Church guide

Just a reminder to all that Old Stone Church is hosting an Ecumenical Good Friday Service tomorrow at 12 noon. This will have multi-church participation. This is definitely a service you should be at before Easter Sunday. So please, come, and invite a friend or neighbor (or 2). There will also be fellowship after the service.

Just a reminder to the community members who come to the Food Pantry, the Food Pantry will be closed this Thursday, 3/28/19. The pantry will re-open 4/4/2019 at 9:30am. Thank you.

This generous gift to the Jaimie Cox Memorial Scholarship at Hononegah HS is for graduates pursuing a career in emergency services. Pastor Dan is a member of the selection committee. Deadline for application is March 22nd. Please see RPA website link for more details.

Just a reminder to everyone that Ash Wednesday service is tonight at 6:30pm here at the church. This is a peaceful, reflective service. There will be some walking and standing involved. We do have wheel chairs available if they are needed. We hope to see you tonight!

Every month I write a piece for our church newsletter which I call "Pastoral Ponderings..." I thought I'd share an example of life in our Old Stone Church in Rockton. Pastoral Ponderings . . . Dear God, I’m looking at my hands. They aren’t as young as they used to be. I remember looking at the hands of “old people” when I was young and thinking that their skin looked funny and sort of wrinkly, they had dark spots on them in weird places, and they had fingers that were crooked. I’ve done plenty of damage to my own hands…mostly from my carpentry. Believe it or not I nailed my left index and middle fingers together when the nail gun recoiled and sent a stray 3” missile through my fingers. My boss nearly fainted, but I pulled it out and put some Band-Aids and Neosporin on it and got back to work. I nearly took the tip of my left thumb off with a razor knife when cutting shingles one day and fainted from rapid blood loss on the way to the ER. Another day I jammed my left ring finger and it started to swell. I ended up in the ER (again) where they had to cut my wedding ring off to relieve the swelling. Not a good omen for my first marriage. A few years ago I had a 1 ½” sliver the diameter of a pencil (no kidding) drive it’s way into my right hand and could easily have lost my hand as a result of infection. I’ve had Rheumatoid Arthritis now for about 10 years now. The first thing it hits is my hands. Lately it’s been flaring up at night and by 3 a.m. my hands are so frozen and aching that I have to physically move them to break the joints free. Back on prednisone, I guess. I’ve also had a couple of “trigger fingers” relieved (funny for a guy who never shoots a gun). My hands now have lots of scars, funny dark spots, and are more wrinkly than before, but I still have all my fingers after all the woodwork I’ve done and continue to do. They also aren’t as strong. Yep, my hands aren’t as young as they used to be. They are better. I’ve held the hands of HIV and AIDS patients when people were afraid to touch them because they thought it was contagious (not to mention the judgments people put on those with AIDS). At one point in my ministry in Monticello the oncologist told me I was the only pastor in the area who would visit them. I baptized a still-born baby that fit perfectly in the palm of my hand when the parents wanted the child to be blessed by God. I’ve held more hands of dying and sick people than I can remember, though many of their faces I still see. As a chaplain I hold the hands of strangers when I tell them that a loved one has died. Some of them haunt me. I love the way my wife’s hand fits in mine and I always feel stronger and more encouraged when I hold her hand. I remember the first time I held her hand when we first met for coffee and took a walk. I’ll never get tired of holding the hands of my children…no matter their age. I still reach out for their hand from time to time and remind them that they will never be too old to hold their dad’s hand. My hands are getting older…much closer to the end of their use than the beginning…but they are better. You gave me my hands for me to use and prosper, but you really meant them to be able to touch others. That’s what I understand about my life as a Christian. Jesus was constantly touching sick people: people no body else wanted to touch. He used his hands to heal everyone he could, and while I’m not Jesus I want to think that my life has been lived with that example: trying to touch people to share love and healing…especially those people whom the world (or even the church, at times) would want to throw away and condemn. Isn’t that how you would want your Church to be known: always reaching out to those who suffer? Thank you for giving me my hands. They aren’t as new as they used to be. They’re better. Love, Dan

The Old Stone Church (101 E. Union Street Rockton, IL) will be hosting Narcan Training, Sunday, 2/24, from 12:30pm-2:00pm. There is still time to register on the Hope Over Addiction website or by calling 815-624-6212 or 815-540-4558. Free Narcan is provided after the training for those who wish to have it. Narcan is an opioid reversal drug that is used in the event of a heroin or other opioid-related overdose. Even if you don't take the Narcan after the training the education you receive will be very important to your understanding of the heroin issues around you. Please feel free to share this post with others.

