Announcements for January 2

• RSVP for the Feast by Sunday, January 2
  Again this year the vestry is planning a wonderful feast to celebrate our patron saint and, even more importantly, the people who are our Church of St. John the Evangelist. The date is Saturday, January 8. Please remember to turn in your RSVP cards (extras are available in the church.) And we’ll see you Saturday at the feast, beginning at 4:30 p.m. with Evening Prayer in the church.
  
  
• Epiphany Service January 6
  We will celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany, or the Manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles, with a service of Holy Eucharist, beginning at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 6.
  
  
• Recycle Your Christmas Tree
  Undecorated, “real” Christmas trees can be recycled this year at Irons Oaks. The mulch will be used on their trails. Anyone may participate and the program is free. Take trees to the Irons Oaks Vollmer Road parking lot Saturdays, January 1 & 8, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
  
  
• Holiday Office Closure
  The parish office will be closed Friday, December 31 and Monday, January 3, for the New Year’s Holiday.
  
  
• Sunday School Classes Resume next Sunday, January 9
  Sunday School classes for children and adults resume next Sunday, January 9.

Reflection for January 2

The (Theological) Meaning of Christmas

O God, who wonderfully created, and yet more wonderfully restored, the dignity of human nature: Grant that we may share the divine life of him who humbled himself to share our humanity, your Son Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (The Collect for the Second Sunday after Christmas, The Book of Common Prayer, p. 214)

Announcements for December 26

• RSVP for the Feast
  Again this year the vestry is planning a wonderful feast to celebrate our patron saint and, even more importantly, the people who are our Church of St. John the Evangelist. The date is Saturday, January 8. Please remember to turn in your RSVP cards (extras are available in the church.)
  
  
• Lessons and Carols
  Services of Scripture readings interspersed with music of prayer and praise are a rich part of our Anglican worship tradition. This Sunday’s 10:00 a.m. service will be a service of Christmas Lessons and Carols. Holy Communion, although not a traditional part of these services, will be included on Sunday.
  
  
• Sunday School and Children’s Chapel Schedule
  There will be no Sunday School or children’s chapel on Sunday, December 26. Children are encouraged to join their families for joyful Lessons and Carols Christmas worship at 10:00 a.m.
  
  
• Prayers for Sudan
  Both our Presiding Bishop and our own Diocesan Convention have called us to a ministry of prayer for the people of Sudan. We are especially asked to remember the people of the Diocese of Renk, one of our companion dioceses, which lies right between the northern and southern regions of Sudan. A recent article in the Christian Century provides information on Sudan and the church in Sudan. Copies are available in the undercroft.
  
  
• Holiday Office Closures
  The parish office will be closed Friday, December 24 and Monday, December 27, for the Christmas holiday and December 31 and January 3 for the New Year’s Holiday.
  
  
• Wednesday Healing Service Canceled
  The Wednesday celebration of the Holy Eucharist with healing will not be held on Wednesday, December 29. It will resume January 5.

Reflection for December 26

Salus Mundi

I saw a stable, low and very bare,
A little child in a manger.
The oxen knew Him, had Him in their care,
To men he was a stranger.
The safety of the world was lying there,
And the world’s danger.

--Mary Coleridge

Christmas Worship Schedule

Christmas Eve
4:00 p.m.: The Holy Eucharist (with the Children’s Christmas Pageant)
10:00 p.m.: Christmas Music for Choir and Congregation
10:30 p.m.: Choral Holy Eucharist

Christmas Day
10:00 a.m.: The Holy Eucharist

The First Sunday after Christmas (December 26)
8:00 a.m.: The Holy Eucharist
10:00 a.m.: Christmas Lessons and Carols with the Holy Eucharist

Announcements for December 19

• Vestry Meeting
  The vestry will meet Monday, December 20, beginning at 7:00 p.m. in the church.
  
  
• Children’s Christmas Pageant Rehearsals
  Rehearsals for the Christmas Pageant this are Sunday, December 19, from 9-10 a.m. (speaking parts only; other children attend Sunday School) and Thursday, December 23 from 4-5:30 p.m. in the church for all parts.
  
  
• Help Decorate the Church for Christmas
  The altar guild will decorate the church on Thursday, December 23, beginning at 10:00 a.m. (Note date change.) All are welcome to help. Lunch will be served. Call Sue Buckman to RSVP for lunch.
  
  
• Wednesday Healing Service Canceled
  The Wednesday celebration of the Holy Eucharist with healing will not be held on Wednesday, December 29.

Reflection for December 19

An Advent Bidding

Dear People of God: In the season of Advent, it is our responsibility and joy to prepare ourselves to hear once more the message of the Angels, to go to Bethlehem and see the Son of God lying in a manger.

Let us hear and heed in Holy Scripture the story of God’s loving purpose from the time of our rebellion against him until the glorious redemption brought to us by his holy Child Jesus, and let us look forward to the yearly remembrance of his birth with hymns and songs of praise. –From an “Advent Festival of Lessons and Music” in the Book of Occasional Services.

Announcements for December 12

• Pledge Reminder
  If you have not yet turned in your pledge card, please do so as soon as possible. The vestry will be meeting soon to work on the 2011 budget. You may place it in the offering plate on Sunday or return it to the parish office. Thank you.
  
