Messenger
October 2007
From the Rector’s Desk
I
highly commend to you a brand new book I discovered with a most favorable
review in the Wall Street Journal. It is Porch Talk by Philip Gulley, a
Quaker who writes like Will Rogers. The title of the book refers to one essay
in which he worries about the state of things in a world where people no longer
sit out on a front porch. If you had a front porch in your childhood as I did,
that essay alone is worth the price of the book.
His ruminations in another chapter titled “Pond Life”
sparked some ideas in my head as Caroline and I are the custodians of a pond
and waterfall in our backyard at our home in
That pond, though, is also a metaphor for stewardship.
(Oops, I just lost half my readers!) This is the time of year when I think how
I can address everyone at St. Mark’s about our mutual responsibilities toward
our church and its ministry, with reference, naturally, to the many blessings
and resources we all have, for which we are also responsible.
That pond wasn’t there when we first moved into that
house over ten years ago. For a few years it was there only in our minds, and
those dreams were free. When we got serious about having a pond with a stream
winding its way through the trees and a waterfall, we had to consider the cost.
We thought that the major expense was simply the installation of the pond, but
we were deceiving ourselves. Only after the pond was created did we discover
the meaning of the term “pond maintenance.” It isn’t that the pond is just a money-pit
gradually sucking money out of the checking account, though that happens on an
annual basis. More to the point is the attention that the pond requires in all
the seasons of the year.
That pond is a living environment. Indeed, it
replicates and participates in creation. Caroline and I are the stewards of
that part of God’s world. Once we put the koi (the
more expensive fish) and goldfish (the affordable kind) into the pond we found
ourselves with concerns for another part of our family, albeit the kind with
fins, and thankfully confined to the pond itself. The lilies and daffodils, as
well as the water celery we planted, along with some reeds, also became part of
this ecosystem requiring our attention. (Think fertilizer and chemicals for the
proper Ph balance.) Some pure gifts of
nature also appeared as the frogs, and turtles mysteriously arrived, along with
the birds and squirrels pleased to bathe in the steam and even to find fresh
water in the winter. The pond was also home to some unwanted creatures
including a few leeches, and one thieving mink who
thrived on our large koi until there were only
minnow-like koi left. The mink seemed to have died
that winter, perhaps from the sin of gluttony. At least he hasn’t been seen
since that point in time.
The pond is a metaphor for stewardship not just
because of its financial investment, though that is always a factor to be
considered. More to the point is the attention, the time and effort, that the
pond requires, and not just when it fits with our schedule. Even in the midst
of winter we keep the pond open with the help of a bubbler and with some ice
chopping during the coldest days. Otherwise the fish will die. We do it because
we care and we love what the pond can become when the sun shines longer and the
days are warmer. Then we sit on our deck in the cool of the evening, a glass of
wine in hand, as the thankful stewards of this small watery world.
Our church is like that. Our financial support is an
important part of the equation, and like that pond, the expenses keep occurring
in all kinds of seasons. At the same time, our church has little ones we are
called to care for and nurture. Churches like ponds live and prosper best when
those responsible keep involved and pay attention to what needs to be done. I
hope that this is a metaphor for what will be happening as St. Mark’s asks its
members for a commitment for next year.
Faithfully
in Christ,
The Rev. Dr. George H. Martin
St. Mark’s Fall Celebration Dinner
A Walking Progressive Dinner,
We plan to have a grand time together as we move from
house to house. We’ll begin with “Wine and Cheese” at the
* Added bonus: Kate
Steider, a trained chef and the rector’s daughter,
will be coming to assist us with this wonderful evening. Volunteers will be very welcome in the
kitchen to help out. Call the office or
check below if you would like to assist.
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Fall Celebration Dinner –
We (I) plan to attend the Fall Celebration Dinner on
Oct 27.
Please add our names to the reservation list.
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
We
(I) need a ride to & from St. Mark’s.
[Check the box.]
I
(We) will joyfully help out in the kitchen.
[Check the box.]
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Don’t Forget to Fall Back
!
For the first time Day Light Saving Time comes to an
end late this year. Before retiring on Saturday evening, Nov 4, remember to
move your clocks back one hour.
Stewardship
Statement Approved by Vestry
The standing Vestry worked on the following
stewardship statement and voted to approve it on
St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Barrington Hills IL
Stewardship
Statement
We believe:
We are
the children of God, and we need to give. In every aspect of our lives, we are
entrusted to be stewards of God's creation. In response to the gospel of Jesus
Christ, we are invited to give freely and to exercise joyfully our gifts
through mission and ministry.
We commit ourselves:
To boldly
claim God's abundant provision in our lives; to offer extravagantly our time,
talent, and money to do God's work; and strive to practice tithing as a minimum
standard of giving.
We challenge all members, young and old, at St. Mark’s:
To confront our fears of scarcity; to embrace a new vision of
stewardship through a joyful response to God's extravagant gifts; and to
empower the mission of Christ through generous giving.
We invite everyone at St. Mark’s to join us, the rector, wardens
and vestry in this commitment.
