The Heartbeat of
St. Charles’ Episcopal Church
630.584.2596 scecoffice@sbcglobal.net www.stcharlesepiscopal.org
Sunday April 1, 2007
The Sunday of the Passion – Palm Sunday
(Starting outside – weather permitting)
7:30 am Holy Eucharist with Hymns and Palms
9:00 am Holy Eucharist with Songs and Palms
10:45 am Choral Eucharist with Palms
Tuesday April 3, 2007
7:30 pm Tenebrae (with Incense)
Thursday April 5, 2007
7:30 pm Maundy Thursday
9:00 pm Vigil at the Altar of Repose
Friday April 6, 2007
9:00 am Good Friday service to end vigil
11:00 am Intergenerational Stations of the Cross
7:30 pm Good Friday service
Saturday April 7, 2007 (Starting outside)
10:00 am Rehearsal for Great Vigil
7:30 pm Great Vigil of Easter with Baptisms (with Incense)
Sunday April 8, 2007
7:30 am Holy Eucharist Rite I with Choir
9:00 am Holy Eucharist
10:30 am Easter Egg Hunt for children 4th grade & younger
10:45 am Choral Eucharist Rite II with Choir
Clergy Notes
Dear Friends-
Alleluia! The Christ is Risen!
The Lord is Risen indeed! Alleluia!
With these words, I reconnect each spring with my oldest friend.
In fact, we try to edge each other out to see who sends the first e-mail with the first line. The response is never long in coming. I generally beat her by a couple of hours because she lived out west and the time zones were to my advantage, but this year she becomes rector of a church in Minneapolis, so all bets are off. We'll see!
How do you celebrate Easter? To many people, Easter is about the Easter bunny and jelly beans and baskets and bonnets. But for Christians, we have so much more to celebrate. We have walked through the season of Lent, contemplating our own sinfulness and the magnitude of God's forgiveness and grace, and then we watch as the drama of Holy Week unfolds - the week during which we remember the last days of Jesus' life. If we participate in that, it gives us a chance to really understand the magnitude of the sacrifice Christ made for us - and Easter morning becomes for us a day like no other - a real cause to celebrate. Easter, when we have remembered the last days of Jesus' life by walking them liturgically, becomes a day where all things truly become new.
So please join us for Holy Week. Palm Sunday is April 1st and we celebrate and wave palms as Jesus makes His triumphal entry into Jerusalem on a young colt. And come back to church often during the week to see what happens next. Walk with us as we feel the emotional pain of Christ's light going out at out Tenebrae service on Tuesday evening. And come prepared to serve each other on Maundy Thursday, as Jesus taught us, as we wash feet, and contemplate how empty the world would be with no Bread of Life - as the altar is stripped and the Sacrament is removed. On Good Friday, a day that is neither "good" nor happy, we quietly share the reserved sacrament, and remain focused on the depth of Christ's willingness to be nailed to that cross for us. And then Saturday night, the drama really unfolds, as we baptize new Christians, and the spark of new fire is lit. It is here that we liturgically remember that the rabbi Jesus really is the Christ, the Messiah - and the church which starts in darkness is finally illuminated and we can, for the first time in forty days utter those words so precious to us:
Alleluia! Christ is Risen!
The Lord is Risen indeed!
I look forward to worshiping with you as we make our song to Jesus.
All services begin at 7:30 pm.
See you in church !
Deacon Liz
From the wardens...
What is your ministry?
At the most recent vestry meeting there was a good deal of discussion about the need for more volunteers at the Church. Fortunately, we are blessed with many volunteers, and we sincerely thank you. But if we are to better serve our community and further spread the Lord's word, we need help.
Quite frankly, we as a vestry can do a better job of communicating when we need volunteers, and letting you know what opportunities are available. So consider this article part of that effort.
