St. John UCC Palatine Celebrates two Birthdays

St. John United Church of Christ Palatine invites everyone to celebrate its 170th "birthday" this Sunday, June 5, at the 10.30 am worship service; the church will also celebrate the 100th birthday of its senior member, Harold Bergman.

Leading the congregation in worship will be the "Rejoice Singers," directed by Roxane Abbate and accompanied by Seth Luna, St. John's organist and keyboard player.

Following the service, there will be a chicken lunch and two birthday cakes! Everyone is welcome.

Founded in 1846 by German farmers, the church's present building was erected in 1885, following a fire that destroyed the original structure. The church's organ was built in 1885, by Emil Witzmann, and after a refurbishing in 1996, has been used every Sunday and for the many weddings held at the historic church.

lthough Harold Bergman now lives in Naperville with his son, he is in church every Sunday morning, unless inclement weather grounds him. The church will display the original record books which recorded Harold's birth and baptism. Harold was honored in 2015 as the "oldest active farmer" in Illinois.

Located at the southwest corner of Algonquin and Roselle Roads, St. John UCC will hold a Vacation Bible School, July 18-22, which will be open to children ages 5 through 9. For more information, please go to www.stjohnpalatine.org .