blue morpho until traveling to Costa Rica. It was a real thrill.

This Easter I think about the mystery of the butterfly, like the mystery of resurrection faith. The butterfly is one of the ancient symbols for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is a symbol for Easter like no other.

Butterflies go through a transformation, or metamorphosis, changing from caterpillar to free flying, beautiful butterflies! The caterpillar enters its place of new birth, that looks like a tomb, but is in fact their place of new life and freedom. You look at a butterfly and its life cycle, and realize the mystery of God’s bringing new life through places that seem to be dead and lifeless. If you just find a cocoon or chrysalis, you would not know there was any life there. In faith, one waits for the butterfly to emerge from this seeming lifeless place. As we wait for the butterfly believing it will emerge, so we wait another Easter for the new life God promises in the resurrection.

This is God’s doing. This is God’s surprise for us, and God’s Promise wherever we are trapped. This is not just about death, but about life! It is up to us to go with Mary Magdalene (in John’s Gospel) to the tomb, and expect to be surprised by God. We bring our experiences of death, fear, despair and the violence of this world, and the hope, dreams and excitement to another Easter. I pray that you will experience the wonder of life this Easter in a new way. I pray that you will see butterflies and new life all around – and Rejoice!

Joy of Easter!

Thanks for Your Prayers,
Rev. B.J. Birkhahn-Rommelfanger

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Our Prayers For… May the healing presence of Christ strengthen our friends and loved ones.

Our Members:
Walt & Carol Jones and Joel & Jody Hartland and Family on the death of their brother-in-law and uncle.
Tom and Karen Rutenber on the death of their friend, Ann Maul.
Jerry Wingett (recovering from surgery)
Russ Kelly (recovering from hip surgery)
Alice Brown (for her health)
Dolly Ericson (recovering from a stroke)
Miriam Dypold (for eye surgeries)
Cathie Hessler (for her health)
Aina Dutro (for her health)
Carol Peck (for her health)

Our Families:
Joanne Skidmore (radiation treatment, mother of Ron Skidmore)
Debbie Leopold (for a fractured hip and leg, Ivy McParlane’s niece)
Betty Kalinowski (Donna Kwiatkowski’s aunt, in ICU)
Alyce Wilberg (for serious health concerns, aunt of Dawn and Jim Zavodsky)
Jim Kirkham (Nancy Pyrn’s Father, recovering from recent surgery)
Joseph Duncan (uncle of Mary Eaves, for colon cancer)
Jenny Miller (for her health, daughter of Jerry and Nancy Wingett, sister of Jill Wingett)
Betty Koosmann (92 and suffered a stroke, Karen and Tom Rutenber’s aunt)
Elizabeth Malik (recovering from brain surgery, mother of Marie Mack)
Phyllis Wojton (Bonnie Thompson’s mother, for her health)
Sue Kay Baker (cousin of Bonnie Thompson, just diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease)
Cecile Robinson (aunt of Mary Eaves, for her health)
Bill Griffin (husband of RoseMarie Kelly’s cousin, Joanne)
Bob Breyer (for colon cancer treatment, Sean’s father)
Joyce Terrell (for radiation therapy for breast cancer treatment, Kimberly’s aunt)
Antje Hesse-Peck (wife of Scott Peck; recovering from Lyme disease)
Jose Ramirez (for his health, son-in-law of Blanca Pagan)
James Gordon (for Hodgkins Lymphoma, cousin of James Brownold)
Bill Lewis (for cancer, Ann Tani’s dear brother-in-law)
Keith Pedersen (Connie Lee’s uncle)
Bill Bennett (for his health)
Dan Dutro (son of Aina Dutro)
Margaret Perschbacher (mother of Janet Palmer, recovering from back surgery)
Angeline Stefani (aunt of RoseMarie Kelly)
Gayle Evans (Kidney failure, Connie Lee's sister)
Jeanne Larson (Peter Larson's mother and Amanda and Cody Larson's grandmother)
Jim Rutenber (Tom Rutenber’s brother, health problems)

