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grace episcopal church
galena, illinois
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Twenty-Third Sunday
of Pentecost
All Saints Sunday
October 31, 2021
Holy Eucharist, 10:30 am
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October 31, 2021
The State of Illinois has officially issued a directive for masking at indoor gatherings for all who are two years old or older regardless of inoculation status. Out of concern for those who cannot yet be vaccinated or whose immune systems are compromised, we respectfully request that you comply and wear a mask indoors that covers your nose and mouth.
Our diocese has requested that each church regularly review the CDC map that has
four stages of COVID risk and make decisions accordingly about safety precautions.
Jo Daviess County's risk factor (and that of the entire state of Illinois) is now in the highest category.
The only other precaution reinstated at this time is to suspend contact during the Peace.
Please be cautious and also be prepared for changes at any time.
Social hour is suspended.
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Ministers of the Service
Members & Guests, Celebrants
Rev. Dr. Gloria Hopewell, Presider
Rev. Diane Luther, Deacon
Steve Coates, Lector
Debbie Kallback, Intercessor
Bill Foltz, Thurifer
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Robin French, Music Director
Nancy Cook, Erben Organist
Eric Kallback, Vestry Coordinator
Pat Golden & Charlotte Stryker
Altar Guild
Maren Coates, Greeter
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Wardens' Letter to the Church
As the day of Gloria’s retirement draws near, some are wondering who will be in charge after her departure. While the Search Committee continues its work leading up to the call of our next Rector, the Wardens and Vestry will be in charge.
As Senior Warden, Lynn Giles will arrange for supply clergy. Her previous term as Senior Warden included a transition period so she has experience scheduling visiting priests.
Nancy Kenney, our Parish Administrator, will continue to work her normal hours. We do ask that if you have need of Nancy’s help for projects that you give Lynn Giles a heads up so work can be scheduled.
All Grace ministries will continue with their current leadership. The Worship Committee is planning for Advent and Christmas services. The choir, in addition to singing anthems, will be leading the congregation in the hymns.. The Formation Committee has an Advent Quiet Day scheduled. The Building and Grounds Committee will keep our church and parish house well maintained. The Ministry of Care is available when needed. The Outreach Committee will continue to help provide for needs through our Outreach Partners. From experience we are confident each of our ministries is well equipped to carry out their missions on behalf of Grace Church. Each has liaison member in the vestry.
We are very fortunate that under Gloria’s leadership we have been encouraged to be active in the life of Grace Church. This will serve us well now and in the future.
If anyone has any questions or concerns, please contact either Warden or any Vestry member.
Lynn Giles and Richard Luther
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Events this Week:
Sunday 10/31
Holy Eucharist 10:30am online and in-person
Social Hour suspended at this time.
Monday 11/1
Poetry Group 2:00pm
Lynn Giles Birthday
Tuesday 11/2
Compline online 8:30pm
Nancy Cook's Birthday
Wednesday 11/3
Midweek Worship online and in-person 7:30am
Morning Study Group on Zoom 10:00am
Thursday 11/4
UCG Meeting 10:30am
Richard Babcock Mem.Yarn Ministry 1:30pm
Friday 11/5
Centering Prayer online 9:00 am
Saturday 11/6
Choir Practice 10 am
Important Links:
Office Hours
9:00am-Noon, Tuesday through Friday
Rector Office Hours
10:30am-3:00pm Tuesday through Thursday
Mondays and other times by appointment
ROTA (11-7-21 to 4-24-22)
Website: includes a password protected members' portal where most recent Vestry minutes, financials, and Grace Church Directory are found.
NEXT SUNDAY! DON'T FORGET!
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A Letter from the Rt. Rev. Chilton Knudsen and the Rev. Anne B Jolly
October 26, 2021
Beloveds:
We write to you today with gratitude for your continued love and prayers for our diocese and for Bishop-elect Paula Clark, and to share an update.
