- School Supplies Needed
The following announcement appeared in a recent newsletter from Respond Now: “Many of the children we serve are in need of notebooks, paper, pencils, crayons, erasers, calculators, the list goes on and on. Another critical need is school uniforms. Every year we receive many requests to help purchase uniforms. If anyone has clothes that can be used as uniforms, we would be immensely grateful. It is important that all kids have what they need to start the school year right.” St. John’s has long supported Respond Now’s efforts to help our neighbors here in the south suburbs. If you have any contributions, please bring them to a special box in the west foyer marked “Respond Now School Supplies.” - Education for Ministry (EFM)
St. John’s Education for Ministry Group will be resuming early this fall. We have room for several new members. Information on EFM is available in the undercroft or speak to a current member or graduate. Pastor Orr will be registering new and returning students in mid-August. - Wednesday Morning Worship
The 9:00 a.m. liturgy this Wednesday will be Morning Prayer with special intercessions for healing.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Announcements for July 25
Reflection for July 25
Family Reunions: A Taste of the Sacred
The [family reunion] Picnic stirs many deep emotions in me. It is one of those rare places that holds in a small space the expanse of my life: my origins, my gathered experiences, the people who have known me and stood by me in all sorts and conditions of years including years I am proud of and some years I would not mind forgetting. It holds the memories of my grandparents, aunts and uncles and cousins now gone. It reminds me of the place I have taken in the family, the place these elders once held. It reminds me no matter how far I have traveled, no matter how far I have wandered, no matter how much I have amassed or squandered, there is a place and a people present, waiting with a meal to share. All of the above makes for a sacred event.
We are in that period of the Liturgical Calendar called Ordinary Time, the Season after Pentecost; the season which tells us we are the body of Christ, we are the physical manifestation of God, the family of God. In this space we continue to recall our origins, our people (every human being), our stories, our losses and our joys. We recall what has been learned and what has been squandered. We recall times when we were a tight group and times some of us wandered away. We recall when our separation provided the space and hunger for the work of being reunited. There are all sorts and conditions in this body; there are all sorts and conditions of stories. (Todd Donatelli; www.episcopalcafe.com)
The [family reunion] Picnic stirs many deep emotions in me. It is one of those rare places that holds in a small space the expanse of my life: my origins, my gathered experiences, the people who have known me and stood by me in all sorts and conditions of years including years I am proud of and some years I would not mind forgetting. It holds the memories of my grandparents, aunts and uncles and cousins now gone. It reminds me of the place I have taken in the family, the place these elders once held. It reminds me no matter how far I have traveled, no matter how far I have wandered, no matter how much I have amassed or squandered, there is a place and a people present, waiting with a meal to share. All of the above makes for a sacred event.
We are in that period of the Liturgical Calendar called Ordinary Time, the Season after Pentecost; the season which tells us we are the body of Christ, we are the physical manifestation of God, the family of God. In this space we continue to recall our origins, our people (every human being), our stories, our losses and our joys. We recall what has been learned and what has been squandered. We recall times when we were a tight group and times some of us wandered away. We recall when our separation provided the space and hunger for the work of being reunited. There are all sorts and conditions in this body; there are all sorts and conditions of stories. (Todd Donatelli; www.episcopalcafe.com)
Friday, July 16, 2010
Announcements for July 18
- Bishop’s Letter on Diocesan Staff Transitions
Chicago’s Canon to the Ordinary, the Rev. Scott Hayashi, has recently been elected Bishop of Utah. Bishop of Lee has issued a letter outlining: (1) the celebrations planned for Scott and ways to contribute to a parting gift for him, (2) Bishop Lee’s plans for Diocese of Chicago staff during this time of transition, and (3) an updated list of contact information for diocesan staff. Print copies of the letter are available on the information tables. Information on the celebration for Scott is available online. - Education for Ministry (EFM)
St. John’s Education for Ministry Group will be resuming early this fall. We have room for several new members. Information on EFM is available in the undercroft or speak to a current member or graduate. Pastor Orr will be registering new and returning students in mid-August. - School Supplies Needed
The following announcement appeared in a recent newsletter from Respond Now: “Many of the children we serve are in need of notebooks, paper, pencils, crayons, erasers, calculators, the list goes on and on. Another critical need is school uniforms. Every year we receive many requests to help purchase uniforms. If anyone has clothes that can be used as uniforms, we would be immensely grateful. It is important that all kids have what they need to start the school year right.” St. John’s has long supported Respond Now’s efforts to help our neighbors here in the south suburbs. If you have any contributions, please bring them to a special box in the west foyer marked “Respond Now School Supplies.”
