Church Street News - Amazon S3 · Lent, deserve more attention than we usually give them. Epiphany...

Beyond the Twelve Days of Christmas

Dear friends, We all know there are twelve days of Christmas, right? The familiar song, “The Twelve Days of Christmas”, tells us so. We also know that, according to the song, gifts are given throughout the twelve days of Christmas: “On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me: a partridge in a pear tree. On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: two turtle doves”, and on it goes. The subse-quent verses in the song build on the previous ones, so that by the time we get to the twelfth day of Christmas, we’re singing about twelve drummers drumming, eleven pipers piping, ten lords a leaping, all the way back to that lone partridge in a pear tree. When our kids were little, Tom and I gave each of them a small gift every day of the Christmas season, not only to celebrate the twelve days but also to pace the gift giving in the wake of Santa’s prolific deposit during the wee hours of Christmas Day. With palpable glee each one opened a little present each day of the season. The only problem was, when day thirteen arrived, there were no more gifts to be opened, no more little Christmas surprises, not until the next year when our family took up the tradition once again. But it’s a mistake to overlook that 13th day, January 6, the day called the Epiphany when we celebrate the visit of the magi to the Christ child, the day the kings recognized in him the revelation of God in human form. The Epiphany and weeks that follow, sandwiched in between Christmas and Lent, deserve more attention than we usually give them. Epiphany means “showing forth”. If at Christmas we’ve been given the gift of the incarnation of God come to us in human form, at Epiphany we reflect upon what this gift of Jesus signifies to us.

Church Street News

www.stlawrencechurch.org

847-362-2110

January 1, 2017

In this Issue

January 1, 2017 Volume 109, Issue No. 1

Please continue to page 3

Parking Update

(page 2)

Vestry BIOs

(page 6)

Calendar (page 8)

Annual Meeting Info

(page 2)

January 1, 2017 Volume 109, Issue No. 1 Church Street News

After our joyful Christmas celebrations, it’s time to kick off the new year, which means that it’s time for the St. Lawrence Annual Meeting. While that might not seem as exciting as the holiday season, 2017 will be a pivotal year for St. Lawrence, so we are asking all parishioners to make a special effort to attend. The meeting will take place on Sunday, January 29 immediately after the 9:30 service - there will be a single service that Sunday. Instead of meeting in the sanctuary, we’ll gather downstairs in the parish hall, where brunch w ill be provided. You don ’t need to bring anything. We will provide nursery care for our youngest members and a separate program (including pizza!) for older children. The meeting itself will feel a little different, and will focus less on the past year and more on where we’re going as a parish. We will of course cover the basics, including our 2016 financials and this year’s proposed budget, and election of our Wardens and Vestry members. We will spend most of our time, though, talking about our future. First, we’ll be sharing what we learned during the recent Revitalization visits, including parishioners’ thoughts about what St. Lawrence means to them today and how they think the parish can continue to evolve and grow to best serve its members and the broader community in light of our new Mission and Vision statements. Mother Patti will do her Rector’s Report at the meeting, rather than during the church service. Last but not least, we will review where St. Lawrence stands on a number of different financial measures - which we’re calling Building Blocks for Financial Health - and discuss how that influences our ability to carry out our Mission and Vision. This is indeed a special Annual Meeting - the topics are very important to the health and vitality of our parish. We’d like all of you to come and participate, and we hope to see you on January 29! Your Wardens Dave Jones & Kate Todd

Parking Garage Update-Good News! After seven short-long months of construction and parking challenges, we are now happy to share some good news from the Village of Libertyville: on Friday, January 20, ground level parking behind the Church will re-open and be available for our use! This w ill include the new “open-air” spaces behind the Church, as well as the ground level of the Parking Garage itself. (The upper levels of the new garage will be completed at an unknown later date) Naturally, this means

driveway access from both Brainerd Avenue and Church Street will be restored. Finally, you will be happy to see the new and widened sidewalks on the east and south sides of the Church. So while the garage is not yet 100 percent completed, our parking spaces will in effect be re-opened in time for services on January 22 and well before our Annu-al Meeting on January 29th. What good news indeed!

