THE DOVE
January 2016

 

Visitors from Distant Lands
Sunday, January 10
For some time now, we have heard rumors around Holy Comforter that we were going to be treated to a visit by some special guests early in the New Year.  We now have more information, and are delighted to be able to pass on word that on Sunday, January 10, we will be privileged to host three Magi from exotic Eastern lands during the 9:00 Eucharist (we think they're Magi:  they might be kings or magicians or astrologers or sages.  We're just not sure yet.  We will simply have to wait until they arrive to learn more).  So please come and welcome our special visitors and guests on January 10 at the 9:00 Eucharist!  (For those keeping score, the Feast of the Epiphany actually falls on January 6, but we are observing it on the 10th-and moving the Feast of the Baptism of our Lord to the 17th-because our special visitors couldn't make it to Holy Comforter until the 10th....)
Holy Baptism
Sunday, January 17
The next celebration of the sacrament of Holy Baptism will take place on Sunday, January 17, 2016.   January 17 is the Feast of the Baptism of our Lord, and, thus, is one of the preeminent days on which to welcome people into the household of God.  If you are interested in baptism at the 9:00 Eucharist on the 11 th for yourself or a child, please contact the Rector at your earliest convenience . jlparkin@holycomforter.org  or 847/251-6120, ext. 115
Annual Parish Meeting
Sunday, January 31
Established by the Canons and Constitutions of the Episcopal Church, the Annual Parish Meeting is always an important day in the life of any congregation.  We use this time together as an opportunity to reflect on the year past, and to ponder the year just beginning.  We will elect new members of the Vestry and adopt the annual parish budget.  Just as importantly, we will also ponder matters spiritual, the ways in which we are fulfilling, or hope to fulfill, God's call to us in our ministry, fellowship, worship and outreach.   This year, the Wardens will report on the result of the simple parish survey performed last summer, and discuss ways in which the Vestry will engage those findings in 2016.  In addition, other parish leaders will provide a variety of perspectives about our various ministries and programs.  In short, at the Annual Parish Meeting, we reflect on the directions in which God is nudging us, and, in general, hear and retell together part of the story of Church of the Holy Comforter.
 
The Annual Meeting will begin at 10:00 a.m. in the Great Room following a slightly abbreviated 9:00 Eucharist.  I encourage you to make every effort to participate in order that our deliberations and reflections might include as much of the wider congregation as possible. 
 
Please note that there will be no 11:15 Eucharist on January 31.
January Adult Forum
by Chris Hardman
 
This month we have a real treat for all those who love the season of Epiphany.  On Sunday, January 10th, we will open the season with a celebration of the wise men from the east coming to visit the Christ child.  This has always been one of my favorite stories and may be one of yours as well.  If you have done any studying of this story you know that the "wise men" were most likely adherents of the Zoroastrian faith.  On Sunday, January 24 th , a real live Zoroastrian, Robinton Revetna, will speak to us.  You won't want to miss what this "wise man" has to say!
 
On January 10 th after our Epiphany celebration we will hold a discussion on Epiphany and the "nature of light." This will include an outline and explanation of all the "light" that will shine in Lent.  (That means an explanation of what our educational programs will be about.)
A baptismal reception will be held on the 17 th with a mission trip discussion following.  Our annual parish meeting will be held on the 31 st Schedule here...
The Rector's Column
by The Rev. Dr. Jason L. Parkin, Rector

By the time this newsletter reaches mailboxes, Christmas Day will be past, and the Christmas Season perhaps half over.  We will be standing on the threshold of a new season-Epiphany-and the new secular year will have begun.  It is so easy to return to our regular routines and rituals and rhythms rapidly after Christmas Day.  The challenge, as the closing selection from the magisterial poem oratorio by W.H. Auden indicates, is to allow ourselves to be transformed by the Incarnation of divine Love in human form not just for a few hours or a few days, but throughout the rest of life.  It is trite to say, "I wish Christmas could last the whole year," and yet, that is precisely the call of the life of faith:  to see the "actual Vision" of the Child come among us to bring new life, and not to walk away the same but, rather, somehow and indelibly new.
 
