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An exciting to new formation program is coming for our fourth and fifth graders and you can be a part of it. We are calling it ENCOUNTER, a name developed by our Formation Director, Kendall. A huge thanks to John Roberto and Katie Piffner for describing Encountering God in their article, "Best Practices in Children's Faith Formation." This description for our program is adapted from their article:
ENCOUNTERing the Living God
Effective faith formation in congregations weaves together stories from the Bible (and Christian tradition) and children's experiences so children discover that "this is my story about me, and it is our story about us."
Faith formation with children provides an environment that allows children to encounter the living God directly. Children's faith formation is fundamentally about nurturing their relationships with God, and in all aspects of children's faith formation, we would do well to let children meet God face to face. Karen Marie Yust writes, "Adults cannot presume to mediate children's spiritual experiences by inserting themselves between God and children as informers, but must wonder with children about the relationship between children's personal spiritual experiences and the tradition's understanding of who God is and how God is present to us in all aspects of our lives."
Grace's Encounter faith formation group with children will provide a variety of ways for children to encounter God directly in prayer, Sunday worship, ritual, school, sacraments and more.
This group will involve children in ritual experiences and discussion of ritual experience -in age group, family, and congregational settings-especially involving them in Sunday worship and the celebration of liturgical seasons. The leaders and children will encounter the living God in prayer experiences-in class, programs, and other settings-where they are praying themselves using a variety of prayer forms and techniques such as:
* silence and silent prayer
* centering prayer
* meditative prayer
* praying with poetry, art, or music
* guided meditation
* reading and meditating on Bible stories
* prayers of praise, confession, petition, intercession, and thanksgiving
* using the Book of Common Prayer and Hymnals
* prayers of discipleship.
Our goal is find ways to help children discover the transformative relevance of faith stories for contemporary lives. To do this we will be using a variety of resources: Materials from Episcopal Relief and Development, Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, Rotation Model and This I Believe. Our leaders will change from month to month and some will return from time to time.
We look forward to being part of the Christian Formation of your child.
-Shawn |
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PADS Shelter Volunteer Opportunity
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As part of its Outreach program, Grace Church will participate in PADS this year as it has done for many years now. PADS Shelters are an important component of HousingForward's wider services. The emergency shelters provide immediate, temporary crisis response for 40 to 70 persons per night from mid-September to mid-May.
Grace Church, with the assistance of HousingForward personnel, will staff the PADS Emergency Shelter site at Grace Episcopal Church every fourth Wednesday/Thursday (6:30 PM - 7:30 AM), September through May. (We are also a shelter site on other Wednesdays but staffed by other volunteers.) Our first night is September 23 and then October 28 next month.
We are looking for new volunteers to help staff the various shifts on an occasional or regular basis and replenish our ranks. You would be joining 30+ others so don't worry about being on the hook - there is flexibility. More information is available here and I can send details about the shifts and signup process. Depending on your shift, duties involve setting up the facility, registering and assisting guests, preparing and serving meals, packaging lunches, cleanup, and working with a great group of people. It is a great opportunity to help with a significant local issue, meet new people, and all at a time you choose!
If you are interested, please click here to contact me and I will get in touch with you. Thank you very much in advance for your consideration!
-David de Jong |
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A Monthly Intergenerational Gathering of Hands-on Service and Prayer
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Join us on October 4th from 9:30-10:30 in the Parish Hall for a First Sunday Gathering! In honor of St. Francis of Assisi we will be making bird feeders. We will also be collecting old towels and flat sheets for PAWS (a Chicago animal shelter), so bring what you can spare! We hope to see you there!
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Bishop of Renk to Visit Oak Park
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Please help us welcome Bishop Joseph Garang Atem
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 We have been filling you in for the last few weeks about our partner parish (St. Luke's in Renk) in the South Sudan. You will have a chance to learn more when the Bishop of Renk, Joseph Garang Atem, comes to Oak Park to tell us about what is going on there.
We will be having a joint event with our sister Episcopal parish in Oak Park, St. Christopher's, on Sunday, October 4. This is the schedule:
5:30 pm Evening Prayer
6:00 pm light refreshments and conversation with Bishop Joseph
The event will take place at St. Christopher's, 545 S. East Ave. (East & Adams) in Oak Park.
