 There were a number of lunch-time conversations going on at our most recent Deanery Meeting which was hosted at St. Nicholas Church. As we enjoyed the wonderful soup that was lovingly prepared by Penny and Hank Mandziara, we discussed the nature of ministry and the role in which each of us, lay and ordained, are entrusted in bringing the Good News of Jesus to the world. And just the other day, Fr. David Gibbons, pastor at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Barrington Hills and our current Dean sent this to me. He shared with me what he and I both believe are words that a true lover of God should willingly embrace. I now wish to share these wonderful words with you, my community of faith; my St. Nicholas family. Enjoy...
"It helps, now and then, to step back and take a long view. The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is even beyond our vision. We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is God's work. Nothing we do is complete, which is a way of saying that the Kingdom always lies beyond us. No statement says all that could be said. No prayer fully expresses our faith. No confession brings perfection. No pastoral visit brings wholeness. No program accomplishes the Church's mission. No set of goals and objectives includes everything. This is what we are about. We plant the seeds that one day will grow. We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise. We lay foundations that will need further development. We provide yeast that produces far beyond our capabilities. We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that. This enables us to do something, and to do it very well. It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity for the Lord's grace to enter and do the rest. We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker. We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs. We are prophets of a future not our own." - Oscar A. Romero, Archbishop of San Salvador, who was assassinated in 1980
-Manny |
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New Contemporary Issues Adult Ed Series
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First meeting is this Sunday!
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The "Contemporary Issues" Adult Ed group will discuss "Justice, Law and the Church" in the Noah's Ark space, after Sunday morning liturgy on April 27 and May 25. Please join us with your ideas. All are welcome to be a part of this new discussion group!
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As a courtesy to others...
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 We are blessed with a diverse community. What we all have in common is our human condition. Some of our members are slowed some due to ailments and health conditions. So, we ask that the curved driveway, especially parking spots closets to the front doors, be reserved for our community members who may need a bit more time and less sidewalk to travel for entry into the church. Thank you, one and all. God bless this community of St. Nicholas Church. |
Calling all St. Nicholas keys...
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St. Nicholas needs a "key count"
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 Since this is our church, we all "own and share" this place, this sacred space, this St. Nicholas Church. In order to keep better track of things, we'd like to ask all those who have keys to the church to please contact Jessica Tamaski, our Junior Warden. She will create a record of who has what key and how many. Your help will go a long way in affording us to keep better track of how many keys we have and if need be, how many more keys we need to make. Thank you all for your cooperation and assistance! God bless us all and God bless the community of St. Nicholas. |
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This Week at St. Nicholas
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As a reminder, the full master calendar is always available online at this link. Here is the schedule for the next week: |
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Wednesday, April 23, 2014
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AA Meeting
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12:00 PM
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Evening Prayer
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6:00 PM
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Al-Anon Meeting
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7:30 PM
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Thursday, April 24, 2014
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AA Meeting
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12:00 PM
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GA Meeting
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7:00 PM
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Friday, April 25, 2014
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Vicar's Day Off
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AA Meeting
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12:00 PM
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Order of St. Luke (OSL) Chapter Meeting
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7:00 PM
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Saturday, April 26, 2014
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AA Meeting
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1:00 PM
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Healing Weekend
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4:30 PM
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Varied Voices
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4:30 PM
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Worship Service
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4:30 PM
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AA Meeting
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7:00 PM
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Sunday, April 27, 2014
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Healing Weekend
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10:00 AM
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Varied Voices
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10:00 AM
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Worship Service
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10:00 AM
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Liturgy Team Meeting
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11:15 AM
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Contemporary Issues Adult Education Group: Justice, Law and the Church
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11:30 AM
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AA Meeting
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7:30 PM
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Monday, April 28, 2014
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AA Meeting
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12:00 PM
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AA Meeting
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7:00 PM
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Tuesday, April 29, 2014
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Vicar's Day Off
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AA Meeting
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12:00 PM
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AA Meeting
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7:00 PM
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Wednesday, April 30, 2014
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AA Meeting
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12:00 PM
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Evening Prayer
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6:00 PM
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Choir Rehearsal
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6:45 PM
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Al-Anon Meeting
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7:30 PM
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The Community of St. Nicholas is praying
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 For Melissa Weldon, Joann Mangiaracina's granddaughter who has requested our prayers.
For Clarence, who is Ray Malecek's cousin who is severely weakened by pneumonia and his wife Pat who is in need of strengthening and support: pray they both receive the blessed healing they require and so desperately need.
For the unity of all Christians as we celebrate this Easter Season: may we focus on that which we share in common and rejoice in the blessings Jesus provides us all.
For Bill Bosslet, brother of our John Bosslet: Bill is undergoing treatment for cancer. Pray for Bill's full and complete recovery and strength and peace for his family.
For Dale Rickey, a friend of St. Nicholas who is undergoing more testing to determine if the cancer has spread: pray for Dale that he be blessed with strength and faith.
