News

Church Street News (see Past Issues)
The Newsletter of St. Lawrence Episcopal Church
Issue No. 10, Volume 97
October 2005

WELCOME FATHER TOM ROSA!
The transition team has completed their interviewing and has made a recommendation to the Vestry, and the Vestry voted to call the Reverend Thomas P. Rosa as our Interim Rector. Father Tom will be with us starting November 1, and will celebrate his first Sunday services on All Saints Sunday, November 6. We will welcome him to Saint Lawrence with a Chili Cook-Off supper on Sunday evening, November 6. Be sure to plan to attend so we can give Father Tom a rousing St. Lawrence welcome.

A little biographical information….
Father Tom served as Rector of Church of the Holy Trinity in Belvidere, Illinois from 1974-2001. In 2001, he took early retirement, but was called back into service as a supply priest by Bishop Griswold, eventually taking specific training to become an “Intentional Interim.” He has served in that capacity in several churches in the Rockford Deanery, and recently completed an Interim assignment at Church of the Atonement in Chicago.

Father Tom grew up in Chicago and graduated from college at Southern Illinois University with a degree in Music Education. He started seminary at Yale, completing his M. Div. at Nashotah House. He was ordained a priest in Chicago in December, 1971, by Bishop Montgomery. While in Belvidere, Father Tom served as Dean of the Rockford Deanery from 1991-1997, and has been a representative to Diocesan Council on repeated occasions through the years. He is currently the Chaplain to the Rockford Chapter of the American Guild of Organists.

On a personal level, Father Tom owns a restored Queen Anne Victorian home in Belvidere (He will rent an apartment locally while he is with us). He also loves music, and collects classic cars, decorative arts and antiques. He has served as chairman of the Belvidere Preservation Committee and President of the Boone County Arts Council. He is warm, friendly, and likes the challenges presented by churches in transition. He is accomplished in helping churches through the interim process.

We are delighted to have Father Tom join us as our Interim Rector.

Father Tom will be with us starting November 1st, and will celebrate his first Sunday services on All Saints Sunday, November 6th.

FROM THE WARDENS
As we prepare for our 2006 Every Member Canvas, we would like to thank all who supported the programs and ministries of St. Lawrence this past year.

Our Stewardship Campaign for the 2006 program year will take a slightly different focus than last year’s. Last year we spent significant amounts of time focusing on our budget and the line items set forth in the budget and financial statements. We showed that an extremely large percentage of our budget goes to cover fixed expenses. In fact, they account for approximately 92% of our budget.

However, our financial statements do not adequately represent who we, St. Lawrence Episcopal Church, are. We are people of God continuously searching for responses to God’s call. Our response is reflected in our ministries: Outreach, Parish Life, invitational, Communications, Facilities, Worship, Formation, and Pastoral Care..

In addition, those financial statements do not do justice to the many hours and dollars that are spent in connection with those ministries. As a result, one of the goals of this year’s Every Member Canvas is to prepare a Narrative Budget. As we celebrate each of our ministries during this campaign, we are going to try and determine how much we invest in each, both in terms of time and money. The analysis won’t be exact, but will allow us to reflect on our investment in these ministries, and account for all of the wonderful things St. Lawrence does. . . and hopefully energize us to continue to invest in these valuable ministries.

FAQ’s: FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
We have received a number of questions regarding the process of calling an Interim Rector. Here are some of those frequently asked questions:

“Now that we have chosen an Interim Rector what is our timeline for calling a permanent Rector?”

November, 2005 – The interim rector and the Transition Committee meet to begin steps for the Self Study of the parish.
December, 2005 – Consultant retained
January, 2006 – Self study process begins
February, 2006 – Transition Committee makes recommendation to Vestry for Search Committee appointments
March, 2006 – Search Committee begins it’s quest to call a Permanent Rector.

“Why do we need an Interim Rector? Why can’t we just go straight the process of finding a permanent rector? Why does it take so long?”

These questions are best answered by the expert, our Intentional Interim Rector, Rev. Thomas Rosa. We will defer to him in our next newsletter.

If you have any other questions that you would like answered please let the Wardens know and we will address then in future newsletters.

Senior Warden Jeanne Murphy can be reached at valentinejam@sbcglobal.net
Junior Warden Frank Top can be reached at
thetops@comcast.net

Next month’s November issue of the Church Street News:

Features from Fr. Rosa’s first Sunday as our Interim Rector

All Saints Sunday program, presented by the Sunday School. A review of our featured Saints.

Thanksgiving Eve Service, on Wednesday, November 23 with our friends at Holy Cross followed by the annual Pie Social.

Advent is Coming! We will be offering a number of ways to keep the spirit of Advent in your season preparation.

