The date for this event was given incorrectly in Anglican Advance – the correct date is May 21.

Event Date: May 21, 2005 9:30 AM – May 21, 2005 2:30 PM
Location: Grace Church, Oak Park
Contact: Jo Anne Moore at 312-751-4215

A program of year-round stewardship can transform the spiritual life of a congregation. This year?s stewardship workshop will feature presentations on stewardship planning, various ways to conduct a successful appeal, how to make stewardship a year-round process, and the theology of giving. Mike Stephenson, development director for the diocese, will lead the group presentations. Lay leaders from three congregations will present details of their most recent stewardship campaign, then lead small-group discussions on the specific needs of family-, pastoral-, and program-size churches.

To register, please contact Jo Anne Moore at the diocesan center, 312-751-4215, or jmoore@epischicago.org, by May 16. The cost is $15 per person, which includes lunch. Please make checks payable to the Diocese of Chicago, and note ?Stewardship Workshop? in the memo line. — Chicago Diocese — Stewardship Workshop

The Gospel for this Sunday will be read in a variety of languages – so far we have readers for Latin, Greek, German, French, Italian, Spanish, and a variety of other European languages. I will have more readings with me for Polish, Arabic, and Estonian that I found online, as several more readers volunteered their services on Sunday. We will all begin reading after the first line of the Gospel, clearly and expressively, as if we are speaking to a friend.

Readings in more languages are available (Tagalog, Thai, Swahili, Maori, and a number of other Asian and African languages). If you speak one of these languages and would like to read, please contact the webmistress. This is a great opportunity to invite someone to church, and a great opportunity for someone who is looking for a church home to “take the plunge.”

This is the Gospel that Father Ted will read (quite loudly, he assures us):

John 14:8-17
Philip said to Jesus, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, `Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.”

Bishop Persell was unable to be with us last Wednesday as preacher and presider at our combined service of Ascension Eve, and our prayers go out to him and to his wife Nancy. She was recovering from a recent medical procedure and Bp. Persell felt he needed to be at home with her.

However, we were in for a special treat; the Rev. Randall Warren, diocesan pastoral care officer, stepped in to preach a dynamic and exciting (and quite funny) homily. He preached on the literal incarnation of the Word and the church; how God breathes out and we breathe in, being inspired by Him. And how we breathe out and God breathes in, taking our praise and supplication.

Fr. Randall preached without notes, and he prowled about the chancel gesturing and telling personal stories illustrating his points about “doing” church, “being” church, welcoming people and leaving plenty of room for discourse between people of different beliefs. Fr. Randall is currently vicar of Christ the King in Lansing, IL.

The service was conducted by members and clergy from Holy Innocents, St Columba, Incarnation, St Bede, and St Nicholas. Far from being a solemn, “churchy” event, it was a fun evening of laughter, music… and some truly awesome desserts afterwards.