Reflection for July 18
An Opposable Mind
Roger Martin introduced to business world readers the idea of an "opposable mind." As a human thumb allows us to pick up stuff, so leaders must hold together the irreconcilable until some new possibility merges. Others have written about how much Martin's description sounds like the gospel. Christians have to affirm things in tandem that the world prefers to pull apart: evangelism and social justice, piety and prophesy, tradition and innovation, biblical fidelity and engagement with the newest, sharpest ideas. Heresies, Rowan Williams argues, are always simplifying movements. They lop off part of the truth and guard it at the expense of the whole. The Arians weren't wrong to say the Son is a creature. They just weren't right enough: he's also the eternal Son of God. If he weren't divine, then he couldn't save us creatures. (Jason Byassee: Opposability in Johnny Cash)
Roger Martin introduced to business world readers the idea of an "opposable mind." As a human thumb allows us to pick up stuff, so leaders must hold together the irreconcilable until some new possibility merges. Others have written about how much Martin's description sounds like the gospel. Christians have to affirm things in tandem that the world prefers to pull apart: evangelism and social justice, piety and prophesy, tradition and innovation, biblical fidelity and engagement with the newest, sharpest ideas. Heresies, Rowan Williams argues, are always simplifying movements. They lop off part of the truth and guard it at the expense of the whole. The Arians weren't wrong to say the Son is a creature. They just weren't right enough: he's also the eternal Son of God. If he weren't divine, then he couldn't save us creatures. (Jason Byassee: Opposability in Johnny Cash)
Friday, July 9, 2010
Announcements for July 11
- Ice Cream Social Recap
Thank you to coordinator Gale Michael and the many, many individuals who contributed time, creativity and funds to this year’s ice cream social. And a special thank you to all who prayed for good weather. The day was glorious!! - PADS Golf Outing
South Suburban PADS (Public Action to Deliver Shelter) is hosting its 12th Annual Golf Outing, Saturday July 24th, 2010, at Gleneagles Country Club in Lemont, Illinois. The event will begin with a shotgun start at 10:00 a.m., followed by dinner and raffle prizes. This major fundraising event will help South Suburban PADS provide emergency overnight shelter to men, women and accompanied children, as well as a wide variety of supportive services. You can help by playing in the event ($100 per golfer, includes golf, cart, lunch and dinner), sponsoring a hole ($125 each) or sponsoring an event ($100-$750). Register on-line at www.sspads.org. - Accessibility Task Force Organizational Meeting
Thank you to the following people for their interest in serving on the vestry accessibility task force: Mike Madden (chair), Debbi Huggett, Anna Alsman, Bill Bestow, Rob McManamy (vestry), RJ Van Swol (vestry), Betsy Elliot, Doris Sheffer, Steven Russell, Donna Blackburn (Senior Warden, ex officio), The Rev. Kristin Orr (Rector, ex officio). An organizational meeting will be held this Sunday, July 11, beginning at 11:30 a.m. in the Guild Room.
Reflection for July 11
The Lord's Supper
To eat this particular meal together is to meet at the level of our most basic humanness, which involves our need not just for food but for each other. I need you to help fill my emptiness just as you need me to help fill yours. As for the emptiness that’s still left over, well we’re in it together, or it in us. Maybe it’s most of what makes us human and makes us brothers.
The next time you walk down the street, take a good look at every face you pass and in your mind say Christ died for thee. That girl. That slob. That phony. That crook. That saint. That damned fool. Christ died for thee. Take and eat this in remembrance that Christ died for thee. (Frederick Buechner, Wishful Thinking: A Theological ABC, "Lord's Supper")
To eat this particular meal together is to meet at the level of our most basic humanness, which involves our need not just for food but for each other. I need you to help fill my emptiness just as you need me to help fill yours. As for the emptiness that’s still left over, well we’re in it together, or it in us. Maybe it’s most of what makes us human and makes us brothers.
The next time you walk down the street, take a good look at every face you pass and in your mind say Christ died for thee. That girl. That slob. That phony. That crook. That saint. That damned fool. Christ died for thee. Take and eat this in remembrance that Christ died for thee. (Frederick Buechner, Wishful Thinking: A Theological ABC, "Lord's Supper")
Friday, July 2, 2010
Announcements for July 4
- Ice Cream Social: Monday, July 5
You can still volunteer to help. Contact Gale Michael. And everyone is invited to attend. Bring your friends and neighbors! The children’s parade steps off from the Parker Junior High parking lot at 10:00 a.m. The ice cream social begins shortly thereafter on St. John’s south lawn. - Parish Office Closed July 5
The parish office will be closed Monday, July 5, in observance of the Independence Day holiday. - PADS Golf Outing
South Suburban PADS (Public Action to Deliver Shelter) is hosting its 12th Annual Golf Outing, Saturday July 24th, 2010, at Gleneagles Country Club in Lemont, Illinois. The event will begin with a shotgun start at 10:00 a.m., followed by dinner and raffle prizes. This major fundraising event will help South Suburban PADS provide emergency overnight shelter to men, women and accompanied children, as well as a wide variety of supportive services. You can help by playing in the event ($100 per golfer, includes golf, cart, lunch and dinner), sponsoring a hole ($125 each) or sponsoring an event ($100-$750). Register on-line at www.sspads.org. - Healing Our Losses: Grief Workshop
Offered by St. Andrew United Methodist Church, 18850 Riegel Road in Homewood, Saturday, July 10, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The workshop is free and open to all; no registration necessary. - Multi-Generational, Ecumenical, Evening Vacation Bible School
Offered at First Presbyterian Church of Homewood (17929 Gottschalk Ave), Monday – Thursday Evenings, July 12-15, 2010. The theme is Shalom: A Believer’s Call to Peacemaking. Each evening includes adult workshops and separate children’s tracks. Flyers are posted with more information. To register, contact First Presbyterian Church at (708) 798-0490.
Reflection for July 4
Collect for Independence Day
Lord God Almighty, in whose Name the founders of this country won liberty for themselves and for us, and lit the torch of freedom for nations then unborn: Grant that we and all the people of this land may have grace to maintain our liberties in righteousness and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer, p. 242)
Lord God Almighty, in whose Name the founders of this country won liberty for themselves and for us, and lit the torch of freedom for nations then unborn: Grant that we and all the people of this land may have grace to maintain our liberties in righteousness and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer, p. 242)
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