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

Parish Newsletter

Dearly Beloved,    

DO YOU SEE THE (IRISH) SMILING EYES ON OUR PRESCHOOL LOGO'S FOUR CHILDREN?

That's because our Sixth Annual Auction and Irish Pig Roast was the most successful ever!

Headline: AUCTION NETS MORE THAN $15,000!

Headline: AUCTION NETS MORE ADULTS AND CHILDREN THAN EVER!

Headline: AUCTION NETS MORE VOLUNTEERS THAN EVER BEFORE!

But first, great thanks to our partners:

Auction Merchandise Source [for display cases and credit card processing];

Bridget McNeill's Grill and Pub [for the incredible Irish Féasta]

and our sponsors:

Abbey Resort & Spa;

Arthur Murray Dance Center, Lincolnshire;

Bertucci's;

Broadway Cellars;

Carmichael's Steakhouse;

Casa Bonita;

Cheesecake Factory;

Chicago Brauhaus;

Chicago Chophouse;

Color Me Mine;

Corner Bakery, Highland Park;

Costco;

Country Kitchen;

Deerfield Marathon;

Deerfield Park District;

Deerfield Tire & Auto;

Gordon Food Service;

Grand Hotel;

Huntington Learning Center;

Jimmy's Charhouse;

Lynfred Winery;

Massage Envy;

Mutual True Value Hardware;

Penguin Frozen Foods;

Roti Mediterranean Grill;

Sunset Foods, Lake Forest;

Swirl Cup;

Williams Patio Furniture;

ZaZa Salon and Day Spa, Vernon Hills;

Jaine Spellman Child Care [JJ0113BS@aol.com].

If you patronize any of these businesses, please thank them for their support!

And now an Irish Jig in honor of our amazing Auction Committee:

Ida Butler and her co-chairs Dave Wille and Chef Greg Benish did a spectacular job of organizing all our efforts. I am grateful for all those who have served on Auction Committees Past― Greg Benish, Ida Butler, Jim Collins, Marty Esgar, Catherine Martin, Barbara and David Schaper (and their son, Matthew and Scott), and Dave Wille.

I want to particularly highlight our newest Auction Committee Volunteers who brought fresh energy and enthusiasm to our hard-working Committee: Michele Appelbaum, who assembled and beautifully wrapped so many of our silent auction items; Jon Dutcher, who secured The Beggarmen as our special entertainment; Susan Lowman, Preschool Parent and new Parishioner, who helped with Sunday ticket sales and as Auction Greeter; Margo Ramtin, who was indefatigable in rounding up silent auction items and as a utility fielder, helping other Committee members with their work; and Mary Rich, Preschool Parent, who decorated Founders Hall.

I also want to thank our Preschool Board. In addition to those named above in bold italics, members of the Board include LoriLee Bielski, Mike Hill, and Preschool Director Debbie Ham-Bolger.

And thanks to those who helped in the kitchen, from pulling pork to assisting Chef Greg Benish, including Dan Appelbaum, Pat Auch, Jason Creevy, Maryellen Davis and her sister Diane, Erika Hernandez, Lyle and Sybil Ten Eyck; and to bartenders Art Bielski, John Craig, Fran Ingram, and Jim Millspaugh; and to Blanche Esgar and Mary Rich for our desserts.

Our Preschool Parents contributed as never before by purchasing tickets, raffle tickets, and donations to our baskets. Maggie and Eric Noland, Preschool Parents and parishioners, donated wine. Other wine donors included Jean Schwarz and Jean Cummings.

And once again so many parishioners came through with whimsical, practical, and beautiful baskets for the silent auction― thank you!

Finally, in addition to Director Debbie Ham-Bolger, the heroes of our Preschool are Assistant Director and Teacher Sara Lemrise, and Parish Volunteers Carol Hirsheimer, Sis Lyon, and Sybil Ten Eyck.

And here are a few pictures from the Auction:

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BIG SUNDAY COMING UP THIS SUNDAY!

10:10 AM―Acolyte training for all new acolytes will be held on Sunday, Oct 2nd, right after the 9 o'clock service. If your son or daughter is interested in becoming an acolyte please have them come by for this short training! If you have any questions, call Arch Acolyte Louis Lovacheff at 847-948-8083

ALSO 10:10 AM― Pumpkin Patch 101, presented by Youth Minister Bret Chandler for parishioners and parents who want to learn the pumpkins' provenance, beneficiaries, and youth ministry value.

ALSO 10:10 AM― The Auction Committee will debrief the good, the good, and the good, and how we might do even better, better, and better next year. If you have any ideas, come or let Ida Butler know.

11:00 AM― The Baptism of Caitlin Sara Creevy, daughter of Karen Roberts Creevy.

COMING ATTRACTIONS!

Saturday, October 8, 9:00 AM― The Pumpkins arrive

Please sign up for the Pumpkin Patch on the table opposite the Parish Office

Sunday, October 23, 10:10 AM― Intergenerational Pumpkin Decorating Event

Saturday, November 12, 2011, 5:30-8:30 PM

Hear the inspirational story of Bishop Todd McGregor and Reverend Patsy McGregor.

Learn about their Madagascar ministry reaching the poorest of the poor.

Cocktails and hors d'oeuvres will be served.

All proceeds will support this great ministry.

Hosted and sponsored by the McGregor ministry People Reaching People and St. David's.

St. David's Episcopal Church, 2410 Glenview Road, Glenview IL

CHRISTMAS BASKETS

This year about 400 more people registered for the Christmas Basket program than last year.

