Mars Hill Proclaimer
St. Paul's Episcopal Church April Newsletter 2022
|
|
We’re heading into Passion Sunday and all that Holy Week holds for us. As we do this, I’d like to share something with you by Rabbi Karyn Kedar, from her book, Our Dance with God.
“Passion. The burning ember within your heart that warms you . . . Glowing, not igniting into fire that destroys. The energy that fuels life, sustains it, gives it reason, makes it rhyme. Passion: a riddle that motivates you to take a journey of a 1000 moments to find one answer. Pushing, pulling, tugging, dancing, leading you
. . . down the path . . . the stuff that makes sense out of life. It is your reason for living, your gift from the divine spark of meaning and purpose. Passion. It is the relentless whisper that tells you who you really are, what you really care about, what you must give to the world at all costs . . . it urges you, nudges you. It is constant and demands that you surrender to it. What is your passion? Don’t be afraid to ask. Do not be afraid to answer.”
We all, have passion of our own. For Christians, Lent is the time for winnowing everything else down and away so that we can find it. We know that Jesus’ passion was his love for God and for God’s people. His passion told him who he was and what his meaning and purpose was and for that, he set his face toward the Holy City of Jerusalem, no matter the cost. Can we borrow some of his courage, his passion to walk the road ahead with him?
Here at St. Paul’s, we’re looking forward to the Feast of the Resurrection. In the coming Easter season, please join me in celebrating the lives of two beloved members of our congregation, Jan Bach and Pat McMahon. Jan’s service is set for April 30th at 1 PM and we will celebrate Pat’s life on May 14th at 11 AM.
Pray for the people of Ukraine. We have four modern icons coming to us by Ukrainian artist, Ivanka Demchuk. They are purchased in part to support this wonderful artist and her family living in Lviv, and also for setting out for Contemplative Prayer on Wednesdays at noon, and with our Taize gatherings.
So, we are resurrecting our monthly Taize (pronounced tay-zay) prayer experience, beginning May 6th at 7 PM for about an hour as we did before---continuing on the first Friday of each month throughout the year. We will be advertising it to the greater DeKalb community too, so please plan to come out and join in. It is lovely service made more beautiful by everyone’s voice and the candles we light together.
So now, as we approach Holy Week--what is your passion? Does it reflect Christ’s own?
Yours in Christ Jesus,
Barbara+
|
|
|
|
STATIONS OF THE CROSS - GOOD FRIDAY
12:00 PM
|
|
GOOD FRIDAY SERVICE 7:00 PM
|
|
EASTER SUNDAY SERVICE -
9:30 AM
BRUNCH FOLLOWING
|
|
While St. Paul's was hoping to resume the Lobster Boil this year, a shortage of hands able to handle all the tasks has caused us to reconsider. So, sadly, there will be no Lobster Boil this May.
|
|
|
|
APRIL, 2022
Hello friends in Christ,
Again, I find myself dealing with a range of emotions. From the Easter Season which presents the whole range of emotions to the war in Ukraine and feeling helpless. This was momentarily abated by the opportunity to attend the Poetry Ready for Ukraine. The thoughtful and very deep presentation of words by Dekalb Poets presenting recent poetry from Ukrainian Poets. Thanks to our new technology and the streaming team we can continue to share this experience via the You Tube link https://youtu.be/oQmRATO1ITQ.
Next, I feel compelled to share a personal experience. This experience I keep having is comparatively minor and simple, yet analogous regarding gratitude and how much more it can be intensified when it is preceded by frustration and despair at not being able to fix the situation in an American minute (we are so accustomed to instant fixes that waiting is painful). During the past two years I dreaded the rain because I had a leaky roof. So, buckets would be set up and prayers said for it to not be too bad. I simply was not able to fix it. Then the increase in house values (because of changing habits during the pandemic—irony) and low rates enabled me to do what I had previously been determined not to do which was to use the equity in my house to make some major improvements to the house. This also included fixing the patio door that had such a gap that I was virtually unable to keep that room warm in the winter. All this to say that this winter I literally thanked God every time I went to let the dogs out and felt the warmth in the house because of my new door. Now during this rainy season, I am thanking God daily for my new roof which is not leaking. I am ashamed to say that had the house not been in such disrepair for so long that I probably would not have the deep gratitude that I do today.
