Sunday, March 17

In light of Sunday’s canceled service (as a precaution for minimizing the potential spread of COVID-19), we are happy to share the music and readings for March 15. Click the music and reading titles below to link to them.

#650 – O Jesus, Joy of Loving Hearts
#673 – The First One Ever
#690 – Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah

Exodus 17:1-7
Romans 5:1-11
John 4:5-42
Psalm 95

Thank you to our talented parish organist, Mio Nakamura, for recording Sunday’s hymns for us to enjoy, reflect on, and pray. (Also located on our Facebook “Videos” page)


You can also visit https://www.missionstclare.com/english/ for daily readings and devotions to participate in Sunday, March 15 worship from home.


Please keep checking in with our Facebook page for continued updates on future events, services, and worship.
Blessings and stay safe!

All services at St. John’s cancelled until further notice in accordance with guidelines put forth by Diocese

Dear St. John’s Parishioners,

We are all aware of the seriousness of the COVID-19 virus and the importance of practicing preventive care to make sure we are all safe. Please read this email in its entirety for important information, and please stay home from worship this weekend — and until further notice.

Things have been changing quickly in the past couple of days and yesterday Bishop Lee sent out a message to all churches in the diocese encouraging parishioners to stay home starting this Sunday. His exact message was “I ask that you communicate with the people of your congregations as soon as possible and encourage them to stay home from church beginning this Sunday”. Following his message the Vestry and I have decided to cancel our regular Sunday services. You are encouraged to stay home and not come to St. John’s.

Because this message may not get to everyone in time, Rev. Kate will still be at St. John’s and will read a simple Morning Prayer service this Sunday at our usual times — 8:00, 9:15, 11:00am. There will be NO communion (even from the reserve), NO coffee hour, and NO other programming. Please do not come to church, even if you were scheduled to lead worship. Rev. Kate is equipped to open and close the church, and to read the service alone. She will pray for those on our prayer list, and you may email her any additional requests at kate.spelman@gmail.com.

We will be discussing how we can still stay connected in future weeks including the possibility of an online service. Please continue to check your email and our Facebook and websites for further updates.

We will be reaching out to the outside groups who use our space asking them to consider postponing their meetings. St. John’s is also a voting site for this upcoming Tuesday’s election. We are in contact with the election officials and for the time being believe we will remain a voting site.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Tom Irvine, Senior Warden, tomirvine55@gmail.com

Bettina Daszczuk, Junior Warden, abscissa01@yahoo.com

Saint John’s: Forty Years Ago

As we have recently reminisced about where we were when man first landed on the moon forty years ago and have been reminded of the remarkable gathering at Woodstock, I wondered what was going on at Saint John’s in 1969? Nothing so momentous, but it was an interesting year.

The Reverend Leon B.G. Adams was into the fourth year of his ten year term as rector. It was a special year for him as he and his dear wife, Gladys, were happy to welcome their first grandchild into the world. Sylvia, the eldest of their three children, and her husband Roger Heider, a member of a parish family, gave birth to Robert Leon in March. In May, Father Adams had the distinct joy of baptizing his own grandson at Saint John’s.

Our first Seabury-Western seminarian, Charles B. King, Jr. completed his internship in May. He and his wife Alice gave birth to their first child, Christopher Mark, also in March. In an eventful year for Charles: he graduated from seminary and was later ordained to the diaconate by the Bishop of Albany in June and to the priesthood in December. Father King spent his entire ministry in the Diocese of Albany, serving small, mostly rural congregations. He is now retired and living in Ft. Edward, where he is Vicar of “tiny” Saint James Church and serves the Bishop as his advisor on Canon Law. He and Alice added three more children to their family, and Alice remains a Cubs fan.

In February seminarian, Wayne H. Carlson, preached on Theological Education Sunday. He and his wife, Diane, had been worshiping Saint John’s since the end of October, 1968, and in June he became our official seminarian. They came from Nebraska, and after ordination, Wayne returned there to begin his ministry. He later came back to the Diocese of Chicago, and is now Rector of The Church of the Holy Family in Park Forest. He is a friend of Kara, and attended her installation as our Rector.

Reverend Gerald Francis Burrill was the Bishop of Chicago in 1969, and oversaw the Diocese’s Companion relationship with the Diocese of Southwark in the United Kingdom. Saint John’s was linked to Saint Mark’s parish in Mitcham, Surrey, and Father and Gladys became good friends with The Reverend Roger Hawkins and his wife. Visits and gifts were later exchanged. Saint Mark’s gift to us was the lightweight damask green vestment set with red ornamentation. The symbols on the chasuble are the Lion of Saint Mark and the Eagle of Saint John–although they could be the Lion of England and Eagle of the United States–upholding a Celtic cross. We donated funds to enable Saint Mark’s to install flood lighting to illuminate the steeple and cross of their building–a long desire of the parish. Angela McCormick and her family were visiting her parents in July and they attended a service at Saint Mark’s, where Angela unveiled a plaque noting the gift from Saint John’s. Her family drove across Mitcham Common en route from their home to London so were familiar with this church and it’s steeple, and subsequently thought of St. John’s when making this trip, especially at night, when the cross really stood out!

Hugh Colburn recently told of his Wedding Day, which started off with a motor-cycle accident, so he decided to get a car accident lawyer to help him with this. He and Carol had their marriage blessed at Saint John’s in January. Hugh comments that he was still not feeling up to par, even then. 1969 was an eventful year for the Nelson family. Curtis and Carol [now Conway], were settling into their new parish home, and three of their four–at that time–children were baptized in January. In May, Curtis, Carol, Scott, Stephen, and Todd were confirmed. Carol became active in the Altar Guild, where in addition to being a vestry member, she ministers today.

Charles L. Siebert was treasurer and with a vestry comprising at that time of twelve members plus the wardens and rector, administered an annual budget of $26,677.00. The monthly income and expenses were in the range of $2,000.00. The parish had borrowed $20,000.00 in 1966 to purchase the neighboring property on Kostner Avenue. The old rectory on Kenneth was sold. In 1969, $6,030.72 plus interest was still due and this mortgage was being paid off in $166.09 month installments. The silver receiving basin and collection plates we use today were, appropriately enough, later given in memory of Charles L. Siebert.

Some other statistics from forty years ago: there were seventy families and twenty-eight individuals not in families; average attendance at 8:00 a.m. was thirty-eight and at 10:00 a.m. was eighty.

Several memorial gifts were received that year, the most notable being our “two Saint John” stained glass windows on the west wall of the church. Saint John the Baptist is portrayed in the window behind the font. He is clothed in the traditional animal skins and sandals and carries a sword. Ecce Agnus Dei–”Behold the Lamb of God” is inscribed above him and at his feet is the fish symbol with the acronym IXOYC–the initial letters of phrase Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior in Greek. On the north side, behind the usher’s station, the window portrays Saint John the Apostle. John, in robes, is holding the cup with serpent, which refers to the legend of the attempt on his life with a poisoned chalice. The symbols in this window are the Alpha and the Omega, representing the everlasting nature of Christ’s divinity.

With regard to our worship, the lengthy process of the revision of The Book of Common Prayer had begun and during the year we had been introduced to various trial liturgies. Nancy Raich who had been our organist/choir director for seven years retired at the end of the year.

It has been very interesting to delve into the parish archives to generate these memories. I think The Reverend Canon Charles B. King, Jr., must have been quite surprised to hear (thanks to the wonders of the internet) from someone at Saint John’s after all this time!

Angela McCormick
Parish Historian