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Dear friends,
Around 2008, I was working part-time in a Silicon Valley yarn store, raising three young children, and immersed in my interfaith spiritual direction training program. I still identified as evangelical, but I was increasingly drawn to seek the signs of God’s presence outside the narrow confines my childhood faith had set out for me.
One day, I was working in the yarn store when a priest, the Rev. Linda Taylor, walked in wearing her collar. She purchased some yarn and I began winding it for her. We chatted about yarn and life and spiritual direction. I was initially charmed by her irreverence and Texan accent. But she had depth and wisdom, too, and she loved her people at St. Mark’s, Santa Clara, fiercely.
As time went on, I joined a spiritual direction supervision group with her. And when it came time for me to leave my church and join St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Palo Alto, Linda’s friendship gave me room to grieve the losses and ask questions about the new church God had led me to. She’s given me so much good advice and encouragement over the years, I now recognize her voice in the best help I’m able to offer others. Linda has prayed with and for me for almost 20 years now, and she’s been praying for you, too.
On Saturday, January 17 at 5 pm, Linda will offer the homily at our Celebration of New Ministry. I hope you’ll join us! If you can’t be there in person, it will be livestreamed on our YouTube channel.
With love,
Pastor Charlotte
A note: Deacon Jess will be on sabbatical until Holy Week. Please hold her in your prayers.
Creator God, you have made each of us and know us fully, in and out. You know our need for rest and spaciousness, for play and for listening to our lives. Work in Deacon Jess’s life these coming weeks of her sabbatical. Grant her some unhurried time to connect more deeply with you, her family and friends, and her own self— heart, mind, and body. Refresh her spirit, ignite her creativity, and strengthen the bonds of love which hold and nourish her.
Be with us as we journey through the rest of this season and Lent without Deacon Jess. We know you will be working in and through us during this time, and we will eagerly await her return when we can minister together again.
We pray these things in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ, Amen.
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Celebration of New Ministry for Pastor Charlotte | Jan 17
Tomorrow, we will come together to officially mark the beginning of our new ministry with Pastor Charlotte as the 15th rector of Church of Our Saviour. The Eucharistic celebration will include a homily by the Rev. Canon Linda Taylor of the Diocese of Texas, and will be followed by a potluck reception in the Parish Commons. The service will also be live-streamed on our YouTube channel.
Please bring an hors d’oeuvres or finger food to share. The church parking lot is limited, so we hope to reserve these spots for guests with greater mobility needs. Street and public garage parking is available nearby on Fullerton or Lincoln. See you there!
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Parish Office Closed | Jan 19
The Parish office will be closed this coming Monday, Jan 19, in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
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Compline Each Monday Night
Compline is the night prayer offered before bed. This simple, yet beautiful prayer is a peaceful way to end your day and COS offers this prayer each Monday night on Zoom so anyone can tune in and pray.
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Live-stream Support Needed
We're looking for a couple volunteers who are willing to be trained to run the Sunday live-stream only on the once-off occasion our regularly scheduled AV tech (Allison) is not available. Streaming our services is part of our ministry of welcome and we want to ensure anyone who wishes to worship with COS from afar can do so, consistently and with a quality experience. Please contact Gregory in the office if you are interested.
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Br Will Away from Office | Jan 19 - 21
Br Will will be away Jan 19 - 21. He will resume his regular office hours on Thursday, Jan 22, and will return any emails or messages at that time.
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Calling Diocesan Delegate Volunteers
If you are interested in serving as a COS delegate to our diocesan convention in the fall, please contact Pastor Charlotte. COS sends three lay delegates to represent our community, voting on important matters such as elected diocesan positions and resolutions. This is a great opportunity to learn more about how our Church works and develop your leadership skills. Ideally our delegates represent a cross-section of our COS community. Delegates will be elected at our Annual Meeting on Feb 1 so please reach out to Pastor Charlotte asap.
