E-News from Emmanuel Episcopal Church 2/2/23

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EMMANUEL EPISCOPAL CHURCH

203 S. KENSINGTON AVENUE

LA GRANGE, ILLINOIS 60525

(708) 352-1275

(866) 668-2086 (FAX)

www.emmanuel-lagrange.org

February 2, 2023 Emmanuel's E-News

Greetings from

Emmanuel Episcopal Church!

Greetings!

This Sunday is The Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany

Epiphany Traditions

In western Christian tradition, January 6 is celebrated as Epiphany. It goes by other names in various church traditions. In Hispanic and Latin culture, as well as some places in Europe, it is known as Three Kings’ Day. Because of differences in church calendars, mainly between the Eastern Orthodox and the western Catholic and Protestant traditions, both Christmas and Epiphany have been observed at different times in the past. Today, most of the Eastern Orthodox traditions follow the western church calendar. The exceptions are some Greek Orthodox Churches and related traditions (for example, Russian and Serbian Orthodox) that still follow the older calendar and celebrate Epiphany as the Theophany on January 19th.

Epiphany is the climax of the Advent/Christmas Season and the Twelve Days of Christmas, which are usually counted from the evening of December 25th until the morning of January 6th, which is the Twelfth Day. In following this older custom of counting the days beginning at sundown, the evening of January 5th is the Twelfth Night. This is an occasion for feasting in some cultures, including the baking of a special King's Cake as part of the festivities of Epiphany (a King's Cake is part of the observance of Mardi Gras in French Catholic culture of the Southern USA).

Adapted from Dennis Bratcher CRI/Voice, Institute

Annual Meeting

Emmanuel's Annual Meeting will be held THIS SUNDAY, February 5th.

There will be ONE SERVICE ONLY that morning, at 9:00am, followed by brunch and fellowship before the meeting begins. Although we encourage people to attend in person, we will have our hybrid Zoom setup for an immersive remote experience. Click on the Bible to join us on ZOOM.

Children's

Church

Children’s Church resumes this Sunday!

Calling all children! Come join us this Sunday, February 5^th at 9am.

We have planned another fun session together.

Join us in the Art Room at 9am. Kids will be brought back out to the regularly scheduled service prior to Communion by one of the facilitators. We usually meet on the first and third Sunday of the month.

Feel free to reach out to any of us with questions or ideas!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Kathleen, Mrs. Katherine, & Mrs. Danielle

Click HERE to Join Mrs. Kathleen, Mrs. Katherine and Mrs. Danielle for a Zoom session. For those in church, we'll see you in the Art Room!

Children’s Service will be offered via Zoom with Meeting ID: 832 105 1299 starting at 10:05am. The Zoom Passcode is: niYSy6. You must enter the passcode to get into the room.

URL: <https://tinyurl.com/mrhrpnu5 >

Worship at Emmanuel

In-person Holy Eucharist is offered Sunday Mornings.

THIS SUNDAY ONLY–ONE SERVICE: 9:00am Choral Holy Eucharist

Sunday Online options

9:00am to 10:00am: In-person worship at Emmanuel
9:00am service will be streamed on Facebook and YouTube
Click HERE for Sunday worship bulletin

Tuesday and Thursday mornings:

Contemplative Prayer

(a time of Scripture and quiet prayer)

Beginning at 7:30am. Please join us for a time of centering. Click HERE to join us on Zoom on your computer or tablet.

Thursday Evenings:

Compline

The ancient office of Compline derives from a Latin word meaning "completion." It is above all a service of quietness and reflection before rest at the end of the day.

Fellowship begins at 7:30pm and prayer begins at 8:00pm. We're done by 8:15pm.

Why not click on the candles and join us tonight on Zoom for this brief, lovely service?

Have you signed up for the Annual Meeting brunch yet?

Just click on the graphic to view the signup sheet.

See you there!

‌

Pastoral Note

Congratulations to Will Longo and Mary Zhu who will be married on February 11th in Geneva, Illinois. We wish them a lifetime of happiness together.

With love from his family.

‌

Pray for those who have been commended to our prayers:

For the Sick and for those in any other need: Abraham, Alain, Andrew, Bill, Bill W, Bonnie, Carson & Mike, Char, Christiana and John, Chris & Sharon, Craig & Hanna, Heather, Howard & Susan, Jalyn and her baby, Jane & Jim, Jeff, Jim & Sue, Kerry, Kurt, Linda, Marie, Martha, Mia, Michael, Mike and Renee, Molly & Jim, Paul & Steve, Perry, Pierre, Richard, Sharon, Steve, Tom, Tove and Zach

For the Repose of the Soul: none this week

Birthdays: Michael B, Dorren G-B, Angela D, Rose M. S, David W, Truman P

Anniversaries: none this week

O Lord our God, accept the fervent prayers of your people; in the multitude of your mercies, look with compassion upon us and all who turn to you for help; for you are gracious, O lover of souls, and to you we give glory, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen. (BCP p. 395)

The Emmanuel Prayer List is kept in the Church Office and updated periodically. Call or email the Church Office to add someone to the list. For privacy, people will be listed by given name, and the reason for prayer will be kept generic.

The Emmanuel Pipe Organ Project

A New Challenge:

The Antiphonal

Click on the Antiphonal pipes to learn about this extraordinary opportunity

Saint of the Week

Feast of the Presentation of Our Lord Jesus Christ

2 February NT

Feast of the Purification of the Virgin

Candlemas Day

Counting forward from December 25 as Day One, we find that Day Forty is February 2. A Jewish woman is in semi-seclusion for 40 days after giving birth to a son, and accordingly it is on February 2 that we celebrate the coming of Mary and Joseph with the infant Jesus to the Temple at Jerusalem to offer sacrifice, both on behalf of Mary and on behalf of Jesus as a first-born male. As they did so, they were greeted by the aged Simeon.