Our Friends:
Pat Ryan (recovering from back surgery, friend of many)
Janet (for cancer surgery, friend of Pastor B.J.)
Jason (for angioplasty, friend of Pastor B.J.)
Paul (for success in obtaining a job)
Andrew Zint (friend of Cody Larson, pray that his brain tumor goes away)
The People of the Rosebud and Pine Ridge Reservations
Rev. Oscar and Joyce Carrasco and Family in Chile (Destruction and suffering ones in Chile Earthquake)
Leah Bolin (hospitalized after car accident, young cousin of Nancy and Jan Olson)
Father of Jan Olson (hospitalized)
Ruth Hensley (recovering from a broken hip and serious health risks, Aunt of Nancy and Jan Olson)
Jenny (for a healthy pregnancy)
Phil Blizek (recovering from extensive foot surgery, son of former Choir Director)
Ron Rudolph (recovering from brain surgery, friend of many)
Lorrie Buechele (family friend of the Andersen’s, recovering from recent heart surgery)
Jack (for leukemia, cousin of one of Carol Larson’s students)
Charlotte Smith (for serious health concerns, friend of Jan Olson)
Clarence Mueller (for ongoing heart distress, brother-in-law of Jan Olson)
Karen Jenni (recovering from heart surgery, friend of Dick and Ann Tani)
Denise Penze (for health concerns, daughter of Bonnie Thompson’s friend, Muriel)
Marc Ziegler (for liver cancer, friend of Eloise Brittain)
Anna Leopold (15-year-old with medical problems, Grand Niece of Ivy McParlane)
Emma (friend of Kelsey Hartland, diagnosed with a brain tumor)
Bob Lewandowski (for his health, friend of Marge Janovics and Marie Mack)
Jeanne Piper (for health problems, friend of Tom and Karen Rutenber)
Christopher Richter (18-year-old with serious medical problems, a friend of Ivy McParlane’s son)
Bill Chauncey (friend of the Kelly family)
Helen Loos (friend of RoseMarie and Russ Kelly)
Paul (for success in obtaining a job)
Joyce Hammons
Kathy May (childhood friend of Bonnie Thompson, diagnosed with lung cancer)
Wilner Pressard (recovering from kidney surgery, father of Marie Pressard)
Cara Steetz (friend of Angela Wang, being treated for Lymphoma)
Fran Lougheed (friend of the Andersens, undergoing special treatment for Kidney cancer)
Matthew Devine
Marie Genieve Pressard (for her family & all those hurt and/or homeless in the wake of Hurricane Gustav)
Sharon Guinn (friend of Kurt Peck; healing of a serious wound)
Leonard Bazan (father of Susan (Bazan) Frech; friend of Kurt Peck; recovering from a stroke at Alexian Brothers)
Dan Rogers (for cancer treatment, friend of Jenny Skidmore)
Jimmy Klatter (at Marianjoy Rehab Center - friend of Ashley Thompson)
The Saavedra Family (Parents are Roberto & Andrea and the children are Andrea, Karen, David & Monserrath)
Carol Ruland (in remission for one year)
James Reiber (diagnosed with stage 2 lung cancer)
John Whiteside Jr. (diagnosed with lung cancer, friend of Eloise Brittain)
Justine (auto accident, head trauma, great niece of Eloise Brittain’s good friend)
Ethel Thomas
Gordon C. Gladdin
Alex Reid & his family (for blood & immune system disorders)
Bill Tedder (friend of Bonnie Thompson's family, in long-term extensive rehab, after a severe motorcycle accident)
Joanne Lesetich (friend of Man Amarteifio from the Native American Ministry)
Amanda Lapka (friend of Marge Janovics)
Craig Thomas (11 yr. old cancer survivor, please pray his scans are clear & normal & for cysts on his thyroid & for Christian friends to come into his life)
Lauren Thomas (for Christian friends to come into her life)
Rex (for his job to be secure)

Please call the church at 847-956-1510 or email us if there is anyone you would like to add or remove from this prayer list.  Thank you.

