Please be invited to join leaders on Sunday, November 24 @ 4pm, from faith traditions across the Elgin area as they present songs, prayers, or spoken pieces on this theme relevant to their traditions.  Our keynote speaker will be Aurora-based Curtis Spivey of The Neighbor Project and news program Good Morning Aurora.  Church Members highly mobile are invited to park at Washington School to make space for those with greater need for accessibility.

So far, we’ve raised almost an incredible $6,000!  It’s not too late to donate online to our team, click here, or look for team members on Sunday: Ralph Miner, Joel & Cheryl Brumbaugh Cayford, Cathy Stevens, Joylyn Johnson, Joanna Pelley, Rachel Johnson, Pastor Katie, and Peg Lehman. Thank you for your generosity and for helping to make a difference!

What does it mean to “find rest in God?”  Join us for this one-day retreat co-sponsored by the Connections and Spiritual Formation teams.  We are meeting at the beautiful grounds of the Universal Unitarian Church at 39W830 Highland Avenue from 9am-4pm.  We will explore concepts and practices designed to draw you closer to God and the kind of rest that heals the soul.  Lunch will be provided, but we need to know how many people to plan for.  Please register by clicking here.

Sharon LeCount and Donna March will be hosting the next Adults on the Go at Sharon's house on Friday September 6, from 6:30pm-9pm, weather permitting.  We are pleased that Jonathan Shively will be present to share his gift of voice and lead us in song!  There will also be a campfire in Sharon's beautiful backyard and all you will need to bring is a chair and yourself.  We will provide beverage and fixings for s’mores.  It would be helpful to learn who all will be interested in attending.  Please RSVP by texting or calling Donna March at 847-867-8923 or email her at dmarch1427@comcast.net.  We hope to see you there to enjoy the fellowship, song, and snacks!  (Note: If there is inclement weather, we will hope to have it on Sunday, September 8.)

All are invited to a free screening of the award-winning film Cooked: Survival by Zip Code examining effects of the climate crisis on vulnerable communities, in particular communities of color.  This event is co-sponsored by our Green Team and Fox Valley Citizens for Peace & Justice.  Light refreshments will be served in the Fellowship Hall after the film in the Sanctuary, with an opportunity for discussion.

Spread the word; bring your friends!

Reuniting after more than 20 years, Peg Lehman, Lee Krahenbuhl, Steve Kinzie, and Shawn Kirchner will grace their presence with some musical sharing. Remembering the music by celebrating the richness and the power of all four musicians. Light refreshments and snacks will be served.

Come by the Fellowship Hall on Friday, June 28th @ 7pm.  Michael Stern and some of our Highland Avenue Church Musicians will be performing.  Listen to some Folk Music while sharing refreshments with friendly people.

ELGbtq+ Pride Parade & Festival is back after 4,000 people were in attendance last year.  Volunteer walkers are invited to join our church’s parade group.  Meeting details will be provided at a later date.  This safe inclusive family friendly event will take place on Saturday, June 1st @ 11am.  T-shirts will be available for the volunteer walkers.  Donations are welcome at $15 per t-shirt

Annual Joint Worship – Celebrating more than 20 years

Alongside Second Baptist Church, this year's service will be held on Sunday May 19 @ 10am at the Blizzard Theatre inside Elgin Community College (1700 Spartan Dr. Elgin, IL 60123).  Both Pastor Katie and Pastor Parks will preach.  Please note that all Sunday School classes will not be held on this day.

We're looking forward to our special district creation care event next Saturday, April 27, at Highland Avenue Church of the Brethren in Elgin (783 W. Highland Ave.), and we hope you can join us! It will include a keynote address, mini-workshop breakout sessions, a book/resource table from Brethren Press, and light refreshments. In addition to the in-person event, a virtual option will also be available (SEE LINKS BELOW). The keynote and "Option 1" workshops will take place in the sanctuary and will be livestreamed via YouTube. The "Option 2" workshops will be held in the library or can be joined via Zoom. The event will run from 10am-12:15pm.  There is no charge for this event, and all are welcome. Mark your calendars, and watch for additional updates!

David Radcliff of New Community Project (NCP) will be the keynote presenter, on the theme "One Earth, One Chance." NCP is a non-profit with Brethren connections that works primarily in the areas of environmental sustainability and social justice issues. 