A Special Annual Meeting


The weeks at a glance at St. Lawrence... Sundays 8:00 am Holy Eucharist I 9:30 am Holy Eucharist II with music

January 22 Vicki Garvey Preaching

January 29 Annual Meeting One Service at 9:30

Mondays January 9 7:30 pm —Book Group

Tuesdays January 17 7:00 pm — Vestry Meeting January24 11:30 am—Young Episcopal Seniors

Wednesdays 6:30 - 9pm—Education for Ministry

Thursdays 7:30 pm — Choir Practice

Fridays January 20 6:15 pm—Community Meal Prep

Saturdays January 14 & 28 8:00 am —HOPE Food Pantry January 21 8:00 am —HOPE Community Meal

From Page 1 During this season, after we’ve received the gift that surpasses all gifts, we are to do more than simply gaze on him, or worship him from afar. We are to reflect on what he means to us, and how he encourages us, gives us peace, strength and hope in the day-to-day challenges of being human. In her book Our December Hearts, Anne McConney writes: “The wise men brought gold and frankincense and myrrh, the traditional and symbolic gifts of kingship, godhood, and death. None of them, of course, was of any use or interest to a child, but humans, like God, can only give what they have and, ultimately, all any of us have is ourselves. The wise men brought the gifts that were themselves and received the gift that was God’s self, which is the same gift, rushing forth in endless abundance, that we all receive…That is why this peculiar little season is so important. In this season we examine the gift—not simply the gentle image of the baby in the manger, the kindly animals, the kneeling shepherds and at last, today, the wise men with their swaying bad-tempered camels and their swift little desert horses—but the gift in its entire meaning, shown forth to the world.” In the Epiphany season we are to ponder how our relationship with the incarnate God changes us by making us more of who we truly are, grateful beneficiaries of a priceless gift. And we are to be generous in sharing the gift we’ve received with others, showing forth to the world the love and peace of God incarnate. It may be the only gift we receive that becomes more valuable the more we share it with others. On the thirteenth day of Christmas and throughout Epiphany, how will you show forth the love and peace of Christ that you have received as pure gift? My love in Christ,

Happy New Year Readers! The St. Lawrence Book Group selection for January is “The Japanese Lover” by Isabel Allende.

This is a multigenerational story that begins in Poland in 1939 when the protagonist, the young Jewish Alma, is sent to live in San Francisco. There she meets and falls in love with a young Japanese man who is later interned during the war.

People Magazine said, ”Allende’s engrossing narrative spans seventy years of tumultuous world history, but the powerful message you’ll take away is that Love—all kinds of love—will take root and endure under the most harrowing conditions.”

Please join us on Monday, January 9th at 7:30 pm in the Fireside Room to discuss this novel.


Godly Play (pre-school-grade 4)

A wonderful Montessori-based education program. Bible stories come to life as they are told with figures, dessert sand, and church symbols. Children are invited to play as they wonder about the mystery of God’s presence in our lives. Godly Play has a designated classroom and meets immediately after children receive communion at the 9:30 service.

Middle School (Grades 5-8)

The Thoughtful Christian curriculum is used to guide discussion topics such as being a good sport, bullying, Xbox Ethics, and more. They gather after the 9:30 service.

High School

All You Need is Love On January 22 we w ill visit the Chinmaya Mission Chicago--Yamunotri in Grayslake. This is an exciting opportunity to learn firsthand about the Hindu faith and to interact on an individual basis with friends whose faith is different from ours. Confirmation Class – Next session begins September 2017

Adult Education

Sabbatical Part I: St. Cuthbert’s Way Please join Tom and Patti, January 15 following the 9:30 service as we share our experience on the St. Cuthbert’s Way Pilgrimage Trail, the first leg of our sabbatical time in the UK. See you there! Conversations that Matter January 22, February 12, March 12 and April 30, when w e w ill welcome back Vicki Garvey as our preacher at both the 8 am and 9:30 am Sunday services and forum leader in a new series tentatively called “Conversations That Matter”. In the coming months we’ll be looking at current events through the lens of our faith, as Christians living in a multicultural, pluralistic society. Specifically we’ll dig into the Bible to learn what it has to say about issues related to social justice. Some topics might include war, poverty, caring for creation and welcoming the stranger in our midst. We’ll also engage in conversation about how we as individuals and as a congregation are addressing, or might address, these questions. Stay tuned for more information and a complete schedule of forums.

