Mars Hill Proclaimer
St. Paul's Episcopal Church December Newsletter 2019
|
|
From The Reverend
Barbara A. T. Wilson
"Keep awake!”
In Mark’s version of the “Little Apocalypse” that greets us at the outset of Advent, Jesus says this about the time to come:
“But in those days, after that suffering, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light,
and the stars will be falling from heaven,
and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.” (13:24-25)
He goes on to talk about how, on a day and hour that no one knows, the Son of Man will come and he urges his followers—you and me among them---to “keep awake.”
Here at the outset of Advent, I always wish for a gentler start to the season, for words that would welcome us into these weeks with a more graceful sense of hospitality. But instead of a cozy welcome, what we get as we move into Advent a heaping serving of mystery. With its depiction of sun and moon going dark and stars falling from heaven, this passage challenges us to give up our usual sources of illumination, to let go of our habitual ways of knowing, to question our typical ways of seeing, so that we may receive the God who comes to us in the dark sometimes.
Mystery is rarely comfortable. Sometimes the unveiling of a mystery is even less so! Recently, I learned that it was believed that—on nothing more than my own authority—I’d had the audacity to change up the words of the Lord’s Prayer, by substituting the phrase,
“save us from the time of trial,”
for
“lead us not into temptation.”
In reality, referring to page three-hundred and sixty-four in the Book of Common Prayer, I swapped out the King James version in favor of the contemporary one which is more consistent with Holy Eucharist, Rite II in the BCP. Making our Rite I service and our Rite II services fully consistent with the BCP. I’ve been in the dark about how that was perceived.
“Keep awake.” How many misunderstandings might be avoided if we could just
do that?
We want to understand what we are doing here, to see more clearly how God is at work, to know how the future will unfold. In and around that we live with our limitations, which can sort of keep us in the dark. We can be grateful that the Gospel sometimes confounds us, reminds us that God works in the darkness as well as in the daylight.
The nights grow cold, longer and dark as we move more deeply into the mystery of Advent. Each one, however, brings us nearer to the One who comes to us in this surprising way to illumine and warm our lives with Love. We do not want to miss this coming.
“Keep awake!”
Yours in Christ,
Barbara+
|
|
TAIZE
Friday, December 6, 7 PM
Please join us for an evening
of prayer, meditation, and music!
|
|
Christmas Tree
Decorating Party
For Kids of All Ages!
Sunday, December 8, 11:30 AM
We’ll decorate a tree in the Parish
Hall, have pizza and decorate cookies
.
|
|
Jackie and Terry Dickow's
Invitation to Celebrate
Saturday, December 14th
Jackie and Terry were married at St. Paul 50 years ago December 13. They are inviting their church family to a reception celebrating that event.
Saturday, December 14th, the reception will be from 2-5 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. Please let one of them know (
dickow@comcast.net
) by Dec. 9 if you plan on attending, Please no gifts….if you feel you must spend money, feel free to donate to the charity of your choice.
|
|
St. Nicholas Party
Saturday, December 14th
from 6:00-10:00 PM
We will carry on the tradition of an adult Christmas party in honor of St. Nicholas, at Jane Nenonen's Somerset Farm Clubhouse
, 2123 Waterbury Lane West, Sycamore. Please bring a nibble to share and a beverage of choice.
|
|
Lessons and Carols
Advent IV, Sunday,
December 22, 10:30 AM
Beautiful liturgy with music!
|
|
Our Christmas
Eve Service
Is on Tuesday,
December 24th, 6 PM,
Reception follows.
|
|
From the Sr. Warden
We did not have any executive meetings or Vestry meetings this month.
We did have an issue with the water softener in the rectory. Rhys and Rick bought a new one and installed it.
We said farewell to George Nenonen this month. We are all saddened by this loss and appreciated the beautiful service. Thank you to all who helped in any way.
The convention was held in Chicago on November 23rd and 24
th
. It was attended by Mother Barbara, Adam Frieberg, Marv, Bill and Jennie Cummings. There were some very interesting issues discussed. Talk to one of those in attendance if you would like to have more information.
Kids Hope USA has a new Director. Welcome, Lucinda Brunner. Lucinda has been a KHUSA volunteer for many years and is busy with the details of transferring from the Kaneland School District to DeKalb 428. She is also a new parishioner at St. Paul’s.
