This Sunday at SPR:

  • It's Pentecost

Wear RED to church!
(Don't worry, we'll still let you in if you don't!)

  • Baptism

At the 9:15am Eucharist, Henry Leland Byrn will receive Holy Baptism. Please pray for Henry and his family on this happy occassion.

  • Sunday is Cereal Sunday

Please bring boxed breakfast cereal donations for SPR Food Pantry to all services this Sunday. 

  • A New Dawn - Meet the Artists

On Sunday, there will be a special coffee hour after the 11:15 service in the Byllesby Room & Chapel where you can meet the many SPR artists whose work is displayed in the chapel. The exhibit - called A NEW DAWN - consists of artwork by various SPR parishioners. The focus is on embracing spring and new possibilities, and encouraging all of us to talk with each other about what we see for our future. Contact: Jim Wright.  

  • Mission Trip Themed Youth Group - All Parishioners Welcome

St. Christopher’s in Oak Park housed Lalo, a man in sanctuary who recently got his asylum! This Sunday's mission trip-themed youth group will feature Lalo to talk about the sanctuary movement. Meet in the youth room at 5p for dinner and fellowship. This Sunday's youth group is open to all parishioners hoping to learn about the sanctuary movement.

  • Open Kitchen this Sunday

You are invited to help the Open Kitchen crew today at 12:30p in the Kitchen as they prepare the meal to be served at the Kenwood Open Kitchen. Contact: Fran Spaltro. 

Serve Neighbors:

  • Hunger Walk 2018

This years Hunger Walk will be on Saturday, September, 8th at Jackson Park. For each Walker the SPR Food Pantry receives a $12.00 credit. Last year your generous participation netted the pantry over $700.00! With those funds we were able to purchase food from the Depository for 4 months! You are encouraged to sign up in the Narthex before you go on vacation as the registration deadline is mid August. For more information contact Shirley Knight.

  • Gardening Sunday

Have you always wanted to help in the garden, but are too busy Saturday mornings?  Here is your chance to help.  On Sunday, May 27th come to church dressed in your “gardening best” and after the 10am service help us transplant seedlings into SPR’s food garden.  All ages and experience levels are welcome.

  • Haiti Gathering! 

Have you ever wondered what we do in Haiti? Have you ever thought about going to Haiti to visit St Patrick School and Church-our partner church? Have you ever thought about what you can you to help the students, people of Tom Gateau,Haiti? Join us on June 6, 2018, at 7:00 PM at Ron and Linda Thisted’s home, 5729 S. Woodlawn, to hear about our latest trip and learn how you might become involved. If you plan to attend, please RSVP to Linda Thisted.

Rector Search & Transition:

  • Have you signed up for a Small Group Session?

(Online sign-up)

The Rector Search Committee really wants to hear from you! The committee needs your help in defining the traits desired in our next rector and also in gathering information essential to our future.
Sign up sheets are in the Narthex and online at sprchicago.org/rector-search. Dates and times are available through May 29, and you only need to attend one of the 90 minute sessions. This is a critical step in the search process, and as diverse as our parish is, we need to hear from all parishioners!  Comments and opinions expressed in the small groups will remain in strict confidence. Come, participate and let your voice be heard.

  • Update from the Rector Search Committee

The Search Committee is very grateful to all who have devoted time to filling out the Church Assessment Tool (CAT) and to participating in the current small group discussions. The hopes and priorities you have expressed are invaluable to our work. Mark your calendars now for Adult Formation on June 3 following the 10:00 liturgy in the Parish Hall. We look forward to sharing with you the most significant themes that have emerged in this information gathering process.

Nurture Faith:

  • 2018 SPR Women’s Weekend Retreat, October 27-28

Join us for the women’s retreat this fall at Loyola University Retreat and Ecology Center, Woodstock, Illinois. This interim time is an important season at SPR to come together to be refreshed, encouraged, and challenged. We have thus shortened the length and decreased the cost of the retreat in hopes of including a broader group of women. The theme for the weekend is Junia: The First Woman Apostle, and we will explore the historical roots of women in power in the church. The schedule for our multigenerational group will include a balance of planned programing and free time to rest or explore the peaceful setting. Registration is $100/person for a double room and $130/person for a single room and will include 4 meals. Ride sharing and scholarship assistance will be available. There are 30 openings, so please register early to secure your spot, either on-line or on paper forms in narthex! The deadline is  Sept. 23. If you have any questions, please contact Richelle Stackert and the Leadership Team at sprwomensretreat@gmail.com. For more details and schedule click here.

  • Vacation Bible Camp: Registration Open

This year VBC will run from the 30th of July to the 3rd of August. Please register online here or in the Narthex. For more information contact Monte Tugwete.

  • Mission Trip Fundraiser: Wine & Cheese & Documentaries | Fri, June 1, 7-10p

The body of an unidentified immigrant is found in the Arizona Desert. In an attempt to retrace his path and discover his story, director Marc Silver and Gael Garcia Bernal embed themselves among migrant travelers on their own mission to cross the border, providing rare insight into the human stories which are so often ignored in the immigration debate. 
Join tonight’s adults-only (babysitting provided) fundraiser for wine, cheese, fresh-baked bread, and the documentary Who is Dayani Cristal? about life (and death) at the border. 
$20 suggested donation.

  • Still need to sign up for the mission trip?

Sign-up here by May 20. 
(Youth, please fill out the sign-up with at least one guardian.)

We’ll fly into Phoenix on Sunday, August 19, with a return flight on Saturday, August 25. 
Cost | $750/trip participant + flights (~$300 roundtrip)
If finances are a hardship, still sign up! Just note that you'd like scholarship in your registration.

  • Women’s Group Meeting

You are invited to join the Women’s Group meeting on Saturday, May 19 in the Byllesby Room from 3pm to 5pm. The theme of the meeting is Renewal. Contact: Charlene Jones-Foster. 

  • Hyde Park Racial Justice History Walking Tour

Join CROAR (Chicago Regional Organizing for AntiRacism) after the 10 o’clock service, on Sunday, June 3rd on an SPR racial justice history walking tour of Hyde Park. Kenji Kuramitsu and CROAR co-developed this tour to connect residents with our neighborhood’s’ stories of black resilience, white supremacy, and racial struggle that have shaped national and global movements. Notable stops include: the Obama, Farrakhan, and Muhammad Ali homes; the Hyde Park mansion used for Japanese/German/Italian internment; UChicago’s trauma center, nuclear legacies, and the site of Charles Thomas’s shooting by UCPD. Please RSVP here or contact: Kenji Kuramitsu.

  • Anti-Racism Trainings

For those who may have missed the April anti-racism training, CROAR is offering two 2.5-day sessions May 24-May 26 and again on July 26-July 28. Use the discount code EDOC to take advantage of the $75 registration fee. To register use the following links:  
May 24-May 26 at Fourth Presbyterian
http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07ef8ond6b7e778131&llr=sysrdbqab
July 26-28 at Loyola
http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07ef1drmno4f21e6e8&llr=sysrdbqab