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God bless you as you celebrate your birthday! 

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Stations of the Cross
If you haven’t already noticed the beautiful drawings of The Stations of The Cross in the Narthex, please take time to look at them. These drawings are a reminder of Christ’s journey to the cross. We give thanks to artist, Marian Gardiner, for creating these stations.

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Missions Update
The Midwest Distribution Center in Chatham, IL
We received a lovely letter of thanks from the Midwest Mission Distribution Center for our first shipment of health kits which will aid the people around the world who are experiencing poverty or other devastating events in their lives.

The work at the MMDC continues to go well and the volunteers are kept busy with preparation of flood buckets and health kits, sewing school bags and children’s hospital gowns, filling school bags, and preparing mailings. From January 1 to December 31, 2009, 1, 964 volunteers from 501 different churches in 18 different states, giving 22,1332 volunteer hours have served a the MMDC this year and we have received 176,472 pounds in in-kind donations. In 2009, the center distributed 5, 345 flood buckets and 24, 302 health kits. We shipped to Ghana in January 2009 and had requests from other entities for MMDC school bags, school desks, and healthy birth kits to include with shipments to Haiti, Mexico, Philippines, Ghana, Panama, Kenya, Afghanistan, Honduras, Liberia, Congo, Nigeria, Nicaragua, and Zambia in 2009.

Many lives have been touched through the United States and in developing countries around the world through shipments made from the Center. Your gift will allow this work to continue.

Thanks to contributions from our Church of the Incarnation as well as many area churches, we were recently able to donate 527 pounds. If we add that to our previous donation of 475 pounds, it totals 1002 pounds altogether. Thank you to everyone that has donated, and a special thanks again to Bonnie Thompson who has done an exceptional job in sorting and packing the supplies up. The center was very grateful for the wonderful way they were packed by her. Our donation included health supplies, food, layettes and school supplies.

We expect to continue this ministry. UMCOR is prayerfully requesting we will re-energize our efforts in ministry to our sisters and brothers, including the newborn baby sisters and baby brothers by adding Layette Kits to our donation collections. New babies are being born and the conditions for these infants are desperate. These layette kits could include:

cloth diapers
diaper pins
baby washcloths
receiving blankets
gowns or sleepers shirts
one-piece body suits
sweaters that open in the front (can be handmade)

Thanks be to God for all that has been done and continues to happen!

Jeanne Bartholomees has volunteered to be our next driver to deliver our collections. Thanks to all who have contributed and continue to contribute to this effort.

FEEDING AMERICA: Landmark new study reveals unprecedented number of Americans seeking Food

A landmark study released today from Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization, reports that more than 37 million people, one in eight Americans -- including 14 million children and nearly 3 million seniors -- receive emergency food each year through the nation’s network of food banks and the agencies they serve. The findings represent a staggering 46 percent increase since the organization’s previously released study in 2006.

“While we have reached many more people over the past four years, the need of hungry Americans far outpaces our current level of service. We will continue to partner with federal and state governments, corporate and individual donors and other hunger-relief organizations to bring more food and funds into the charitable distribution system and connect people with federal benefits until every man, woman and child has access to adequate food and nutrition.”

Among other key comparative findings in the report:

• 50 percent increase in the number of children served annually.
• 66 percent increase in the number of Hispanics served annually.
• 26 percent increase in the number of African-Americans served annually.
• 64 percent increase in the number of households with seniors facing very low food security—or hunger.
• 59 percent increase in the number of client households reporting they have to choose between paying their rent or mortgage and food.
• 40 percent increase in the number of client households with at least one adult working.
• 60 percent increase in the number of clients who report that someone in their household does not have access to health insurance.
• 60 percent increase in the number of client households that have an unpaid medical or hospital bill.
• 64 percent increase in the number of client households receiving SNAP benefits.