St Gregory's deadline for finding sponsors for our 40 families is Oct 17th.

When you sponsor a family, you are asked to spend $40-$60 per person including $15 per person with a Jewel gift card for food.

You will receive 'family information' identifying their names, gender, ages, clothes sizes, and their wishes for gifts. You will also receive guidelines for putting together your basket.

Your assistance by sponsoring a recipient is a very meaningful way to show them compassion and empathy in their struggles, and offer them spiritual support. In addition, your sponsorship helps them celebrate Christmas with gifts and a holiday meal.

If you have any questions about the Christmas basket program, please contact Cyndi Millspaugh (847-687-7355), or Dorthea White (847-946-1829).

WINTER SKIT ACCESSORIES AND APPAREL APPEAL

JOSEPH and his COLORFUL COAT (from Genesis) will be the story for the student Winter Skit, and the following items are needed: an old man's costume beard (Jacob), a large rubber rat, large burlap or plain cotton sacks (grain in Egypt), a large brown blanket or sheet or fabric (camel), and a person who can sew to add colors to the bottom of Joseph's coat. Please contact Gretchen at 847-267-1660 as soon as possible or email her at gretchen.bayer@yahoo.com if you can lend an item or help sew. Thank you! (Search your Halloween supplies― do you have anything Egyptian??)

+ + +

In your prayers this week, please remember the sick, especially Nancy Moss, Lauren and Chase Koller, Joe Hawkinson, Bob Underland, Susan Browne, Sharon Moceri, Jim Warren, Andrew Zint, Kathy Christenson, and Judy McCann;

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, Timothy Welton, Ray Creevy, Cary Clark, Mike Demmon, Ilan Kedar, Jason Greenman, Robert Steere, Robb Dunlap, Greg Hirsch, Jamie Mitchell, Brian Adamson, Bob Morrissette, and Doug Columbus.

Faithfully yours,

"Get Yourselves a New Heart and a New Spirit!"

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

My dad asked me to mow the lawn, and I said “okay.” But then I learned that there was a special matinee at the Teatro del Lago― The Lone Ranger and the Lost City of Gold! So I bicycled over to the theater and saw the movie. And I did not mow the lawn. So I have a special feeling for the second son in Jesus’ parable of the Two Sons. Let’s take a closer look:

“What do you think?” Jesus asks the chief priests and the elders of the people. “A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ He answered, ‘I will not’; but later he changed his mind and went. The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, ‘I go, sir’― notice the second son’s respectful address―; but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.”

It doesn’t matter that the first son originally said “No.” What matters is that he changed his mind and did the will of his father. And it doesn’t matter that the second son originally said “Yes,” and even called him “sir,” because later on he didn’t do the will of his father. It’s not the past that matters; what matters is the present. Jesus tells the chief priests and the elders of the people that the tax collectors and prostitutes are going into the kingdom― present tense― because like the first son in the parable, they changed their minds. And that brings us to our reading from Ezekiel (18.1-4, 25-32).

“The word of the Lord came to me: What do you mean by repeating this proverb concerning the land of Israel, ‘The parents have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge’? As I live, says the Lord God, this proverb shall no more be used by you in Israel. Know that all lives are mine; the life of the parent as well as the life of the child is mine: it is only the person who sins that shall die.”

Notice that there’s a rather gap in our reading― Verses 5-24 have been omitted. These verses include examples of righteousness and iniquity:

“If a man . . . gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with a garment . . . such a one is righteous; he shall surely live, says the Lord God.

"[But] If he has a son who . . . oppresses the poor and needy . . . [the son] shall surely die; his blood shall be upon himself.

"But if this man has a son who sees all the sins that his father has done, considers, and does not do likewise . . . but gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with a garment . . . he shall not die for his father’s iniquity; he shall surely live. . . ."

These verses from Ezekiel anticipate Jesus’ parable of the Great Judgment later on in Matthew’s Gospel (25:31): “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’”

Now let’s return to this morning’s reading from Ezekiel:

“Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is unfair.’ Hear now, O house of Israel: Is my way unfair? Is it not your ways that are unfair?”

Last Tuesday this article appeared in The New York Times, titled “2010 Data Show Surge in Poor Young Families,” by Sabrina Tavernise.

Here are some excerpts:

“More than one in three young families with children were living in poverty last year, according to an analysis of census data by the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University.

“At 37 percent, it was the highest level on record for the group . . . . By comparison, the rate was about 25 percent in 2000.

“‘Young families with children are now six times as likely to be poor as elderly families.’"

“Children bear more than their share of the burden of poverty, accounting for 35 percent of people who were poor last year, but only 24 percent of the population. . . .”

Just think: children comprise less than a quarter of our population but account for over a third of our people in poverty.

“Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is unfair.’ Hear now, O house of Israel: Is my way unfair? Is it not your ways that are unfair?

“When the righteous turn away from their righteousness and commit iniquity― like the second son in the parable― they shall die for it; for the iniquity that they have committed they shall die.

“Again, when the wicked turn away from the wickedness they have committed and do what is lawful and right― like the first son in the parable― they shall save their life. Because they considered and turned away from all the transgressions that they had committed, they shall surely live; they shall not die.”

On Friday an article appeared in the Chicago section of The New York Times, titled “Hunger in America, Visible if you look for it,” by James Warren. Here are some excerpts from it:

“. . . On Tuesday I met Rector Bonnie Perry of All Saints Episcopal Church on the North Side for coffee. The church runs a food pantry on Tuesday evenings.

