Dearly Beloved,
THIS SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 1st
INGATHERING OF ST. GREGORY'S FEED THE HUNGRY! MINISTRY
Please bring your red Feed the Hungry! tote bags and place them at the foot of the Altar when you come in at 8, 9, or 11.
10:10 AM— ALL PARISH WINTER SKIT IN FOUNDERS HALL!
Come one, come all!
Our 4th-5th graders will present the story of The Forgiving Father Parable, adapted to modern times.
It is sure to be a lively show!! Gretchen Bayer, Church School Coordinator
5:00 PM— YOUTH GROUP MEETS AT THE CHURCH FOR BARNABY'S, NORTHBROOK!
It's almost Super Bowl Sunday-- but not everyone wants to watch the Super Bowl! So if you're looking for something to do, come out with the Youth Group on Sunday evening. We'll enjoy dinner and games, and plan to be back by 7 pm.
Congratulations to our re-elected Wardens, Jon Dutcher and Cherie Thompson, and our newly-elected Vestry members Annette Baez, Jim Millspaugh, Marty Esgar, and Sarah Snyder; Standing Parish Nomination Committee members Julie Ann and Andrea Bozzano; and Delegates to the Diocesan Convention, Susan Zint and Bret Chandler.
2015 TEMPORAL CONDITION OF THE PARISH:
The Wardens' Report to the Annual Meeting - January 25, 2015
2014 was a solid year for St. Gregory's. The temporal condition of the parish is good and your Vestry has laid a foundation for the upcoming transition for a new rector.
First, a brief overview of our financial condition.
As reported to the Vestry in our January meeting, our 2014 budget performance exceeded expectations.
On the income side, we received about $20,000 more than anticipated, with pledge income of approximately $11,000 more than budgeted. We thank all of our parishioners for their generosity and for meeting their 2014 pledge commitments!
In conjunction with the good news on income, we underspent on expenses by approximately $18,000. We thank the staff and our volunteers for their diligent assistance in managing our expenses!
In all, we had a budget surplus of more than $23,000 for 2014. This surplus has been placed in our 2015 Contingency Fund to help offset transition costs and fluctuations in 2015 income.
Our 2015 Stewardship Campaign is running slightly ahead of last year, but we still need to "close" with several individuals and families to ensure that we can balance our 2015 budget.
At our Vestry Retreat last February and in line with the 2013 Wardens' Report, we realized that our focus in 2014 needed to be on preparation for transition. In that regard, we accomplished the following:
1. Hired an outside bookkeeping service
2. Appointed a new Treasurer and created the position of Associate Treasurer. This will provide a succession path for the Treasurer function in the future.
3. Hired a Parish Administrator
4. Approved the purchase and installation of new financial and membership software
5. Established contact and a working relationship with the Diocese of Chicago regarding the hiring of an interim rector and the process for the search and hiring of a new permanent rector
6. Approved use of Endowment Fund income for maintenance needs in the Rectory and Rector's office
We thank the 2014 Vestry members, especially those who are rotating off the Vestry: Jim Swager, Michele Appelbaum, Ron Falbe, and Pat Auch. We also welcome the new 2015 Vestry members taking their place: Jim Millspaugh, Annette Baez, Marty Esgar, and Sarah Snyder.
It will be an exciting and challenging time for the 2015 Vestry. It's been 28 years since a Vestry at St. Gregory's embarked on a search process. As we look to our Vestry retreat, here are a few of the interim goals we need to address:
1. Continue working with the Diocese to identify and hire an Interim Rector
2. Establish and support a Transition Team to properly say farewell to Father Roberts and Ingrid, as well as to welcome the Interim Rector
3. Establish and support a Rector Search Committee
4. Ensure a smooth and productive working relationship with the Interim Rector, the Vestry and all the support committees and activities
5. Meet all our other normal Vestry commitments
We ask for your prayers and thank you for your support. Jon Dutcher and Cherie Thompson.
2015 SPIRITUAL CONDITION OF THE PARISH:
The Rector's Report to the Annual Meeting
In my Report on the Spiritual Condition of the Parish three years ago, I outlined what the parish needed to accomplish before my retirement in order to be attractive to an eager, relatively young priest, with sufficient prior experience to serve a parish of this size.
