Mars Hill Proclaimer
St. Paul's Episcopal Church November Newsletter 2021
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Dear Sisters and Brothers,
On Sunday morning a week ago, I was greeted in the narthex by a man asking for help for himself and his wife. They had lived with his father for many years but when his father died at the end of August, they found themselves evicted from the home they'd shared. Paul and Christy have never been homeless before, and Paul has a good job working in Target product shipping. Still, because of the supply chain snafus in the U.S. right now, he's not getting enough hours. Paul is also working with the Family Service Agency and the Veterans Administration, as he is a five-year veteran of the Army. In collaboration with those agencies, we kept them housed in a motel all last week and they moved into their new apartment today.
With your help. Because of your generosity in paying my salary, providing time for me to help them make connections, and because of your constant generosity with donations to the Discretionary Fund, we were able to help them through this rough time.
November is the month in which we launch our Annual Giving Campaign. We are looking ahead to some unusual maintenance expenses for our lovely building and grounds and the replacement of our aged HVAC system. And there are always those needs that come up, like help for Christy and Paul in order to keep them off the street.
I hope you will be as generous as you can in supporting Christ's incarnational ministry at St. Paul's for the coming year!
Grace and all good,
Barbara+
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We will be remembering our everyday saints who have passed at the All Saints services on Sunday, November 7th. Please send the names of those whom you wish to remember to the Parish Office by Thursday, November 4th.
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DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME ENDS |
Remember to turn your clocks back an hour on November 6th as Daylight Savings Time ends for 2021. |
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Watch for the annual
pledge form in your
email and regular mail.
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NOVEMBER, 2021
Greetings Brothers and Sisters of St. Paul’s,
This is the time that stewardship campaigns begin in many faith communities. Even in a world that has caused us to pivot and adjust to a deadly invisible virus, we offer thanks. Despite all that happened, most of us feel blessed in some way. We continue to endure. We have grown. We are healthy. We have found a way to move forward in our faith. We continue to engage at St. Paul’s, a place we call home because it creates a warm, loving, and caring community and much more.
Seems that during these crazy times, it is easier to recognize and appreciate St. Paul’s vitalizing presence in our life. So how do we say thank you? As you probably know, we church-going-folk express our gratitude through our stewardship, and it is typically reflected in our giving of time, talent, and treasure. This essence of gratefulness inspires our giving. On a personal note, I am encouraged by all the blessings I have witnessed and am excited by the hopefulness of tomorrow. This abundance of gratitude is viscerally transformative and informs how I can give thanks as a steward of the church. I encourage every individual and every family to undergo meaningful, thoughtful, and prayerful discernment in determining what their annual contribution should be. These gifts result in the church’s resilient health to sustain our mission.
As St. Paul’s Senior Warden, I offer great appreciation to our parish who, not only fulfilled their ’21 pledge commitment, but also in some cases exceeded it. Some of you found ways to continue your commitment through direct deposit, snail mail, or an-person delivery. I, also, extend an invitation to those who have not given of their financial gifts to step forward in faith and in thanksgiving.
The church of St. Paul’s never surprises me with their incredible love and generosity. As we enter the time of stewardship, may this verse from Paul (Colossians 3) provide needed direction and guidance, “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
Peace,
Gretchen
Senior Warden
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Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Well, here we are on the cusp of another Illinois winter… The weather is holding out so far unlike two years ago when we had snow on the 31st of October. Please bear with me as I indulge in a lengthy analogy.
One of the highlights of October for me was the awesome win by the WNBA Chicago Sky. There are many reasons that I chose this year of all years to start watching the WNBA: The 25-year Anniversary; Candace Parker’s return to her home state; the very active social justice efforts by the players to name a few. As the season progressed the early success of the Chicago Sky was thwarted by the injury to Candace Parker (CP). They ended their season 8-8 and in 6th place. The odds did not look good for the outcome any Sky fan had hoped for when the team signed CP. Then we had the playoffs and despite all the odds they put their 8-8 season behind them and started playing like the Championship Team they are.
As you presumably are aware of at this point, they Won the Championship. The main point here is that it would be hard to argue successfully that this success would have happened without CP, yet she did not win the Championship on her own. She was surrounded by a great cast of players and the TEAM won. I wonder if you are tracking where my analogy is going… One-person i.e., each of us can make a difference. Every day we have an opportunity to do this or that… Smile not smile; say something nice or not; project the Love toward our neighbor that we are directed to by our Faith. As we go about our day-to-day activities, I would challenge each of us to be proactive in our efforts to live out our faith, not just on Sunday but on Monday through Saturday. This message is as much for me as anyone else and my main point is just to remind us that individually each of us can make a difference. However, small the task might seem our collective load is so much easier to handle when we work together.
