The Chapel of St. John the Divine

SUMMER, 2008

2008-07-10T12:54:06-05:00

PROLOGUE

Newsletter of the Chapel of St. John the Divine

Episcopal Church Foundation at the University of Illinois

+++

Summer ~ 2008

Thanks to All Who Helped with the Three Choirs Festival! The Three Choirs Festival on June 7^th and 8^th was a great success. Special thanks to Linda Buzard & our Canterbury Choir for organizing this musical celebration! Thanks also to all who served as hosts for many of our guests, provided wonderful hospitality, and to our acolytes!

This beautiful music inspired all of us at our Sunday services & Evensong. Our guest choirs and their directors had a wonderful time, and we were all enriched with the experience!

A Guest Organist on July 13^th

On Sunday, July 13th, Guest Organist Jefferson McConnaughey will visit the Chapel, will play the 10:00 a.m. Service in Linda's stead. Jeff is the Assistant Organist and Director of Evensong at All Saints Episcopal Church in Atlanta, Georgia. He studied organ with Marilyn Kaiser in Asheville, NC, and is a published composer of choral and organ music.

Jeff first visited The Chapel in the summer of 2001 as part of the search process for an organ builder for All Saints, Atlanta. He substituted for Linda one Sunday that summer and, as a result of his experience, has expressed a fond desire to return. His travels through the area bring him to us, and we look forward to welcoming him back!

The *** Something Society*** Meets Wednesday, July 16^th!

Where?                                Andrew Lenharth’s Home,  1206 B, S Vine St , Urbana.

Who are We?                                      We are a  warm and lively group of 20-30 ***Somethings*** who

                                                             gather round for dinner & good conversation monthly.

Please Join us!                                   If you are a 20-30 ***Something***   & want to find out more,

                                                             please contact Jacob Schroder at jacob.bb.schroder@gmail.com.

                               We’d enjoy meeting you.!

Services on July 20th and July 27th

Fr. Hallett will be on vacation July 14-August 2. We have been unable to find a supply priest for the 20^th. In the absence of the organ that day (see above) services will be said Morning Prayer.

On July 27, we again welcome the Rev. Mollie Ward as our celebrant and preacher.

Chapel Completion Construction Update >>> to Celebrations Ahead!

The air conditioning units should be up and running within the next couple of weeks. For code purposes, a firewall will be installed adjacent to the St. Mary shrine. Thank work should be started soon, but it may take several weeks for the fire doors to be completed.

The old part of the Chapel roof is being replaced. That work will begin mid-July. The organ will need a plastic covering while the roofing goes on, so we will be without music on Sunday, July 19. A retaining wall will be installed adjacent to Canterbury House near the compressor enclosure. We plan to have our contractors lay the footings, then place the landscape brick ourselves.

We have a beautiful new landscape design for the Chapel’s grounds. Our landscape designer will supervise us as we add some enthusiastic sweat equity by Chapelites to the grounds. New plantings are being generously provided by Chapel alumna Christa Orum of Midwest Groundcovers, Inc. All of these accomplishments are forging the trail to all the good things that lie ahead!

Chapel Completion Celebrations are A-Borning !

A New Date for the Chapel Re-Dedication!

Monday, September 15^th at 6:00 p.m. Please note the date change!

The Chapel Alumni Reunion

will be held as previously announced the weekend of October 3^rd – 5^th!

Save the Dates ! Details to Unfold!

Former Chapelite and published composer, Michael Sitton,

has been commissioned to compose an anthem to premiere during the Alumni Reunion weekend in October. Michael is setting the inspired motto in our new rose window above the altar to music:

“O quam metuendus est locus iste! Vere non est hic aliud, nisi domus Dei et porta caeli."

Translation:

"O how awesome is this place! Truly this is none other than the house of God, and the gate of heaven."

We are gratefully accepting donations to underwrite the commissioning of Michael Sitton’s inspired new work of sacred music. If you wish to contribute to the anthem fund please make indicate "anthem commission fund" on the memo line of a check written to the Chapel. Deo Gracias!

Good News From Barbados

As announced in our last newsletter, the United Thank Offering (UTO) has funded a Companion Diocese Grant for the Diocese of Barbados to establish a parenting education program. We hear from Jennifer Maynard of the Barbados Mothers’ Union that the program will commence on August 11. Plans have been made for the parenting trainer to be in Barbados from August 8. The first stage of the program is the training of parenting facilitators (a total of 12).

