St. Blogory's: the internet café at St. Gregory's Episcopal Church, Deerfield, IL

Parish Newsletter

Dearly Beloved,

ST. GREGORY'S SUMMER LITURGY

During July we will be using a special liturgy at all three services. And we have lined up an excellent series of preachers: the Reverends Stacy Alan (Brent House, University of Chicago), Ken Erickson (Holy Family Ministries), and Leigh VanderMeer (Canterbury House, Northwestern University), and, making her début at St. Gregory's, Kate Elledge (from Annunciation, Gurnee).

EXTENDED COLLECTION FOR ST. LEONARD'S HOUSE AND GRACE HOUSE

Look for the boxes opposite the Youth Minister's Office. Grace House for women and St. Leonard's House for men really need bar soap and the other things on the list. Put your items in a bag with a stamped self-addressed envelope and the agency will send you a letter of thanks for your tax returns.

Yvonne and Butler Sharpe are in the process of creating a not-for-profit foundation to address the volunteer and financial shortcomings of local nonprofit agencies that exist enrich the lives of at risk children, regardless of their race, ethnic background, gender or religious affiliation.

Our foundation will work with these agencies to provide professional volunteers to fill temporary gaps in their staffing needs and financial support for Programs that align with our established goals and purpose. We are currently incorporated and registered as a Not for Profit Private Charitable Foundation in the State of Illinois. We are working with the IRS for 501c3 status.

Our initial agencies are St. Leonard's Ministries…supporting Grace House and the children of these women. We will be co-designing an after school educational program with Family Focus Our Place in Evanston this summer and our volunteers will be launching the program in September.

As we at St. Gregory's know so very well, there's no greater joy than the feeling you get from giving to others! Thanks for your help! Yvonne and Butler, and Shirley and Bob Traettino, members of our board.

ETHAN COLLINS' EXCELLENT ADVENTURE

In his Emmanuel Moment last Sunday, Ethan's dad Rives told the Nine O'Clock Service about his son's Journey of Hope across the country this summer― a journey of 4,000 miles scheduled to culminate in on the steps of the Capitol in Washington D. C. the 13th of August― and Kirsty and Rives plan to be there.

As Rives explained, Journey of Hope is a cross-country bicycle trek that raises funds and awareness for people with disabilities. After riding an average of 75 miles a day, the team members will be dancing at a friendship visit with a local group that supports people with disabilities, participating in a game of wheelchair basketball, and performing puppet shows to educate children on the abilities of people with disabilities.

The Homepage for the Journey of Hope is here, and under "Upcoming Events" there's a link to Journey of Hope North/South, June 11, 2011. Ethan is riding on the North team taking the North route through, among many other towns, Glenview, IL, arriving July 26. Stay tuned for more!

The link to the team's daily journal is here, and you can even follow by GPS!

You can follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

And finally, here is the link to the helmet cam video that one of the riders posted to YouTube!

PLEASE ENTER THE CHURCH BUILDING THROUGH THE PARISH OFFICE . . .

. . . when the Park District Scampers Summer Camp is going on between 9:30 and 3:30. They use the Kitchen door and Founders Hall, and they have lots of kids and lots going on all the time!

THANK YOU CORNER

St. Gregory's wasn't spared in the recent storms. We lost some fairly substantial branches from trees in our south lawn. David Schaper and a serious chain saw went to work to clear the debris. Thank you!

THREE MORE PICTURES FROM CONFIRMATION (with thanks to John Ward)

Bishop Scantlebury confirms Eden Bathelt. . .                            

. . . and Andrew Boutros

And can anyone name the former parishioner (center) who sings in St. Ignatius' choir? [answer below!]

+ + + + +

About our Prayer Lists: We have two main lists: our Sunday list, which appears in our Newsletters, and our Wednesday list. The Sunday list is for people who have just been diagnosed, hospitalized, or are scheduled for or recovering from surgery. The Wednesday list is prayed for at our mid-week healing service, and after up to four weeks on our Sunday list, people continue to be prayed for on Wednesdays.

