April 2021

August 2020

First Chronicles
The Newsletter of the First Congregational Church of Evanston UCC


From the Minister’s
An Easter Message Desk • Sarah
Send aPetersen
check to(whose children’s
the church office.messages are so elegantly
The month of July has
The season of Easter approaches, certainly flown
and with by. itI’ve
ourbeen busy • done),
Click theandDonate
Miko button
Fentanes on(who weaveswebsite,
the church all the video
meeting
knowledge with thatcommittees
Christ has and died,individual
is risen, and members
lives again.on pieces together so beautifully). And to all the volunteers
www.firstchurchevanston.org.
Zoom
With hisor by phone.
rebirth, we It’s
havebeen
hopegreat
thatto themeet
forces folks and
of love, • who have stepped
Download in to read scripture,
the “GivePlusChurch” app toshare
your announce-
phone
learn about many aspects of First Congregational
compassion, generosity, and justice will be renewed. Church. ments,
and search andforsing
Firstfor us. You may know
Congregational Church that
of liturgy
Evanston means
I’m
Hereimpressed by all the workwe
at First Congregational, that’s
work being done by
to express so
these “the work of the people.” What is true during normal
UCC.
many
valuesdedicated
with our gifts people to further
of time the work
and treasure. Weofwork the church
to • times
Send an is even
emailtruer in these
to church times of pandemic.
administrator Miko FentanesIf you
and care for one another in these difficult bring God’s times. loveI tohave athave ideas or feedback you would
miko@firstchurchevanston.org like you
to help to share,
set upplease
a
a strong sense that we are pulling together the worldasthrough a church. feel free donation
recurring to do so. directly
We are from
all learning
your bankas we go forward.
account or
Elsewhere in this newsletter you ourwill find informa-
involvement creditIcard.
would like to extend an invitation to everyone to
tion about some of the things we are withundertaking
groups suchasasa join me in
Christ a “Coffee
is Risen! We Klatch” on Thursday,
express God’s August 6, at
love in action,
church. I’m excited about the newConnections Anti-Racismfor Taskthe 2 p.m. This will be an informal time to checkwith
compassion, and justice. We can’t wait to gather in with
Force that will be working to help us better understand
Homeless, Interfaith oneand
you another
celebrateandthe engage
GoodisNews.
casual conversation. Join
issues of race in this time, to identify Actionwaysofwe as a
Evanston, Inthe ZoomPeace,
Christ’s gathering at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/
church can address systemic racism, and to
Family take action
Promise, 82227173405;
Laurie Brown andthe Curt meeting
Fuller ID is 822 2717 3405.
that will join with others to seek justice in our world.
Meals at Home, A Everyone
Cochairs, will need Committee
Stewardship to bring their own coffee! Sorry
Another task force is looking ahead to planthe
Just Harvest, for us to I can’t provide that.
re-gather as a church community. The term re-gathering,
YWCA, and the Upcoming
I am always Events eager to connect with folks. If you
rather than reopening, has been chosen Childcaredeliberately,
Network of are in need
Thursday, Aprilof 1,
pastoral
6:30–7:30carep.m.
or just someone to talk to,
because First Congregational has never beenCurrently,
Evanston. closed. This please feel
Maundy free to Worship,
Thursday email meFacebook
or call. I’m happy to speak
Premiere
group is looking at policies and procedures thata will
we are doing serious by phone
Friday, Aprilor2,tonoon
set up a Zoom chat.
allow us and our
examination guest organizations
to eliminate systemic andtoinstitutional
make use of the Blessings
Good FridayandMeditation,
Peace, Facebook Premiere
buildings in a way that is responsible andmulticultural
racism in our midst and build anti-racist safe. We are Tim April 4, 10–11 a.m.
Sunday,
diversity in our church and community.
all looking forward to a day when we can resume in- Easter Worship, Facebook Premiere,
personWeworship.
also workThe to support
task force ouriscommunity
looking at athrough myriad of and anytime later online
pastoral care, religious education, and
concerns that will go into a sensible and well-thought-fellowship events.
Weplan.
maintain Saturday, April 10, 9 a.m.–noon
out The our two large
foremost and beautiful
concern buildings to to
is our responsibility Sunday, April 18, 1–4 p.m.
support our worship, our community
care for one another, especially those among life, andus ourwho are
shared space partners. There is administrative work to Beyond Diversity Training (Council, Pastoral
most vulnerable.
be done Nominating Committee, and Staff)
Undertothe sustain these activities.
leadership of the Fellowship Committee,
a group is looking ahead torequire
All these undertakings Rally funds.
Day onHence, Sunday, the Sunday, April 18, 10–11 a.m.
leadership of
September 13.First
We Congregational
are looking for iscreative
asking thatideasyou for this Earth Day Service, Facebook Premiere,
consider a special one-time donation
opportunity to celebrate our life together as a churchto support our and anytime later online
work
and in our
kick off thechurchnewcommunity
church year. andRally
the world.
SundayAtcan this
time us
of arebirth, Ongoing Events
offer time toyour renewgift our
will commitments
help bring newand life and
perhaps
invigoration to our efforts to realize the peace, plenty, Thursdays, 8–9 a.m.
become involved in new ways.
andItjustice Bible Study Group, Zoom
looks thatlike God
online and his son will
worship Jesuscontinue
intend for forourthe
world.
foreseeable future. I am very grateful to everyone who Through spring
worksAssoanhardexpression of your hope for the future of
to make our virtual worship a meaningful Spring Verse Walk, Church Grounds
Christ’s church, you can make an Easter donation
and inspiring experience. It’s surprising how much extra
in four ways:
effort is required to put together a weekly streaming
broadcast. Many thanks to David Lornson (for provid-
ing and coordinating the music that is so uplifting), Our new church sign!
Spring Connections
In this season of rebirth and renewal, we continue to
find new ways to rejuvenate our connections with one
another and spread love in the world. After a long
winter and year of being apart, spring offers new
possibilities and revitalized hope. Early last month,
youth and their families participated in our “Virtual
Youth Group” service project to cook meals at our
own homes to deliver to Hilda’s Place Shelter guests.
We found clever ways to stay connected by cooking
the same meal of spaghetti, salad, and cookie and
exchanging photos with one another, while sharing
individually packaged food with community members
to be sure we all had enough to eat. During Zoom
confirmation classes, we used technology to trace a
finger labyrinth together from a distance and learned
about religious beliefs from around the world.
While we won’t be gathering inside the sanctuary
this Easter morning, there has been a lot of activity
buzzing outside our buildings! The Worship, Music,
and the Arts Board helped prepare paper lily Art-to-Go
Kits, and the Board of Christian Education prepared
Easter bags for the kids. Greeting one another outside
as we handed out palms, kits, and bags on a beautiful
spring day brought smiles to mask-covered faces.
The Spring Verse Walk and Easter Scavenger Hunts
continue to welcome church members and neighbors
outside to enjoy springtime strolls through the church
grounds and gardens. This spring we’re finding fresh
ways to connect with one another, God’s Spirit, and
the greater community through poetry, art, nature,
generosity, and joy. What new things are this spring
and God’s Love bringing to your life?
With Easter Blessings and Spring Renewal,
Sarah Petersen, Director of Learning and Outreach