Marv Kombrink
|
|
"Gracious and loving God, giver of all that is good and true and beautiful and life-giving: These offerings represent our sweat, they represent our lives, they represent our dreams
The pledges which we make here are but tokens of the awesome gifts that have been given to us and they are pledged in thanksgiving for all that we have received, for all we have been inspired to be, for all we are challenged to become, at St. Paul’s."
Please return your pledge form as soon as possible. This helps us prepare the budget for next year. If you did not receive a pledge form, you can print one from the
church website
, or stop by the Parish Office.
|
|
The latest approved Vestry Minutes, for the October 20, 2019 meeting, are now posted on the bulletin board near the Parish Office, and are available on the church website on the Vestry page.
|
|
Music Ministries
The Choirs, and Instrumentalists, are preparing beautiful
music to share with you in worship for Advent and Christmas!
|
|
A season of beautiful liturgy and music: Advent 11/08 Light an Advent Candle" Becki Slagle Mayo, 11/15 "Come, Jesus, Holy Son of God" G. F. Händel/Hal Hopson, 11/22 "Maria Walks Amid the Thorns" David White.
Christmas Eve 12/24 A Children's Choir Favorite "Do You Hear What I Hear?" Regney/Baker. Traditional "For Unto Us A Child Is Born" G. F. Hándel, Arr., Larry Pugh, "The Angels Carol" John Rutter, and many other anthems and hymns!
|
|
Music and Art in the Community
|
|
Tyrique McNeal
, Bass, choir member, and NIU junior vocal performance music major, is performing several times this month at NIU. You can find him singing; Sunday, December 1st, 7 PM, in the NIU Opera, Scenes from "The Marriage of Figaro" W. A. Mozart, and on Thursday, December 5th, at 6:30 PM with his Accapella group
Paravox
,
"Sweater Weather"
at the NIU music library, and Sunday, December 8th, 3 PM in W. A. Mozarts "Vespers", at the NIU music buildings Boutell Concert Hall.
Good Luck, Tyrique!
|
|
Devotional Booklets for Living Well Through Advent from Living Compass are available in the Sanctuary and Parish Hall this month and next.
This Advent season Living Compass is also happy to be offering their daily email devotional to your email address. You will receive twenty-three daily emails, one for each day of Advent, plus Christmas. The emails will begin on the first day of Advent, Sunday, December 1, 2019. If at any point you no longer want to receive the emails, you can unsubscribe at any time.
|
|
BOOK CLUB
All St. Paul’s Readers.
When:
Friday JANUARY 10, at 6:30 P.M.
What:
Discussion of Chapter Five: "A Complicated God
"
by Jack Miles from
The Changing Face of God
, edited by Frederick Schmidt (2000)
Where:
home of Mary Short,
3032 Fairway Oaks Drive, DeKalb, IL 60115
|
|
ALL
are welcome to join the discussion surrounding how we think about God
|
|
CHRISTMAS FOR SAFE PASSAGE
|
Once again we are collecting donations for Safe Passage, our local Domestic Violence Prevention Agency. St Paul's has contributed to them at Christmas for many years. This year, as last, we will give funds to them so they can purchase gift cards and use them where needed. If you would like to participate please write a check to St Paul's by Dec 16th, list "Safe Passage" in the "Memo" line and we will forward the total to Safe Passage. It will become part of your donation record to St Paul's. If you prefer to write a check directly to Safe Passage, we will forward that also.
|
|
|
|
MONTHLY EPISCOPAL SERVICES AT OAKCREST
|
On the third Wednesday of each month there is an Episcopal Service of Holy Communion in the OakCrest Chapel. Mother Barbara Wilson of St. Paul's and Father Georges Jalouf of St. Peter's conduct this service on alternate months. On December 18th, Mother Barbara will be officiating.
|
|
|
|
Traveling the Way of Love with Bishop Curry
|
Season 2 of The Episcopal Church’s
podcast
The Way of Love with Bishop Michael Curry, continues with new episodes every Tuesday through November 5. These weekly conversations, featuring Bishop Curry, podcast hosts Kyle Oliver and Sandy Milien, and a variety of guests, center on ways to live a life committed to living the way of God’s unconditional, unselfish, sacrificial and redemptive love.
Each episode of Season 2 focuses on one of the seven
Way of Love Practices for a Jesus-Centered Life
: turn, learn, pray, worship, bless, go, and rest, with a focus on living these practices every day. Listeners will first hear from Bishop Curry, usually in conversation with a colleague. Faith leaders from around the country will then consider questions about what faith practices might look like outside of church as well as what it may look like to follow Jesus in a diverse and increasingly secular culture.
