Spotlight on Adam Beyer

Today, meet Adam Beyer, who leads Men’s Formation at Savior. Adam and his wife Elizabeth have been attending Savior for a few years; you’ll often see their children dancing at the end of the service.

What is your role at Church of the Savior?

I oversee Men’s Formation. This is a developing ministry within Adult Formation at Savior.

Where do you live now, and where are you from?

I’m from Westfield, IN, a town just north of Indianapolis. I moved to this area in 2002 for grad school and unexpectedly put down roots here. I now live in Warrenville, IL with my wife Elizabeth, daughter Addie (4), son Isaiah (2), and our seven chickens.

What do you do when you’re not at church?

I’m primarily a stay-at-home father, but I also work-part time as an Occupational Therapist at Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital. In this season of life, caring for two toddlers requires much. When I do have the space and time, I enjoy gardening, outdoor work, home projects, reading, exercising, hiking, films, fostering community in our neighborhood, and connecting with family and friends.

What's a piece of interesting trivia about you?

I’m an organizer—I love to bring order out of chaos. I especially enjoy ordering things to facilitate function. Family and friends like to give me a hard time about this trait.

How does the ministry you lead serve the life of our congregation?

We hope to augment Adult Formation by facilitating opportunities for men to deepen relationship with other men and to deepen relationship with Jesus.

How can people get involved in the ministry you lead?

Contact me! I’d be happy to sit down for an in-person conversation to listen to you and to explore ways that you might connect in Men's Formation.

Word from Father Kevin: Jesus Will Build His Church

As a pastor and someone who loves the local church, I am tempted to think much depends on my leadership, vision, or activity. So I’ve put into my prayer journal this correction from Dietrich Bonhoeffer: “It is a great comfort which Jesus gives to his church. You confess, preach, bear witness to me, and I alone will build where it pleases me. Do not meddle in what is not your providence. Do what is given to you, and do it well, and you will have done enough.”

At Church of the Savior, let us continue as we have done for 14+ years -- confessing, preaching, and bearing witness to Jesus Christ. We can rest in the comfort that Jesus, and Jesus alone, will build his church. He loves to do that. 

Spotlight on Sandy Oyler

Savior has an abundance of talented women named Sandy: a few weeks ago, we learned about Sandy Richter; today, get to know Sandy Oyler, Savior's deacon.

What is your role at Church of the Savior?

I serve as Deacon at Church of the Savior. As such, I participate liturgically each week in the service, assist with pastoral care, and oversee the acolyte and altar ministries.

Where do you live now, and where are you from?

I live in Wheaton and grew up in Skokie, IL. Except for a brief 3-year stint in Kansas, I’ve lived all of my life in the Chicago area.

What do you do professionally?

Professionally, I’m a clinical social worker. I’m currently the Director of the Counseling Center at Warrenville Youth and Family Services, which is a branch of Outreach Community Ministries.

What is the best book you've read in the last 5 years?

It’s difficult to narrow down my favorite book of the last 5 years, but I really enjoyed Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson and Evicted by Matthew Desmond. Both books thoughtfully discuss complex social issues by following the lives of real people affected by them.

How does the ministry you lead serve the life of our congregation?

On a practical level, my ministry consists of handling logistics so that our church service runs smoothly. On another level, I hope that by preparing the altar and serving liturgically, that I contribute to creating a sacred space for our worship together.

How can people get involved in the ministries you lead?

I would love anyone who might be interested in the altar ministry to contact me. I’m always looking to add people to the team. I also welcome any parent who has a child interested in being an acolyte to talk to me as well.

Word from Mother Karen: Lesson Learned in Suffering

I wanted to share a few things I have learned about suffering over the last couple of years. I have learned more than I really wanted to… 

1. I have to really live one day at a time. I cannot fret about what will happen tomorrow or next week. 

2. I have had to learn how to rest, even when I do not want to. I have to listen to the limits of my body, which God created.

3. I have learned to pray when I can’t pray as I normally would. Some days in pain, all I can do is cry out, “Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy, Lord have mercy.” Marilyn encouraged me to pray this when I could not pray anything else.  

4. I have learned that God can sustain me through more than I thought (as an Enneagram 8, I could always tough my way through difficult situations). 

5. I have learned to humble myself to receive. I hate being in a wheelchair, but the people of Savior would rather I be present and in a wheelchair than not be there at all. I have learned how important the prayers of people are to carry me to the throne of God. To give me joy amid my suffering. 

6. I have always been sensitive to people with handicaps, but this has made me more so. Being in a wheelchair shows you places that are friendly to the handicapped through their facilities. And the way people react to you! 

7. I have learned something about worship. I pray for healing, but I have learned to be sure I am worshiping the Healer and not just the healing. At times I have wanted to beg for healing and forget to worship Jesus. 

8. I have learned to be grateful. I started a Grateful Journal and try to write at least one thing in it at the end of each day. This was really difficult when I was lying on a couch for 3 months, or when I am in so much pain it takes me a while to find one thing.

But from those learnings, I know how to pray for others who are suffering. Recently, a friend was laid up. I wrote, “My prayer for you, my dear friend, is that you will deeply rest physically. I pray spiritually you will rest in the arms of Jesus. That you will trust Him for all the things you cannot do right now. That you know you are His beloved Son even when you cannot accomplish as much as you would like. I pray that you will know Jesus even more through your suffering, but you also know the deep joy that comes as you cling to Him. I do pray for healing for you and that you have patience in God's timing (still praying this for myself). I also pray for any trauma in your soul through this harrowing experience.” 

Maybe one of you needed that prayer today.

Remembering the Light in Epiphany

Today’s post comes from Sarah Lindsay, Savior’s Director of Communications and Children’s Ministry Coordinator.

Christmas is over: the trees are down, the decorations (mostly) packed away, the excitement of new toys has worn off. And with the snow and the cold, January is reminding us that winter has settled in for an unpleasantly long visit. Even the church calendar has reset to ordinary time: a season of days ticked off the calendar between the feast of Christmas and the solemn fast of Lent.

As we readjust to routines, packing lunches, searching for lost mittens, and eating dinner after dark, the joy and light of Christmas can seem distant. But during this season of Epiphany, of ordinary days, we have a chance to continue celebrating the coming of Jesus, the light of the world. During Epiphany, we remember the ordinary ways in which Jesus revealed himself to the world: in the muddy waters of the Jordan River, at a wedding in Cana, as he preaches in his hometown.

In children’s worship, the children sing about the colors of the church year: ordinary time is green, and “green is for the growing time.” It’s hard to remember in the icy grip of January and February that growth is happening. But just as the days are slowly lengthening and the bulbs under the earth are waiting to grow again, the light whose arrival we celebrate at Christmas continues to shine. Let us take the time in this ordinary space of Epiphany to notice how Jesus is present in our world.