Professional Documents
Culture Documents
AT W H E AT O N B I B L E C H U R C H
Among the stories and pictures, I want you to see the people
who “get it”—people who have recognized that going hard
and fast after the “good life” will make them miss the “best life”
God has for His people! They are followers of Christ who have
discovered the pure joy of finding the place God has gifted them
to serve.
17
7
Spring 2011 | LIFE at Wheaton Bible Church 2
We exist to …
love God, grow together, LIFE
and reach the world AT WHEATON BIBLE CHURCH
Editorial Team
Our mission provides focus and direction. Everything we do as a church begins Rich Lanenga, Photographer
with it. Our annual plans, ministries, worship services, and communication Jon Langham, Photographer
are all evaluated against it. Kimberly Koenig, Writer
Afton Rorvik, Editorial Assistance
Scott Young, Writer
LOV E GO D, G R OW TO G E T H ER , R E ACH T H E WO R LD
About the cover
Visualizing the concept of serving as it takes place
AT W H E AT O N B I B L E C H U R C H within the Body of Christ was a challenge. How do
you picture all the ways, large and small, that God’s
people are actively serving in our ministries and in our
neighborhoods and in the communities where we live?
The result was a series of interconnected words on a
familiar game board. By revealing just a portion of the
board—and leaving a few letters in the box—we invite
you to find your own place to “play your letter tiles” to The production of LIFE at
make this picture complete. Is there an avenue of service Wheaton Bible Church is made
where you’ve found your niche? Still looking for a place possible by paper generously
to plug in? Check out the articles in this issue of LIFE to donated by Camelot Paper
see how some people are already serving. Then use the
SPRING 2011 | ISSUE 07
27W500 North Avenue Traditional Worship Contemporary Worship Iglesia del Pueblo
West Chicago, IL 60185 Sunday, 8:15 am, Sunday, 9:45 am and 11:15 Sunday, 11:15 am, East
West Worship Center am, West Worship Center Worship Center
630.260.1600
Wednesday, 7:00 pm,
www.wheatonbible.org
East Worship Center
“men
Men need to have other
”
Huddle: When a team gathers together, usually in a tight
to talk with. circle, to strategize, motivate, or celebrate (Wikipedia).
One of the sites where WBC students and adult volunteers served last summer as part of Project
Serve 2010 was Genoa, Italy, where they distributed Bibles to those waiting to board massive car
ferries that would take them across the Mediterranean Sea to destinations in Morocco, Algeria,
or Tunisia. Eileen was an adult leader who traveled and served alongside WBC students.
PortStories
By Eileen Carapia
The
Here I am! I stand at the door and This could be their one opportunity to find Him. I experienced
the death of my need for control, stepped far out of my comfort
knock. If anyone hears my voice and zone, and agreed to be the vessel God had put me there to be.
I said another prayer and remembered God’s words in Revela- Eileen Carapia and her husband Aron have attended both WBC
tion 3:20: “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone and Iglesia del Pueblo since 2006. When she heard the details
hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat of the planned trip to Genoa, she recognized how God had
perfectly prepared her to help lead the team of students—
with him, and he with me.” I wasn’t just peddling books. including language skills in both Arabic and Italian, as well
as family ties to Italy that gave her a heart for that land.
Eileen serves as administrative assistant to WBC’s Local Impact Ministry.
W
ith those thoughts, Mark Turek began a recent article for the Kane
County Bar Briefs magazine—an article that introduced the bar associa-
tion’s 1000-plus members to his personal experience with Administer
Justice, a free law clinic that serves low-income individuals and families.
“Now years have slipped by since law school,” he continues, “creating even more
barriers and self-doubt about starting a practice.” Although Mark had handled
some minor casework over those years, he quickly realized that to practice
law, even on a part-time basis, required a rather significant amount of overhead,
including malpractice insurance, office rent, phones, fax, copier, and more.
“In addition to the real-world financial concerns of starting a practice,” he
writes, “there was the apprehension of going solo without any prior practical legal
experience. I interviewed with a number of law firms in an effort to acquire some
experience, but understandably there wasn’t much interest in hiring a first-year
associate who was already in his late fifties.”
