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September 25, 2013
The Vicar's Corner

At last!

After days, weeks and months of planning, organizing, repairs and cleaning from the rafters to the floor, our big celebration is upon us!

These 50 years of sailing along in peace, love and unity did not always come easily to those who first laid down the foundation to create this church structure we now call St. Nicholas.  With all such well-intended institutions--and St. Nicholas is one such place--there have been and undoubtedly we will again encounter "high seas" that will toss us about, to and fro. We will certainly spring a few leaks that will force us to make the necessary adjustments to make sure we "stay afloat" and continue on our passage, safely and surely while we, the passengers, rejoice and celebrate the gifts of the Spirit that has bathed us in faith, hope and promise.

St. Nicholas is an amazing place.  We are not perfect; we don't pretend to be nor do we advertise ourselves as such.  What we do profess and practice is a hospitality and welcoming that makes this community of faith such a warm and inviting place.  These expressions of mine are not mere "verbal pats on the collective back" of the community.  Not at all.  My words to you are sincere, genuine and they ring true.  Again my friends, perfection is not attainable for us or anyone, not in this world that is.  Yet, it is our solemn duty, it is our Christian obligation to do the best we can at all times and our efforts are to be for the Greater Glory of God.  And that's what this golden anniversary--these 50 years of ministry--is meant to celebrate.

There is no doubt that come this Saturday the church will be filled to the brim with friends both old and new, family members from near and far and officials of the Village who hold positions of authority.  Fear not...there is always room for more as there is never to be heard "sorry, we're filled," in our house of worship. In God's kingdom there are many mansions.  At St. Nicholas, ours is not a mansion, nor a cathedral with soaring bell tower complete with Westminster chimes.  Rather and blessedly so, we are just as we are:  a community of faith-filled, loving and caring individuals, celebrating our rich and glorious Christian tradition and Anglican identity in song and prayer in a single-story church structure nestled in the suburbs of a large, Midwestern city.  If you ask me, we have a great deal for which we are to be grateful.   This Saturday afternoon, we will not only celebrate the previous 50 years and the creation of St. Nicholas Church, but we will also celebrate with optimistic and excited anticipation the next 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 years ahead of us! 

     

-Manny

 

St. Nicholas in 1963
Our building in 1963
St. Nicholas Exterior
Our building in 2013
Some 50th Anniversary Trivia:

1. 
Which former Vicar of St. Nicholas wrote a fine dining column?

 

2.  Which two members of St. Nicholas once belonged to the same youth group while one was a member of the former St. Bede's?

 

3.  Who was a Vicar at both St. Bede's and Holy Innocents?

 

4.  How many clergy have come from St. Nicholas?

 

5.  Which of those clergy in 4 above became a Bishop?

 

6.  Which longtime St. Nicholas family will add to the joy of our anniversary celebration liturgy with the baptism of one of its members?  

 

7.  When was the first worship service held in the completed church building?

 

Stay tuned . . . answers next week.
50th Anniversary Celebration
This Saturday at 3PM
The people of 
St. Nicholas Episcopal Church 
Cordially invite you to join us as we celebrate 
Our 50th Anniversary

 

Saturday, September 28, 2013
3:00 p.m. Liturgy
Reception to follow

Seeking Donations of Soda and Bottled Water
For our 50th Anniversary Celebration Reception
Water & Pop We would warmly welcome donations of 2-liter bottles of pop, and/or bottles of water for the reception following our 50th Anniversary Celebration this Saturday. 

If you would like to donate, please bring pop or water to church this week. 

To help us in planning, please contact Penny Mandziara via email or at 630-860-0464 to let her know what you are bringing.

Thank you!
Thanks from Mindy Golden
Mindy asked that we share this with the St. Nick's community:

I want to thank everyone at St Nicholas for their thoughts and prayers after my recent health surprise.  God was watching over me, and gave me the sense to call 911 on September 17th.  I had a minor heart attack, with minimal damage to my heart.  They put three stents in on the 17th; I am already back to my walking, and will resume swimming after a few rehab sessions.  I will return to work October 8th, after our second daughter's wedding.  Again, thank you for your prayers -- we know God is a healing God.

-Mindy

Editor's note: Mindy, we love you and will continue our prayers. 
Update on Cathy Walters, Mindy's Sister
September 11th marked the three month anniversary of Cathy's successful heart transplant!  Cathy could be a poster child for heart transplant patients, and is doing even better than expected.  She now can be in public without her surgical mask, can eat in restaurants, and every day is at less risk of infection.  In early October, Cathy will be in Illinois for her niece's wedding.  She will return to LA for her last check, for a while anyway.  Then, on October 11th, four months after her transplant, Cathy will return to her home in Los Alamos, New Mexico.  Thanks to St. Nick's for your continuing prayers for Cathy. Finally, if you have not already done so, please consider letting your loved ones know you want your organs donated when God calls you home.