In your prayers this week, please remember the sick, especially Dot Elliott, Al Hawkes, Flo Foltz, Rubin Jawetz, Ernest Shalita, Ed Karaba, Pat Fennessey, Ron Falbe, Kathy Christenson, Judy McCann, and Alexandra;

the North Team's Journey of Hope, especially remembering Ethan Collins;

our companion parish in Madagascar, Santa Grégoire, Tolagnaro, and their leaders, Rev. Donné and Evangelist Tomboasy;

the men and women serving in the armed forces and their families, remembering especially Ryan Redig, Doug Columbus, Timothy Welton, Ray Creevy, Cary Clark, Bob Morrissette, Carl Best, Mike Demmon, Sarah Shirley, Jason Greenman, Jamie Hayes, Ilan Kedar, Robert Steere, Eric Cloe, Robb Dunlap, Greg Hirsch, Jamie Mitchell, Brian Adamson, Hunter Levine and Chad Field

[the answer is Bill Todd]

Faithfully yours,

Serve Somebody

+ In the Love of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

About a year ago now I downloaded to my iPod Touch all of Bob Dylan’s songs. Many of them I had known for years, including Blowin’ in the Wind and Like a Rolling Stone and The Times They Are a-Changing. But some of them were new to me.

Well, let’s forget Bob Dylan for the moment, and turn to the reading from Romans (6:12-20):

“Do not let sin exercise dominion in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions. No longer present your members to sin as instruments of wickedness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and present your members to God as instruments of righteousness.”

Paul makes two contrasts here. The first is a contrast between the body as a whole, and the body’s individual members or parts, like the eyes, or the mouth, or the hands.

The second contrast is between sin and the instruments of wickedness, and God and the instruments of righteousness.

Now the word translated “instruments” is a military word and should be translated literally as “weapons,” like this: “No longer present your members to sin as weapons of wickedness.” In other words, don’t report to sin as your commanding officer and let him use your eyes, or your mouth, or your hands as weapons of wickedness. Instead, says Paul, report to God as your commanding officer and let God use your eyes, and mouth, and hands, as weapons of righteousness. Isn’t that a great turn of phrase?― weapons of righteousness? Unfortunately, our translators either missed or didn’t appreciate Paul’s brilliant phrasing. But Paul is about to unfold another, even more striking image:

“But thanks be to God that you, having once been slaves of sin . . . have become slaves of righteousness” for “you have been freed from sin and enslaved to God. . . .”

Here’s how John A. T. Robinson, the late New Testament scholar and Anglican Bishop, puts it in his book Wrestling with Romans (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1979), p. 74:

“You cannot serve sin any longer; it shall not be your boss. For, look, conversion means nothing less than change of ownership. No one can be a slave to two masters (Matthew 6:24). You can be an employee of two masters, you can do part-time work for each. But  slavery as Paul’s readers knew well enough . . . is total ownership. Every moment of your time is completely at the disposal of your master, there are not even work hours” (p. 74).

That’s how Bishop Robinson puts it. And here’s how Bob Dylan puts it in one of his songs which were new to me, titled Gotta Serve Somebody (Copyright © 1979 by Special Rider Music, http://www.bobdylan.com/songs/gotta-serve-somebody):

You may be an ambassador to England or France
You may like to gamble, you might like to dance
You may be the heavyweight champion of the world
You may be a socialite with a long string of pearls

But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You’re gonna have to serve somebody
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody

. . .

You may be a preacher with your spiritual pride
You may be a city councilman taking bribes on the side
You may be workin’ in a barbershop, you may know how to cut hair
You may be somebody’s mistress, may be somebody’s heir

But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You’re gonna have to serve somebody
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody

There are five other stanzas, but you get the point― “it may be the devil or it may be the Lord/But you’re gonna have to serve somebody.”

Now taking for granted that all of us here this morning are serving the Lord, take a look at the astonishing thing that Jesus says about us in this morning’s Gospel (Mt. 10:40-42):

“Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me”― that is, whoever welcomes you, or me, welcomes Jesus, and whoever welcomes Jesus welcomes the Father! Isn’t that extraordinary?

And Jesus continues: “Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward.”

In this case the translation is so literal that it’s nealry incomprehensible! What it means is this: “Whoever welcomes a prophet because he or she is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward.”

Now most people think a prophet is someone who foretells the future, but in fact most prophets do not foretell, they forth tell― they tell forth messages from God. In Matthew’s day, Christian prophets traveled all over the Roman Empire, and they needed places to stay while they were on the road. So Jesus is saying that every stay-at-home Christian who welcomes a traveling prophet will get the same “reward”― eternal life― as the prophet!