In a Sunday-School pageant, I once saw, the narrator said, "And now Simeon bursts into a spontaneous song of praise, assisted by the Temple Choir." His song, called the Nunc Dimittis, has always had a prominent role in Christian worship. It has often been rendered in verse. I append one example:

Lord God, thou now hast set thy servant free,

to part in peace according to thy word.

Mine eyes have seen the Saviour, Christ the Lord

prepared by thee for all the worlds to see;

to shine on nations lost in darkest night,

the glory of thy people, and their light.

Because an old reading for this festival contains the line (Zephaniah 1:12), "I will search Jerusalem with candles," the day is also known as Candlemas, and sometimes observed with a candle-lit procession. On the other hand, Groundhog Day ("If the groundhog (or woodchuck, a kind of marmot, which burrows and hibernates) sees his shadow on 2 February, there will be six more weeks of winter.") is strictly a secular holiday, confined, as far as I know, to the United States.

Prayer (traditional language)

Almighty and everliving God, we humbly beseech thee that, as thy only-begotten Son was this day presented in the temple, so we may be presented unto thee with pure and clean hearts by the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

Adapted from James Kiefer's Christian Biographies

Happy

Groundhog

Day!

Annual Meeting -------February 5, 2023

Vestry Meeting -------February 21, 2023

Listen to Emmanuel Sunday Sermons Online

If you were truly inspired by any of the sermons you hear, don't forget you can listen again to the sermons from Emmanuel. They are normally available on our website within a few days of the Sunday service.

Short Takes

Send us your news! We would like to celebrate achievements made by you or members of your family. Was your child accepted by the college he/she wanted to attend? Did your child make the honor roll? Is your child about to perform in a concert or play? Have you or your spouse been promoted or received accolades at work? Let us know so your church family can celebrate with you.

2023 Vestry Nominations

The vestry is the leadership council of the parish, and new vestry members are elected at the January annual meeting. They work closely with the Rector and the Wardens to define the mission and direction of the parish and manage the parish's operations, finances, and property. Vestry members are an example of commitment, participation, and support of the life of the parish.

Over the three-year term, their responsibilities include:

Representing the congregation as the fiduciary decision-making body of the parish
Serving as a council of advice and support to the clergy
Serving as liaisons on commissions and as members of assigned committees
Attending monthly and special meetings, as well as retreats and training sessions. (Vestry meets the 3rd Tuesday of every month at 7pm)
Assisting the clergy to seek out and promote lay leadership for present and future needs of the parish
A nominee for vestry must be a member of Emmanuel Episcopal Church, a faithful worshiper and communicant, a pledger, active in the life and mission of Emmanuel Church, and cannot be a person rotating off the vestry or the spouse or partner of a person remaining on the vestry.

If you feel called to serve in this ministry, or would like to nominate someone else, click on the Vestry pin graphic for the nomination form. Forms can also be found at the table outside the church office.

______________________________________

Vestry Minutes

Click on the dates below to view the minutes of the respective Vestry meeting:

Contemplative Prayer

7:30am Tuesday and Thursday mornings on Zoom.

Click on the graphic to join us.

Emmanuel Weekly Schedule

Tuesday

7:30am: Contemplation & Meditation

Thursday

7:30am: Contemplation & Meditation

Thursday

8:00pm: Compline

Sunday

8:00am: Said Mass Rite II

10:00am: Choral Mass Rite II

Planning an Event?

All event dates MUST be sent to the Parish Administrator so that they can be entered on the website calendar.

This is the master calendar.

If you are planning an event, click on the calendar graphic to find out if your event conflicts with other activities.

Compline takes place on Zoom at 8:00pm Thursday. Why not click on the candles and join us for this brief lovely service?

Emmanuel COVID-19 Policy

Pursuant to CDC Guidelines, wearing of masks is optional but strongly recommended at Emmanuel
People may share the Peace in whatever way is comfortable for them
Socially-distanced seating will still be maintained in the rear one-third of the church
The distribution of Communion will continue for now as it is currently being practiced: at stations with disposable cups

Episcopal Peace Fellowship

The Episcopal Peace Fellowship was founded in New York City on November 11, 1939, with the mission to pray, study and work for peace.

The EPF has a national office with a small staff, and many local chapters. It urges the broader Episcopal Church, other organizations and people in general to adopt a more peaceful stance on issues such as the Iraq War, Iran, promoting peace in the broader Middle East, nuclear weapons, and Cuba. It offers Active Nonviolence Training, takes part in peace demonstrations, helps organize action groups, and awards peace prizes to individuals around the world who strive for peace.

The EPF Peacebuilding Online Series is a series of free, one-hour online presentations on the first Sunday of each month, starting in August. The presentations focus on different aspects of and approaches to peacebuilding, both with others and within ourselves. These presentations are offered online via Eventbrite/Zoom.

Click HERE to learn more about the EPF Peacebuilding Project. The first presentation, What Kind of Bridge Are We: Living with Political Division in Our Lives, may be viewed HERE.

Please join us for our next presentation on Sunday, February 5^th at 3:00 pm Central. Click HERE for more information.

Please plan to attend as many of our programs as you can, bring a friend, and hear inspiring voices. Learn. Discover resources for going deeper.

Are you interested in playing or learning to play Bridge?

We are looking for Emmanuelites and friends of Emmanuelites who would like to play or learn to play Bridge in a friendly, easy-going environment. We have a couple of interested players and tutors if so!