Christian Education Corner

Schedule

Godly Play Jan 1 NO CLASS Jan 8 Epiphany Middle School Jan 1 NO CLASS Jan 8 Step Away from the Computer

Keeping God’s People Safe Level I Training Saturday, February 25, 2017, 9 AM until Noon at St. Lawrence

St. Lawrence Church is committed to doing everything in its power to maintain a safe and supportive atmosphere for the children and adults who are members of our congregations, attend our programs or participate in our ministries.

To foster a secure environment, the Diocese of Chicago has developed Keeping God’s People Safe, a two-level work-shop training program that sensitizes everyone who works with children in our church to the dangers of child sexual abuse and teaches them to recognize and prevent situations in which abuse or exploitation might occur.

Level one, called “Protecting God's People”, is required for all clergy, paid employees, those who provide pastoral services, and all persons –volunteer or paid – who work with children or youth or vulnerable adults. Church and agency volunteers who have routine access to the facilities and grounds where children or youth gather or who perform other pastoral ministries must also complete this training. Level one training must be renewed, in a group setting, every five years.

Contact the office, [email protected] , 847-362-2110 to sign up for this training or if you need more information.

mailto:[email protected]

tel:(847)%20362-2110


2017 Stewardship -- “My Pledge, My Faith”

In case you missed it, we have had three wonderful speakers in November talk about their journeys and what St. Lawrence means to them. By request, we are publishing them over a three month period. Last month we published a reflection by Eliza Seagrist . This month we bring you Jacki Dioguardi Heier’s reflection, which was given on Sunday, November 13, 2016. Hi My Name is Jacki Dioguardi Heier. I am married to Chris Heier who has been involved in vestry and the food pantry – and my kids are Nolan and Kai. We have been members here at St. Lawrence for 5 or 6 years when we moved back to Illinois. Dave Jones asked me to speak today on stewardship and when he spoke he said to think about stewardship in the context of your faith. So I first started to think about what does FAITH mean to me. I looked it up, and Webster’s definition is a strong belief or trust in someone or something. That made sense to me but I wanted to delve a little deeper and I asked my kids (8, 11) at breakfast what they thought. Kai and Nolan determined that it was about your soul, courage and kindness. That all seemed to make sense so I started to think through my own lens on what my FAITH means to me and it came down to 2 points.

1. My first thought was that FAITH is believing when it is tough to do so. Many people don’t know, but I met Chris

and started dating him within three months of my father’s death. I am the youngest of 6 and I would not be stretching the truth to say that I was my dad’s princess – Chris often reminds me of this when I may be acting a little rigid. So many people thought my wedding would be tough for me as I would not have my dad to walk me down the aisle. I remember someone coming up to me and saying “This must be a difficult day for you”. My reply was – No, because I knew my dad was with me – he is always with me. Just the way I know that he held my children before I did – that is faith. Believing when it is hard to do so.

2. The second way I think about it is – it gives me focus. What do I mean by that? I think there is a lot noise in

life that often makes you forget about what is important. When we pray with our kids, we ask to be brave, and kind. We don’t ask for a bigger house, to not have to study as hard or a great vacation. I like a great vacation as much as the next person but we don’t ask God for that. I think we all know that what we want to focus on is being a good person. One way I want to explain this is in a simple story. I think all of us who are married or in a relationship knows that it can be hard. Chris and I are no different. We fight and get irritated over typically kind of small stupid stuff. I am sure we are no exception to the norm. I will tell you that I always think that he always parks the car too far away – and have agreed to disagree on parking strategy. So, what I do to make sure that I don’t get distracted by the noise is that when I get irritated with him – I stop and think about all the things that I love about him. He is a great dad, he fills my car with gas because I hate to and he takes care of my mom. When I think of those things – the small irritations don’t seem worth fighting about.

