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Church Briefs-May 26, 2011

Brownstown First Baptist to hold VBS
First Baptist Church of Brownstown will hold Vacation Bible School from Monday, June 13, to Friday, June 17. The nightly sessions will run from 6-8 p.m.
For more information, call Mary Graumenz at 267-4941.

VBS at Patoka Christian is June 5-10
Vacation Bible School will be held Sunday, June 5, through Friday, June 10, at Patoka Christian Church.
Under the theme of High Seas Journey, the sessions run from 6-8:30 p.m. nightly for students in pre-K through fifth grade.
Participants will follow the travels of the Apostle Paul. Included will be music, story times, crafts, pirate games and snacks.
Rides to the church will be available from the Shobonier Post Office at 5:15 p.m. and from Joyce’s in Vernon at 5:30 p.m. nightly.

VBS registration begins in Brownstown
Brownstown First Christian Church will host a Vacation Bible School Registration Carnival Kick-Off on Sunday, June 5, from 3-5 p.m. in Brownstown Park.
There will be games, prizes, food, big blow-up toys and more. Kids, age 2 through eighth grade, are welcome to participate and to register for a week of Vacation Bible School.
The theme for this year's week will be: “Inside Out & Upside Down on Main Street; Where Jesus Makes a Difference Every Day.”
The summer session begins on Monday, June 6, and runs through Friday, June 10, from 6-8:15 p.m. nightly.
Brownstown First Christian Church meets at the corner of First & Poplar streets in Brownstown. Call 427-3687 for more information.

Questioning God's existence? Here's help
 Beginning Sunday, June 5, at Northside Christian Church, the  “Higher Grounds coffee service” is taking a new direction. “Higher Grounds” will no longer be a worship service; it will instead become an issue-driven Bible discussion.
"After experiencing the horrors of war, there are many military men and women returning, often from multiple deployments to war zones, who have some real issues they would like to take up with God," said the Rev. Carl Rhodes. "They have witnessed hate and human suffering at its worst, and just want to shout toward heaven, 'If you exist, God, how can you allow war?' They especially question how God can claim to be a 'loving God.'
"Many will keep their anger bottled up inside, feeling that there is no one who will listen to their pleas for help, especially a church. They secretly pray that God will answer their cries, but when the answers don’t immediately come, they just become more withdrawn and filled with despair. Many will attempt to seek release through alcohol or drugs. A peaceful night’s sleep free from the nightmares becomes rare."
Rhodes also said that there are others in our society who, like soldiers returning from war, have experienced other circumstances that have them questioning the existence of a “loving” God. They have experienced the death of a loved one or they are battling a debilitating illness.
The new “Higher Grounds” service starts on Sunday mornings at 11:15 a.m., beginning June 5, at Northside Christian Church. For more information, call the church office at 283-1970 or visit the church's  website at http://northsidechristianvandalia.com.

Catholic Daughters have busy month
    The May monthly meeting of the Catholic Daughters of the Americas, Mother of Dolors Court #1071, was called to order by Regent Grace Thull. In place of an opening prayer, Joanna Helm showed a film about the Virgin Mary.
Members were thanked by Thull for their donation of cookies and help in providing a reception for the Rev. Zachary Edgar on May 1 after the 10 a.m. Mass. Edgar was ordained a transitional deacon the Saturday before. A thank-you was read from the Edgar family, thanking the ladies for the reception.
 CDA was then asked to provide the reception for First Communion on May 8. Members volunteered to provide fruit, cookies and punch. Dorothy Lach volunteered to chair the reception, and several members volunteered to help.
A reception for Confirmation on May 17 was discussed. It was hosted by the Council of Catholic Women, with some members of CDA donating cookies and helping after the evening Confirmation Mass.
A fundraiser for Tastefully Simple products had been conducted during the previous month, and orders were turned in.
The CDA will again be collecting peanut butter and jelly for the Summer Lunch Program. This program includes Vandalia, Shobonier, Ramsey and perhaps Vera. Ladies were asked to bring their donations to the next meeting on June 6.
A note was placed in the bulletin about the Million Rosaries for Unborn Babies, a prayer event scheduled for the second weekend in May. Rosaries will be said before each Mass that weekend.
A Memorial Day Mass will be held at the cemetery on Monday, May 30, at 10 a.m., with the Catholic Daughters serving as ushers and the Knights of Columbus assisting. Members are asked to bring lawn chairs and umbrellas for the sun.
The meeting closed with a devotion lead by Helm.
The next meeting, on June 6, will be a potluck at 6 p.m. and meeting at 7 p.m. Officers will furnish the meat, and others are asked to bring a covered dish. The CDA district deputy will be attending.

Sonshiners in concert June 4 at The Barn
The Sonshiners, a popular Southern Gospel quartet from Southern Indiana, will be in concert on Saturday, June 4, at The Barn in rural Pana.
The 7 p.m. program is free, but an offering will be taken.
During intermission, an ice cream social will be held.
The Barn is located one mile west of Tower Hill off of Ill. Route 16. Turn south at the Dollville Road sign for 2.5 miles.
For more information, call Joanne Clark at 217-562-3562.

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Each week, on the church page, we present news about events in Fayette County churches.
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Send your news to: The Leader-Union, P.O. Box 315, Vandalia, Ill. 62471, attention Dave Bell, or e-mail to: dbell@leaderunion.com.
 

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