At the meeting Deacon Liz spoke about a church she attended that successfully recruited volunteers with the question, "what is your ministry?" It was a question that struck a chord with many of us on vestry. For a church our size, it's amazing the number and variety of talents we have--enough to accomplish almost any goal we set. But you have to be made aware of how you are needed. When you get involved you'll find a stronger connection with your church and your faith, get to know parishioners better and have fun! Believe it or not, there's camaraderie even doing dishes at the St. Patrick's Day lunch!
We plan on doing a better job of reaching out to ask individuals for their help. Many people are flattered when they're told of the talents others see in them, and how they can benefit the Church. But you don't have to wait for us to ask!
Here is just a partial list of ministries currently seeking volunteers:
Hesed House Homeless Shelter Trinity Church Soup Kitchen
Habitat for Humanity Sunday School Teachers
Grounds Committee Building Committee
Choir Rummage sale
Home Eucharistic Ministers Ushers
Nursery Fundraising Committee
Taking People to Appointments Funeral Receptions
Newsletter Folding and Mailing Communications Committee
Acolytes (children and adults). Lay Eucharistic Ministers at 7:30 am service
If you don't see something you like here, let us know other ways you'd like to help.
You may have questions about these ministries and others. We encourage you to speak to Father Bill, the wardens, vestry or staff, or you can call the Church office at (630) 584-2596.
What is your ministry?
Your servants,
Bob Parks (Senior Warden)
Bo Smith (Junior Warden)
P.S. Remember to See the Miracles!
WOMEN'S BOOK GROUP
In March we had a spirited discussion on Lauren Winner's memoir called Girl Meets God. Our selection for April is called The Faith Club and is a discussion of faith by a Jewish woman, a Muslim woman, and a Christian woman. We meet at the church on Thursday evening, April 19th at 7:30 pm. Please join us! Details? Call Deacon Liz.
TEDDY BEAR UPDATE
The chaplains from the Emergency Department at Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove are overwhelmed and grateful to the people of St. Charles’ Episcopal Church for the huge outpouring of support in collecting stuffed animals. The children who arrive in the Emergency Department by ambulance are given a stuffed animal by the chaplains as a way to lessen stress during a stressful time. Their cupboards had been bare for weeks when we put out the word. Over 200 stuffed animals have been delivered.
Thank you so much for your assistance.
-Deacon Liz
Soup Kitchen News
It isn’t Christmas or a birthday, but the Soup Kitchen has a want list.
First, an anonymous donor has given the church two 12-14lb. turkeys that can be used for one of our monthly Thursday lunches at Trinity Episcopal Church in Aurora. They are now in the small freezer in the church kitchen. Do we have two persons who could cook one turkey each and bring it to our kitchen on the Wednesday night before our fourth -Thursday-of-the-month lunches? We have carvers on Wednesday who can cut it up and turn it into a hearty casserole for a lot of hungry people. Please let Liz Ryan (at the church) know or call Barb Ross (847-741-3767) if you can do this.
Second, we could use more volunteers to help transport and serve the Thursday lunch down at Trinity. Two people who regularly help in this capacity are unavailable at this time. We start loading up the food about 9:15 am on the fourth Thursday and caravan down to Aurora, leaving the church at 9:30 am. There we heat up the casseroles, arrange the food for serving cafeteria-style, participate in the noon Eucharist, serve the food, and clean up. We usually start back home by 2:00 or 2:15 pm. It’s a unique experience; you won’t be sorry for your participation!
Burrito Dinner
Sunday, April 29, 5 to 7 pm. Mark your calendar for a Sunday night supper just to get together with your church friends and talk with each other! Join us at Los Burritos Mexicanos Numero 3 located on Route 64 just east of Randall in the old Pizza Hut spot. (2125 West Main Street--that is the south side of the street.) It has authentic Mexican food in a very clean and pleasant atmosphere. If you don't like spicy foods, there are several items on the menu that could satisfy you--including steak tacos and chicken enchiladas. They do have burritos as big as your head and salsas and pico de gallo that will truly spice up your day! If you are really, really hungry, you could spend up to $8.00. Ala carte items run about $1.50. We'll be there at dinnertime--which means you'll find SCEC folks there mostly from 5:00ish to 7:00ish. Come chat with old friends and meet some new ones! This gathering is just for fun and not a fundraiser.
