Hello fellow parishioners – it’s Laura Brady – Treasurer of St. John’s. I’ll leave Father Jeremy to speak to you of spiritual matters… I’m here to talk finances. First – to those of you that have been faithful donors to St. John’s throughout this disaster we call 2020: thank you for being faithful to the parish. You kept us chugging along.
And now we need to keep the momentum going with pledges for the coming year. The vestry needs to present a budget that reflects the costs of running our church. Pledging to the church is the foundation for all the myriad costs associated with not only keeping the doors of our grand dame of a church open, but also our ability to reach out beyond our doors and spread that good Episcopalian love! Non pledged contributions are – of course – most welcome. But please understand that we can’t build a budget based on funds that may or may not come.
The startling news is that of 180 enrolled parish families, we have received only 38 pledges. We truly need your commitment now, so that with the few short weeks we have left, our budget can be finalized. Many vital services and activities will have to be cut if pledges can’t meet our needs. A deficit budget is not a good answer.
So, please - I’m asking you not to sit back and wait. If you haven’t pledged, do so today. Any way that works best for you works for us: online, U.S. mail or you can email, text or call me.
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It's not too late to order your Christmas tree!!! Since we are unable to host our annual Cookie Walk this year due to COVID-19, we have been given the opportunity to host a Christmas tree sale. Please consider purchasing your Frasier Fir Christmas tree from St John's this year. Please click here for more information on how to order your tree and to pay online (please help us reduce contact by paying online).
As of Thursday morning we still have
20 6'-9' trees
So please order soon!
We still have 2 trees that have been donated for families in need. If you know of a family that would like a tree, please contact Fr. Jeremy.
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2021 Pledge Appeal
Stewardship is an act of Worship by which we are given the opportunity to give thanks for all the blessings God has given us by returning a portion back to God for the work of God's Church.
Our "Official" Stewardship Campaign has ended, but there are still many members who have not yet submitted their pledges. As of this week, we are still $49,000 away from matching last year's pledge commitment and $90,000 away from a balanced budget.
If you have not yet pledged, please prayerfully consider doing so today. If you have pledged, and you have been blessed with the resources to increase your pledge, please prayerfully consider that option as well.
You may either return your physical pledge card to the church, or go to the Stewardship page of our website and complete your pledge card online. If you would like to see a summary of St. John's Budget (current as of October 31) and to see the initial draft of our 2021 Budget please click here.
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Did you miss church this weekend? Watch last Sunday's, 11:00 a.m. Mass here.
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Upcoming Worship
Sunday, December 6
Holy Eucharist at 11:00 a.m.
Sunday services will be live-streamed. Follow us on Facebook to receive notifications when our services are being streamed, or visit the homepage of our website to watch the service there.
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Sacred Ground is a film- and readings-based dialogue series on race, grounded in faith. Small groups are invited to walk through chapters of America’s history of race and racism, while weaving in threads of family story, economic class, and political and regional identity.
The 10-part series is built around a powerful online curriculum of documentary films and readings that focus on Indigenous, Black, Latino, and Asian/Pacific American histories as they intersect with European American histories.
Sacred Ground is part of Becoming Beloved Community, The Episcopal Church’s long-term commitment to racial healing, reconciliation, and justice in our personal lives, our ministries, and our society. This series is open to all, and especially designed to help white people talk with other white people. Participants are invited to peel away the layers that have contributed to the challenges and divides of the present day – all while grounded in our call to faith, hope and love.
We already have one Dialogue Circle meeting, and there is room to add others. If you are interested in participating, please e-mail Fr. Jeremy at frjeremy@mysje.org.
Please click here to learn more about Sacred Ground from the Episcopal Church's website.
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Angels on Assignment at Guardian Angel Community Services
In lieu of the ReVive Christmas Basket program this year we have decided to direct our generosity to the Angels on Assignment at Guardian Angel Community Services. This is a safe, non-contact way to help families in need have a great Christmas. Please read below to see how you can spread Christmas cheer throughout our local communities.
Angels on Assignment is Guardian Angel Community Services’ (GACS) holiday giving program. This heart-warming GACS holiday tradition is made possible through months of careful preparation between GACS staff members, families receiving services by any of the agency’s 7 programs, and our generous community donors. GACS staff members, across all 7 programs, ask their clients to fill out a “Wish List.” The items listed on those wish lists are coded and compiled (to protect the confidentiality of those families served by our programs) into a big master list, that can be accessed by donors via Amazon at the following links:
Amazon Angels on Assignment Wish List - https://a.co/7PgIQ78
Amazon Wish List General Agency Needs - https://a.co/aOmANKX
All items purchased will be shipped directly to GACS’ Main Office for distribution. Please note that the Amazon Wish Lists are a new platform for us as of 2020, and Amazon does not provide the buyers information to us. Therefore, if donors would like to receive an acknowledgement letter for tax purposes, they must include their name and mailing address or email address in the thank you note section during checkout.