Thanks to Susan Westbury and Ruth Wene who prepared the grant request, ably supported by our Diocesan UTO Coordinator, Jan Goossens.

Lambeth Conference July 20^th ~ August 4th

Please keep Bishop Beckwith and all the bishops in your prayers as they attend this important conference.

Two Canterbury House Apartment Openings: 2008-2009

A Chance o Live in the Heart of the campus!

We have an opening in Canterbury House-East (a bedroom with a private bath). The other opening is in Canterbury House-West, where the residents share a common bath.

Chapel affiliated students receive lst preference. Undergraduate & graduate students are eligible as well as international students. Rent & utilities are very affordable! Both apartments are very spacious and well equipped. All apartment mates have their own bedroom but work cooperatively to maintain their apartment common living space. The bath, kitchen and living & dining areas are shared, and the two apartments share a common laundry room. Cable & Internet connections. Canterbury House is smoke free, and CH residents have first dibs on renting a Chapel parking space if they have a car.

Prospective student resident may contact us directly at the church office at 344-1924 or stjohns@chapelsjd.org. Living at Canterbury House puts you close to everything happening on campus. Former residents of Canterbury House often stop by to visit with us after they graduate, a good sign of happy memories of their Canterbury House apartment days.

Parking at the Chapel ~ 2008-2009!

We are making parking space assignments in the Chapel Parking Lot for 2008-2009. We’re excited to be able to offer our west side parking spaces once again for people eager to have “their very own spot” to park in a prime campus location. We give first preference to students living at Canterbury House and to any of you affiliated with the Chapel, Please be in touch soon if you are one of those people! We always have more requests for parking than we have spaces. Please speak with Justine Schoeplein at the church office: 344-1924 or E-Mail us at stjohns@chapelsjd.org if you want to reserve a parking spot.

The “Good News”! With gas prices sky high we’re not raising parking fees for 2008-2009. Such a deal! If parking at the Chapel next year strikes a chord with you, do be in touch!

The Chapel’s Newest Parishioner! Amy & Jamie Weber are parents of a son, Ian, born on July 6^th. Blessings on him and congratulations to them!

Chapel Builders - A Sermon on the Fourth Sunday of Easter, 2008

2008-07-10T11:11:18-05:00

1 Peter 2:2-10

There’s a poem by John Ormond called “Cathedral Builders.” It's been running around in my head as construction of the Chapel nears completion:

They climbed on sketchy ladders towards God,
With wince and pulley hoisted hewn rock into heaven,
Inhabited sky with hammers, defied gravity,
Deified stone, took up God's house to meet Him.

It could just as well be called “Chapel Builders.”

They climbed on sketchy ladders towards God,
With wince and pulley hoisted hewn rock into heaven,
Inhabited sky with hammers, defied gravity,
Deified stone, took up God's house to meet Him.

One of the graceful things about the building rising next door is the pride the workmen are taking in it, and their care in workmanship. One of them told me, “I tell all my buddies to come around and take a look at what we’re doing because it’s like we’re building a cathedral.”
…hoisting hewn rock into heaven, defying gravity, deifying stone, taking God’s house up to meet Him.

You’ve got to have the stone, of course. That was one of the things that held things up, getting the stone here from the quarries. You’ve got to have the stone, good stone. The builders will soon be finished and will turn their work over to us. The Chapel will be built, but not necessarily alive. That will be our work.

“Like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”

Today’s reading from the First Epistle of Peter shows the early church struggling to make sense of Jesus’ rejection and death, and of the continuing rejection of their conviction that the crucified one is the Messiah. They were people who knew their Bible, and they scoured it for passages that might help them interpret what had happened and what was going on. They found in Psalm 118: “The same stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes.” (22-23)

And they found in the Prophet Isaiah: “See, I am laying in Zion a foundation stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation: ‘One who trusts will not panic.’ And I will make justice the line and righteousness the plummet.” (28:16)

Seen in the light of their own experience and conviction, things began to come together, make sense. So we have in 1 Peter: “Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God’s sight, and like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in scripture: ‘See, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.’ To you then who believe, he is precious; but for those who do not believe, ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the very head of the corner.’