Which brings up the question of why this successful businessman, with a degree
in electrical engineering and an MBA in finance, decided to attend law school
in the first place.
“Frankly,” Mark says, “I was a little bit bored. I’d always been interested in the
law. I mean, the business was doing great. We had hired a general manager, and
I had trained him on the operational aspects of the business, which was the part
of it I was responsible for. So I could leave and do stuff. I worked from eight in
the morning until four o’clock or so. I caught a 4:20 train out of Wheaton to go
to law school most evenings for several years. But I never got out and practiced.”
Mark Turek
The article continues, “A further deterrent to starting a practice was that I was
enjoying retirement and the freedom to be able to do what you want when you
want to do it. I no longer had to worry about employee issues and increasing
competition in the marketplace. It was that freedom that had allowed me the
Interested in serving with flexibility to spend precious time with my daughter and son-in-law during her
Administer Justice at pregnancies. Did I really want to lose this freedom and put my nest egg at risk
Wheaton Bible Church? by starting a practice?”
Contact Local Impact It was about that time that Mark first heard about Administer Justice, which
Pastor Chris McElwee for was about to launch a DuPage branch at Wheaton Bible Church. One Saturday
more information, 630.876.6624, a month, the Elgin-based ministry would be holding a free legal clinic at the
cmcelwee@wheatonbible.org. church. Christine Field, a former prosecutor and a member of WBC, was
looking for attorneys willing to volunteer their time and expertise.
By Dean Annen
How to take the lead in Family Worship at your house, with your kids
It’s Tuesday night at the Cho house, WBC Children’s Pastor, Vance Frusher, concurs. “We typically
see children here at church around 80 hours a year,” he said,
and two Barbie dolls—a.k.a. Naomi and “but we know that parents have almost 3,000 hours in a
Ruth—are the props of the week as Scott year of unstructured time at home. So we want to equip
parents to take the lead in discipling their children and
and Irene Cho meet once again with their we see the Family Worship Guide as a big part of that.”
daughters, Emma (nine) and Sophie (six), Our church is serious about equipping parents to have
for family worship. family worship in the home, providing both training
and a wonderful tool—the Family Worship Guide—as
The Chos are following the Wheaton Bible Church Family a fun and flexible resource that’s easy to use.
Worship Guide Bible lesson from the book of Ruth—plus a
My wife, Kris, and I use it with our teenagers, Nate (15)
little parental creativity using the girls’ Barbie dolls.
and Grace (13). We love the fact that the guide is designed
“Our daughters really look forward to Tuesday nights, and we’ve to coordinate with WBC’s Unified Curriculum.
found consistency and a fun learning environment to be the
Parents can use the guide during the week not only for
key for our family,” said Scott. Like many other WBC families, the
family worship but also to prepare their children to get
Chos have discovered the blessing of regular family worship.
the most out of their Sunday school experience.
“It’s a team effort, and we want our kids to hear the lesson
Fred and Karen Petelle are thankful for the guides, which
first from us and then from the church,” Scott said.
are published roughly every six weeks. Their lives are
very busy with Liam (six), who has special needs, and Lars
(eleven) who is active in karate. They report that the Family
The WBC Unified Curriculum is designed so that Worship Guide “keeps us on track and makes it much easier
all children—kindergarten through high school—will for us to prepare for family worship in a very short time.”
be studying the same Bible lesson each Sunday through
the year. This systematic plan walks through the Bible on Rob Rienow, who writes the guides, believes that “family
a four-year cycle, so a child who attends Sunday school worship is the engine that powers the family.” I totally agree.
at WBC from early childhood through twelfth grade In our own experience and in that of friends, we have seen
will have gone through the Bible three times. God’s Holy Spirit change us and work in new ways through
family worship. Other important family matters—such as
building character, managing your home, reaching your
neighbors for Christ, and more—make sense only when
In addition to the Family Worship Guides, Student Ministries
we do these things in the power of the Holy Spirit.
also provides daily devotional guides for students grades
seven through twelve, following the same Unified Curriculum.
When our kids were young we often had “family night” with
of God and His commands to my children.
