This Sunday you are invited to an Open House for Celebrate Reentry (CRE), at11:00 am., immediately following the 10:00 a.m. service. CRE is one of the partnerships which has been formed with Deacon Mike’s initiative, “For the Good of the City”. CRE is a Christian based ministry providing mentorship and spiritual support to individuals in McHenry County who have spent time in jail and the prison system. Please stop by CRE, located in the north education wing, as they are holding a special open house for us. This is a great opportunity to meet the board members, and find out more about their mission. You may also visit the open house from 12:00 Noon to 3:00 p.m. when it is open to the general public. Please support this organization on the campus of St. Mary’s.
Lisa Strandberg will be our guest organist/pianist at the 10:00 a.m. service this Sunday. Lisa has been with us recently. She teaches music classes and is an accomplished, pianist and organist and is also the administrator of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in McHenry.
Congratulations to Karen Meter who took her honor flight this week. Karen was on a flight with 92 other women who have served our country, including two women who served in WWII, ages 99 and 104. Karen was in the United States Navy and served from 1965-1973. Please see the photos and video links in this newsletter.
I will be out of the office following Sunday services, returning on Tuesday October 12th in the afternoon. Please contact the Co-Wardens, Mike Higgins or Steve Brooks, if you have any pastoral concerns over the holiday, as the office will be closed on Monday. Please remember that Deacon Mike will be away from October 9 through October 16.
I invite you to look over the fall highlight calendar that is in this newsletter to see what is coming up at St. Mary’s.
See You All on Sunday,
Rev. Fran +
CONGRATULATIONS, KAREN!!
On Wednesday, October 6, parishioner, Karen Meter, participated in the first all-female Honor Flight from Illinois. 93 female veterans, representing all branches of the military, (2 from WWII, 7 from Korea, and 84 from Vietnam) traveled to Washington DC for the day, all expenses paid, to visit National Memorials. The historic flight, which had been postponed from 2020 due to the pandemic, is part of “Operation HerStory”, an initiative dedicated to highlighting the vital contributions of women veterans.
The historic event was covered by all local news outlets, and you can view a video, with Karen, on YouTube.
Below Left: Petty Officer Second Class, Karen Thompson, US Navy Hospital Corpsman, 1965-1973
Below Right: Chuck & Karen Meter, and their son Chris (a Marine veteran), at Chicago’s Midway Airport on Wednesday, October 6
Are You Interested in Being Chosen?
There is a wonderful Christian TV series called “The Chosen”, which follows Jesus’s ministry on earth. It is directed by Dallas Jenkins (son of Jerry Jenkins who wrote the “Left Behind” series) who is currently working on writing and crowdfunding its third season of seven seasons. The first two seasons (8 episodes each) can be viewed for free at https://watch.angelstudios.com . Beware – you will likely end up binge-watching the whole thing!
I purchased both seasons on DVD (which also has a lot of additional materials) and several Bible Study books on “What does it mean to be Chosen” because I was hoping there might be some interest in viewing and discussing this very touching, impressive look at Jesus’ ministry and his disciples. What impressed me most was how this portrayal of Jesus was so easy to connect to emotionally, as he reacts to sinners, children, his mother, Pharisees, and his disciples in a personal way of understanding, which is what we still need to do today.
The episodes are beautifully written and artistically filmed. There is an upfront caveat that there is nothing which is contrary to the Bible, but that backstories have been crafted as possibilities to flesh out the stories, not gospel.
If you are interested in starting a “Chosen” study group, please contact Missy Spengel. We would need to find a meeting time to view each episode (usually about 35-45 minutes) and then have time to discuss what we have seen and tie it into Biblical history and our own lives. Suggestions have been:
Grab your snacks after 10:00 service and go into the Sunday school area to see the videos and have a discussion.
Do a movie/discussion evening on Sunday nights.
Set up an evening weekday meeting around 7:00 (give me ideas of your best evenings).