Nominees for Bishop of
Presented Oct. 23-28
The following information
was copied from the diocesan website. We want all at St. Mark’s to know about
this process, to pray for the diocese and the candidates, and if possible to
attend one of these sessions. We will probably check in a couple of weeks and
see who is going and then do some car-pooling.
The
Nominees for Bishop of Chicago will be presented to the people of the Diocese
of Chicago at a series of local gatherings in late October:
Tuesday,
Oct. 23 St. Mark's Episcopal Church
Wednesday,
Oct. 24 Church of the Redeemer
Thursday, Oct. 25 Church of the Holy Spirit 400 E.
Friday, Oct. 26
Church of the Transfiguration
Saturday,
Oct. 27 St. Edmund's Episcopal Church
Sunday, Oct. 28
St. Luke's Episcopal Church 221 W.
The
Presentation of Nominees allows parishioners and clergy of the
Diocese of Chicago to hear all
the nominees for the Bishop of Chicago respond to questions from the
participating audience in a moderated format. This is not a debate, nor is it a
political campaign. Those in attendance should participate with prayerful
discernment and open hearts and minds to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
We
urge the congregation to express their views and opinions to their
delegates and we urge each
delegate and alternate to attend one the fore mentioned gatherings. The delegates from St. Mark’s are:
New Adult Ed Classes
Start on Oct. 14th
Worship 101: This class promises
to be especially important for people at St. Mark’s. It is hard to believe, but
the so-called “New Prayer book” is now almost 30 years old, having been
officially adopted in 1979. I’ve been told that when it was first proposed that
most people at St. Mark’s weren’t in favor of using it. To be sure, we still
have a few wishing for the return to the old book. I even got in a little
trouble on a summer Sunday conducting Morning Prayer in the way it used to be
done, when I was raised up in the Episcopal church,
and that was in a Morning Prayer church in the 1950s. I was also ordained a
deacon and priest using the 1928 Prayer Book. Where are we now with worship?
Why do we stand more than we kneel? What leads us to have the Eucharist so
frequently? Why do we have so many more people participating in worship? More
such questions will be addressed in this five week course taught by
Living
the Questions
What the course attempts to do is offer a theological
world view free of the dogmatic theologies so prevalent in churches today and
to allow questions and conversation about the Christian faith to flourish over
a 13-week period. The course draws from
the works of religious scholars and church activists such as Marcus Borg, John
Dominic Crossan, Nancy Ammerman,
Minerva Carcaño, Tex Sample and John Spong. The pastors who created this program want to reach a
group they call “believers in exile,” composed in part of people who found that
their questions weren’t always welcome in more dogmatic churches. The same
people are sometimes called “church alumni” meaning that they have dropped out
of church, while still keeping on their faith journey. The message of this
course “Living the Questions” is that there is a place inside the church where
their doubts and questions will be respected by others on a similar journey of
faith.
This class will be taught as a series of courses, each
lasting five weeks. You may come and go, or pick and choose among the offerings
in each set of five weeks, or even from Sunday to Sunday. The topics for the
next week will be listed in the bulletin each Sunday.
Not only do we welcome all kinds of people within St.
Mark’s to come to this class, but we encourage you to talk to your friends who
may be “church alumni” or “believers in exile.” Tell them about St. Mark’s and
this adult class. More information about this course will
be found on the website for St. Mark’s: http://st-markschurch.org/
All Saint’s Day Eucharist
Thursday, Nov. 1st at
This year we will gather for worship on All Saint’s
Day as it is one of the more important holy days in our liturgical calendar.
Holding it in the evening will allow a great many more people to attend. The
choir will be singing. A special part of our worship will be the conclusion. We
will walk in a candlelight procession out to the
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All Saint’s Day
Please add the name(s) below to the All Saint’s Day
List of Remembrance which will be read on Thursday, Nov. 1 at
Your Name: ______________________________________
Please remember:__________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
Return form to
St. Mark’s
St. Mark’s
CROP WALK
Sign up for the 25th Anniversary Barrington
Area CROP Hunger Walk, to be held October 14.
Why do we walk? We walk to raise
money and awareness of the devastation of hunger in our community and around
the world. We bring our faith in Jesus
to the sidewalks of
Altar Guild Luncheon
and the
Welcoming
of Those Newly Interested
The Annual Altar Guild will
gather for their fall luncheon on Sunday, October 21 at
Think boNGO
(not necessarily drums)
When I receive an email
from Dave Leflar, it often begins “Hello all you beautiful people around the
world” and ends with “Peace, happiness and love”. Dave, who was raised in this parish along
with his siblings and whose mother,
FUNERALS
From time to time it is good for everyone to
be reminded about the
norms for funerals in the Episcopal Church. We are so blessed with the
prayers and the pastorally oriented rubrics that can be used when someone is
near death or has just died. There is a Vigil service that can be used at the
time of a Visitation or just with a family. There is a short service to welcome
the body when it is brought to church.
The services for a funeral do not require the celebration of the Holy Eucharist,
but they are structured to include it. The Eucharist at a funeral is a strong
reminder of the Messianic banquet in heaven.
