Guest Lecturer: Rev. David Keithley

Join Ithaka Fellowship tonight at 7:00pm for an online lecture and interview on anxious and non-anxious presence and responses with our friend Rev. David Keithley. David will share his lecture and videos with us and there will also be a time for interview and questions with Duane Otto throughout the lecture.

"Anxiousness exists and even controls every relational sphere in our lives: in our marriages, our parenting, our workplace, our churches, and even in the national headlines. We tend to get swallowed up in our fear as we bow to the idols of our hearts in exchange for a little false peace and we leave a trail of sacrificed relationships and even our own sense of self to keep our anxious systems in place. With the Gospel of Peace and the Word of God in one hand and the works of Ed Friedman in the other, let's explore a better way toward Gospel sanity and Gospel love."


Our speaker, David Keithley, is the pastor of Hanna City Presbyterian. David is a true shepherd, he cares for and counsels his congregation. He is married to Jenn and they have four college age children. David also has a background in youth ministry and camp ministry. So combining all that life experience, he's a fun and engaging teacher and a compassionate listener. We are sincerely thankful that he is partnering with Ithaka to have this discussion and lecture during this "anxiety filled" time in our world.

A Few Notes On Using Zoom:
CLICK HERE to connect. Krystal will log on to the Christ Community Church of Chenoa Zoom at 6:45pm to welcome folks and give people a chance to figure out the layout of Zoom. (CCCC is hosting this lecture alongside Ithaka.) 

Zoom works best from a laptop or desktop but you can use your tablet or smartphone. If you are using a tablet or smart phone it might be best to download the app sometime this afternoon. 

You can connect from your browser, just make sure your browser is up to date and current. (Firefox and Chrome work best)

We have room for 100 guests, and we will record the entire lecture/interview to be shared on Facebook and on our website in the following days. We will not release this on a Facebook Live Video, to interact live you will need to connect through Zoom.

Zoom Meeting Address and ID:
If the link asks for a meeting ID it is listed below. (There is no password)
Meeting ID: 472 108 4625

If you have any questions today while setting up or tonight during the lecture please contact Krystal Lyon at 803-270-3055
 

Eden Regained: Your Eternal Future on the Renewed Earth With God

When:May 10th 6:30-8:30pm

Where: Christ Community Church of Chenoa

With guest lecturer Dr. Peter Spychalla


The big idea is that the current world is not just throw-away but God's mission is to renew it and restore us to our Edenic role as stewards in His image to curate this world forever. In the talk, Peter will address misunderstood Scripture, survey God's plan to restore this world, highlight our future vocation of reigning on the earth with Him, and encourage participants to treasure our world and cultivate a positive ecological vision of stewardship.

Join us at Christ Community Church of Chenoa. Doors open at 6:30pm for refreshments and fellowship and the lecture starts at 7:00pm with Q&A to follow. We hope that you will join us for this free lecture and please feel free to invite a friend.

Improving The Short-Term Missions Experience

With Guest Lecturer Krista Kuniyoshi

Friday, March 8th 7:00-8:30pm, Christ Church Youth House

If you've been on a STM trip then you have stories of your team or cross-cultural experience that you cherish. You might also have ones about something that went wrong, and we usually don't share those stories or even take note of their long-lasting effects, but there is fall-out. Can we improve STMs? What if... STMs did a good job by doing no harm, being humble and going better prepared? This lecture is for teens, adults and anyone thinking about missions work.

In this talk, Ithaka friend and guest lecturer, Krista Kuniyoshi will discuss problems with STMs and propose that making improvements is doable. The hard work will happen in the changing of our hearts and attitudes.

Doors open at 6:30pm and light refreshments will be served. If you have questions please contact Krystal Lyon at 803-270-3055.

Making Sense Of The Monsters

Friday, October 19th, 7-8:30pm, Christ Church Youth House

"What is the role of horror in culture? Generally, horror movies have been seen as exploitative and having nothing to add to the cultural conversation; but on a closer look, these stories actually have the ability to get behind our defenses and show us a lot about the world we live in. Join us as we talk about the relevance of horror - even in the life of a Christian." 

Our Lecture speaker is Rev. Tim Trouten, Ithaka Board Member, Christian Counselor and Pastor at Christ Church PCA. Tim is a devoted fan of horror films and comes with a wealth of knowledge on film and world views. 

*** Film clips will be shown, most will be at a PG13 level but we do encourage our audience to be 18 and older for this lecture.

Seasonal dessert, aka apple pie and pumpkin bars, will be served along with cider and coffee.

IS GOD MEAN?: A Look at the Apparent Genocide In Joshua

Speaker: Dr. Ken Cuffey, Urbana Theological Seminary
May 11th 2018, 7:00pm, Christ Church Youth House

Have you ever read the Bible, specifically the Old Testament and thought, "That's not fair!" or "God seems particularly tough." Do you wonder how that translates to situations in today's culture? Join Ithaka as we welcome Urbana Seminary President, Ken Cuffey, as he looks at the genocide in Joshua and dives into this difficult topic.