The vestry will be meeting to establish next year’s budget. We will be seeking input from section leaders and individuals who work (usually behind the scenes) to help us have a more beautiful and spiritual worship experience. Without their weekly contributions aspects of the service that we take for granted might not happen yet each week they do because one person steps up and another person steps up. These efforts together create a wonderful community of workers that seeks to improve our time at St Paul’s.
Another wonderful outcome is the development of relationships. Building relationships with our fellow members can lead to personal and team growth. After all we are designed for relationship. I for one experienced this when I joined the garden crew. My contribution was small in comparison to others on the team, yet my efforts were helpful. Not only was I able to reduce some of the workload for the team, but I also had the pleasure of experiencing the joy and gratitude from the workers at the food pantries. I also made new friends and deepened relationships with those friends I already knew. I am so grateful for the decision to accept an invitation to join the garden team.
Blessings to all of you
Lucinda
Junior Warden
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WEEKLY DEVOTIONS AND
OCCASIONS TO CONNECT
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Garden Meetings, 8:00 AM
Mondays and Thursdays
Noonday Prayer
Wednesdays, 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Leader-led prayer 12:00-12:30 PM
Multi-generational choir rehearses in person and via zoom on Thursdays, 7:00 PM
Liturgy of the Word and Prayer
8:00 AM
10:30 AM
Both services in Sanctuary and on Zoom
Sundays
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Total attending on the 22nd of October - 16. Rhys managed the fire and set a hose up with a spray nozzle. Rick & Freyja led songs while Rick played his guitar. Grace Place/Mack Patrick and Islamic Neighbors/Mohamed Labadi were invited. Due to covid and Friday Prayers, the Islamic Community couldn't come. $40 was spent on water, cider, S'mores supplies, and donuts (Lynne's request 😉). Let's order skewers for the church for next year. 6-8:00 p.m. worked well. Consider Chili Bar for next year. Thank you to Jocelyn, Rhys, Rick, and everyone that participated. Let's choose a non-Friday and invite our neighbors well in advance.
In service,
Jennie C.
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October 23rd, Bishop Chilton consecrated the baptismal font created by Betsy Pool and Rhys Prall.
Earlier in the day Bishop Chilton confirmed and received members at St. Mark's in Glen Ellyn. Dean and Lori Judkins were both received in the ceremony at St. Mark's in Glen Ellyn.
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SEPTEMBER 2021 VESTRY MINUTES and
OCTOBER MEETING REPORTS
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TREASURER'S REPORT
OCTOBER 17, 2021
Treasurer’s Report October 17, 2021
As of October 15, we have enough to pay October’s bills, and probably November’s as well, but before the end of the year we are going to need an infusion of cash from the Endowment Fund.
We spent $17,190.18 from our General Fund in September plus an additional $113 from the revolving and pass-through funds. We also paid Integrity Systems $42,445.75 as a partial payment for the new sound system, from the Building Fund. We have spent about 74% of our annual budget through September. For sake of comparison, the end of September is 75% of the year. We have collected 88% of our expected pledge income so far this year.
I have submitted our application to forgive the $27,000 PPP loan we received earlier this year.
I have heard nothing from the Endowment Committee concerning the $60,000 the Vestry approved to pay for building improvements. I am confident that they will meet to discuss this issue sometime soon.
I spent a considerable amount of time preparing the discuss next year’s budget with the vestry. I want to go over our 2021 budget and expenditures carefully, so everyone understands them and can make informed decisions about next year’s budget. This will require at least one and probably two special meetings, which I hope can be agreed upon soon.
Other than the sound system, we have had no unusual expenditures in the past month, and we are generally on target with our 2021 budget. However, the coming month’s spending will be more than this month’s was, due largely to quarterly bills.
(see the full Treasurer's Report in the October Meeting Reports)
Respectfully submitted,
Rick Johns
Treasurer
Rick Johns, Treasurer
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Join our choir in singing a beautiful All Saint's Anthem "Gaudent in Coelis" Richard Dering/James Kirkby.
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St. Paul's Multi-generational
choir continues to enhance the Sunday morning late services!
Rehearsals are on Thursdays at 7:00 PM, in-person and live via Zoom for anyone to listen in (or sing along).
The choir leads the congregation in song for worship services on Sundays for the 10:30 AM service.
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Come join in our music making. All ages and musical abilities are welcome!
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St. Paul's is a congregation full of beautiful voices!
Click on the links below for the Sheet Music and a Sound Track to sing along to while you are washing dishes, walking, etc.
