One Bread, One Body
News from St. Nicholas

10.7.07

Happiness makes up in height
for what it lacks in depth.
— Robert Frost

Recovery Sunday picnic a big success

This past Sunday was a wonderful celebration of the AA groups at St. Nicholas and of all people in recovery as 50-plus St. Nicholasites were joined by more than 100 members of AA. Thanks to Neal Setchell for laboring over the grill, to Ken Tamaski for bringing and setting up his wonderful tent, to David Taylor for leading the 12-step adult ed, to Cyndi Beck for preaching, and to Bill and Cyndi for their offertory duet, and to each one of you who brought food and a wonderful spirit to help make this first annual event a big success. Next year’s will be even bigger and better!

Today is Blessing of the Animals Sunday – with Pet Fair

Please bring your pet(s) or, if you lack a pet, a cuddly stuffed animal to our annual Blessing of the Animals. We’ll be blessing animals at both liturgies.

And if that’s not enough, from noon to 2 p.m. we’ll be holding our first Pet Fair. This will feature several additional animal opportunities, most notably adoptables.

Church school for children and adults today

Children.

Our church school program has begun and this year we will have Sunday morning church school for preschool and elementary age children. Because of space constraints, we will not run a Sunday morning junior high or senior high program this year – but we look forward to doing so next year in the new building. However, junior and senior high youth are encouraged to participate in the adult ed programs on Sunday mornings.

Youth.

We are planning what we trust will be a quite interesting alternative approach for our junior and senior high kids that we think will be really interesting – and totally unexpected. Stay tuned for more info soon.

Adults.

We’ve got two adult ed groups going this morning. Our contemporary issues group continues their study of world religions.

Our second group offers the debut of our new first-Sunday-of-each-month series on Celebrating our Anglican Tradition. Ethan will lead this group today and will focus on Anglican history and provide an overview of Anglicanism today. This new series will provide newcomers to the Episcopal Church a way to learn a bit more about the denomination each month.

Three-week series on David begins next Sunday

Besides our new first-Sunday offering, we are also going to look each month at a different figure from the Hebrew Scriptures, or Old Testament. On October 14, 21, and 28, Steve will lead us in an examination of David, the shepherd king. The October 14 class will be intergenerational – all parishioners of all ages are invited to participate.

Couldn’t make it to church this past Sunday?

We missed you, but we realize that not everyone can make it every Sunday. While we can’t bring church to you, we can help you stay connected by offering you the previous week’s homily at http://www.onebreadonebody.org/homilies.htm A reminder to preachers to e-mail Ethan your homily (in Microsoft Word format) by Wednesday after the Sunday that you’ve preached.

And, as always, if you miss because of illness or something similar, let us know by phone that morning, and we will be sure to bring you communion.

Children’s Mass next week

On the second Sunday of each month, we are going to transform the later liturgy into something of a “Children’s Chapel,” offering that liturgy on that Sunday particularly for children. We’ll be asking children and youth to be involved in the liturgy in almost all ways that day, and for the adults to bring their inner child to church that day. This is one way to make palpable our intent to be a church that welcomes and fully includes children,

A Bishop for Chicago

Your feedback is important. I would be grateful if you would find the time to visit the website, www.bishopforchicago.org, where you will find material from each of the eight candidates for bishop. I would be even more grateful if you would read all that material and then attend a feedback session on Sunday, November 4, so our Convention delegates can hear your impressions and thoughts about the candidates. The material is also available at church.

And I would be ecstatic if you could find the time to attend one of the “meet-and-greets” the search committee is holding for the candidates. Then your feedback would also reflect a “flesh-and-blood” experience of the candidates, who may speak to you in one way on paper and another in person. The full schedule is:

Tuesday, October 23,
St. Mark’s, 393 N. Main Street, Glen Ellyn

Wednesday, October 24,
Church of the Redeemer, 40 Center St., Elgin

Thursday, October 25,
Church of the Holy Spirit, 400 E. Westminster Rd, Lake Forest

Friday, October 26,
Church of the Transfiguration, 12219 S. 86th Ave., Palos Park

Registration for the weekday events is 5:30 p.m. with program at 6:15

Saturday, October 27,
St. Edmund’s, 6105 S. Michigan, Chicago
8:45 a.m. registration, 9:30 program

Sunday, October 28, St. Luke’s, 221 W. 3rd St., Dixon
1:45 p.m. registration, 2:30 program

Logo, anyone?

OK. We’ve go ourselves a name. That’s a big step in identity formation. We know who we are. Now we want to begin communicating who we are to others – and one important tool in this communication is a LOGO. But we need your help. We’d like everyone in the parish to begin thinking – and praying about a symbol that might convey clearly who we are. You can sketch it if you want. Or if you feel artistically challenged, put it into words. You can give your ideas to Steve or anyone on the bishop’s committee. You also can email them to onebreadonebody@sbcglobal.net. Thanks!