This week we are fortunate to be getting one of the new HVAC units we need to keep our parish running with the appropriate heating and cooling. Then this Saturday we will gather a group to take care of the Spring cleaning tasks that need to be done to keep St Paul’s in good repair and clean. While these are tangible fixes, I can also share that we will officially be partnering with the DeKalb ROE (Regional Office of Education) by supporting weekly BASICS meetings. This is an exciting step in our efforts to share our resources with the community at large. Here is the link: www.basicsdekalbcounty.org. I don’t yet have a start date or time but once I do, I will share.
Your Vestry is working hard to think outside the box about how we can be a Beloved Community. This explanation is taken from the Reflection and Discernment guide that was linked to the book we have been reading by Stephanie Spellers The Church Cracked Open.
"Beloved Community: A community dedicated to the dream of dignity and abundant life for all, where people see themselves and others as beloved children of God, and “where the good of all is the quest of each” (Clarence Skinner). It is the body within which we grow to love God, love our neighbors, love ourselves and love creation. The phrase is widely known for its use by Martin Luther King Jr."
Please reach out to us to let us know how you feel and any ideas you have.
Sincerely,
Lucinda
Senior Warden
|
|
Greetings St. Paul's Family.
For March, I have appreciated the book Mother Barbara chose for our Lenten Study. It is the kind of book that I will read again and definitely recommend for you to read in your own time too: Witness to the Cross by Levine. I plan to rewatch Levine's video presentation too.
As far as the pathway on our south campus, as the weather gets warmer please take the time to walk this contemplative path with thoughtful signage and a new bench.
The vestry has hired RRJ Painters to start painting the west and east exterior arch of the sanctuary at the end of April. Randy has painting experience with the Ellwood House Museum's sunroom and per his wife chooses work of significance.
Plans are in place for Spring Cleanup 4/9 with a rain date of 4/23. Please see me if you can help and/or if you have tasks to add to the list.
Plans are in place for an Easter Brunch after our joint 9:30 a.m. Easter Celebration service. Please see me if you can bring a dish to pass.
Plans are in progress to clean out the gutters at the rectory and to clean all of the windows inside and outside of the church and parish hall.
My personal thank you this month goes to Susan for her cheerful, consistently professional work to keep our church going and running smoothly. Thank you to Steve and Rhys for being mentors and sounding boards guiding me where I have questions. Thank you to Ellen Kilday for her decades of quiet service keeping our church clean and neat.
Jennie Cummings
Junior Warden
|
|
WEEKLY DEVOTIONS AND
OCCASIONS TO CONNECT
|
TUESDAYS
Lenten Discussions, Noon
through Lent
WEDNESDAYS
Noonday Prayers
11:30 AM - 1:00 PM
Leader-led prayer
12:00-12:30 PM
Last Wednesday of month-
Catered lunch at 1:00 PM
THURSDAYS
Multi-generational choir rehearses
in person and via zoom on Thursdays, 7:00 PM
SUNDAYS
Liturgy of the Word and Prayer
8:00 AM in Sanctuary (no music)
10:30 AM
Sanctuary and on Zoom (with music)
Coffee Hour following
Beginning in May
Taize service on the first Friday of the month at 7:00 PM
|
|
|
|
FEBRUARY 2022 VESTRY MINUTES
|
|
TREASURER'S REPORT
MARCH 20, 2022
As of February 16, our Heartland Bank checking account balance stood at $124,802.14. This should see us through the next several months.
At the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, I contacted Matt Myre, our financial advisor at Edward Jones. He suggested that although no one could predict how the stock market would behave, it might be wise to take some funds out now. Therefore, I withdrew $65,000 (March 1), which will be spent for operating expenses over the next few months.
We spent $21,412.76 in February, and we took in $19,347.34 from pledges and regular contributions. Part of this was an unexpected gift from that family that had been a major supporter of our church until this year. Thank you Doug and Lynn! We also spent $930 from the revolving and pass-through funds, and took in $888. As of February 28, the Discretionary Fund had $1548 in it. In honor of his late wife, Vince McMahon has donated $4000 to the Pat McMahon Memorial fund, to be used by the Altar Guild, plus $1180 to the Rector’s Discretionary Fund. Thank you Vince!