“By 4 p.m., or 90 minutes before opening, 38 people were already lined up outside and 20 more were in the nave. Two weeks earlier, the pantry cooked meals for and gave out food to 406 people, a record.

“. . . figures released Wednesday by the Greater Chicago Food Depository― in the past year, 5.1 million visits to the 650 pantries, soup kitchens and shelters it assists in Cook County. That’s a 60 percent increase since 2008. . . .

“The food depository crunched 2009 census and Department of Agriculture data to discern ‘food insecurity,’ essentially poor access to food or a decent diet, or not knowing where a next meal will come from.

The depository broke down figures for every city neighborhood and for suburban Cook County. As sky-high as the city numbers are, the surprises are in the suburbs. About 11 percent of people in LaGrange are hungry or ill-fed, while the figure is 15 percent in Elmwood Park . . . [and] 14 percent in Wheeling . . . .”

“Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is unfair.’ O house of Israel, are my ways unfair? Is it not your ways that are unfair? Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, all of you according to your ways, says the Lord God. Repent and turn from all your transgressions; otherwise iniquity will be your ruin. Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed against me, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, says the Lord God. Turn, then, and live.”    

Amen.

Parish Newsletter

Dearly Beloved,

THE COUNTDOWN TO THE MOST AMAZING AUCTION EVER HAS BEGUN!

This very Saturday, September 24, we are offering a most wonderful evening. Here's the Program:

6 to 7:30 PM― IRISH FÉASTA!

Slow Roasted Pulled Pork Sandwiches, Shepherd's Pie, Vegetarian Option (made to order) Pasta Olio; Colcannon (Irish Potato Salad), Braised Red Cabbage, Assorted Kettle Chips, and Irish Pub Salad

6 to 8:15 PM― SILENT AUCTION!

7:30 to 8 PM― LIVE AUCTION!

8:15 to 9:15 PM― LIVE CONCERT! BY THE ACCLAIMED IRISH BAND "THE BEGGARMEN"

TICKETS AVAILABLE AT THE DOOR!

$30.00 per person, $50.00 for you and a friend, and $75.00 per family for a gala night of entertainment!

(And with advance registration, we'll care for your children 10 years old and under― at special family prices!)

 
 THE SEPTEMBER MANNA ORDER HAS COME IN!

 
PICK UP YOU GIFT CARDS ON SUNDAY! 

CALLING ALL ACOLYTES! 

Acolyte training for all new acolytes will be held on Sunday, Oct 2nd, right after the 9 o'clock service.

If your son or daughter is interested in becoming an acolyte please have them come by for this short training!

If you have any questions, call Arch Acolyte Louis Lovacheff at 847-948-8083

KARIN HOWARD

The Newsletter following our 2002 Fall Quarterly Meeting included this "Vital News":

"Karin Howard received the Rector's Point of Pentecost Service Award, with this citation:

'Karin Howard is hereby commended for founding the Family Support Ministry in 1983, and for faithfully serving in that ministry for the next 18 years. Karin has also served on the Prayer Chain since 1985. Karin and fellow parishioner Lin Reichenbach became the first women to receive the Anglican Communion's highest honor, the St. George's Award for service to Scouting; and Karin also received the Thanksgiving Badge, Girl Scouting USA's highest honor.'

"The members of the Family Support Ministry then presented Karin with a bouquet of flowers and cake in her honor, and announced that henceforth they would be known as the Karin Howard Family Support Ministry."

AND A PASTORAL CARE REMINDER

Before meeting with Karin's daughter Kathy to plan the funeral, I looked at Karin's parish card. There was a note attached in Carol Hirsheimer's script: "Wants Randall Thompson's 'Alleluia' at funeral." Because we knew Karin's wishes, Jim Collins played that beautiful piece as the Prelude for her Mass of the Resurrection.

St. Gregory's is able to keep any particular notes or documents you may wish to share with us, from Living Wills and Powers of Attorney, to Health Care Directives and Funeral Plans. Some of you may not know that we have a Churchyard for the interment of ashes. Please see me or Mother Meredith if you have any questions.

57 YEARS AGO NEXT MONDAY

Bishop Gerald Burrill consecrated our first and brand new church building on September 26, 1954.

St. Gregory's had 250 members, with 120 children in Sunday School.

Our annual budget was $9,600 and its mission budget was $960— 10%, or a tithe, of parish income. 

INTRODUCING OUR NEW SEXTONS AND THEIR SON

Three weeks ago in this Newsletter we welcomed Ryan and Lisa Bedtelyon (pronounced "Beddleton") and Emerson.

They are now at home in our Sexton's apartment, so if you see anyone resembling these people in and about St. Gregory's, introduce yourselves and extend your own welcome!

 

COMING ATTRACTIONS!

Sunday, October 2

10:10 AM― Acolyte Training in the Sanctuary and Adult Forum: Pumpkin Patch 101

11:00 AM― The Baptism of Caitlin Sara Creevy, daughter of Karen Roberts Creevy

Saturday, October 8, 9:00 AM― The Pumpkins arrive

Please sign up for the Pumpkin Patch on the table opposite the Parish Office  

Sunday, October 23, 10:10 AM― Intergenerational Pumpkin Decorating Event

CHRISTMAS BASKETS

Sign-up sheets are now available for our 40 assigned families― including 10 seniors.

