Spiritual Rules of Life in a Workaday World

A rule of life is an aid to mindful daily spirituality. Some people have very complicated rules, such as praying five times a day, reading the Bible meditatively for one hour each day (Lectio Divina), or saying Morning and Evening Prayer daily. Others may have simpler or looser guideline, such as pausing to meditate several times a day, turning their attention to God's presence in nature for a few minutes each day, or playing or listening to music connects them with the divine.

On Thursdays in Lent, the Oak Park Deanery will welcome excellent speakers, each of whom has some association with a religious order and practices a rule - or perhaps just an approach - to the spiritual life each day. Each session is held at a different church in the deanery.  

A full schedule is at this link. 

As we reported last week, the internal components of the 93-year-old motor that powers the huge fan that gives wind to the organ failed. Thanks to Silvano Brugioni, Michael Brugioni and Cliff Hunt, along with the Parish Musician, it was delivered to a factory and was totally rebuilt. It returned this week, completely restored, to serve us for nearly another century! This is an unanticipated and unbudgeted expense of $7,100.00.  

If you wish to contribute to this undertaking, you may donate securely online using the link below, or you may mail a check to Grace Church with "Organ Motor" on the memo line. 

Faithfully,

Dennis Northway, Parish Musician  

Shawn Schreiner, Rector

Barbara Larsen & Chuck Tupta, Wardens 

The book study group organizes itself around authors who focus on living more fully from one's soul in the second half of life. The life of Christ is often used by such authors as a paradigm for this.

The group won't meet in March; the next discussion will be on Wednesday, April 8, 2015 at 7:30. If you are interested in joining the group, or would like more information, please contact Bets Howland.

The new book chosen is: God at 2000, edited by Marcus Borg and Ross Mackenzie. (From the book jacket) "At a February 2000 conference, seven scholars of religion were asked to explain how their 'personal experiences...study, and ...faith perspective influence' the way they, as individuals, 'see God.' This volume recounts the conference proceedings, offering luminous essays by prolific writer Karen Armstrong, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, rabbi Lawrence Kushner, nun Joan Chittister, and others," including Marcus Borg. Each chapter begins with a biography of the scholar who wrote the essay.

Here is the reading assignment for the April discussion (43 pages):

• Introduction
• Chapter 1: Seeing God Again: What's at Stake, by Marcus Borg
• Chapter 2: Honest to God: The Universe of Faith, by Diana Eck

God at 2000

by Marcus Borg and Ross Mackenzie by MOREHOUSE PUBLISHING

Paperback

List Price: $22.00

Our Price: $8.98

Buy Now

We are commemorating a holy woman or man in the Prayers of the People at the 10:30 liturgy. Since some of these saints are not well known, we are including brief biographies in e-Items. 

This week we will be remembering Elizabeth Evelyn Wright, 1872 - 1904.

Elizabeth Evelyn Wright was born in Talbotton, Georgia, in 1872. Her father was an African American and her mother of Cherokee descent.

With the encouragement of her teachers, Lizzie, as she was called, enrolled at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. She worked for the school during the day and attended night classes, but Olivia Washington, wife of the head of Tuskegee, Booker T. Washington, noted her promise and strength of character. Mrs. Washington made it possible for Lizzie to attend day classes.

Wright interrupted her studies and went to Hampton County, South Carolina, to establish a school for rural black children. Arsonists thwarted her efforts and she returned to Tuskegee to finish her degree, graduating in 1894. She returned to Hampton County to re-start her school, but once again her efforts were turned back. Together with two colleagues, Jessie Dorsey and Hattie Davidson, she ventured to friendlier territory near Denmark in 1897. There she started the Denmark Industrial Institute, modeled after Tuskegee. It continues today as Voorhees College, affiliated with the Episcopal Church.