We want to get people bored with themselves
so they can start looking at Jesus. — Eugene Peterson
Discerning our parish name: this Sunday – Good Shepherd.
At our annual parish meeting, we made a decision to change the name of our parish and selected three names that had wide appeal – Good Shepherd; One Bread, One Body; and St. Mary Magdalene. Now we are discerning which of these we might settle upon. We will hold a quarterly parish meeting on August 26 for the purpose of seeing if we have agreed on a name. To get there, I am asking each of you, over a three-week period, to engage in a personal spiritual exercise. This week, I want you to focus on the name, Good Shepherd. I invite you sometime this week to take 25-40 minutes from your schedule and go to a quiet place.
- Spend 5-10 minutes quieting yourself and asking God to be with you in your prayer.
- When you feel ready, spend the next 10-15 minutes quietly letting all the reasons for selecting Good Shepherd come into your mind. As you end this time, write down the reasons that name should be the one we choose.
- Then spend another 10-15 minutes letting all the reasons for not selecting Good Shepherd come to mind. Again, write them down.
- This Sunday, we will gather briefly as a community simply to share the results of our discernment out loud and to record them on a flip chart. There will be no discussion, just sharing and recording, and this should take no more than 5-10 minutes.
- We’ll then repeat this process the following weeks for One Bread, One Body (July 22) and St. Mary Magdalene (July 29).
This is a discernment process, not a political one, and so it is really important that you suspend your preference for a name and simply let the Spirit speak to you each week about the pros and cons of a particular name. Let go of your ego and desire, and see what happens. After July 29, we’ll post all the results on flip charts to ponder for a month before we meet on August 26. During that month, I encourage each of you to review those results and spend some time in personal prayer each week. When we meet, we may well find that the Spirit has led us to a decision.
Give Mary Anne your card number.
Mary Anne O’Rourke is coordinating a new and amazingly easy fundraising effort. If we register our Dominick’s “Fresh Cards” with the store, Dominick’s will return a percentage of our purchases directly to the church. Simple as that. You can contact Mary Anne at mor1313@yahoo.com
Parish baseball game outing August 24.
On Friday, August 24, Karen Martin, is organizing another baseball outing to see the Flyers – and fireworks – that same evening. Game time is 6:45 p.m. and tickets are $10. See Karen for tickets, or contact her at kwillmar55@sbcglobal.net
Starting on time, practicing music, and more.
On many of our summer Sundays, we will be practicing music before the liturgy. Think of this as spiritual formation to assist us in participating fully in our worship. I know it is hard for a variety of reasons for some of us always to be on time. All I ask is that we as a community try our best to do so, and that everyone knows I would much rather have you get here a few minutes late than feel guilty and not get here at all.
All hands on deck for our July rummage sale.
The Rummage Sale doth approacheth and the time has come for everyone to make a firm commitment to participate in our community effort.
We need:
- Everyone to bring shopping bags AND hangers to church this Sunday. It is impossible to have too many bags or hangers.
- Everyone who has not yet brought their items to
1) price them at home (use your own judgment–price as you would for a yard sale) AND
2) bring them to church on Sunday. - Everyone to talk up the sale to friends and neighbors. July 20 and 21, 9am to 4pm.
- Everyone who has a spare table – card table size or larger – to bring it this Sunday so we’ll have enough tables for the sale (we did NOT last year). Please put your name on it.
- Everyone who is able to donate their time to sign up for as much time as you can give on Friday, July 20 and/or Saturday, July 21. We will need the sale fully staffed beginning at 7am both days through at least 6pm both days. If you can only give an hour or two, we’ll take it!!
- Please email Manny and Douglas at vanborg@sbcglobal.net with the days/times you can volunteer as soon as possible. The sale simply will not be a success without the help of many of us on sale days.
- Numerous volunteers to pick up larger items from donors who cannot deliver them.
- Do you have a truck or van? Please contact Heather at chvoss3@mac.com. She will let you know what the needs are.
- People to post flyers everywhere we can!
