Prologue

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".