Worship in person or online!
Join us every Sunday at 8 a.m. or 10 a.m. Link to the bulletin, music, and Zoom and Facebook viewing instructions below.
Recording of Peace and Justice Webinar
Webinar from April 7, 2022 Here is a Link to YouTube recording.
Please note the addition of a presenter, The Rev. Garth Howe, enrolled member of the Crow Creek Sioux and Episcopal Deacon at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church.
Here is a link to recommended reading and viewing list.
Giving to St. John’s
Thank you for supporting St. John’s! There are four ways to give to St. John’s.
This fun video shows all the ways you can give to St. John’s! Or read the details below:
You can write a check and mail it to the office: 3857 N Kostner Ave. Chicago, IL 60641. The cost to you is the envelope and the stamp (about $.60).
If your bank offers on-line bill payment you can schedule a reoccurring payment. You just need the name and address of the church. If you have a pledge number please add it to the memo line. The bank will generate and send the checks to St. John’s. There is no fee for this.
If you use Zelle you can schedule a donation to St. John’s by using the email treasurer@stjohnschicago.com. There is no fee for this.
You can donate on our website. Click on the red “give” button at the top of the screen and enter in your debit or credit card number. The fee is 3.95%. For example, if you donate $100 it will charge you $103.95.
Please use the memo line to designate “pledge” or a specific event or area for donation such as “flowers,” “memorial donation,” etc. If you have questions contact Lisa at parishoffice@stjohnschicago.com or call her at 773.725.9026. Thank you!
Capital Campaign Feasibility Study
Please join us on Sunday, September 12 after the 8:00 or 10:00 a.m. to hear the results of our Capital Campaign Feasibility Study.
Electric Vehicle Charger at St. John’s!
News For Immediate Release
Contact: Brian Urbaszewski BUrbaszewski@resphealth.org 312.405.1175 or The Rev. Kara Wagner Sherer, rector@stjohnschicago.com 773.960.1889
Electric Vehicle Charging Sharing Platform uses Keeling Curve Prize Funding from Global Warming Mitigation Project to Expand Charging Locations in Chicago’s Urban Residential Neighborhoods: St. John’s Episcopal Church Installs First Charger
St. John’s Episcopal Church at 3857 N. Kostner Ave. Chicago, IL 60641
Chicago, IL – July 2, 2021 – EVmatch, the first electric vehicle (EV) charging platform for connecting EV drivers with nearby private chargers through a reservation-based system, has a new publicly-available [level 2] charging station located at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 3857 N Kostner Ave in Chicago’s Old Irving Park neighborhood. As the charging station host, St. John’s listed its charger on EVmatch to make driving EVs easier for community members – whether it’s neighbors of Old Irving Park, many of whom rent or live in multi-family housing without a reliable place to charge, or other Chicagoans visiting the neighborhood in electric cars and needing a spot to charge up.
The installation was made possible with the experience and technical expertise of Chicago-based BIG CLEAN POWER, LLC, a worker collective incubated by Blacks in Green (BIG, NFP) and its affiliate Green Power Alliance to connect trade professionals to clean energy business deals. EV Match, St. John’s Episcopal Church, and the Community Charging Initiative are pleased to have partnered with BIG, Blacks in Green in identifying energy conscious contractors Arthur Burton of AMB Renewables and Wendell Terry of W. Terry Electric to perform the installation at St. John’s.
The full press release is available at this link.
About St. John’s Episcopal Church
An inclusive congregation committed to Christian worship and service to the community, St. John’s is a vibrant and diverse group of people of all ages, races, abilities, and identities, engaged in anti-racism and other transformative work. We offer three Sunday services, religious instruction for children, and adult and youth choirs. In addition to our annual Darwin Day celebration of science and religion, St. John’s offers a free series of concerts, sponsors a refugee family, hosts an Electric Vehicle Charger for parish and community use, and is actively working to identify, disrupt, and dismantle racism in our church and community. Established in 1883 in Old Irving Park, the church is located on Chicago’s northwest side, on the corner of Byron and Kostner. For more information visit our website at www.stjohnschicago.com.
Why change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples’ Day?
Learn about the current movement to change the celebration of Columbus Day to a celebration of Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
Thank you to all who attended our conversation. We discussed this press release calling for the change.