We already have six families who have signed up! Thank you!

Did you know that . . .

• Many are single parent families, including grandmothers raising grandchildren.
• All are living on minimal incomes― or no income― and receive only food stamps.
• Many live in public housing, and some of our families are even living in shelters.

Please consider sponsoring a family and helping Cathedral Shelter provide each family a joyous holiday season.

GRATEFUL HEARTS DEPARTMENT

Ed Collins found a new internet outlet for publicizing St. Gregory's events at Deerfield.Patch.com.

Not only has he added our Sunday Services and a description of our parish; Ed has also placed announcements about this week's Troop Support Ministry Sunday services, with a request for financial and in kind donations; and about Saturday's Preschool Auction. Thank you, Ed.

+ + +

In your prayers this week, please remember the sick, especially Lauren and Chase Koller, Joe Hawkinson, Bob Underland, Jack and Jean Cooper, Susan Browne, Sharon Moceri, Jim Warren, Terry and Fran Reeves, Flo Foltz, Hope Smith, Brooke Jaeky, James Lillo, Andrew Zint, Dot and Tom Elliott, Kathy Christenson, and Judy McCann;

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, Timothy Welton, Ray Creevy, Cary Clark, Mike Demmon, Ilan Kedar, Jason Greenman, Robert Steere, Eric Cloe, Robb Dunlap, Greg Hirsch, Jamie Mitchell, Brian Adamson, Hunter Levine, Chad Field, Carl Best, Bob Morrissette, and Doug Columbus, and

the faithful departed, especially remembering Karin Howard, Judy Underland

Faithfully yours,

Parish Newsletter

Dearly Beloved,

What a remarkable Sunday of Joy and Solemnity as we began our new academic year and marked the tenth anniversary of 9/11. The tolling of our bell, the readings and sermon from that horrific Tuesday evening, the ancient litany for national emergencies and war made current with the names of those serving in our armed forces, and the special Coffee Hour cake and table settings helped us recall that evil day and our spiritual resources in the face of evil.

The Blessing of the Backpacks had its best response since we introduced it, and it was delightful to see all those colorful backpacks arrayed in such bright good order against the Altar. The sprinkling of holy water on the gathered teachers and students as a reminder of our baptism, the individual blessings, and the praying of the congregation for our schools all remind us that mission isn't only in far-off places like Madagascar― mission is right here in our community.

It was wonderful to see some 20 children from Children's Church come in for Holy Communion at the Peace, and to see all the children follow their teachers to Church School following the service.

And the immediately sing-able final hymn, a favorite of our Youth as they traveled to and from Pennsylvania on their Mission Trip this summer made for an energetic and joyous processional to Founders Hall for the annual Adult Forum presentation of the Youth Mission Trip. The slide show and music showed both the fun of their adventure as well as the distressing poverty they encountered. Each participant shared her or his experiences with incredible insight, humor, and poignancy, and the spiritual power of their time together was palpable.

A NOTE FROM YOUTH MINISTER BRET CHANDLER

"I have been the youth minister for a little over a month and it has not taken me long to recognize the gift of hospitality at St. Gregory's. From the moment Meredith and I came to visit the church to the present day, we have been overwhelmed with smiling faces and warm greetings. Not a moment goes by where we do not feel at home. More than this, everybody seems to have something they are excited to share about St. Gregory's ministry. This comes through stories, opportunities for ministry, and meaningful events that members of the congregation support and look forward to year round. It truly has been a profound experience for me and my family.

"As a youth minister, I also realize how important the welcoming nature of this church community is to the youth. They have had so much support from this congregation, and we are truly blessed. The excitement that the youth have and the commitment of the youth leaders certainly is a fruit of the hospitality at St. Gregory's. Thank you for your open hearts. Bret Chandler"

YOUTH MINISTRY ANNOUNCEMENTS!

Youth Group is operational! The youth meets every Sunday: the Jr. High from 5-6:30 pm, the Sr. High from 7-8:30 pm, and joint meetings the first Sunday of every month from 5-7 pm. Our first joint meeting was this past Sunday. Everybody is welcome, regardless of whether or not you have attended in the past. See you there!

Pumpkins are coming Oct. 8 at 9 am! Sign-up sheets are outside the church office. (And save Sunday, October 23, for the Intergenerational Pumpkin Decorating Event at 10:10 am in Founders Hall!)

CALENDAR ALERTS!

Sunday, September 18, 10:10 AM― Adult Forum: The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (Atrium) Program for 3 years through 3rd grade.

Tuesday, September 20, 7 pm― Troop Support Ministry:

    "Everyone is invited.

    "Over the past six years, Troop support has mailed approximately 6,000 packages to deployed troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. That's an amazing statistic and all thanks to YOU.

    "Troop Support is dangerously low on operating funds.

    "Each time we hold a packing night, we spend more than $2,000 on contents in addition to goods donated, and roughly $1,600 on mailing. We have calculated that when broken out, it costs approximately $40 to fill and mail each package.

    "We welcome check donations in any amount for postage and for the contents. Checks can be made out to St. Gregory's with Troop Support in the memo line. An acknowledgement will be mailed to you for all donations.

    "Goods to fill the boxes are welcome. Snack items, baby wipes, tube socks, large bottles of shampoo, gum, hard candy, cookies, drink mix packages for water bottles, AA batteries, and paperback books are still the most popular items with the troops.

    "It is our hope to be able to continue serving our deployed troops until the wars wind down.