You may remember that in July, when Presiding Bishop Michael Curry decided to postpone Paula’s ordination and consecration indefinitely to give her time for rest and recovery, he pledged to meet with her and her team of physicians every three months to assess her readiness to assume the office of Bishop of Chicago. He had hoped to have such a meeting in October.
Since then, as you know, Paula’s husband, Andrew McLean, has been diagnosed with multiple myeloma. She is now with him in Washington D.C., making decisions about his care and spending time with him and their family. Although Paula has nevertheless continued her speech therapy during this most difficult time, Andrew’s illness and her time away from Chicago have delayed the Presiding Bishop’s consultation with her medical team at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab here in Chicago. He hopes that she will be able to complete an assessment with her treatment team at Shirley Ryan soon so that he can consult with them and with her by the end of November. The Standing Committee remains in regular conversation with the Presiding Bishop’s office and will share more information when the consultation is completed. Please continue to pray for Paula and Andrew as we await this update.
In the meantime, our mission and ministry in the Diocese of Chicago continue. We are writing to you today from the annual clergy conference, the first since the COVID-19 pandemic began. These few days are a brief respite from the busy season of congregational visitations, ordinations, and confirmations that resumed earlier this month—a season that will include the annual Hispanic liturgy and confirmation service at St. James Cathedral on December 4.
With the bishop’s staff and leaders from across the diocese, we are also preparing for the 184th annual convention of the diocese on November 20. We look forward to seeing many of you online that day and sharing with you more updates about the ministry of the diocese in these liminal times.
Thank you, as always, for your prayer and care for Paula and for our beloved church.
God’s Peace,
The Rt. Rev. Chilton Knudsen
Assisting Bishop
The Rev. Anne B Jolly
President, Standing Committee
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Rector Search Committee Members
Steve Coates,
Pete Stryker,
Co-chairs
Greg Anderson
Teresa Burke
Elizabeth Ludescher
Dave Mikelson
Joy Von Wolffersdorff
Their contact information is available in the church directory on our website at this link: directory
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SEARCH COMMITTEE
The Search Committee is organizing the Small Group input meetings with sign-up sheets in the Parish Hall for the dates of
Nov. 7th and 21st. We will have 3 small groups each of these Sundays with a limit of 24 participants per Sunday – 8 maximum per group. The start time is 12:30 and these input sessions should last 90 minutes max. The groups will be organized after the Sunday service of the 7th and 21st with each group meeting in a different church or parish hall location at the same time. We hope to get the thoughts, wants, needs, skills desired in a new rector from as many Grace members as can participate in these small groups. This Small Group input coupled with the very successful CAT survey will be the foundation for the Grace Church and new rector profile that will be posted on the Chicago Diocesan web site for potential candidates to review.
A Search Committee member will be available before and after church with the sign-up sheets in the parish hall to answer any questions. If more convenient, feel free to call or email Pete Stryker / peterastryker@hotmail.com / cell phone 312.504.8268 or Steve Coates / coatesstep@gmail.com / cell phone 563.581.6514.
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WORSHIP MINISTRY NEWS
ALL SAINTS' DAY will be observed on October 31.
As is customary, we will remember those who have died since All Saints' Day with the tolling of the bell and all others whose names we wish to lift up by lighting candles in their memory.
If you have not provided names of loved ones to be read, please give them IN WRITING to Gloria Hopewell or Diane Luther prior to the beginning of worship. You are also invited to bring photographs that will be displayed in the chancel on that day.
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OUTREACH MINISTRY NEWS
United Churches of Galena--HELP NEEDED!
The Board of the United Churches of Galena is made up of clergy and lay representatives of all churches that wish to participate in this ecumenical group. You may know UCG best from its Food Pantry--by far its largest project! Or from its annual Hunger Luncheon and Christmas Concert that are fund raisers for the Food Pantry--both of which have not taken place during this pandemic.
