Grace Episcopal Church
924 Lake Street
Embracing all to become one with Christ.
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Participants in April 28th 10:30am Service: ACOLYTES: Natalia Reniszewski, Grace Coberly, Isabel Coberly
MC/LEMS: Nadia Stefko; Charlie MacDougall, Karen-Jo Mensch, Natalie Ratz
LECTORS: Cliff Hunt, Lil Hohmann
INTERCESSORS: Barbara Larsen, Steve Fanning
ALTAR GUILD: Joan Anderson, Heather Bovell, Carol Dorsey, Flora Green, Hansi Kess, Kathy Onayemi, Al Papillon, Willie Polite, Sally Prescott, Natalie Ratz, Marie Rock, Jane Shirley, Mary Ann Urbashich
BREAD BAKER: Nadia Stefko
USHERS: Laura Morgan Day, Alan Harvey, Sam Love, Jim Deuel
GREETERS: Ade Onayemi, Gloria Rayburn, Jane Shirley
COFFEE HOUR HOSTS: 9:00am: TBA
10:30am: Donna Anderson |
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From the Rector
A Duck and the Good Shepherd
You might not believe it unless you were to actually see it. I had seen the pictures, heard my sister talk about it and yet the reality of the bonding could not be fully believed until I saw it with my own eyes.
Indeed, the duck follows her up the stairs, around the yard, it gardens with her, gets to go in the bathtub, likes to be held by her and get its chest scratched. The duck had imprinted on her when it was little. My sister protects that duck from the wild animals around it. It knows her voice.
If you know real sheep, you know they follow the voice of their shepherd. Shepherds are known for going after all of their sheep and getting them out of jams that they find themselves in.
Jesus, the Good Shepherd, leads us and guides us. We know his voice, his ability to find us and go after us. We are also shepherds to one another. We learn to be the voice of Christ and people yearn for that voice.
As a church and as part of the human race, we have a call to be Christ in the world. May we be the voices of reason, passion, justice and hope. Amen.
-Shawn
shawnschreiner@sbcglobal.net
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Holy Baptism This Sunday
We will baptize Luciana Bella Lobraco at the 10:30 service this Sunday, April 28. All are welcome at this community-wide celebration.
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Handel is Fun Concert This Saturday
We're very happy to be collaborating with the Symphony of Oak Park and River Forest and Handel Week in bringing you a concert aimed at introducing younger people to the joys and fun of classical music:
HANDEL IS FUN CONCERT
Saturday Afternoon April 27, 2013, 3:00 p.m.
Grace Episcopal Church
924 Lake Street, Oak Park, IL
Dr. Dennis E. Northway, Conductor
Admission: $10 for Adults $5 for Kids
Purchase tickets a the door.
Program will include highlights from Messiah, Israel in Egypt, Judas Maccabaeus, the Harp Concerto, and a Flute Sonata.
Please consider joining us! Your kids will enjoy the concert tremendously and you will have the satisfaction of fostering your family's musical and cultural experience.
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Donate a Table
Thanks to the generosity of some Grace members, we have raised over $700 toward the new tables in the Parish Hall. We still need to raise funds for four more tables.
Our thanks to the Outreach Committee, who voted to authorize $1,000 from PADS fundraisers to go toward the purchase of new tables used to serve meals to our PADS guests. Because the money voted by the Outreach committee only covers a portion of the total expense, we are asking people to consider donating toward the cost of a table. Each table cost $204.
If you'd like to make a contribution toward this project, please write Tables for Parish Hall in the memo line of your check and mail it to us at:
Grace Episcopal Church
ATTN: Douglas VanHouten
924 Lake Street
Oak Park, IL 60301
Or click below to donate online:
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Book Study Discussion Group to Meet May 1
The monthly discussions continue to take place at the home of Bets Howland & Dennis Zavac (309 N. East Ave., Oak Park).
The next discussion is Wednesday, May 1 at 7 p.m. We will cover chapters 8 & 9 of
Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life by James Hollis.
Below are a few major points from each of these chapters that I found interesting. As usual I will send out some discussion questions a week or so before we meet.
Chapter 8 (The New Myth Emerging from the Psychopathology of Everyday Life)
Hollis goes over the many aspects of our culture that leaves so many spiritually wanting, and why various subtle and not so subtle addictions are so prevalent. He goes into one of the more prevalent goddesses in our current culture, "success", and says that our soul could care less about success, but our ego craves this goddess. He says that to free ourselves from all this, we must begin to view the world psychologically. I hope you will find his explanation of this interesting and helpful.
Chapter 9 (Recovering a Mature Spirituality in a Material Age)
In today's world, how is one to approach living the life Christ calls us to? Hollis lays out what he believes are the two major tasks of the second half of life: The recovery of personal authority; and discovering a personal mature spirituality. The adjective "mature" refers to his belief that we must go beyond our culture and our childhood to fully discover the largeness of our spirit's calling. He says, "Only what is experientially true is worthy of a mature spirituality." And such a spirituality expands us and tests us, it is not an easy road to take. He asks: Is this what Christ may have meant when he invited those around him to take up the cross and follow him? Among other things, he gives the background of how spirituality has evolved and teases apart the internal psychological components of a mature spirituality.
