Our Story: A Sacred Space for Sacred People

Founded as a mission in 1879, Grace Episcopal Church became a parish on May 6, 1881. Both Oak Park and Grace Church grew rapidly, and by 1895 the church had outgrown its first home, a small wooden building on Forest Avenue. Noted architect and church member John Sutcliffe designed our current 11,000 square foot, English Gothic Revival building which was dedicated in 1905. A parish house followed in 1917 and a carillon tower in 1922. The 5,100 square foot, Tudor-style rectory was the last addition, completed in 1928.

Even now, the beauty of the nave makes a first and lasting impression on people who enter Grace Church. As we fill the space with moving liturgy and music (with an outstanding 57-rank Cassavant organ), stimulating preaching, and the friendliness of our people, the physical church establishes and frames a sacred precinct.

It is true that a church is not the building - it is the people. The people of Grace have opened the physical structure and hearts to many groups: SLAA, SAA, AA, PADS, various musical groups, weddings, funerals, U2Charists, Madrigals and Schola, theatre folks, St. Giles Family Mass Community for their Catechesis of the Good Shepherd ministry, National office of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd and the list goes on.

There are many days when someone stops me and thanks me (really us) for allowing them to meet in this sacred space. I usually tell them that is what churches do. Much to displeasure I hear stories after stories about congregations not allowing certain kind of folks in. I am thankful that we are not one of them.

Over the next week and month, you will hear about the many ways that you can help us to be good stewards of this space. You will hear about ways you can look to be fed and for you to feed others.

The Vestry is moving forward with a number of urgent capital projects for the church: boiler replacement, asbestos abatement, and stained glass window repairs. These are part of the ongoing maintenance of our lovely worship space that will later include repairs to the parish hall roof and chapel roof, which is causing leaks over the chapel and could require structural repairs.

The immediate capital needs are approximately $95,000. We are excited to say that generous giving by parishioners has already raised $52,000, with an additional $5,000 verbal commitment. This leaves $38,000 as the amount that we still need to raise now.

We as a vestry and finance committee are also committed to adding a small amount from this fundraising into our Outreach Endowment.  

Please know that any funds that are not used for this project will be placed into a Building Fund for some of the other ongoing projects that are listed above.

We ask you to join the parishioners past and present that have given us this cherished space. In thanksgiving, in remembrance, for the joy of participating in the ongoing co-creation of beauty in the world, join us and make a gift to the legacy of Grace.

If you would like to contribute specifically toward the Boiler Replacement* project, please click the link below to donate securely online:

To make a donation to A Legacy of Grace to be used toward any of the above projects, please click the link below to donate securely online: 

-Grace Church Wardens and Vestry 

*should the total amount donated exceed the boiler replacement cost, the surplus will be placed in the Legacy of Grace Fund for the other projects described above. 

The next meeting of Uncorking Theology will be held on Wednesday Oct. 24 at 7PM at the home of Dennis Zavac and Bets Howland. The reading for our meeting is from a paper (available at this link) entitled "Theology and Economics: Two Different Worlds?" prepared by our own Archbishop Rowan Williams for a conference on Building An Ethical Economy, and published in The Anglican Theological Review, Fall 2010. The following questions should help in focusing our discussion:

1)    What to you are the fundamental differences between theology and economics coming out of the Williams discussion? Are these differences surprising to you, or are they fairly commonplace?

2)    How do our current modes of what should be thought of as economic exchanges violate deep understandings of Christian ethical behavior? Is there an easy way to resolving these violations?

3)    Williams uses the term "mutuality" to identify what is central to Christian theology. What does mutuality mean to Rowan Williams? Do the accepted norms of economic performance that guide our life in "near" and "far" communities militate against the achievement of mutuality as you now understand that term? How can we respond to Williams' core message?

4)    At a very practical level, when we decide to "go out into the world," how can/do we do that adhering to what Williams calls necessary "self scrutiny"?

For the meeting address and directions, please email Dennis & Bets.

Sincerely,

Lascelles Anderson

This evening, Wednesday, October 24th the PADS Grace Crew will be performing their usual dinner and set-up service but we are adding another duty! We need workers to help sort clothing that is brought up from our basement to determine what is salvageable, and items that we can keep for our PADS guests, as well as items that can be donated or tossed. You will not be transporting or doing any heavy lifting. Your help comes into play in sorting and interacting with the PADS guests as we determine what clothing can stay, what needs to GO!

We have shifts available from 7:30 - 9:30 PM. THIS IS A BIG JOB and we can use all the help we can get! Only have an hour? We will take all donations of time!

It's a great chance to see what we do on our PADS night and see if you might be interested in helping out sometime during the year.

Questions? Please call Sally Prescott for more information or contact her via email @ sprescott@prescottgroupllc.com.

Thanks for your consideration!

Grace Church will present David accompanying the movie during the Halloween Party extravaganza at Grace Church on October 31, 2012 beginning at 7:30 p.m.  Admission (pay at the door) is $20 for the movie, but is reduced to just $10 if you come in costume!  Spread the word!   Join the event on our Facebook page. 

Each of us experiences a loss in a different way-some seek community, others solitude; some pray through song, some quietly, some audibly.  This service is meant to provide space for grieving to some, opportunity for closure to others, a time of joyful remembrance and comfort to all. 

It is our firm hope and prayer that all will go away from this service with a sense of hope and comfort.

Directions and parking information is at this link.

Companionship Dinner with Bishop Joseph Atem

Grace has teamed up with Saint Christopher's to work with our sister parish, Saint Luke's in Renk, South Sudan. Our first joint venture will be a dinner and talk with Bishop Joseph about the latest events in Renk and how Mother Alice and Saint Luke's have been doing over this past year.  Please join us on Saturday, November 3rd, 6PM at Saint Christopher's - 545 South East Avenue, Oak Park.   

We are asked to bring either an appetizer or a dessert. Laura Kliewer is in charge of setting up the event and needs to know how many of us will be attending. We are also looking for volunteers to help set up or help make the dinner. Please contact either Susan Hickey (zuzka48@aol.com or 708-387-2370) or Laura (laura_kk@sbcglobal.net or 708-837-9614) by October 28 to RSVP.

The November 7th meeting of the Book Study Group has been changed to Wednesday, December 5 (there will be no November meeting). The meeting will be hosted by Sarah and Cliff Hunt.

The October 10 discussion was led by Sue Wells and was most engaging as we discussed and clarified the material we read. Among the topics discussed were some personal experiences with "necessary suffering" and how it positively altered group member lives, what was meant by the "false self," and the Wordsworth poem on p. 99 of Falling Upwards. And we welcomed a new member to the Study Group!

The December meeting will cover Chapter 9 through the end of the book Falling Upwards (pp. 105 -167). Rohr gives us his final thoughts on the challenges and dimensions of the Second Half of Life journey and he ends with an interpretive meditation of a poem by one of his self-proclaimed "primary" teachers, Thomas Merton.

Our Study Group will take up again in January with a book by James Hollis, Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life. I have three copies left that are available for $12 each. If you want to reserve a copy let me know (dzavac@aol.com) and I will bring it with me for the December 5 meeting. The book is also available at Amazon.

Best Regards,

Dennis Zavac