    "We also ask that if you have put a name on our mailing list, please review it to be sure the soldier is still deployed.

    "We look forward to seeing you on the 20th. Nuala and Cissy"

Wednesday, September 21, 7:00 PM― Book Club: Bring a book or books to review and share with the group, and a list of all the evening's recommended books will be compiled for future reading.

September 24, 6:00 PM― Irish Pig Roast, Silent and Live Auctions, and The Beggarmen's Concert

IF YOU GET A TICKET FROM US, WE'VE GOT JUST THE TICKET FOR YOU!

TAKE A LOOK AT ALL YOU GET FOR JUST $30.00 per person, $50.00 for you and a friend, and $75.00 per family!

(And with advance registration, we'll even care for your children 10 years old and under for $8 each, with pizza!)

TAKE A LOOK! TAKE A LOOK! TAKE A LOOK!

TAKE A LOOK at the fabulous Menu for our IRISH FÉASTA!

Slow Roasted Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Roasted Whole Hog mixed with two sauces: Spiced Apple Cider Sauce and Jameson Sweet BBQ Sauce

Shepherd's Pie

Traditional peasant dish from the Emerald Isle: Ground lamb & beef, carrots, peas, onions, topped with mashed potatoes

Vegetarian Option (will not be available on the buffet, made to order) Pasta Olio

Linguini, tossed with extra virgin olive oil, Roma tomatoes, basil, garlic, & parmesan

Colcannon (Irish Potato Salad)

Mashed potatoes, with leeks, kale, Napa cabbage & green onions, Seasoned with a hint of nutmeg & shallots

Braised Red Cabbage: Pinot Noir braised red cabbage topped with goat cheese

Assorted Kettle Chips: Salt & Pepper, BBQ, & Plain

Irish Pub Salad

Chopped romaine, beets, egg diced tomatoes, green cabbage mixed with a tarragon vinaigrette.

TAKE A LOOK at the LIVE! IN CONCERT! performance by the acclaimed IRISH BAND, THE BEGGARMEN!

The Beggarmen will play St. Gregory's Nave from 8:15 ― 9:15 PM.

 
The Beggarmen's members include Joe and Tara Dutcher, son and daughter-in-law of Jon (Preschool Board Member) and Susie (Pastoral Care Visitor) Dutcher. You can sample their beautiful Irish music online at www.beggarmen.com.

Critics Rave: "The Beggarmen combine technical precision with a sense of playfulness." Kent Williams, Little Village; "With roots firmly placed in the genre of traditional Celtic music, the Beggarmen are excellent ambassadors for their style. This Iowa City-based quartet wield their instruments with the confidence that comes only with ability." Catherine L. Tully, Celtic MP3 Magazine.

TAKE A LOOK at the vast array of SILENT AND LIVE items awaiting your bids!

We will have something for everyone at all price points― Kids' Baskets, Things for Guys, Trips and Experiences, Dinner Packages, Spa Treatments, Sports Memorabilia, Food Baskets, Wine Baskets, and more!

2012 CATHEDRAL SHELTER CHRISTMAS BASKETS

For nearly a century, Cathedral Shelter has helped low-income families and individuals in Chicago celebrate the holidays through our Christmas Basket program. All recipients are working to make positive changes in their lives, but financial difficulties prevent them from buying Christmas gifts. Many, such as seniors without a family, would not receive a gift at all if they were not sponsored for a Christmas Basket. Giving our clients a Christmas Basket helps them sustain their daily efforts to contend with hardship by showing that others care about them. More details next week.

In your prayers this week, please remember the sick, especially Karin Howard, Beth Stockert, Judy Underland, Susan Browne, Sharon Moceri, Jim Warren, Terry and Fran Reeves, Flo Foltz, Brooke Jaeky, James Lillo, Andrew Zint, Kathy Christenson, and Judy McCann;

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, Timothy Welton, Ray Creevy, Cary Clark, Mike Demmon, Ilan Kedar, Jason Greenman, Robert Steere, Robb Dunlap, Greg Hirsch, Jamie Mitchell, Brian Adamson, Bob Morrissette, and Doug Columbus, and

the faithful departed, especially remembering Jeff Stockert.

Faithfully yours,

Ten Years After

On the night of Tuesday, September 11, 2001, we held a service here.

There was a woman in the congregation, a visitor, whose brother had been killed in one of the Twin Towers.

Before I read the sermon I preached that night, here are the two Scriptures we read:

 

A Reading from the Prophet Jeremiah [31:15-17]

 

Thus says the Lord:

A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping.

Rachel is weeping for her children;

she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more. 

Thus says the Lord:

Keep your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears;

for there is a reward for your work, says the Lord:

they shall come back from the land of the enemy;

there is hope for your future, says the Lord.

 

A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. Mark [15:25-7, 33-4] 

 

It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him.

The inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.” 

And with him they crucified two bandits, one on his right and one on his left.

 

When it was noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. 

At three o’clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?”

which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

 

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

 

I am still in a state of shock. 

 

I was watching the television when the second Tower exploded.

 

And then I saw the replay, and there was the plane—

a huge plane, banking and then flying right into the Tower.

 

Before coming to St. Gregory’s, I worked in Manhattan.

Our son James was born in Manhattan.

But most chilling of all,

Ingrid’s father used to work in one of those two Towers,

on one of the highest floors.

And we visited him there several times.

 

I had to leave the television.

The horror was too much for me.

I realized that if I kept watching, it would do terrible things to my soul.

