Published monthly (except July and August) by St. John the Evangelist Episcopal Church

Washington and 11th Streets, Lockport, IL 60441 (815)834-1168 www.stjohns-lockport-il.org

Rector............. The Rev. Denzil Luckritz

Deacon.......... The Rev. Roberta Molony

Deacon............. The Rev. John Whennen

Director of Music............. Thomas Secor

Secretary.................... Melanie Anderson

Sexton............................ John Glasscock

 

Vestry

Sr. Warden.......................... John Larson

Jr. Warden......................... Tim Williams

Treasurer.......................... Jim McMillan

 

Vestry Members

Terry Arient, Sr.................... Clark Davis

Sue Drake....................... Mark Kowalski

Antonine Megger.................. Ken Porter

Mark Secor......................... Todd Sheetz

Pat Steiner............... Susan Meehan-clerk

 

Parish Ministry Contacts

 

Acolyte Warden........... Terry Arient, Sr.

Sacristan......................... Mark Kowalski

DOK............................... Wendy Stewart

Education............................ Susan Drake

............or........................... Lisa Luckritz

Episcopal Ch Women...... Susan Meehan

Lector Warden................. Chris Peterson

Helping Hands.................. Pamela Carter

Hospitality Guild............ Lillian Hensley

Membership........................... Patty Paris

Men’s Club.......................... Main Office

Newsletter........................... Main Office

Outreach................................ Patty Paris

New Building Project......... Todd Sheetz

Senior Choir..................... Thomas Secor

Dear Friends,

 

Every spring beauty bursts forth from that which not long before

appeared dead. With each tiny shoot pushing through the soil, the

world becomes greener, more visibly alive and beautiful. Those of

you who enjoy gardening can literally feel new energy in the world around you. Planting, tending, watering and caring - nurturing the new life can be tremendously rewarding. Over the years I have fussed and fretted over many of the plants in my own garden -- fighting weeds, voracious bunnies and drought. While all that fussing certainly gives the plants what they need to grow, I’m very aware that I am not the one who causes them to grow, to burst from a tiny seed into a shoot seeking the warmth of the sun. All the concentration in the world on my part will not cause that shoot to grow any faster or any taller than it is meant to grow -- anymore than I could think myself taller. There is a mysterious power that is responsible for the growth, we are merely assistants to that growth.

 

This month, we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Spirit -- Pentecost. God has a way of turning small things into great things. From that handful of people gathered in that room on that first Pentecost, the Body of Christ, the Church as we know it has sprung forth. Think about our family here at St John’s. Think of the many churches there are in Lockport and the surrounding communities we serve. How many in Illinois? How many in the United States? How many in the world? Quite a few more than that handful of disciples gathered that first Pentecost! How did this happen? These were ordinary people. How is it that they became world-changing apostles and evangelists? Two things happened -- the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead and the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. From their homes and the land they knew, into the far reaches of the world, they journeyed and gave their lives so that you and I could confess the name of Jesus Christ today in Lockport, Illinois. This happened, not because they were remarkable people, but because they were filled with an irresistible power. The same mysterious power that brings to life the plants in our garden gives new life daily to the Church. 

 

Each Sunday we repeat the words, “I believe in the one holy catholic and apostolic church.” That word “apostolic” means the Holy Spirit really did descend upon that group of ordinary men and women. The message they carried to the world is God’s love embodied in Christ Jesus. If the church is not apostolic, then the entire Christian faith is a fraud. The conversion of the apostles was not just for them, but for us and for all of God’s creation. The Spirit has given each of you a gift for the common good; something necessary for the world that the Spirit is working to bring into being. If you don’t know what that gift is, be listening, be prepared for the Holy Spirit to reveal it to you. Your work, your presence, your gift -- small and insignificant as you may think them -- are a necessary part of the work God has in progress. May you be blessed with such an abundance of gifts that you accomplish that which God is calling you to carry out, and may the Spirit fill you.

From the Rector