First, in the area of Staffing and Compensation, I mentioned the need for a paid Parish Administrator, a paid Bookkeeper, and a formal mechanism to review salaries annually after a four-year drought in any salary increases for the Rector, Director of Music Ministries, or Youth Minister.
Second, in the area of Giving and Stewardship, I mentioned the need for a stewardship committee responsible for bringing our financial needs to the parish's attention, running our annual Giving Campaign, and addressing our larger capital giving needs
Third, in the area of Spiritual Renewal, I mentioned the need for a more intentional approach to spiritual growth, because "Nothing can be more important in the life of a parish than its spiritual growth in Love of God, Love of Others, Reflection on Scripture, Prayer, and Serving those in Need."
Thanks to renewed Vestry leadership over the past three years, we now have a new Parish Administrator, a new Bookkeeper, a formal mechanism to review salaries annually, a Vestry Committee on Stewardship, a Spiritual Growth Team, and new levels of participation in Reflecting on Scripture and Serving those in Need.
In short, St. Gregory's is once again an attractive parish on a strong course for an exciting and successful transition to a new Rector.
Dee West is our new Treasurer, and Dan Dorsey is our new Bookkeeper, so at this point I want to acknowledge that it took two people to replace Dorthea White, who has been our Treasurer and Bookkeeper over the past six years, so please join me in thanking Dorthea for the positive contributions she has given our parish over these years.
I also want to thank our Parish Office Volunteers who served so selflessly and so well during the past several years: Catherine Martin, Cathy Leimbeck, Donna Hicks, Jane Hush, Jim Mortell, Margo Ramtin, and Melly Peterson.
Three years ago, Susie Dutcher was our only Pastoral Care Visitor trained at the Episcopal Bishop Anderson House at Rush-Presbyterian Hospital. Now our Pastoral Care Team includes Judy McCann, Leigh Stewart, and Pat Auch, and as a result we are visiting our homebound and hospitalized parishioners more often. Sue Koy also makes a weekly call on one of our homebound parishioners.
We are blessed at St. Gregory's
with a spiritual musician equally at home with Rock and Rock of Ages;
with a youth minister equally at home with pumpkins, popcorn, and pizza, and pilgrimages to poverty-stricken places;
with a supposedly-retired vicar equally at home with midweek Communion services, Lake County civic leaders, and computer troubleshooting; and
with a volunteer church school coordinator equally at home with producing scholars and skits, and encouraging talent and teachers.
We are also blessed by an Altar Guild that week in and week out arrives earlier than the clergy and often stays later in order that, as the Psalmist says, we may "worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness" (Psalms 29:2 and 96:9).
As I hope you all know, parishioners provide the flowers for the altar, usually in thanksgiving for a birth, or birthday, or wedding, or anniversary. As I hope you also know, parishioners who are in hospital, or in a rehabilitation center, or homebound, often receive these flowers.
Sometimes the parishioners who provide the Sunday flowers aren't able to worship and see their flower arrangements. So last year Marilyn Knilans began taking pictures of our altar flowers and sending them to parishioners who donated them. Yesterday, at the Altar Guild's winter meeting in Fran Cook's home, Marilyn showed us this display of arrangements. Marilyn read some of the thank you notes from delighted donors.
I invite and encourage every woman in our parish to consider joining the Altar Guild. It is one of our most important ministries, and one which benefits all of us. Please see me if you are interested, or speak to any Altar Guild member.
Our more intentional approach to spiritual growth in "Love of God, Love of Others, Reflection on Scripture, Prayer, and Serving those in Need," continued last year.
The Spiritual Growth Team— Annette Baez, Bonnie Travis, Bret Chandler, Dave Rion, Fran Ingram, Mary Furbish, Mary Keller, Meredith Potter, Michele Appelbaum, Nancy Buller, Scott Elliott, and Susie Dutcher— was augmented by members of the Vestry's Spiritual Growth Committee: Fran Ingram, Pat Auch, and Tracy Webster-Babcock.
In October, the Spiritual Growth Team held its second Parish Retreat, titled "Getting to Know." We had three workshops: Getting to Know Oneself; Getting to Know Your Community; and Getting to Know God. And once again we had overwhelmingly positive responses by those who attended the retreat.