The Endowment fund is valued at $2,287,424.68 and the Capital Fund at Edward Jones is $31,438.82. Our Apache stock was worth $212.50 on February 22.
The Lakeshore Recycling bill (garbage and recycling) is now paid automatically every month. I note that Waste Management, our former garbage company, seems to have left 2 bins behind.
We have signed a contract with Helm Service of Rockford for a new furnace for the parish hall, at a cost of $15,259. Surprisingly, they don’t want any money until it is installed: usually contractors want half of the money up front before they start work. The contract specifies a 3-4 week lead time for acquiring the furnace unit, so I would expect installation before summer.
I think the vestry should take a look at the snow removal bills we are getting from Marc’s Lawn Service. The cost of salt for the sidewalks is quite large and apparently not covered by our contract.
I have completed my portion of the Diocesan Parochial Report, and I think it just needs some signatures from the Vestry before it can be submitted.
A few other outstanding business items:
We need to set up an audit.
Setting up a meeting with Matt Myre, our Edward Jones advisor, would be useful.
Respectfully submitted,
Rick Johns, Treasurer
|
|
The Choir is preparing several beautiful
Choral Anthems for Lent and Easter!
Scroll down and click open the underlined links to hear several of the Choral Anthems for Holy Week and Easter. All performed by the St. Paul's Multi-Generational Choir, and a few yet to be recorded for our archives.
|
|
4/10 Palm Sunday Service 10:30 AM
|
|
4/14 Maundy Thursday Service 7:00 PM
"Ave Verum Corpus" W. A. Mozart
Freyja Rasmussen-Johns, Soprano Soloist
"What Wondrous Love Is This"
Traditional American Folk Hymn
Rick Johns, Tenor Soloist and Hannah Buckle, Pianist
|
|
4/15 Good Friday Service 7:00 PM
"And No Bird Sang" Douglas Wagner
"The Crucifixion" Samuel Barber
Lorraine Langer, Soprano and Hannah Buckle, Pianist
|
|
4/17 Easter Sunday Service 9:30 AM
"The Exsultet"
Cantors: Freyja Rasmussen-Johns, Kelsey Crawford-Scott, Rick Johns, Tom Skuzinski, Lorraine Langer
|
|
Come join in our music making and fellowship. All ages and musical abilities are welcome! Choir rehearsals are on Thursdays at 7:00 PM, in-person (masks and safe distancing) and live via Zoom for anyone to attend, listen in & sing along. (see links is below). Our first regular choir rehearsal after Easter is May 5th at 7 PM
|
|
|
|
Taizé Gatherings
Return: Calling all musicians. Please let Lorraine know if you are interested in singing and/or playing an instrument.
We will have our first Taizé music rehearsal of the year on Thursday, May 5th, from 7:45-8:30 PM, after the regular choir rehearsal 7:00-7:45 PM.
|
|
|
|
|
Lorraine Langer
Hannah Buckle
Assistant Director of Music/Pianist
Kathleen Johnson
Pipe Organist
|
|
|
Streaming Ministries
Enhancing the Quality of In-Person and On-Line Worship Services
|
|
Our new streaming ministries sound and video system continues to enhance our:
- Intelligibility of spoken and sung worship in-person and on-line;
- Ability to stream live via YouTube in tandem with Zoom to our Parishioners and community; and
-
Ability to offer an Assisted Listening System (ALS) We are now offering the option for anyone to use "Listen EVERYWHERE" to enhance their ability to hear the service more clearly. This is an Application to download from Apple and Google Play onto your smart phone, iPad, device, etc.) You can listen via BlueTooth, using Earbuds as well as Hearing Aids. Let Mthr. Barbara and Lorraine know if you would like to explore and try out "Listen EVERYWHERE".
The Sanctuary system is progressing and almost complete. We now have two handheld wireless microphones, making it easier for parishioners to use for reading the Lessons and Psalms, as well as share an announcement from the pews (instead of going up to the lectern), during the service.
