THE DOVE
October 2015

 

Pastor Heath
Lucille On-the-Spot Pick-Up
Saturday, October 3rd
Save the Date and your gently used items! Holy Comforter will, once again, participate in Lucille Resale Shop's "On the Spot Pick-Up." A large truck and two moving/loading assistants will be on hand to make sure your goods are loaded with care and on their way to "greener pastures," being resold to raise money for Holy Family Ministries. Donors will receive receipts for tax purposes. Read more here...
Instructed Eucharist
Sunday, October 4
At the 9:00 a.m. liturgy we are going to do something we haven't done for some time at Holy Comforter:  we are going to celebrate an "Instructed Eucharist" that will provide information on some of the history, theology, and even interesting trivia that serves as the foundation of our worship tradition.  This Eucharist will contain spoken narrative at certain points during the service, illuminating what different aspects of the liturgy mean, where they come from, and why we follow some of the practices we use.  The bulletin will contain additional information, and there will be a handout for children explaining some of the vessels, vestments and linens used in our common worship.  Although we know that we cannot possibly present everything there is to know about the Eucharist, this will be a rare opportunity to look inside and behind many of our customs and rites to discover the stimulating origins and purpose of our liturgy.  The Instructed Eucharist will be appropriate for all people:  from folks brand new to Holy Comforter and Eucharistic worship all the way to those who have been members for decades.  Please plan now to make a special effort to attend this unique offering!
Fall Festival
and Blessing of Pets
Saturday, October 17
10:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon
On October 17, we will observe what has become one of our favorite parish moments: the Fall Festival, complete with hayrides, popcorn, a pumpkin patch, corndogs, and good old-fashioned fun and fellowship.  The Festival begins at 10:00 on the west lawn, and everyone is invited: young and not-so-young, parishioners and ATB&B families, neighbors and friends! About halfway through the event (so at approximately 11:00) we will once again bless all pets in a simple and lovely rite in the columbarium cloister . We even have special St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals, medals for your pets' collars. So please make a special point to bring your four-legged, furry, winged, or scaly friends so that they can receive God's blessing and take part in the festivities!
Pat Drew To Be Honored
Friday, October 30
by The Rev. Dr. Jason L.Parkin

By now, hopefully the entire parish is aware of the fact that our beloved Pat Drew is going to become a Lifetime Trustee of Episcopal Charities and Community Services at the annual ECCS Dinner Dance on Friday, October 30, at the Marriott in downtown Chicago  (if you are receiving this issue of The Dove electronically, you can see the extended article on Pat in the September issue, located here .)

As I wrote in September, it is my deepest hope that many members from Holy Comforter will turn out to support Pat (and Episcopal Charities) on the 30th by buying tickets-or even tables-and show up in great numbers. If enough people attend, we will investigate hiring a bus for the evening to transport parishioners to and from the Marriott for the sake of convenience and safety. P lease let Laurel know as soon as possible that you are going to attend, so we can begin to coordinate transportation.  If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me directly.
Holy Baptism
All Saints' Day, November 1
As most everyone is aware, we celebrate Holy Baptism four times each year at Holy Comforter: at the Great Vigil of Easter on Holy Saturday evening; on the Feast of Pentecost, our parish birthday and the celebration of the gift of the Holy Spirit; on the Feast of the Baptism of our Lord in early January when we commemorate Jesus' baptism at the hands of his cousin John in the Jordan River; and on All Saints' Day, the first Sunday in November, when we remember and rejoice in our identity as God's holy and beloved children. Each occasion has a unique quality and a unique connection to Holy Baptism; and all are poignant and powerful.
 
Our next celebration of Baptism will occur at the 9:00 Eucharist on Sunday, November 1. If you are interested in having a child baptized, or desire baptism for yourself, please contact the Rector at here or at 847/251-6120, ext. 115.   The next baptismal feast will be Sunday, January 17, 2016. 
...in the vineyard
Blessings be upon the Bennett family for the birth of Ridge Ryan Bennett, born on August 23 in Oakland to Drew and Sarah Bennett.  Delighted and proud are grandparents Andy and Sarah. Ridge clocked in at a healthy 8 lbs., 13 oz.  May God grace Ridge's life, and the lives of his family, in the weeks and months to come.
 
We rejoice in the safe arrival of Marcus Everett Britt, who was born September 2, in Arlington Heights.  Marcus weighed in at 7 lbs., 12 oz., and he is the grandson of Jean Britt, and the son of Stephanie Britt. Congratulations and blessings to the entire extended Britt family, including Marcus' aunts, uncles, and eight cousins! 

Congratulations to Kevin and Sue Carlson of the birth of their new grandson, William Anders Carlson,  their second grandchild!  He was born on the morning of September 13 at UIC Hospital in Chicago to Tom and Katie Carlson.  Anders, as he is called, weighed 7 lbs., 11 oz.  May God bless Anders, his parents, his grandparents, and the entire extended Carlson clan. 