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It's a sad time of the year for the Garden Club as the growing season draws to a close. We are still harvesting frost-resistant vegetables, however, like radishes, beets, and peppers.
The autumn rains kept us out of the garden more often than we would have liked. We still have end-of-the-year garden maintenance to do, and garlic will need to be planted soon.
One of the highlights of our October garden was harvesting our Butternut squash. They were lovely! We enjoyed watching them grow throughout the summer months, while we harvested varieties of yellow summer squash. I had never heard of Crookneck Squash before, but it was delicious!
In November, our thoughts turn to giving thanks. St Paul's Garden Club has been blessed with a successful growing season, and we are all thankful that all our efforts have had such a positive impact on our community!
Jo Plenger-Schulz
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1 lb green tomatoes
1/2 white onion diced
1 or 2 Serrano peppers or jalapeños
1 tsp salt to taste
1 Tbs lime juice
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
Remove the core in the green tomatoes. Quarter them and place on cookie sheet lined with foil and lightly oiled.
Broil for 5 minutes until lightly charred.
Place onion in bowl and fill with ice water to cover.
Add tomatoes to food processor or blender and pulse til tough chopped. Drain off ice water from onions and add onions with thinly sliced peppers . Pulse twice and add additional ingredients. Pulse again until you like the texture. Add more lime juice to taste.
Chill one hour and serve with tortilla chips or enchiladas or tacos.
Yummy! Can be canned as well.
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There will be Episcopal Church Women’s Lunch at Farandas Restaurant on November 7, 2021 at 12:30 p.m. Please RSVP to Jennie Cummings. Everyone can order off the menu as they like. Maureen Gerrity and Pat Brown will provide a treasurer report and distribution figures. This is primarily a social lunch. If anyone has business they wish to be addressed, an agenda can be created. Just come as you have the time.
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St. Paul’s committed to provide the pre-worship supper meal for Grace Place Campus Ministry on two Wednesdays this semester. We provided a meal on October 13 th (thank you Donna DeOliveira for helping with the delivery). Our second date for this semester is Wednesday November 3rd and we will be providing food for up to 10 people, including a need for a gluten free offering. For this meal, we will provide a baked potato bar, salad, some fruit and dessert. If you are interested in providing some potato toppings, a salad, fruit or dessert, please let me know via email ( rhysprall@comast.net ) or in person on Sunday. Your offering can be brought to church prior to November 3 rd or I can pick it up from your house. St. Paul’s has a long history of supporting Grace Place including monetarily, providing meals and by some parishioners serving on their board.
Jocelyn Prall
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SOUND AND VISION
INTEGRATED WORSHIP
Good news! We are scheduled to start installation of wiring for our new equipment Nov. 4 – 5. It is expected that materials will be available for additional installation of our equipment the following week, Nov. 8 – 12. You will find updates on progress in the weekly email news as they become available.
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AN UPDATE FROM THE DIOCESE |
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.
Please keep Bishop-elect Paula and her family in your prayers as she continues to heal. Cards may be sent to 65 E. Huron, Chicago, IL 60611.
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We've been approached by the State of Illinois to host an open vaccine clinic for the neighboring area. The state would supply staffing and create flyers to hand out. This would be a service opportunity to offer Covid vaccinations to our neighbors who might not be able to find transportation to vaccination sites. Our part would getting the word out and any help you could offer would be welcome. The dates would probably be before Thanksgiving. |
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We will be collecting gently used winter coats for the DeKalb Area Women's Center for the next few weeks. All ages and styles welcome. Look for the collection box in the Sanctuary. We will take the donations over to the Women's Center on the Sunday before Thanksgiving, November 21st. |
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There will be a Bake Sale on November 1st and 2nd, from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM at the Barsema Hall Atrium. This bake sale is sponsored by a new organization at NIU called: Leaders in Ethics and Academic Discipline (LEAD) A portion of the proceeds will go to Safe Passage.
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Every Wednesday the Sanctuary will be open for quiet prayer and meditation at 11:00 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. |
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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.
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November Birthdays and Anniversaries |
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Birthdays
11/3 Clifford Cleland
11/3 Jennifer Sitzes
11/6 Sandra Lee
11/8 Liam Stubblefield
11/10 Kathleen Johnson
11/11 Jacqueline Mounts
11/13 Lori Judkins
11/23 Dean Judkins
Anniversaries
11/12/10 Lonnie and Gail Piper
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St. Paul's Episcopal Church Contact Information |
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900 Normal Rd., DeKalb, IL 60115
Parish Office: (815) 756-4888
The Rev. Barbara A.T Wilson, Rector
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