Bears leader to speak at Glen Ellyn Christ Church
By Hafsa Naz Mahmood | Daily Herald Staff

Published: 3/1/2008 12:35 AM

Chicago Bears fans can show support for a struggling Glen Ellyn church this afternoon by coming out to meet a member of their favorite football franchise.
Pat McCaskey, Bears board member and grandson of team founder George Halas, is scheduled to talk about football and faith during a 4 p.m. presentation at Christ Church, 625 Hillside Ave.

Church leaders are hopeful McCaskey's appearance will draw community support during a time when the congregation is trying to keep its current home.

Christ Church is several months behind on its payments to building owner Believers Stewardship Services, a not-for-profit based in Dubuque, Iowa.

Now a local Montessori school may buy the property within the week, which would force Christ Church's congregation to either find a new home or cease to exist.

Christ Church's Pastor Saul Ebema said he's excited about the special guest.

"This is a chance for the community to come, speak to us, speak to our members, connect with us and struggle with us to preserve this church," Ebema said.

Carl Cepuran, who lives next door to the church, is friends with McCaskey and helped arrange the event.

"I just think it's a unique and kind of laid-back, fun event that should appeal to young athletes from grade school ages on up to adults, really," he said.

"Anybody who's played sports could probably relate to the topic in some way."

Instead of asking area residents to come to the church, Cepuran said, it's better to host an event.

"It's not quite all sports, and it's not quite all religion," he said. "It's a little of both."

In addition to hearing McCaskey speak, people who attend can ask questions and mingle afterward.

"Hopefully, the community will be encouraged to visit the church and enjoy the event," Cepuran said.

If you go…

What: Pat McCaskey, Chicago Bears board member, talks about faith and football
When: 4 to 5 p.m. today
Where: Christ Church, 625 Hillside Ave. in Glen Ellyn
Cost: Free
For more information: Visit www.christchurchinglenellyn.org.
Dear Glen Ellyn Community,

Thank yous and good news from Christ Church in Glen Ellyn! Thanks to your help and the commitment of the audience to come out on a night when the windchill was 20 below zero, we had a capacity crowd of 120 at our presentation of “Juliet: A Dialogue About Love” February 10th. Many people were moved by the performance and we made numerous new friends for our congregation. Thanks to all who helped.

More good news – the owner of our property chose to delay the closing on the sale from last Friday February 15th with the buyers until March 7th! This means we are assured of being in our sanctuary for at least a few more weeks! This means we will be worshipping on Sundays until at least March 2nd. Furthermore, we have received an offer of support from an angel who heard about our story in the papers and we have a commitment from them to help us purchase the property in the hopes we can stay for the long haul. Please pray for us that we can maintain our home at 625 Hillside well into the future if this new offer is somehow accepted by the seller.

Finally, we have been offered another chance to do an event that will help us serve and reach out to the Glen Ellyn community! Instead of the arts though, this one has a sports theme – Faith and Football, a talk by Pat McCaskey, one of the Directors of the Chicago Bears football team and grandson of the Bears founder and National Football League founder George Halas. Pat will share his perspective on how football and all sports can be used to experience and teach others about how to walk in faith through the ups and downs of life. Please help us promote this interesting outreach event at our church at 625 Hillside Avenue in Glen Ellyn from 4 to 5pm on Saturday, March 1st. It is free, but we will accept non-perishable food donations for the Glen Ellyn Food Pantry.

Sincerely,
Pastor Saul Ebema
630-923-0004 or email at: ebemasaul@hotmail.com
www.christchurchinglenellyn.org


Faith & Football

Presented by
Pat McCaskey
Chicago Bears Director and grandson of the late
George Halas, founder - Chicago Bears & the NFL

Saturday, March 1st - 4 to 5pm
Christ Church in Glen Ellyn
625 Hillside Avenue (Hillside and Park)
Glen Ellyn, IL 60137

Website: www.christchurchinglenellyn.org * Email: ebemasaul@hotmail.com

Admission is free
(Donations of non-perishable food items for the Glen Ellyn Food Pantry accepted)

Athletes young & old, from all sports, are invited to attend + family, friends, and coaches too! Meet a member of this legendary iconic American, NFL, and Chicago sports franchise.
Hear some first-hand experiences on the topic * Ask questions
Enjoy some fellowship time afterwards with all those attending

Sports have been called a metaphor for life that can teach
perseverance, discipline, loyalty, trust, dedication, and fair play.
Football is just one sport that can serve as a platform to discuss the
many virtues and life lessons that can be learned from sports.

“No one who ever gave his best ever regretted it”
- NFL Founder George Halas


Patrick McCaskey - Bio

Education
B.A. in English, Indiana University
M.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies, DePaul University

Career
Chicago Bears, 1974 to present. Recent major roles and responsibilities:
Community Involvement Director, Special Projects Senior Director, and Board Member

Past Boards & Committees
Athletes in Action
Cabrini Green Legal Aid Clinic
Champions of Faith Luncheon (Honorary Chairman)
Chicago Bears Learning Corps
Chicago Fellowship of Christian Athletes (Chairman)
Chicago Rotary Club
Chicago Sports Teams Organized for the Prevention of Substance Abuse
Chicago Unicef
Community Youth Creative Learning Experience
Ed Block Courage Award Banquet (Honorary Chairman)
Eisenberg Boys & Girls Club
First Colonial Bankshares Foundation
Illinois Special Olympics
Lake County Special Education
Loyola University Next Generation Leadership Institute
Michigan Avenue National Bank
Notre Dame High School Dinner Auction (Chairman)
Notre Dame High School Governance Board
Saint Joseph Hospital

Current Boards & Committees
Chicago Bears Flag Football Program
Chicago Bears Outreach
Ed McCaskey Scholarship Fund Luncheon at Maryville Academy
Lake Forest/Bears Golf Day
Lawndale Community Church
Loyola University Chicago Family Business Center
McCaskey Family Holding Company
Notre Dame High School Alumni Track & Field Meet (Chairman)
Brian Piccolo Cancer Research Fund
Sports Faith International

Awards & Honors
High school: Football All-conference, All-area, & All-American quarterback;
Track and Field Co-captain, Most Improved Runner, All-conference in the mile.
Service and sports: International Charitable Order of Saint Stanislas;
USA Masters Outdoor Track 5000 meter Champion; Notre Dame High School –
Leadership Award, Distinguished Service Award, Hall of Honor, Athletic Wall of Fame

Personal Highlights
Married to Gretchen Wagle. Three children: Edward (21), Thomas (19), and James (16).