| Weekly Newsletter for April 24, 2025 |
| | | Spiritual Growth Series Preview |
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| Where does God find you? Kathryn Kinjo Duncan
Where does God find YOU in the natural world around us? How do God’s natural creations help you connect to the Divine?
Do you seek God (or does God seek you) on mountaintops, in deep in lush forests, or in the gentle rush of ocean waves against your ankles?
Do you feel closest to God when you are among animals – observing the playfulness of dolphins or being comforted by your dog, who just instinctively knows when you need extra cuddles?
Does God come to you in the complexities of science – the chemical reactions that make our bodies work, or the mathematical patterns of sunflowers and ears of corn?
Do you feel God’s presence when you observe a solar eclipse, or a meteor shower, or when you contemplate our seeming insignificance among the vast expanse of the cosmos?
We’re kicking off a new Spiritual Growth Series that will take place this Sunday (April 27) and May 11. These sessions will begin with a brief discussion to get your thoughts flowing, and then you’ll have the opportunity to share in small groups about the places that God finds you (outside traditionally religious settings).
You can… speak about your thoughts off-the-cuff bring pictures or items from home or show photos on your phone that help you share these connections with each other!
Start thinking ahead for our topic on May 11:
Where does God find you in the arts and humanity? This could include art you make yourself (photography, painting, crochet, writing, singing, playing in an orchestra, etc), or appreciating the artistic creations of others (like going to a museum, watching a documentary or movie, or re-reading your favorite book). This also could include spiritual practices like yoga or meditation, physical exercises like playing sports or weightlifting, or working with particular service organizations that help you find God amongst your neighbors.
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| Join us for Sunday morning worship online at 9:30am
Meeting ID: 842 861 148 Passcode: 414299 |
| | Sunday bulletins are posted online every Saturday morning. |
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| | | | Holy Week Thank Yous!
We are so grateful to all who made Holy Week 2025 so special for all involved! Our Better Together parish friends at Trinity and St. Lawrence who attended our Maundy Thursday and hosted Good Friday and the Easter Vigil. Those who participated in our dramatic reading at the Easter Vigil: Emily Calub, Matt Geiger, Mary Rodgers, Remy Rodgers-Geiger, and Renzo Rodgers-Geiger. All the liturgical ministers at Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, and Easter Sunday. Special thanks for extra help goes to Suzann Sladcik, David Schaper, and Nancy Buller, Matthew Regalado, Gregor Leckie, Emily & Tina Calub, and Bruce, Moore. All involved with the delicious Maundy Thursday dinner – those who planned, cooked, brought food items, helped serve, and helped clean up, especially Debbie Kinjo and Sharon Gramer, as well as Sally Holtz, Barb Schaper, Nancy Buller, Jim Mitchell, Janet Foltz, Bruce Moore, Marilyn Knilans, Carolyn Lombardo, Cindy Millspaugh, and Cissy Singleton. Our Easter Egg Hunt & Games leaders: Rafael Orsi, Tina Calub, and Nana Agyeman, and all who who helped stuff the eggs. Those who provided food for and served our Easter Sunday pastries, coffee, and mimosas (Debbie, Sharon, Cissy Singleton, Art Bielski) The Altar Guild for making the church - and especially the altar! - so astoundingly beautiful for worship, especially Marilyn Knilans, Cissy Singleton, Sally Holtz, Cindy Millspaugh, and Louisa Baddeley. Peter Holtz, Sally Holtz, and Pat King for sprucing up our memorial garden for Easter. Kathryn, James, our professional quartet, and the StGs choir for providing extraordinary music for our Holy Week services Anita, Casey, and Colleen for providing their usual excellent staff support. All who donated toward Easter music and/or flowers. All who attended Holy Week services! …Sorry if we missed any names! We love you, too.
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| | Important Parish Meetings
The Vestry invites you to TWO Parish Meetings about the long-term possibilities for our land and property, including the Parking Lot.
Please plan on attending both, if you are able:
1. Information Sharing Meeting Sunday, May 4 | 10:45 - 11:45 am
2. Feedback and Discussion Meeting Sunday, May 18 | 10:45 - 11:45 am
Childcare will be available in the Nursery and at Blessed Little Adventures. The meeting will be live-streamed and recorded. |
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| | This Saturday:
Charlie Porter Funeral Service
All are invited to attend Charlie Porter’s funeral, which will be held at St. Gregory’s THIS SATURDAY, April 26 at 11am. You can read his obituary here.
If you haven’t already, please click this link to record your memories of Charlie to be shared with his family. You can also email them to Kathryn directly. |
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| | New Front Door!
