Shout Outs: Annual Meeting and Commitees

Thank You125

To Val and Steve Gruenwald…Congratulations, Grandma and Grandpa! We all celebrate the birth of Finley Isobel Meyer Gruenwald on Jan. 24, 2015. Blessings to the proud parents Seth and Sarah Meyer Gruenwald. God bless you all.

To EVERYONE who contributed to this year’s Annual Meeting: all who baked and cooked, picked up donated food and loving put together an amazing spread, submitted material and cleaned the Hall: what an fantastic effort and all for God’s greater glory.

To Steve Raftery, Jessica Tamaski and Bob DeHaven who successfully and selflessly served as our Senior Warden, Junior Warden and Bishop’s Committee Member for the past few years. Your dedication and guidance have been much appreciated and valued. Thank you and God grant you many blessings.

To Katie Black, Colleen Davy, Laura Lampe and Hal Stratton who have been voted onto the Bishop’s Committee…welcome aboard good people.

To Randy Drolen and Hal Stratton who will represent St. Nicholas as delegates to the 2015 Diocesan Convention come November and to our alternate delegates, Thelma Malecek and Jennifer Brundige. Thank you and God bless you for your service and early commitment.

To Pat and Bob Kalicki who served on the Building Committee with such grace and courage though now have stepped down: your efforts will go a very long way in helping to make our church stronger and more enduring.

To Thelma Malecek who served as Recorder at our Bishop’s Committee Meetings and now steps down: your notes will live on history, literally! Thank you, dear Thelma.

To Douglas VanHouten who helped with the creation of the Annual Report and lovingly put together the wonderful DVD presentation. Great going and what a beautiful video!

To Jack Groat of Little Boots Rodeo who brought much relief to our food pantry with a huge donation of much needed cookies and crackers…thanks a million, Jack.

Read and Inwardly Digest: City of God, by Sara Miles

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Sara Miles will be the keynote speaker at Diocesan Convention, November 21 2014. You can get her new book City of God via this link, and give St Nicholas your support at the same time. If you’re curious about the Lenten “Ashes To Go” program that has become a visible ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago, read this book…

The Vicar’s Corner: Episcopal Diocese of Chicago Capital Campaign

The Episcopal Diocese of Chicago is currently engaged in a rather lofty 4 million dollar Capital Campaign that will benefit communities of faith that need additional financial assistance. At St. Nicholas, we decided for the past two years not to seek Diocesan assistance and stay “in house” in our efforts at ministry and taking care of business on a day-to day basis. Blessedly, we’ve held our own, though certainly we are not out of the woods by any means. Again, we are making it, like the little engine that could…slowly, yet surely, little by little.

However, there are parishes and mission churches that do need assistance. How blessed it is that we at St. Nicholas can help make a difference; and that is what we did. We responded to the Diocese’s request for financial assistance and forwarded a letter and our contribution.

The following is the letter I sent to Rev. Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows who is the front person for this major Diocesan campaign. Please enjoy:

Rev. Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows

Director of Networking
Episcopal Diocese of Chicago
65 East Huron

Chicago, Illinois 60011

Dear Jennifer,

A single flake of snow leads to the fiercest of blizzards. A single drop of rain is the foretaste of a torrential downpour. And so it is with any campaign: each donation, however large or not so large all leads toward the ultimate goal desired.

On behalf of the entire Community of St. Nicholas Episcopal Church of Elk Grove Village, it is our pleasure and honor to be part of this capital campaign and share with you this check. Certainly, our desire would be to provide an even greater gift. However, what we lack in financial depth we more than make up for in our prayers and support of all things good, right and joyful that is our Episcopal Diocese of Chicago.

Please accept our humble contribution and know that the good, caring and generous people of St. Nicholas support and care deeply what the greater Church desires to accomplish. Our prayers and well wishes are with you and all who labor and minister to bring the Good News of Jesus our Redeemer to the world.

God bless you and all our sisters and brothers at St. James Place and throughout our diocese. May all our efforts bear much fruit that will sustain and nourish for many, many more years to come.

Peace and all good.

Fr. Manuel (Manny) Borg
Vicar: St. Nicholas Episcopal Church

The other day I received a phone call from Jennifer…let me tell you, she could not have been any more charming and grateful. She wishes me to thank the entire worship community of St. Nicholas for the generosity and kindness shown the Greater Church and this, the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago. Our $500.00 contribution may be a mere “drop in the bucket.” However, each drop leads to a full pail that will quench the thirst of a community of faith in need.

Thank you, my St. Nicholas family…you are one amazing and loving group of people. I am never at a loss of just how much I care for all of you.

Amen.

manny@stnicholasepiscopal.org

Manny