Watch it at home, then just come for a discussion...but watching it together is really an important fellowship time.
“Get used to different.”…
October Calendar of Events
October 10
Open House for Celebrate Reentry CRE (In the education wing) Stop in at 11:00 a.m. after the 10:00 a.m. service and find out more about this Christian based organization that reaches out to men and women coming out of the prison system.
October 17
Stewardship Sunday - Pick up your pledge card and support the ministry of St. Mary’s.
October 31
All Saints Sunday. Join us as we remember all who have entered into eternal life this past year. We will go out to the Churchyard and read the names of all of the friends, parishioners, and loved ones buried there.
Help us Celebrate Deacon Mike Choquette at our coffee hour following the 10:00 a.m. service. It is the first anniversary of Mike’s ordination to the deaconate and last year he could not have a party because of the pandemic. Plan on being with us for this celebratory coffee hour reception! Congratulations Deacon Mike!
Note From CRE, and Invitation to Open House
One of the partnerships we have formed with Dn. Mike's initiative, "For the Good of the City", is with Celebrate Re-Entry. CRE is a faith-based organization, offering mentorship to individuals as they re-enter the community after spending time in the prison system. CRE has set up office/meeting space in one of the rooms in our education wing. Below is a note from their Founder, and an invitation to their upcoming Open House.
To the Congregation at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church –
My sincere thanks to St. Mary’s for the support of providing CELEBRATE RE-ENTRY with generous office space to operate our faith-based community organization.
CELEBRATE RE-ENTRY INVITES YOU TO “RE-LAUNCH” at our OPEN HOUSE
in CELEBRATION of our NEW LOCATION at ST. MARY’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH.
(North Education Wing)
MEET OUR FOUNDER AND BOARD MEMBERS
LEARN ABOUT CELEBRATE RE-ENTRY’S MISSION, GOAL, AND PURPOSE
OBSERVE HOW THE ST. MARY’S PREMISES ARE SERVING THE COMMUNITY
FOR OUR SPECIAL FRIENDS AT ST. MARY’S:
THIS OPEN HOUSE IS SCHEDULED TO BEGIN AT 11:00 A.M.
AFTER YOUR SUNDAY SERVICE
Light lunch refreshments will be served.
From 12:00 Noon – 3:00 p.m. the OPEN HOUSE
will continue for the general public.
You are welcome to attend any time after church service
and/or during the general open house hours.
FACTS related to Celebrate Re-Entry’s mission :
47% of convicted felons in the State of Illinois are back in jail within 3 years.
These “re-arrests” are expected to cost Illinois taxpayers over $5 Billion in the
next five years.
Celebrate Re-Entry believes that our Lord has the power and the purpose to provide sinners a new beginning for His Glory.
Celebrate Re-Entry assists released inmates with referrals, guidance, discipline and encouragement to move “Re-Entry Candidates” past repeated criminal conduct.
Re-entry assistance is rare- yet, when available, has been an effective tool in lowering the arrest recidivism rate.
Celebrate Re-Entry envisions the goal of strengthening the McHenry County Community:
Parishioners: Cindy; Betsy; El; Margaret, Sally, Amalia, Megan, Ann, Edward, John, Kristi, John, and Matthew.
Family/Friends: Bishop-elect, Paula Clark, her husband Andrew, and their family; Sherri, step-daughter of Roseann Gibertson; Marilyn and Tom, sister and brother-in-law of Missy Spengel; Laura; Carelin; Carmen; Dawn; Billy; Betty; Jean; Don; Millie; Nick; Tarsha; John; Pamela; Susan; Ted, Jeff, Tom, Nicholas (infant) and his family; Mark, Chris, Sarah, Douglas, Mark, Andi, Greg, Wayne, Scott, Sue, Sarah, Dave, Brynn, Neil and Des, Kyle, Rick, Sylvia, Jess, Joanne, Kay, Brian, Sarah.