The stone imagery finds voice in some of our most magnificent hymns: “Christ is made the sure foundation, Christ the head and cornerstone…” “Glorious things of thee are spoken, Zion, city of our God…on the Rock of Ages founded what can shake thy sure repose…” “The church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord.”

But it always comes back to us too: Like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

The limestone over there has taken shape. Now we begin to build with living stones, we begin to build with us living stones to see what the real shape of things will be. I hope we can build with the love and care shown by the workmen, and with the same awareness of what we’re building. How we build, how we are built, how we living stones come together will determine whether the Chapel is just a beautifully finished building or, as we claim in the rose window: “This is none other than the house of God.” Let us pray that is not presumptuous. The life we build in it, the life we bring to it and take from it, the lives we live will tell the tale. The workers have built a building square and true. It’s up to us to make justice the line and righteousness the plummet.

You are, if you will be—I’m talkin’ to you—you are, if you will be a royal priesthood, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
Blockheads that we are, dense as rock, hard as flint, God is working overtime to shape us into the living stones that will make that building over their God’s building. Never forget that unless the Lord builds the house, their labor is in vain who build it. Don’t let the workmen have built for nothing. You are God’s building. Take it into that building. Take up God’s house to meet him.

Add Images to Galleries

2008-01-25T21:58:57-06:00

Adding images to the galleries is a snap! However, there are some things you should know before you attempt to add images.

You may not upload images that are larger than 800KB. If you need to reduce the size of your image, I suggest using one of the following (but you are free to use whatever you like):
- Irfanview for Windows
- The Gimp for Linux
- ??? for Mac (I use one but I haven't found freeware I like yet)
Only upload one version of your image. Our image module will provide a standard preview and thumbnail version of your image.
You may upload images in one of the following formats: .jpg, .gif, and .png. JPEG (.jpg) is strongly recommended for photographs.

Got it? Okay, now you are ready to load your images.

Click on "Create Content" in the top left menu.
Select "Image" from the content types.
Fill in the following fields:
- Title: This is the title you want to give your image.
- Image Galleries: Select the image gallery to which you wish to add your image.
- Image: Browse to find the image you want to upload.
- Body: In the Body section, you can add any descriptive text related to the photograph.
Click on "Submit" at the bottom.

Congratulations! You've done it! Repeat this process for each image you want to upload.

Something Society Kicks Off Year

2007-09-12T09:33:36-05:00

Something Society, a dinner and conversation group of 20- and 30-somethings, kicked off the academic year on 10 September 2007.

Fourteen members, including several newcomers, gathered at the home of Emily Evans and Sören Wiesenveldt. Mosquitos chased the group indoors, where we feasted on appetizers, roast beef, salad, and dessert. Most of the conversation focused on catching up on each others' summer adventures and getting to know new members of the group.

The next Something Society meeting will be held on 8 January at the home of Amelia and James Weber. More information will be made available on the events calendar.

Chapel Completion Gallery

2007-09-09T13:27:40-05:00

All pictures from Chapel Completion should be added to this gallery.

Get a User Account

2007-09-01T18:30:44-05:00

Getting a user account is essential to getting the most out of this website. Fortunately, getting an account is very easy. Here are the steps:

Go to http://www.chapelsjd.org/user/register.
Enter the following information:
1. Username: Although you can use any username that is not currently in use, please use the following format: First Last (e.g. Ross Musselman).
2. Email address: Enter a valid email address. Your login information will be sent to that email account.
3. Captcha Validation: In order to prevent spam on the site, you will need to type the text from the colored box into this field.
Once you have received your login information, you will need to follow the link that is in the email. It will allow you to login to your account.
The next step is to set your password. It is important that you set a good password, as you are responsible for your account.
Also, take a moment to fill in the other fields, including the Personal and Family Information. All of that information will only be visible to other registered users.

Report Your News!

2007-09-01T15:11:43-05:00

One of the things that makes Drupal such a great CMS is that everyone in the community can report their news directly to the site. To do that, you will need to login (click here if you don't know how) and follow these steps:

On the left sidebar, click on "Create content".
Find and click on "Story".
Make sure to fill in the following fields:
1. Title: This is the title of the news item. It is the text that will show up on the Chapel News sidebar.
2. Body: This is the news. You should see several icons at the top of this field. You can use these icons to format text or insert pictures.
Once you have written the story, you need to submit the story. You do that by scrolling down until you see the "Submit" button. Click it, and your story will be entered.
After you have submitted the story, it's a good idea to double check that the story has been submitted. To do that, look at the right side panel, underneath "Chapel News". If what you entered in the "Title" field doesn't show up there, something has gone wrong. If so, email the Webmaster.

