Messenger
November 2007
REMEMBER!
Don’t Forget to Fall Back ! or the
first time Day Light Saving Time comes to an end late this year. Before
retiring on Saturday evening, Nov 3, remember to move your clocks back one
hour.
All Saints Day, Thursday Nov. 1st—
Worship at
This will be a meaningful extra service. You may not
be in the habit of coming to church twice in a week, but I suggest that this
service may be the time when this happens. There is something powerful, almost
beyond words, when we keep All Saints Day and take the time to remember loved
ones who have died. The music alone can be uplifting. In addition, we will have
a procession by candle-light out to the church’s columbarium at the end of our
service. As we gather there, we will be using a chant to offer up the names of
all loved ones for whom prayers have been asked, as well as the names of all
those buried from St. Mark’s in the past year. Use the form in this bulletin to
make your requests known and put it in the offering or place it in the church
office. We will be doing something that Christians have long done which is to
worship by candlelight and to feel a strange kind of comfort in a place of the
dead. We’ll be like those first Christians in the city of
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Please add the name(s) below to the All Saint’s Day List
of Remembrance
Your Name:
___________________________________________________________
Please
remember:_________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
Please
place in offering plate or return to parish office.
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From
the Rector’s Desk
When I served St. Bartholomew’s church in
You all have some of the same lights and if I travel
at the wrong time of day I’ll find myself on long stretches of two lane highway
in what seems like a slow-crawling parking lot. I’m not alone in dreading these
times. A quote by a theologian may be worth recalling the next time we’re
caught in such a traffic jam. Stanley Hauerwas was reflecting on Matthew’s
gospel, and the temptations of Jesus in particular when he wrote, “The devil is
but another name for our impatience.” He went on to make a list of our wants
which include bread and peace, but often on our terms, and on our schedule.
As an interim priest I actually have to admit that the
devil is another name for my impatience. I am also humbled by the fact that the
changes I hunger for are also the changes I may not see. I can only plant the
seeds. I can only point out some other ways for us to travel together. Whenever
I start to suggest such things I also think of a favorite poem which says
“There was another road you did not see.” Sometimes when we actually have to
wait, we can see better, partly because we’re forced to look around us.
So where are we in our interim, now that five months
have passed? I think we waiting in traffic. We certainly haven’t arrived
anywhere in particular, but we’re stopping to learn together, at least for an
hour every Sunday. We’ve also decided to look more seriously at our giving to
the church and what we share with others. One Sunday recently I even talked
about “tithing” or seeking to get to the point of giving at least 10% away.
Luckily, using our traffic metaphor, no one did a u-turn leaving the church
right away. By the time this Messenger comes to you, we will have had our Fall
Celebration Dinner, and everyone will have received or been handed a packet
of materials regarding pledges for next year.
On the first Sunday of the month, November 4th,
we’re asking everyone to come with their pledge, and to bring that card forward
at the time of the offering. Usually the offering plates come to us, but this
is one of those times when I believe we need to bring our offering forward.
Will you have to wait for your turn to come forward? I suppose so. Obviously it
might be quicker if the ushers just passed the plates, but we need to remember
that the devil would love it if we made this easy. So we’ll take the opposite
path, another road as it were, and we’ll even walk it, to present our pledges
for the coming year. I can assure you though the whole process will still be
quicker than that traffic light I knew all too well back in
Faithfully in Christ,
The
Rev. Dr. George H. Martin
Worship in
November
We are coming to the end of the Pentecost Season, or what is called, I think more properly,
in the Roman Catholic tradition, “Ordinary Time.” That distinction allows the
church to recognize the cycle that begins with Advent and concludes with
Pentecost Sunday as “Special Time” even though that’s my term, and not one
found in the books on liturgy.
Finding the central theme is
a task that I always set for myself when I look at a series of lessons. In
November the list of gospels includes the following stories.
Jesus and Zacchaeus
(remember he’s short) on Nov. 4 (Luke 19:1-10)
An argument with the Sadducees
about the life in heaven on Nov. 11 (Luke 2):27-38)
Jesus, like an Old Testament
prophet talks about the last days on Nov. 18. (Luke 21:5-190
Luke’s story about the
crucifixion on Nov. 25 (Luke
What a mixed up group of lessons it seems that we have
for the last four Sundays of the year. Remember the church year ends on Nov. 25th
and the new Church Year starts on Sunday, Dec 2nd which is the First
Sunday in Advent.