OFF TO A GREAT START
On Sunday September 11th we celebrated the beginning of a new program year at St. Lawrence. The Parish Hall was filled with eager parishioners looking for opportunities to share their talents, gifts or to learn new skills. Thank you to everyone who signed up to help the various Ministry Teams. If you are still considering where you can participate or if something peaked your interest and need some more information, contact a Vestry member or one of the Wardens.

Please find the bright green booklet, “Introduction to Church Vestry & Parish Ministries”, in the Narthex. This is a wonderful resource to help guide you in the life of St. Lawrence

WORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
St. Lawrence has many opportunities for worship in addition to our Sunday and Thursday morning services.

Winchester House: On the 4th Thursday of every month we celebrate Communion with the residents at Winchester House. This service begins at 10 am and everyone is welcome to participate in this service.

Choral Evensong: We encourage you to share with us worship a form of worship that has been offered for nearly a thousand years. This service is one of reflection –leaving oneself open so that God can speak through psalms and canticles.

Sunday, October 2nd at 5:00 pm
Sunday, December 4th at 5:00 pm (followed by Advent Potluck)

Thanksgiving Eve Service: St. Lawrence will once again join Holy Cross Lutheran Church for a joint Thanksgiving Eve service. This year Holy Cross will be our host. This service will be followed by a pie social.

“The Way of the Cradle”- Sunday, November 27 at 5:00 pm. Begin the Advent season in a peaceful, non-commercial way as we prepare for the birth of Jesus. This is a simple service patterned after the “Stations of the Cross”.

CROP WALK THIS MONTH

For I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was hungry and you gave me food, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, and was sick and you took care of me…Lord when was it that we saw you thirsty and gave you a drink, hungry and gave you food?...Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”

Over 840 million people around the world receive insufficient nutrition - one sixth of the human family. Most of these people are not victims of famine, but suffer from chronic hunger and malnutrition. This condition, stunts growth, decreases energy and potential. One of six people in the world lack access to safe drinking water.

The Church World Service was started in 1946 and services people in over 80 impoverished countries. CROP is a hunger walk sponsored by CWS to help raise funds to do the work of feeding and helping fashion a better future. Last year CROP walks raised over $15 million to support hunger-fighting work of CWS. With those resource wells, seeds, tools, and training were to African farmers, many who are women. Irrigation systems in Cambodia, tents for Colombian refugees, are a few of the ways you can make a difference by becoming a walker for CROP!

Besides doing so much around the world, one quarter of the money raised here stays right here in Lake County. Some of the agencies that are partially funded by CROP dollars are PADS, the soup kitchen at Christ Church and Northern Illinois Food Bank .

Being a CROP walker is fun and fulfilling. After you get your sponsor envelope, ask everyone you know to sponsor you. It is often a beautiful fall afternoon, just the kind of day for a walk with your family. The walk is 10K (6.2 miles). It is a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon....knowing you are helping to give food and drink to those in need.

UNITED THANK OFFERING
The United Thank Offering (UTO) is a personal and family devotional program of the Episcopal Church. Its mission is to raise the consciousness of the whole church to the daily discipline of offering thanks to God. Every cent you give, representing your thankful prayers today, is the dream for tomorrow’s life and gives hope to people all over the world.

At St. Lawrence we hold up this vital ministry of outreach. This parish wide bi-annual offering will give UTO funds for projects overseas and in every Episcopal Diocese in the United States.

Mary Quednau is our parish representative and will be sending personal letters to you. Her devotion to this ministry is testimony of its value. There are blue boxes available in the Narthex for family collections as well as designated offering envelopes.

Bring your offerings on October 16, and we will be celebrate United Thanks Offering Sunday, in prayer and thanksgiving.

CHILI COOK OFF
Mark your calendars on Sunday, November 6th, as we will welcome Father Tom Rosa to our parish as our Interim Rector. A welcoming reception will be held in the Narthex at 4:00 pm. In addition to welcoming Father Tom, please bring along your best dressed crockpot of homemade chili, along with copies of your famous recipe. There will also be opportunities for bakers of bread and desserts. We know the competition will close with all of the wonderful chefs in our congregation, so don’t miss this wonderful meal. We look forward to seeing you whole family there.

STEPHEN MINISTRY
At some points in life, everyone faces periods of crisis, transition, or difficulty. During these times people can receive great benefit from a caring relationship with someone who will faithfully listen, empathize, pray with and for them, and encourage them with Christ’s love and care.

The Pastoral Care Ministry would like to begin a Stephen Ministry at St. Lawrence to help meet those needs. This is a lay care-giving ministry, which means that the pastor no longer shoulders the entire burden of caring in the congregation.