There are other events and projects, though, that some or all of the member churches engage in. Joint services at Thanksgiving, Good Friday, and the World Day of Prayer; the Apple Tree project that provides back packs and school supplies to those who need them in the Galena schools; a Community Assistance Program for residents in need of help paying utility bills, rent, and other day to day living expenses.
Grace Church is in need of a representative--at least during this transitional time between rectors. Grace has been a member since the beginning. The meetings of the Board are on the first Thursdays of each month at from 10:30 - 11:30 am from September through June. The location is rotated amongst the churches. If you might be interested in serving in either a temporary or longer term capacity, please contact the Rector.
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ANNUAL PLEDGE CAMPAIGN BEGINS
If you have not yet received a mailing from the Rector about this year's pledge campaign, it is on its way! The theme is "Every Perfect Gift," and a weekly reflection will appear in each Sunday's bulletin relating to that theme. There will also be one more personal reflection offered by a parishioner in Sunday worship on November 7. This will Sunday will be Terri Jackman.
The Commitment Sunday this year will be November 21. A letter from the Sr. Warden including a pledge card, will be mailed the week before so that you may bring the Perfect Gift your pledge to church that day to be dedicated to God for the furtherance of ministry at Grace Church. Please use these materials as you prayerfully discern your promise to the church.
This year, the first mailing will also include information for those who must receive Required Minimum Distributions from their IRAs and pension funds. It is possible to direct your pledge from such a distribution, in which case the amount pledged will not be included in your taxable income.
To see the reflection by Dave Mikelson on October 17, please click this link: Stewardship
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FELLOWSHIP NEWS
SOCIAL HOUR SUSPENDED
Coffee and conversation has been suspended due to COVID.
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FORMATION NEWS
We are a group that studies spiritual subjects, including the Bible. All are welcome to join us to enhance their knowledge of spirituality and explore how to apply it to their lives. Lately we’ve been studying the Gospel of Luke. Next Wednesday (November 3rd our Rector, Gloria, will share her knowledge about the women of Luke. It’s not to be missed! Meetings (in the Parish Hall and on Zoom) begin at 10:00 a.m. Anyone needing a Zoom invitation can contact Greg Serwich (gserwich@gmail.com).
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Compline on Zoom
On Tuesday evenings, at 8:30 pm, Lynn Giles leads a service of Compline. She has been participating in the service that has previously been offered to the Diocese of Chicago by St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Glen Ellyn. This service of the Daily Office in our Book of Common Prayer is a brief, contemplative service that is ideal for prayerful letting go of the cares of the day and preparing for a restful night. Find the link button above.
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MEDITATIVE PRAYER 9:00am on Fridays
Looking for a way to improve your prayer life, to open your heart, mind and soul to the Holy Spirit? Consider joining the Centering Prayer Group Friday mornings for about forty minutes of meditative prayer: twenty minutes of Centering Prayer followed by Lectio Divina.
Contact Greg Serwich (gserwich@gmail.com) for a Zoom invitation which includes a description of these types of prayer.
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WORSHIP:
TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
ALL SAINTS SUNDAY
Isaiah 25: 6-9 This excerpt from the writings included in the Book of Isaiah contemplates what comes after God’s judgment is complete. God is the host of a great victory feast on the “holy mountain,” Zion/Jerusalem. It is the consummation of humankind’s most enduring dreams of fulfillment and of peace
Psalm 24 Composed as a liturgical call and response for pilgrims approaching Jerusalem, this psalm begins with the declaration that the earth is filled with the Lord’s presence, because the Lord established it. Who is worthy to go to this holy place? The pure in heart! Who is the king of glory? The Lord of strength and victory!