A summary of the findings and the full report are available on Feeding America's web site at www.feedingamerica.org/hungerstudy.

CEDA Northwest is an affiliate of the Feeding America network. PLEASE continue your support of Incarnation’s food drive with your contributions to the bins in our narthex THANKS!!!

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Thanks to the Missions Committee
"I would like to thank the Mission Committee for the beautiful shawl which is my very favorite color yellow (daffodil). It has a lovely little blue butterfly on the corner of it. It was a surprise to me presented to me in the library a couple of weeks ago. Ann Tani wrapped it around me very tenderly and read these words to me. "May God's grace be upon you Cathy as you wear this shawl, warming, comforting, enfolding, and embracing. May this mantle be a safe haven, a sacred place of security and well being . Sustaining and embracing in good times as well as difficult ones. May you be cradled in hope, kept in joy, graced with peace, and wrapped in Love. We, your friends at Incarnation wrap you in Love and always will because you are Love".

I truly felt warmed by your loving care. I can't thank you enough.
Cathy Coughlin

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Interfaith Bus Tour
Following a successful Mission Bus Tour in October, Bishop Jung invites you on an interfaith journey this spring. This time, the tour will visit Jewish, Jain, Buddhist, Baha’I, Hindu, and Muslim houses of worship, as well as a Christian church for Sunday morning worship.

Bishop’s Interfaith Bus Tour With Bishop Hee-Soo Jung Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, April 16 – 18, 2010.

Tour begins and ends at Holiday Inn Select, Naperville. Cost is $135.00 per person for double occupancy and $175.00 single occupancy. Cost includes two nights in the hotel, 6 meals, bus, and materials.

Registration can be made through Harriet McCabe, 9 W. Bailey Road, Naperville or email to harrietmccabe@earthlink.net, or by phone to 630-355-4617.

Sponsored by: The NIC Bus Tour Committee: Ed Hiestand, Amos Oladipo, Bishop Hee-Soo Jung, and Harriet McCabe.

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On a Theme from Julian’s Chapter XX
Six hours outstretched in the sun, yes,
Hot wood, the nails, blood trickling
Into the eyes, yes-
But the thieves on their neighbor crosses
survived till after the soldiers
had come to fracture their legs, or longer.
Why single out this agony?
What’s a mere six hours?
Torture then, torture now,
The same, the pain’s the same,
immemorial branding iron, electric prod.
Hasn’t a child dazed in the hospital ward
They reserve for the most abused, known worse?
This air we’re breathing, these very clouds,
ephemeral billows languid upon the sky’s
moody ocean, we share
with women and men who’ve held out
days and weeks on the rack-
and in the ancient world
what particles of the long tormented,
what ashes.
But Julian’s lucid spirit leapt to the difference:
perceived why no awe could measure
that brief day’s endless length,
why among all the tortured
One only is ‘King of Grief’.
The oneing, she saw, the oneing with the Godhead
opened Him utterly to the pain of all minds, all bodies
--sands of the sea, of the desert—
from the first beginning to the last day.
the great wonder is that the human cells
of His flesh and bone didn’t explode
when utmost imagination arose
in that flood of knowledge.
Unique in agony, Infinite strength, Incarnate,
empowered him to endure inside of history,
through those hours when he took to Himself
the sum total of anguish and drank
even the lees of that cup:

within the mesh of the web, Himself
woven within it, yet seeing it,
seeing it whole. Every sorrow and desolation
He saw, and sorrowed in kinship.

From “The Stream and the Sapphire”
By Denise Levertov

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Holy Week Services
Palm Sunday, March 28, 2010
The message is: “Palms, Parades and a Passion for Life” Worship is at 10:15 a.m.
There will be a Processional with palms. After the service, the crosses will be carried out to the garden and set up to witness for Holy Week.

