At a glance, here are some of the things coming up this summer!
Departure dates & start dates
- May 31: Pastor Jason Abbott will conclude his role as our Senior Pastor. Our three ministry apprentices – Josiah Haas, Drew Oller, and Josh Dekker – will conclude their roles and, for two of them, will move out of the 5239 N Ashland Ave church apartments.
- June 1: Pastor Del Shimandle will start his role as our Interim Pastor.
- Mid-June: The Abbott family will move to Jefferson City, MO.
Gatherings
All-church
- June 5: Goodbye Picnic for the Abbotts! Drop in between 4-7 PM; feel free to stay the whole time. Bring your own picnic, including blanket or chairs. The church will provide water and cupcakes. At 5 PM, the elders will kick-off a time of sharing that may involve a little silliness. The picnic will be held at LaBagh Woods (enter from Cicero). Here’s a Map. We will have a basket for cards for the Abbotts; if you feel so led, you can include a gift in your card or give anonymously to our treasurer, Sylvia Lauener. (Note: any financial gifts will go directly to the Abbotts, so they are not tax deductible and should not go through the church offering.)
- June 20: Global outreach partner BBQ for the Bult family! This will most likely be held in the Einfeldts’ backyard from 5-7 PM. All are welcome! It falls on Father’s Day, too, so this is a great way to celebrate the fathers in your life as we gather in community and hear about God’s work in Puebla, Mexico. An RSVP will go out closer to the date so we can plan enough food. –Yes! Food will be provided (and prepared with masks on)
- Does your small group, family, or group of friends want to host an all-church summer social in an outdoor location? This is a great way to serve the church by building our bond of fellowship and providing a casual way to invite friends outside of the church to get to know us! Contact Pastor Del to sign up: dshimandle@firstfree.com.
- Sunday morning church services are expanding their capacity as Chicago moves to Phase 5. Sign up here to attend church in person. We want to see you!!
Youth
- Incoming 6th graders through graduating seniors and their families are invited to our Sunday Summer Youth Gatherings. Meetings will be on the 4th Sunday of the month at Foster Beach at 12:30 pm.
- Dates are June 27, July 25, August 22
- Click here for more information!
Children
- Join City Kids Circle every Sunday morning at 9:30 AM on Zoom. Contact kids@firstfree.com to get the link! Click here for more information.
- VBS: First Free will be holding Vacation Bible School this August 9th – 13th from 9 AM to 12 PM. Our VBS will be full of fun and learning about Jesus. We will either meet in-person, virtually, or have a hybrid format depending on COVID regulations at the time. Save the date!
Leadership Training and Congregational Meetings
- June 12: Leadership Workshop Part 1 will be held on Zoom from 10 AM – 12 PM. Dr. Won Kim will be our guest speaker. An evite was sent to all First Free leaders – please RSVP using that! The date and location for Part 2 is TBA.
- Summer MCM: date to be announced
No responses yet