We care about our health as a family so Nolan swims, I do yoga, Kai dances and Chris runs. We also belong to a gym and try to eat healthy. If we invest all that time and resource to our physical health then I think of St. Lawrence as our investment in our spiritual health. An investment in St. Lawrence is an investment in our family. This is the place we go an hour each week to push (or most weeks J) out the noise of the world and think about the good. This is the place where my kids learn about what being a good person is by attending Sunday school and become good people by helping in the food pantry and community meal. This is where we go to find a community and to focus on our spirits. This is the place where I find comfort – where we pray for friends who have died, or are sick, and for strength to get through things. This is where I pray and talk to my dad who has been gone for 13 years but always is right next to me. Thanks for reading my thoughts, Jacki


Lisa Wooddy-Warden My family and I have attended St. Lawrence since we arrived in the Libertyville area in 2005. Before moving here I lived in South Bend, IN, Gainesville, FL, Memphis, TN, and Seattle, WA. I was raised in Louisiana and am a cradle Episcopalian. I received an BS in Psychology from Sewanee and a MS in Environmental Engineering from the University of Memphis. I work for SWANCC, an agency in northern Cook County that provides waste disposal, recycling education, and specialty recycling programs to 23 communities north of Chicago. My girls are a freshman and a sophomore at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis where they are enjoying college life. I like visiting them in the Twin Cities and look forward to their trips home. In my free time I enjoy biking, skiing, kayaking, reading, and traveling. The girls and I try to coordinate a mother/daughter trip every so often and we are looking forward to a trip to Cuba this spring. At St. Lawrence I taught Sunday school, served on the Vestry, the stewardship committee, and the communications committee as well as other ministries from bake sales to usher. I have enjoyed participating in the life and mission of St. Lawrence and feel honored to be asked to serve as Warden.

Freda Behm-Vestry Member I am a single mom of three daughters, Amanda, Anna, and Andrea, all currently working in their careers. After being raised as a Presbyterian, taking time to experience not being associated with a church though maintaining a sense of spirituality, being married in an Episcopal church (the priest and my former husband had been in Roman Catholic seminary together) while carrying my very old family Book of Common Prayer printed in Scotland, and anticipating the birth of our first child, I began attending another Episcopal Church in this diocese two doors from my then husband’s house. At that parish I was the nursery coordinator, Vestry member in charge of buildings and grounds, search committee member, and treasurer. Since the girls and I moved to St. Lawrence, I have served on Vestry involved most strongly in life-long education and building and grounds, and chaired a search committee. Beginning at the former parish and continuing for a period of time at St. Lawrence, I was a member of the Diocesan Life-Long Education Committee and, at the encouragement of Ruth Blair, the then EFM Diocesan Coordinator, began EFM at St. Lawrence by serving as both mentor and student the first four years. I continued as mentor for a total of six years and Deanne Gibbs served as mentor for an additional year. More recently, EFM has experienced a great rebirth in the hands of Betsy Swank. Additionally, while not associated with a parish or the diocese although the rector was required to sign that he was aware of my participation, I took a two-year interdenominational course in Spiritual Companioning. Originally from eastern North Carolina, I took an AB (BA) in zoology with minor studies in English at UNC-CH and, after moving to Lake County to take a job with Abbott, took an MBA at DePaul at night. My work at Abbott ranged from being a Para pathologist, to an inventory controller of specialty and controlled drugs, to production scheduler, to production planner, to international sourcing planner; and after Abbott, to full-time mother, and then mom and regulatory/quality consultant to various pharmaceutical companies which might be dealing with FDA warning letters and consent decrees, or just needing someone to jump into the middle of a project. From the beginning of my career, I have enjoyed being called upon often to train and mentor others. I would look forward to the opportunity to serve St. Lawrence as a member of the Vestry.

Vestry Slate-BIOs


From Page 6

Joe Cardinale-Vestry Member

I’m honored to considered for Vestry at St. Lawrence. My family and I have been attending St. Lawrence since we moved from Pennsylvania to Libertyville 3 years ago. My wife Sara is originally from Michigan and I spent part of my childhood in Glencoe (our family dog is Wrigley – it’s been a great time for us to move back!) so we were happy to find ourselves back in the Mid-West. I am currently the Senior Director of Business Economics and Strategy at Abbott, have an MBA from Purdue and am ABD in Economics from Lehigh University (PA). While my most important undergraduate achievement at Dickinson College was meeting Sara, my wife of 22 years, I also completed degrees in Economics and Policy Studies. The latter program is geared towards keeping the economic, moral and political aspects of decision making in balance, which continues to shape many of my views today. Despite my kids’ comments that I bore them with Economics far too often, I enjoy spending time with family (children Jordan and Tony) and we do our best to remain an active family. I’m an avid soccer fan, having played since college and also coached throughout our tenure in PA. In addition to outdoor activities we enjoy movies and staying warm as we adapt to the Chicago winters. I believe that St. Lawrence is a special church and congregation. During my relocation to Libertyville I was full of doubt if this would be the right move, but St Lawrence helped alleviate those concerns as it was the first place where I felt at home. My family and I are glad to be part of the extended church family and I’m excited for the opportunity to contribute.