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Antiracism Committee Monthly Meeting | First Wednesdays
The COS Antiracism Committee meets monthly, on the first Wednesday at 6:30pm, to discuss and plan the work ahead as they help COS live into Becoming Beloved Community. These meetings are open to guests so if you are interested in listening in or participating in this work, please feel free to join via this Zoom link.
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Frieda Adelle Murry Funeral Information | Jan 18
Frieda Adelle Murray, wife of the late Roland Green, died this past Sunday. She and Roland had been long time and active members of COS in years past and still have friends here. Details about the funeral service and obituary can be found here.
Visitation: Sunday, Jan 18, 11:00am until time of Funeral Service
1:00pm at Sullivan Funeral Home, 60 South Grant Street, Hinsdale, IL.
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December 2025 Treasurer's Report
Please contact the treasurer with any questions.
| | | Operations | 2025 Actual | 2025 Budget | | Pledge/Offerings Income | $484,818 | $520,000 | | Expenses | ($494,926) | ($507,212) | | Net Operations | ($10,108) | $12,788 | | Interest Income | $49,419 | $26,000 | | Endowment Draw | $35,000 | $35,000 | | Parish Commons Loan Pmt | ($80,086) | ($75,000) | | Net w/Financing | ($5,775) | ($1,212) | | |
Don’t let the scriptures lead you astray: How to avoid the dangers of biblical study.
Even though the Bible is foundational to our faith, it is also dangerous, and in the hands of some, it is rife for potential and intentional misinterpretation. Over five Sundays during Lent, the Rev. Richard Wendel, PhD, will lead a seminar which will provide a necessary and secure starting perspective before the Bible is even opened. Join us Sundays, Jan 18 - Feb 15 at 9am to learn how reputable biblical scholars approach scripture.
Epiphany Small Group: Infancy Gospel of Thomas
Likewise, on Monday nights, starting on Jan 19 - Feb 2, 7:30pm - 8:30pm, Tristan Kirvin will lead a 3-session study on the Infancy Gospel of Thomas. Join this small group study for a unique journey into a "lost" text, exploring other birth narratives and magic in the ancient world.
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Peter Eklund Memorial Reception & Cookie Potluck | Jan 29
On Thursday, Jan 29 there will be a public committal and interment service in the COS columbarium at 3:30pm. Following that, a memorial reception to honor him will be held in the Care for Friends dining room, and all are welcome to come. Please bring something simple to share. Contact Carol Blendowski with questions about the reception and to let her know what food you can bring.
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Annual Meeting & Potluck | Feb 1
Our Annual Meeting is scheduled for Sunday, Feb 1. There will only be one service that Sunday at 10am and the meeting will immediately follow, in the Common Room of the Parish Commons. We are organizing a potluck to provide some lunch during the meeting. Please sign up for the potluck using the signup board in the lobby of the Parish Commons. This meeting will include reports from the rector, wardens, and treasurer, along with elections for the vestry and diocesan delegation to convention. There is a lot of new and important information to share with the COS community so please plan to join us. You can contact Peter Civetta with any questions.
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New Rental Info Webpage Now Live
As part of our efforts to make our new spaces more available to our community and to increase revenue for our parish, we have created a new webpage containing information about the various spaces available for booking. Information about rates (including non profit rates) and room descriptions can be found here. If you know of any community or corporate groups looks for space for meeting, seminars, celebrations, etc., please refer them to this page or have them contact the office to inquire.
