Every so often the Circle Church office phone would ring and Marge will say, “Mr. Peick wants to see you.”
We used to receive these calls with some trepidation, never certain as to the exactitude of our position. But, the calls invariably accrued to our benefit.
“I think you need a sign,” Mr. Peick told me one day. And so, we arrived the next Sunday to see that permanent lettering had been painted on the door of the Union Hall:
Circle Church
Worship Services 9:30 to 10:30 A.M.
Discussion Groups 10:45 to 11:45 A.M.
“Mr. Peick wants to see you in his office right away,” Marge intoned one day. I walked to his office and was ushered into the middle of a Teamster policy meeting which took place during the latest strike. The discussion was intriguing to say the least.
The Chicago Locals, for the second time in a row, had held out for a larger salary and benefit increase than had been settled on the national level. It’s of historical interest to note that eventually the strike was decided to the advantage of the Chicago Locals. This, in turn, forced a renegotiation of settlements across the nation.
“Oh, Pastor,” said Mr. Peick. “The reason I asked you to come up here was to tell you that the organ we ordered some months back for the church has arrived and is being installed, so that you can use it this Sunday.”
This unusual relationship with the, Teamsters remained an enigma to some people. Invariably I was asked, “What do you think the man’s angle is?” My response, in all sincerity, was that Mr. Peick had a great interest in the neighborhood and wanted to encourage our efforts in that geographic location. His concern with the church seemed quite genuine.
One time, an article ran in Chicago Today about this affiliation, based on interviews with both myself and Mr. Peick. To my dismay the headline read, “Teamster Boss Gets. Religion.” Fortunately, Mr. Peick took this in good humor as the article had been written by the labor editor and not by the religion editor.
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Sunday’s coming. Do you have your sermon ready? Is it relevant? Will it effectively motivate your congregation to walk more in step with the Master? What about that Sermon Series you’ve been thinking about?
Or, if you’re someone who plans well ahead, have you asked yourself what you will preach for your Easter Sermon, your Advent Sermon, your Christmas Sermon?
David Mains and Mainstay Ministries can help. We offer a wide variety of Sermon Starters and Full Sermons that will give you Sermon Ideas to help you prepare for regular Saturday or Sunday sermons, Mid-week Bible Sermons, and Sermons for special occasions.
We also offer assistance as you create Topical Sermons, Sermons Series, and sermons for special times of the year. We have resources available to help you with Advent Celebrations, Advent Sermons, Christmas Sermons, Easter Sunday Sermons, Patriotic Sermons, and more.
For more information on how to create better Bible Sermons and how to turn Sermon Ideas into Sermon Outlines, and then into effective, meaningful Sunday Sermons, please click here to visit David Mains’ website.
You will also find a variety of resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries website. Just click here.