And the Vestry's Spiritual Growth Committee developed two ideas which they and the Spiritual Growth Team will offer this year:
On Sunday, February 8 at 4 o'clock, in an all-parish event co-sponsored by the Youth Ministry, we will show a film on Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the Lutheran pastor who witnessed unto death during World War II; and
Beginning on Sunday, February 22, at the Adult Forum, we will begin a Lenten series on our Baptismal Covenant.
Many parishioners also participated in our BASIC Program— Bill's Advent Scripture Invitational Challenge to spend 15 minutes in your Bible Chair or Bible Corner, Before Christ.
Some of our newer parishioners may not know that we tithe as a parish. In other words, we give 10% of our income to ministries, missions, and missionaries beyond our four walls.
And it's the Missions Board that discerns which ministries, missions, and missionaries we will support.
This year three new members joined the Missions Board— David Schaper, Jean Schwarz, and Nancy Buller— and I hope more of you will wish to join us this year.
At the center of your Annual Meeting Booklet— which is a wonderful symbol for how central our giving beyond ourselves is— you will find the ministries and missionaries we supported last year.
One of the Missions Board's commitments is to our companion parish, Santa Grégoire, in Tolagnaro, Madagascar, which Meredith Potter, Jean Schwarz, and Sarah Snyder and I visited last August, and next Sunday, when the Missions Board meets at 1:30 pm in the Library, we will consider our response to the devastation of Cyclone Chedza.
Another sign of spiritual renewal is the emergence of vocations to ordained ministry.
Bret Chandler and his discernment committee continued to support his call to the Priesthood, and last year Bret served as one of our delegates to Diocesan Convention, and he is organizing a convocation of local Episcopal youth ministers to explore ways to collaborate in their work.
And Ida Butler, whose discernment committee formed with an eye to her call to the diaconate, has discerned instead a call to the Priesthood.
Please continue to pray for Bret and Meredith Chandler, and for Ida Butler and her son Lukas, and for their discernment committees.
Finally, our dialogue sermons, more and more parishioners are participating in sermons that are based not on my guessing what might intrigue, puzzle, or inspire you, but on what actually intrigues, puzzles, or inspires you.
In last Sunday's reading from the Old Testament, Samuel, a young boy who is serving the priest Eli in the Temple, hears someone calling him, "Samuel, Samuel."
Samuel thinks that it's Eli who's calling him, and three times he runs to Eli and says, "Here I am, for you called me." And three times Eli sends him back. Finally, Eli gets it— it's the Lord who's calling Samuel. And so he tells Samuel, "the next time you hear someone calling you, say, "Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening."
I told each congregation that this passage from the First Book of Samuel, Chapter 3, is almost always used by retreat leaders to encourage those who are on retreat to begin their time of silence before God by saying, "Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening."
And so I suggested that, at the beginning of the one minute of silence after the sermon, which is now so well established, they should say, "Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening."
On Tuesday, Peggi Adams sent me this email:
"After your sermon the other day, and for our minute sit, you told us to ask God to let us know what our calling was, or words to that effect. As soon as you sat and we all got quiet, loud and clear in my mind was 'feed my children.' Feed His children, first thing that came to my mind as if He was sitting right next to me! If that's not a call, I have no idea what one is then! So that's my call and it has a vibe with me for sure, so I am looking into what I can do along those lines. I am going to contact our food pantry out here and see what I can do, and any other sources I can find. I can't fund them of course, but I can sure open my mouth and get donations. "So I just thought you might get a kick out of this. I don't hear His voice real often, once in a while, but this was shouting at me!"
And so I conclude my Report as I have every one of these past 26 Annual Meetings:
"Glory to God whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine. Glory to God from generation to generation in the Church, and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever. Amen" [Ephesians 3:20-21].
For a link to The 62nd Annual Meeting booklet, with the Agenda and Staff Reports, please click here.
For a link to The Buildings and Grounds Management Team Annual Report, please click here.
A MESSAGE FROM BISHOP TODD McGREGOR, BISHOP OF THE DIOCESE OF TOLIARA
EKLESIA ANGLIKANA AO AMIN'NY RANOMASINABE INDIANA
EKLESIA EPISKOPALY MALAGASY
DIOSESIN`I TOLIARA
January 22, 2015
Cyclone Chedza hit our Diocese last week in the Morondava area on the western side of Madagascar, about 300 miles north of Toliara where Patsy and I live. As one of the largest seaport cities in the Diocese, the heavy rains, flooding and wind caused considerable damage throughout the whole island.