Which brings us back to Bob Dylan. Listen to this account from Wikipedia:

“In the late 1970s, Dylan became a born-again Christian. . . . [His album] Slow Train Coming . . . won Dylan a Grammy Award as “Best Male Vocalist” for the song “Gotta Serve Somebody.”

. . .

When touring from the fall of 1979 through the spring of 1980, Dylan would not play any of his older, secular works, and he delivered declarations of his faith from the stage, such as: 

Years ago they ... said I was a prophet. I used to say, “No I’m not a prophet” they say “Yes you are, you’re a prophet.” I said, “No it’s not me.” They used to say “You sure are a prophet.” They used to convince me I was a prophet. Now I come out and say Jesus Christ is the answer. They say, “Bob Dylan’s no prophet.” They just can’t handle it.

Dylan’s embrace of Christianity was unpopular with some of his fans and fellow musicians.  . . . John Lennon recorded “Serve Yourself” in response to Dylan’s “Gotta Serve Somebody.”

Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord― or it may be yourself―, but you’re gonna have to serve somebody!

Parish Newsletter

 

Dearly Beloved,

CALLING ALL ACOLYTES! THIS SUNDAY! 

My name is Louis Lovacheff, and as the new Archacolyte I will be conducting new acolyte training for anyone who is entering 3rd grade in the Fall or older.

We will be meeting after the 9 AM service on June 26th. Any parents who would like to attend are invited to join us as well.

I will have a copy of the acolyte schedule for July and August and strongly recommend that you sign your child up for at least one service during this time. Summer is a great time for a new acolyte to start serving!

Please call my cell at 847-849-6943 if you have any questions.

Thank you! Louis Lovacheff, Archacolyte 

LAST SUNDAY― AT AND AWAY AND AGAIN AT ST. GREGORY'S: 

IN THE MORNING

Erica gave an inspired and inspirational sermon, which is available by clicking here, and also on the table opposite the Church Office.

IN THE AFTERNOON

Anne Clark; Bill and Janet Foltz; Sue Koy; Mary and Paul Maraist; Karen Nicholas; Lin and Ruth Reichenbach; Barb, Matthew and Scott Schaper; and Sybil TenEyck served 73 people at the Christ Church, Waukegan, Community Meal (Soup Kitchen). Thanks also to Dori Carlson, Anne Clark, Janet Foltz, Sarah Snyder, the Schapers, and Sybil TenEyck for providing desserts. 

Our next turn at the Soup Kitchen will be on September 4th, which is Labor Day Sunday. Please mark your calendar and join us. Bill and Janet Foltz and Barb Schaper 

IN THE EVENING

Founders Hall was filled with youth of all ages to bid farewell to our Youth Minister, Erica Jeglum, and her family― Brian, Margaret, Linnea, and Elliot.  

Highlights included presentations by the Youth and by the Youth Commission, and a response from Erica and Brian.

Many thanks to all who pitched in to make the event a success and to fill Erica's purse!

Meredith Potter was our Chief Provisioner, and she and the Schapers and Soberanos set up the tables before and took them down afterward. Thanks also to our Grillers-in-Chief, Ron Martin (furnishing his own grill), Fernando Soberano, and David Schaper; to Preparations Chiefs Catherine Martin and Ida Butler; and to all those who brought incredibly delicious side dishes and desserts― and to all who consumed them― and to all those who helped clear the tables and clean up after the Picnic.

Here are a few pictures, taken by Gretchen Bayer, as the event got underway:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And here are two pictures by Bill Foltz, with some poignantly grim expressions at the prospect of Erica's and Brian's and their children's leaving:

 

 

And back to the more representative moments of celebration for Erica's five years of magnificent ministry:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PLEASE ENTER THE CHURCH BUILDING THROUGH THE PARISH OFFICE . . .

. . . when the Park District Scampers Summer Camp is going on between 9:30 and 3:30. They use the Kitchen door and Founders Hall, and they have lots of kids and lots going on all the time!

ST. GREGORY'S SUMMER LITURGY

During July we will be using a special liturgy at all three services. And we have lined up an excellent series of preachers: the Reverends Stacy Allan (Brent House, University of Chicago), Ken Erickson (Holy Family Ministries), and Leigh VanderMeer (Canterbury House, Northwestern University), and, making her début at St. Gregory's, Kate Elledge (from Annunciation, Gurnee).

