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A Little Good News
Grace has received private donations in the total amount of $50,000 to pay for our Formation leader. One of the gift donors asked the rector and vestry to consider increasing the hours for this position to 30 hours. I am pleased to say that after several conversations and a lot of prayer, the vestry believes that it would benefit Grace Formation programs to increase our formation leader's hours from 25 to 30 hours per week, which would give her an increased salary and health insurance. The vestry has reviewed the costs of increasing our formation leader's hours and believes that the current funds donated for formation and budgeted amounts will cover those costs in 2016. The vestry hopes that the congregation will rise to the occasion and provide the necessary funds in 2017 and beyond.
Why would we take this step? Christian Formation/Education is at the heart of what we are called to do at Grace. We want to make sure that we do all that we can to grow these programs and our own selves. We decided to take a leap of faith and move forward in supporting what we do with more staff hours.
Let's get known for what we offer to assist our children, youth and adults in growing their and our faith.
Keep your eyes open for how you can support this position for the future and support all of the ministries at Grace.
Peace,
Shawn
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Holy Week & Easter at Grace
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 Palm Sunday - March 20
9:00AM - Palm Sunday for Kids 10:30AM - Choral Eucharist Maundy Thursday - March 24
6:00PM - The Last Supper, Kid-Style 7:30PM - Foot Washing & Holy Eucharist Good Friday - March 25
12:00 Noon - Stations of the Cross 6:00PM - Good Friday, Kid-Style 7:30PM - Good Friday Service including the Singing of St. John's Passion
The Great Vigil of Easter - March 26 (Saturday)
7:30PM followed by a festive reception
Easter Day - March 279:00AM - Kids Do Easter (followed by an Easter Egg hunt) 10:30AM - Festival Choral Eucharist |
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The Triduum (Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Great Vigil of Easter) - Three Days *
The Three Days (or Triduum) slow down time as we move through the climax of the story of faith, Jesus' betrayal, death, and resurrection. Worship throughout the rest of the year skims the surface in some ways, whisking us through the story of Jesus' life. But in these three days we linger. There is so much centered here. We have to take our time to be able to receive it.
Worship on these days will cover it all: creation and redemption, death and life, fire and water, desolation and celebration. These days enact the great Christian drama, and the liturgies are, in many ways, dramas that embody the story, the tensions, and the teachings at the core of our faith.
The Triduum liturgies are, in effect, one continuous rite spread over three consecutive days. Thus, there is no blessing or dismissal until the conclusion of the First Mass of the Resurrection on Easter Eve.
Maundy Thursday
This service marks the beginning of the Triduum. We reach back to the beginning of Lent to recall the confession we made on Ash Wednesday. This service is clearly different from the regular flow of the Eucharist as we celebrate it weekly, because what we commemorate this evening is different. Tonight we begin a celebration that will not end until the exultant conclusion of the Great Paschal Vigil. Tonight, we hear the words of forgiveness in a new way. It is only with the knowledge of being forgiven that we can engage the rest of the story. We watch and we eat a last supper with Jesus. We hear him offer all of himself to us, even his body and blood. We end the service with the stripping of the chancel. Adornment after adornment leaves the sanctuary as the words of the psalm drift through the air, and we are reminded of what this love will cost Jesus. We leave the service lingering. It is holy time.
Good Friday
When we return to the sanctuary on Good Friday, hours have passed. We hear about Jesus' betrayal, capture and trial. We hear of his humiliation, his interrogation. We know the night was long for him, and lonely. Our visual center is the cross. There is nothing else to distract us. The pace is slow, as those final hours must have been for him. We move relentlessly toward the end. We pray, interceding for the world around us, for our church, and ourselves. We are reminded that Jesus' death was paradoxically, the moment of his triumph. Through his death, he defeated death.
