Announcements for June 27

• Ice Cream Social
  We’re gearing up for the St. John’s Annual Community Ice Cream Social scheduled for Monday, July 5th (note the date), immediately following the 10:00 a.m. Flossmoor Children’s Parade. Your participation is what makes this event a success. Are you able to bring in some wildflowers or flowers from your garden? Can you put up flyers around town? Can you help move tables and tents outside? Can you meet and greet our guests? Can you scoop ice cream? Can you make a financial contribution to help underwrite the event? (Look for festive contribution envelopes on the display tables.) How about (and this is for everyone) praying for glorious weather? Contact Gale Michael with questions and/or offers to help.
  
  
• Vestry Task Force on Accessibility
  The Vestry is forming a task force to identify and evaluate any barriers that might provide a challenge to peoples’ participation in worship and programs at St. John’s. The task force is expected to meet four or five times over the course of the summer to produce an “accessibility audit.” If you would like to be a member of the task force, please speak to Senior Warden Donna Blackburn.
  
  
• St. John’s Needs a Few Good Ushers
  Ushers provide an important liturgical ministry, helping to ensure the order and flow of worship. We are seeking additional volunteers—individuals or couples—to join the usher program, especially for the 10:00 a.m. service. Ushers serve approximately once every six weeks. Please speak to John Huntoon if you would like to be a part of this ministry.
  
  
• Welcome to our New Sexton
  We are grateful to Tony Rallins for accepting the position of Interim Sexton.

Reflection for June 27

Prayer Against Carefulness
O Lord, take from me a careful heart in all worldly things, and grant that neither poverty oppress me and drive me to despair or falsehood, neither wealth nor prosperity lift me up to forget Thee or myself; but that in prosperity I may be thankful, and in adversity patient and humble. Make me merry without lightness, sad without mistrust, sober without dullness, fearing Thee without desperation, trusting Thee without presumption. –Henry Bull (quoted in The Prayer Manual by Frederick B. MacNutt)

Announcements for June 20

• Auction of TV History Items
  St. John’s parishioners Dr. Steve and Mary Hofer will be auctioning the entire contents of The Philo T. Farnsworth Television History Center on line and in Auburn, Indiana, on Saturday, June 19, 2010, beginning at 9:30 CDT. Philo Farnsworth was the inventor of electronic television in 1930. Included will be a complete set of the digest size TV Guide from April 1953 to October 2005. Over 50 vintage tv sets, Farnsworth radios and tv lights will be sold. Advertising items, Bozo, Lucy, Howdy Doody items, early remote controls, Lone Ranger, Hopalong Cassidy, Star Trek, Lost, X-Files and numerous items from the 1940’s programs to current prime time shows can be purchased. These items can be seen at www.LittlejohnAuctions.com.
  
  
• Ice Cream Social
  We’re gearing up for the St. John’s Annual Community Ice Cream Social scheduled for Monday, July 5th (note the date). Denise Coffman, who last year amused us with her balloon creations will be back again this year. She and another fellow balloon twister will wow us with their amazing skill. We’ll have ice cream, cold drinks and hot dogs. All of this happens immediately following the 10:00 a.m. Flossmoor Children’s Parade and runs through about 12:30 p.m. Your participation is what makes this event a success. Are you able to bring in some wildflowers or flowers from your garden? Can you put up flyers around town? Can you help move tables and tents outside? Can you meet and greet our guests? Can you scoop ice cream? How about (and this is for everyone) praying for glorious weather? Contact Gale Michael with questions and/or offers to help.
  
  
• Vestry Meeting
  The vestry meets Monday, June 21, beginning with Evening Prayer at 7:00 p.m.
  
  
• Music Director Search
  We are currently soliciting applications for the position of Director of Music at St. John’s. Word of mouth is one of the best advertising tools; everyone is encouraged to spread the word. Color flyers are available on information tables; please take one or two and post them in appropriate places. The full position description is posted on the parish website.
  