Dr. Joseph Smith Honored by Seminary

2007-09-01T12:50:55-05:00

AUSTIN, TEXAS — Trustees of the Episcopal Seminary of the Southwest honored Dr. Joseph Smith on his retirement from the seminary board after nine years of service.

Dr. Smith, a retired University of Illinois administrator and member of St. John the Divine Episcopal Church in Champaign, was an active member of the board’s faculty and education committee.

The board of trustees resolution reads —

“Whereas Joseph Smith has served faithfully and well on this board since 1998 and has been a responsible member of the Faculty and Education Committee throughout that time; and

“Whereas he spoke for and called for diversity among our students, staff, and faculty; and

“Whereas he has given voice to the silent concerns of some, questioned the assumptions of others, and did so at a pace that was, amazingly, even slower than that of Charlie Cook; and

“Whereas we will miss his wisdom and friendship,

“Be it, therefore, resolved on this 14th day of May, 2007, that the Trustees of the Seminary of the Southwest extend their profound thanks to Joseph Smith and bid him Godspeed as he leaves this Board, but not the wider seminary community.”

Dr. Joseph Smith Honored by Seminary

2007-08-14T11:17:08-05:00

AUSTIN, TEXAS — Trustees of the Episcopal Seminary of the Southwest honored Dr. Joseph Smith on his retirement from the seminary board after nine years of service.

Dr. Smith, a retired University of Illinois administrator and member of St. John the Divine Episcopal Church in Champaign, was an active member of the board’s faculty and education committee.

The board of trustees resolution reads —

“Whereas Joseph Smith has served faithfully and well on this board since 1998 and has been a responsible member of the Faculty and Education Committee throughout that time; and

“Whereas he spoke for and called for diversity among our students, staff, and faculty; and

“Whereas he has given voice to the silent concerns of some, questioned the assumptions of others, and did so at a pace that was, amazingly, even slower than that of Charlie Cook; and

“Whereas we will miss his wisdom and friendship,

Pentecost 2007

2007-07-31T16:22:19-05:00

The period between Ascension and Pentecost is a time of waiting for the disciples. They’d been through the tumult of Holy Week; they’d known the joy of Easter; they’d known more than once the presence of the Risen Lord; their meals continued their communion with him. The Acts of the Apostles, in the chapter before the story of Pentecost, tells of the Ascension, which presents some cosmological difficulties for those of us who are overly right-brained. But the point of the story isn’t cosmological; it’s theological. And it’s the counterpoise to the Incarnation. In the Incarnation, God takes on humanity; in the Ascension humanity is taken into God. The circle is complete. Now humanity—our humanity—is forever part of the Godhead. But it took awhile to figure all that out. Even the disciples, the witnesses of all these things, couldn’t articulate it yet. They went back to Jerusalem, did some community housekeeping, replacing Judas with Matthias to bring the number of the Twelve back to Twelve. They said their prayers. And they waited. They were filled with hope, not quite knowing what their hopes were or how to live into them. They were living in between: between earth-shattering events and who knows what. The German language has a lovely word for where they were. It was a Zwischenzeit, a time between. They gathered again in the Upper Room—you remember that place, the supper place. It was sort of their headquarters. They waited there. And then Whoosh! Wind, Spirit, Fire! They were filled with the Spirit, on fire, possessed, changed forever. No more Zwischenzeit for them. The event that changed them had come. They knew what to do now. They were to take on Christ’s work of changing the world. They were to bring hope into the world. The gospel on Pentecost is also a Spirit story, this one set on the evening of Easter Day. Jesus appears in the midst of the disciples—perhaps in that same Upper Room. He breathes on them, breathes the Spirit into them, the breath of God. This Pentecost our congregation gathered in Lower Room—the lower level of Canterbury House. It’s become our headquarters, our hang-out, our place of communion during our own time between: the Zwischenzeit between old Chapel and Completion. We’ve been through the excitement of planning and the completion campaign. Now we wait. We’re a little anxious, not knowing quite what’s next. But we’re filled with hope for what is to come and what it will mean for our ministry. We hope it will help us bring more hope to the world. We’re waiting to see. Except that Pentecost won’t let us wait. Here we are in our Lower Room and Whoosh! Wind, Spirit, Fire! We’re baptized with the Spirit and fire. And we can’t pretend we don’t know what to do; and the Spirit won’t let us wait to get started. Postponing things doesn’t lead to completion. Our ministry isn’t in the future. It’s here. Now. Remember that moment in the baptismal rite when we’re anointed, christened? The priest says, “N., you are sealed with the Holy Spirit in baptism and marked as Christ’s own forever.” It means we’re not only our own anymore. We’re possessed, Christ’s own, the Spirit’s own. Possessed. In baptism, we also promise to seek Christ in all persons. But to do that we need to remember to seek Christ in ourselves, Christ in us. We won’t do very well at identifying Christ in others until we get a grip on the fact that Christ is in us. Christ is in you and don’t you dare doubt or forget it. William Porcher Du Bose, perhaps the greatest theologian the Episcopal Church has produced puts it this way: “God in Christ is only half the truth and mystery of the incarnation; Christ in us is the full other half.” Christ in us is the full other half. The breath of God is hot upon you friends, and has lit a candle that shall not be put out. There’s a world that needs changing out there. Do it. There’s a world that needs hope. Give it. Christ in you is the other half of the incarnation, full circle. Make Christ’s work complete.