The Great Vigil of Easter
Now we are almost there, almost at the hour when Jesus' death itself was overcome, the death become life -- the victory we so need. Now time stands still for us to remember all that has gone before. No other service is so full of the heritage of faith; no other time in the year do we gather together all of the richest metaphors and symbols of faith. We gather around new fire, itself a sign of creation renewed. From it we light the paschal candle to illumine our way. As the pillar of fire led the people of Israel in the wilderness, so the paschal candle will lead us to Easter -- the light of Christ our beacon. In the silence from Good Friday, the light is rekindled. Gathered around the light, we wrap the great stories of faith like a blanket around ourselves. We recall our ancestors and God's saving work among us throughout the ages -- creation from a word, the earth washed clean in the flood, the deliverance at the Red Sea, dry bones given life again. The baptismal font beckons to affirm our baptisms, to remember our welcome into the community of faith, and to welcome others newborn into the faith. The Gospel reading draws us out of our holy recollections and into the events of the story again. Now we are prepared. We know where we have come from before we peek into the tomb with the women and Peter. When we hear the angel say, He is not here, but has risen, we know again that life is always God's way with us. Death is defeated. We dance through the holy meal, now each one confessing the truth of the story. Light the church! Shout Alleluia! Celebrate with high praise! He is risen! We continue our celebration in the Parish Hall with a gala reception.
*Adapted from Sundays and Seasons 2004 (Augsburg/Fortress, 2003), pp. 158-159.
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Grace Church is pleased to announce that Peter Siwek will serve as the Sabbatical priest during our rector's Sabbatical. Shawn and Peter will both be here on April 3. Come and send Shawn off and welcome Peter. Shawn will return to Grace on Sunday, August 28th. Keep a watchful eye on how you can follow her sabbatical journey.
 About Peter Siwek
I've lived in Oak Park with my family since 2001. My spouse, Juan Perez, is a family physician practicing in Elmhurst. We have four sons: Sebastian (15), Esteban (12), and twins Simon and Fernando (3).
One my fondest childhood memories involves my father bringing home a large box of wood building blocks. I immediately started building churches! This one memory was a preview of both my career choices.
At University of Notre Dame I studied architecture, and upon graduating in 1995, moved to Chicago. I worked in the architectural profession until I went to Seabury-Western Theological Seminary in 1999. I was ordained a priest by The Right Reverend William D. Persell, Bishop of Chicago, in 2002.
I served as the Vicar of Saint James Cathedral in Chicago from 2002-2008, focusing on pastoral care and community building. During 2006-2007, while the Cathedral was engaged in a year-long search process for a new Dean, I was also priest-in-charge. From 2009-2015, I was Vicar of the Church of the Advent in Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood. This congregation's needs began with conflict resolution and viability assessment. Then, it was a privilege to work with them on congregational development, addressing crucial change, ministry and leadership formation, and embracing strong priorities for mission and worship. Together with our sister congregation of Nuestra Señora de las Americas, we engaged the reality of institutional racism and our need for renewal and reconciliation. Most recently, since the fall of 2015, I have served as long-term supply priest at The Church of the Holy Cross in Chicago's South Side. And throughout all these years, it's been a great pleasure to occasionally participate in the worship and community life of Grace Church.
There are three personal qualities that I would like for you know about. I'm a positive promoter; a maker; and a life-long learner.
As a positive promoter, I celebrate and proclaim the best in people and communities. In particular, people in a process of transformation thrill me! I love encouraging and supporting them. Even in seasons of challenge, confusion and conflict, I look for what is most life-giving on the horizon. In this respect, I'm a pretty patient person, because I remember how many people have been patient with me.
I'm a maker, personally expressed in wood-working, home improvement, painting, music, and cooking. In a church context, I believe that a community's creativity and resourcefulness are irreplaceable qualities that should be cultivated - not only in hands-on experiences, but also in building and renewing relationships.
I'm a life-long learner. Most especially in my life as a priest, my day begins by wondering, "What am I going to learn today?" And while I love to learn about 'more' and 'better', 'why' and 'how', as I get older, I am also fascinated by how little I know, and how much more there is to discover. And with God, there's always more.
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Seeking donations of finger foods
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 Don't forget about our wonderful reception following the Great Vigil of Easter on Saturday night, March 26th. We are seeking donations of finger foods. Please place your donations in the kitchen on your way into the Vigil. If you bring them in before March 26th, kindly label them, Easter Vigil Reception and put them in the refrigerator. Thank you, in advance! |
 If you would like to contribute toward the flowers that will adorn our sanctuary this Easter, please click this link to donate securely online. The deadline is Sunday, March 20. Thank you! |
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Episcopal Bishops Issue A Word to the Church
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March 15, 2016
The House of Bishops of The Episcopal Church, meeting in retreat, unanimously approved the following Word To The Church.
A Word to the Church
Holy Week 2016
"We reject the idolatrous notion that we can ensure the safety of some by sacrificing the hopes of others."