- As many people as possible to help price the remaining items this Sunday before or after church and next week prior to the sale.
Let’s all use this opportunity to come together for a common cause. Thank you in advance!
Bishop’s Committee report.
We met this past Wednesday the 11th. All elected members were present, plus the vicar. ssisting priest Paul Brouillette was absent because of vacation.
There were no motions passed, but there was discussion regarding the following topics:
- The upcoming meeting on the 17th with the architect, builder, and diocesan representatives was noted, and there was some debriefing of the earlier meeting; some concern was expressed about the ability of a diocesan rep to hear our needs;Steve noted that steps have been taken to address this concern .
- There was renewed discussion of columbarium policies, especially how to handle requests for transfer of ashes. Steve reported on his conversation with the diocesan chancellor about this issue. The chancellor advised that we write a policy that would be in accord with an Illinois law, the Disposition of Remains Act. Steve shared the chancellor’s summary of the act, and we will draft a policy.
- We agreed we would elect delegates to the Diocesan Convention at our parish meeting scheduled for August 26. (The primary agenda for that meeting will be to consider our new name.)
- The rummage sale was discussed. The importance of widespread parish involvement was stressed. Steve also agreed to create a handout about the church that will be given out.
- We heard a report from the Inviting Team, including the selection of Ginny Gibbs as team leader. We also noted the importance of each team providing brief minutes of each meeting for inclusion in this newsletter as well as the date of their meetings.
- There was discussion of the need for summer adult ed meetings to be included in this newsletter. Steve Martz will coordinate this with Steve Gruenwald.
Summer book club meets this Sunday. RSVP by noon Saturday.
Our first summer book discussion will be this Sunday, July 15, 4:30-7:30 p.m. at my house and will focus on The Ten Commandments: Laws of the Heart, by Joan Chittister. The well-known retreat leader, speaker, and liberal nun looks at what the 10 commandments mean for us as we seek to live in the image and likeness of God.
We’ll meet at my house and do a potluck. I’ll handle the meat; you bring a salad, side dish, or dessert. I live at 947 Oxford in Glen Ellyn – just a couple of minutes off I-355. To help me know how much meat to buy, let me know if you are coming – 1bread1body@sbcglobal.net If you could do so by noon Saturday, that would be a help!
Sunday, August 26,4:30-7:30 p.m. – Take This Bread: A Radical Conversion, by Sara Miles. One day Miles, a longtime atheist, walked into church, took communion, and began crying. Now a member of St. Gregory of Nyssa, an Episcopal church in San Francisco, her spiritual memoir tells the story of a young woman whose spiritual journey is quite remarkable. And some great news about this one. Val and Steve Gruenwald will be our hosts, which will give us some geographical diversity. When Val offered last week to do this, she did not know that one of my goals is to see us hold events in various locales. We have parishioners from all over and so this makes sense.
Ginny Gibbs has helpfully arranged for us to order our books at Amazon by going to our web site at onebreadonebody.org. Click on more news and events, which will take you to the blog and then look around until you find and click the Amazon link. Best of all, we even get a cut on what is ordered through us.
Adult Education group update.
The next meeting of the Sunday morning adult education group is tentatively set for July 29 at 9:00. They will continue their discussion of Native American religious concepts. If convenient, please let Steve Gruenwald know if you will likely be attending at SteveG@swhi.net. He and Val will be away the two Sundays in between, so e-mail is best. This past session, Bob brought in a narrative by Leonard Malatare, a local Indian (he calls himself that), about the spiritual geography of the “medicine wheel.” This is included at the end of the newsletter.
A special thank you from Manny Borg
To all at St. Nicholas with the Holy Innocents, my family and I wish to express our most sincere thanks for your support, prayers and encouragement at this mourning and painful time. We rejoice in the knowledge our Mom, Martha Borg, rests with Christ and for this, we truly have much to celebrate. God bless each and every one for your tremendous kindness and love. Manuel Borg
What’s your story?