VESTRY NEWS

The Vestry unanimously adopted the Diocese of Chicago's Guidelines for the Solemnization of Holy Unions. Historically, the civil status of marriage effected within the community of faith has been called Holy Matrimony. Similarly, a civil union effected within the community of faith is being called "Holy Union."

The Diocesan Guidelines are posted here as part of this week's Newsletter at St. Blogory's and in this week's e-Parish Newsletter.  

If you have any questions, please let either Meredith or me know.

PRESENT AT THE CREATION (with your help in a most practical way)

Yvonne and Butler Sharpe are in the process of creating a not-for-profit foundation to address the volunteer and financial shortcomings of local nonprofit agencies that exist enrich the lives of at risk children, regardless of their race, ethnic background, gender or religious affiliation.

Our foundation will work with these agencies to provide professional volunteers to fill temporary gaps in their staffing needs and financial support for Programs that align with our established goals and purpose. We are currently incorporated and registered as a Not for Profit Private Charitable Foundation in the State of Illinois. We are working with the IRS for 501c3 status.

Our initial agencies are St. Leonard's Ministries…supporting Grace House and the children of these women. We will be co-designing an after school educational program with Family Focus Our Place in Evanston this summer and our volunteers will be launching the program in September.

We are sharing this information as background to an upcoming event at St. Gregory's. At the request of our partners at St. Leonard's Ministries, I agreed to help them with an immediate need― toiletries for the people that live in their facilities. Our Foundation will purchase bulk supplies from Sam's Club.

We are also asking for your help. Look for the boxes and signs opposite the Youth Minister's Office. Grace House for women and St. Leonard's House for men really need bar soap and the other things on the list. Put your items in a bag with a stamped self-addressed envelope and the agency will send you a letter of thanks for your tax returns.

As we at St. Gregory's know so very well, there's no greater joy than the feeling you get from giving to others! Thanks for your help! Yvonne and Butler, and Shirley and Bob Traettino, members of our board.

+ + + +

About our Prayer Lists: We have two main lists: our Sunday list, which appears in our Newsletters, and our Wednesday list. The Sunday list is for people who have just been diagnosed, hospitalized, or are scheduled for or recovering from surgery. The Wednesday list is prayed for at our mid-week healing service, and after up to four weeks on our Sunday list, people continue to be prayed for on Wednesdays.

In your prayers this week, please remember the sick, especially Flo Foltz, Rubin Jawetz, Ernest Shalita, Ed Karaba, Pat Fennessey, Ron Falbe, Kathy Christenson, Judy McCann, and Alexandra;

our companion parish in Madagascar, Santa Grégoire, Tolagnaro, and their leaders, Rev. Donné and Evangelist Tomboasy;

the men and women serving in the armed forces and their families, remembering especially Ryan Redig, Doug Columbus, Timothy Welton, Ray Creevy, Cary Clark, Bob Morrissette, Carl Best, Mike Demmon, Sarah Shirley, Jason Greenman, Jamie Hayes, Ilan Kedar, Robert Steere, Eric Cloe, Robb Dunlap, Greg Hirsch, Jamie Mitchell, Brian Adamson, Hunter Levine and Chad Field; and

the faithful departed, especially remembering Kristie Topel.

Faithfully yours,

Parish Newsletter

Dearly Beloved,

THIS SUNDAY!

Don't forget the family picnic planned for Sunday evening June 19 at 5:30 pm. This is a special event to bid our thanks and farewell to Erica and her family. Our "grillers" will prepare hot dogs, brats, hamburgers, and veggie burgers as well as soft drinks. Please bring a side dish to share: vegetable, pasta, salad or dessert. We'll gather in Founders Hall and weather permitting some may choose to eat outside in the church yard.

ALSO THIS SUNDAY!

It's our turn to prepare and serve lunch at the Christ Church, Waukegan, Soup Kitchen. If you have not participated in this ministry before, please give it a try. It is a good opportunity to meet and get to know other people from the parish. You don't even need to know how to cook as we have experienced cooks among our volunteers. We are also looking for donations of baked or store bought desserts. A sign-up sheet is located across from the church office. If you have any questions, please contact Barb Schaper or Bill and Janet Foltz.

THANK YOU FROM THE KARIN HOWARD FAMILY SUPPORT MINISTRY

. . . to all our Family Support Ministry volunteers who support and sustain this ministry on an ongoing basis.

