THE EPISTLE St. Philip s Episcopal Church 342 East Wood Street Palatine, Illinois 60067-5357 (847) 358-0615 www.stphilipspalatine.org The Rev. Dru Green Interim Priest Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, Congratulations on calling a new priest, The Rev. Laura Gottardi-Littell, as the Rector of St. Philip s! A special thank-you to the members of the Search Committee for a job well done! After thirteen months as your Interim Rector I will be leaving as of Tuesday, October 1 st. Pastor Laura s first Sunday will be on October 6 th. 1
Let me offer some parting thoughts about the life and ministry of St. Philip s: 1 Worship and ministry is a cooperative action of people and priest. Invite the Holy Spirit to both empower and guide you in your new partnership. It is also important to pray for one another on your common journey. 2 This is a new beginning for St. Philip s. Look once again at your mission statement and affirm who you are: SEEK a deeper knowledge of Jesus Christ SHARE the love and compassion of Christ SERVE others with open hearts SHINE with Christ s light, illuminating our world 3 You are a parish with strong lay leadership, an abundance of gifts, good energy and great potential. Celebrate your strengths! Let me offer some personal thoughts: Thank you for your hospitality, your cooperation and support over the past year. I have thoroughly enjoyed sharing in the life and ministry of St. Philip s. I will miss you! I will miss sharing in the next chapter of your parish story. I will especially miss sharing in the next chapter of your individual stories, your individual journeys as friends of Jesus. You will be in my thoughts and prayers! In the Name of Jesus Fr. Dru 2
1 Evan Schmalz 2 Helen Burns 4 William Johnson 5 Peg Davis Michelle Raymond 7 Olivia Purcell 9 Mark Raymond Anne Fischer Robert Oles 15 Bryan Littell 17 Jack Notzen 18 Robert Lamb 21 Sophie Obara 29 Christine Moore 10 Mark and Marianne Raymond 16 Kevin and Heather Thompson 27 Ross and Cindy McIntosh 3
SERVICES: 8:00 am HE I and 10:00 am HE II Please find a substitute if you are unable to serve. October 6 8:00 am 10:00 am Altar Guild Acolytes Greeters Readers Chalice Bearers P. Davis L. Craig B. Peterson Alternate J. Jenssen J. Gillette G. Morrill P. Akogu A. Obara B. Wiggen J. Swichtenberg P. Morrill M. Wiejaczka October 13 8:00 am 10:00 am October 20 8:00 am 10:00 am October 28 8:00 am 10:00 am P. Davis L. Craig C. Davis Alternate J. Zawacke K. Gillette J. Cappello K. Cappello R. Purcell C. Nelson M. Hill J. Zawacke P. Davis L. Craig B. Burns Alternate S. Obara A. Thompson A. Obara M. & J. Hill J. Cappello J. Svendson C. Raymond T. Tuttle L. Purcell P. Davis L. Craig B. Peterson Alternate A. Blanchard K. Swichtenberg K. Jones G. Horner R. Golembieski M. Diaz J. Gillette R. McIntosh K. Thompson Counters: Barbara Moriarty and 4 Bob Purcell 4 4
The Rev. Laura Gottardi-Littell presented by the Search Committee: Jeff Cappello, Lisa G., Mark Hanshaw, Marvin Hill, Cindy McIntosh, Barb Moriarty, Jean Svendson, and Judy Zawacke and the Senior Warden: Mike Zawacke The Rev. Laura Gottardi-Littell is delighted to be the new, and seventh, Rector of St Philip s, Palatine. She looks forward to getting to know all the wonderful people here! Rev. Laura earned her Master of Divinity degree from Garrett Seminary in Evanston, and a Certificate in Anglican Studies from Seabury-Western Seminary. She has served three churches in the Chicago area since she was ordained a priest in 2006. Prior to ordination, she was a local hospital and hospice chaplain, and a software technical writer in Boston. Laura cherishes her marriage to Numa, a retired professor of neuropathology (brain disorders and diseases) at Northwestern Medical School. Numa enjoys teaching young people, being empathic, SCUBA diving, reading history, and rooting for the St Louis Cardinals. He was born in Cuba, grew up in Southern Illinois, and completed medical school in Chicago. 5
The Rev. Laura Gottardi-Littell Numa and Laura have two wonderful non-identical twin boys, Christopher and Julian, age 12. Julian is a Boy Scout, plays trombone, and enjoys video games. Chris plays the violin, and enjoys math and science. Together, they like to build things with Minecraft, and watch the British TV car show "Top Gear." (If you are looking to buy a reliable new car, check with Julian and Chris.) They are excellent students who enjoy going to Door County and Disneyland with their parents. They often forget to take out the garbage. Rev. Laura loves people, and enjoys connecting individuals and communities with the Holy Spirit. She is drawn to the warmth, positive energy, and can-do spirit of the people of St. Philip's. This parish has an energy that matches her own. In her spare time, Laura enjoys family and friends, books, movies, prayer, exercise, music, and the great outdoors. She looks forward to hearing your stories, and partnering in ministry with you! 6