Some other symbols and traditions are also
part of our Episcopal tradition. The casket is closed when it is brought to the
church and
it is always covered with the white pall, which is a symbol of our Easter
faith, as well as our faith in the promise of eternal life given to us at baptism. From a pastoral
perspective it can be
important for members of the family and close friends to view the
body. This should be done at the funeral home, and not at the church. Once the body is brought to
the church we want to emphasize our Easter faith. We always use the Pascal (Easter)
candle which stands at the head of the
casket and which leads the procession in
and out of the church, just as it leads the way for the celebration of Easter.
When planning the funeral itself we want the
close members of the
family to be making the decisions about the lessons and who might be asked to offer a thankful remembrance of the
one who has died. We want to encourage as many as possible to participate in the
readings, bringing for the bread and wine, and in the prayers. We encourage
people to use the church for a visitation at the church prior to the service
and to plan a reception at the church after the service itself. We can handle
the committal service in a number of different ways, even doing it on a day
different from the service itself. When choosing music for the service, is it good to include joyful
hymns. The best worship comes
when everyone is asked to participate. Your clergy will always be willing to
help you in planning this service and walking with you in your time of grief.
Our counsel about flowers is to use some
restraint particularly with the flowers in the church. The family may want to
choose the flowers used at the altar or have the St. Mark’s Flower Guild handle
your needs. One or two other arrangements may be appropriate in the sanctuary
as well. If there are an abundance of flowers which are received at the funeral
home they may be brought to the grave site and some of them may be used in
church's parlor for a visitation. The
norms for Episcopal funerals are such that everyone is understood to be a child
of God. Our Easter faith is that the gates of heaven are flung wide open for
all.
It is that faith which we emphasize and
celebrate even in the midst of our grief.
The Rev. Dr. George H. Martin, Interim
Rector
Diocese of
170th ANNUAL CONVENTION
NOVEMBER 9 & 10
WESTIN
William
Persell, Bishop of Chicago, invites all members of the diocese to join him and
Assistant Bishop Victor Scantlebury for the 170th Annual Diocesan Convention on
Friday, Nov 9 &10. This gathering of
the diocesan community is a time to celebrate our faith and work as the
Episcopal Church in
A
variety of excellent workshops for adults and children are offered on both
Friday and Saturday. Check the diocesan website for a description
www.episcopalchicago.org or call Ann
Cothran at
Registration
fee is $20 Sept 2 –
Hey all you Passionate People! Yes, you.
Lend us your Passions!
Workshop
Cycles is our new program for 3rd - 6th graders. Those of you who availed yourselves of the
opportunity to visit the program during last Sunday’s Turn-About will know how
exciting it is. Should you have missed
that occasion, here’s a print substitute [hardly as thrilling as the real
thing].
We
all know – here you nod sagely – that each of us, no matter our age, learns anything best by doing it, by
involving as much of ourselves in it as we can.
And we learn best from people who enjoy what they’re doing. If you’ve ever sat through a lecture given by
someone who drones on and on ad infinitum and who couldn’t care less
about your questions and observations, you’ll remember how much you got from
that class. But somebody who loves the
subject is downright contagious. These
two elements – using many senses and having facilitators who love their
subjects – are the guiding principles that undergird this program.
Here’s
how it works: Each thematic unit comprises seven lessons, each examining the
given theme using different skills/senses/methods of discovery. So each theme is developed with art, through
computer usage and games, in drama, through film, as story, in the kitchen [!]
and through music. For instance, the
kiddos are now engaged in the study of worship and particularly, the Book of
Common Prayer. Each week begins with
a short conversation about worship with a little time to review what’s been
happening in the previous weeks. In week
one, they worked a little on the difference between oral and written
communication and learned that getting out the printed word is not so easy as
they might have thought; their art project consisted in making paper. In the second week they worked through the
Here’s
where you come in. This program does not
depend on a single teacher or team of teachers working with the class for the
whole year. It depends instead on
your passion and your willingness to share that enthusiasm with those who
now sit where you once did some years back.
We – Anita Mathewson and I – have already been in touch with some of you
and we’ll be in touch with others of you to tap into the gifts you have to
offer our kiddos. Once this year or
twice, or – gee, feel the extravagance! – even 3
times, offer to lend your oomph and time to the program by working with our
kiddos doing something you already love.
We have several openings that we’d love to fill with you and your
delightful talents. Come talk with Anita
or me. Take a look at the full program
and our themes for the year and see where it takes you. I guarantee you’ll learn a thing or two, get to know parishioners, have fun and contribute to
our common life. What a deal. –
Vestry Committee Forming
Christmas Basket Sign-up Underway Soon
Families and individuals of St. Mark’s have,
in the past, expressed great compassion and generosity while supporting the
Cathedral Shelter Christmas Basket program. The program will begin again this season with
a slightly new approach. Opportunities to help a family or homeless person are
available. If you would like to sign up,
check out the table in the parish house lobby beginning October 5. If you have
questions, call
Heifer International News
.