"This weekend in Charlottesville, as white supremacists rioted and terrorized people of goodwill, we saw yet again the wages of these sins and the destruction that they wreak in families, communities, and in our country.

Whenever we witness this kind of horrific violence, Christians are called to pray and act." Read more...

 

We worship a savior who stands in the presence of evil, calls it by name, and responds with love.

 

When Jesus meets a man possessed, the demons know who he is; he casts them out, restoring the man to himself. When people come to Jesus with the intent to trick him or to trap him, he refuses their false constructs and turns their arguments upside down. When officials bring before Jesus a woman accused, he says that those without guilt should cast the first stone.

 

In each of those circumstances, and every other that I can think of, Jesus brings wholeness and healing to people and communities that have been deeply broken. In many of those circumstances, people are afraid of the illness and just as frightened of the cure.

 

My grandfather served as a soldier in World War II. I can't imagine he would have believed that his granddaughter would live to see the Nazi flag paraded in the country he served to protect, the cries of "blood and soil" ringing out as people marched. Yet here we are in these frightening times. Last Friday and Saturday it was in Charlottesville. I would caution each one of us from believing this is a problem that belongs to other people elsewhere, because it doesn't. This is us. This is our nation, comprised of our communities, populated by us. Read more...

This week, the gospel lesson from Matthew ( 15: (10-20), 21-28) shows us for a second time in scripture what it looks like for Jesus to be corrected by a woman. Rather than his own mother demanding he change water into wine, we have another mother, a Canaanite woman, who confronts Jesus and demands that he pay attention to the matter at hand-the healing of her sick child. She confronts Jesus in a way that pulls his head out from the clouds, and challenges him to step up to the work he can do-the work of healing.  And so, we see in scripture how even our Lord had to be corrected, how even our Lord had to take a second look at his heart, and how even our Lord had to make a new way. Read more...

A joyful housewarming party was held just around the corner from St. Augustine's at Congregation Sukkat Shalom to celebrate the four families who were housed in July. All of the families were guests of St. Augustine's/St. Elisabeth's partnership just in May! Lonnie, Derilyn and baby J'Lonnie; Martha, Luis and children Luis, Jr, Mia, Maya and Jacob; Osiri and children Tahisiry and Tahis found apartments in Evanston while Stephanie and son Khaliq are now in an apartment on the south side of Chicago near their mosque. The week spent at St. Augustine's in May went very well with this group of motivated and very flexible, hardworking families now moved to independent living. Thank you to everyone at St. Augustine's and St. Elisabeth's who support this ministry through your many gifts of time, talent and treasure. Our next week to host - October 29. 

Kathy Gander and Julia Joehl 

To include your one-paragraph submission in the Thursday Parish Life Connection and Announcements in the Sunday bulletin, send to:  augustine@staschurch.org   by 5p.m. the preceding Tuesday. Submissions received after that time will be included the following week. 

8:00am Sandy Mass at Gillson Park

Celebrant	The Rev. Kristin Uffelman White
Preacher	The Rev. Andrew Suitter
Deacon	The Rev. Sue Nebel
Lector	Meghan Murphy-Gill
Leader of the Prayers	Susan Barry
Chalice Bearer	Charley Bowe

9:30am Eucharist at the Church