The Elgin Choral Union
will celebrate its 60th year with a premiere performance of the completed works of "Hiawatha" by Elgin Symphony Orchestra conductor Robert Hanson on Friday, April 27th and Saturday, April 28th. Both performances begin at 7:00 pm and will be held at the Hemmens Theatre in Elgin.
Tickets are available through the box office at (847) 622-0300 or by contacting Kristin Balisi or Phyllis Andrew.
Photo Directory Update
Great news for those of you who missed our photography days for the new photo directory! We've added an extra day, Thursday, April 12th from 3:00 - 9:20 p.m. The sign-up sheet will be available after most services, or you can email Julie Chadwick at chadwick.home@comcast.net. We would really like to have as many people as possible for our new photo directory, so be sure to schedule an appointment. If it's not possible for you to schedule a photo appointment, you can email Julie a photo, or she would be glad to take a picture of you at church. If you have a professional photo you'd like to use (other than Olan Mills), you need to get a copyright release to put it in our directory.
Also, if you have children who are away from home and would like to include them in the directory, send Julie their photo so we can add them to the book (this could be a digital photo or a scanned photo). We can also have a page for those serving in the military, so please send those photos as well.
COME MEET OTHER EPISCOPAL WOMEN April 27 and 28Join us at a gathering of Episcopal Church Women (ECW) at the Hilton in Lisle, Friday April 27 and Saturday April 28. There are lots of interesting workshops being offered. In fact, Liz Ryan and I will both be there. Liz to talk about our Prayer Shawl Ministry and I will discuss Women's Book Groups. It is a great chance to get to know other Episcopal women from the Diocese and to get great new ideas about ministry possibilities. ~ Deacon Liz Meade
More Info: Beth Petti, 630-357-0572, bepetti@wideopenwest.com
What’s Up in Formation?
It’s almost Easter!
We can’t wait to say “A------a”again!
April in the Atriums is full of fun and activity. The Purple Atrium (our preschool group) is busy learning about Jesus and the stories He told. The Green Atrium is learning more about our church service. The first Sacrament they will explore is the Eucharist. The Blue Atrium will be learning how to find out the readings for each Sunday by studying the Lectionary.
Meanwhile, the Middlers are finishing their section on Grace and starting a new one on Discipleship. The Jr. High Class will be learning more about listening for what the Spirit has to say to God’s people. And the Sr. High Class is finishing their “Episcopal Olympiad” and preparing for their mission trip. The location will be Eastern Kentucky, the same mission group we’ve been working with for the last few years.
Liz Ryan is looking for some Easter Egg stuffers to help prepare for the Easter Egg Hunt that will take place on Easter at 10:30 am. Please contact Liz at the church for more information.
Now... What’s coming?
☞ Atrium Celebration - April 1 - 10 am to 11:15 am for children 3 years through 4th grade
☞ The Great Vigil of Easter - Saturday April 7th at 7:30 pm – Eucharist and Baptism
☞ Easter Egg Hunt - 10:30 am - (children 3-10 years please - older kids can find the difficult to locate eggs!) Service times that day are our regular schedule of 7:30, 9, 10:45 am.
☞ Registration for Bibletimes Marketplace starts April 30th! (See the article on the next page).
Bibletimes Marketplace - A Babe in Bethlehem
Listen to the slap of sandals on the dusty ground.
See the church in its early days.
See the Tribal Leaders and children.
Be part of the singing, praying and trades-work.
Give your child a chance to step back into history and walk a path of ancient knowledge.
And have fun while they are there!!!
