It has been an extremely interesting week here at the corner of Hermitage and Wilson.  We were honored to spend time with and offer some hospitality to Judith Koetze, Director and Ingrid Schoonraad, Senior Program Manager of Inclusive and Affirming Ministries (IAM) located in Cape Town, South Africa.  I was privileged to meet Judith last fall in Durban at the South African Consultation on Sexuality that was sponsored by the Chicago Consultation.

Judith and Ingrid were here in the states networking and building awareness for the ground-breaking work for full inclusion for LGBTi people that IAM is doing in Africa.  To find out more about this very impressive organization check them out on the web at www.iam.org.za.  Thanks so very much to Ruth Frey, Matty Zaradich, and Courtney Reid for organizing a jam-packed schedule for Judith and Ingrid.

Coming up this Saturday at 6:30 pm, is our annual Gumbo Stomp fundraiser for our friends in New Orleans.  Tickets are $25 and may be purchased at the door (or online - see below).  Look for fabulous dancing, outrageously good food and wonderful music all to help continue restoring the wetlands and the city of New Orleans.  In addition to the proceeds from the party we'll also dedicate this Sunday's open plate collection to this great ministry.

Next Saturday morning is Hunger Walk.  We'll have a couple of buses leaving from All Saints' at 7:30 and we should be back up here by 10:30-having walked 5k, had fun and raised a bunch of money to continue feeding our neighbors every Tuesday evening.

In September on the first Sunday after Labor Day, the 9th, we'll have our fourth annual backpack blessing.  If you are an educator we'd love to have your input on this service.  We'll next meet to plan the activities of the day on Thursday, June 28 at 5:30.  Let me know if you'd like to help-and please make time to join us. 

Lastly I want to do a GREAT BIG SHOUT OUT TO OUR SEMINARIAN JACK CLARK.  Jack graduates from the U of C this Saturday with a MA in Social Service Administration and a Masters of Divinity.  Jack, who we all know to be completely awesome, in addition to her degrees will be receiving the "MOST PROMISING MINISTRY STUDENT" award.  Please make sure you congratulate Jack next week! 

As I said, it's been a busy time here at All Saints' this week.  I look forward to seeing all of you this Sunday.  Fran is on vacation and Jack will be taking a much needed break, so it will be me and Andrew.  So come on out and keep us company and set aside some time to connect with God and contemplate just what the heck God is calling you to do these days.

All the best,

Bonnie

Comin' way up da bayou for Gumbo Stomp: Guest Chef Extraordinaire Kevin Henry and friends!

On Saturday, June 9th, Gumbo Stomp means jambalaya! For our 4th annual benefit to rebuild New Orleans and the Louisiana coastal wetlands, friends from our partner organization Bayou Grace will be on hand to stir the pot.  Last year for the first time we allocated some of the Stomp proceeds to help the area south of New Orleans, which has suffered not only hurricane devastation, but also extensive unnatural land loss and the havoc of the BP oil spill. And on our work trip last fall, we visited the area to see first-hand what a bayou is and get our hands in the mud, planting stabilizing wetlands grasses on reclaimed land, way down in Bayou Lafourche. Our Louisiana friends were amazed to learn about Gumbo Stomp and volunteered to come make sure we all get to sample their traditional fare; and they'll get to check out our terrific local band, the Midway Ramblers.

Don't miss this special evening, right here in the Parish Hall from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. $25 gets you great music and food plus dance instruction (optional!) and the chance to help. All proceeds benefit Jericho Road Episcopal Housing Initiative of New Orleans and Bayou Grace. Tickets available for purchase at the door, on the All Saints' website, or click the "buy now" button below! For info, please see Barbara Dufford or Joey Sylvester or write: gumbostomp@allsaintschicago.org. MERCI!

                      Tickets: $25   

You scream, I scream, we all scream for ice cream! What's better than ice cream? - especially on at 10 am on a warm Sunday morning

Come and join the church school children for coffee hour as they celebrate the start of summer with an Ice Cream Social in the children's garden behind the church school.  Grab  a spoon and a bowl and travel from station to station in the garden to build your own "Sunday". Tours of the church school are also encouraged.

At General Convention, 2009, our church passed five church-wide environmental initiatives. This summer at General Convention,  nine more resolutions related to the environment will be introduced. Why should our church care so much about the environment? How might contemporary understandings of the cosmos, Trinity, grace, and sacrament provide a theological basis for treating creation care as a fundamental aspect of the mission and baptismal ministry of the church? How does our baptismal covenant reflect and shape our commitment to care for the earth? Come and explore these questions and the connections between baptism and creation care with one of All Saints' own "resident" theologians, Terry DeLisio. Terry teaches theology and liturgy at Seabury-Western Theological Seminary and at other Chicago-area schools.  She is also a member of the Bishop's Task Force on Sustainability for the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago.

Available Sundays are:

July 29

August 5

August 12

August 19

August 26

October 7

October 14

October 21

Mark your calendar for Saturday, June 23, when the Greater Chicago Food Depository steps off for its 27th annual lakefront Hunger Walk rally to raise money and awareness for hunger relief in our community.  Hunger Walk will take place at Soldier Field again this year.  Registration begins at 7:00 a.m., and step-off is at 8:30 a.m.

100% of the funds raised by RCS walkers will go directly to the purchase of food for our Tuesday night Food Pantry and Community Kitchen.

Learn more about the event, how to register, and RSVP on the Facebook event page HERE. 

Mote and Bonnie met at the South African Consultation on Sexuality that was hosted by the Chicago Consultation and the Ujamaa Centre.  Mote will be visiting the US as a guest of the Chicago Consultation.  After spending a few days here in Chicago he will travel down to the Episcopal Church's National General Convention. Mote is a theologian and has an amazing ministry with street children in his home town of Iringa in Tanzania.