You can listen to Bishop Curry's podcast
The Way of Love
through any podcast portal you have.
|
|
The Rector's Discretionary Fund Collection
First Sunday of the month, December 1st
Donations allow us to assist people in need in our community.
|
|
Christmas Flower Dedications
|
We are accepting donations for Christmas flowers now through December 15th. Please write “Christmas Flowers” in the memo of your check and be sure to include your dedication.
Look for the Christmas Flower envelopes and place these in the collection plate. Suggested donation is $25-$30.
|
|
Sunday, December 8th, but you can bring items throughout the month
.
Donations for the Salvation Army Food Pantry for November were 14 food/personal items and 131 diapers for a year to date total of 7071 items.
Thank you, from Vince and Pat McMahon
|
|
St. Paul's delivered Thanksgiving baskets for 7 families to the Salvation Army last week. A $100 cash donation was mailed in by a parish family. We made arrangements to have Thanksgiving dinner delivered to Gail & Lonnie Piper from Hy-Vee thanks to a generous donation from another parish family. Maureenl
|
|
Activities & Events
12/1 Sunday Advent 1
8:00 AM and 10:30 AM Services
Rectors Discretionary Fund
12/5 Thursday
6:00 PM Children's Choir
7:00 PM Adult/Youth Choir
12/6 Friday
7:00 PM "An Evening of Taize"
12/8 Sunday Advent 2
8:00 AM and 10:30 AM Services
Food Pantry Donations
11:30 AM Christmas Party
12/12 Thursday
6:00 PM Children's Choir
7:00 PM Adult/Youth Choir
12/14 Dickows' Anniversary Party
2:00-5:00 PM Parish Hall
12/14 St. Nicholas Party
6:00-10:00 PM Somerset Farm Clubhouse
12/15 Sunday Advent 3
8:00 AM and 10:30 AM Services
Healing Liturgy
12:00 PM Vestry Meeting
12/17 Tuesday
6:00 PM DeKalb Tenants Association
12/18 Wednesday
2:00 PM Service at OakCrest
12/19 Thursday
6:00 PM Children's Choir
7:00 PM Adult/Youth Choir
12/22 Sunday Advent 4
8:00 AM Rite I Holy Communion
10:30 AM Service of Lessons and Carols
12/24 Tuesday
6:00 PM Christmas Eve Service
Adult/Youth/Children's Choirs
Preservice special music 5:45 PM
|
|
12/25 Wednesday
Christmas Day -
Parish Office Closed
12/26 Thursday
No Choir Practice
12/29 Sunday
8:00 AM and 10:30 AM Services
Happy New Year 2020
01/01 News Years Day Party at Church in the Parish Hall
01/02 Thursday
No Choir Practice
01/05 Sunday Epiphany
Celebrating a day early
8:00 AM and 10:30 AM Services
01/09 Thursday Choir
Rehearsals Resume
6:00 PM Children's Choir
7:00 PM Adult/Youth Choir
|
|
December Birthdays & Anniversaries
|
|
December Anniversaries
12/6 Barbara Wilson+
/Lynne Jacobson
12/13 Terry/Jackie Dickow
12/22 Rob/Peggy Russell
|
|
December Birthdays
12/3 Ava Stubblefield
12/7 Betsy Pool
12/11 Jan Bach
12/16 Martin Mounts
|
|
A New Year's Day Party,
Wednesday, January 1st, 2020
|
|
Join us for the New Year! All are invited to bring your family and friends! Bill and Jennie Cummings, and other friends from St. Paul's will be hosting this party!
|
|
Tentatively, we are talking about a 2:00 p.m. movie (maybe, It's a Wonderful Life) and then football at 4:00 p.m.
We are also considering soups and a salad or maybe a spaghetti dinner.
If folks want to bring something, maybe a cheese, fruit, or veggie platter; a dessert or some wine.
And we are thinking about maybe cards or a few box games.
|
|
|
St. Paul's
Epiphany Party
Sunday, January 5th, 11:45 AM
Fun fellowship
and good food!
|
|
|
|
St. Paul's Episcopal Church Contact Information
|
|
|
|
900 Normal Rd., DeKalb, IL 60115
Parish Office: (815) 756-4888
The Rev. Barbara A.T Wilson, Rector
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