”
a Bible lesson, games, and fun, but it never really became a My family’s worship times are far from perfect—and I’ve been
regular habit. As our kids grew older, we still dabbled with confronted with my own need for confession and forgiveness
family nights, but I felt like a failure when we didn’t continue. as I sometimes turn into “Drill Sergeant Dad” during our time
together—but we’re okay with that. We know that God is
The change came when I clearly heard God’s command for
using our family worship to conform us, together, to be
me to teach the love of God and His commands to my children,
more like His Son. n
in Deuteronomy 6:5–7. This challenge is right after what Jesus
calls the greatest commandment—to love the Lord with all
your heart, soul, and strength. But then God gives the first
Dean, a telecommunications engineer with Alcatel-Lucent, loves
specific action step in loving Him in verse 7. And what is spending time with his kids, Nate and Grace, and his wife of 21
that? It’s to teach the love of God and His commands to years, Kris. He attends both Huddle and Saturday Morning Men’s
Bible Study, and is a member of the Foundation Builders Adult
your children at home!
Class. He enjoys encouraging men to go deep into God’s Word
and applying God’s Great Commission Plan for the family.
To me, that means that as great as our pastors, Sunday
school teachers, and youth leaders are, I can’t abdicate
my responsibilities to them. Instead, I need to take the
lead in the spiritual training of my children at home—and
my church is there to support, equip, and cheer me on! building a
SucceSSful
stepfamily
conference
At least 60 percent of
stepfamily marriages
end in divorce.
But you don’t have to be a statistic.
The Annens—Dean, Kris, Nate, and Grace— gather for weeknight prayer
and Bible study.
I was in the fourth grade when I met four people who changed my life forever:
›A 26-year-old Purple-Heart veteran. ›A 16-year-old girl with an inoperable brain tumor.
›A 22-year-old former drug addict with an illegitimate child.
›A 33-year-old man who gave his life to save all three, and then saved me as well.
he people wh
on Sunday m
Church every da
men, women, stu
“They devoted
themselves to
the apostles’
teaching and
to the fellowship,
to the breaking
of bread and
to prayer.”
Acts 2:42
9: 45 am Place for You Bible Study
On Campus
• Three different Place4You Bible Studies
• Eight P4Y children’s rooms
• Alpha for Women
• Morning and afternoon Weekday Preschool 10:28 am
• Friends meeting at Gathering Grounds
• Awana Clubs and GEMS Pioneer Club 1 1: 48 am
• Studio 78 junior high worship and games
•
•
Shopping at Chapters bookstore
Contemporary Worship rehearsal
7:1 7 pm Studio
• Iglesia del Pueblo prayer meeting
• EquipU classes and more!
ho worship at WBC are most familiar with what happens around our church campus
morning, but in reality, God is working in and through the people of Wheaton Bible
ay of the week! One of our busiest days comes right in the middle of the week as
udents, and children are loving God, growing together, and reaching the world.
9: 5 9 am Gathering Grounds
7: 23 pm Iglesia
78 O ff Campus
• 20 high school Core Groups meeting in homes
• Teams serving the homeless with PADS
• Puente del Pueblo Case Management
• Puente del Nino afterschool program
photos by Jon Langham
Family
The first key is a high priority of family. Family comes first.
Advertisers know this. If you look at a TV commercial in Spanish
and the same one in English, the basic content is the same: same
background, same words, same Pepsi, and same Coca-Cola. But
in the English commercial you have a guy and a girl with a car.
In the Hispanic version, you see a guy and a girl, but there also
might be a grandfather, a mother, and a sister. Everybody
is in it. It’s a wider understanding of the family.
In the Hispanic culture the kids are in the home until they
get married, and then they go their own way—but even
then, the married son or daughter thinks on his or her
own terms within the context of the extended family.
We see this not only in the youth but also in old age.
When our grandparents become elderly, you tend
to see the grandmother—and even the great-
On Sunday mornings our English- and Spanish-speaking grandmother—in the home. That is not uncommon.
congregations park next to one another, walk into the
building together, and even share the same spaces. But So one of the sad things for me to see in the United States
sometimes we feel a bit like neighbors who haven’t yet met, with the Hispanic culture is how the rapid waters of this
or like cousins who haven’t seen each other in years—these culture sweep families away from these traditional and
are people we want to know better, but we still feel a little valued patterns. Usually, everybody has to go to work, and
awkward around them. everybody has a different car. That creates havoc with the
concept of the family eating together and being together.