On Good Friday the ruling political forces of the day tortured and executed an innocent man. They sacrificed the weak and the blameless to protect their own status and power. On the third day Jesus was raised from the dead, revealing not only their injustice but also unmasking the lie that might makes right.
In a country still living under the shadow of the lynching tree, we are troubled by the violent forces being released by this season's political rhetoric. Americans are turning against their neighbors, particularly those on the margins of society. They seek to secure their own safety and security at the expense of others. There is legitimate reason to fear where this rhetoric and the actions arising from it might take us.
In this moment, we resemble God's children wandering in the wilderness. We, like they, are struggling to find our way. They turned from following God and worshiped a golden calf constructed from their own wealth. The current rhetoric is leading us to construct a modern false idol out of power and privilege. We reject the idolatrous notion that we can ensure the safety of some by sacrificing the hopes of others. No matter where we fall on the political spectrum, we must respect the dignity of every human being and we must seek the common good above all else.
We call for prayer for our country that a spirit of reconciliation will prevail and we will not betray our true selves.
The Episcopal Church House of Bishops met in retreat March 11 - 15 at Camp Allen Conference Center in Navasota, TX.
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Concert at Grace This Saturday
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Help us welcome the Illinois Wesleyan Collegiate Choir
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 A total of $256 has been collected for The United Thank Offering. If you have not yet contributed, but would like to, there is still time. Douglas will be sending the total received to the UTO the week after Easter. Please mark your calendar to make a donation, send a check when you pay your regular bills, or sit down right now and do it. Think about all those things for which you are so very thankful. UTO envelopes can still be found at the back of the church for the plate on Sunday. Or you can send your check made payable to the UTO to the parish office. Know that every penny you contribute will be well spent on those who need it most.
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Young Adults at Connolly's!
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Participants in This Sunday's Service
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March 20th 10:30am Service:
MC/LEMS: Mark Woodworth; Kendall Batten Kalantzis, Barbara Larsen, Phoenix Sullivan, Karen-Jo Mensch, James Redden
LECTORS: Lil Hohmann, Sally Kidwell
INTERCESSORS: John Seaton, Barbara Larsen
ALTAR GUILD: Heather Bovell, Flora Green, Kathy Onayemi, Willie Polite, Sally Prescott, Natalie Ratz, Marie Rock, Jane Shirley, Chuck Tupta
USHERS: Flora Green, Stan Kaderbek, Linda Francis
GREETERS: Kim Osinaike, Peter Patterson, Cyndy Reynolds
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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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| Thursday, March 17, 2016 | | SLAA/SAA Meeting | 9:00 AM | | Choir Clinic | 4:30 PM | | Evensong | 6:00 PM | | Healing Prayer Group | 6:30 PM | | SAA 12-Step Group | 7:00 PM | | Adult Choir Rehearsal | 7:30 PM |
Friday, March 18, 2016 | | Rector's Day Off | | | SLAA/SAA 12-Step Workshop | 9:05 AM |
Saturday, March 19, 2016 | | SLAA 12-Step Group | 9:30 AM | | Illinois Wesleyan University Collegiate Choir Concert | 7:00 PM |
Sunday, March 20, 2016 | | The Rite Place - A service for the child in us all | 9:00 AM | | Coffee Hour | 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 | | Young Adults (20s/30s) Gathering | 5:00 PM | | SLAA Women's Group | 5:30 PM | | SLAA 12-Step Group | 7:00 PM | | AA 12-Step Group | 8:30 PM |
Monday, March 21, 2016 | | SLAA/SAA Meeting | 9:00 AM | | Education for Ministry (EfM) | 7:00 PM |
Tuesday, March 22, 2016 | | SLAA/SAA Meeting | 9:00 AM | | SLAA 12-Step Group | 7:00 PM |
Wednesday, March 23, 2016 | | Wednesday Morning Eucharist | 7:00 AM | | SLAA/SAA Meeting | 9:00 AM | | Staff Meeting | 10:30 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, March 24, 2016 | | SLAA/SAA Meeting | 9:00 AM | | Maundy Thursday Service for Kids | 6:00 PM | | SAA 12-Step Group | 7:00 PM | | Maundy Thursday Service | 7:30 PM | | Vigil in Church | 9:00 PM |
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Join the 20s/30s group of Grace and St. Christopher's at Connolly's Irish Pub in Oak Park at 5pm on Sunday, March 20th (Palm Sunday.) All are welcome (including kids!) 