So my first counsel: be careful how much time you spend looking at this horror.

 

This horrible tragedy, this unbelievable loss of life,

is the latest crucifixion of the Son of God.

That’s why I chose the Passion Gospel,

with its terrible cry of “Why have you forsaken me?”

 

Whenever innocent life is lost,

Jesus stretches forth his arms of love on the hard wood of the cross again.

 

As I searched for a Collect for this evening’s service,

I almost chose this one for the Feast of the Holy Innocents:

 

We remember today, O God,

the slaughter of the holy innocents of Bethlehem by King Herod.

Receive, we pray, into the arms of your mercy all innocent victims;

and by your great might frustrate the designs of evil tyrants

and establish your rule of justice, love, and peace;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

I also thought to myself, “This is the Pearl Harbor of our generation.”

 

And with that thought I had two more.

 

First, that this is a war we must win,

just as we won that war for the sake of freedom and justice.

 

But also, hoping that in our rage today,

we do not make the same mistake we made then,

when we condemned innocent Japanese Americans

to the internment camps.

 

As we pursue these evil terrorists, may our Father in heaven deliver us from evil.

 

As my wife Ingrid and daughter Karen were absorbed by the television,

I reminded them that they needed to get going to their jobs.

 

Ingrid works across the street at an elementary school

where she helps take care of kids with disabilities.       

“Life goes on,” I said, “and those children need you.”

 

When we are faced with something so overwhelming,

we must focus on the here and now.

 

God has given us tasks here,

ministries here,

people to love and cherish here.

 

And by going about our work,

we triumph in the best way over those who seek to

terrorize us into paralysis,

terrorize us into hatred,

terrorize us into becoming like them.

 

So take your anger and your rage

and your sorrow and your grief

and your fear and your confusion and your frustration

and throw it all at the Cross.

 

The violence stops there. But the crucifixion continues.

 

 

Parish Newsletter

Dearly Beloved, 

THIS SUNDAY WE BEGIN AGAIN AND REMEMBER AGAIN 

beginning again at 9 o'clock― 

Before the Nine O'Clock Service and Children's Church, Students and Teachers are invited to place their backpacks and briefcases against the Altar in a colorful display for the Blessing of the Backpacks during announcements. 

As the Nine O'Clock Service begins in the Church, down the hallway in the Christian Education Wing Children's Church resumes:

                For those of you who are newcomers, Children's Church is designed for children ages 3-8. It follows the format of the first part of our regular church service, the "Word of God," and includes a short sermon for children taken from each week's Gospel, and prayers of the people in which the children offer their own prayers. Children who can read take turns acting as leader and also read the Bible lesson. Children return to Church for the Holy Eucharist with their parents.

                Children ages 7-9 who would like to serve in Children's Church as leaders and/or readers should contact Meredith Potter or Annette Baez and sign up on the sheet which is posted outside the door to Atrium I (the room where Children's Church is held. 

After the Nine O'Clock Service, we will have a special Adult Forum― Youth Minister Bret Chandler will lead a multi-media extravaganza on this year's Youth Mission Trip. 

Also after the Nine O'Clock Service, Church School resumes for children of all ages. 

remembering again― 

Mindful of the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, when almost 3,000 people perished after hijacked planes slammed into the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, we will mark the day in word, prayer, and music. 

We will also ring our church bell as a Bell of Hope* four times each at 7:46 a.m., when the first airplane struck the north tower of the World Trade Center; 8:03 a.m., when the second plane hit the south tower; at 8:43 a.m., when a third plane slammed into the Pentagon; and at 9:10 a.m., when the fourth plane crashed into a field in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. 

Finally, Cissy Singleton and Nuala Kurokawa will host the Coffee Hour on behalf of our Troop Support Ministry. 

The following is the Presiding Bishop's statement on the September 11 anniversary. 

As we mark the tenth anniversary of the events of September 11, The Episcopal Church continues to work for healing and reconciliation. 

Americans experienced the first large non-domestic terrorist attack on our own soil that day, a reality that is far too much a present and continuing reality in other parts of the world. We joined that reality in 2001. Many people died senselessly that day, and many still grieve their loss. All Americans live with the aftermath – less trust of strangers, security procedures for travelers that are intrusive and often offensive, and a sense that the world is a far more dangerous place than it was before that day. Our own nation has gone to war in two distant places as a result of those events. The dying continues, and the world does not seem to have become a significantly safer place. 

Yet we believe there is hope. People of faith gave sacrificially in the immediate aftermath of the plane crashes, trying to rescue those in the Twin Towers and the Pentagon, trying to subdue the aggressors on the plane over Pennsylvania, and reaching out to neighbors and strangers alike on that apocalyptic day. Clergy and laity responded to the crisis in New York, Washington, DC, and Pennsylvania, and prayer services erupted in churches and communities across the nation. St. Paul's Chapel, near the site of the Towers, opened its doors to the emergency responders, and volunteers appeared with food and socks, massaging hands and praying hearts. Volunteers continued to staff the Chapel for months afterward, and prayers were offered as human remains were sought and retrieved in the ruins of the Towers. 

Church communities in many places began to reach out to their neighbors of other faiths, offering reassurance in the face of mindless violence. That desire for greater understanding of other traditions has continued, and there are growing numbers of congregations engaged in interfaith dialogue, discovering that all the great religions of the world are fundamentally focused on peace. 