The Stephen Series is a system for training and organizing lay persons to provide one-to-one Christian care in and around their congregation. During October there will be workshops which will provide an opportunity for those interested to sample Stephen Ministry training.

October 15 – 9:00 am-1:00 pm at First Presbyterian Church, Lake Forest
October 29 – 9:00 am-Noon at Grace Lutheran Church, River Forest

HELP NEEDED
St. Lawrence volunteers serve Sunday dinner to about 100 people, five to six times a year at our sister parish of Christ Church Waukegan. Afterthis for about four years it is time forme to do something else!As of January 1st this very important outreach of serving Sunday dinner tothe poor and homeless, of our county needs a new leader.There is a good system in place with many consistent volunteers,shoppers, cooks, recipes, and cleaner uppers.

Please give this some prayerful thought if you feel that you may be called to be the Coordinator for the Soup Kitchen. I have records to pass on and am glad to give any helpcan tocontinue this vital ministry.

NEWCOMER BRUNCH
The Invitational Ministry Team is sponsoring our next Newcomer Brunch on November 13 at 10:10 am. We will meet in the Parish Hall for food, fun and fellowship. If you are new to St. Lawrence, you are welcome!! It will be a great opportunity to meet the new interim Rector, Fr. Thomas Rosa and ask any questions you may have about the church. Please look for a sign up in the Narthex

ST. LAWRENCE BOOK GROUP
Requirements for membership – NONE! You may come as often or as little as you like. You can come for one month, several months, or every month – it all depends on how much time you have to read. It is best if you have finished the book to join in the discussion, but if you haven’t (and you don’t mind the ending being disclosed) please join us anyway! The more the merrier!

As a reminder, our October book is Keeping Faith by Jodi Picoult. Please join us on Monday, September 10th at 7:30 in the Fireside Room.

Our November book selection is The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon. This first novel by Mark Haddon is written from the perspective of an autistic 15 year-old named Christopher. A math savant, he has been learning how to cope with life from his teacher Siobahn. When the pet poodle across the street is stabbed, Christopher decides to solve the mystery and write a book about it.

Mark Haddon “creates a fascinating main character and allows the reader to share in his world, experiencing his ups and downs and his trials and successes. In providing a vivid world in which the reader participates vicariously, Haddon fulfills the most important requirements of fiction, entertaining at the same time that he broadens the reader's perspective and allows him to gain knowledge.”

It is said that The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time “brims with imagination, empathy, and vision -- plus it's a lot of fun to read.” So, please mark your calendar for Monday, November 14th at 7:30 p.m. for a rousing discussion.

EPISCOPAL CHURCH WOMEN NEWS
Bake Sale:Pull out your favorite recipes and bake up a storm. The ECW bake sale willplace, October 23 between services, in the Narthex. Donations can be brought to the downstairs kitchen on Saturday, October 22 from 9:30 -10:30 am or 4:00 - 5:00 pm.If you have any questions, please contact Julie Feely, 847 918-0732.

Fun Crafting: Come join the fun at ECW craft days Sunday, October 2 at 3:00 pm and Sunday, October 16 at 3:00 pm. Help us create various craft projects to be sold at our holiday bazaar.Experience not necessary-all are welcome.If you are unable to attend, check out the craft basket for take home crafts available each Sunday in the Narthex.Hope to see you there! If you have any question, please contact Sue Vogg 847 680-3302.

St. Lawrence Logo Shirts:The ECW is taking orders again this fall for those sharp-looking. Lawrence logo shirts.Sizes run from extra small to 3X and are available in denim or khaki. Stop by the table in the Narthex and try on a shirt to determine your size. Price is $32;$33 for 2X and up.If you have any questions, please contact Call Ann Leffler, 847 918-9697.

Coffee-in-the-Park: Thank you to all who helped with Coffee in the Park this past season.We were blessed with good weather and great volunteers. Over the summer, we’ve also enjoyed a great response to the completed expansion and were pleased to welcome visitors in for a tour of the facility. From set-up to tear-down we couldn't have done it without you.And thank you to those who donated lemonade and napkins.You've all helped to make this a successful year.

KEEPING GOD’S PEOPLE SAFE
St. Lawrence will be hosting a training program called Keeping God’s People Safe on Saturday, October 22nd from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm The day will consist of two separate sessions: “Training to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse” in the morning and “Training to Prevent Adult Sexual Harassment and Exploitation” in the afternoon. Each session is three hours long with an hour in between for lunch. There is no cost to the attendees, as the cost is covered by the Diocese.