Other suggested reading:
An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
This document will give you background and perspective from the American Indian Center.
Columbus and the Quest for Jerusalem: How Religion Drove the Voyages that Led to America by Carol Delaney
1) Plan and facilitate a series of events to support justice for Native American and indigenous people
Since the beginning of antiracism work at St John’s we have been especially concerned with our history as a predominately white congregation in northwestern Chicago. How might have previous generations at St John’s unjustly taken advantage of their privileged status? We immediately learned that St John’s was gifted with ownership of land that had been forcibly and unjustly taken from indigenous people living in the Chicago area.
Accordingly, we developed a land acknowledgement plaque affirming that the church’s land was previously home to many different Native Americans. The plague has been installed in the front walkway on Kostner Avenue. The plaque dedication, however, was not able to happen due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Our revised plan is to present a series of virtual events from now through the dedication event some time in 2021. Some of the possible opportunities which need your leadership and support include the following:
- Update the St John website to include resources and links about Native American people
- Support the development of Indigenous Peoples’ Day in Chicago
- Organize installation of art by a Native American artist or artists in the church garden
- Plan and facilitate education and cultural events for adults and for children
- Sponsor one session of Sacred Ground, a film-based dialogue series on race and faith developed by the Episcopal Church. Session 3 is “Whose Land? Exploring Indigenous History”
- Develop other ways to include Native American perspectives during our regular worship services
- Promote, participate in, and help fund public events sponsored by Native American organizations
- Identify and invite indigenous leaders to speak at St John’s
- With guidance from indigenous people design the plaque dedication event (2021)
To assist with the Sacred Ground events, please contact Andria Anderson at classikal4ll@aol.com
2) Child and Youth Group Antiracism Education
We are working to develop and obtain more antiracism education resources for our child and youth group education.
Another opportunity is to attend “How Do We Talk To Our Children About Race” Virtual training sponsored by All Saints Episcopal Church – Fall dates to be determined.
To help out with this gathering education resources or for more information on the virtual training, please contact Courtney Hug at corriehug@gmail.com .
3) Collaborate with neighborhood community groups such as the Northwest Coalition Against Racism and Hate
Follow online and support organizations such as the Northside Coalition Against Racism & Hate, Portage Park For Action, Respect and Community (PPARC) and Neighbors for Affordable Housing.
Upcoming event Juneteenth Car Caravan on Friday June 19th 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. around the Jefferson Park neighborhood. Sponsored by the Northwest Coalition Against Racism & Hate. Follow on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/nwsidecoalition/ for exact location details.
Courtney Hug and Erica Zazo are St. John’s liaisons this year to the Northwest Coalition Against Racism And Hate. Please contact Courtney or Erica for more info at corriehug@gmail.com or erica.zazo@gmail.com.
4) Organize and Promote the St. John’s Antiracism Library
4) Organize and Promote St. John’s Antiracism Library
We have two antiracism reading lists on our website:
Reading to End Racism – https://www.stjohnschicago.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Reading-to-End-Racism-Publication-FINAL.pdf
Wrestling With White Supremacy – https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:47a7ac64-c173-4a72-82ff-39170001e6fb#pageNum=1
We have some of these recommended books in the St. John’s library. We are looking for volunteers to set up and manage a borrowing system for the antiracism books and perhaps set up a curbside pick up program. To volunteer for this project, please contact Laura Singer at laura.t.singer@gmail.com
Another Source for books – All Saints Episcopal Church has moved their Free Antiracism Little Library to 3856 W Eddy St Chicago, IL 60618, Front Porch, Corner of Springfield and Eddy (near Addison and Pulaski)
5) Prepare to Join the 2021 Congregational Antiracism Model Project
In 2020, initial team members were commissioned in February and have been meeting monthly to work on this 7 step pilot project with the Diocesan Antiracism Commission and CROAR trainers. We have taken steps to institutionalize antiracism work at St. John’s to make sure this doesn’t go away with time. As part of Step 3, we will be presenting a vision, mission, mandate and charter/by-laws document to the vestry in June to strengthen the structure to support antiracism work and create systemic change at St. John’s.
To get involved with the 2021 Congregational Antiracism Model Project, complete a recommended antiracism training in 2020 to be ready to begin work in January 2021. For more info on the Congregational Antiracism Model contact Laura Singer at laura.t.singer@gmail.com