The Fairhaven Crossing Apartment complex is complete. Located on Hawley Avenue in Mundelein. A grand opening celebration is scheduled for January 15 at Santa Maria del Popolo.

The link to register is: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lcu-january-2017-assembly-tickets-30343418983 For all kinds of information about what Lake County United is doing, their website is: http://www.lakecountyunited.org For more information, please talk with any of these supporters: Patti Snickenberger BJ Jones Kurt Chau Clarence Langdon.

Lake County United Celebrates!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lcu-january-2017-assembly-tickets-30343418983

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lcu-january-2017-assembly-tickets-30343418983


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December Fun at St. Lawrence

Children’s Pageant


Sophias at ReVive Center distributing Christmas Baskets!

Stewardship Breakfast


Contact us Parish Office: 847-362-2110 Rector—

The Reverend Patricia W. Snickenberger [email protected] Deacon — The Reverend Hal Toberman [email protected] Music Director — Alan Whaley [email protected] Parish Administrators — Ann Marr [email protected] Sue Montgomery [email protected] Wardens —

Dave Jones [email protected]

Kate Todd [email protected] www.stlawrencechurch.org www.episcopalchicago.org

***Friday, January20***

Don’t forget this date is the deadline for submissions to the February issue of the Church Street News

In addition to submissions in article format, please send along photos as well!

[email protected]

Interested in Learning More About Prison Ministry?

The Men’s Stateville and Pontiac Volunteer Recruiting Dinner will afford an opportunity to take a deeper look at ministry in a correctional facility. On Thursday, January 26, 2017 at 6:00 pm you are invited to an evening of good food, fellowship and above all, the setting to discern if Kairos Prison Ministry is something to which you are called. Dinner and program will be hosted by Immanuel Lutheran Church, 5 S. Van Buren St. E., Dundee, IL. Contact Deacon Hal ([email protected]) if you wish to attend this event.

“A Day at Stateville”

What is it like to be locked up in a maximum security facility? The play, “A Day at Stateville”, will provide an insightful look at life behind the walls. Written and performed by former inmates of Stateville Prison, this work provides a real portrayal of the life of the incarcerated. A reception will follow the performance at which time you will be able to engage in conversation with former inmates. The play will be performed on Sunday, January 29, 2017 at 3:00 pm at the DuPage Unitarian Universalist Church, 1828 Old Naperville Road in Naperville, IL and is presented by the DuPage UU Church Social Justice Initiative on Restorative Justice and Racial Equity. Contact Deacon Hal ([email protected]) if you are interested in attending this performance.

Kudos to you-Sue! Sue Montgomery has accepted the position as Assistant Director of Children's Programming during the General Episcopal Convention to be held in Austin Texas from July 5 - 13, 2018. The Episcopal Church’s General Convention is held every three years, and is the bicameral governing body of the Church. It is comprised of the House of Bishops, with upwards of 200 active and retired bishops, and the House of Deputies, with clergy and lay deputies elected from the 109 dioceses and three regional areas of the Church, at more than 800 members. Congratulations Sue!

From our Deacon...



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Upcoming events at St. Lawrence Episcopal Church

ST. LAWRENCE EPISCOPAL CHURCH

125 West Church Street Libertyville, Illinois 60048

stlawrencechurch.org

Save the Date—January 29, 2017 The Annual Meeting of St. Lawrence Church 9:30am—One Service Brunch & meeting to follow Details on Page 2

Worship schedule Sunday 8:00 am — Holy Eucharist, Rite I 9:30 am — Holy Eucharist, Rite II Formation

Church Street News - Amazon S3 · Lent, deserve more attention than we usually give them. Epiphany...

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