"I'm what the world considers to be a phenomenally successful man. And I've failed much more than I've succeeded. And each time I fail, I get my people together, and I say, "Where are we going?" And it starts to get better." - Calvin Trager
Monday, December 17, 2007 Give to the St. Peter's, Chicago "Tongues of Fire in Advent" Fund
Last Wednesday night, my Gen X Episcopal clergy colleague Sarah Fisher had a minor disaster at her church -- St. Peter's, Chicago. The advent wreath was not extinguished after the 6 PM eucharist ... and overnight it burned and melted what was the form, charred the rug (which the vestry had already voted to replace) and left significant smoke damage in the chapel. It is nothing short of a miracle that the chapel stands at all (and for that Sarah is definitely grateful). Whether the fire is the result of human error or a smoldering ember that nested inside the greens is anyone's guess and really beside the point.
It's been a rough time for St. Peter's, especially since this came on the heels of the death of one of the parish matriarchs.
It's just times like this that we show who we are as Christ's body ... and how we can come together in times of need.
St. Peter's isn't equipped to accept donations online, so I've set up a PayPal account to receive them for them. Between now and Christmas, let's see how much money we can raise to help St. Peter's pay for the smoke and fire damage (they haven't even calculated the bill yet). Even a $5 or $10 gift would be a wonderful thing.
Just click and give ... and help give this one church a tangible sense of what it means to be part of an Episcopal Church.
EGR resources and connects the church to embrace what one person, one congregation, one diocese and one church can do to make this mission of global reconciliation happen.
Want to find out more ... check our our website at www.e4gr.org.
"Christ's example is being
demeaned by the church if they ignore the new leprosy,
which is AIDS. The church is the sleeping giant here.
If it wakes up to what's really going on in the rest
of the world, it has a real role to play. If it doesn't,
it will be irrelevant."
- Bono
Episcopalians for 