The truth is that Wheaton Bible Church and Iglesia del We don’t manage this well, because in our own countries
Pueblo, our Spanish-speaking congregation, together make the mother always stays home. She’s always inside, and so is
up our church family—a relationship that has existed for her mother. And everybody else’s mother is around too, so
more than 20 years. In this two-part interview with Iglesia’s there is a lot of interaction and support among the women.
Senior Pastor, Al Guerra, we try to take the relationship
to another level by sharing matters of the heart. In the For our church, this understanding of family helps us to
last issue we learned that the key to understanding our structure our worship and makes a difference in how we
Spanish-speaking church family is to examine experiences worship together. If we built our Sunday worship purely
and forces that have shaped their hearts. In this issue upon these Hispanic values, we would have the whole family
we continue the “heart exam” to discover the things together throughout the service. However, because we share
that move their culture and shape their ministry. facilities and recognize other important values, we have created
an experience that tries to honor the dynamic of family, the
—Dave Thomson, Communication Director
family being together before God, because we believe that
God in His promises said you and your house shall be saved.
Faith
Third, the Hispanic culture places an emphasis on matters of
faith and religion—going back to the prominence of the Catho-
lic Church in many Spanish-speaking countries—and Hispanics
hold a very high view of Scripture. God’s Word is respected. In
Cuba, when I was growing up, people would stand up when
the Bible was going to be read. That was and is the case in
most Hispanic countries. And we do that now in our church.
Celebration
The fourth key to the heart of the Hispanic culture is celebration.
Everything is a cause of celebration, a time for eating and hav-
Iglesia Worship Leader Sergio Villanueva.
ing fun, and everything is celebrated—childbirth, baptism, and
even death. In our native countries, we would have the body of
a family member who died prepared by the funeral people, and
then the body would stay in the house for three days. And it was
a time of feasting and eating. People would be crying, but they
would be having a good time as well, by just being together.
And this spills out in people becoming more vocal and more
expressive. It also speaks of our pattern of meeting together
at many different times for celebration in our church. For
example, we celebrate Christmas Eve just like the English-
A group of men at a gathering of Iglesia’s pastors and lay leaders.
speaking congregations, but we also meet to celebrate
on New Year’s Eve.
Another example occurs in January, when we celebrate Three What word should we use to describe Spanish speakers
Kings Day. This holiday is based on what the Bible says about in our congregation or in our communities?
the visit of the wise men, or wealthy rulers, to the home of Jesus
when He was a boy. We celebrate the kings coming on January
6. For many of us, there is no Santa Claus, no milk and cookies
for him, and no gifts under the tree. Instead, gifts are placed
under the children’s beds, and we leave a little pot of water
and some hay outside our front doors, for the kings’ camels.
“ I was a stranger and you took to speak into our government, getting involved in debates, and
speaking God’s heart on this issue of justice for the immigrant.
me in. ” — Matthew 25
Immigration is a daily life issue for Spanish-speakers in our
church, but it’s too easily just another news item for English
Pushes and Pulls speakers. How should we think about it and respond?
In addition to that North Star, there are forces that push a per-
There are two things to consider, and both can be best
son from his country and forces that pull a person into another
understood by thinking of a hospital. In a hospital there
country. For Hispanics, the pull has always been that the United
usually are wards for people who are sick or who have
States is so close—either geographically or through the media.
injuries. The patients are cared for by first seeing a doctor
We visit. We see people. Our media embraces American actors,
who orders a set of tests. Eventually the doctor looks
movies, careers, and stories of people who have come here.
at X-rays, blood analysis, or MRIs and then says that an
operation is necessary. His assistant schedules a surgery
God’s Heart Revealed in Scripture
team, gets a room, orders the supplies, and gives you a
We also must look at God’s heart toward the immigrant.
date for the operation, which could be two months or
Scripture makes it plain: God is for the poor and the stranger.
three months from now. This scenario is happening on
For the Israelites, the laws and regulations considered the
the fourth floor of this hospital.