  
• Children’s Christmas Pageant
  All children (ages 3-12) are invited to participate in the Christmas Pageant on Friday, December 24 at the 4:00 p.m. service. Please contact Donica Van Voorhees ASAP if your child would like to participate in a speaking or non-speaking role. Rehearsals are Sunday, December 19, from 9-10 a.m. (speaking parts only) and Thursday, December 23 from 4-5:30 p.m. in the church for all parts.
  
  
• ECW Potluck
  The Episcopal Church Women (all women of the church) will hold a Christmas potluck luncheon this Wednesday, December 15, beginning at 11:30 a.m.
  
  
• Help Decorate the Church for Christmas
  The altar guild will decorate the church on Thursday, December 23, beginning at 10:00 a.m. (Note date change.) All are welcome to help. Lunch will be served. Call Sue Buckman to RSVP for lunch.
  
  
• Lawrence Hall Christmas Gifts
  On behalf of the Daughters of the King, Iris Bestow is collecting gifts cards for the children of Lawrence Hall Youth Services. Checks made out to Lawrence Hall are also welcome.
  
  
• Ushers needed for Christmas Eve Services
  If you are an usher who will be attending either of the services on Christmas Eve, please call the church office and volunteer to serve. Obviously, this is an especially important ministry at these particular services. Thank you.
  
  
• Cookie Walk Thanks
  After waiting a year of looking forward to our annual Holiday Cookie Walk sale, a little snow wasn’t about to keep our faithful buyers away. There they were lined up patiently waiting for the doors to open at 9:00 a.m. And thanks to our expert bakers, candy makers, knitters, jewelry makers and army of helpers, they weren’t disappointed. Our Holiday Cookie Walk was a success once again!
  
  
• IPO Holiday Concert
  The Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra presents its Holiday Concerts featuring guest choruses and soloists on Saturday, December 18 at 3:00 p.m. and Sunday, December 19 at 3:00 p.m. Both concerts will be held at the Lincoln-Way East Performing Arts Center in Frankfort. New this year is a 45- minute production of ”Scrooge” the Musical. To purchase tickets, call 481-7774 or visit www.ipomusic.org.

Reflection for December 12

On the season of Advent...
It was not suddenly and unannounced that Jesus came into the world. He came into a world that had been prepared for him. The whole Old Testament is the story of a special preparation.... Only when all was ready, only in the fullness of his time, did Jesus come. –Phillips Brooks, The Consolations of God: Great Sermons of Phillips Brooks.

Announcements for December 5

• Pledge Reminder
  If you have not yet turned in your pledge card, please do so as soon as possible. You may place it in the offering plate on Sunday or return it to the parish office. Thank you.
  
  
• Faith in Films: Jesus Son on December 10
  Everyone is invited to view this film on Friday, December 10, beginning at 7:00 p.m. in the Guild Room. The film’s focus on healing is appropriate during Advent because healing is a hopeful sign of the coming of the Savior. Scripture passages for reflection: Isaiah 35:1-6, 10 and Matthew 11:2-11.
  
  
• Help Decorate the Church for Christmas
  The altar guild will decorate the church on Thursday, December 23, beginning at 10:00 a.m. (Note date change.) All are welcome to help. Lunch will be served. Call Sue Buckman to RSVP for lunch.
  
  
• Cathedral Shelter Christmas Baskets
  Thank you and God bless you to everyone who has adopted seniors and families. Pick up date is December 9.
  
  
• Lawrence Hall Christmas Gifts
  Since 2004 the Daughters of the King have been committed to sharing the spirit of the Christmas season with the children of Lawrence Hall. Parishioners are invited to provide gift certificates in increments of $10 to $50 from any book/music store, fast food restaurants, department stores or theaters. Checks made out to Lawrence Hall are also welcome. Please remember that your donation may be the only gift these children receive. If you can help, contact Iris Bestow.
  
  
• Handel’s Messiah December 5
  The Illiana Oratorio Society will present Handel’s Messiah this Sunday, December 5, 2010 at 2:00 p.m. The two-hour presentation will be held at the First Christian Reformed Church, 16248 S. Park Ave, South Holland. Admission is free, but a free-will offering will be received.
  
  
• Joyous Holiday Concert Sunday, December 12
  Grande Prairie Singers present their Holiday Concert at 4:00 p.m., Sunday, December 12, at Faith United Protestant Church in Park Forest. New director Jo Rodenburg has put together an audience- cheering program of traditional carols, secular favorites such as "Sleigh Ride," and Vivaldi's oratorio Gloria. For more information or tickets, please contact Betsy Burgwald.
  
  
• Advent Lessons and Carols at Holy Family
  On Sunday, December 12, beginning at 4:00 p.m. the choirs of the Church of the Holy Family in Park Forest (102 Marquette Street at Orchard) will present a traditional service of Advent lessons and carols. Everyone is invited to this moving holiday service.

Reflection for December 5

Why do you think people [in the church] feel threatened [when you combine comedy and ministry?]

Power and humor are not friends. Humor breaks us open, reveals and brings in new perspectives. If we laugh in holy realms, it suggests that there might be some wiggle room in the dogma.
--Susan Sparks, pastor and comedian, interviewed in the Christian Century