The violence unleashed on September 11th and in its aftermath was the work of zealots, disconnected from the heart of their religions' foundations. 

This tenth anniversary is above all an opportunity for reflection. Have we become more effective reconcilers as a result? Are we more committed to peace-making? The greatest memorial to those who died ten years ago will be a world more inclined toward peace. What are you doing to build a living memorial like that? 

The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop and Primate, The Episcopal Church

+ + + 

* On September 11, 2002, at 1.46 pm in New York City, White Chapel Bell Foundry directors Alan and Kathryn Hughes observed a minute of silence at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, a church which had stood in the shadow of the twin towers yet somehow remained totally unscathed when they came crashing down. They were in New York to attend the dedication for the 'Bell of Hope' that had been cast at their London Foundry. For the full story, please click here. 

THANK YOU FOR HELPING AT THE COMMUNITY MEAL PROGRAM 

This past Sunday we served 68 people at the Soup Kitchen in Waukegan thanks to the good work of Ashley Babcock, Ida Butler and Erika Hernandez, Anne Clark, Pat Carroll, Bill and Janet Foltz, Lisa Halpin, Sue Koy, Diane Jones, Paul and Mary Maraist, Marilee Morrison, Barb and Scott Schaper, Sybil TenEyck, and Meredith Potter.

Thanks also to the people who provided desserts― Phoebe Caldwell, Pat Morell, Sue Koy, Sybil TenEyck, Mary Keller, Dori Carlson, Barb Schaper and Janet Foltz.

Please mark your calendars for December 11th, our next turn to serve at the Soup Kitchen.

THANK YOU FOR RENOVATING THE SEXTON APARTMENT 

Dan Aberson, David, Matthew, and Scott Schaper, Jean Schwarz― and Donna Shelton and Dorthea White who repainted the apartment― deserves our gratitude. David and Dorthea especially put in an enormous amount of time and elbow grease. Great appreciation as well to two anonymous donors who helped finance the project. 

AND WE WELCOME OUR NEW SEXTONS, RYAN AND LISA BEDTELYON ("Beddleton") and their 4 month old son Emerson who are moving in as I type this. (A big thank you to interim sexton, Matthew Schaper!) 

ST. GREGORY'S PRESCHOOL PRESENTS AN IRISH PIG ROAST, LIVE AND SILENT AUCTIONS AND A LIVE CONCERT FEATURING THE BEGGARMEN ON SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24

The annual fundraiser for St. Gregory's Preschool will take place on Saturday, September 24, from 6:00 – 9:30 p.m.

Admission tickets are $30.00 per person, $50.00 for you and a friend, and $75.00 per family.

Tickets are available following Sunday services or at the Parish Office.

Child care will be available for children 10 and under with advance registration and payment of $8.00 per child (includes pizza dinner).

Tickets for the "50/50" Raffle are also available for $10.00 each or 3 for $25.00. 

Some of the live auction items we have so far include:

• A Chicago weekend complete with chef's dinners, shopping spree, and accommodations at a loft apartment donated by Nancy and Dale Nichols.
• The two-week use of a flat in Royal Tunbridge Wells, England (during the 2012 Olympic season) donated by Tina and David Reynolds.
• A lobster feast group dinner donated by LoriLee and Art Bielski.
• Two nights at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, including two dinners and two breakfasts.

PLEASE PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS NOW SO YOU WONT MISS THESE GREAT OPPORTUNITIES AND SO WE HAVE AN ACCURATE HEADCOUNT FOR THE CONCERT AND FOOD/DRINKS. 

We are also looking for groups or individuals to contribute baskets and other select items. These were a huge hit last year.

Some suggestions for baskets this year include Irish theme baskets, electronics, sports and/or theatre tickets, movies, exercise, reading, wine, tea time, etc.

Check the sign-up sheet outside the Parish Office. Other silent auction 'experiences' include putting up holiday lights, cleaning a garage, raking leaves, planting flowers, babysitting, etc. 

Volunteers to help on event night and donations of wine to serve during dinner are also appreciated! 

If you have any questions, please contact Ida Butler at 847-736-0636 or ida_butler@att.net.

And don't forget our St. Gregory's Preschool Auction Ticket-Selling Contest!

The top three parishioners in ticket sales will be able to direct $5 for each ticket to:

1. The Marian House Debt Repayment Fund; or

2. The Family in Need Fund; or

3. A Parish Ministry or Ministries of your choice, including but not limited to the Altar Guild, the Community Meal Program, the Library, the Music Ministry, the Troop Support Ministry, and the Youth Ministry.

Eligible Tickets include both those you sell to others, and those you purchase for others.

In case of a tie, winners will be determined by the number of tickets sold to first time auction-goers, so remember your neighbors, friends, work associates, and golf or tennis partners!

PRESCHOOL MANNA TIME AGAIN! There are quite a few new vendors, like Target, Uno Pizzaria and Mariano's Fresh Market. Orders will be due this Sunday, September 11, for pick up on September 25, so please bring your checkbooks and place your orders. We will also have a limited number of Dominick's, Starbucks, and Jewel Gift Cards available this Sunday as well. 