For all who are hindered and obstructed from practicing and celebrating their faith...may they find their religious freedom and raise a song of joy to the Lord
For all our St. Nicholas community members who are under the weather and in need of healing and prayers: may they find peace and be blessed with sound and better health: Ethel "Corky" Stratton, Connie Nicholson, Vernon Forde, Joanne Mangiaracina, Richard Gans, Eunice Dohra, and any one else in need of our continued prayers and well wishes.
For our military personnel who are overseas and engaged in battle: that they soon return home safe and secure.
For those who are suffering from the pain of depression: may their burdens be lightened and may they find healing.
For the members of the Support Groups at St. Nicholas who endure, "one day at at time," in their daily battles against addiction.
***For the intentions of the Community of St. Nicholas
(**written prayer requests)
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To Jeff Westerheide, who I regrettably forgot to mention last week also helped with the daunting task of picking up 2 full van loads of food for our pantry...way to go, Jeff! Please forgive my oversight.
To our Mary Fletcher-Gomez and the entire choir: Katie Black, Laura Lampe, Ginny Gibbs, Jessie Sproule, Hope Quarles, Brandon Garcia, Bob DeHaven, Michael Scafidi, Douglas VanHouten and guest trumpeter Alex Schwarz who truly made a most joyful noise unto the Lord. We lift our unified voices and offer you our most heart-felt thanks for your loving and faithful dedication.
To our Verger Hal who fine-tuned the weekend's events making sure all was "just right." All was more than "just right"...all was marvelous.
To all who did such an amazing job of decorating the church for the Triduum and for the Great Easter Vigil celebration. Hats off to Thelma Malecek, Penny Mandziara, Katie Black, Hal Stratton, Steve Raftery, John Knepper, Douglas VanHouten for a job very, very well done. The entire worship space is absolutely gorgeous.
To Hal Stratton, and Jennifer and Brandon Garcia who made sure the creation and printing of the programs -- in spite of the copier drama of late -- were all completed, folded and ready for use...beautiful people doing beautiful work.
To Jennifer Brundige who made sure all reading and ministry roles in the weekend Liturgies were assigned and taken care of...wonderful work from a wonderful person.
To Connie Nicholson and Bob Kalicki who took to the rich, dark earth and did some serious Holy Saturday gardening...your gifts are what make our garden grow!
To Bob DeHaven who, in spite of deadlines needing to be met for his own work took time to meet with the Canon Copier rep and the window treatment people...great work, Bob!
To all who donated toward the Easter Flower Fund...blessings and continued
prayers for you and our dearly departed loved ones.
To Eunice who pitched in and helped the Easter Bunny by lovingly and patiently filled 350 plastic eggs with sweet treats...a grandmother is like no none other!
To Hank Mandziara who made sure to "escort" the Easter Bunny to St. Nicholas and show him around...thank you dear Hank.
To all who brought sweet treats to help out the Easter Bunny...he and all the youngsters truly do appreciate your kindness!
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Blessing of Food on Holy Saturday
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"...and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water..." Ex. 23:25
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Thanks to all who participated!
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The decorating crew's amazing work!
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Readings for This Weekend
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The Second Sunday of Easter
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What's on the Episcopal Church calendar
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Upcoming Events at St. Nicholas
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Mark our calendars now and let's get ready...
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Ah spring. At long last...winter has left us. Comfortable breezes and April showers bring us hope of even warmer and more pleasant days ahead. And, with spring comes our planning for the busy summer months; family gatherings, community events and parish ventures, too.
So, let's start getting our calendars ready, let's see where we can help out and how we can all make a difference:
May 25 - August 31: Walk For Your Neighbor. New to the houses of worship in the Village, this event raises revenue for the Housing Fund which provides services to those in need. While we walk we earn $$ which is pledged by family and friends. What a great way to stay in shape while providing much needed support to our less fortunate sisters and brothers. See Manny for more details.
June 7: Elk Grove's Relay for Life. A family-community event sponsored by Elk Grove Village High School to raise funds for the continued fight against cancer. The Relay Race will take place at 11am on Saturday the 7th of June. For more information please contact our Lisette Rodriguez and/or Committee Member Eileen McWherter at 847-819-3850.
June 21 / 22: Little Boots Rodeo. St. Nicholas will again staff the "Pennies in the Corn" game, which was the 2nd most visited booth at last year's event! We'll need volunteers to staff the booth for both Saturday and Sunday.
This year's theme for the Elk Grove Village Parade is "Under the Big Top." So, what will St. Nicholas do for this parade? Calling all clowns. Mark June 14th, Saturday as the day of the big parade which starts at 6pm
July 19th, Noon - 4pm: St. Nicholas Parish Picnic. We'll gather for a day of fun, family, food and faith as we'll conclude the day with our 4:30 Liturgy and weather permitting, we'll gather for worship outdoors, too.
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