Our Youth Group

2007-07-19T15:57:41-05:00

The Chapel's Youth Group includes children 13 years and older. The youth group meets regularly on Sundays for fellowship, study, and service. Everyone looks forward to their Spahetti Suppers, which support their outreach projects.

The Youth Group has participated in the Appalachian Service Project and will be supporting congregational projects related to the Millenium Development Goals.

The Youth Group authored the Chapel's unique Epiphany Pageant--an annual event.

Many of our youth have participated in Diocesan programs such as Church Camp, New Beginnings, Work Week, and Happening. Those participating in our choral program attend Choir Camps sponsored by the Royal School of Church Music.

Our Junior and Senior-High members assist in childcare in the Nursery. They service in worship as acolytes and choristers.

Choral Music Programs

2007-07-19T15:41:39-05:00

OUR CHORAL PROGRAMS RESUME IN SEPTEMBER. The first Choir Rehearsal will be on Wednesday, August 29, from 7:15 to 9:15 p.m. in the Lower Level of Canterbury House. For details about our Choir and Choristers, contact our Organist-Choirmaster, Linda S. Buzard (344-3426).

SEE A RAVE REVIEW OF OUR CHOIR in the News-Gazette, Wednesday, May 9, 2007.

Music can powerfully inspire worship. It can sum up all of our prayers and offer them "into thy presence as the incense." All human beings have talents or personal gifts which have been given them by God. And, it is right that we offer our talents to God in service of the Church and our fellow worshippers. Our ministry is to amplify our worship through musical expression, encouraging and nurturing those who have musical gifts, including everyone in our corporate musical expression. It is our firm belief that, since we have been given gifts or talents from God, we should strive to do our best in rendering to our Creator the musical praises offered by us on earth. It is a matter of proper honor to our Lord that we offer music of the highest quality, both in composition and performance.

The Chapel is proud to offer a solid, traditional program of Anglican music at the principal service each Sunday. The Anglican Musical Tradition is a living tradition, evolving, and including works from the ancient to the modern. Hymns, choral anthems, and the organ voluntaries are carefully selected to amplify the biblical lessons and psalms appointed for each day, in compositional styles appropriate to dignified worship.

The Canterbury Choir

The Canterbury Choir is comprised of volunteer singers, all of whom commit themselves to regular attendance at weekly rehearsals and Sunday services. A wide cross-section of persons within the Congregation are in the Choir, including Champaign/Urbana residents and those within the University community, incorporating those whose musical training ranges from amateur to professional. The personal commitment of each member to regular attendance is the key to its musically inspirational success. The very real fun of singing in the choir is a direct result of the fellowship which thinking, listening, and singing together provides. The choral library is one of the most complete in the area, and we commission new anthems from prominent composers within the Anglican Tradition from time to time.

