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A Stewardship Litany
Who taught you what it means to be a good steward of your money, talents, time, friendships, environment and more? Take a moment to pray for them and pray through this Litany. Pause after each petition and ponder what each piece means for you, the world and Grace.
- Let us pray for the wisdom and courage to make stewardship a way of life with God.
- Because of our faith in You, O Lord, we acknowledge You as the source of all that we have and all that we are.
- Help us to place You, our loving Creator, first in you by becoming more prayerful and more focused on loving and caring for our families and our neighbors in need, and by becoming less preoccupied with material things.
- Help us, Lord to find the true source of happiness and fulfillment that we all seek and that You, alone, can provide.
- Help us to hear Your call to be good stewards of all Your gifts by sharing them for Your purposes.
- Help us make Your priorities our priorities.
- Help us challenge each other, as disciples of Jesus Christ to put our faith into action.
- Let us pray that as good stewards we will plan our sharing.
- As we plan the things in our lives that are most important to us, help us plan our sharing of time with those in need.
- Help us plan how to "give back" the talents with which we have been blessed.
- Help us plan how to share our treasure to do Your work.
- Our planning and sharing demonstrates the great importance that You and the truth of the Gospel has in our lives.
- Help us plan to serve our church, our community, and our world with Your Gifts.
- Let us pray that we will share in proportion to what has been given us.
- Help us, Lord return a portion of all You have given us.
- We do this, O Lord, as a sign of our love and in thanksgiving for the many blessings we have received.
- We offer not only the "first fruits" of our financial resources but a generous portion of our time and talents as well.
- Giving proportionately means it is equal for all of us - according to what You have given us. You ask the same of each of us.
- As we give proportionately, help us to put our trust, security and faith in You.
- As good Christian Stewards, we pray we have a joyful spirit of mind and heart. AMEN
Adapted From the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa 2010 Conference website by TENS (The Episcopal Network of Stewardship) and Shawn Schreiner.
-Shawn
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An Announcement From Our Deacon
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To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven . . . - Ecclesiastes 3:1 (KJV)
After nearly 12 years of serving with the Grace community as a deacon (and 3 years before that of Deacon's School, and several years of discernment before that), it's time for me to take a break. I am tired. Living in community can be a challenge sometimes. So, I will be going on sabbatical starting after Christmas this year, through Easter 2016.
What does taking a sabbatical mean, you might ask, since I'm a volunteer anyway? Well, because I'm not entirely sure myself, we'll be working on that as we go along. The main point will be to step back for a while.
Starting now, I'll avoid taking on new responsibilities and projects, and begin letting go of my old ones. I think it will be a gradual process. During my official sabbatical period, the community will take on the tasks that I have been doing. (You are a remarkable, talented group of people; I'm sure you all can handle anything that I usually do.) I will generally worship with other congregations during the sabbatical, but that won't prevent me for joining you occasionally. After all, I've been a member of the Grace community almost my entire adult life, so I don't think I will be able to stay away completely.
I'm sure this isn't the last communication on this subject you'll be getting from me. As we work out more details, I'll do my best to keep you in the loop. And, as always, feel free to ask me any questions. I'll be in church for most Sundays in November and December, or please feel free to call or email me.
-Jon Baumgarten
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Young Adults Sunday Supper
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 Join the Young Adults (20s/30s) group at Grace on Sunday, November 15th at 6pm for a potluck dinner, conversation, and evening prayer. It will be in Kendall's home - email her (kendallgraceoakpark@gmail.com) for directions and what to bring. Friends are welcome! This month will be adults only. (Also connect with Kendall for babysitter suggestions!) |
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Prayer Bags for 10:30 Service
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 Starting this Sunday, kids, youth (or adults who need to keep their hands busy!) can grab a "Prayer Bag" on their way into the 10:30 service. Inside are colored pencils to draw with, God's Eyes to make, or prayer cards to create. They can be used in the pews OR the "soft space" (the space on right side of the nave where kids are free to move around). These bags are ways to "pray with your hands" while still being immersed in the liturgy and participating in the life of the worship community. If your child likes, they can place a prayer card or drawing they make as an offering into the offering plates as they are passed. Please return the bags to the baskets where you picked them up at the end of the service. |
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Presented by the Madrigal Choir of Grace
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 Please join us for our annual Christmas performance with beautiful music and amazing food.
Friday, December 11th 7PM
or
Saturday, December 12th 7PM Non-Dinner Seating also available.