The ever popular Bibletimes Marketplace (a week of vacation bible school run jointly by volunteers from St. Charles’ Episcopal Church and Bethlehem Lutheran Church) will return this year for the week of July 30th through August 3rd.Enrollment for children (preschool - 5th grade) begins April 30, 2007. Registration forms will be available on the Bibletimes board or from Liz Ryan beginning April 15thand will be inserted in the service Bulletins on April 22nd. Please fill out one registration form for each child and return to Liz Ryan (by hand or put in her mail slot by the Library.) The registrations are accepted “first come, first served”. There is a registration fee of $5.00 per child to defray the cost of snacks. The Marketplace is “open” from 9 am to 11:45 am and is truly an enjoyable time for everyone involved.
We are also looking for adult and older teenaged volunteers who are interested in helping out for the week. Have you got a talent to share or patience to spare? You may be the one we are waiting to hear from! You can even be trained in a “trade”.Rope making, leather working, basket making or pottery to name a few. Look for volunteer forms in Ludtke Hall starting Sunday April 1st or speak to Liz Ryan.
RELIGIOUS PUNS
Q. What kind of man was Boaz before he married Ruth?
A. Ruthless.
Q. What do they call pastors in Germany?
A. German Shepherds.
Q. Who was the greatest financier in the Bible?
A. Noah. He was floating his stock while everyone else was in liquidation.
Q. Who was the greatest female financier in the Bible?
A Pharaoh's daughter. She went down to the bank of the Nile and drew out a little prophet.
Q. What kind of motor vehicles are in the Bible?
A. Jehovah drove Adam and Eve out of the Garden in a Fury. David's Triumph was heard throughout the land. Also, probably a Honda, because the apostles were all in one Accord.
Q. Who was the greatest comedian in the Bible?
A. Samson. He brought the house down.
Q. What excuse did Adam give to his children as to why he no longer lived in Eden.
A. Your mother ate us out of house and home.
Q. Which servant of God was the most flagrant lawbreaker in the Bible?
A. Moses. He broke all 10 commandments at once.
Q. Which area of Palestine was especially wealthy?
A. The area around Jordan. The banks were always overflowing.
Q. Who is the greatest babysitter mentioned in the Bible?
A. David. He rocked Goliath to a very deep sleep.
Q. Which Bible character had no parents?
A. Joshua, son of Nun.
Did you know it's a sin for a woman to make coffee?
Yup, it's in the Bible. It says . . . "He-brews"
HOLY WEEK
The eight days that comprise our Holy Week and Easter observance are the high point of the Christian year. From age to age Christians have greeted this Feast of feasts like no other event in world history. Easter, after all, is the completion of a great mystery, and opened up humankind’s understanding of God’s relationship to us for all time. We refrain from calling the eighth day of the observance Easter Sunday, and call it instead Easter Day to show that we understand it to be the eighth day of the week: a new thing, the beginning of a new era, time out of time.
The Christian celebration of Easter is closely related to our Jewish forebears' observance of Pasch, or Passover. The French translation of Easter is, in fact, Pâcques, and the Spanish is Pascua, both of which are linguistically related to Hebrew Pasch. The Jewish Passover commemorates the deliverance of our ancestors the Israelites from slavery in Egypt through the waters of the Red Sea to freedom and autonomy. The exodus from Egypt set up a pattern of God's deliverance and redemption of God's people from bondage to new life.
For Christians, Jesus Christ by his life and ministry, death and resurrection, leads us on this same pilgrimage: a "passing over" from death to life. Christ passed over from death to life so that all people might pass over from death and bondage to eternal life in God. Born into a world of relationships fraught with sin and brokenness, we pass through waters, not of the Red Sea, but of baptism.