UPDATE ON THE CONTINUING RECONSTRUCTION OF JAPAN (series resumes next week) 

In your prayers this week, please remember the sick, especially Jack and Jean Cooper, Susan Browne, Sharon Moceri, Debbie Hobbs Potter, Jim Warren, Terry and Fran Reeves, Flo Foltz, Doug Patek, Hope Smith, Brooke Jaeky, James Lillo, Andrew Zint, Dot and Tom Elliott, Kathy Christenson, and Judy McCann; 

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 David Kurokawa, Ryan Redig, Timothy Welton, Ray Creevy, Cary Clark, Mike Demmon, Ilan Kedar, Sarah Shirley, Jason Greenman, Jamie Hayes, Robert Steere, Eric Cloe, Robb Dunlap, Greg Hirsch, Jamie Mitchell, Brian Adamson, Hunter Levine, Chad Field, Carl Best, Bob Morrissette, and Doug Columbus. 

Faithfully yours,

The Greater Debt Crisis

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

A Gospel is an account of the Good News of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. So when Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John wrote their Gospels, they faced a challenge: how could they write about what happened after Jesus’ resurrection? Specifically, how could they write about the church, which didn’t exist until after Jesus’ resurrection?

Luke took the most straightforward approach― he wrote a second book called The Acts of the Apostles. Luke never uses the word “church” in his Gospel, but he uses “church” about 30 times in The Acts. Mark and John don’t use “church” in their Gospels, either. Instead, they hide some stories about the church in some of the stories about Jesus.

I suppose Matthew tried as hard as he could not to use the word “church,” but in the end he decided to use the word “church” twice― first, as we heard two weeks ago, when Jesus said to Peter, “on this rock I will build my church,” and second, in this morning’s reading, when Matthew talks about conflict in the church. Apparently the conflict was so bad that Matthew felt compelled to use the word “church.”

So in this morning’s Gospel, Jesus comes up with a strategy for dealing with conflict in the church. It’s called listening.

Genuine Christian listening, like all forms of genuine Christian love, is something we decide to do, rather than something we “feel” like doing. And because genuine Christian listening is a form of genuine Christian love, in just a moment we’ll look at what Paul says about love in our first reading.

But first, a word about the debt crisis in America.

The national debt is about 14 trillion 700 billion dollars. That’s about $47,000 for every American.

Personal debt is about 16 trillion dollars. That’s about $57,000 for every American.

In other words, the federal government is doing better at debt management than we are!

In any event, that’s a lot of debt, over 30 trillion dollars of debt, over $100,000 for every American, which brings us to the reading from Romans:

“Owe no one anything, except to love one another.”

My brothers and sisters, our national and personal financial debt, as huge as it is, is a mere drop in the bucket compared to our love debt. The symbol of our financial debt is the dollar sign, but the symbol of our love debt is the sign of the cross, the sign of God’s infinite love for us and for the world God created and redeemed, and therefore the sign of the cross is also the sign of our infinite debt of love.

And the only way to discharge that infinite debt of love is through the hard moral work of loving God, loving our neighbors, loving ourselves, and even loving our enemies. Genuine Christian love is hard moral work because it’s something we decide to do rather than something we feel like doing. Genuine Christian love is hard moral work because it depends on Christian willpower.

Let me give you three examples of our love debt:

Last Thursday Ingrid and I saw The Help. When I got home, here’s what I wrote on my Facebook wall:

“Just saw The Help. Powerful, poignant, embarrassing (too many people still think that way and act that way), frightening (too many people still suffer that way), hilarious, and hopeful. I am in awe of the people who found the courage― and the love― to fight. And grateful to Celestine and Lionel for sharing their lives and family with me, and teaching me that ‘I am kind, I am smart, I am important,’ and one other thing: loved.”

Think of your debt to the people who have loved you.

Second example. Tomorrow we celebrate Labor Day. Here’s an account of the origins of Labor Day, taken from Wikipedia:

“Labor Day can be traced back to Canada. In December 1872, there was a parade supporting the Toronto Typographical Union’s strike for a 58 hour workweek.

“Ten years later, Peter J. McGuire, co-founder of the American Federation of Labor, spoke at a labor festival in Toronto on July 22, 1882. Returning back home, McGuire organized a parade in NYC for September 5― exactly 129 years ago tomorrow. Many other trade unions across the country organized similar parades.

“During the economic panic of 1893, the Pullman Palace Car Company cut wages as demands for their train cars plummeted and the company's revenue dropped. A delegation of workers complained of the low wages and sixteen hour workdays. Company owner George Pullman ‘loftily declined to talk with them.’ [Which means, to remember this morning’s Gospel, that George Pullman refused to listen.]

On May 11, 1894, 3,000 employees began a wildcat strike, and the American Railway Union called a boycott on June 26, 1894, refusing to run trains containing Pullman cars. Many African-Americans, fearful that the racism expressed by the American Railway Union would lock them out of another labor market, crossed the picket line, which added a racial division to the Pullman Strike.

“The strike was broken up by some 12,000 US Army troops and United States Marshals, sent in by President Grover Cleveland. After 13 strikers were killed and 57 wounded, President Cleveland reconciled with the labor movement, and legislation making Labor Day a national holiday was rushed through Congress unanimously and signed into law a mere six days after the end of the strike.”

Think of our debt to the people who loved us enough to win humane working conditions.

Third and final example. The developing countries of the world owe more than a trillion dollars to institutions like the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. So each year the money that developing countries might have spent to feed their children and keep their children healthy, is spent on debt payments, and as a result 11 million children under the age of 5 die each year.

What debt of love do we owe our global neighbors?

The most literal translation of one of the petitions in the Lord’s Prayer is this: “And forgive us our debts as we have forgiven our debtors” (Matthew 6:12).

“Owe no one anything, except to love one another.”

Amen.