One of my projects in the coming months is to help us as a congregation tell our story more effectively. We do this in many ways and one way is through some great stories on our web site from members who share what led them to the parish. But we need more. Lots more. Would you consider adding yours? I would be happy to help you write or edit it, or if you don’t want to write it yourself, I will interview you and write it for you. Thanks!
Summer choir schedule.
Choir rehearsals will be at 9 each Sunday.
Second quarter contribution statements are done.
Second quarter contribution statements are done, and they can be picked up on the table near the entrance to the worship space. So save the church some postage money and please pick yours up! Thank you.
Food pantry items particularly needed include…
Help replenish the food pantry by bringing one or more non-perishable items each Sunday and placing them on or beneath the table just inside the worship space. Items that we particularly need for the pantry are canned fruit, tuna, canned pasta such as Spaghetti O’s and ravioli.
Ministry teams.
These have begun to meet. The next meetings are:
Nurturing
– Wed, July 25, 7 p.m.
Inviting
– Sun, July 15, after church
Generosity
– Sun, July 15, after church
Welcoming
– Check with Karen Martin for details
Note to teams: let me know your schedule at 1bread1body@sbcglobal.net
We hope you will be able to help with one of these teams, or in one of the other areas of church life — Worship, Mission, Administration, Building and Grounds, Adult Formation, and Children’s Formation. Thanks.
Nurturing Team summary, July 11, 2007:
Carla Amato, Katie Black, Ginny Gibbs, Ethan Jewett, Mary Anne O’Rourke, and Donna Tamski were in attendance. The Team began by discussing issues involved in helping people in need to access community resources. This includes both people outside the congregation as well as parishioners. It was determined that the congregation’s discretionary fund could be used to provide limited assistance for transportation, food, and other needs. It was agreed, however, that some means to replenish the discretionary fund would have to be devised and implemented. Ethan and Mary Anne then instructed the other team members in how to conduct a Eucharistic visitation. Finally, Donna Tamaski discussed the potential of beginning a prayer blanket ministry to provide pastoral care to those in need. It was agreed that Donna would teach the Team to construct a prayer blanket at the next meeting. Ethan Jewett closed the meeting by leading the team in prayer.
Inviting Team summary, July 1, 2007:
Ginny was selected as our team leader. We agreed to hold our meetings after Sunday services. The next meeting will be July 15. We talked about how to advertise upcoming events such as:
- Rummage sale, July 20-21
- Our new name
- New building
- Honoring St. Mary the Virgin, August 19
- Blessing of animals and adoptable animals, October 7
- Recovery Sunday, October 21 or 28
- November, Honor veterans – military, fire department, police department
Ginny agreed to contact Pioneer Press to see if they will publicize our garden and our Food Pantry.We agreed that we would like to come up with a catchy phrase to “put out there” that would advertise what we have to offer – flexibility, modern and forward thinking, contemporary. We want to reach those who are seeking and/or searching for a spiritual home. We need to offer a promise and deliver on that promise.
Inviting Team summary, July 8, 2007:
We agreed to have a brief meeting July 8, since we will be going through the new name discernment process over the next few weeks. Advertising our July 20-21 rummage sale was the main topic. Ginny will write up something and get it to Pioneer Press and, hopefully, the Daily Herald.
We will all be looking into activities that the different villages will be having where we might be able to volunteer to hand out water, or whatever, wearing Episcopal t-shirts. Once we have decided on a new name, we will look into getting t-shirts made so that we can wear them to any activity we might attend as a group and get our name out there.
One bread, one body.
I’ve found myself thinking maybe churches aren’t so bad after all; this thought coming to me after watching the Jung Institute try to deal with one of my too visionary marketing ideas. Gee, if we think churches are hidebound and have trouble changing their light bulbs, psychoanalytic groups make us look visionary.
It seems the Institute has one of my former analysts, who also is one of the most well-known Jungians in the world (big fish, small pond…), coming back to Chicago in November (from Zurich, where he moved a few years ago, disrupting my analysis!). The Institute wants to do a major public program and make a bit of money – both good ideas. But they need a venue and the only two they could think of were Harold Washington College across the street from their office and the Adler Institute a few blocks away.