Opportunity to serve soup and the poor

We have the opportunity to serve dinner to the homeless and poor at the Franciscan Outreach Soup Kitchen, 1645 W. LeMoyne in Chicago. This ministry is run by our own Manny Borg. Two dates have been reserved for a group from St. Nicholas. The next trip has been scheduled for Saturday, October 13, followed by Saturday, November 10. We are planning to car pool from church, leaving around 3:30 p.m. There will be a sign-up sheet at the entrance to the worship space. If you would like to participate or have any questions, please see Manny or Mary Anne O’Rourke – or email Mary Anne at mor1313@yahoo.com

Second Family Ministry: clothes needed

We have received a request from a family with five children for help with winter clothes. The clothing can be new or used if the items are clean and in good shape. This family has requested help previously from Holy Innocents and they now are turning to our combined congregation. Please be generous. Here is the information about these children.

Boy Age 8 Size 7-8 shirt, 9-10 pants
Girl Age 11 Size 9-10
Girl Age 12 Size 12 top, 12 slim pants
Boy Age 13 Size 14 or XL
Boy High School Size XXL

Food pantry items we now need 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 juice, sugar, laundry detergent, paper products (toilet paper, paper towels, tissue).

Bishop’s committee report

Minutes of October 3, 2007 meeting

Present: David Taylor, Pat Kalicki, Steve Martz, Paul Brouillette, Mary Anne O’Rourke
Absent: Manny Borg, Karen Martin, Ethan Jewett

There were no official votes or actions. Discussion included the following topics:

Constructing a shed rather than a garage as part of the building addition. A shed would be less expensive and would meet our needs as well.
United Thank Offering representative will visit us on December 16.
Ideas for proceeding toward the development of a logo.
We confirmed a decision to hold a Thanksgiving liturgy, although Mary will be unavailable to play.
We talked about several matters related to signage, including lighting the existing signage, adding the web site address, and the use of banners.

Yummy Hour needs you

From the Welcoming Team:

Dear Parishioners of St. Nicholas,
We are seeking volunteers to help provide snacks for the social gatherings after both the 9 and 11 am Liturgies. Cookies, cakes, sweet or savory, and simple is fine, too. Ideally, we ask if the same person(s) covers both the 9 and 11 am gatherings. Set up of snacks, regular and decaf coffee and a pot of hot water for tea. Sugar, creamer, cups, napkins and stirs are in the cabinets in the Gathering Space while coffee and coffee pots are in the kitchen space. Let’s all get involved!

There is a sign up sheet in the church – AND you can sign up online by picking one of these available dates and times and emailing your choice to Manny: vanborg@sbcglobal.net

Here’s the schedule to choose from:

October 7
9am Celebration Sunday…cake provided
11am Celebration Sunday…cake provided

October 14
9am
11am

October 21
9am
11am

October 28
9am
11am

November 4 – All Saints’ Sunday
9am Celebration Sunday…cake provided
11am Celebration Sunday…cake provided

November 11
9am
11am

November 18
9am
11am

November 25
9am
11am

December 2
9am Celebration Sunday…cake provided
11am Celebration Sunday….cake provided

December 9 – St. Nicholas Sunday
9am
11am

December 16
9am
11am

December 23
9am
11am

December 30
9am
11am

If you shop at Amazon…

…be sure to visit it through our web site and part of your purchase will go to our church, thanks to the work of Ginny Gibbs. Go 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.

Does anyone know of a good used car?

I know of someone looking for a good used car for under $2,000. She would like something that is mechanically sound. If you know of such a car, respond to me (Steve) at 1bread1body@sbcglobal.net

One bread, one body

I was thrilled by our first annual Recovery Sunday. Although we are merely the hosts – it is the leaders and members of AA who do the actual ministry – I was reminded again on Sunday what incredible, life-changing work goes on within the walls of St. Nicholas. How important it is that we celebrate this, and the people whose lives are changed by the work of AA and other 12-step groups. I was particularly appreciative of Cyndi’s preaching. As I said at one point on Sunday, the joy for me of having so much lay preaching at St. Nicholas is that it opens up for all to share the depth of spirituality that we have as a community. And Cyndi’s fine homily brought home to many the beauty and depth of a spirituality centered in the 12 steps.

This past Sunday was the first of several annual celebrations and observances of the different human journeys represented within our community. What a great way this was to begin these celebrations.

Lots of love,
— Steve

Our schedule this week

Sunday, October 7

BLESSING OF THE ANIMALS SUNDAY
Worship at 9 & 11 a.m. – pets invited
Adult and children’s ed at 10
Pet Fair noon to 2 p.m.
AA meets at 7:30 p.m.

Monday

AA meets at noon
AA meets at 7 p.m.

Tuesday

AA meets at noon
AA meets at 7 p.m.

Wednesday

Bishop’s committee meets at 11 a.m.
AA meets at noon

Thursday

AA meets at noon
GA meets at 7 p.m.

Friday

AA meets at noon

Saturday

AA meets at 1 p.m.
Soup Kitchen trip, 3:30 p.m.
AA meets at 8:30 p.m.

Sunday, October 14

Worship at 9 & 11
Church School for all ages at 10