Revelation to John 21: 1-6a After God’s final, great judgment and the passing away of the earth, the mystic John sees “a new heaven and a new earth” and a “new Jerusalem.” He hears “A loud voice from the throne…” declare that God now is at home with “mortals.” Echoing Isaiah (25:8), he also sees God wiping away tears. The one speaking entrusts John to record this vision “for these words are trustworthy and true…”
John 11: 32-44 The calling of Lazarus back from death in John’s gospel comes just before Jesus enters Jerusalem for his trial and execution; it is also presented as the final straw for the enemies of Jesus. In his sophisticated, heuristic style, John tells a story that elicits strong emotions and, at the same time, exposes a “sign” with many, many possible meanings for the reader/hearer to live with.
"God will swallow up death forever,” the visionary Isaiah writes. “Death will be no more, the mystic called John echoes centuries later. After death, “The souls of the righteous are in the hands of God,” the writer who honors the legendary “wisdom” of King Solomon imagines. Jesus stage-directs the friends and family of Lazarus in a dramatic scene in which the dead man walks out of his own grave– alive! That biblical texts are wild, fiery, imaginative, bold and uninhibited by human reservations is certainly clear in these readings and gospel for All Saints Day. When read aloud in the liturgy, hearers are in the presence of holiness that challenges our blase, dulled imaginations and abandoned longings. These readings and gospel do nothing less than re-imagine death in a wholly new way that does not make dying unavoidable, but imagines death as a cause for improvisation. They begin to fulfill the promise of Jesus: “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”
thumbnails and commentary excerpted from sacraconversazione.org
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ZOOM POETRY GROUP 2:00pm on Mondays
A Zoom Poetry meeting from Grace Church has been organized and meets Mondays at 2:00pm. This is not specifically a Grace ministry, but a number of Grace members and friends are part of it If you are interested, write Carol Poston at poston@sxu.edu or call her at 815-777-0220.
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An Episcopal Wednesday service of Morning Prayer 10/27/21: Eric Kallback, Officiant; Debbie Kallback, Homilist & Intercessor.
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An Episcopal service of Holy Eucharist 10/17/21: The Rev. Dr. Gloria Hopewell, Presider; The Rev. Diane Luther, Deacon; Elizabeth Ludescher, Intercessor; Richard Luther, Lector; Robin French, Music Director; Nancy Cook, Erben Organist; Dave Mikelson, Stewardship Moment; Lynn Giles, Zoom Host. |
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An Episcopal Service of Holy Eucharist 10/24/21, The Rev. Dr. Gloria Hopewell, Presider; The Rev. Diane Luther, Deacon; Debbie Kallback, Intercessor; Steve Coates, Lector; Robin French, Music Director; Nancy Cook, Erben Organist; Phil Jackman, Clarinet. |
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Hybrid worship has resumed for both in-person and Zoom congregations in line with Diocesan guidelines and Phase 5 of the State of Illinois COVID recovery.
For those present in the Church:
Please put your smartphone or other device in airplane mode so that our
internet capacity is reserved for our online streaming.
Don't forget to wear your mask if you intend to sing!
For those on Zoom:
Please mute yourselves before the Prelude begins and immediately after the Peace. This prevents other participants on Zoom from being distracted by conversation
and background noise.
Those who will join us on Zoom will receive the usual e-mail invitation with a link to the day's bulletin.
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Vestry:
Lynn Giles, Senior Warden
Richard Luther, Jr. Warden
Jim Berry, Treasurer
Crystal Mason, Clerk
The Rev. Dr. Gloria Hopewell, Rector
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Staff:
The Rev. Dr. Gloria Hopewell, Rector
The Rev. Linda Packard, Priest Associate
The Rev. Diane Luther, Deacon
Nancy Kenney, Parish Administrator
Robin French, Music Director
Nancy Cook, Erben Organist
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Charlotte Stryker: Worship
Elizabeth Ludescher: Communications
Nancy Cook: Outreach
Eric Kallback: Building & Grounds
Crystal Mason: Pastoral Care
Phil Jackman: Fellowship/Parish Life
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The Rev Dr. Gloria Hopewell, Rector
Cell Phone: 773-988-3497
Grace Episcopal Church Office:
107 S. Prospect Street
Galena, IL 61036
815-777-2590
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