As always, GACS is so very grateful for the generosity of our community during the holiday season and year-round. Please contact our Development Staff with questions:
Jane Ukleja at 815-729-0930 ext. 1235 or jukleja@gacsprograms.org
Valerie Pastwa at 815-729-0930 ext. 1233 or vpastwa@gacsprograms.org
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This Week's Lessons
Isaiah 40:1-11
Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13
2 Peter 3:8-15a
Mark 1:1-8
Visit lectionarypage.net to read this week's lessons.
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Collect for The Second Sunday of Advent
Merciful God, who sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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As part of a winter community service project the youth of St. John's will be volunteering at Feed My Starving Children on Friday, December 11, 2020. They will meet at the Church at 5:00 pm and will be back around 9:00 pm. Please feel free to contact Pat Smith-Huntoon with any questions.
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What if you had a way to give free money to the work and ministry of St. John's? Well there is!
By signing up with Scrip you can do your shopping (at most of the stores you are already shopping at) with prepaid cards and Scrip offers a percentage of what you spend back to St. John's. There is NO cost to you.
This is also a great way to purchase all those gift cards you will want to give as Christmas gifts this year.
Please go to the scrip page of our website for more information.
If you have any questions, please contact Pat Smith-Huntoon at sjescrip@gmail.com.
The next Scrip order will be submitted at 7:00 p.m. Sunday, December 6.
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Birthdays & Anniversaries
December 4: John Weller
December 4: Doris Sheffer
December 6: Sabina Childs
December 6: Bev Keene
December 9:Ida Norton
Heavenly Father we are so thankful for this week's birthday celebrants: John, Doris, Sabina, Bev, and Ida. Lord, we ask that You please bless them with a year filled with joy and contentment. Please keep them safe, mentally and physically healthy, and on the path that leads to love and life eternal.
In Jesus' name we pray.
Amen
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Need a little midweek spiritual socialization pick-me-up? Join us for Weekly Bible Study! Thursdays at 5:00 we will gather via Zoom to continue the study of the book of Matthew.
Click here to enter Zoom for Bible Study
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Farewell Bishop Lee
As you are all aware, Bishop Lee will be retiring at the end of next month. The Standing Committee will be hosting a virtual farewell celebration for Bishop Lee and Lisa on December 5 at 4:00 p.m. You are invited to be a part of that gathering, please click here to register for the event. At that farewell celebration the Diocese will present Bishop Lee and Lisa with a purse to show our love and appreciation for their years of ministry among us. If you would like to contribute to that purse, please either mail in a check made payable to St. John the Evangelist and put "Bishop's Purse" in the memo line, or click here to make an online donation. (Please remember to select "Bishop's Retirement Purse" in the 'Fund" dropdown menu. All donations need to be received by St. John's no later than November 30.
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THANK YOU!!!!!
For those of you who have been keeping your pledges current and those who have given extra to support the work of St. John's, THANK YOU!
We understand that the last several weeks have been challenging for many people, so if you have found that you need to adjust your commitment to the budget of St. John's, please let Sarra in the Church Office know.
We are confident that God will see us through the challenges that lie ahead and that we will come out of this being a stronger and more faithful community because of it.
Please continue to share your generosity by mailing a check to:
St. John the Evangelist
P.O. Box 25
Flossmoor, IL 60422
Of by setting up automatic bill pay through your bank (this is a free service of most banks). Or by clicking on the "Online Giving" button below. If you give online, please consider clicking the box that allows you to add 3% to cover the processing fees from the credit card companies.
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In addition to online giving there is also a text option.
Text "SaintJohn" to 73256 to give using your mobile device. This number will never send unsolicited texts to you. To cancel further messages, text STOP. If you need assistance with text giving, text HELP. Standard text message and data rates may apply.
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Parish Cycle of Prayer
Candice Barrera
Andrea Barrera
Alexander Barrera
Father in Heaven, this week we lift up in prayer: The Barrera Family. Please bless them with an abundance of peace and an overflowing cup of joy. Bring comfort to them in their time of need and help them to seek You in all that they do. Please Lord, act as their shield from illness, both mental and physical. All this we ask in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ.
Amen
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