Announcements for August 28

• 2011-2012 Parish Calendars Available
  The calendar highlighting parish events for the coming year is now available. Look for yours via e- mail or pick up a copy at church.
  
  
• Blessing of the Backpacks is This Sunday, August 28
  Students (of any and all ages) are invited to bring their backpacks or book bags to the 10:00 a.m. service this Sunday, August 28. We will bless the backpacks and pray for God’s grace to be with all who teach and learn in the school year ahead.
  
  
• EFM Registrations Due Now
  Education for Ministry (EFM) is a small group-based program of study and reflection designed to educate and equip lay people for ministry. St. John’s EFM group meets weekly on Thursday nights. More information about the program is available at their website. There are several openings for new participants in St. John’s group. Please speak to Pastor Orr.
  
  
• St. John’s Jubilation – September 11
  St. John’s annual fall kick off, brunch bunch, ministry fair, Sunday School registration, community celebration, all around Jubilation takes place this year on Sunday, September 11, following the 10:00 service in the undercroft. Please come!
  
  
• Interfaith Community Remembrance – Tenth Anniversary of 9.11
  The South Suburban Ministerial Association is sponsoring this service on Sunday, September 11, at 4:00 p.m. at Flossmoor Community Church. All are welcome.
  
  
• Sign Up For Parish Blood Drive – September 18
  St. John’s will be sponsoring a blood drive (in memory of parishioner Jackie Campbell) on Sunday, September 18. Sign up sheets are available in the undercroft or you may sign up online.

Reflection for August 28

A recent article (by John Dyer) points out that Apple tech has been an incredible boon to missionaries in the field, and particularly those working in areas where Christians are suffering persecution.

“The iPod was revolutionary because it made gigabytes the new norm for storage capacities. Surprisingly, this mattered to the Church.... There are many cultures without a written language. Other impoverished countries have high illiteracy rates among the poor.... The obvious solution was to translate [the Bible] directly into spoken words and create audio versions of the Scriptures. The problem was that doing so required dozens of CDs and a large playback device.

The iPod made it possible to carry solar-powered audio Bibles in a backpack across the Amazon, the African plains, or the mountains of East Asia. Missionaries could hand a device to any person anywhere in the world, and that person could hear the Word of God.... An even bigger bonus is that while customs agents often confiscate Bibles and CDs, they don’t care about MP3 players” (posted by Nicholas Knisely at Episcopal Cafe).

Announcements for August 21

• Blessing of the Backpacks is Next Sunday, August 28
  Students (of any and all ages) are invited to bring their backpacks or book bags to the 10:00 a.m. service next Sunday, August 28. We will bless the backpacks and pray for God’s grace to be with all who teach and learn in the school year ahead.
  
  
• EFM Registration
  Education for Ministry (EFM) is a small group-based program of study and reflection designed to educate and equip lay people for ministry. St. John’s EFM group meets weekly on Thursday nights. More information about the program is available at their website. There are several openings for new participants in St. John’s group. Please speak to Pastor Orr.
  
  
• St. John’s Jubilation – September 11
  St. John’s annual fall kick off, brunch bunch, ministry fair, Sunday School registration, community celebration, all around Jubilation takes place this year on Sunday, September 11, following the 10:00 service in the undercroft. Please come!
  
  
• Join Grande Prairie Singers
  Auditions will be held Saturday, August 27, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. for Grande Prairie Singers—grand fun, grand sound. Location is the Singers office in Grace United Protestant Church, Park Forest. Appointment required! Call 708.481.8684.
  
  
• New Parish Office Hours Begin Monday
  Beginning this Monday, August 22, the parish office will be open daily from 9:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.
  
  
• Sign Up For Parish Blood Drive – September 18
  St. John’s will be sponsoring a blood drive (in memory of parishioner Jackie Campbell) on Sunday, September 18. Sign up sheets are available in the undercroft or you may sign up online.

Reflection for August 21

A reflection for all engaged in social and political discourse...

As we have wandered through various demonstrations of Paul’s principle, love rather than integrity, we may now be ready to rephrase it, and sharpen it by saying: love allows for not insisting on one’s own integrity at the expense of the unity of the community. Love, as Paul understands it, urges us to respect fully the integrity of those who think and feel otherwise.... Love allows for the full respect of the integrity of the other, and overcomes the divisiveness of my zeal for having it my way in the name of my own integrity (Krister Stendahl, Paul Among Jews and Gentiles).

Announcements for August 14

• Vestry Meeting
  The August meeting of the vestry is this Monday, August 15, beginning at 7:00 p.m.
  
  
• Blessing of the Backpacks
  Students (of any and all ages) are invited to bring their backpacks or book bags to the 10:00 a.m. service on Sunday, August 28. We will bless the backpacks and pray for God’s grace to be with all who teach and learn in the school year ahead.
  
  
• EFM Registration
  Education for Ministry (EFM) is a small group-based program of study and reflection designed to educate and equip lay people for ministry. St. John’s EFM group meets weekly on Thursday nights. More information about the program is available at their website. There are several openings for new participants in St. John’s group. Please speak to Pastor Orr.
  
  
• Join Grande Prairie Singers
  Auditions will be held Saturday, August 27, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. for Grande Prairie Singers—grand fun, grand sound. Location is the Singers office in Grace United Protestant Church, Park Forest. Appointment required! Call 708.481.8684.
  
  
• New Parish Office Hours
  Beginning next Monday, August 22, the parish office will be open daily from 9:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.
  
  
• Parish Blood Drive – September 18
  St. John’s will be sponsoring a blood drive (in memory of parishioner Jackie Campbell) on Sunday, September 18. More information and registration will be available soon.

Reflection for August 14

Gramophone, September, 2011

Announcements for August 7

• Submit Material for the Print Evangelist
  The quarterly print version of the Evangelist will be published in mid-August. Please send material to the editor by August 10.
  
  
• Blessing of the Backpacks
  Students (of any and all ages) are invited to bring their backpacks or book bags to the 10:00 a.m. service on Sunday, August 28. We will bless the backpacks and pray for God’s grace to be with all who teach and learn in the school year ahead.

Reflection for August 7

A lot of popular Christianity, these days, is fear-based religion. And it relates to a lot of American politics that is fear-based politics. I would wager that half of our population, or maybe more, lives in bondage to fear: financial fear, fear of terrorism, fear of the rest of the world, so many fears. Jesus taught that salvation means being liberated from fear. We don’t help anyone by pushing forms of Christianity that brandish the fear of hell over peoples’ heads. (Marcus Borg, speaking with David Crumm in a July 25, 2011 interview)