-Dennis Zavac
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Staff, Vestry and You
 Ministries at Grace Church are lived out by the faithful leadership of staff, vestry and members of the congregation. The vestry has just signed up to be liaisons for ministry areas of our church ( see the Strategic Plan for the main categories).
In the next few months we will be concentrating on getting a few teams/committees up and running: Property and Newcomers. Please let Shawn know if you are interested in serving on either.
The vestry and Shawn would like to invite all of you who are currently leading a ministry to our next vestry meeting. No fear, it will not really be a formal meeting. Instead it will be a meal and time to meet the vestry members who are liaisons for your area and a time to get to know each other. We will have some discussions about our life together and continue the amazing journey of being disciples of Christ.
More information to come. |
No Benedictine Experience in May
There will be no Benedictine Experience in May. We'll meet in June; details to be announced come soon.
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Garden Party - Downton Abbey Style
Last year we had a very successful garden tea party in honor of the Queen. This year we have been bouncing around the idea of doing a fundraiser that draws on the popularity of the show Downton Abbey. Please let Shawn know if you are interested in the theme and would be willing to help with such a party/fundraiser. It does not have to be a garden party. It could be a tea party or many other things. |
Continuing Our Efforts to be Green: Seeking One Person to Attend a Smart Meter Workshop on May 18
 Most residents of Oak Park, River Forest, Logan Square (60647), Humboldt Park (60651), and other nearby communities have had smart meters installed on their homes. However, many don't know how to get the greatest benefit from the data that Smart Meters provide. This Smart Meter Coffee Hour Workshop, sponsored by Faith in Place will help correct that! This workshop will train participants to host a Smart Meter Coffee Hour back at their home congregation, where they will educate members of their faith community on how best to utilize Smart Meters. These Smart Meter Coffee Hours must take place on a Sunday between the workshop date and the end of the year. To help, Faith in Place will check-out to each congregation one of our Smart Meter kit (kit includes Smart Meter information and sample energy-saving devices) to use during their Coffee Hour. Faith in Place will even pick up the tab for our edibles and drinkables that day ($100 per congregation)! We would like for one member of Grace to attend the workshop on May 18 at First United Church in Oak Park, from 10AM to Noon. If you would like to represent Grace and attend, please contact Shawn. |
Upcoming Events
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Wednesday, April 24, 2013
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Wednesday Morning Eucharist
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7:00 AM
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SLAA/SAA Meeting
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9:00 AM
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Kitchen Reserved for PADS Cooking
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3:00 PM
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Schola Rehearsal
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3:30 PM
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St. Giles Catechesis (JC)
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6:00 PM
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St. Giles Catechesis (MC)
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6:00 PM
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Grace Staffs PADS Shelter
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6:30 PM
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PADS Overnight Shelter
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7:30 PM
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Thursday, April 25, 2013
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SLAA/SAA Meeting
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9:00 AM
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Voice Lessons
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2:00 PM
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Evensong
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6:00 PM
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St. Giles First Communion formation
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6:00 PM
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SAA 12-Step Group
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7:00 PM
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Sight-Reading Club
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7:00 PM
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Adult Choir Practice
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7:30 PM
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Friday, April 26, 2013
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Rector's Day Off
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SLAA/SAA 12-Step Workshop
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9:05 AM
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Saturday, April 27, 2013
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St. Giles Catechesis (LH)
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9:00 AM
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St. Giles Catechesis (MC)
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9:00 AM
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Voice Lessons
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9:00 AM
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SLAA 12-Step Group
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9:30 AM
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Handel is Fun Rehearsal
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1:00 PM
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Handel is Fun Concert
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3:00 PM
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Sunday, April 28, 2013
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The Rite Place - A service for the child in us all
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9:00 AM
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Coffee Hour
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9:30 AM
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Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
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9:35 AM
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Sung Choral Eucharist
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10:30 AM
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Coffee Hour
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11:45 AM
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Madrigal Rehearsal
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3:30 PM
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SLAA 12-Step Group
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7:15 PM
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AA 12-Step Group
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8:30 PM
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Monday, April 29, 2013
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SLAA/SAA Meeting
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9:00 AM
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Voice Lessons
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2:00 PM
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EfM (Education for Ministry)
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7:00 PM
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Tuesday, April 30, 2013
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SLAA 12-Step Group
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7:00 PM
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Wednesday, May 01, 2013
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Wednesday Morning Eucharist
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7:00 AM
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SLAA/SAA Meeting
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9:00 AM
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Meeting with Endowment Fund Representative
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10:30 AM
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Schola Rehearsal
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3:30 PM
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Book Study Discussion Group
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7:00 PM
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PADS Overnight Shelter
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7:30 PM
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Our Mission:
Grace Church seeks to bring God's love and Christ's teaching to all people, to become a passionately involved, intentional Christian community, to support the spiritual journey of each person, and to work toward reconciliation, peace, and justice in our world.
Our Core Values: -Reach out to support our neighbors locally and worldwide as we seek to obey God's command to love our neighbors as ourselves.
-Encourage and support spiritual growth in all people while respecting that each person is at a different point in his or her spiritual journey.
-Work to be ever more present to and caring for each member of the Grace community and to be fully welcoming to all who enter Grace's doors.
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Grace News Email may be found on our website
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