Easter is chiefly a baptismal liturgy, a recognition that in baptism we die with Christ and are raised with Christ. In baptism we are brought into communion with those who have made the same radical allegiance to abundant life. The eight days that mark Holy Week and Easter Day are a liturgical drama that moves us through the pattern we affirm as God's gift: Christ's life, message, passion, death, and resurrection.
The liturgies of Holy Week and Easter are much more than dramatic representation; rather, they are the means whereby we are united with the mysteries of Christ. We gather to tell the stories of creation, deliverance, and redemption and to weave them together with our own stories, so that our life is placed within the context of Christ's larger life. We gather to baptize and to contemplate our own baptism and its relationship to Christ's death and resurrection. We gather to receive Holy Communion, participating in the Great Feast that unites the human with the divine.
The Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday
April 1
Services at 7:30, 9:00, 10:45 am
We begin this day by celebrating Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. We gather in the Columbarium Garden (weather permitting) where palm fronds are blessed and distributed as we re-enact the festive procession described in the gospels. But underneath the celebration is the tension of knowing that Jesus will not be the victorious political king the people had expected.
Palm Sunday begins Holy Week by abruptly shifting mood. The church is adorned in the red of the blood of martyrs. The Passion story (the story of Jesus’ trial and crucifixion) is read with the congregation reading the part of the crowd. The congregation, who before sang sweet hosannas, now calls "Crucify him!" It is in this drama that the tone is set for the liturgies of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, and ultimately of the Great Vigil of Easter.
Tuesday, April 3 at 7:30 pm
Tenebrae is a Latin word that signifies darkness, shadows, and obscurity. The name of this service comes from the opening words of the fifth responsory: “Tenebrae factae sunt” – “darkness came over the whole land.” (Mark 15:33).
Tenebrae is characterized by the progressive extinguishing of all lights in the church, except for one candle. The service ends with the ministers and people departing in silence through the shadows cast by that solitary flame. The appointed psalms, lessons, and prayers of Tenebrae form a prolonged contemplation of the events of Jesus’ last days. Betrayal, abandonment, judgement, and death: these are the terrors through which Jesus moved in his last days, the same dreadful realities that inhabit the darkness that descends as the light fades.
Tenebrae’s structure and content work together to evoke the dark and somber mood that will not be dispelled until Holy Week concludes with the new fire of the Great Vigil of Easter.
Thursday, April 5 at 7:30 pm
On the evening that precedes the events of Good Friday, we commemorate the last meal Jesus shared with his friends in the Upper Room. At that meal, Jesus gave them and us two lasting gifts. First, Jesus gave us the sacrament of the Eucharist, an everlasting means whereby we are made one in the Body of Christ. The second gift he gave was a practical example by which we are to love one another: he washed the disciples' feet.
"Maundy" is an English corruption of the Latin mandatum, which means "commandment." It reminds us of the commandment of Jesus, "Love one another as I have loved you." As a liturgical expression of that commandment, those who wish to can come forward to have their feet washed. Maundy Thursday cannot be celebrated apart from the observance of Good Friday, for the Last Supper and the Cross of Christ are mystically one. After the people have received the bread and wine of our Savior's Last Supper, the clergy and acolytes strip the altar and sanctuary of any adornment and leave it bare. As the altar represents the Body of Christ, we remember the arrest, trial, stripping and torture endured by Jesus on the way to his death. As the altar is stripped, the people recite Psalm 22, the psalm Jesus may have used during his execution.
The Altar of Repose
from after the Maundy Thursday service until 9 am on Friday, April 6
The Episcopal Church maintains the doctrine of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Good Friday is the only day of the entire year that it is not appropriate to celebrate the Holy Eucharist. Because of this requirement, the leftover bread and wine that were consecrated at the Maundy Thursday liturgy, known as the reserved sacrament, are put in special vessels and kept in a place outside the main church, called the Altar of Repose.