It is reported now that that at least 47 people were killed by cyclone Chedza, 120,000 people affected by floods due to heavy rainfall and at least 52,936 have been displaced.85% of the city of Morondava is underwater. The Malagasy Minister of Education reports damage to 157 primary schools, 14 colleges and five high schools.
Our local report from Rev. Lova, the Dean of Morondava, accounts of no electricity since 16th of January and food prices have skyrocketed.
Displaced from their own homes, thirty people have found refuge in one of our churches just outside of Morondava.
Rev. Lova confirmed spoiled agricultural terrain, specifically the rice fields, adding to the calamity because Morondava is the largest rice-growing district for the west.
My heart cries for the Malagasy people. Life is so hard already and now a cyclone hits it once again. The Diocese of Toliara is operating cyclone relief and needs your support for emergency assistance totaling $59,000.
The Missions Board will consider our response this Sunday at 1:30 pm in the Library. Bill Roberts
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 1:30 PM: WALKING TOWARD PROSPERITY— NEXT STEPS
Please join us at St. Michael's Episcopal Church, 647 Dundee Avenue in Barrington, for a round table discussion among the churches that were involved in Deacon Lou Ness' "March to Washington to End Poverty." The purpose of the gathering is Deepen Our Learning/Forward the Action
How do we end poverty? One person at a time. I hope you will attend this meeting and bring others with you – expand people and bring them into the conversation.
We will start and end on time at 4:00 pm. Refreshments and beverages will be served (no lunch).
For information, call Lou at Shelter Care: 815-964-5520.
NEXT SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 8
10:10 AM: ACOLYTE TRAINING IN THE SANCTUARY
If you are interested in becoming an acolyte or need additional training, please plan on attending. See Barb Schaper, Bret Chandler, or our Archacolyte Andy Boutros if you have any questions or interest in becoming an acolyte.
12 NOON: COMMUNITY MEAL AT CHRIST CHURCH, WAUKEGAN
St. Gregory's team will be cooking and serving meals for hungry children, women, and men from 12 noon until 4 PM.
If you haven't yet offered yourself to this Gospel-enacting ministry ("I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink"), this is your opportunity!
We also are looking for donations of desserts.
For more information, please contact Barb Schaper at bschaper7@aol,com or Bill or Janet Foltz.
4:00 PM:BONHOEFFER FILM NIGHT FOR ADULTS AND YOUTH GROUP
Throughout the thirties up to his death in 1945, Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a leading theologian in German, and actively involved in resistance to Nazi power, which ultimately led to his death in 1945.
The documentary film "Bonhoeffer" tells of his fascinating life of discipleship, proving both historical interest and spiritual depth.
Come see the film and participate in the St. Gregory's event, to learn about the life of Bonhoeffer and reflect on the questions it raises for our own spiritual journeys.
Time: 4 - 5:30 pm with discussion following
Food: Bring Snacks and hors d'oeuvres for congregation, dinner will be served for Youth Group afterwards.
PANCAKE BRUNCH FUNDRAISER, SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 15!
Get ready for community!
Get ready for music!
And, most importantly, get ready for Pancakes— and lots of them!
St. Gregory's Youth Group will be hosting the annual Pancake Brunch for the congregation.
This is an excellent event that is both fun for the congregation and that raises money for our Youth Group.
Mark the date and plan on coming!
COMING UP BETWEEN THE 9 AND 11 O' CLOCK PRACTICES
2/8 Prologue to our Lenten Series on The Baptismal Covenant: The Apostles' Creed
2/15 Shrove Sunday Pancake Brunch
Lenten Series on The Baptismal Covenant:
2/22 Will you continue in the apostles' teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers?
3/1 Will you persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord?
3/8 Will you proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ?
3/15 Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself?
3/22 Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?
In your prayers this week, please remember the sick, especially Richard Babcock, Daniel Ellsworth, Martha Sutton, Dan and Laura Keller, Chris Schriner and Family, Maryellen Davis; and
for our companion parish in Madagascar, Santa Grégoire, Tolagnaro, and Dean Donné; and
for the faithful departed, especially Jennie Johnston Patton.
Keep on loving and taking care of each other,