Neither was very imaginative, so I suggested they ask Loyola’s Institute of Pastoral Studies six blocks north of them to host it. That would help build some bridges to an Institute that trains pastoral counselors and to a University that, while not the University of Chicago or Northwestern, has an important presence in Chicago. At first they though it was a great idea. But then I got the email — and had the conversation — in which I heard that although my idea was great…no, really, we think it’s great…it might not be what we are ready for this time. You see…
I think the church is a lot like this, too, and this is one reason we are increasingly anachronistic. Where once we had a bold vision — and at our best still do – nowadays our vision is primarily bureaucratic. This means we move slowly and miss opportunities because we have become so myopic that we mistake our own reality for the world’s reality.
A classic example of this was the Vatican document this week that restated the pre-Vatican II notion that the Roman Church is the one true church and all the rest of us are seriously deficient. It reminds me of their sexual theology in which they declare everyone who doesn’t do it their way to be intrinsically disordered. This is a church so caught up in theological foreplay that it doesn’t realize how idiotic it sounds to the rest of the world – and of course has no sense of the missed opportunities that result from declaring other Christians disordered and deficient rather than seeing them as partners.
If only such folly were limited to Rome…
But it’s not. We are not immune from it ourselves, and as a national and international church we’ve spent way too much time in recent years considering the sex lives of bishops.
I meander through these events to remind myself, and all of us, that we serve Christ best when we see him in the stranger and in our neighbors – and use our imagination and all our god-given gifts to welcome and serve stranger and neighbor. When we cease to be a people of radical welcome and service, we run the danger of becoming a self-gratifying people good primarily for generating really funny light bulb jokes.
Lots of love,
— Steve
Schedule of events for the week beginning July 15:
Please spend some time this week discerning
why we should and
why we should not
choose “One Bread, One Body” as our name
(see announcement above for details)
Sunday the 15th
Worship at 10
Inviting and Generosity Teams meet after mass
AA meets at 7:30 p.m.
Book club 4:30 – 7:30 p.m. – at Steve’s
Monday the 16th
AA meets at noon
AA meets at 7 p.m.
Tuesday the 17th
AA meets at noon
AA meets at 7 p.m.
Wednesday the 18th
Bishop’s committee meets at 11 a.m.
AA meets at noon
Food pantry, 6-7:30 p.m.
Thursday the 19th
AA meets at noon
GA meets at 7 p.m.
Friday the 20th
Rummage Sale, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
AA meets at noon
Saturday the 21st
Rummage Sale, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
AA meets at 1 p.m.
AA meets at 8:30 p.m.
Sunday the 22nd
Worship at 10
Brief parish meeting at 11 to report results of discernment process
**************************
The Medicine Wheel
The Medicine Wheel an Ideology, a Philosophy or a World View as you may. It is what the Indian knew to be a truth with which they guided their lives by. They never contemplated if it was “The Truth”, but it was a truth to them none the less. It is what enabled them to walk in balance and harmony.
East, the color is yellow. It represents The Power of God. It represents Birth, a new beginning, the first season (spring). It represents the Elk Medicine (Love, very powerful). It represents the Heart. It represents the start of the journey. It is the beginning of the circle of life. Within, it is the 2 dots which represent the heartbeat. It is connected to the West by the good Red Road . It represents the female Spirit. The female spirit is that which gives life to everything. It is life and it gives harmony which allows us to grow through the first stage of life. It represents all that is passive and pacific. It is the first discipline.
South, the color is Red. It represents the Power of God. It represents the body, youth, the growth. It represents the second season (summer). It represents all the animals and the birds. It represents all of our relations and it represents respect. It represents the body and the 2 dots within represent the heartbeat. It gives us heat and energy so that our bodies can grow (bodies meaning the body of everything that grows). It gives balance along with harmony balance lends us the tools to grow into and through the second stage of life. It is connected to the North by the broken road. The balance allows us to develop the thought process which is taught by all that is around us (good & bad). It is the second discipline.