As the main altar is stripped on Maundy Thursday, the Deacon processes with the consecrated bread and wine to the Parlor, where a special altar has been prepared to receive the sacrament. Reminiscent of the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus prayed in the company of his disciples before his arrest, this Altar of Repose is a place where the faithful can reflect on their own discipleship in preparation for Easter. A silent vigil is kept by those who wish to remain at the Altar of Repose until 9:00 am on Good Friday.
Eucharist Services at 9 am & 7:30 pm
Intergenerational Stations of the Cross at 11 am
Good Friday marks the lowest point of the Christian Year. We mourn the death of Jesus and contemplate the world's rejection of his message and ministry. Yet Good Friday is called "good" because God takes an instrument of death, the cross, and turns it into a means of victory over death. The Good Friday liturgy is stark and simple. The Passion narrative from the gospel of John is read in parts, followed by the Solemn Collects, a prayerful remembrance of all who dwell on the earth.
The Veneration of the Cross is an act of devotion that began in the fourth century. A cross is brought forward by the deacon into the sight of the people. The faithful contemplate in stillness the physical sign which bore our Savior. If so moved, there is also time and space for individuals to come forward for brief silent prayer at the foot of the cross. During the veneration the choir sings an anthem whose text is a meditation on the power of the symbol of the cross for us.
The liturgy concludes with a Confession of Sin, the Lord's Prayer and distribution of Holy Communion from the reserved sacrament, followed by a final collect. The people depart in silence, leaving the church bleak and bare as was Jesus’ tomb. Christians need not despair as the first disciples did, but can wait in the sure and certain hope of the resurrection.
A special liturgy for children on Good Friday morning takes them through the stations of the cross. In small groups led by an adult guide, the children make the journey to the cross in several steps throughout the church. They hear the story of Jesus' Passion unfold as they walk themselves through the stations. They are encouraged to wonder about the mystery of death and resurrection so that they might experience God's transformative way of grace.
Eucharist with baptism, Saturday April 7 at 7:30 pm
The Great Vigil of Easter is the climax of the year. It is the end and the beginning. The early church had no special commemoration of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday apart from the celebration of the Resurrection. All of these separate historical events were enacted at the Christian Passover on Holy Saturday night. And so the entire truth of our redemption is totally contained in this one liturgy.
We begin at the beginning. As God invoked the coming of the Light at the dawn of time, so we begin by lighting the new fire. We kindle a fire outside in the darkness of the Columbarium Garden (weather permitting) and light the Paschal candle, representing the Light of Christ, the true light of the world, through whom all things were made.
The Paschal candle is borne into the dark church where we gather to hear the ancient stories of God's faithful redemption of his people time and again throughout history. After the stories of God's people are told, we graft into the ancient stories our own stories as we baptize new Christians and remember and renew our own baptismal covenant through the waters of new life. The newly baptized persons are a powerful symbol in the Easter liturgy of our own "Passover" from death into life.
And then we wait. Tonight is the eve of the Eighth Day, the dawn of a new creation. We have watched, and we have listened. We have baptized and have seen the new light. Now it is time to celebrate God's new plan for us.
The ministers put on their best vestments, the altar is vested and adorned with glorious cloth and flowers and brightly polished silver and brass. Bells ring, the organ plays, and the redeemed people of God make a joyful noise, shaking noise makers and bells, shouting and singing praise, "Glory to God in the highest..." And we celebrate Eucharist, that most blessed of feasts. We participate in the banquet of the Risen One who points us to abundant life. After the liturgy, the people gather for a party of champagne and rich food. The fast of Lent is ended. Thanks be to God.
EASTER SUNDAY
SUNDAY, APRIL 8
7:30 am Holy Eucharist Rite 1 with choir
9:00 am Holy Eucharist (9 am style)
9:00 am Breakfast for the Choir
10:30 am Easter Egg Hunt for children
10:45 am Choral Eucharist with choir
One of our traditions is to have a breakfast for the choir and the clergy on Easter Morning. The clergy are doing the “normal” Sunday services for Easter – 7:30 am, 9 am & 10:45. They will grab a bite of breakfast while they can. The choir is singing at 7:30 and at 10:45 in order to make Easter the special Sunday that it is. Please check the sign up sheet in Ludtke Hall or contact Wendy Bangs if you can help provide breakfast on Easter morning.