The Canterbury Choristers: Choristers in Training

The Chapel of St. John the Divine is affiliated with the American branch of The Royal School of Church Music and has established a Chorister program for boys and girls according to the RSCM guidelines.

Unlike a typical children's choir, the Choristers sing with the adult choir and are full participants in the music ministry of the church. Through immersion in liturgical music of the highest quality, the Choristers learn the techniques of singing and score reading and develop an understanding of the Liturgy and the lessons of the church year. The Choristers' motto is: "I will sing with the spirit and with the understanding also."

The Choristers In Training program is being established for children of the Parish from the first grade upwards who aspire to become full choristers. The basics of singing, music reading and church decorum are taught, preparing each child for full participation as a Chorister. The Choristers In Training will sing with the Choristers and the full Choir on special occasions.

Bless, O Lord, us Thy servants that minister in Thy temple. Grant that what we sing with our lips we may believe in our hearts, and what we believe in our hearts we may show forth in our lives. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen
—Chorister's Prayer

Our Organ: Buzard Opus No. VII

The pipe organ was built in 1991 by John-Paul Buzard Pipe Organ Builders. It is comprised of 29 straight speaking stops (36 ranks of pipes) and a Cymbalstern, across two manual keyboards and a pedal keyboard. It visually complements the Chapel's gothic architecture, has been tonally designed to embrace the Anglican Musical Tradition, and be of sufficient size for the Chapel when it is completed.

The Chapel organ is one of the first built in recent years which embodies the somewhat romantic English Cathedral style of organ building; the organ was directly inspired by the famous organs at King's College, Cambridge and York Minster. Although this instrument plays organ literature of all periods quite thrillingly, it is intended as an accompanying organ, used to lead hymn singing and accompany the Canterbury Choir. This instrument has directly inspired the creation of several new pipe organs in other parishes and churches across the United States. (For more about the organ, click here.)

The organ's console deliberately does not have a lock. All who are interested may come and play the instrument. We ask however that you announce yourself to the Administrative Assistant in the office at Canterbury House, wash your hands before playing upon the bone-plated keyboards, and wear proper organ shoes for playing the pedals.

Wider Outreach

St. John's and its parishioners sponsor several special musical programs every year, all of which are of the highest quality, and offered without charge. These often include organ recitals, organ and voice/instrumental ensembles and choral concerts.

The Canterbury Choir also offers two special Services during the fall: Solemn Evensong and A Service of Advent Lessons and Carols. There is a high percentage of visitors to the Chapel at these two services, whom we welcome warmly.

Contact Us

If you would like to discuss membership in the Canterbury Choir or Choristers with the Organist/Choirmaster, please contact Linda Buzard at (217) 344-3426 or through e-mail: Buzards@aol.com.

If you would like further information about the Chapel organ or would like to order an organ CD, please contact John-Paul Buzard at (217) 352-1955 or through e-mail: Jbuzard1@aol.com.

The Choir and Choristers have been featured on a number of compact discs. They are all available from the Chapel and proceeds benefit the Chapel Completion Fund.

Something Society

2007-07-19T15:12:56-05:00

The Something Society is a group of 20- and 30-somethings who meet once a month for dinner and conversation. We discuss general topics arising in our lives as well as religious topics. We enjoy visiting each others' homes; members volunteer to host dinners and to provide dishes. We include students, faculty and professionals; university types and townies; singles, couples and families, and children are welcome to attend.

We meet from 7-9pm on the second Monday of each month. If you're interested in joining us, contact Emily Evans at (emilydotevans AT gmail DOT com) or 217-417-7779, or ask anyone about us at Coffee Hour after the 10am Sunday Service.

Adult Education

2007-07-19T15:11:04-05:00

The future home of...

Church School

2007-07-19T15:09:59-05:00

The future home of...

Christian Education

2007-07-19T15:08:09-05:00

Our Christian Education Department has a wide verity of program offerings.

Our Nursery is located at the far west end of Canterbury house and is known for its big castle! It serves children from birth through age 3 every Sunday morning from 9:30 until after the 10:00 service.

Children’s Chapel, for our 4 to 8 year olds, meets in the Library on the main level of Canterbury House. The Children’s Service runs parallel to the 10:00 a.m. Sunday Eucharist. Children join their parents at the Peace, so that families may receive Communion together.