The Parish Hall system is also progressing and almost complete. We have received the microphones (mentioned last month) for this system. With added microphones, we needed to upgrade a system processor (approved by the vestry). We were able to make several upgrades and updates, and we will be experimenting with the system this week for choir rehearsal, and yep, coffee hour for the parishioners zooming from home, after the service on Sundays. Just stay on with us to chat!
Come join us and share in our New Streaming Ministry! Send us an email if you would like to have some fun (via zoom and YouTube) operating the cameras, sharing the bulletin, chatting with parishioners, experiencing worship through another lens, giving to others, Etc.
Streaming Ministers:
Peg Newby, Gretchen Schlabach, Katt Scott, Hannah Buckle, Lorraine Langer
|
|
YouTube and Zoom Links are below for easy access! |
|
Snow, mud, and cold in our gardens? Yes, but the promise of Spring’s warm sun has encouraged our planning and early preparations. At home our members sowed seeds, many from saved seeds from our past garden, some from our donation seeds from Blains Farm and Fleet. Several varieties of tomatoes, peppers, kale, broccoli, flowers, and herbs are poking up waiting for transplanting and tempering for May planting in our beds. We hope to have extras to give away.
VEGETABLE DONATION GARDEN
The vegetable garden has fall planted kale growing strong along with garlic and our perennial asparagus, but not ready to pick. Oregano, chives, parsley and thyme overwintered under straw and are showing their bright green. We have started to clean the dead remains of plants that have sheltered friendly insect larvae over winter. Large bags of organic soil and compost mixtures have been purchased and delivered and will be spread during our workday. Then planting peas, lettuces, greens, beets, onions, and potatoes begins. Overwintered straw has rotted well destroying all the weed seeds that dwell within fresh straw. It will be used to mulch our beds and reduce the need for water. We are looking forward to meeting on Monday and Thursday mornings during the garden season to share fellowship and the joy of gardening. We welcome everyone to come visit and share our vegetable garden work.
MEMORIAL GARDEN PLANS and OUR FLOWER BEDS
We have been working on cleaning and planning new flower beds in our Memorial Garden that is to the Northeast of the church before the back drive. If you have not strolled there, please do and see the memorial markers of past members. Creating these beds will not be possible without help of members capable of doing the work of moving soil and tilling. Ask Kris or Mother Barbara about what you can do to help make this garden a beautiful space to honor those who have gone before us.
The front flower gardens are waking up to spring, so after church services take a walk outside to see what you find! Coffee and conversation are to be had at our outdoor table. Did you notice how beautiful our red roses were last summer against our edifice? When you see Mary Short, please thank her for her loving work in our flower beds. She has given us a gift of beauty and repose that everyone passing by St. Paul’s can enjoy.
COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS: ST PAULS GARDEN IS A MASTER GARDENER PROJECT GARDEN
This spring we welcome Kay Robinson, a Master Gardener Intern working with Kris Borre. Kay is a retired HR professional and is married with two sons and a daughter and four grandchildren. Kay is a flower gardener at her home where she has rose beds and “hundreds” of planters spaced in gardens throughout her yard. She is a successful orchid grower and enjoys her indoor blooms. Kay is energetic, creative, and knowledgeable. Her wish is to make the world more beautiful and full of joy through gardening. She is looking forward to meeting all of St. Paul’s gardeners.
GARDEN WISHES and NEEDS:
Clean plastic lettuce and berry containers for packing our produce.
Grocery bags, paper and plastic desired.
Please bring to the kitchen.
|
|
SUNFLOWER SEEDS:
AN EVENING OF POETRY FOR UKRAINE
|
On April 1st St. Paul's hosted an evening of Ukrainian poetry read by DeKalb poets Bonnie Amesquita, Riccardo Amesquita, John Bradley, Marilyn Cleland, Joseph Gastiger, Becky Parfitt, and Susan Azar Porterfield. Sixty five people attended in person and on Zoom, and nearly $1500 was collected to benefit the Doctors Without Borders efforts in Ukraine. A lovely wine and cheese and dessert reception followed the program
It was a moving evening of heartfelt verses revealing the grief and determination of the the Ukrainian people suffering from the actions of an invading state. A member of the DeKalb community who grew up in Ukraine, Myron Kuropas, expressed his own feelings about these events and his gratitude for this program in bringing them to light.