Please use our reservation form at this link, call 708-357-7721, or email
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Hurry! Make Your Reservation Soon!
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 You're invited to a special 75th Birthday Party to honor Lil Hohmann and to thank her for the zillions of hours she has spent helping Grace Church.
When: Saturday, November 21 at 6:30 p.m.
Where: Parish Hall at Grace Church
Cost: $10 includes dinner and beverages. If writing checks, please write Lil's party on the memo line.
Sign up with Sue Wells or Leslie Atwood to both let us know you're coming and to volunteer to help cook, set-up or especially to clean-up!
Hope to see you all there to make this an especially wonderful evening.
-Sue Wells
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Thanksgiving Potluck Lunch
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Sunday, November 22, 2015 at 11:45AM
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 Our Annual Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner the Sunday before Thanksgiving is almost here. Join in this simple (yet extravagant), casual potluck lunch.
All are invited to bring a dish to share. Main dishes, sides and desserts are all welcome. We serve buffet style.
We'll need people to help with set up and clean up the day of the event, Sunday, November 22, 2015. The potluck will take place immediately following the 10:30AM service (approx. start time 11:45 AM).
We are most grateful to the Stewardship Team and Izabella Brugioni for volunteering to coordinate this event.
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Working on Your Christmas Shopping List?
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Please don't forget to add one more special name . . .
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 Through the ReVive Center for Housing and Healing (formerly Cathedral Shelter) Christmas Basket program, Grace Church will supply Christmas gifts for 6 large families (a total of 50 individuals) this year.
HOW YOU CAN PARTICIPATE:
- The names and gift requests of the members of Grace's families will be available in the Parish Hall after each service on Sunday, November 15. Simply choose a member of one of the families and fill out your name and contact information on the list next to the person's name. You can also contact Heidi Lukas to receive a name(s) and gift requests.
- ReVive guidelines state that you should plan to spend $30-$40 per person for gifts. This is only a guideline and, of course, the amount you spend is at your discretion. Please do not feel obligated to buy everything on the person's list. We recommend buying two gifts per person - one "practical" item (such as clothing, etc.) and one "fun" item (such as a toy for a child or bubble bath for an adult, etc.). You may also wish to confer with those Grace members who have chosen members of the same family in order to equalize gifts purchased.
- Wrap your gift(s) and clearly mark the outside with the recipient's name and family number. Please place your gifts in a packing box (left open) so that we can more easily coordinate our packing and delivery to ReVive Center.
- Bring your gift(s) to the Parish Hall on Sunday, December 6. Please note that this is the last day for drop-off; if you need to make arrangements to drop-off sooner than this, please contact Heidi Lukas, Sue Wells or Emily Costello.
- Volunteers are needed to help load the Grace's gifts into ReVive's truck on Tuesday, December 8 (exact time to be confirmed). If you are available to help, please contact Heidi Lukas or Sue Wells.
- ReVive is also asking for volunteers to acts as "elves" at their location (1668 W. Ogden Ave., Chicago) during the two weeks of Christmas Basket distribution (December 1-13); volunteers are needed during the hours of 8:30 am and 3:00 pm to receive boxes from all churches/organizations participating (to help unload, sort and distribute gifts to the families). If you're interested in this volunteer opportunity, please contact Heidi Lukas.
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Grace Church, Hinsdale and the Oak Park Deanery present
Advent in Narnia: A Quiet Day
with the Rev. Heidi Haverkamp
Saturday, December 12, 2015
10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
All welcome
C.S. Lewis's novel for children, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, is also a story for adults - a story about what it might look like if Christ appeared in a different world than ours: the land of Narnia, "where it's winter, but never Christmas."
Heidi will lead a conversation about her novel, Advent in Narnia, about faith and imagination, and having fun keeping Advent with the themes of Narnia in mind.
A simple lunch will be served; a free-will donation is requested.
The book will be for sale at the event for $12.00 (hardback).
You can also purchase it online from Amazon:
Advent in Narnia: Reflections for the Season
by Heidi Haverkamp by Westminster John Knox Press
Hardcover ~ Release Date: 2015-09-15
List Price: $16.00
Our Price: $8.02
Buy Now
Heidi Haverkamp grew up in Hyde Park, on the south side of Chicago, and now serves as parish priest of a small Episcopal congregation - St. Benedict, Bolingbrook - in the southwest Chicago suburbs. She is a Benedictine oblate (or lay associate) of Holy Wisdom Monastery in Middleton, Wisconsin. Her popular blog is called The Vicar of Bolingbrook (vicarofbolingbrook.net). She's married, with two cats and a beagle. This is her first book.