God bless us all!

-Mindy
Formation for Children and Adults
Children's Formation and Adult Bible Study resume October 6
As schools all across our country head back into session, so too do we at St. Nicholas return to our "studies."
  
Starting Sunday, October 6th, Children's Formation will kick off another exciting season.  Our young people are warmly invited to come and share faith and stories after the 10am Liturgy.  These classes will be held each first (1st) and third (3rd) Sunday.  Classes will be held in the Vesting Room, next to the parish office.
  
Also, all are encouraged to come and participate in our Adult Bible Study Program.  These sessions will coincide with our Children's Formation -- we will meet each first (1st) and third (3rd) Sunday in the Noah's Ark Space, again, beginning October 6 after the 10am Liturgy.  We begin this season with a 6-part DVD and discussion series on Islam and Christianity.  In preparation, we encourage you to familiarize yourself with the Qur'an.
Pet Blessing October 5 / 6
Bring your pets to church!
Join us for our Annual Pet Blessing on the weekend of October 5 & 6, 2013.  Don't have a pet?  How about a favorite toy stuffed animal!  The blessing of animals will take place at both the 4:30PM service on October 5, and the 10AM service on October 6.  All creatures great and small are welcome.
Pet Blessing
Book Club Gathering This Friday
Ready, set, start reading and sharing
The book group has completed its study of Bible and Sword, and is now reading An Unquiet Mind, by Kay Redfield Jamison.  The author, a highly respected professor of psychology and psychiatry (tenured first at UCLA and later Johns Hopkins), describes her experiences coming to grips with her own bipolar disorder (also known as manic-depressive disorder), which had plagued her since early adulthood.  This is a striking and highly readable work, by someone uniquely qualified to discuss mental illness as it really happens from both the clinical and the personal point of view.  One focus of our discussion will be how such a disorder complicates the concept of "what kind of person" someone really is. 
 
The group will meet at St. Nicholas this Friday, September 27th at 6:30pm in Holy Innocents Hall.  All are welcome. Please contact me for more information 
 
- Steve G.
Morning Prayer
September 29, 2013
Because we anticipate a rather large gathering at our 50th Anniversary Liturgy Celebration, with a significant number of our community from St. Nicholas attending, it has been decided that on Sunday, September 29th, we will have Morning Prayer at 10am. 

Morning Prayer is a very ancient tradition within the Anglican Church, of which we, as Episcopalians are valued members. 

If you're unable to attend the Anniversary Liturgy on Saturday, please do come and join the Church in Morning Prayer on Sunday, as we celebrate our faith and give praise to the Lord in prayer and song.
Like Quiet Time in Church Before the Service?
We've got you covered
We want to let you know that effective immediately, choir practice on Sunday mornings will end no later than 9:45AM.  This will afford the opportunity for some quiet, meditative time in church prior to the start of our Sunday service, which will begin promptly at 10AM.
Trunk or Treat!
Join us on Sunday, October 27 as we provide children a safe and fun trick-or-treating atmosphere
Trunk or Treat 2013
We hope you'll plan to decorate the trunk of your vehicle and join us as we welcome children to a fun and safe Trunk-or-Treating. 
Donations of bags of candy are warmly welcomed (there is a collection box in the gathering space). 
Bishop's Committee Minutes
September 8, 2013

The Bishop's Committee met on September 8 prior to the Sunday morning liturgy.

 

Proposals are still being sought for the installation of the stained glass windows.

 

Everything is falling into place for the 50th anniversary celebration. The windows in the Noah's Ark gathering space have been replaced. The final replacement of the south windows has completed that project. The transom window in the choir room has been installed.

 

A committee is being formed to work on the pledge drive for 2014. The bishop's committee is discussing how to address the shortfall in the pledges for 2013. We are about $3000 short the expected pledges. Remember your pledges are necessary to meet our monthly expenses.

 

Thanks to the Franzen family, the Boy Scouts and the gardeners from St. Nicholas for the beautiful gardens along the front of church as well as along the west windows. The Easter lilies have been replanted and will be blooming again. Let's hope they will be in blossom by the end of the month.

 

Our final count for attending the 50th anniversary liturgy is 159. It will be a wonderful celebration with our St. Nicholas family, former parishioners and community leaders.