The Rector's Column

by The Rev. Dr. Jason L. Parkin, Rector

In a sermon some months ago, I quoted a passage from the book Mortal Lessons, by the surgeon Dr. Richard Selzer. Enough people commented on it after services-and it presents such a poignant image-that it bears repeating. T his memory of Dr. Selzer's is a wonderful image for the lives of compassion and generosity to which we, as people of faith, have been called by God. Is not the baptized life one of molding ourselves to the needs of the world around us, whether small or great, and using the gifts we have received in order to bring hope and courage to others? Is it not our vocation to allow God to shape and form us in such a way that our gifts-spiritual, financial, professional, personal-are not held in reserve only for ourselves, but used for the sake of our brothers and sisters? And is not God constantly calling us to re-order our priorities, to change some of the directions we have charted, to offer more, to give more, to become more, to be more through God's empowering presence? Read more here...

Center for Trinitarian Spirituality

by Chris Hardman
 
As you know from last month's Dove, the Center for Trinitarian Spirituality is a new initiative whose mission is to help us move from "God loves us" to "God is Love."As I have said before, knowing/trusting that God loves us is not excluded when we say "God is Love." On the contrary, it brings us to an even deeper understanding of God's love for us, one that is unconditional.  Making that move, however, is not easy.
October Adult Forum
by Chris Hardman
 
God is Love: Creating, Sustaining, and Uniting is our programmatic theme this year and it is well represented this month. We begin with An Instructed Eucharist at the 9:00 am service on October 4th.  The self-offering love of God is at the center of our worship service calling us together and forming us into Christ's Body. This Instructed service will enlighten people with some of the historical background and theology behind the different parts of the Eucharist.  Following the service, our adult forum will allow some time to share what we have learned.  On the 11th, the Adult Forum will lead us into an even deeper understanding of the Eucharist. This month will be an excellent opportunity to enrich and renew your faith.  Please join us.
The Fortune Cookie
and Stewardship Spirituality
by Marc Franson, Canvass and Stewardship Chair

The other night after a meal, I opened a fortune cookie brought with the check. The message was: "If you continually give, you will continually have." Having been thinking about the parish's upcoming canvass, the post prandial treat seemed more like a spiritual revelation and a succinct statement about stewardship. And stewardship...and canvass... are all about our faith and our belief in a loving God, and our response in thanksgiving to all we are and all we have.   Read more here...
The Society of the Dove
by David Boles

Shortly after my wife Sandy and I moved to Kenilworth in 1996, we walked down the street to attend church at Holy Comforter. We had recently moved from Connecticut (with an 18 month stop in Chicago) where we had attended an Episcopal Church in Darien. What we found was a familiar, warm and welcoming environment. A short time later, Father Myers came to visit, and I recall him sitting on a small couch in our living room like it was yesterday. Having just moved in, I think the couch was the only furniture in the room.  Read more here...
Family Blessing for the Fall
with a Nature Walk
by Pastor Heath Howe, Family Ministries

As we enter the month of October, we step deeper and deeper into the season of fall.  The season that is not too hot nor too cold.  The season when the leaves change colors, the waves on the lake sound stronger, and the air becomes crisper.  Nature invites us to notice the changes of the season in so many ways.  With those changes, we can say good bye to summer and all it gave us, and hello to what is next for us and our families this fall.  With these changes, we can also wonder what God might be calling us into or out of at this time.   Read more here...
FORMation
by Mary Johnson, Director of Children's Ministries & All Things Bright & Beautiful

There is a centuries old query: how to build strong moral character in our children.  It has to start in the home. The old adage of "lead by example" is never truer. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Robert Coles states that parents are the single most important source of moral instruction in their child's life. If a parent is espousing all sorts of advice about how a child should behave, but does not model the expected behavior, it doesn't matter. If a clerk at a store gives back too much change, do you give it back? When you find the bag of items in the cart in the parking lot, does it get returned to the store or does it go in the car? And then there is the very real and poignant example from our Kindergarten student, Will.   Read more here...
Returning to the Question
by Charlotte Long, Youth Ministries 
 
In Chapel, the little children learn early on to ask "Wondering Questions" with the Bible Stories. The storyteller will say, "I wonder who you think the Good Shepherd is?" or "I wonder what your favorite part of the story is."  The children get good at it quickly. It is innate in them, this way of meeting God, without pretension, without assumed understanding.  Where does this skill go, I wonder? This skill to be open and ask so that we may receive?  More here...
Beauty in the Columbarium 
by the Blossom Brigade!

Over Memorial Day weekend Barbara Haljun, Jan Parkin, Cary Johnson and Jane Eaton planted flowers in the columbarium to beautify the space for our loved ones. 
 
Throughout the summer, a team made up of Margaret Campbell, Jody Lapp, Barbara McStowe, Gretchen Quinn, and Donna Doberstein lovingly cared for and watered, deadheaded and practically all but sang to the many flowers, bringing a sense of peace and joy to the space.  Those attending the outdoor services enjoyed the ambience and the serenity that the plantings created. Cristina Savina and her son Marshall expertly cared for the flowers in front of the church. Many thanks and bountiful blessings for the abundance of beauty our Blossom Brigade brings!
Stephen Ministry
The "After People"
People often ask, "What exactly is a Stephen Minister?" One way to put it is that Stephen Ministers are the After People. Stephen Ministers are there: after the phone call you hoped you'd never get. They are ready to come alongside you-or your friends, neighbors, coworkers, or relatives-and provide comfort and support for as long after as needed.  Read more here...
Fall Fellowship Dinner