  
• Blood Drive Update
  From LifeSource: Eighteen units were collected; 14 of whole blood and 4 of double red blood cells. Since one blood donation can save up to three lives, the units collected will potentially save 54 lives.

Reflection for June 20

My grandmothers were powerful women.... Neither ever suffered any problem she could not give a name to. There was no mention of silence in need of breaking. There was, to be sure, little silence at all. A division of labor, typical of their generation, did not require an abdication of power.... If their husbands had political and financial and large muscle advantage, the women had emotional and spiritual and demographic comeuppance. The realization that God could be female required the consideration that the Devil could be also. My grandmothers were inclined to leave well enough alone. For most women, of course, things were just not that well enough. (Thomas Lynch, The Undertaking.)

Announcements for June 13

• Parish Directories Available
  Updated copies of the parish directory are available. Look for the light green cover and pick yours up. Note that a full year of birthdays and anniversaries is now included in the back.
  
  
• Music Director Search
  We are currently soliciting applications for the position of Director of Music at St. John’s. Word of mouth is one of the best advertising tools; everyone is encouraged to spread the word. Color flyers are available on information tables; please take one or two and post them in appropriate places. The full position description is posted on the parish website.
  
  
• Blood Drive Thanks
  Praise God for everyone who donated (or attempted to donate) blood at the blood drive Sunday. Your actions are truly those of Christian compassion.
  
  
• Instructed Eucharist Available
  Copies of the text from the Instructed Eucharist are available. It is also posted on-line here.
  
  
• Daughters of the King Meet Saturday, June 19
  The Daughters will meet in the Guild Room, beginning at 9:00 a.m. All women of the parish are welcome.

Reflection for June 13

In Light of the Gulf Oil Disaster: A Prayer
As the catastrophic oil accident in the Gulf continues, O God, for the wonders of technology, we give you thanks. For the limits of technology, we pray for awareness. For the arrogance of technology, when it harms your Creation, we pray for humility. For the victims of this technology, we pray for forgiveness. For the recklessness which prevents careful preparation for accident, we pray with repentance and for enlightenment. And for our capacity to learn from this huge mistake and to minister compassionately as a society to those harmed by it, we give you thanks. Amen. --The Rev. John Widdows, Episcopal Diocese of Maine.

Announcements for June 6

• Jackie Campbell Memorial Blood Drive this Sunday
  The blood drive will take place in the education wing from 8:00 a.m. – 2:00 a.m. Walk-ins are welcome. All donors will need to show picture ID.
  
  
• Parish Picnic and Farewell to Jeff Peterson This Sunday
  Following the 10:00 a.m. service this Sunday, please stay for hotdogs and hamburgers grilled by St. John’s master griller, Greg Lawrence. It is a wonderful chance to relax and ease into summer in the fellowship of parishioners. If you can, bring a side or dessert; but come, regardless. We will also take this opportunity to thank Jeff Peterson for his music ministry at St. John’s and wish him Godspeed as he heads for his new job at Baylor University.
  
  
• Vacation Bible School
  Once again, several folk from St. John’s are helping to staff Vacation Bible School at Faith Lutheran Church in Homewood. Sessions are 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., June 14-18 and June 21-25. For more information or to register, visit www.faith-homewood.org or call 799-1160.
  
  
• Instructed Eucharist Available
  Copies of the text from last week’s Instructed Eucharist are available. It is also posted on-line here on the Rector's blog.
  
  
• Music Director Search
  We are currently soliciting applications for the position of Director of Music at St. John’s. Word of mouth is one of the best advertising tools; everyone is encouraged to spread the word. Color flyers are available on information tables; please take one or two and post them in appropriate places. The full position description is posted on the parish website.
  

Reflection for June 6

[Our] understanding of Christian vocation encourages us to hold our convictions with sufficient humility that we can affirm the image of God in the person who disagrees with us. We believe that the Body of Christ is only found when such diversity is welcomed with abundant and radical hospitality. –The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop and Primate, The Episcopal Church; A Pastoral letter to the Episcopal Church, Pentecost, 2010. The full text of the pastoral letter is posted here.