Join the keynote in person or virtually via YouTube livestream:

Highland Avenue Church of the Brethren - YouTube.

Then click on “Live” and “Latest”
Following the opening and David's keynote presentation from 10-11 a.m., several breakout sessions will be available, as follows:

11:10am-11:40am - Option 1: "Continuing the Conversation" Q & A with David and discussion of how to change course as our "planetary ship" heads for a collision with the bridge into a livable future.

Join this workshop in person or virtually via YouTube livestream (the stream will run continuously following the keynote):

Highland Avenue Church of the Brethren - YouTube.

Then click on “Live” and “Latest”

Option 2: "Eco-Discipleship and Compassion Fatigue" led by Randall Westfall (Camp Emmaus manager) and Jonathan Stauffer (Polo): We all have experienced compassion fatigue as it relates to our care for creation practices. In this session we’ll explore how Biblical kinship with Christ and Creation holds the key for reframing our understanding of the current environmental crisis.

Join this workshop in person or virtually via Zoom: Please contact the office for Zoom credentials.

11:45am-12:15pm - Option 1: "Growing a Green Team," with the Highland Avenue's own 'Green Team": How can your congregation respond to creation care issues and take meaningful action? Highland Avenue's 'Green Team' will share some of their ideas and the approaches they've been taking.

Join this workshop in person or virtually via YouTube livestream (the stream will run continuously following the keynote):

Highland Avenue Church of the Brethren - YouTube.

Then click on “Live” and “Latest”

Option 2: "Eco-Blueprint Praxes for Healing" with Randall Westfall and Jonathan Stauffer:  In this session, we’ll follow up from session 1 with deep creation connection practices that will move us deeper into the 4 stages of creation connection. Each of these regenerative practices/disciplines will restore us to our original design in God’s Eco-Blueprint and revive the spirit in the face of compassion fatigue.  

Join this workshop in person or virtually via Zoom (the Zoom link will stay open from the first workshop, so you do not need to rejoin if already on): Please contact the office for Zoom credentials. 

After many years of presenting some of the finest folk singers in the country, the Highland Avenue Coffeehouse on April 5 is featuring its own gifted musicians. This small church has a disproportionate number of talented singers and instrumentalists.

Jonathan Shively, singer, pianist, guitar player, and songwriter — a gifted and versatile musician who is also the church’s choir director — will sing many of his own compositions. Peg Lehman’s heartfelt songs will include covers as well as her own pieces and collaborations with Shively. Now retired, Lehman performed for more than 40 years at many different venues including Ravinia’s artist-in-residence programs, and several hundred schools.

Then there will be Nancy Miner who for more than 30 years accompanied the Highland Avenue choir and has played in countless services and accompanied many student soloists. Her choice of music, her light touch, and her precision on the keys have made her one of the congregation’s treasured assets.

PennyLou Walbridge will add her lovely flute to the evening’s music, and Walbridge and Miner will collaborate on several pieces. Matt Bohrer, Noelle Dulabaum-Bohrer, and their company of musicians will bring a country music flair. And the audience will sample the virtuosity of Ryan Kellerman on clarinet.

What a lineup! In the past, people have come to the Highland Avenue Coffeehouse to hear folk musicians from somewhere else. On Friday, April 5, people will get a taste of the musicians right here in our own backyard at 7 p.m.

The Highland Avenue Coffeehouse offers folk music, light refreshments, and friendly people. The programs are open to the community in the fellowship hall of the Highland Avenue Church of the Brethren, 783 W. Highland Ave. in Elgin. There is no cover charge; donations are appreciated. For information, call (847) 741-5124 or go to www.hacob.org. —— James Lehman

Join us for Easter Sunday Worship followed by Sunday School and then an Easter Egg hunt for children ages preschool through fifth grade. Our middle high and senior high youth will help hide the eggs! Bring your own basket and invite your family members to join us for this joyous celebration.

Join us for a traditional Love Feast meal and feetwashing to lead into Easter Weekend.

Mark your calendar now for March 17 and plan to join the “Lunch Bunch” after Sunday School.  Prior to COVID, the Connections Team would select a lower-cost restaurant for anyone who wished to would gather after Sunday School at that restaurant, order what they wanted and pay for their own meal. On March 17, we will sit together and socialize while we dine. We’ll announce the restaurant in a couple weeks.