Pastor Rhonda Pruitt Will Be Our New Testament Reader

Pastor Rhonda Pruitt will provide the New Testament reading at the 31st annual Arlington Heights Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast on Thursday, February 1, 2018, from 7:00-9:00 AM at the Doubletree Hotel, 75 Algonquin Road, Arlington Heights (just west of Arlington Heights Road).  

The event also features a breakfast buffet, scripture readings, music by Irish Tenor Paddy Homan, and a keynote address by Kari (Tanana) Olson, a mother with an inspiring story about going completely deaf and how her faith and the community helped her as she eventually regained her hearing with cochlear implants.

Pastor Rhonda Pruitt was recently installed as Associate Pastor at Our Saviour's Lutheran Church in Arlington Heights after a two and a half-year service term as Interim Pastor. She has been focused, continues to lead, in the areas of Youth and Family ministries.

Prior to her service at Our Saviour's, Pastor Rhonda served as Associate Pastor at St. John's in Wilmette, Illinois and served in a specialized interim context at Bethany in Chicago. She enjoys connecting God's Word to modern day contexts and helping people see themselves as a part of God's living Bible through story, anecdotes and humor. She firmly believes that we are part of the continuum of God's creative action in the world and our lives will one day give witness to those coming after us as our biblical ancestors did for us.

Pastor Rhonda was educated in Lutheran academic institutions, including Gustavus Adolphus College, Carthage College (B.A.) and Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (M.Div), but credits the many experiences at camp, youth gatherings, and young adult service opportunities for helping to clarify her sense of call.

Pastor Rhonda is proud to come from incredible (and incredibly large!) maternal (Pruitt) and paternal (Graham) families, who have established her in faith, relationships, and community. The love of many grandparents, aunts, cousins, and extended family have filled her life with daily expressions of God's love and grace. She praises God for her first church home, Bethel on Chicago's west side, (the BEST side!) who helped her articulate faith and taught her to share faith publicly.

Pastor Rhonda preaches the all-inclusive love of God to people who can't live without God and to people who don't know they need God!

Rhonda is the mother of amazing seven and a half year-old twin boys Jaeden and Jahari, and one four-legged fur baby, Caleb.

Kari Olson Will Keynote Arlington Heights Mayor's Prayer Breakfast

     Kari (Tanana) Olson, a mother with an inspiring story of the power of faith in overcoming physical challenges, will be the keynote speaker at the 31st annual Arlington Heights Mayor’s Community Prayer Breakfast on Thursday, February 1, 2018, from 7:00-9:00 AM at the DoubleTree Hotel, 75 Algonquin Road, Arlington Heights (just west of Arlington Heights Road).  The event also features a breakfast buffet, scripture readings, and music.

     

     Kari Olson is a pastor’s wife and mother of three active children, ages 12, 9 and 7.  Kari’s husband Tom Olson is the pastor of The Orchard Evangelical Free Church in Barrington.  Currently, Kari is the co-leader of Café Mom, a ministry to moms in her church and community. 

     When Kari and her family lived in Arlington Heights, she was appointed to the village’s Youth Commission, where she served for six years, two of those years as Co-Chairman.  Before moving to Illinois, she worked for the Detroit Tigers’ Community Care department.  (Kari’s father is Frank Daryl Tanana who was a Major League left-handed pitcher. Tanana's major league career spanned 1973 to 1993 and he played for the Angels, Boston Red Sox, Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers, New York Mets, and New York Yankees.)

     Between 2010 and 2014, Kari slowly lost her hearing, eventually going completely deaf. She is grateful for the many skilled people in her community who have enabled her to hear again through cochlear implants and for God, who did not forsake her in this trial.

     Kari says she loves borrowing stacks of books from her local library, taking sunny walks, and visiting extended family.  She is a graduate of Wheaton College.

     Kari’s story should be of interest to anyone who is facing or who has faced what appear to be insurmountable challenges.  The prayer breakfast planning committee is especially encouraging women who are mothers to attend and be inspired.

     Lutheran Life Communities is the sponsoring organization for the Prayer Breakfast. Tickets are $20 per person or $200 for a table of 10 and may be ordered and paid for on line at http://business.arlingtonhcc.com/events/details/arlington-heights-mayor-s-community-prayer-breakfast-2018-10466.  For more information contact Chamber Staff at the Arlington Heights Chamber of Commerce at 847-253-1703 or by e-mail at info@arlingtonhcc.com. 

Irish Tenor Paddy Homan Will Sing at the 31st Annual Prayer Breakfast

     Irish tenor Paddy Homan will sing at the 31st annual Arlington Heights Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast on Thursday, February 1, 2018, from 7:00-9:00 AM at the Doubletree Hotel, 75 Algonquin Road, Arlington Heights (just west of Arlington Heights Road).  

     The event also features a breakfast buffet, scripture readings, music, and a keynote address by Kari (Tanana) Olson, a mother with an inspiring story about going completely deaf and how her faith and the community helped her as she eventually regained her hearing with cochlear implants.

      Homan is a professional Irish tenor who performs throughout the United States.  A born entertainer, Paddy adds a layer of warmth and familiarity to his performances, bringing the audience not just closer to the music, but welcomes them into a unique Irish experience. Paddy’s quick-witted, Cork humor and spontaneity on the stage gave birth to the nickname Paddy “The Show-Man-Homan.”  Homan’s web site www.paddyhoman.com provides an opportunity to hear some of his work.

     Homan says: "It's all about connecting with people, be it on stage in the songs I sing, or in trying to make a positive difference in our daily work with seniors and the communities we serve. My faith is an integral part of this.”  Homan credits his faith as a guiding light both in his own life and in serving seniors at Lutheran Life Communities.

     In addition to being a talented musician, Paddy Homan, works as the Corporate Giving / Foundation Regional Director with Lutheran Life Communities.  He is a Social Work graduate of University College Cork, Ireland, with an MA from De Paul University (Philanthropy). He has served with Lutheran Life Communities since 2011. His prior work experience includes six years in Geriatric Case Management in Chicago, specializing in adult care protection, direct caregiver recruitment, training and supervision. Prior to that, he was a child welfare social worker in Ireland. 

     Lutheran Life Communities is the sponsoring organization for the Prayer Breakfast. Tickets are $20 per person or $200 for a table of 10 and may be ordered and paid for on line at http://business.arlingtonhcc.com/events/details/arlington-heights-mayor-s-community-prayer-breakfast-2018-10466. For more information contact Chamber Staff at the Arlington Heights Chamber of Commerce at 847-253-1703 or by e-mail at info@arlingtonhcc.com.

2018 Mayor's Community Prayer Breakfast Registration Now Open!

JOIN US FOR A POWERFUL MESSAGE, A DELICIOUS BREAKFAST, AND PRAYER.

Mayor's 31st Annual Community Prayer Breakfast
Thursday, February 1, 2018   7:00-9:00 a.m.
Doubletree Hotel, 75 W. Algonquin Rd.
Arlington Heights, IL

Follow this link to register: Arlington Heights Mayor's Community Prayer Breakfast 2018 Signup