Category Archives: Reaching Out

Chicago Episcopalians pray for peace in Sudan – Chicago Tribune

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As the first southern Sudanese flocked to the polls Sunday to determine whether to secede from the north, hundreds of Episcopalians in a time zone nine hours behind them gathered for vigils in Chicago parishes to pray for the safety of their brothers and sisters during the historic vote.Should southerners choose independence in the weeklong referendum, millions of refugees from the north are expected to pass through the border town of Renk, where the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago is largely responsible for progress.”For us this vigil is really praying not just for our partner parish and their safety, but their lives may be changed … for the good,” said the Rev. Shawn Schreiner, rector of Grace Episcopal Church in Oak Park, where parishioners gathered late Saturday before polls opened. “There could be an amazing grace that comes out of all of this.”

via Chicago Episcopalians pray for peace in Sudan – Chicago Tribune.

The Baptism Of Jesus, And The Baptism Of Lucy

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Baptism of Jesus

And when Jesus had been baptized,

just as he came up from the water,

suddenly the heavens were opened to him

and he saw the Spirit of God

descending like a dove and alighting on him.

And a voice from heaven said,

“This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”

— from the Gospel of Matthew

In addition to celebrating the baptism of Our Lord at Sunday morning’s 10am
service, we will be celebrating the baptism of a wee parishioner, Lucy!

She is regularly in attendance at St Nick’s with her parents and big sister, but tomorrow will be a big day for her. Join us Sunday morning to celebrate a new beginning for Lucy and her family.

You are always welcome in this “house of prayer for all people.”

Happy New Year!

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None of us ever knows what a New Year will bring, and I am sure 2011 will bring its share of welcome and unwelcome surprises. But I have a very good feeling that 2011 is going to be a really good one at St. Nicholas.

2010 certainly had its moments. I was struck most by the number of deaths. Not so much in the parish directly, but loved ones of parishioners. I went to more wakes and funerals outside St. Nicholas than I have in any previous year. The Christmas Eve death of Carrie Loos’ dad seemed like an exclamation point to all the other deaths of 2010.

There was a lot of grieving here last year.

It was as well a difficult one for us financially, and our attendance also dropped from the previous year.

At the same time, we launched a really good new liturgy, saw our ministry continue to expand, and had a couple of wonderful rummage sales.

Then, Christmas Eve at St. Nicholas brought a wonderful spirit — and the highest attendance ever. It is the energy of that night that fuels my hope and optimism for 2011.

St. Nicholas is a remarkable congregation, with a spirit unlike any other. We will have our ups and downs. That’s just part of life. But I think the trajectory here is upward bound, and I’m betting by the end of 2011, everyone will agree this New Year, though full of surprises, was a remarkable one for St. Nicholas.

Happy New Year,

Steve