immigrant. Farmers could not clean a field twice because
they had to leave whatever naturally was left behind for the But if you go to the ground level of the hospital, you have
poor, for the stranger. It’s the story of Ruth and Boaz. She’s the emergency room. The hospital staff in the emergency
in the back of a line of harvesters picking up whatever is room is dealing with people who have broken legs, gunshot
left. That’s tremendous—it brings tears to my eyes. wounds, cuts, heart attacks, and strokes. The doctors are
making quick decisions and urgent demands: “Bring me
The other thing that God commands His people in Leviticus
blood. Get me a transfusion. Give him three ccs. Clear!”
19:32–33 is that they had to treat aliens as the natural born
They are working from moment to moment, moving
and not oppress them. That’s clear. That’s a command. That’s
quickly, dealing with life and death, and are totally
God’s care for the immigrant. When you read Scripture that
engaged for hours.
says, “Do not oppress,” then you see God’s heart to the nation.
God said to the Israelites, you cannot live with hands closed.
Baptism
Spanish-English
Wycliffe takes very seriously the words of Romans 10:14: “How As Alice settles into life in the western suburbs, she is exploring ways of
can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? connecting with those from the Maithili people group and other South
And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about Asians who live in our area. (She has learned that more than 200 Maithili
him?” (NLT, emphasis added). Seeing the Bible translated into men and women live in Illinois.) If you share her desire to reach out to
South Asians, please contact the Global Outreach team and let us know.
every language is their goal, so that all might both hear and
then call on the God of the universe.
Wycliffe typically will enter an area, identify language groups Jim Judge is a member of WBC’s Heart for AIDS Leadership Team,
with no written translation of the Bible, and then send teacher for the Covenant Adult Class. Jim works as the Medical
Director of Loyola’s Family Medicine Clinic in Maywood, Illinois
missionaries with strong linguistic training to start the and is an Associate Professor of Family Medicine at the Stritch
laborious process of translation. School of Medicine.
The financial picture for many families is one filled with stress. What has God done in your life through
this course?
Living beyond our paychecks, we find ourselves with ever-higher
• Caused me to praise Him for
consumer debt and lower savings levels. We have no emergency my blessings
funds for rainy days, yet we all know the rain eventually will come. • Given hope for the future
• Changed my whole attitude about
Could you imagine life free of the bondage of debt? This is financial peace. credit and giving my resources
What I’ve come to realize through Financial Peace University is that money is a heart over to Him
issue. Many of us use money as comfort, aloe for our wounds. We feel good when we
• Showed me that I can pay off
treat ourselves—instant gratification. However, maturity is learning to delay pleasure,
a mortgage that I had thought
to give up the lesser thing for the greater good. We must desire that God transform
I would have all my life
our heart’s attitude regarding money so that we use our money for the greatest
good of the everlasting Kingdom of God. • Given me hope that I can
get out of debt
For more than 100 individuals and couples, Financial Peace University (FPU) at Wheaton
• Opened my heart to give more
Bible Church has been a safe place to learn foundational concepts that have helped
us let go of our fear of money and discover the tools needed to adjust our core beliefs • Made me dependent on Him for
regarding money. every financial decision and provided
in amazing ways.
Through a thirteen-week program, people have learned how to dump their debt, get
• Helped me to realize the impact peace
control of their money, and learn new behaviors around money—behaviors based
in this area can have on all other areas.
on commitment and accountability. The program lessons include saving, budgeting,
dumping debt, insurance, investing, retirement planning, mortgages, and giving. • Reminded me that it is not
my money but His.
Classes begin with videotaped teaching on the week’s lesson as members follow
• Shown me that He is trustworthy when
along in the workbook. Then there’s a half hour in small break-out groups—many
it comes to my finances and that to be
people’s favorite part of the night—to discuss the lesson.
successful and have peace, I will have
In WBC’s first Financial Peace class, I was blessed to hear from members who, by to let go and trust Him.
the last day of class, were able to save the recommended $1,000 in their emergency • Better communication in financial
funds, were following their plans matters, which has helped in all
to be debt free, and were using other areas of our marriage.
cash—not credit cards—to
pay for necessities. • Shown me His grace—He has given
us a second chance to do things right!
