THE DOVE
April 2016

Easter Day Photos 

Easter People
For many in the parish, the annual Easter People presentations provide two of the spiritual highlights of the entire year. 
 
This year, we will be blessed to welcome two beloved Holy Comforter parishioners as our Easter People: on Sunday, April 3, Chris Wiedrich will present her reflection on her journey of faith; and on Sunday, April 17, Richard Campitelli will offer his thoughts and insights into his road to the present. Both of these events will take place during the formation hour at 10:00 a.m., in the Great Room.
 
For those not familiar with the Easter People tradition:  for the last 23 years, different members of Holy Comforter-representing a wide range of experiences, ages, and backgrounds-have discussed their lives of faith at the Adult Forum during the Easter season. We have Nancy Lovely to thank for initiating this marvelous practice and coordinating it for many years. Most years, we have been blessed by two such reflections, as will be the case this year. Easter People presentations are perennially one of the most popular and poignant events in our parish life, so please put these dates on your calendars now!
He's Got the Whole World in His Hands
Special Celebration
Sunday April 10, 9:00 a.m.
Last year, during the Easter season, we celebrated a special Eucharist featuring music from the Gospel and African-American Spirituals traditions. It proved so popular that we are going to reprise it this Easter season. "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" will take place on Sunday, April 10, at the 9:00 Eucharist. Ain'a that good news?
 
This unique feast will include, among other music, an interactive song familiar to virtually everyone, the talents of our adult choir and some of our section leaders, and spirituals that will be new to most of us. There will be a surprise or two included in the celebration, as well.
 
"He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" will fall on the third Sunday of the Easter season, and will celebrate the joy of this time with what will surely be a lively, exuberant liturgy. We will hear and sing music not often offered in Episcopal churches, so bring the kids, invite the neighbors, get ready to sing, and join in the joy!
A Special Performance 
Sunday April 17, 3:00 p.m.
by Derek Nickels, Music Director

Charles-Marie Widor's famous Toccata from his Fifth Organ Symphony is often associated with Easter and other festive occasions, including weddings.  However, Widor's last organ symphony, the Symphonie Romane, is based entirely on portions of two Gregorian chants for the Easter season: the Haec dies (an antiphon text that is used as the gradual on Easter Sunday), and the Victimae Paschali (another text associated with Easter Sunday).  Completed and premiered by the composer in January 1900, it is dedicated to the Romanesque Basilica of St. Sernin in Toulouse, France, which houses one of the magnificent instruments built by the legendary organ builder Aristade Cavaillé-Coll.  I will be performing this work along with two other French pieces by Jean-Jules Roger-Ducasse and Jean Langlais on Sunday, April 17th at 3:00 p.m. at Loyola University's Madonna della Strada Chapel, 1032 W. Sheridan Road in Chicago.  If you've never been to Madonna della Strada, it is certainly worth the drive down Sheridan. Parking in the adjacent parking garage is free on Sundays.
... in the vineyard
Our prayers and condolences go forth to Tina Harlan on the death of her cousin, Barry Hermann, on February 26.  Barry was only 56 at the time of his death , and his funeral was held at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, where he was very active.  May he know life eternal and joyful, and may God support and strengthen his family and all who loved him.
 
We also hold in our hearts and prayers Marilyn and Armand Norehad on the death of Marilyn's brother, Charles Calderini, Jr., on Saturday, March 12, in Englewood, Colorado.  Chuck was a native of the North Shore, and was 83 years old.  May God embrace him with never-failing light and love, and envelop Marilyn, Armand, and Chuck's extended family with comfort and strength.

We welcome with Love to God's Family and the Family of Church of the Holy Comforter:
 Charlotte Anne Holden
Baptized on the Great Vigil of Easter
March 26, 2016
Parents:
Kathleen and Edward Holden
Godparents:
Molly Johnson and Joe Agati
Grand parents:
Pamela and William McGaghie
The Rector's Column
by The Rev. Dr. Jason L. Parkin, Rector

Once again, we have journeyed through the holiest days of the Christian year, have passed through the Week of Weeks. In the space of a few short days, we walked with Jesus as he entered the holy city of Jerusalem for the last time, and waved palm branches to celebrate his arrival.  Once again we gathered with him and the Twelve at the table of the Last Supper, celebrating his unending offering of himself in bread and wine become body and blood. We experienced the injustice of his betrayal and arrest, the long trek to the hill called Calvary. We witnessed once again--and participated in--the tragedy of his crucifixion. And then, after the long, lonely night, we stood in wonder as he emerged from the cave on broken feet toward the great conflagration of the New Day, bearing on his body the proud marks of the defeat which is victory, the magnificent defeat of fear and death and hell itself. In short, during Holy Week, as at no other time in life, we experienced the full range of human emotion and experience.
 