March 31, 2010: There is no Wednesday service

Maundy Thursday, April 1, 2010
Please sign up in advance if you can, helping us to plan for the number attending. If you don’t get a chance, come anyway!
6:30 pm to 8 pm - Remembering the Last Supper and Passover
We will meet for a community meal, followed by Holy Communion served together around the tables in the narthex.

8 pm to midnight - Vigil
This will be in the Sanctuary. Please sign up to be a Vigil Keeper for an hour. Others are invited to stay and dialogue on God’s work of saving grace in Jesus. There will be movies and snacks up until midnight. All ages are welcome!

Good Friday, April 2, 2010
Noon – 3 pm – “Good Friday Walk for Justice” Downtown Chicago.
The Walk for Justice is held every Good Friday, stemming from the Christian tradition of the Stations of the Cross. People of all faiths and good will process through the Loop stopping at five “stations” for prayer and reflection. We will meet at the church at 10:30 a.m. to carpool together. Please let BJ or any Worship Committee member know if you will be attending. The Walk begins at the northeast corner of Michigan and Congress (maps available).
7:30 pm – Candlelight Service of Tenebrae

Festival of Easter, Sunday April 4
6:30 a.m. – Sunrise Service, offered by Youth
8:00 – 9:30 a.m. – Bunny Breakfast – everyone invited for a delicious breakfast and activities for children!
10:00 a.m. – Come to the sanctuary for music and inspiration before the service begins.
10:15 a.m. – Easter Service, with Holy Communion

Worship Committee
Rose Amarteifio, James Brownold, Marian Gardiner, Carol Larson, Kurt Peck, Ann Tani, Mary Tris, Doe Waters

*Parent’s Note: Childcare is available for the 10:15 a.m. Sunday services, and also Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services.

Bunny Breakfast
Easter is almost here and I hope to see all of our children and hopefully some new faces as well on Easter morning at the Bunny Breakfast.

There are lots of fun things planned for children from 2-10. New this year will be an Easter Egg Roll! You won’t need to go to the White House for this one!

Join us for some fun when you have finished eating breakfast with your family. All children’s activities will be completed by 10 a.m. so we can all go in to church and worship the risen Lord!

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Other Sundays in April
Special Offering for Native American Sunday - April 18
This special offering supports the churches of our Native American sisters and brothers in the United Methodist Church. Many pastors are severely underpaid and churches live in poverty conditions in the U.S. and on reservations. These funds go to support their programs and ministries in the United States . They depend on this offering from UM congregations each year. Thanks for
your gifts.

Celebrate Earth Day, April 25
Sunday, 10:15 a.m. Worship
The Celebration of Worship on April 25 will focus on our Stewardship of the Earth. We will celebrate the earth as God’s gift to us! As we enjoy the Springtime, what is our responsibility as Christians to the earth, and the environment? How can we keep our world habitable and healthy for the seventh generation to come? Hugh Bartholomees
and Pastor B.J. will be leading this celebrative service.

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A Musical Drama
SUNDAY, MAY 23rd , 2010
10:15 a.m.

Presented by
Incarnation’s Chancel Choir and
Incarnation Sound, a contemporary music band

Music Director:
James Brownold

“ACTS” is based on the book of Acts in the Bible and tells through songs and narration, the Acts of the Apostles after the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Come, see, hear and experience this wonderful musical drama!

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It is Time to Start Thinking About Our Father’s Day Celebration – June 20!
Join us on Father’s Day, when the children and youth of Incarnation will lead us in worship! We need everyone to start thinking about their father’s favorite Hymn and Bible Verse. They will be an important part of the service that day as we pay tribute to all of our fathers, especially our Heavenly Father.

There will be inserts in the bulletins in early May for you to fill out and turn in so that our worship service can be planned.