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01/18 Sunday
8:00am Spoken Eucharist
9:00am Sunday School
9:00am Adult Forum: Avoiding the Dangers of Biblical Study (Conference Room)
10:00am Eucharist featuring Music Ensemble (live-streamed on YouTube)
01/19 Monday
6:30pm Men's Open AA Group (Common Room)
7:30pm Epiphany Small Group (Conference Room)
8:30pm Compline (Zoom)
01/20 Tuesday
7:30am Morning Glories (Conference Room)
12:15pm Midweek Eucharist
7:00pm Senior Conversations (Common Room)
01/21 Wednesday
10:00am Morning Prayer (Conference Room & Zoom)
01/22 Thursday
7:00pm Education for Ministry (Conference Room)
01/25 Sunday
8:00am Spoken Eucharist
9:00am Sunday School
9:00am Adult Forum: Avoiding the Dangers of Biblical Study (Conference Room)
10:00am Eucharist featuring Music Ensemble (live-streamed on YouTube)
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Birthdays:
Phil Hight (Jan 18)
Terry Badger (Jan 22)
Lester Fuwa (Jan 24)
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Sanctuary Stories" A Journalism Theatre Project
“SANCTUARY STORIES: A JOURNALISM THEATER PROJECT,” is a living multimedia documentary, a leap forward into storytelling based on reporting and presented through music, videos and actors presenting real lives.
The production will be presented over 6 nights in January at the Windy City Theatre. Our initial production took place at Northwestern University, where Craig Duff, who created this effort is a professor of video journalism. An exhilarating reaction led us to take it to a Chicago theatre and a wider audience.
The actors’ presentations are based verbatim from my reporting.
Among those portrayed are clergy who have stepped forward to help immigrants; a veteran Immigration Court judge who resigned over a changed system; a politician driven to join demonstrators; a young immigrant who frets that the successful life she has found can be instantly swept away; and a refugee who cannot sleep nor smile because of the torture he suffered for years as he made his way to the U.S.
There will also be insights from Borderless Magazine, a nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom reporting on and with Chicago’s immigrant communities.
A preview performance will take place once on Thursday, January 15, at 7 pm.
Subsequent performances will run at 7 pm on January 16, 17, 18, 23, and 24.
All performances are at Windy City Playhouse, 3014 W. Irving Park Rd., Chicago, IL
Tickets are an affordable $25 and can be purchased at https://sanctuarystories.ludus.com
Seating is limited
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Episcopal Charities Spring Dinner | Feb 27
Please mark your calendar for the Episcopal Charities Spring Dinner
6pm, Friday, February 27, 2026
University Club of Chicago
This will be an intimate evening for our closest friends to gather around a meal in support of Episcopal Charities' work in 2026.
We hope you will be able to join us.
Tickets and giving opportunities available here
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Family Immigration Preparedness Event | Jan 17
On Saturday, January 17, 2026, from 1 to 4 pm, the Iglesia del Pacto Evangélico de Albany Park is hosting a Family Preparedness Event with the help of the Rev. Sandra Castillo, volunteers from Winnetka Covenant Church, other Episcopal churches and lawyers. Volunteers will help parents prepare important documents to provide for their children’s care should the parents be arrested and detained by Immigration and Custom Enforcement (“ICE”). View the flyer in English and Spanish.
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Charting a Legacy: African Americans in The Episcopal Church, Past and Present
January 10, 2:30-5 pm at St. Thomas in Chicago
All are invited to attend "Charting a Legacy: African Americans in The Episcopal Church, Past and Present, sponsored by the Historical Society of The Episcopal Church and presented at St. Thomas, the first Black Episcopal church in Chicago. The free program will feature multiple speakers who will explore the history and future of the Black Episcopal church. The speakers include:
- The Rev. Dr. Valerie Bailey, chaplain at Williams College, who is leading an effort to build a comprehensive timeline of African American history within The Episcopal Church;
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- Dr. Jolyon G. R. Pruszinski, Princeton University, who serves as research historian for the Diocese of New Jersey’s Reparations Commission;
- The Rev. Dr. Sheryl Kujawa-Holbrook, historiographer of The Episcopal Church, who will moderate the program.
In-person attendance is encouraged and St. Thomas has ample street parking. The program will be recorded and shared publicly. Please RSVP by email.
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COS is a welcoming and inclusive community, whose mission is to nurture a vibrant Christian community, where all are welcome to embrace love for God, love for self, and love for neighbor.
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