And now that it is all over (but, of course, we know that Holy Week and Easter are never "over"):  what then? Will we succumb to the temptation to pick up after Easter right where we left off on the Friday before Palm Sunday, none the worse but perhaps none the better for the journey? Or will we, instead, become new , living in such a way that our lives would not make sense but for the resurrection of Jesus from the dead? Ours is not a faith in the empty tomb. Ours is a faith in a living Lord; and that living Lord calls us to enter and engage and encounter the world as reflections of his light and life;  to become the ongoing evidence of the new life and the new world God has wrought through the Son.  What an astonishing vocation; and what a marvelous privilege.  Gerard Manley Hopkins poem here... 
Foundations of the Faith;
Inquirers' Classes
Monday April 11, 7:00 p.m.
Are you brand new to the Episcopal Church or even to the Christian faith? Or have you perhaps forgotten most everything you learned in the Confirmation Class you attended when you were a teenager? Do you want to know more about the foundations of the Christian story or harbor questions about the history and theology of the Episcopal Church? Ever wondered how the Episcopal Church differs from, and is similar to, other Christian bodies? Curious about the story behind some of our worship practices? Well, now you have an opportunity to learn more about language, traditions, practices, and beliefs of the Episcopal Church and its brother and sister communities in the larger Christian world.  Read more here...
April  Adult Forum
by Chris Hardman

Our Building Bridges Lenten Program was a great success!  Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows, the Waraich family, James Crockett, and Detective Loyce Spells inspired and challenged us all.  On April 10th we are going to discuss each of these thought-provoking presentations.  What did you find inspiring or challenging? Then, on May 1st we will present an "action plan" that will move us past just listening and toward doing.  
Schedule and more here...
Wednesday Adult Education Class
By Chris Hardman 

Our adult education class resumes on Wednesday, April 6, at 9:45 am in the library. For the next couple of months we will look at the " Trinity and the Gospel of John. " The development of our understanding of God was much influenced by the Gospel of John, the last of the Gospels to be written.  In this Gospel we become aware of Jesus' mystical relationship with God and with us.  We will study this Gospel and discuss how it molded our understanding of God.
 
Please prepare for this class by reading John 1: 1-18, John's prologue.  Know that this is a new series and not dependent on what we have done before.  Everyone is welcome. 




"CHUBER RIDES"
Need a ride to Fr. Chris' Wednesday
Adult Class or to Sunday Eucharist?
Call the Parish Office at 847/251-6120
and we can help to arrange a ride for you
Surrender and Gratitude 
by Pastor Heath Howe, Family Ministries

Eastertide has always been a season of activity for my family and me.  The season always falls in the spring which means it holds both Sophie's and Eli's birthdays.  Spring means the end of the school year and the busyness that brings.  Sunday mornings in chapel and church school are full as we try to squeeze in those Bible lessons before everyone goes off to camp and vacation during the summer.  Creation itself seems to join us (or lead us) into great activity as the earth moves out of sleepy, quiet winter and into life-giving, bright springtime.  It is no wonder I find myself busier than ever this time of year.
 
However, when I read the Biblical passages of Jesus after his resurrection I do not hear a call to busyness at all.  Jesus' greeting to his disciples and friends in each resurrection encounter is "Peace..."  Read more here...
Finding Inner Peace 
by Mary Johnson, Director of Children's Ministries & All Things Bright & Beautiful

Throughout this spring, the Adult Forum has been focused on the topic of Building Bridges. Through a number of guest speakers we have covered a range of topics including social justice, world religions, escaping gang violence and the complex nature of police/community relations. As evidenced by these speakers, there is not just one "right answer" to any of these issues affecting so many. And individuals will look for answers or resolutions in a variety of places.  Read more here...
Soft Soap 
by Charlotte Long, Youth Ministries 
 
When we enter a specific unit in Youth Group or Sunday School that I get to lead, I try my darnedest to cover at least 3 Pathways into the subject: the Academic, the Spiritual and Tangible (Hands-On or Service).  This is not a far cry from the 4 Keys of Vibrant Ministries that our staff uses to create curriculum and serve our families with take-homes (Tradition, Caring Conversations, Prayer and Service).  These are not only all different pathways to learning any subject matter, but an acknowledgement that there are infinite pathways to discovering God.  Parents recognize in their children early on if they are learners who need visual aids, if they process aural language quickly, or if they need to feel it in their hands to understand something.  Wouldn't a God as expansive and incomprehensible as ours be consistently trying to talk to us in as many different ways as possible?  Read more here...
Flower Ministry Workshop 2016
The Flower Ministry of Holy Comforter is celebrating its 25 th year.  The Ministry has had many talented members since its inception.  Some come with a lot of previous skill honed through work in their garden clubs while others learn "on the job" mentored by seasoned members' greater experience.  Through this ministry, members not only serve the church, they gain knowledge, make new friends and have a lot of fun.
Stephen Ministry: Gifted to Care
Spiritual Gifts are gifts to give away.  How are you using your gifts? Are you looking for new ways to use them?  If your spiritual gifts include faith, compassion, encouragement or patience, consider Stephen Ministry.  Stephen Ministry is a Holy Comforter's one-to-one layperson caring ministry.  As part of the Stephen Ministry team, you will be able to put your talent into action. We will be starting our next training class for Stephen Ministers this fall. Please attend one of the Q&A sessions about Stephen Ministry on either Wednesday, April 27 at 7:00 p.m. or Wednesday, May 4 at 7:00 p.m. Both session will be held in the Church Library. If you have additional questions, please contact Cindy Mancillas, Stephen Leader Awareness Coordinator (224) 628-5970.