SPR is honored to be welcoming this interfaith vigil. This event is designed to bring together survivor families, gun violence prevention activists, anti-violence stakeholders, community members, and organizations to honor the members in our community killed by gun violence and to support gun violence survivor families in Illinois. All are welcome to join us in the sanctuary at 6:30 pm tonight, Friday December 14th.
Come share cookies and get cookies with other SPR families. There will be activities for the kids this year to keep their minds off the cookies. Bring a dozen or so cookies to share and exchange. We will have light snacks and juice for parents and children. Please RSVP to margarethoover@hotmail.com or 773-414-5759. 1053 E. Hyde Park Blvd, Buzzer 4, 12/15 from 2-4 PM.
Helping at Open Kitchen is an easy way to make a real difference in people’s lives. Come this Sunday at 12:30pm in the SPR Kitchen to help cook. No skills necessary and there will be step-by-step guidance. Cooks of all ages are welcome, though we ask parents to join in to supervise very young children. If you are interested in shopping, cooking, or driving as part of this food ministry, please contact Fran Spaltro at: pambasilea@gmail.com
This quiet service of prayer, music and healing is held on the longest night of the year, acknowledging that holiday time can be difficult for those who are grieving or facing other sadness. Join us for this service in the Chapel at 7:30pm on Friday, December 21.
Friday, December 21: BLUE CHRISTMAS SERVICE
7:30 PM Chapel
This quiet service of prayer, music and healing is held on the longest night of the year, acknowledging that holiday time can be difficult for those who are grieving or facing other sadness
Sunday, December 23: FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT
8 AM, 9:15 AM and 11:15 AM
Morning Services of Holy Eucharist
Monday, December 24: CHRISTMAS EVE
5 PM: Family Service with Children’s Pageant 9 PM: Festal Service with Choirs
Tuesday, December 25: CHRISTMAS DAY 10 AM: Morning Service of Holy Eucharist
Sunday, December 30: FIRST SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS Two Services Only: 8 AM & 10 AM
Morning Service of Holy Eucharist
Sunday, January 6: THE EPIPHANY
8 AM, 9:15 AM and 11:15 AM
Three Morning Services of Holy Eucharist Resume
Intergenerational Formation: Celebrating Epiphany
Youth Group Returns
The Rev. Catherine E Healy has accepted our call to become the 7th and first female rector of St. Paul & the Redeemer. Catherine is currently serving as Assistant Rector for Youth and Family at St. Andrew’s Church in Wellesley, MA. She is a graduate of Harvard Divinity School and a recent Canterbury Scholar. Her prior experience in ministry spans 10 years and is broad and rich. She is grounded in tradition, thoughtful in her preaching, possesses a deep spirituality and has a passion for social justice. A Chicago native, Catherine shares her life with her wife Heather and their newborn, Mary Clare. She will make a special appearance at our annual meeting, January 27th with a start date of March 1, 2019. Please read the letters from the Wardens and Catherine on our website sprchicago.org/rector-transition-updates/.
Sunday, December 16 after 9:15am service: Pageant Script Hand Out/Roles finalized (Byllesby Room)
Thursday, December 20th from 5:30-7pm: Pageant Dress Rehearsal (Sanctuary)
Sunday, December 23rd after 9:15am service: optional brush up rehearsal (only kids with lines, who would like help)
Monday, December 24th, 4pm: call time for the Christmas Eve Pageant and Family Service (which begins at 5pm)
Any questions, volunteering, requests should be directed to Gretchen Eng at eng@sprchicago.org. Please write her with your child/ren’s age(s) and name(s) if you would like to participate!
This Sunday's Adult Formation is the last session of Interim Rector Julianne Buenting's presentation on Centering Prayer. If you are interested in learning a new contemplative practice, please do join us. It does not matter whether you have been able to attend the other two Sundays! This method of silent prayer has been taught by Contemplative Outreach and is based on early monastic contemplative prayer teachings. Julianne+ is a Centering Prayer presenter, commissioned by Contemplative Outreach. We will meet in the St. Cecilia room from 10:25 am to 11:05 am on December 16th.
Please join the SPR Anti-Racism Working Group in celebration of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s legacy. We are organizing an SPR group to attend the Community Renewal Society's (CRS) Faith in Action Assembly, which will include worship, a performance, and a Chicago mayoral candidate forum focusing on CRS's Platform for Renewal (www.communityrenewalsociety.org). The event will take place on Monday, January 21 from 8 - Noon at Liberty Baptist Church of Chicago, 4849 S King Drive. Childcare will be provided during the assembly for ages three and up. Please sign up in the Narthex or email antiracism@sprchicago.org, and indicate if you need a ride and/or childcare.
IT'S JESUS' BIRTHDAY! TIME TO CELEBRATE WITH OUR ANNUAL WHITE ELEPHANT PARTY FOR YOUTH GROUP: THIS SUNDAY, DEC 16, 5-7 PM
A white elephant is "a possession that is useless or troublesome, especially one that is expensive to maintain or difficult to dispose of." A White Elephant Gift Exchange is a popular Christmas event where people vie to walk away with the best present. It also goes by Yankee Swap, Dirty Santa, and a plethora of other names. Come to the last Youth Group of 2018 this Sunday with your gift in hand! Dinner provided by the Stackert family. (We will resume youth group in the new year on January 6, 2019.)
Facilitated by the Antiracism Commission of the Diocese of Chicago, in partnership with Chicago ROAR, this workshop will explore the idea that racism is a systemic, institutional problem of power and creates the rationale for a structural intervention to dismantle it. By participating you will learn strategic methods for engaging in productive conversations about race and dismantling systemic racism in your institution. The workshop will take place on Saturday, Jan.12 from 8:30-4:00pm in the Sanctuary. Food and childcare will be provided. The Youth Group will be attending this training as a group; if you are a member of the youth group and plan to attend, please RSVP here as well! Sign up online at sprchicago.org/arwg or in the Narthex! Contact antiracism@sprchicago.org for more information.