The Epiphany Season soon to begin is the time when we celebrate liturgically the unfolding revelation of Christ's identity and mission:  from the visit of the Magi through his baptism in the river Jordan;  from the manifestation of his first works of wonder to the Transfiguration on the holy mount, this season unpeels, layer by layer, just who this Jesus is:  the Holy One of God.  But Epiphany also affords us the opportunity to manifest just who we are, as well:  to show how we will use this Time Being to reflect and shine with the light and love of the God who is within us and around us;  to reveal that we do not think the presence of God within our world and our very lives is simply an "agreeable possibility."
 
How will we shine this month?  How will we use the Time Being to grow, love, care, heal, and offer God's holy reign and peace?
Wednesday Adult Class
Lenten Program
New Movie Group
by Chris Hardman

In our Wednesday adult class this fall, we deepened our understanding of God as three "persons" in One Love. As we did so, we began to discern five basic concepts of a Trinitarian Spirituality that we would like to share with others. This initial sharing will take place in our Lenten program starting in February. In that Reel Spirituality series we will introduce to them five basic concepts and illustrate those using movies. This will give us all a better understanding of God and how God works in our lives. It will also provide a Christian basis for understanding movies, that is, life. Read more here...
Adult and Family Mission Trip
by Chris Hardman

At our adult forum a few weeks ago, Sister Alicia Torres outlined her understanding of Franciscan Spirituality in a most energetic way. All of us were captivated by her enthusiasm as well as her heartfelt way of living out the Gospel Life. One particular quote of hers stuck with me. She said something like this: it is a Gospel mandate to serve the poor and that is not negotiable. We are called to serve God not with just our gifts, but with ourselves."  If you take that biblical mandate seriously like she does, do I have something for you... Read more here...
Family Movie Night
Friday, January 22
On Friday night, the 22nd of January, we will hold our fabulous annual Family Movie Night in the Great Room.  Don't be misled by the title:  this event is for people of all ages and family structures!  We have, after much deliberation, settled on our movie:  the offering will be the classic Disney film "Robin Hood."  Some of our younger members will never have seen this movie, and many of us older folks haven't seen it in years or even decades.  Plan on popcorn and pizza, beginning at 5:30 on that Friday night.  If you have little ones, put them in their pjs, bring a blanket to snuggle in, and simply come over for a fun night and a great movie.  All are welcome!
A Baby Does Indeed, Change Everything!
by Pastor Heath Howe, Family Ministries

A CHC friend introduced me to Faith Hill's song, "A Baby Changes Everything," and I listened to it daily during the last two weeks of Advent and well into the twelve days of Christmas. It made me cry every time. Now that the New Year is here, I find myself wondering exactly how the gift of the Christ child will change our family lives. If we have dared to say "yes," as Mary did, then we know that our lives will never be the same. A baby changes everything. There is no going back.  Read more here...
Love to Learn, Learn to Love
by Mary Johnson, Director of Children's Ministries & All Things Bright & Beautiful

At All Things Bright and Beautiful, our hope is that the children realize that they are lifelong learners. While the teachers have a profound influence on their acquired knowledge at this young age, the goal is to instill in them the desire to continue to learn about the people and the world around them throughout their lives.   This became applicable to me as I learned of a faith tradition I had never heard of before until I attended a meeting of the Winnetka Interfaith Council.   Read more here...
"Wakey-Wakey, Eggs and Bakey!" 
by Charlotte Long, Youth Ministries 
 
By the time you read this, it will not be Advent anymore; however, at the time of my writing this, I'm thinking that my Advent feelings are allowed into the Christmas season and Epiphany and beyond. Because Advent is charging me right now; as, in handing me a charge.  It's not a clear one, but it's certainly an ACTIVE one.  And I partly know why. Every year, I think about Advent as a dreamy, sleepy time. It feels like it should be a quiet kind of waiting, a hushed sort of looking at a manger in order not to wake the baby.  But really, I think it's about paying attention.  Because how on earth will we find the baby, this miracle, in a dirty, cold barn, unless we are paying attention!!  And this brings me to: I suppose then that my paying attention needs to be more aggressive.  Read more here...