 

-Steve Raftery

Senior Warden

Steve Raftery  

On the Horizon
Please mark your calendar
sunset_ocean.jpg St. Nicholas Choir Concert in Honor of our 50th Year of Ministry
Sunday, November 24, 2013
4:00PM
A freewill offering will be taken
Dance to Death
An Interactive Murder Mystery Party

Presented by:

The Rodriguez Dance Theatre

at

St. Nicholas Episcopal Church

 

Friday, October 11, 2013 
Red Carpet and Cash Bar at 6:30 PM 
Elegant Small Plates, Live Music and Mystery at 7:30 PM

 

St. Nick's Lisette Rodriguez and Rodriguez Dance Theatre (RDT) are kicking off their seventh season with their first significant fundraising event, to be held at St. Nicholas on Friday, October 11, 2013. All members of our community are invited to share in a rollicking, 1920s themed "evening of dancing and murder."

 

The mystery was written for RDT by Alesha Claveria, a freelance author and playwright who splits her time between L.A. and Washington D.C. The storyline is about Lisette's fictitious Grandmother Rose turning 100 years old, and begins like this:

 

RSVP now for an evening of dancing and murder! Dress as you would for an elegant night out. 'Roaring 20s' garb not required, though it would be fun!

 

Invitations may be found at the welcome table and reservations may be made online at www.rodriguezdancetheatre.com or by mail. For more information, call 630-310-7304 or ask Bob or Lisette.

The Week in our Church
What's on the calendar (click each date for the lessons for that day)
September 25:          Sergius: Abbot

September 26:          Lancelot Andrewes: Bishop

September 28:          50th Anniversary of our St. Nicholas Church

September 29:          19th Sunday after Pentecost: Morning Prayer
                            10 am at St. Nicholas Church

September 30:           St. Michael and All the Angels

October 1:                 Remigius, Bishop
This Weekend's Worship Leaders
September 28/29

Saturday Lectors: Penny Mandziara, Neal Setchell 

Saturday Intercessor: John Bosslet

Saturday Chalice Beares: Valerie Gruenwald, Pat Kalicki  

Sunday Lectors: Penny & Hank Mandziara 

Sunday Intercessor:  N/A (Morning Prayer) 

Sunday Chalice Bearers: N/A (Morning Prayer) 

Sunday Coffee Hour Host(s):  Kristin Jacobs 

Prayer Requests
The Community of St. Nicholas is praying for:
little-boy-praying.jpg For all those who came before us and gave so much of themselves to help build and create St. Nicholas Church, now 50 years young and getting better and stronger.

For those in our community who have experienced a transition in life: they may experience the healing and comforting peace of Christ.

For continued successful recovery for Mindy Golden and all our community members who are healing from various illnesses and health situations.

For Cheryl and Mike Storey, Douglas' sister and brother-in-law who are in Nepal climbing the Himalayas:  that they and all the climbers are successful and protected at all times by the Lord's loving and protective hands.

For victims of crime and violence: may they know they are in our thoughts and prayers.


For all students and teachers as they start another school year:  that all are safe, secure and ready always ready for the challenges ahead.

 

Cathy Walters and her continued recovery and return to a full and active life with her new heart! 

 
Ethel 'Corkey' Stratton, Hal's Mom, she has suffered mini-strokes and is battling dementia and Alzheimer's: that she regain some strength and mobility and her loved ones are blessed with patience and acceptance. 

Bernie, Eunice's youngest son who continues to recover from his serious health battles.
   
Victims of oppression, discrimination and poverty.
  
 **Josh, Caitlyn and family. 
 
For Eunice Dohra, Marcia Kizior, Richard and Mary Gans: members and family of our community of St. Nicholas who continue to experience health concerns: for the full restoration of sound health and a productive life.  
 

(**written prayer requests collected during Liturgy)  

Shout-Outs
Bill Barlow for proclaiming the Gospel and sharing his reflection with the community on Varied Voices weekend.

Jeanette McBeth and Laura Senft of Platinum Estates Sales of Distinction for their donations to us for our St. Nick's Knacks Rummage Sale.

Bruce Treadway of Caring Transitions Estate Sales for his contributions to our St. Nick's Knacks Rummage Sale.
Readings for This Weekend
The Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost - September 28 / 29

Jeremiah 8:18-9:1
Psalm 79:1-9
1 Timothy 2:1-7
Luke 16:1-13

 

We worship together:

Saturdays at 4:30PM
&
Sundays at 10AM
St. Nicholas Episcopal Church
1072 Ridge Avenue
Elk Grove Village, IL  60007
847-439-2067
www.StNicholasEpiscopal.org
Copyright � 2013. All Rights Reserved.