Church School Classes for Children K-12 meet from 11:00 a.m. until noon on Sundays, with four age groupings, using the Episcopal Children’s Curriculum. About 30 children participate in this Sunday program. This year’s programs begin the Sunday after Labor Day.

Our Middle and High School classes follow the Sunday lectionary, studying the Scriptures we have just heard (or are learning to listen to) in church. The Middle School class focuses on the Prophets. Middle and High School classes are an integral element of Confirmation Preparation.

The Elementary class studies the Prophets and the Church.

The Pre-K - Kindergarten class experiences God the Creator through stories and activities. They learn about Jesus, Son of God -- his birthday events and his miracles. They learn the good news of Easter. A unit on Baptism helps them understand the work of the Spirit and how God in Christ is at work in our lives. They complete the year leaning about the Church and the books we use for worship, prayer, and praise.

The Chapel Youth Group meets Sunday afternoons. They have participated in the Appalachian Service Project and will be an integral part of our congregation’s efforts in support of the Millennium Development Goals.

Our children participate in the Diocesan Youth Camp and Choir Camps under the auspices of the Royal School of Church Music. Children are active in worship as Acolytes and Choristers (see details of choral programs on our Choir Page).

Our Christian Education Department hosts several intergenerational programs each year, including our remarkable Epiphany Pageant, Epiphany Party, and Pentecost Picnic. The Chapel Children host a special Children’s Eucharist on Christmas Eve, with an orchestra composed of our young musicians. Children set up the Crèche and bring a doll or stuffed animal to join the figures at the Manger.

Each year we present a training program, Safeguarding God’s Children, which is required of anyone working with children and youth and recommended for all parents.

Confirmation Instruction is regularly scheduled for children and adults.

Adult Education Programs meet at various times and around various topics through the year.

May 2007

2007-05-05T07:59:43-05:00

ΠΡΟΛΟΓΟΣ PROLOGUE
Newsletter of the Chapel of St. John the Divine & Episcopal Church Foundation at the University of Illinois
stjohns@chapelsjd.org
www.chapelsjd.org
May 2007

Requiescat in Pace
Bernice ‘Bunny’ Lord Hulsizer passed away on April 12, 2007, at the age of 88. Well into her eighties she taught a regular deep-water aerobics class, but she had been in declining health for about a year. Her long service on the vestry and in other capacities helped to light up our lives. Those wishing to be in touch with her daughters may write to:
Cynthia Hulsizer, Ann Wymore, and Morgan Jenkins
c/o Cynthia Hulsizer
P.O. Box 530
Philo, IL 61864-0530

To celebrate and honor Bunny’s life, they will host a reception at her home, 313 W. Illinois St., Urbana, on Friday, May 4th, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. The Memorial Eucharist will be held in Canterbury House on Saturday, May 5th, at 2:00 p.m.

Choir to sing with BACH, Sunday 6th
On Sunday 6 May the choir and young choristers of St. John’s will perform “Music of the English Baroque” at the annual Spring Concert of the Baroque Artists of Champaign-Urbana (BACH), in the McKinley Memorial Presbyterian Church, at 5th and John St. in Champaign, at 7:30 p.m. For tickets, see www.baroqueartists.org or buy at the door: adults $18; seniors $15; and $10 for students (students may buy one get and one free).

Pentecost Services and Fun
Pentecost is on Sunday 27 May; regular services, 8 and 10. As is the Chapel’s tradition, there will be a picnic. This year, though, it will be held at the Halletts’ home, rather than in the Chapel’s yard. A wading pool & bubbles for the kids are on offer, and prizes to anyone for the most red clothing. The fun starts at 4:30, so please bring something to grill and a dish to pass, and join us!

Rogation Day is Sunday 13th
The annual Blessing of the Plots takes place on Sunday May 13th, immediately after the 10:00 service. We will collaborate again with our partners in Concordat, the good people of St. Andrew's Lutheran Church, Pastor Julie Ryan. Coffee hour follows.

Something Society on the 14th
Please join Something Society on Mon. May 14th, 7:00, for dinner, discussion, and fellowship! The Chapel's 20- and 30-somethings will meet at the home of Helen and Ross Musselman, 605 1/2 N. State St., Champaign. Come and unwind after the semester and school year. If the weather is good, we'll spend the evening outside. We'll discuss our summer plans and think about what to do next year. We are always happy to see new people and to accommodate families with children! If you need a ride or have questions, please contact Emily Evans.