I saw them standing taller,
• Prepared me for retirement
empowered and filled with
hope for their futures as they
What are your three biggest take-aways?
moved along the road to
financial peace. n • Need for an emergency fund
• Kids can pay for their own college.
Julie and JR Smith, Kim Koenig, Bob • You can change your family’s future!
and Pat Polock, Kathi Hoisington, Kris
and Bob Malandruccolo celebrate their • Financial freedom is worth working for.
“graduation” from Financial Peace
University. • Save, save, save.
• Debt is not an option.
Kim Koenig has attended WBC for 2 years. She values her involvement in the Bridges Adult Class and
• Pay off small debts first
Place 4 You Women’s Bible study, and encourages other to find places to get connected within the church, in debt snowball.
where they can use their gifts and talents.
The Stewardship
out how God w
serve the chur ants us to
ch and serve on
e another?
Giving
from the continuity of consistent giving.
Each month’s Board of Elders meeting includes updates on matters of concern and interest and staff
reports. For this issue of LIFE, I am sharing highlights of a few of those that best represent both God’s hand on our
ministries and the range of topics and issues that the Board addresses. My hope is that these will encourage you
in your walk of faith and energize your prayers for our church.
Jim Goetz, Chairman, Board of Elders
FAQ/Contact
Adult Ministry Funerals Men’s Ministry
• Sunday Adult Classes Caroljoy Spensley, 630.876.6635 Pam Moore, 630.876.6627
• College Ministry cjspensley@wheatonbible.org pmoore@wheatonbible.org
• Young Adult Getting Connected Preschool—Weekdays
• Singles 35+ Lynne Morris, 630.876.6659 Esther Erickson, 630.876.6674
Rhonda Ford, 630.876.6610 connect@wheatonbible.org eerickson@wheatonbible.org
rford@wheatonbible.org Global Outreach Puente del Pueblo
Baptism • GO Teams Eileen Carapia, 630.876.6633
Lynne Morris, 630.876.6659 • Heart for AIDS ecarapia@wheatonbible.org
connect@wheatonbible.org • MOVE Initiative Scheduling a Room
Chapters Bookstore Susan Wegner, 630.876.6685 Judi Gillison, 630.876.6612
Sally Wirth, 630.876.6673 globaloutreach@wheatonbible.org jgillison@wheatonbible.org
chapters@wheatonbible.org Iglesia del Pueblo Student Ministry
Children’s Ministry Rosa Matos, 630.876.6623 Kristin DeMerchant, 630.876.6650
Pam Moore, 630.876.6627 rmatos@wheatonbible.org studentministries@wheatonbible.org
pmoore@wheatonbible.org Low Income Legal Aid Support Groups
Church Finance/Giving Administer Justice, 1.877.778.6006 Andrew Flores , 630.260.1600
Augustine Gilmore, 630.876.6613 help@administerjustice.org aflores@wheatonbible.org
financedept@wheatonbible.org Library Volunteering
Communication Judi Turek, 630.876.6671 Rhonda Ford, 630.876.6610
Dave Thomson, 630.876.6642 library@wheatonbible.org rford@wheatonbible.org
dthomson@wheatonbible.org Local Impact Weddings
Community Groups Eileen Carapia, 630.876.6633 Judi Gillison, 630.876.6612
Rhonda Ford, 630.876.6610 ecarapia@wheatonbible.org jgillison@wheatonbible.org
rford@wheatonbible.org Maturing Adults Women’s Ministry
EquipU Andrew Flores, 630.260.1600 Becky Anderson, 630.876.6602
Topical discipleship and instruction aflores@wheatonbible.org women@wheatonbible.org
Katie Labosier, 630.876.6628 Membership Worship and Creative Arts
klabosier@wheatonbible.org Caroljoy Spensley, 630.876.6635
Lynne Morris, 630.876.6659
Family Ministry connect@wheatonbible.org cjspensley@wheatonbible.org
Pam Moore, 630.876.6627
pmoore@wheatonbible.org
Saturday, May 14
For more information or to register,
visit www.CarefestDupage.com