On the Feast of All Saints, we celebrate and remember loved ones who have died through our liturgy, music, and by praying for them. We also have a memorial table where we place photos, mementos, or other objects that remind us of them.

During the liturgy, the names of those who have died are read and we process to the Memorial Table and to the Columbarium, where we offer prayers and the priest makes a blessing with incense.

This year the Sunday School also carried a symbolic river from the baptismal font through the church, a reminder we are all of the same fabric through baptism.

A look a just two of the many events on December 19 - in the morning we had a beautiful service of Advent Lessons & Carols. After the service was a Festive Coffee Hour hosted by the Vestry of the Church and Heaven for Bid - a friendly fundraiser with all sorts of delightful things from tickets and gift baskets to knick knacks in the White Elephant Sale.

Parishioners also gathered for the Greening of the Church for Christmas - and if that wasn't enough festivity, a group assembled for Christmas Caroling in the late afternoon. What a great day for all!

The cornerstone for our current sanctuary was laid in 1907 and the building was completed in 1908. The church was extensively renovated and the parish house (where the chapel, classrooms, offices, etc. are) was constructed in the late 1940s and again renovated and expanded to its current form in the late 1950s.

Additional changes include the modernization of the sanctuary with new lighting and renovations to the chancel in 1996.

An annual favorite in Glencoe and at St. E's. This year the course went down Hawthorn and we were the marshals for the first turn in the race right at Vernon and Hawthorn. In addition, we had water for spectators and opened our facilities to use the washrooms or take a break from the summer heat. Always exciting to watch, check out the pictures and be sure to stop by next year. Pictures courtesy of Peter Wittleder.

On December 26, we dedicated the new piano for our worship in memory of Anne Badger and in her honor we had sundaes at Coffee House, prepared by Helen Badger.

On Epiphany Sunday, we celebrated the arrival of the Magi, or Wise Ones, to the infant Jesus with our tradition of "Bringing Gifts for the Christ Child" at our EpiphanySunday celebration. We brought gifts of clothing or other basic necessities that we can share with babies and young children in need. After the service was an Intergenerational Epiphany Exploration.

The Pageant is a highlight of the 4PM Christmas Eve service featuring the youth of the parish who tell us the Christmas story in their own unique way. Always something a little different each year, this year the Star of Bethlehem made a debut appearance in the pageant!

A glimpse of Christmas at St. Elisabeth's. Members of all ages of our community contribute to the festivities and celebration of Christmas. Click on the Parish Life tab of the photo galleries to see the preparations made during Advent. Thank you to to the many people who made Christmas come to life.

You can see here how beautiful the church looked and what a terrific full cast we had at the Pageant service on Christmas Eve.

The Rt. Rev. Victor Scantlebury, Assistant Bishop of the Diocese of Chicago visited St. Elisabeth's for the 10AM Eucharist and our Annual Meeting. Bishop Scantelbury preached, celebrated the Eucharist, received one of our members into the Episcopal Church and even gave some wonderful remarks to us at the Annual Meeting. Thank you Bishop and Mrs. Scantlebury for your many years of faithful service!

Photos courtesy of David Skidmore, Canon for Communications at the Diocese of Chicago.

Palm Sunday is the gateway to the Holy Week and Easter where we remember the first Palm Sunday when Jesus rode into Jerusalem.

In our own rendition, we begin the liturgy in the Guild Room and make a festive procession around the block with palms and joyful bells and instruments.

On Maundy Thursday we recalled the last meal Jesus had with his friends. At St. Elisabeth's we have time honored traditions that appeal to Christians of all ages. We began with the Agape Meal in the Guild Room followed by a foot washing in the Dining Room. Later we moved to the church for the Stripping of the Altar and finally moved to the Chapel where the Silent Watch was held through the night.

After the Silent Watch ended Friday morning, we had our Intergenerational Good Friday Observance. This incorporated commemorating the events of the day with activities like the craft project that the children made with the adults.

Easter Day at St. Elisabeth's in Glencoe. Always a joyous occasion with the church adorned with beautiful flowers and resonating with the splendor of festive music - complete with our "jangling johnny"!

The Good Book Club had parishioners of all ages reading The Story, The Story for Teens, or The Story for Kids, a 31 chapter version of the Bible, in one year together. We joined the celebration of the conclusion of reading The Story along with the end of the Sunday School year tradition of Child-Led Sunday.

The church was transformed into a beautiful working art instillation showing the journey through the chapters in the Bible the Good Book Club and Sunday School read and learned about.

Heaven, hot dogs, and hymns with Chris Roe- what a terrfic day! Our St. E's tradition to kick-off Summer was a on a beautful Sunday, perfect for an outdoor picnic.

Great food and fellowship and, as always, many thanks to our 'grill-master' Phil Miller and to Nancy Miller for organzing the event. We had extra reason to celebrate - our Director of Music, Chris Roe, had his first Sunday with us. Welcome to Chris and his fiance Jon to St. Elisabeth's!

St. Elisabeth's Interfaith Soup Kitchen begins in the afternoon making sack lunches in the kitchen at St. Elisabeth's. The meal is prepared and served and the sack lunches distributed at First United Methodist Church in Evanston.

We're famous for serving the delicious baked beans made by Sally O'Neil.

 

We got a head start on Advent by making our Advent Wreaths just before the First Sunday of Advent this year.

This intergenerational event always very popular. Delicious Coffee Hour treats and drinks were served downstairs while we made the wreaths. They look so beautiful and are a cherished part of keeping Advent at home.

 

Some highlights from the Advent season at St. Elisabeth's.

We had a record breaking 45 boxes of gifts for the Cathedral Shelter Christmas Basket program. The boxes were blessed at the 10AM service on December 11 before we loaded them onto the tuck.

Advent is a season of preparation and the children have been memorizing lines and practicing hymns, getting ready to tell the Christmas story on December 24. All ages gathered after the Festive Coffee Hour on December 18 for the greening of the church. A fun and festive time for all!