Dearly Beloved,
The 57th Annual Meeting of St. Gregory's Episcopal Church will be Sunday, January 31, 2010, beginning with the Nine O'Clock Service, for the purpose of reviewing the Spiritual and Temporal Condition of the Parish, voting on the Master Plan, and for the election of Wardens, Vestry, Diocesan Convention and Deanery Chapter Delegates, and members of the Parish Nominating Committee.
The Parish Nominating Committee will submit the following slate for election: For one-year terms as Wardens: Nuala Kurokawa and Karen Dahl to succeed David Schaper. For three-year terms on the Vestry: Marty Esgar to succeed Pat Auch, Cathy Leimbeck to succeed Karen Dahl, Donna Shelton to succeed Jim Swager, and Lyle Ten Eyck to succeed Tracy Webster-Babcock. For two-year terms on the Standing Parish Nomination Committee: John Craig to succeed Bob Kimberlin and Bonnie Travis to succeed Robin Raimondi.
Two Delegates to the Diocesan Convention and Deanery Chapter meetings are elected directly at the Annual Meeting. Having received Candidate Forms from Kathie Heidenfelder, Catherine Martin, and Ingrid Roberts, they will be the three candidates standing for election.
The Master Plan
We have been working on the Master Plan for over a year now, so I thought it would be good to review the proces to review the process which brings us to this Sunday's vote.
After lightning destroyed the old organ in 2007, our replacement property insurance provided us with the means to purchase a new state-of-the-art organ. An Organ Committee was formed to choose the best organ for our church. Chaired by Dale Nichols, the Committee included Stuart Babcock, Dori Carlson, Beverly Laurell, Robin Raimondi, David Schaper, Yvonne Sharpe, Sarah Snyder, and our Director of Music, Jim Collins. The Organ Committee also discussed whether the new organ should be placed in a new location. To read more about why the organ's placement is so important, please click here.
In September 2008 the Vestry decided to bring the discussion to the parish at the October Quarterly Meeting. On Wednesday evening, October 8, Dori Carlson, Jim Collins, Jane Hush, David Schaper, Dorthea White, Dave Wille, and I met with Bob Nikola, the President of the architectural firm Jaeger, Nikola & Associates, Ltd., and Doug Lasch, one of the firm's Principals, along with Steve Smith and David Brackley of Triune Music Company (our Rodgers Organ vendor).
In the course of that meeting, we mentioned that, for some of our parishioners, redoing other parts of the church were as high or higher priorities than the placement of the organ, so the architects proposed two options. The first was to hire them for the limited purpose of making a presentation to the parish for possible changes to our worship space to accommodate the new organ; the second was to hire them to do a complete Master Plan for the entire church building, including restrooms, kitchen, a primary entrance, as well as a schedule of anticipated major systems repairs.
On October 14 the Vestry decided to ask the Parish to vote on whether to hire the architects, and also whether their work should be limited to placing the organ, or expanded to developing a Master Plan. The Parish voted overwhelmingly for the development of a Master Plan. Soon thereafter I formed our Master Plan Committee, including Julie Ann Ariano, Nuala Kurokawa, David Schaper, Donna Shelton, Sarah Snyder, Brian Stephens-Hotopp, Jim Stone, Sybil Ten Eyck, and Dave Wille. On December 2 we had our first meeting with the architects. The first task was to survey parishioners and staff members using these forms. In the meantime, an engineering firm analyzed our mechanical, engineering, and plumbing systems. Here is their report.
On January 6, 2009, we met a second time with the architects and reviewed the engineering report, the results of our parish survey (we need a main entrance; the choir out from the chapel space; to update Founders Hall; improved restrooms; better meeting facilities; better accessibility) and an assessment of how our church building is currently used.
The Master Plan Committee also met on January 27, February, 17, and March 24. The Architects brought to each meeting several options for the Committee's consideration and decision. Given the diversity of the Committee's membership, encompassing traditional and contemporary views of church and worship, and long-time parishioners as well as newcomers, the Committee and Architects were each impressed by how quickly we reached a common mind about the shape of our Master Plan.
On behalf of the Master Plan Committee, Jim Stone presented the Master Plan at a series of parish meetings: an evening potluck on May 17, an Adult Forum on May 24, and at the Quarterly Meeting on October 18. Finally, at a special meeting on December 13, Bob Nickola and Doug Lasch gave their formal presentation to the Parish (please note especially slides 3 and 16). During the discussion we recognized some of the Committee's changes hadn't been incorporated in the drawings, so here are updated plans for the first and second floors.