We are also grateful to those of you who voluntarily support each other when the need arises, without any requests going out from the Family Support Ministry.

Special thanks to Louisa Baddeley, Cyndi Millspaugh, Mary Keller and Jeanette Blanck for providing meals when asked recently.

A warm welcome to our newest volunteers Karen Nicholas, Michele Appelbaum and Margo Ramtin.

The Family Support Ministry is always looking for new volunteers to join our ranks.

Our volunteers are called upon to provide meals and other support (like driving to a doctor visit), when our parishioners are dealing with medical issues, hospitalization, childbirth, etc., etc., Volunteers are not usually called upon to provide more than one to three meals annually. They do not always have to be home cooked meals, but can be wholly or partially purchased.

We work within the constraints of our volunteers' schedules.

Please contact one of the co-chairs if you have an interest in obtaining information about volunteering or signing up for this wonderful ministry.

Brooke Fogt (847-945-1871 / brookefogt@discover.com)

Sharon Moceri (847-392-6433 / sharmo1@aol.com)

Ishani Sinnaduray (847-634-9106 / IshaniS@aol.com)

FANTASTIC NEW SIGN FOR OUR PRESCHOOL! 

Brava to LoriLee Bielski and the Preschool Board for their collaboration in developing this beautiful invitation to our Preschool "Where Little Learners Are Big Thinkers"™ ! 

 

SAVE THE DATE! LAKE COUNTY UNITED 2011 ASSEMBLY

Wednesday, June 22^nd

6:30pm    Registration

7:00pm    Assembly Begins

Islamic Foundation North

1751 O'Plaine Road, Waukegan, IL

About half way between Routes 120 & 137, on the east side of O'Plaine Road.

Key agenda items will include:

Winchester House

Mercy Housing / Grayslake Senior Apartments

Waukegan To College

Lake County Board Chairman David Stolman is confirmed to attend.

For more information, please contact Meredith Potter or Matt McDermottmatt.mcd9@gmail.com or by mobile 773-206-8292).

SANTA GRÉGOIRE, TOLAGNARO (Tow-lah-NAH-ro)

More pictures from the dedication of Santa Grégoire on May Day 2011:

The Church is filled. . . 

The Confirmands receive Communion. . .

 

Rev. Donné and Bishop Todd

+ + + + +

About our Prayer Lists: We have two main lists: our Sunday list, which appears in our Newsletters, and our Wednesday list. The Sunday list is for people who have just been diagnosed, hospitalized, or are scheduled for or recovering from surgery. The Wednesday list is prayed for at our mid-week healing service, and after up to four weeks on our Sunday list, people continue to be prayed for on Wednesdays.

In your prayers this week, please remember the sick, especially Pat Fennessey, Mary McNair, Ron Falbe, Kathy Christenson, Judy McCann, and Alexandra;

our companion parish in Madagascar, Santa Grégoire, Tolagnaro, and their leaders, Rev. Donné and Evangelist Tomboasy;

the men and women serving in the armed forces and their families, remembering especially Ryan Redig, Doug Columbus, Timothy Welton, Ray Creevy, Cary Clark, Bob Morrissette, Carl Best, Mike Demmon, Sarah Shirley, Jason Greenman, Jamie Hayes, Ilan Kedar, Robert Steere, Eric Cloe, Robb Dunlap, Greg Hirsch, Jamie Mitchell, Brian Adamson, Hunter Levine and Chad Field; and

the faithful departed, especially remembering Kenneth Charles Hudson.

Faithfully yours,

The Only Absolute Authority We Have

For this morning’s Pentecost Gospel, please click here.

+ In the Love of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

“Jesus breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’”

In a few moments we will renew our Baptismal Covenant, which begins with the Apostles’ Creed. When we say “I believe in the Holy Spirit,” we also say we believe in “the forgiveness of sins.”

On most Sundays we say the Nicene Creed, and when we say, “We believe in the Holy Spirit,” we also say the “We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.”

And every Sunday when the priest blesses the cup of wine, he or she says what Jesus said on the night in which he was betrayed: “This is my Blood of the new Covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sin” (The Book of Common Prayer, p. 363).

Two weeks ago, I introduced you to this book, Christianity Rediscovered, by Vincent Donovan, an American Roman Catholic priest who was a missionary to the Masai.