Let's have a good turn-out from Grace, so please put this on your calendar. Also, please consider helping out by bringing some light refreshments to share during the discussion.
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As many of you know, we reached a settlement in the lawsuit related to our parking lot. We have signed a two-month agreement that allows the use of part of our parking lot for construction activity. This agreement will allow the finishing of the development's east wall and will move the construction activity away from our lot and buildings. Please follow this link to see where some alternative parking may be found. We do not have an agreement with the 19th Century Club for alternative parking.
Thanks for your cooperation and patience.
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 Our diocesan Bishop, Jeffrey Lee, will be with us on October 11th for our Bishop's Visitation. More details will follow, but please mark your calendar and plan to join us! |
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Registration for Children's & Youth Formation
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 Registration for Children's and Youth Formation is up online at this link! This will sign your child up for Catechesis of the Good Shepherd or Journey to Adulthood. We are excited to accompany your child in the great year of programming we have in store! For more information about formation programming come to our Rally Day and Fall Festival on September 20th. |
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Support Grace while you shop!
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If you shop at Amazon, please use the link below to access Amazon.com. Grace will then get a percentage of any purchases made. It's a painless way to help Grace and costs you nothing. FYI, we never see who buys what.
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Participants in This Sunday's 10:30 Service
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Participants in September 27th 10:30am Service:
MC/LEMS: Cherryl Holt; James Redden, Phoenix Sullivan, Bob Vogler, Sue Wells, Lascelles Anderson
LECTORS: Barbara Larsen, Lil Hohmann
INTERCESSORS: Cathy Tokarski, Ade Onayemi
ALTAR GUILD: Heather Bovell, Flora Green, Kathy Onayemi, Willie Polite, Sally Prescott, Natalie Ratz, Marie Rock, Jane Shirley, Chuck Tupta
BREAD BAKER: Barbara Larsen
USHERS: Laura Morgan Day, Sam Love, Tony Riley, Donna Anderson
GREETERS: Ade Onayemi, Gloria Rayburn, Jane Shirley
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| Wednesday, September 23, 2015 |
| | | Wednesday Morning Eucharist | 7:00 AM | | SLAA/SAA Meeting | 9:00 AM | | Kitchen Reserved for Grace PADS Cooks | 3:00 PM | | Schola/Scholars Rehearsal | 3:30 PM | | Grace Staffs PADS Shelter | 6:30 PM | | PADS Overnight Shelter | 7:30 PM |
Thursday, September 24, 2015 | | SLAA/SAA Meeting | 9:00 AM | | Staff Meeting | 9:30 AM | | Evensong | 6:00 PM | | SAA 12-Step Group | 7:00 PM | | Adult Choir Rehearsal | 7:30 PM |
Friday, September 25, 2015 | | Rector's Day Off | | | SLAA/SAA 12-Step Workshop | 9:05 AM | | POSA Support Group | 7:00 PM |
Saturday, September 26, 2015 | | SLAA 12-Step Group | 9:30 AM | | Schola Fall Retreat | 10:00 AM |
Sunday, September 27, 2015 | | The Rite Place - A service for the child in us all | 9:00 AM | | Coffee Hour | 9:30 AM | | Ministries Fair | 9:30 AM | | Lectionary Discussion Group | 9:45 AM | | Sung Choral Eucharist | 10:30 AM | | Coffee Hour | 11:45 AM | | Madrigals Rehearsal | 1:30 PM | | SLAA Women's Group | 5:30 PM | | SLAA 12-Step Group | 7:00 PM | | AA 12-Step Group | 8:30 PM |
Monday, September 28, 2015 | | Landscape Maintenance | | | SLAA/SAA Meeting | 9:00 AM | | Chicago a cappella rehearsal | 6:45 PM | | Education for Ministry (EfM) | 7:00 PM | | Catechesis Level Meeting | 7:30 PM |
Tuesday, September 29, 2015 | | SLAA/SAA Meeting | 9:00 AM | | SLAA 12-Step Group | 7:00 PM | | Vestry Meeting | 7:00 PM |
Wednesday, September 30, 2015 | | Wednesday Morning Eucharist | 7:00 AM | | SLAA/SAA Meeting | 9:00 AM | | Schola/Scholars Rehearsal | 3:30 PM | | PADS Overnight Shelter | 7:30 PM |
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