As you prepare to vote, please remember that the purpose of the Master Plan is to give us a blueprint or roadmap for the future, both to enhance our mission and, in Jim Stone's words, so that "any money spent to modify our facility will make progress toward an agreed expectation, an Accepted Collective Objective."
Faithfully yours,
Annual Shrove Pancake Breakfast
and Rent-A-Priest
February 14, 2010
9:30 – 11:30 am
Founders Hall
Tickets will be on sale on Sunday
following each service.
We will begin serving at 9:30 am.
Parishioners who attend the 11:00 am service are invited for priority seating at 10:30 am.
We will not be serving after the 11:00 am service this year.
DIGITAL PHOTO FRAME NO LONGER NEEDED ! Many thanks to Dick Emerson.
OFFERTORY ENVELOPES
2010 Offertory Envelopes have arrived and are available outside the Parish Office. If you have not already done so, please pick up your envelopes at your earliest convenience.
ST. MARY'S SERVICES HOSTING RUSSIAN CHILDREN SUMMER PROGRAM INFORMATIONAL MEETING
St. Mary's Services was founded in 1887 by the Episcopal Sisters of St. Mary, and is one of our Episcopal Charities. The guiding principal of St. Mary's Services is that every child deserves a good home. On Saturday, February 6, at St. Simon's Episcopal Church, 717 W. Kirchhoff Road, Arlington Heights, will present information on the 2010 Bridge of Hope for Russian Children (BOHRC) host program. Prospective host families can learn more about BOHRC and ask questions. The program provides an opportunity for Russian orphans, approximately ages 7 to 12, to experience a summer in the United States, spending three weeks with a U.S. host family. They attend a local day camp where they can swim, play games and have a typical American summer experience. The program also sponsors weekend events that enable the children to stay in touch with friends from their orphanage and give host families the opportunity to share experiences. All children are eligible for adoption. To register or for more information, Contact Michaelyn Sloan, International Adoption coordinator, at msloan@stmaryservices.com or 847-870-8181.
AN ABRIDGED EMAIL FROM HAITI, FORWARDED BY SUSIE DUTCHER
Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,
Please let me take some time to give you some update of the situation of Haiti and your beloved partners in the Episcopal church of Haiti. God has saved the lives of the bishop, 32 active priests, 9 retired priests, 6 deacons, 17 seminarians, 3 nuns, and 4 missionaries and their families. In Port au Prince and Leogane, all structures of the Episcopal Church have been completely destroyed. We cannot evaluate how many parishioners and staff members we lost. The Episcopal Church of Haiti has set up more than 7 centers to support victims, mostly in the worst hit areas where the bishop is based with whatever supplies they have been able to receive. On behalf of bishop Duracin the partnership program and the people of Haiti, I would like to begin to thank you for your continuing prayer and assistance, especially ERD and our brothers and sisters of the Dominican Republic who share our same island home. We appreciated very strongly the sacrifices of Canon Bill Squire, Dr. McNelly and other team members who flew across the DR border to visit us.
The Episcopal Relief and Development ( ERD) is doing a very remarkable work to support Haiti during the dilemma, both with emergency support and beginning to plan to be part of the rebuilding of the Episcopal church in Haiti. ERD is working together with the bishop and a Haitian emergency commission of 15 people. Please continue to support ERD with your emergency support. Thank you all, may God continue to bless you.
The Rev. Kesner Ajax, Executive Director, Bishop Tharp Institute (BTI)
To publish your announcements, please call the office or E-mail to office@stgregoryschurch.org.
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In your prayers this week, please remember the sick, particularly Richard Nicolas, Jim Swarthout, Joshua Potter, Cheryll Johnston, Frank Podkul, Marlene Palmerson, Carol Thompson, Andrew Zint, Beverly Falbe, Chris McIntyre, Connie Alexander, Jim Slattery, David Murray, and Jan Alexandra; our companion parish in Fort Dauphin, Madagascar, and its leaders, Deacon Donné and Evangelist Tomboasy; the men and women serving in our armed forces and their families, especially remembering Pamela Aitchison, Tony Joseph Fennell, Jared Doty, Mark Kraus, Ilan Keldar, Justin Cloe, Alex Koltanowski, Richard Hayward, Robb Dunlap, Greg Hirsch, Jamie Mitchell, Chad Field, Brian Adamson, Hunter Levine, Owen Leewis, and Daniel Fitzpatrick; and the faithful departed, especially remembering Ruth Thiel and Charles Edward Thomas.
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