by Denise Hanshaw I was naked and you clothed me, is the next phrase in my coverage of Matthew s account of what Jesus calls us to do. As a church, last year we collected socks, hats and gloves for the homeless and we had a great response. We also helped clothe the little ones this spring when we held the baby shower for PHD. We had wonderful time while making sure that children were clothed. As I write this article, I know that I have a closet full of clothes. Some I wear, others haven t seen the light of day in a good long time. I claim that they are waiting patiently for me to lose weight so I can wear them again. Maybe they ve waited long enough. Maybe someone could give them purpose. There is an organization in Palatine called PATH (Palatine Assisting Through Hope) which holds an annual Day of Giving, on the Friday evening and Saturday after Thanksgiving. Families who are in need are given bags to fill with the donated items (clothes, shoes, hats, scarves and gloves, and new packages of underwear and socks ). Prior to the annual day of giving, Prince of Peace Lutheran Church located on Hicks Road (the corner of Hicks and Cunningham) holds a clothing drive. This year the truck they use to collect these items will be parked in their lot on Saturday, November 23 and Sunday, November 24 during their service times as follows: Saturday at 5pm and Sunday at 8, 9:30, and 11:00am. PATH has other collection sites which I will let you know about as the information becomes available to me. With the crazy weather we have had lately (not to mention the start of football season), we know that autumn is here and it s a good time to check out our closet for things that can clothe our brothers in Christ. For your convenience, if you would prefer to drop off clothes at St. Philip s on the Sunday s preceding the weekend of November 24, I can certainly get them to a drop off site. 7
Keep an eye out for these upcoming events from Mission Outreach: October 30 PADS Dinner November Thanksgiving Baskets November/December Angel Tree January 29 PADS Dinner by Peggy Morrill Just an alert to you all that we will again be preparing dinner for PADS, at Palatine Presbyterian Church, on the fifth Wednesday of the month; when there is a fifth Wednesday. Our first dinner will be Wednesday, October 30th. Look for sign-up sheets in the back of the church starting in early October. Our second dinner to prepare will be on January 30th. 8
I m. by Michelle Wiejaczka This month s letter in S-T-E-W-A-R-D-S is S. We have come full circle: from S to S, beginning and end, Alpha & Omega, from dust to dust, the first shall be last and the last shall be first. As in the beginning, so shall it be in the end, I again draw from St. Philip s mission statement: this month S is for Serve. There is a hymn with a line stating, not verbatim, that in God s service, perfect peace will be found. How do we serve as God s people? The ways are many. To others, I say I to serve as a lector. Women of our parish serve on the altar guild. Youngsters serve as acolytes. Tennis, volleyballs, food and drinks are served (making sure you re paying attention!). Vestry Members serve on Vestry and various committees: Mission/Outreach, Building & Grounds, Social, Ways & Means, Worship and Formation. Parish members serve on Green Thumbs, Memorial Fund & Rectory Fund. The list goes on and on. Yours truly, is serving as the 2013 Stewardship chair. I am accepting nominations for someone to serve as co-chair this year, and thus, as in the past, serve as chair in 2014. No experience necessary, training provided, just a desire to serve. 9 96
I m. So, how does serving and service apply to Stewardship? At the close of the Rite II worship service we pray: grant us strength and courage to love and serve you, and are dismissed with Go in peace to love and serve the Lord. It has been said that Stewardship is about your relationship with God. Bishop Lee s sermon on 09/08/13 had stewardship threads woven therein as he encouraged if not dared us to take up that pesky, troublesome symbol, the cross. The readings that morning were pretty startling for our 21 st century world; Hate your mother and your father, leave all your possessions behind and take up the cross of Jesus. What could possibly be more important than pledging our time, talent, and treasure to love and serve the Lord? After all, we are just stewards of the bounty God provides us. It is not ours to hoard and do with as we wish. And by bounty, I am not referring solely to money and possessions but the, dare I say it, God given talent we are blessed with to earn treasure. And at the end of the day, or in some cases, our lives or the lives of those we love, we realize time is a limited commodity and one of God s most precious gifts. So as in prior columns, I invite, implore, suggest, hope, encourage, and most importantly pray that you prayerfully consider what your share of God s time, talent and/or treasure can be pledged as a reflection of your relationship with God and accepting the invitation to take up the cross of his Son, our savior, Jesus Christ. Michelle Wiejaczka Stewardship Chair 10 106
We need food donations to snack on plus items for the silent auction, door prizes and auction items. Last year we had everything from manicures to vacation weeks as well as products like homemade food, wine and jewelry, baskets, and antiques. Crafts Baked goods Collectibles Gift baskets Services Sports memorabilia Game and theater tickets Vacations or??? We also need volunteers for set up and take down, moving auction items, checking people in, recording winning bids, etc. 11
2013 1 2 3 4 5 11 12 9:30 a.m. HE II 7:00 p.m. Choir rehearsal 6 7 8 8:00 HE I 10:00 HE II Catechesis Columbus Day Office closed 9:30 a.m. HE II 9 10 8:30 a.m. Green Thumb meets 11:30 a.m. Lunch Bunch meets 7:00 p.m. Choir rehearsal 13 8:00 HE I 10:00 HE II Catechesis 14 15 16 17 18 19 25 26 9:30 a.m. HE Il 7:00 p.m. Choir rehearsal 20 8:00 HE I 10:00 HE II Catechesis 21 22 23 24 9:30 a.m. HE Il 7:00 p.m. Choir rehearsal 8:30 a.m. Green Thumb meets Vestry meeting 27 8:00 HE I 10:00 HE II Catechesis 28 29 9:30 a.m. HE Il 30 31 7:00 p.m. Choir rehearsal 12