Father Donovan mentions some of the assumptions on which missionary work is built, and one of them is this: “We had to convince the world of sin, or the world would never feel the need for redemption, and the Redeemer. We had to tell them of the sin of Adam, original sin, which we all inherited, or they would never feel any need for Christ” (p. 43).

Then Father Donovan tells this story:

“While I was going about the evangelizing of these first villages, I noticed from time to time a man on the outskirts of the different communities under instruction, the same man appearing in different places. He seemed poorer than the average Masai, and he did not seem to belong to any of the communities. One day in the midst of our discussion, he asked a question. It was a simple question but it mystified me. He asked, ‘Can you people bring forgiveness of sin?’”

Here’s how Father Donovan reacted at first: “I hadn’t gotten around to forgiveness yet. . . . I was still trying to get across the consciousness and reality of sin. I thought the man was really not paying attention. I did not answer his question.”

Later on, Father Donovan learned that this man had broken a great taboo among the Masai― “So he had become an outcast, belonging to no community. No community wanted him or was willing to have him live and work with them. A man with a sin on his head would bring nothing but evil on any community in which he lived. The worst part of it was that the sin in question was unforgiveable.  . . .  No wonder he asked me if I and my people could bring forgiveness.”

As Father Donovan then realized, “That man and his people knew all about sin. What they did not know about was the forgiveness of sin. They did not even know it was possible.”

“I found out more about sin and the Masai. Some sins were unforgiveable, like that man’s sin. Other sins were not unforgiveable, but nearly so. The difficulty in obtaining forgiveness for certain sins was so great that it bordered on impossibility. The Masai had to sweat and strain and suffer to reach forgiveness, even when it was possible” (p. 45).

Father Donovan continues:

“This mighty struggle and effort of pagans to reach forgiveness touched me very deeply. It sent me back to the sources of Christianity to begin again to try to find out what it was all about. I went back to the New Testament, to the Acts and the epistles, to Peter and Paul, who were the first ones to preach the Christian gospel to a pagan world.”

And that’s when Father Donovan made this discovery:

“If you study the apostolic approach very closely, you will see that something is missing. Sin is missing. There is no mention of original sin or any other kind of sin. . . . [The] sin portrayed by the first preachers of the Christian gospel is forgiven sin. . . .

“This is good news, to the Masai, to the guilty man cast out of his community, to the sinful son and to the offending family. I do not have to convince them of sin. They know of sin. What they did not know of was forgiveness. It has touched the earth.  . . .  Sin is a conquered thing. This is a redeemed world” (p. 47).

When I was about 10 or 11 years old I was caught stealing, so my parents sent me to Father Hanner. I don’t remember at all what Father Hanner said to me, but I will always remember my walk home. It was a cold and cloudless night, with a full moon against a deep blue sky, and I felt forgiven; and I knew, in C. S. Lewis’ wonderful phrase, that I lived in a “forgiven universe.”

Years later, when I was in seminary, I went to another priest, Father Shahan, because I needed to forgive my mother for years of verbal abuse. When I got to the point where I was able to forgive her, Father Shahan said that I had to call her. But― “You can’t tell her that you forgive her; you can only tell her that you love her.”

In the same way, Jesus never said to his disciples― the disciples who had betrayed him, and deserted him― Jesus never said to his disciples, “I forgive you.” Instead he said, “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love” (John 15:9).

Jesus never said to his disciples, “I forgive you”; instead, he said to them, “Peace be with you.”

Jesus never said to his disciples, “I forgive you”; instead, Jesus breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained” (John 20:19, 22-23).

To understand that passage, we need to know the meaning of the Greek verbs. When Jesus says, “If you forgive the sins of any they are forgiven,” the meaning of “forgiven” is absolute― that at that moment the sins are in fact completely forgiven.

But when Jesus says, “if you retain the sins of any they are retained,” the meaning of “retained” is conditional, because Jesus gets the last word.

In other words, the only absolute authority we have is the authority to forgive. And in just a few minutes we are going to exercise that authority when we baptize Elliot Patrick “for the forgiveness of sins.”

Thanks be to God!

Parish Newsletter

Dearly Beloved,

LOTS STILL COMING UP IN JUNE!

This Sunday, June 12, the Feast of Pentecost, we will renew our Baptismal Covenant at all three services, and baptize Elliot Hotopp in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit at the Nine O'Clock Service. 