Fare ye well and Godspeed: Congratulations to our Grads
Eric Anderson -- Eric completes a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering this month and will be a test engineer for an airplane-parts firm in Skokie. He transferred to UI from New York in part because his parents had met and married . . . at the Chapel! He will miss St. John’s and plans to visit often.

Emma Anselin -- Emma graduates from University High School next month and moves on to Brown University in Providence, R.I., in the special Program for Liberal Medical Education, a liberal arts combined approach to medical school. She has been a mainstay of the soprano section for four years.

Erin McCrary -- Erin is graduating with a B.A. in English and Sociology. She grew up in Centralia, Illinois. Her devotion to service included being a peer minister for two years and an undergraduate vestry member for two years. She will be staying on to work in Champaign -- more good news for the Chapel.

Krista Olson -- Also a graduate of University High, Krista will attend Wellesley College in the Fall. A much-prized alto voice in the choir, she has been with us for two years.

Amanda Peoples -- Originally from Decatur, Ill., Amanda graduates in May with a degree in Chemistry. She has been very involved at the Chapel as an acolyte, chalice bearer, peer minister, and Church School teacher for the teens. She will stay on at UI for 2 more years to work on a Master’s in the Teaching of Chemistry.

Smile for the Camera!
In the interest of helping both newcomers and those veterans whose memories may not be perfect, we are reviving the photo-board of parish members, identified by name. When you see a couple of camera-toting parishioners after the services over the next weeks, please smile when they ask if they may take your picture. Thank you!

Adult Education, 2006-2007: We Kept the Lights Burning
Did you ever wonder why the lights were on every Monday evening at 10:00 p.m. in the Canterbury House Library? The Chapel of St. John the Divine Adult Education Group, convened and co-facilitated by Jim Ward and Mary Kent, met for three hours each Monday evening for 22 sessions over the past year to explore the content, meaning, and significance of the Old Testament.

What began with seven individuals grew to nine and formed a community in which we involved ourselves in theological reflection as well as the study of Scripture. The original group consisted of Lorraine Crummey, Steve Ishmael, Mary Kent, Sena Leikvold, James Ward, Ruth Wene, and Joanne Wheeler, and was joined in the spring by Kay Mulhall and Elaine Schaufele. At the beginning of study, most of us saw the Old Testament as a collection of distinct and separate books, but as we moved through the program we began to view it as the story of God’s self-revelation and God’s relationship with the people of the nation of Israel, and the relationship of the people with the land.

For those who may have seen their faith as individual, we began to understand it as communal. These themes prevailed as we worked through Torah, the Histories, the Prophets, and the Writings. As our text, we used Walter Brueggemann’s An Introduction to the Old Testament: The Canon and Christian Imagination (Westminster John Knox Press, 2003). For our theological reflections we used everything from the Anglican Primate’s communiqué from Tanzania to the Prologue of the Rule of St. Benedict.

We began and ended each evening with worship, most often using Evening Prayer at the opening and Compline at the closing. We broke in the middle of each evening for snacks, giving each of our members the opportunity to showcase his or her culinary acumen.

The group will begin again in the fall with a study of the New Testament.We hope many others will join us as we deepen our faith and renew our relationship with God and each other.

Looking Ahead:
-- The final three Church School classes of the year are at 11:15 a.m. on Sunday May 6th, 13th, and 20th.
-- Keep up with the Warren family, soon off to Halifax, via their blog on www.shovelandplug.blogspot.com
-- Construction on the Chapel continues -- the steel framework is up! Various events are planned to mark the completion later in 2007, so please plan to attend at least one.

To submit news and other information to the June edition of Prologue, send an email and select "Prologue".

Memorial Eucharist for Bernice (Bunny Hulsizer)

2007-04-23T17:37:53-05:00

A Requien Eucharist will be held for long time chapel member, Bernice (Bunny) Hulsizer at 2:00 p.m. in the Lower Level of Canterbury House. A reception will follow.

Canterbury Choir Rehearsal

2007-04-23T17:33:43-05:00

The choir will rehearse in the Lower Leel of Canterbury House.

Canterbury Association

2007-04-23T17:32:01-05:00

Canterbury Association will meet at Canterbury House for supper and a program.