West, the color is black. It represents the Power of God. It represents the third season (Fall). It represents darkness that which gives us time to contemplate. It represents the mind and the growth from within. It represents the Thunder beings the Guardians of the Spirit World. It represents Chaos and Turmoil and the ability to sort it all out. It represents maturity. It represents the third stage of life. In this stage we will find ourselves wanting to seek out and control, the West gives us the ability to control our thought process and to wait for a new beginning before making any decisions. This is the direction that gives a spark to our mind and lights a fire in our soul. This is the stage that we must seek out a vision. Only then can we realize that we need to talk with God on a one to one basis. The 2 dots within represent the heartbeat. It is the third discipline.
North, the color is White. It represents the Power of God. It represents the fourth season (Winter). It represents our spirit. It is when we get old that our hair turns white like the snows of the winter. It represents Knowledge and Wisdom. It is because we have followed the discipline’s and have allowed our selves to have been taught that we now have this gift from the North. Now is the time that our Spirit is easily connected with God and we can talk with him and ask for the greater good for the people. The North gives us the gift of humility and we think only for the good of the people as a whole. We have almost reached the end of the Circle and it in almost time to cross over into the other world. We must leave all that we have taken behind, in order that the people may survive. That is Generosity, the Greatest gift, and that is the fourth discipline.
The Good Red Road crosses the Sacred Circle from East to West. It is unbroken, that’s the way it is. To walk this road, one must be, feel and think Indian. You cannot go half way, it must be the good way or no way. If you are walking this road then you are leading a good life. You have matured beyond the ordinary and are able to recognize Ikto. You have followed the disciplines and are doing as you were schooled. You are looking out for the good of the people and are not concerned about how anyone perceives you. Your interest lies in the good of the people. Your walk with God has been good and your vision has been real.
The Broken Road crosses the circle from North to South. If you happen to be traveling this road then you might need a bit of an adjustment. This road is full of obstacles and trickery. You think you are doing really good, you are full of yourself. Your interests lie in worldly and material things that will benefit you. You have not followed the disciplines and have not been schooled in a good way. Yours is not the maturity that the people would look approvingly on. You would need to rethink your situation and begin to prepare yourself to begin the journey back to the Good Red Road .
The Indian never knew fear. The Indian never feared life or death. But what they did have a great fear of was being shamed. If I was walking down the road and I looked over and seen grandma all by herself, struggling to chop fire wood and I just laughed and passed her by. Then she would remember me. If on the other hand I stopped and went over and said, hey grandma, sit down, let me chop your wood. Then I went and hauled water for her, made her a fire and cooked her dinner. Then as I was leaving I told her I will be back to check on you grandma. Then she would remember me differently. When I leave this world, I want to be remembered by grandma as the one who helped her.
The Spirit World is a good place. It is a real good place, you can hunt, go picking berries, drink good water, sing and dance. It doesn’t get any gooder then that. But while in this world I had been taught to be generous. To always give a gift. If I pick sage for medicine, I will only pick the male plant, and then I will always leave a gift so that the female plant may replenish the sage. If I shoot a deer, or elk, I will only take the male and offer a gift so that the female spirit will replenish our food supply. If I helped grandma then I did right. On the other hand, if I did not gift the spirits and remember all my relations then my spirit would be shamed. When it comes time for me to leave this world, I will be gifted according to how I have led my life. If I was selfish and thought only of myself and didn’t care about the people or helping out then when I die the people will forget about me. They will not bring me any gifts to take with me. If I was Indian and helped out all the people, and I was very generous with my medicine and gifted all my relations, then the people would say, he was a good Indian and they would send me on with plenty of gifts.
The Indian believed that the Spirit World was a real, real good place. But when you get there, in order to enjoy it, you have to be able to offer a gift. If you want to dance, you have to give a gift. If you don’t have any gifts to offer when you get there, then your spirit would be shamed. This is the greatest fear that the Indian has is to be shamed in the Spirit World.
The Medicine Wheel means all of this and so much more to the Indian. This is the discipline needed to live think and be Indian.
Leonard Malatare