Please wear Pentecostal Red in honor of the Fire of the Holy Spirit!  

We will honor our high school graduates at the Nine O'Clock Service, presenting them with their autographed Bibles, and a cake reception following the service in Founders Hall!  

On Wednesday, June 15, the Deerfield Park District's Little Scampers Camp staff will be arriving at High Noon to set up and decorate the facility. They will continue set-up on Thursday June 16 and Friday June 17. The children arrive on Monday, June 20, and camp will run daily from 9:45 am – 2:45 pm for 7 weeks, ending on August 5. The staff may arrive 15 minutes early to get ready for the day and stay 15 minutes later to clean-up.

Change in Plans: There will be a baseball tournament on Trinity Sunday, June 19 so we won't have Mass on the Grass at Nine O'Clock on Erica's last official Sunday with us. But there's good news, too― Erica will be preaching at all three services, and we will have a parish-wide picnic in Erica's honor beginning at 5:30 pm! We will furnish hot dogs and hamburgers and soft drinks; please bring your most fabulous dish to share!

Also on Trinity Sunday, June 19:

It's our turn to prepare and serve lunch at the Christ Church, Waukegan, Soup Kitchen. If you have not participated in this ministry before, please give it a try. It is a good opportunity to meet and get to know other people from the parish. You don't even need to know how to cook as we have experienced cooks among our volunteers. We are also looking for donations of baked or store bought desserts. A sign-up sheet is located across from the church office. If you have any questions, please contact Barb Schaper or Bill and Janet Foltz.

Sunday, June 26, will be my last Sunday until August 7. This summer I will be vacation during the month of July.

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR NEW CONFIRMANDS!

Last Saturday Eden Louise Bathelt and Andrew Azmy Boutros were confirmed at St. Ignatius', Antioch, and each received from St. Gregory's a Book of Common Prayer complete with an inscription from Bishop Scantlebury!

Andrew and Eden presented the gifts of bread and wine. . .

. . . and afterward, we posed with the Bishop!

The sanctuary of the Church is a combination of contemporary and traditional Anglo-Catholic aesthetics. . .

. . . and the stained-glass windows came from an early nineteenth century German congregation's church in Chicago. When the new St. Ignatius' Church was built in about a decade ago, these windows had been in storage for many years.

 

Pictures by Damaris Boutros

THANKS FOR . . .

Cissy Singleton's and Nuala Kurokawa's hosting of the Troop Support Ministry Coffee Hour last Sunday and the display of honors and plaques. Art Bielski took this picture of them with the delicious cake and other patriotic red-white-and-blue serving accoutrements.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

David Schaper, who knocked away the concrete surrounding our original electrical panel to make way for the new panel which was successfully installed on May 31.

Mary Keller for planting beautiful flowers around our Church building.

And to come full circle, thanks to Sybil and Lyle Ten Eyck and Nuala Kurokawa who at this very moment are readying Founders Hall for tonight's Troop Care Package gathering!

SANTA GRÉGOIRE, TOLAGNARO (Tow-lah-NAH-ro)

Finally the big day for the dedication of the Church building arrived― May 1, 2011!

Bishop Jaona unveils the plaque which bears the name of the new congregation: Santa Grégoire, named for our parish in thanksgiving!

 

 

Meanwhile, the faithful gather for the service, or wait outside. . .

 

 

 

Next week― the Dedication of the Church.

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In your prayers this week, please remember the sick, especially Pat Fennessey, Mary McNair, Ron Falbe, Louis Schwarz, Suzie Marcus, Beth Lindell, Karin Howard, Kathy Christenson, Tammy Tart, Judy McCann, Melinda Whiting, Bill Waltemath, the Travis family, and Alexandra;

our companion parish in Madagascar, Santa Grégoire, Tolagnaro, and their leaders, Rev. Donné and Evangelist Tomboasy; and

the men and women serving in the armed forces and their families, remembering especially Ryan Redig, Doug Columbus, Timothy Welton, Ray Creevy, Cary Clark, Bob Morrissette, Carl Best, Mike Demmon, Sarah Shirley, Jason Greenman, Jamie Hayes, Ilan Kedar, Robert Steere, Eric Cloe, Robb Dunlap, Greg Hirsch, Jamie Mitchell, Brian Adamson, Hunter Levine and Chad Field.

Faithfully yours,