I wonder how many people have stood before a minister to exchange their vows in the 181 year history of the Old Stone Church - First Congregational United Church of Christ? How many couples have stood in the sanctuary of our church that was built in 1850 and then ascended the stairs to the balcony to pull the rope and ring the 1200lb bell that was put in the belfry in 1854...a tradition every couple engages in to announce their marriage to the community? Mr. & Mrs. Mathew and Amanda (Reiman) Carnrike were the latest to do so as they shared their wedding vows last Saturday. May God lead them in faith, love, and commitment in all the years ahead.

Did you know we have a grief group for those who've lost a loved one to substance abuse or suicide. If you or anyone you know is dealing with this terrible grief call me at the Old Stone Church or IM me...Dan Herman

Our Old Stone Church is proud to be led by Pastor Dan Herman, who has helped us learn more about the opioid epidemic, and how individuals and families are affected by this issue. He has helped us become a more compassionate congregation, sensitive to the needs of all who are affected by this tragedy.

February 3rd was the celebration of 15 years together as pastor and parish. It's difficult to believe time has gone so fast. Some of the members of the congregation gathered for a photo after church, and the Fellowship Committee shared a cake surrounded by Pastor Dan & Carm, and two of their children, Brianna & Jonah. Here's to the next 15 years!

The Old Stone Church was abuzz last Saturday with Cub Scout Pack 619 and the annual Pjne Wood Derby. It was great to see the speedsters the kids built.

Last Sunday the focus was on the heroin/opioid crisis in Winnebago County and how members of the Old Stone Church can continue to be a place where families come for support and encouragement. The photos are those submitted by families of loved ones who died of a heroin/Fentanyl overdose, and the flowers are in memory of Brian Cofoid who died February 8th, 2018 of a heroin overdose. Along with basic education, Pastor Dan laid the foundation for the Christian Church to always be known as the Compassionate Community of Christ. People should always know they can turn to the Old Stone Church for support and hope.

Good News! The Church just spent $35,000 for a new furnace to guarantee that you’ll be warm tomorrow!!!!! There’s no good reason not to brave the cold to enjoy the warmth of the Christian message! Tomorrow will be a special message about how the Christian Community can be the Compassionate Community of Christ in the face of the heroin problems our community and country are facing. Members and friends of our own congregation have struggled with the problems of heroin addiction and loss within their families and you have been very supportive. How can the church learn more and become even more effective through the examples of Jesus? Don’t let our $35,000 go to waste! This Old Stone Church will be even warmer with you in it tomorrow! Also, it's Soup Sunday, so plan to stay after church to enjoy a bowl of soup on a cold winter's day!

This past Saturday, Donn VanSchelven and his crew of volunteers sorted, packaged, and delivered more than 100 turkeys and food boxes to local families in need. What a feat! How thankful we are to have Donn helping local families not just for Thanksgiving, but all year long. As we all prepare for Thanksgiving with our friends and families, let us take a moment to praise God for all that he has done and continues to do in our lives that make us thankful. We here at Old Stone Church are thankful for the opportunities to touch people's lives and enrich them through Christ. We are also thankful for all who touch our lives, from our congregation, to all persons and groups who find themselves here for one reason or another. We are certainly thankful for how you enrich our lives, also! So, from our family to yours, Happy Thanksgiving! And, remember, as always Sunday Service starts at 9:30, and we would love to see you there!

We have certainly found ourselves staying busy here at Old Stone Church! Within the last couple of months, we have welcomed another group of new members, hosted our Annual Veteran's Day Turkey Dinner, and celebrated the upcoming year and finances with the Monday Morning Dixieland Band on Consecration Sunday, November 11th. If you have not been here, you have been missing out! Services are still at 9:30 am every Sunday morning! We would love to see all of your wonderful familiar or unfamiliar faces! Everyone is welcome. 😊

Did you know the Old Stone Church is fully accessible via the ramp on the front of the church and an elevator at the back of the church? It's been the conviction of the congregation that people of all abilities and disabilities get to worship and share in the life of the church. Join us at 9:30 on Sunday morning.

Work continues on the boiler, and we are eagerly anticipating the finished product! Many thanks go out to a few of our members, who through their generosity, have helped us in completing this project. Thank you!

This event takes place here tonight at 6:00pm. It is not too late to register.

Celebrating a new year of Sunday School!! All ages were "wowed" by Johnny Silver's magic in so many forms on Sunday, Sept. 17, to kick off Old Stone Church's Sunday School and Stewardship Drive 2018. All Johnny's "helpers" were glad to assist and were treated to an up close look at his amazing magic!