WHO’S WHO IN CHURCH
The Nesbit Family
So you think you know all about Fr. Bill and Beverly Nesbit! Here are a few facts that may be new to you...
Born in Chicago Heights, Fr. William Reed Nesbit, Jr. (then known as Billy) spent most of his youth in Rolling Meadows. His lovely wife of almost 23 years, Beverly (nee Sneed) was born in Atlanta and moved the Quad-cities with her family when she was in Middle School. Both Bill and Bev attended Valparaiso University after High School where they were acquaintances as Bev was a friend of some friends. They never dated until after college when Bill was a midnight pharmacist at Glenbrook Hospital and Beverly worked as a management trainee at Carson’s. They were married on September 22, 1984 (which happens to be Bilbo Baggins’ birthday for all you Tolkien fans). Their first son, Nate, was born in 1991 and then Bill finally accepted the fact that he was being called to the priesthood. He attended Seabury Western Seminary in Evanston and was ordained a priest in the Diocese of Chicago on the Feast of St. Thomas, December 21, 1996. Bill’s first church was St. Andrew’s in Downers Grove where he was an associate priest. Sam, Bill and Bev’s youngest son was born in 1997. Their dog Gimley, a West Highland Terrier, is one of their favorite people. He keeps the family in line (no small task!) and patrols the yard for intruders.
Some favorites of Bill’s include: Harry Chapin music (particularly the song “Mr. Tanner”); Battlestar Glactica on TV; and fresh blueberries and peaches. Bill’s hobbies (when he finds time for them) are: reading (especially J.R.R. Tolkien), Scouts, camping and computer games. Bev’s favorites include: “Old music” (particularly anything by Thomas Tallis); M.A.S.H. on TV; and her favorite food would have to be ice cream. Bev’s hobbies (and she has even less time to pursue them) are: singing, reading, organizing her life (and those around her), and when the opportunity presents itself, canoeing.
There is one thing Bill says few people know about him and that is that it is his wish to be able to fly (in a plane). He’s taken several flights in small planes but to get his pilot’s license would be grand. Beverly says something very few people know about her is that she designed and made her own wedding dress.
They came to the Episcopal church in very different ways. Bill is a cradle Episcopalian and Bev was a Presbyterian who got engaged to an Episcopalian and never went back. And she says she has never regretted it. (The marriage or the denomination.) Bill knew he was meant to be at this church when he saw an item about Fr. Steve Winsett retiring. He said it seemed like the print that included the church name was highlighted. His eyes were just drawn to it. Fr. Bill became the rector of this church officially on May 1, 2000. And the rest is history!
Calling All Women of the Parish!
We need you for Bunco night! Please bring your friends and join us for a
wonderful night of friendship and laughing. Sign up in Ludtke Hall for our next Bunco night: Saturday, April
14th at 7:00 pm at the church. Any questions, contact Sheryl Vitel.
Rummage Sale
Saturday April 28
from 9 am to 2 pm
Needed:
Workers
-Day of Sale – Saturday, April 28
-April 23rd to April 27th to sort, price, clean & prepare for the sale
-Donations of clean items in working order (no large appliances)
-Donations may be dropped off beginning Sunday afternoon, April 23rd until Thursday, April 27th
Lazarus House celebrates “A Decade of Dreams”
Nearly 10 years ago, the area churches helped make Lazarus House a reality. Come join Lazarus House for its annual dinner/auction and celebrate the experience of helping people rebuild their lives and see their dreams come true.