People who are required or strongly recommended by the Diocese to attend this course include but are not limited to Parish Staff, Acolyte Director, Church School Teachers, Youth Group Leaders, Nursery Workers, Adult Education Teachers, Lay Eucharistic Ministers, Parish Musicians, and Vestry Members. At St. Lawrence, this list includes a great number of us.

REJOICE!
As part of our ongoing process in our worship space, the Worship Ministry Team commissioned Ann Malecki to create a beautiful pieces of art to hang above the choir risers.The simple word “rejoice” echoed the tone of our days – as we rejoiced to welcome teachers and students to the start of Sunday school classes and youth groups, new and familiar families, dedicated Clergy and our new Interim Rector.

CHRISTMAS BASKETS
We are again participating in the Cathedral Shelter Christmas Basket program and we have agreed to supply gifts and food for 10 families, totaling 61 people. We have a diverse group of recipients, from the very young to the elderly, with household monthly incomes as low as $500.00.

Look for more information about the process, our sponsored families and their needs. We will be posting the sign-up sheets on the bulletin board down from the office in the near future.

HAVE YOU MET…?
The Invitational Ministry Team is introducing a new feature in the newsletter. We will highlight two families a month with a picture and brief bio. If you haven’t yet met these relatively new families, you may find that you have something in common!

Greg and Stacey Kruczek
The Kruczek family began attending St. Lawrence in the spring of 2002. Stacey was raised in the Episcopal Church and was a member of St. Augustus in Wilmette. Greg grew up Roman Catholic. They like that St. Lawrence is a smaller parish with a greater opportunity to get to know people and participate in activities. It reminds Stacey a lot of the church she grew up in.

Stacey met Greg when he was trying to sell a car to her mother. They married in 1992 at St. Augustus Church. Their family now includes Austin, 9, who attends Copeland School in Libertyville; Emma, 4, and Tessa, 3, who both attend the Riverside Preschool and a science class at the Crossways Preschool.

Greg is the Director of Financial Systems at Snap-On Tools. He enjoys camping with Austin on his Cub Scout outings and is an avid reader. Stacey was a former Project Manager at Hewitt, but now has two at-home businesses – a home décor business called At Home America and she designs websites. Stacey loves being involved with her children and their activities and enjoys art and theater.

Pat and Lisa Quenan
The Quenan family moved to Libertyville from Texas and began attending St. Lawrence in December 2003. At that time, St. Lawrence was well into our new construction and worship continued as usual in spite of the less than ideal surroundings. That was one of the qualities of our church that attracted the Quenans to St. Lawrence. They also are impressed by the friendliness and all the different programs we have to offer – something for everyone!

Pat and Lisa met when they were both in the fourth grade in Shell Lake, Wisconsin. They didn’t start dating, however, until they were juniors in high school. Pat graduated from Notre Dame and Lisa from St. Norbert’s in DePere, Wisconsin near Green Bay. Three weeks after graduation they married on June 9, 1990. They now have three children – Alex, 11, who started at Highland Middle School this year; Madeline, almost 9, who is a third grader at Adler School; and Francesca, 5, who is a kindergartner at Adler. Another dear member of their family is Sixer, a beagle-Bassett hound mix they adopted from a shelter.

Pat is a Human Resources Consultant at Hewitt and Lisa is currently taking classes toward a nursing degree from UW – Parkside. They are both very busy with their children’s activities, but still find some time for their own interests. Pat enjoys basketball, golf, computers and coaching his kids’ teams. Lisa likes volleyball, baking and reading. Pat would like to become a member of the counting guild at St. Lawrence and Lisa has contributed food to PADS. In the future she plans to volunteer at the Soup Kitchen and/or PADS

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

PADS (Public Action to Deliver Shelter)
St. Lawrence sponsors a PADS site on the 4th Tuesday of the month October thru March at the Wildwood Presbyterian Church. We are looking for volunteers to prepare food and serve on one of the 3 shifts Tuesday, October 25th, beginning at 5:30 pm. Each shift requires at least 2 males and 2 females per shift.

Our service involves cooking & serving dinner, and staffing three shifts from 5:30 pm to 6:30 am. The first shift (5:30 11:00) prepares the beds, checks the guests in, serves the dinner, cleans up, and gets everyone into their beds. The second shift (11:00 3:00) makes bag lunches for the guests and gets to know one another better as the guests sleep. The third shift (3:00 6:30) wakes the guests, provides a cold breakfast, gets them on their bus, and cleans the site.

The sign-up sheets are in the Narthex, If you would like more information contact, Don Craig 847362-9443.

Summer Schedule
Sunday Services:
7:30am - Holy Eucharist Rite I Liturgy
10 :00am - Holy Eucharist Rite II Liturgy
Thursday Service:
8:30am - Holy Eucharist