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J2A Collects Medicine Bottles for Malawi
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 Anyone on prescription medicines finds themselves a bit uncomfortable when throwing away so many empty medicine bottles. It is obvious our landfills do not need these plastic containers; there is enough trash going into the landfills already.
While first world nations throw away perfectly good medicine bottles, medical pharmacies and hospital facilities in Malawi often find themselves with nothing except torn pieces of paper in which to wrap medicine for their patients.
This is often seen in rural hospitals and villages where the poorest of the nation try to live and survive.
We can help to change this.
The Youth of J2A are collecting empty medicine bottles for the Malawi Project. A collection box will be in the Parish Hall starting on Sunday, November 1st.
Please remove the labels and all traces of label adhesive.
Collecting these medicine bottles will help families in a third world country keep their medicines clean, out of reach of small children, and safe while they are being used. Once collected we will send the bottles to the Malawi Project for shipment to Malawi.
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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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November 15th 10:30am Service:
MC/LEMS: Cherryl Holt; Kendall Kalantzis, Barbara Larsen, Charlie MacDougall, Sam Love, Karen-Jo Mensch
LECTORS: Tony Dobrowolski, H. Fay Peters
INTERCESSORS: Lascelles Anderson, Marilyn Wardle
ALTAR GUILD: Heather Bovell, Flora Green, Kathy Onayemi, Willie Polite, Sally Prescott, Natalie Ratz, Marie Rock, Jane Shirley, Chuck Tupta
USHERS: Donna Anderson, Stan Kaderbek, Linda Francis
GREETERS: Kim Osinaike, Peter Patterson, Cyndy Reynolds
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| Wednesday, November 11, 2015 |
| | | Wednesday Morning Eucharist | 7:00 AM | | SLAA/SAA Meeting | 9:00 AM | | Schola/Scholars Rehearsal | 3:30 PM | | Handel Week Rehearsal in Choir Room | 6:00 PM | | St. Giles Catechesis, Levels 2 & 3 | 6:00 PM | | Book Study Group | 7:30 PM | | PADS Overnight Shelter | 7:30 PM |
Thursday, November 12, 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, November 13, 2015 | | Rector's Day Off | | | SLAA/SAA 12-Step Workshop | 9:05 AM | | Heritage Chorale Rehearsal | 7:00 PM | | POSA Support Group | 7:00 PM |
Saturday, November 14, 2015 | | OPRF Food Pantry Service Day (Rite 13 - 8:15-11:30; J2A - 11AM-2PM) | 8:15 AM | | SLAA 12-Step Group | 9:30 AM | | Heritage Chorale Concert | 7:30 PM |
Sunday, November 15, 2015 | | The Rite Place - A service for the child in us all | 9:00 AM | | Catechesis of the Good Shepherd / Encounter | 9:30 AM | | Coffee Hour | 9:30 AM | | Lectionary Discussion Group | 9:45 AM | | Sung Choral Eucharist | 10:30 AM | | Coffee Hour | 11:45 AM | | R13 / J2A | 12:00 PM | | Madrigals Rehearsal | 1:30 PM | | Heritage Chorale Concert | 4:00 PM | | SLAA Women's Group | 5:30 PM | | Young Adults Sunday Supper | 6:00 PM | | SLAA 12-Step Group | 7:00 PM | | AA 12-Step Group | 8:30 PM |
Monday, November 16, 2015 | | SLAA/SAA Meeting | 9:00 AM | | Education for Ministry (EfM) | 7:00 PM |
Tuesday, November 17, 2015 | | SLAA/SAA Meeting | 9:00 AM | | St. Giles Catechesis, Levels 1, 2 & 3 | 4:00 PM | | SLAA 12-Step Group | 7:00 PM |
Wednesday, November 18, 2015 | | Wednesday Morning Eucharist | 7:00 AM | | SLAA/SAA Meeting | 9:00 AM | | Schola/Scholars Rehearsal | 3:30 PM | | Handel Week Rehearsal in Choir Room | 6:00 PM | | St. Giles Catechesis, Levels 2 & 3 | 6:00 PM | | PADS Overnight Shelter | 7:30 PM |
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