The Abbey. Harvest BBQ. Saturday, September 6, 5:00 p.m. Church Lawn. The Episcopal Church of St. Benedict September 2014 Bolingbrook, Illinois

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1 The Abbey The Episcopal Church of St. Benedict September 2014 Bolingbrook, Illinois Harvest BBQ Saturday, September 6, 5:00 p.m. Church Lawn

2 BC Generosity Corner You shall surely give to him, and your heart should not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the Lord your God will bless you in all your works and in all to which you put your hand. 1 Deuteronomy 15:10 As I look around at the members of our congregation at St. Benedict, I am in constant awe at the wonderful talent pool that God has amassed here in our faith community. We are diverse in so many ways, not the least of which is the diversity in which God has blessed each of us with our unique talents and gifts. These spiritual gifts are God-given graces meant for works of service, to benefit and build up the body of Christ as a whole. Each of you, in your own unique way has been instrumental in lifting me on my faith journey through the use of your gifts of which you so freely give. God s desire is to bless us and when we express our faith through giving, these blessings are poured out. We are called to give in proportion to the way in which the Lord has blessed us. Recently, the Bishop s Committee reached out to the congregation to make everyone aware of our financial status in a letter that we affectionately refer to as our Polar Vortex message. On behalf of the Bishop s Committee, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to those who have responded so promptly and generously. As we move toward fall and the launch of our annual Stewardship campaign, please keep your hearts and minds open as you prayerfully consider sharing your gifts with St. Benedict. Mark Wright Member The Bishop s Committee Farewell to Suzette Simpson 2 Suzette has been a member of St. Benedict for almost three decades! She is moving to South Carolina in September to join partner, Zane Osborne, a former member who has taken a new job there. We will miss Suzette her friendship, her leadership as an acolyte, her skill as a pastry chef, and her deeply faithful spirit. The congregation will share in a farewell blessing with her on Sunday, September 14.

3 Children s Education The 2nd and 4th Sunday of each month, after worship. All are welcome. Holy Moly (ages 4-9) The students will meet in the Holy Moly Room in the green hallway after worship. We will read Bible stories from the Old Testament and watch a related video. Then, 4-6 year olds will work on a craft project in the same classroom, while the 7-10 year olds will move to the 2nd classroom in the blue hallway to work on their projects. Since Jacqueline Soltys and Sarah Allcock are unavailable this year, Ruth Denofrio and a group of parent Guest Readers will be working with the Holy Moly students. Youth Group (ages 9-15) This year the youth group class, which meets in the first classroom down the blue hallway, will be reading through some of the stories of Paul and the early apostles, as well as the life of Jesus as told through the Gospel of Luke. Rev. Adam will be away with Rev. Heidi during the sabbatical time. Two members of the adult Wednesday night Bible Study group will be leading the class until he returns, Frank Spoto and Donna Williams. Sunday Seminars After worship, usually in the couch room (blue hallway) or sanctuary. Sunday Seminars will return in September. September 7 - The Ministry of a Police Chaplain (The Rev. Chere Bates) September 14 - A Memorial Garden at St. Benedict (Tish Sanborm & Ruth Denofrio) September 21 - TBD September 28 - Faith, Race, and the Immigrant Experience (Grace and Race, a panel coordinated by Henry & Sunshine Vega) Wednesday Night Bible Study Wednesday nights, 7-8:30 p.m. All are welcome. The Gospel of Mark is believed to be the first Gospel written. Come and learn what this unique book has to teach us about good news and the early followers of Jesus. All are welcome to attend. No previous group Bible study experience necessary. Sessions will be facilitated by Esther Simonson and will meet from 7:00-8:30 p.m. beginning on September 10. A sign-up sheet will be available in the Narthex. The study guide is $

4 Contemplative Prayer Group Thursday, September 11, 9:00-10:30 am Join us for our monthly session of Centering Prayer meditation and group Lectio Divina, which is an ancient practice of praying with the Scriptures. Simple instructions provided at the meeting. You are welcome to come once, occasionally, or on a regular basis. Contact Laura Mitrisin (mitrisin@prodigy.net), Dick Bennett, or Esther Simonson if you have any questions. For more information, visit 5th Annual Awesome Auction Saturday, November 1, 6:00 p.m. Join us for the Awesome Auction! Celebrating: Faith, Family, Friends and Fellowship. The festivities begin at 6:00 p.m. Enjoy refreshments as you browse the many auction and raffle items up for bid. As the evening progresses, feast on a delicious catered dinner while enjoying the company of your St. Benedict family. The evening will wrap up with an exciting live auction. This is always a truly awesome event! You are cordially invited to attend this fabulous occasion. Please plan to be with us on November 1st. Bring your family. Invite your friends, neighbors and relatives. Tickets are $25 per person. Children 12 and under eat FREE. Childcare will be provided. Tickets will be on sale before and after service beginning in October. Morningstar Mission Walk-a-Thon Update Morningstar presented St. Benedict with the Bronze baby shoe, which is on display in the Narthex, for our participation in their Walk-a-Thon. Thank you all for your support! Shoe Drive Update Thank you to everyone who contributed to the shoe drive! We collected 47 pairs of new school shoes for the children of Morningstar! School Supply Drive Update Many thanks for all the school supplies donated! Due to your generosity, we provided 6 boxes filled with supplies for the new school year! 4