The fundraising event, “Decade of Dreams” begins at 6 pm on Saturday, April 21 at Pheasant Run in St. Charles. Tickets are $60. Call Lazarus House at 630-587-2144 before April 7 for reservations. Donations are also needed for the silent and live auctions.
Lazarus House is a community home at 214 Walnut Street, St. Charles, offering safe shelter, food, and support services to men, women and children connected to St. Charles, Geneva, Batavia and western rural Kane County who are homeless, or at risk of becoming homeless. Come help celebrate 10 years of God’s grace and dreams come true.
The Prayer Shawl ministry
invites all to join us in this powerful ministry of wrapping friends, neighbors, relatives and others in God's love for healing, strength, and joy. We will be happy to teach you to knit or crochet and supply yarn and needles, too. In April, we will meet on Tuesday, April 17th at 10 am in Ludtke Hall. The next evening gathering will be Thursday, May 3rd at 7 pm.
Our time together is very special and very fun and we would like to share this fellowship with more of you! We welcome all of your support by requesting shawls/afghans. Simply, fill out the information on the sign up sheet in Ludtke Hall or contact the church office. There is a bank near the sign up sheet that welcomes donations of all sizes to help fund our yarn purchases.
Happy Birthday to you!
APRIL
1 Mary Zupke
2 Beth Parks
4 James Lyng
4 Andy Meade
4 Amy Senn
8 Kevin Enberg
10 Josie Weyman
11 Larry Engel
13 Trann Kelly
14 Henry Zupke
14 Elizabeth Blaschak
15 Katherine Thomson
16 Samantha Heffron
18 David Schuetz
20 Fay Viverito
20 Andrew Schuetz
21 Kathy Heikkinen
21 Terry Andrew
22 Gwynne Wright
23 Grace Rhead
30 Jack Zupke
Happy Anniversary
12 Bob & Barbara Haase
16 David & Lark Schuetz
30 Jack & Mary Kerr
30 Rob & Lisa-Ann Barnes
Congratulations!
Phil & Gamgee Dripps’ daughter had triplets on March 15th – Clara Elizabeth, Zoe Christine, Naomi Lisa – parents are Maria & Tim Paulson.
Happy Birthday to you!
MAY
2 Marcia Flanagan
3 Andrew Parks
5 Elise Parks
5 Glorianne Campbell
6 Jeff Blaschak
9 Kevin Thomson
10 Sheryl Vitel
11 Katherine McCleary
12 Erika Englehart
13 Joe Ryan
14 Dick Hattan
15 Barbara Haase
15 Anne Hollis
16 Karen Hattan
18 Marge Mejia
19 Eoin Cottrell
21 Thomas Van Nortwick
22 Kyle Ingraham
24 Alan Wolff
24 Liz Benning
28 James Wolff
28 Alec Heffron
31 Stephanie Hillard
31 Jane Wolff
31 Tom Flood
Happy Anniversary!
9 Jeff & Mary Jo Blaschak
12 Jim & Barbara Bachman
16 Gary & Liz Meade
17 Tim & Jo Ellen Druffel
18 John & Kai Godina
20 Jim & Christine Lyng
22 Jack & Judy Clarke
27 William & Darlene Gillis
27 Jack & Liz Benning
29 Tom & Sharon Miller
VESTRY
Bob Parks, Senior Warden
Bo Smith, Junior Warden
2008 2009 2010
Joe Ryan Henry Mora Dick Hattan
Mary Zupke Cathy Koch Katie Thomson
ST. CHARLES’ EPISCOPAL CHURCH
The Rt. Rev William Persell, Bishop
The Rev. William R. Nesbit, Jr. Rector
The Rev. Elizabeth G. Meade, Deacon
Dan Williams, Director of Music
Liz Ryan, Director of Youth & Children’s Formation
Lela Lowe, Administrative Assistant
phone: 630-584-2596
Fax: 630-584-8633
email: scecoffice@sbcglobal.net
Web site: www.stcharlesepiscopal.org