Many thanks to members Marilyn and Cliff Cleland, Lorraine Langer, Gretchen Schlabach, Katt Scott, Donna deOliveira, Freyja Rasmussen Johns, Jocelyn Prall, Robin Taylor, Pat Brown, Jo Plenger-Schulz, and Mother Barbara for bringing this event to the community.
|
|
You can watch a YouTube video of the "Sunflower Seeds: Poetry for Ukraine" on our YouTube site. We also have extra copies of the beautiful commemorative program which has all of the poetry that was read and includes bios of the poets. Check with the Parish Office. And you can still make a donation to Doctors Without Borders.
|
|
|
|
St. Paul’s provided the pre-worship supper meal for NIU’s Grace Place Campus Ministry on two Wednesdays this semester; March 23 and April 6. We provided salad, fruit , and dessert, Pastor Mack welcomes anyone from St. Paul’s to join them.
Peer Minister of Grace Place, Megan Ping, wrote to us:Thank you so much for the soup dinner! It's great to be back after spring break and to see our regulars again. As always, thank you for making this possible.
|
|
|
|
There will be a Memorial Celebration for Jan Bach on Saturday, April 30th at 1:00 PM. Musicians from NIU will be on hand to celebrate his life with us.
Pat McMahon's family invites St. Paul's family to a celebration of her life on Saturday, May 14th at 11:00 AM. Luncheon will follow the service.
|
|
All women from the Diocese of Chicago are invited to renew friendships and learn about the work of the ECW Chicago at our virtual 2022 Annual Meeting, on Saturday, May 7th, from 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM.
Our business meeting will include a review of our 2021 work and a preview of our projects for 2022 as well as election of a secretary to our Board. Charles Zaucha will speak to us about the Clergy Spouse Ministry and our Outreach Committee will announce our 2022 Ministry Partner.
There will be further details announced in the upcoming weeks.
We are looking forward to “seeing” you on May 7!
|
|
|
|
How do we get started? What are our foundational principles?
This course asks all the baptized to reflect on who we are as God's people, and to consider how "who I am" affects "what I see," "how I respond," and what is my theological explanation for that. You will have a chance to understand what theological thinking is and apply that to a contemporary issue that is important to you.
OVERVIEW OF SESSIONS
WEEK 0: Preparing Before We Begin
* Course opensApril 24
WEEK 1: Social Location and Theological Analysis
* May 1-7
WEEK 2: A Theological Method
* May 8-14
WEEK 3: Considering the Four Levels of Oppression in Context
* May 15-21
WEEK 4: Christian Community
* May 22-28
Participants will meet on Fridays from 5-6:30 pm ET.
|
|
|
|
On Wednesdays the Sanctuary will be open for quiet prayer and meditation at 11:30 AM. At noon, there will be a leader for responsive prayers until 12:30 PM. The Sanctuary will remain open until 1:00 PM for quiet prayer and meditation. On the last Wednesday of the month, all are invited to gather at a BYO lunch at 1:00 PM.
Note: This month, the noonday prayers have been scheduled for April 27th only.
|
|
|
|
St. Paul's Columbarium is registered on Ancestry.com's FindAGrave.com. My Kiwanis friend, Mary McGinn, is a Find a Grave volunteer that registers graves. Mary helped add all 16 current names in our church columbarium on 2/17/2022. With the FindAGrave website, much more information can be added: obituaries, pictures, stories, connections to other relatives, etc. Edits can be submitted if you find errors. Mary McGinn is willing to assist people to learn how to use the site. If there is great interest, we could also do a program in the parish hall too.
Steps: https://www.findagrave.com/ > Click cemeteries at the top > in location, enter DeKalb County IL, search >Scroll down to St. Paul's Columbarium > Click Memorials to see all the names listed in our columbarium.
Jennie Cummings
|
|
The Rector's
Discretionary Fund Collection
Donations allow us to assist people in need
in our community.
Remember that donations can be mailed at any time.
|
|
April Birthdays and Anniversaries |
|
|
|
Birthdays
4/2 Maggie Russell
4/17 Rick Johns
4/18 Edie Faulkner
4/23 Doug Roberts
Anniversaries
4/14 Martin and Jacqueline
Mounts
|
|
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
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