The theme: what’s it like to come to the end of
things? It may not be our most favorite topic, but chances are we have all
given the matter some thought. We’ll do so as we gather for worship during
November. ghm
Thanksgiving
Service: Sunday, Nov. 18th
Our worship on Sunday, Nov. 18th will
reflect the theme of thanksgiving, at least in terms of the hymns we sing and
the way the church is decorated. I will be heading home that afternoon and will
return on Saturday the 24th after Thanksgiving Day. Next year, when
you have your new Rector, the church can return the practice of holding worship
on Thanksgiving eve or Thanksgiving day. ghm
Ave Episcopus!
Or Could It Be Episcopa?
Got your attention with a little leftover high school
Latin? For those of you who never got
beyond patria est pulchra or whatever was on the first page of your Latin
1 – or actually Greek 1 – book, this
headline is a welcome to our new bishop whether that new bishop be male or
female because as you know: 1/ the name of our denomination derives from the
word ‘bishop’ in the language of ancient Italia via Hellas, and
2/ we’re in the process of choosing William D. Persell’s successor. As I type this article we are at the
beginning of the “Presenting our Nominees” week, the opportunity for everyone
in the diocese to meet and greet our eight nominees. By the end of this week, most who attend one
of the sessions will have a much clearer idea of who they think is best suited
and gifted to lead our diocese.
I’ve had some questions from some of you, particularly
this last week in response, I think, to the Tribune’s profile of our
eight last Friday. Some of those
questions have to do with whom I’d pick.
Answer: No one yet; stay tuned.
Although I know a few of them personally and have read the 40 pages of
information they and the diocese have provided, I haven’t yet met all of them
nor have I seen or heard any of them dealing with the issues as episcopal
nominees. I expect to learn a lot this
week. Others of the questions you’ve
asked have to do with the process itself.
Just how do we get a bishop? Some
of you come from other denominations where the determination of who’s a bishop
and who not is handled very differently.
And how come our diocesan search committee did all of that work to
present to us the five candidates who seemed to them to be most gifted and the
best fits for this diocese only to have 3 more crop up later? So for this article, I’m the Answer-Woman for
all things episcopal, i.e., having to do with making a bishop.
Ready? Here we
go. Once a sitting bishop has publicly declared his or her intention to resign
or retire, the process begins. The
diocesan search committee with representation from all of the deaneries
[=geographical sectors] of the diocese and with equal representation of both
lay and clerical orders [here refers to deacons and priests] is then formed;
when it has done its own internal organizational work and prepared and
published a profile of the diocese, the call goes out from that committee for
nominations from the larger church. A
nominee – a priest of at least 30 years of age – may either be put forward by other members
[and such nominators must represent both clerical and lay orders] or put his or
her own name in nomination, but again with nominating letters and references
from both other clergy and lay members of the church. The search committee culls the list of
nominees by interviewing perspective candidates, checking references, sometimes
interviewing nominators, doing necessary background checks and paring the
list. When the committee believes it has
a slate, it invites those nominees to be on the final list. Once they have accepted, the names and brief
bios are published. There is then an
open period for other nominations ‘from the floor’ giving church members at
large the opportunity to place others in nomination; this functions something
like a miniature check and balance to the search committee. Once the requisite referencing, background
checks and interviews have taken place, those nominees are added to the slate. Nominees are introduced to the diocese
through a set of published documents: their own bios, short statements of
greeting and longish answers to questions put to them by the search committee.
This is where we are now in the process.
This week, the nominees are presented to the diocese
in a series of 6 face to face meetings with time for each candidate to give
opening remarks followed by Q & A sessions between the nominees and any and
all members of the diocese. It’s one
thing to read about these folks and look at their pictures; it’s quite another
to meet them and have some conversation.
Then the fun shifts to diocesan convention – 9 and 10 November – at
which the second day will be devoted entirely to this election. We will begin with the Holy Eucharist and
from then until one of the eight has been elected, we will be in prayer. Immediately following the celebration of the
Eucharist the first ballot will be cast.
Three certified lay delegates from each congregation and every cleric –
bishop, priest or deacon canonically and geographically resident – is allowed
to vote and they vote by orders, which means all of the clerical votes in one
pile, all of the lay votes in the other.
A simple majority from each order is needed for an election. The balloting continues, bookmarked by more
prayer, until those simple majorities are reached. If we are not successful in electing on the
10th, all of the certified delegates will be called back to a
special continuation of convention a week later. Chill; this has not yet happened in our
history in the diocese, even on the occasion when we had 11 nominees. But wait!
It’s not over yet.