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Faith Community Homes 2nd Annual Golf Outing
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Chevy Chase Golf Club
1000 N. Milwaukee, Wheeling, IL

12 p.m. – 1:20 p.m.: Bag Drop & Registration
1:30 p.m. Scramble: Modified Shotgun Start
6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.: Dinner, Awards &
Raffle

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Pancake Breakfast
The Arlington Heights Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge 80, presents its 28th Annual Pancake Breakfast!

When: Sunday, April 11, 2010
8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Where: John Hersey High School
1900 Hersey High School
Arlington Heights, IL
Donation: $5.00
Kids five years old and under
are FREE!

All you can eat – pancakes, sausage, orange juice, coffee & milk!
 

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Is It Time For Your Spring Tune-Up?
Do you need a ride to medical and dental appointments? Give us a call at 847-222-9227. Volunteers who respect and admire seniors are available to drive you to your appointment, wait for you, and bring you home again, in their own cars. We accept a twelve dollar donation for each round trip.

If you would like to join us in serving our beloved seniors in this volunteer opportunity, we would be delighted to hear from you. Please call us at 847-222-9227 for more information. Thank you.
 

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“Rethink Church Event”, April 24
Eloise Brittain and Pastor B.J. will be attending a “Rethink Church Event” sponsored by Northern IL Reconciling United Methodist and Downers Grove First UMC on Saturday, April 24, 9:30-3:30 p.m. This is called a “Believe Out Loud!” program to celebrate inclusion and take steps to end exclusion in church and society for persons of all sexual orientations and gender identities. The event will be led by Audrey Krumbach, Reconciling Ministries Network, Field Organizer. It will include: Personal Storytelling, Evangelism for progressives, Celebrating stories of inclusive churches and Opportunities for action in the local community. The cost is $10 for lunch. If you would like to attend, let either Eloise or Pastor B.J. know.

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Church of the Incarnation to Host Health Screenings That Could Save Your Life
Life Line Screening, the nation’s leading provider of community-based preventive health screenings, will offer their affordable, non-invasive, painless health screenings here on Tuesday, May 4. Screenings will be offered that scan for potential health problems related to: blocked arteries, which is a leading cause of stroke; abdominal aortic aneurysms, which can lead to a ruptured aorta; hardening of the arteries in the legs, which is a strong predictor of heart disease; and arterial fibrillation or irregular heartbeat, which is closely tied to stroke risk. Register for the Stroke, Vascular Disease and Heart Rhythm Package for $139. All four screenings take 60-90 minutes to complete. Your Health is in Your Hands, so please call 1-800-324-1851 for more information or to pre-register.

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Cub Scout News
Rich Waters, Den Leader of Cub Scout Pack 37 of St. Peters Church was recognized as the Outstanding Den Leader for 2009. Rich will now be the Cub Master for Pack 37.

Ross Martin of our own Cub pack was recognized as the outstanding Cub Master for 2009.
Submitted by Hugh Bartholomees

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Church of the Incarnation Scholarships Are Available
The Scholarship Committee of the Church of the Incarnation – UMC, wishes to announce that applications are being accepted until April 15, for Continuing Education for the School Year 2010-2011. These applications are available for Church of the Incarnation – UMC members and regular attendance is required. Pastor B.J. would like to meet with all applicants. Persons desiring to apply will be attending a University, College, Tech School or Community College in the Fall of 2010.

Although we have very limited funds, we will try to meet the needs of each person applying. Application forms are available in the Church Office. If additional information is desired, please contact any of the Committee members listed below.

Nancy Bavisotto (847-253-3458)
Eloise Brittain (847-394-3033)
Mary Eaves (847-956-1860)
Karen Rutenber, Chair (847-394-9526)

Additional United Methodist Church Scholarship or Grant monies information is available at: www.gbhem.org or contact via the phone at 615-340-7342. The deadline is April 1st for applying. The Northern Illinois Conference –UMC also has $500.00 scholarships available. Check with Pastor B.J. for details. That deadline is also April 1st to apply.

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