We are so excited to have a beautiful, brand new door at the entrance of the nave (the northwest corner of the building, enters into the back of the sanctuary). Special thanks to an anonymous donor for making this possible, and Peter Holtz for facilitating the installation! The door is currently functional for manual operation; the electric opener for persons with disabilities is being installed. |
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| | Next Community Meals is THIS SUNDAY!
Thanks to the many volunteers who have signed up to help in Waukegan or to bake cookies for our guests. We have room for a few more people. Our next turn to serve is May 25th. Please add your name to the sheet in the Sign Up Center, or email Barb Schaper via the button below. |
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| | May 31: Church Clean Up Day
From 9am-noon on Saturday, May 31st we invite all to help spruce up our church building and grounds with a little bit of spring cleaning! We’ll have projects big and small, both indoor and outdoor, that will be accessible for all ages and ability levels. Lunch to follow! Please add your name to the sheet in the Sign Up Center to let us know you can come.
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| | Sexton Casey Kremer is on vacation
Our sexton Casey is on a well-deserved vacation through May 18! If you need help with access to the building or with any other related concerns, please contact Anita (anita@stgregoryschurch.org) or Kathryn (kathryn@stgregoryschurch).
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| | BSA Troop 50’s 48th Annual Spaghetti Dinner is THIS SATURDAY!
St. Gregory's sponsored Troop 50 is hosting its annual fundraiser THIS SATURDAY, April 26th from 6-8 pm at Wilmot School, 795 Wilmot Rd, Deerfield. All-you-can-eat catered spaghetti dinner tickets are $15/adult, $10/child, and there will be a silent auction, cake walk, and other great prizes. Raffle tickets for a new iPad are $5 - don't need to be present to win. Contact Catherine if you would like to buy tickets to support the troop! ceshawl@yahoo.com, or 847-869-2623
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| | Ongoing Connections…
We have many ways that you can connect to our StGs – some of which you may not have heard about before! We encourage you to consider digging in to your activity with StGs and inviting your friends to join as well.
Perhaps you’d enjoy making a spiritual connection midweek with our short Wednesday morning healing service on Zoom, or you’d like to finally finish knitting that baby blanket with our Common Threads group the second Tuesday of every month. You might like to discuss excellent books with new friends at our monthly book club (the 2nd or 3rd Wednesday every month), or serve our hungry neighbors at Community Meals…….. or all of the above and more! If you’re looking for ways to connect to each other but you’re just not sure exactly what exactly is the right fit, please reach out to Kathryn for more info.
Scroll down to the next section in this email for more details on our groups! |
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| | | | | Midweek Prayer Every Wednesday | 8:00am
Need a midweek spiritual boost? Join a lovely small group of folks who gather online every week for spiritual renewal and to pray intentionally for everyone in our community who is in need. |
| | Meeting ID: 750 552 357
Password: 587299 |
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| | Common Threads Second Tuesday of the month | 7:00pm
Bring a new or ongoing craft project to work on while you enjoy fun and fellowship with other parishioners. Whatever your craft - whether your medium is knitting, embroidery, painting, calligraphy, etc - and whatever your skill level, all are welcome! |
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| | Book Club2nd Wednesday of the month (for May and June), then back to the 3rd Wednesday 7:00pm
A reminder that April’s book club is cancelled! However, you can get a head start on May’s book…
May 14:
Grandma Gatewood’s Walk by Ben Montgomery Emma Gatewood told her family she was going on a walk and left her small Ohio hometown with a change of clothes and less than two hundred dollars. The next anybody heard from her, this genteel, farm-reared, 67-year-old great-grandmother had walked 800 miles along the 2,050-mile Appalachian Trail. And in September 1955, having survived a rattlesnake strike, two hurricanes, and a run-in with gangsters from Harlem, she stood atop Maine’s Mount Katahdin. There she sang the first verse of “America, the Beautiful” and proclaimed, “I said I’ll do it, and I’ve done it.” The story of Grandma Gatewood will inspire readers of all ages by illustrating the full power of human spirit and determination. Even those who know of Gatewood don’t know the full story—a story of triumph from pain, rebellion from brutality, hope from suffering. |
| | Meeting ID: 817 1184 3180
Passcode: 893734 |
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| | | | | For healing in mind, body, or spirit: Lyle TenEyck, Carrie Camino, Ariel Singleton, Craig Wilson
In thanksgiving for…
For the departed… Dulcie, Loretta, Jim Collins
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| | | | | | | | | Announcements are for church-related matters only. Deadline for announcements is Monday at noon. Please send announcements to Kathryn Kinjo Duncan. |
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