Along with the legal niceties which must be performed
after a successful election, there is the follow-up by the larger church. Once we have an election and publish our
results according to the canons with all the correct signatures and dotting of
i’s and so on, a simple majority of the other sitting bishops along with a
simple majority of the Standing Committees of all of the other dioceses of The
Episcopal Church must consent to our election within 120 days. If no consent, it’s basically back to the
drawing board for us. And there you have
it. Should you wish to check on all of
the minutiae, I refer you to the Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal
Church and the canons of this diocese.
Happy reading. And should you
wish to talk about the process, you know where I live.
–
It’s Executive Council time again. It was just about a year ago that I learned I
had been elected to this body. To
refresh your memories, Executive Council is the Board of Directors of The
Episcopal Church, the governing body which meets at least three times annually
between General Conventions – which itself generally meets every three
years. In congregation-speak, we’re
something like a Vestry for the whole church – the Episcopal Church in the
United States as well as 15 other countries – so we tend to be a bit larger in
number than any vestry you might know.
Just over half of our members are elected at General Convention itself
[4 bishops, 4 priests or deacons, 12 lay]; the rest of us are elected at the
provincial level [1 lay and 1 cleric – bishop, priest or deacon – from each of
9 geographic regions]; I serve as the elected Lay Representative for Province
V. The Presiding Bishop and the President of the House of Deputies are our
fearless leaders. We chart the budget of
the whole church, ensuring that the priorities set at General Convention are
the priorities funded in each triennium.
We carry out the policies and plans set at GC and help to carry out the
mission of the church as the church in convention understands it. It’s not what I intended to be when I grew
up, but it’s interesting, invigorating, exhausting and necessary work. I’ll think of you as I participate in our
sessions beginning this Thursday and ending next Monday. Pray for us please.
Cathedral Shelter Christmas
If you haven’t signed up to be a part of the Cathedral
Shelter Christmas Basket program please consider it. This is an outreach
program that provides food, clothing, toys, and other household items to needy
families at Christmas time. It is a chance for parishioners express mission and
give of themselves to total strangers. The families are interviewed by
Cathedral Shelter throughout the summer, and for those meeting the income
criteria, an information sheet is created. For each family member, the name,
age, clothing sizes, and "wish list" for toys or household items are
recorded. St. Mark’s receives the information for
about 30 families. then, starting in October, we ask families from
St. Mark's to "adopt" these families
for Christmas. Sponsors buy gifts of clothing, toys, household goods, and food
gift cards. They wrap and box the presents, and the "Christmas
Baskets" are then returned to the church. Shortly after Thanksgiving,
volunteers from Cathedral Shelter pick up the gifts at St.
Mark's and distribute them to the
families before Christmas. If you would
be interested in participating in this outreach ministry this year, we would
love to have you help a needy family. Sign
up in the parish lobby or contact:
Search News
The Search Committee met on
October 18 to review the replies from respondents interested in our open
position of rector. There have been 6
replies at this time and we anticipate hearing from more interested individuals
in the future. We will keep you informed
as we proceed.
Betty Kilgore, Chairperson
Search Committee
You’re
Invited to the Ball
Invitations will soon be in the mail for the St.
Nicholas Ball, benefiting the mission of Episcopal Charities and Community
Services. Come and dance the night away on Friday,
November 30, at the Hilton Chicago (
Vestry
Committee Forming
Care ‘N Share
Care ‘N Share is hosting their annual Holiday Brunch
at the Milk Pail restaurant located on Rt. 25 in
Is there a Woodworker
in the
We are hoping that someone in our parish, who loves woodworking, will be
able to help us out. We have a small
woodworking project that needs to be accomplished. We are going to install a
small tabernacle on the South wall of the sanctuary, next to the table where
the Eucharistic vessels are set. A tabernacle is simply a small box or house,
and it can also be a kind of cupboard, which is what we have in mind. In the tabernacle
of a Christian church, the community keeps the reserved sacrament, and a bottle
of blest holy oil. Those elements are there for the church’s pastoral ministry
as ministers take the sacrament to those who are ill or who cannot attend. We
already take the sacrament of communion out on a regular basis to people living
at Barrington Woods and
World Community
Day
World Community Day is an annual celebration bringing
together Christian women of many denominations to work for a just, caring and
peaceful society. The theme “Embracing
Justice under God’s Tent” includes the increasing number of disasters and our
response to them. The guest speaker is
Lisa Hassenstab, Director of Church and Volunteer Relations, Co-coordinator,
Lutheran Disaster Response,
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