2

Maundy Thursday and Good Friday Services
Join together in our Communion Service for Holy
Thursday at 6:30 p.m. on April 1 and our Good
Friday Service of scripture, meditation, and music at
noon on April 2. Both will be on Facebook Premiere
or anytime later on our website worship page.
Regathering Collective Update
The Regathering Collective has been meeting with
hope, anticipation, and responsible care. Our
regathering inside the church is sure. It is certain.
Currently, the Regathering Collective is making a
plan and preparing information to present to Church
Council so that the decision of regathering for a worship
service will be done with informed care, patient grace,
and a clear plan. Please keep your eye out for email and
other news as we continue to collect information.
The collective’s members are mapping out the
mechanics of transitioning to indoor, in-person worship.
The members are working with boards and committees
to discern contingency plans as well, as vaccines roll out
and variants pop up. May our planning be done in a
way that leaves no person behind, for we surely want
to be attentive and responsive to the most vulnerable
around us. Thank you for your patience while we
prepare with joy for the days ahead when we will
meet safely. —Excitedly, the RGC
Spring Verse Walk
Come immerse yourself in the change of season at our
Spring Verse Walk poetry installation on the church
grounds. While you search for natural signs of spring
in the budding flowers, look for poetry that has been
placed on the grounds around the sanctuary. Read
familiar and new poems, psalms, and verses about
spring. The Spring Verse Walk may be viewed through-
out the spring on the grounds of the sanctuary,
1445 Hinman Avenue.
Easter and Spring Scavenger Hunt
Use your eyes or grab a pair of binoculars to hunt for
symbols of Easter and signs of spring popping up at
First Congregational Church. Youth, families, and the
young at heart are invited to wander around the church
grounds to see how many items you can find hidden
in the windows of our sanctuary building this spring.
The scavenger hunt will be up all through April. You’ll
have plenty of time to spread out and find the perfect
spring day to hunt with your family, or return each day
and watch the season change in our gardens.
A Scavenger Hunt item list was included in the
First Congregational Church youth Easter bags and
can be found on a sign near the Lake Street door of
the sanctuary. Happy hunting!
Easter Festival Service on April 4
Celebrate Easter with us at our online worship service
featuring festival brass and full congregation hymn
recordings with organist David Lornson, a children’s
message by Sarah Petersen, and a sermon by Rev.
Timothy Stevens. Watch the service together at 10 a.m.
Easter Sunday on Facebook Premiere or anytime Easter
weekend at www.firstchurchevanston.org/worship.
3
Annual Diaper Drive
The Mission Board thanks previous
donors for providing over 1,275
diapers and pull-ups, and asks you
to join them to help meet or even
exceed our 2020 collection of 4,000!
Participation is easy and so helpful to
many of the families of Learning
Bridge and Childcare Network whose
food assistance programs don’t cover
diaper products. Just come to the sanctuary building
between 10 a.m. and noon on one of the next two
Saturdays, April 3 or 10. Mission Board members will
be on site to greet you and thank you in person! Sizes 1
to 6 in diapers and 3T and 4T in pull-ups are easy to
pick up at your grocery store or pharmacy and will be
much appreciated.
In Memoriam
Joan Elizabeth “Jo” (Flood) Babbitt
September 29, 1928–February 26, 2021
Known to be unfailingly
upbeat and optimistic and
a genuinely caring person,
Joan “Jo” Babbitt was an
associate member of First
Congregational Church.
After moving to Evanston,
she attended services
regularly with her
daughter Beth Babbitt
Borst. She loved the
congregation, the worship, and the music and appreci-
ated the warm embrace she received and was able to
give at church. Jo was married to her college sweetheart,
the Reverend Doctor James J. Babbitt Sr., for over 50
years, and they were full partners in life and ministry.
A memorial service will be held at some point in the
future; details will be shared when available. Her
obituary may be found at dignitymemorial.com/
obituaries/indianapolis-in/joan-babbitt-10077287.

