The Summit

Katie’s Cup Conversations and RALM present a six-part program entitled “God in America” from the PBS series of the same name. Attend any or all of the evenings, Thursdays, 6:30-8:00 p.m., Oct. 14, 21, & 28, and Nov. 4, 11, & 18. They are free and open to all; donations appreciated. For reservations or information, contact RALM at 962-4279.

We need both walkers and sponsors. We are pleased to announce that Alpine will be participating in the Rkfd. Community Walk for Hope. We are joining several other churches & organizations to walk on Oct. 2^nd at Rock Valley College, beginning at 9:00 a.m. Participants may choose to walk 1, 2, or 3 miles. From the money collected by all those who walk, 65% comes back to Alpine’s youth programs and 10% is donated to a non-profit. The registration fee is $10 per adult and $5 for children ages 12 and under. Your registration fee includes your Walk for Hope T-shirt, a backpack to carry your items while you walk and a free lunch.  Please see John Linde or any of the Christian Ed or Youth Team for any questions.

Sat., Sept. 18^th, Sun., Sept. 19^th, and Sun. Sept 26^th the RALM 25^th Anniversary Committee is sponsoring the first ever RALM Church Crawl. Each participant will be given a “passport” and encouraged to collect “stamps” from each church they visit. A total of 14 area churches will be on the list. The passports will be collected at the last church visited and those passports with the most stamps will be put into a drawing for a $25 Katie’s Cup gift card. The crawl will begin at Katie’s Cup on Sat., Sept. 18^th from 11:30 – 1:15 and then continue on to the Mid-Town Parish churches (plus Bethlehem) for the remainder of Sat. and then on Sun. The following Sun., Sept. 26^th, the remaining 6 churches in the crawl, can be visited. A full schedule of churches and times will be on the table in the coatroom.

The Concert of Caring 2010 presented by Lutheran Social Services of IL will feature Jearlyn Steele with Billy Steele on Thurs., Oct. 7^th at Our Savior’s. Jearlyn is a multi-talented singer who is a frequent guest on A Prairie Home Companion. Tickets are $15 each with proceeds to benefit the programs of LSSI.

It is almost time for the 3^rd Annual Easter Seals Walk with Me Fundraiser.  It takes place Sept. 25^th at the Rkfd. River Path. Ashley Naleway would love it if you could come out and support her school and enjoy a great community event! There will be music, snacks and good exercise for a great cause. It’s a busy time of year, so if you can’t make it, you can just make a donation. All proceeds from this fundraiser go to provide services and education to individuals with Autism and other disabilities in our area. Her goal is to raise $1000! Donations big and small are greatly appreciated!

Anniversary Announcements
*Come and celebrate with Don & Karin Busekros for their 50th wedding anniversary June 12th, 1 – 5 p.m. at John’s Restaurant on 11th St. RSVP to 874-8844. No gifts please.
*Congratulations and God’s blessings on Jack & Norma Lucas who are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. They will be having a cake between services on Sun., June 13th.
*All are invited to attend an open house hosted by the children of Chuck and Janet Gentry, to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on June 27 from 1 – 4:00 p.m. in Fellowship Hall.  Your presence will be a treasured gift, we request no other.

Did you know?

Pastor Linda Kersten has written her first children’s book, published this week by RWG Press, Rockford, intended for second grade through fifth grade readers. Bashful Babs is a chapter book, only sixty pages in length, telling the story of Babs’ family’s vacation to a cottage along the ocean. Babs is nine years old, shy and afraid of new experiences. Written in the style of a daily journal, Kersten shows how Babs, her two brothers, their baby sister, and her mother and father try new things like swimming in the ocean, rowing a rowboat, skipping stones, and cooking hot dogs and s’mores over an outdoor fire. Babs meets three girls who are also vacationing. Together the girls run, laugh, giggle, and explore during their week at the beach. You will enjoy seeing Babs have fun!

Kersten says this first book will be followed by three more volumes in which Babs learns lessons about ordinary life in a new school, time alone at Grandmother’s house, and a week at church camp. The illustrations found in Bashful Babs were drawn by an artist who goes by the name of Pam. She will work with Kersten on the next books, too.

This book is priced at $12.00. Kersten will give 25% of the proceeds to Autism Speaks, an organization whose focus is the national crisis of children who have been diagnosed on the autism spectrum. Books can be ordered at pastorlinda@hotmail.com.

Pastor Kersten is excited to share with her new readers stories of Babs and her family. She hopes you will see that there are lessons to be learned about getting along, sharing, working together, asking and talking about family history, and trying new things as children grow up. You will see your family in their adventures. Book Two is due this fall.

Lift every Voice and Sing!

A song fest and hymn sing will be held Sun., June 27th at 3:00 p.m. at the Sinnissippi Park bandshell. This is a RALM sponsored event made possible, in part, by the No. & So. Winn. Co. Chapters of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans

Northern IL Lutheran Marriage Encounter Weekend is June 11-13. This program is designed to make a good marriage better. For more information and to register, please visit the website at NorthernIllinoisLME.org.

The Technical/Audio/Visual Team will hold a meeting on Tues. May 25th, at 7:00 p.m. Anyone interested in helping with sound, visual presentations, the website, Facebook ect. are welcome to join our team. This new area of ministry incorporates many new ideas to share the ministries of Alpine.