5 Mystery Worshippers According to the Rule of Benedict (written in about 640 AD), hospitality is central to a Christian life. At the same time, there is an assumption that we are always encountering life and God for the first time - that we should see things with open eyes and an open heart. ~Rev. Heidi While Rev. Heidi is experiencing her own sabbatical journey, we, the members of St. Benedict, have begun our own sabbatical as well. One of the reflective pieces of our sabbatical is to take an honest look at our implementation of hospitality. The sabbatical team has plans for several activities to show us how The Church of St. Benedict has been doing when it comes to welcoming visitors and sharing our faith experiences with them. One activity is the visitation of other churches in our area. We are looking for mystery worshippers to visit other places of worship and share their experiences. Our hope is that through this process, we can discern in what areas we are thriving, and which areas need improvement. Have you ever wondered how St. Benedict appears to visitors? Do we convey an accurate message of who we are? Do visitors seem genuinely welcome? What can we do to make people feel comfortable, engaged and respected? Visiting other church services may help us to evaluate how successful we are in welcoming the stranger, the guest and the pilgrim. It may also present ideas for improving our newcomers experiences. If you are interested in becoming a mystery worshipper, please speak with Tish Sanborn after any Sunday service, by at tishtish859@gmail.com or by phone at More information and a sign-up sheet will be available in the Narthex. Training (of the short and sweet variety) will be provided. Important Sabbatical Dates October A Weekend with Jane Tomaine on Benedictine Hospitality November 30 (Sunday) Rev. Heidi Returns to St. Benedict, Advent begins December 7 (Sunday) A Welcome Back Party at the Bolingbrook Golf Club 5

6 Sabbatical Contact Information Should you need assistance while Rev. Heidi is away, please contact the following accordingly: Deacon Chere Bates (emergencies, newcomers, prayer requests, worship) cell: ; Esther Simonson, Warden (pastoral care, adult education) cell: ; Donnie Williams, Warden (staff supervision, convention) cell: ; and Tish Sanborn (master schedule, correspondence, website, Facebook, signage, Advent planning) cell: ; Special Thanks! to Coffee Hosts: Barb & Larry Wolfrum; Frank Spoto; Catherine Zhang & Timothy Jiang; Megan & Frank Klupshas to Ruth Denofrio and Tish Sanborn for decorating the Parish Hall for the Send-off Potluck and for being potluck shepherds to Bill Scheets, Adam Frieberg, and Frank Klupshas for fixing the front door to Donna Williams and Patty Wilson for organizing the shoe drive for Morningstar Mission; and Donna for organizing the school supply drive for Morningstar to everyone who has donated to the Polar Vortex Fund to help make up the shortfall due to last winter's excessive snow and cold to Jill Crisman for watering the plants at the church entrance to Carol Todd and Barb Wolfrum for doing the church audit 6

7 SEPTEMBER 2014 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 OFFICE CLOSED Healing Prayer Meeting Choir Rehearsal 5 7:30 PM AA 6 10:30 AM AA 5:00 PM Harvest BBQ - Church Lawn 7 GIVING SUNDAY 9:00 AM Holy Eucharist Sunday Seminar: Ministry of a Police Chaplain (Dn. Chere) Bible Study 11 9:00 AM Contemplative Prayer Group Choir Rehearsal 12 7:30 PM AA 13 10:30 AM AA 14 9:00 AM Holy Eucharist Sunday Seminar: Memorial Garden at St. Benedict (Tish & Ruth) 15 6:30 PM BC Meeting Healing Prayer Meeting Bible Study 18 Choir Rehearsal 19 7:30 PM AA 20 10:30 AM AA 21 9:00 AM Holy Eucharist Bible Study 25 Choir Rehearsal 26 7:30 PM AA 27 9:00 AM Keeping God's Children Safe 9:00 AM Men s Breakfast, Honey Jam Café 10:30 AM AA 28 9:00 AM Holy Eucharist Sunday Seminar: Faith, Race & Immigrant Experience (Grace & Race, Henry & Sunshine Vega)

8 Rev. Heidi Haverkamp, Vicar Fr. Samuel Colley-Toothaker Sabbatical Supply Priest Rev. Chere Bates, Deacon Esther Simonson, Warden Don Williams, Warden Sarah Allcock, Jill Crisman, Ruth Denofrio, Sheeba Eapen, Tish Sanborn, Mark Wright Bishop s Committee Brian Cromer, Music Director music@stbenedict.ws Becky Fleming, Church Secretary info@stbenedict.ws W E L C O M E V I S I T O R S! We welcome all newcomers who worshipped with us in August. Some made themselves known to us: Aleena and Abi Thomas, Texas Vy Luu, Maryland Christopher and Matthew Officer, Maryland Barb & Bruce Vaughan, Florida Betty & Jim Wilson, Woodridge, IL The Church of St. Benedict 909 Lily Cache Lane Bolingbrook, IL (630) Sunday Worship 9:00 a.m. Office Hours Monday, Wednesday & Friday 9:00 a.m. Noon 8 The Episcopal Church Welcomes You!