Margot C. Goode
March 3, 1937–March 1, 2021
Margot C. Goode, a
beloved member of our
church community,
passed away peacefully
after a sudden stroke.
Margot was born in
Evanston to Gordon
and Ellen Copeland.
Easter Flowers and Easter Offering In addition to her home
To purchase Easter flowers for the sanctuary or to in Evanston, she was
make a donation to the annual Easter offering, go to a summer resident in
https://onrealm.org/firstchurchevanston/give/easter. Ephraim, Wisconsin, and
she cherished time with dear friends and family in both
April Birthdays Illinois and Wisconsin. She enjoyed volunteering at the
Beth Chill Rose Geracaris Wilmette Library and at Presbyterian Homes. Margot
Mark Clifton Jillian Jarrett believed life was precious and was determined to live life
Travis Clifton Adrian Lawrence to the fullest. She is survived by her son, Scott (Debi)
Sadie Clutter Alice Lutton Mundt; her daughter JoAnn (Barry) Birkholz; and her
Gregory DeStefano Fawn Ring four grandchildren, Justin and Colton Mundt and Sarah
Miko Fentanes Sam Sprague and Eric Birkholz. Burial will be in Door County at
Lucy Fredrickson Sarah Todd Blossomburg Cemetery in Peninsula State Park.

4

A Memoir of Otto Tinzmann
Laura Wilson is writing a series of memoirs about long-
time members of our church so we can get to know more of
the wonderful stories of the congregation. In honor of his
birthday month (he was born on Easter Sunday), she begins
with this recollection of Otto Tinzmann (1923–2009).
Earlier this year, we celebrated Epiphany, “the
coming of light.” An epiphany is a life-changing
moment of understanding, often experienced in a very
simple event or image, God on planet earth.
Otto Tinzmann experienced many of these
moments in his wartime service. Like many in our
congregation, past and present, Otto served in World
War II. He shared his experiences as a pilot in an
autobiography, No One Knows My History Either.
In 1943, at age 20, Otto signed up for Army Air
Force flight training. He had fallen in love with flying
as a young boy, following patterns of planes in the sky
above his Chicago backyard. He read I Wanted Wings,
joined ROTC, and found himself flying a B-24, “The
Liberator.”
During the Italian campaign, Otto kept a daily
journal and, in the recording of details, learned about
war and about himself. “It is routine that saves us, the
details that must be served to whatever end we go,” he
wrote. “It is the endless weave of small cares that is the
grace through which all things are endured. Sometimes
they are more than the events that follow, for they are
pieces of truth beyond which are only dreams.”
Although Otto had been an Eagle Scout as a boy in
Chicago, he was not ready for December temperatures
in an army tent in Italy. Saddled with a soot-belching
stove, Otto, his savvy bombardier, and two other
officers banded together one night and scrambled
through freezing mud to the scrap heap, an off-limits
dump of discarded parts. The four bandits found a
heavy pipe to fix the stove, but during their return in
pitch dark, headlights appeared in their path. They
hid in a ditch, arms around the pipe, and exploded in
laughter once the Jeep had passed them. “It was some
elusive spirit of comradeship which had transformed a
miserable night into a shared adventure,” Otto wrote
in his journal.
He gave away the fruitcakes sent by his home
church, North Shore Baptist of Chicago, but kept a pair
of brown mittens from his sister, along with memories
of gnarled olive trees behind the army tents, the shore
lights of Naples, and the “black flower” of flak.
Epiphany does not require a war. Perhaps it does
require reflection but also a life lived fully in the present
with eyes attentive to the small moments, the child in
the lowly manger. We are lucky that Otto Tinzmann
survived World War II and lucky to have had him in
our midst. —Laura Wilson