“For I know the plans I have for you , plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

This year has been unsettling in many ways. Unsettling times may cause us to challenge our beliefs and wonder where God is present in the world. Thankfully, God asks us to bring all our questions, concerns, and challenges directly to Him.

This fall, Atonement invites you to participate in The Hope Initiative. This is an opportunity for you to articulate your big questions and concerns and to open yourself up to God’s presence. Please REGISTER for this personal and interactive journey. Once you register, you will receive updates and encouragement from Atonement. Because this is designed to be relational, we strongly encourage you to ask someone to walk alongside you during this process. Atonement has a team of people who are looking forward to working with you. You can request a faith companion during registration.

We are delivering the Hope Initiative Toolkit to the members and friends of the congregation but if you didn’t receive one or need extra copies for other members of your household, they are AVAILABLE HERE. Feel free to share this opportunity with friends and family. If you’d like to know more about the origins or biblical basis for the Hope Initiative CLICK HERE. Please email or call Jennie Kramer at 847-209-2756 if you have any questions.

We pray that this experience draws you closer to God through the power of the Holy Spirit. We rejoice in our shared hope!

“May God in his mercy lead us through these times; but above all, may he lead us to himself.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer

If you have been joining us virtually on Sundays and are new to Atonement we welcome you!  We would like to help you connect in other ways if you are interested. Please feel free to email Mary Williams to learn more.

We are providing questions that tie back to the preceding Sunday's primary reading and sermon. Feel free to think about these on your own, to discuss with a family member or friend, or to use these within your small group.

Sunday, September 27

1. What is authority?
2. How does someone get authority?
3. Who’s an example of someone with authority?
4. Where do you turn to for your source of authoritative information?
5. What or who gives the church its authority in the world around us?
6. In your opinion, is the church’s authority being affirmed or diminished by its actions? Why?
7. What do you hope the church will use its authority to do in our world today and why?

Since Atonement shifted from livestreaming our Sunday worship services in real time to recording the services in advance and posting them for viewing, we have seen some real benefits. Members and friends are able to experience the service at a time that works for them. Here are some ways that you can easily access the services without waiting for the direct links.

Order of Worship (online) for September 27, 2020

August 23, 2020 Order of Worship

• Go to www.atonementworship.org. This is a very basic website that includes the videos that we have posted to Facebook, without taking you through Facebook (You do not need to subscribe to Facebook to use this site). Please note that *they appear in the reverse order that they've been posted, so the current Sunday morning service should be at the top once it's been posted.
• If you are on Facebook, "like" the Lutheran Church of the Atonement page and it should appear on your feed. *Again, most recent posts appear first, so you'll be able to see the current Sunday service as soon as it is posted.
• You can also go on YouTube and search for "Atonement Barrington." That will bring you to our homepage where all of our videos posted to YouTube appear. Again, once the current Sunday service is posted, you'll be able to see it there.

We will continue to send direct links to the worship service, as well as the order of service and any attachments for children once the service has been posted, probably Saturday evening, or possibly very early Sunday morning. Thank you for your understanding.

Dear Atonement Members, ACDS Families and Friends,

We hope this message finds you and your loved ones safe and healthy.

On June 15th we opened ACDS on a very limited basis.  In order to keep children and staff safe, please note that the church building is only accessible by appointment with a staff member.  Masks and hand sanitizing are required for entry.

While we will be limiting in-person access, our staff continue to work to bring ministries to you via social media and other virtual means during this time.  Members and friends - if you need to access the building - please make advance arrangements with the staff you need to see.  If you have urgent needs, please contact the individual staff person via e-mail and they will get back to you.

Thank you for your understanding.  We look forward to when we can all meet in person again!

1. Virtual Women's Bible Study!

Looking to connect with new or old friends?  Looking to be filled spiritually?  Join us for Tuesday morning virtual bible study.  We begin at 9:30am.  Contact Pastor Sarah at sstumme@churchofatonement.org and she will arrange for you to enter into our virtual bible study!

Join us for Virtual Creative Downtime!  If you are sheltering in place and spending time making things in your home, Creative Downtime is for you!  We are meeting via Zoom every other Monday at 7pm.  Knot, crochet, embroider, paint, sew, papercraft or work on any individual project that inspires you while discussing both our projects and our lives.  If you are looking for like minded "makers" and a community support time this is you.  Contact cbolthouse@mac.com more information.  We would love to have you join us.