JON TROAST IN CONCERT

Ithaka Fellowship is proud to present Jon Troast in concert on Friday night, April the 13th at 7:00pm.

Jon is a singer-songwriter from the Midwest who currently abides in Nashville. BUT... he's about to move to our area as he prepares to marry a friend of Ithaka Fellowship, Ariana Horna. WE ARE EXCITED TO HAVE THIS DUDE AROUND B/N!

Jon takes his one man band all over America, performing in homes, churches and even on NPR's “A Prairie Home Companion”. Here's a link to his website, http://www.jontroast.com/g-ep/ listen to some of his tunes! His folk/indie/Christian music is infectious and encouraging and you are bound to leave with a spring in your step and a song in your heart! Please tell a friend and join us for this wonderful time of music and fellowship.

The concert will be at the Christ Church Youth House and a $10.00 donation will be accepted at the door.

(This donation goes to support Jon's music and work and towards the work of Ithaka Fellowship.)

Health/Wellness Panel

“Food For Thought: An Exercise In Daily Living”
January 19th 2018, 6:30-8:00pm Christ Church Youth House

Join Ithaka Fellowship at the Christ Church Youth House for a Health/Wellness Panel Discussion.

Panelist will include Ithaka Board Member, Dustin Webb, Dr. Bob Smart, Dr. Bill Ray and Rev. Duane Otto. All four of these men will discuss their our battles with health, what they learned in the process and how that story informs their lives now. Come be a part of this fascinating and life changing discussion.

Not Appropriate For Children?

Presented by Dr. Melody Green

Friday, October 27th 2017, 7:00pm

Christ Church Youth House- 1301 N. Linden Street, Normal, Illinois

Looking Closer at  Children’s Bible storybooks. Many people who grow up in Christian homes learn their “Bible stories” from Bible story books, collections of selected stories that have been retold.  The authors of many of these collections state that the changes they are making are only to make the stories easier to understand, but upon closer examination, they frequently prove to reflect the values of the culture in which the story was written, and the theology of the authors themselves. 

This presentation will discuss why this matters and how it happens, as well as looking at some specific stories—which ones get retold the most? Why? What gets added? What gets removed?

Friday, May 19th 2017, 7:00-8:30pm,

Christ Church Youth House- 1301 N. Linden Street, Normal

Feature Lecturer: Nick Thompson

Coffee As Opportunity: A look at approaching coffee as a guide to navigating culture differently. Finding beauty in details, hope in community, and intentionality in busyness. Join Ithaka as we witness how something as simple as a morning beverage can impact culture and reveal our inner longings.

Panel On Singleness & The Church Family

March 31st 2017, 7:00PM

How does the church view and care for those in their congregation that are single? Join Ithaka Fellowship in the Christ Church sanctuary (1301 N. Linden Street, Normal, IL) as we hear from a panel of single men and women in different life stages about the pros and cons of being single and being in the church. The panel will share from their experiences, discuss what the Bible says about singleness, and encourage families and couples how they can engage this growing demographic. The Panel will be followed with a Q&A and Fellowship.

By: Donna England

March 17th 2017, 7:00-8:30pm
Ithaka Fellowship, Gridley


"Through writing I have established who I am, where I came from, and where I am going. I wrote about the decade of the 1950s to encourage the younger generation to grab life with all the enthusiasm and courage they can muster and to go forward to make life better, kinder, and fun."


Donna will speak primarily about her books, I Used to Be Little, My School Days in the 1950’s and on the “why” of writing and how she got started. She also will read some selections from the books.

What Does the Gospel Have to Do with Homosexuality?

Rev. Tim Trouten

April 1, 2016; 7:00 - 8:30 PM

Location: Christ Church, Youth House

1301 N. Linden St.
Normal, IL 61761
(309) 452-7927


2015 was a year of triumph for the Gay Rights agenda.  It was also a year that many Christians went on the defensive.  But the gospel question isn’t about rights, it’s about love.  Together, let’s seek to move beyond the rhetoric and ask how the gospel gives us the power to engage homosexuality with the grace and love of Christ.

what are Friday Night lectures?

In his little book The Radical Disciple, John Stott says, “The Bible tells us that in creation God established for human beings three fundamental relationships: first to himself, for he made them in his own image; second to each other, for the human race was plural from the beginning; and third, to the good earth and its creatures over which he set them all." Each relationship was radically skewed by the Fall. Adam and Eve were banished from the garden and the presence of the Lord, each blamed the other, and the good earth was cursed on account of their disobedience.


In our Friday Night Lectures, it is our passion to explore the ramifications of these damaged, yet glorious relationships. Moreover, we are keenly interested in God’s covenantal plan to redeem and restore all three. To put it in question form: What should be our attitude toward this beautiful, yet flawed earth? How should we relate to other fallen, yet glorious image-bearers? What should be our response to the Creator? To our deeply broken and conflicted souls?

In the context of community and Scripture, our Friday Night Lectures take up the fruitful task of exploring God's redemptive love in creation, culture, and conscience. We look for the order of creation and the kindness of God as it is found in human history, music, art, architecture, literature, land development, farming, social policy, law, etc.