Here is our weekly collection plate, offering some of the good things that Episcopalians and their congregations have done that made the news this past week. And other news fit to print.
Aptly-named church goes green with new water system
One of the county’s largest rainwater-collection systems was put in place Monday at the new site of the St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church… a 30,000-gallon tank was lowered into the ground at the yet-to-be-opened church campus on Canterbury Drive off McGregor Drive. Church members expect rainwater captured on the roof of their new facility will flow to the tank for storage and save 150,000 gallons of water each year. That’s about the annual water use of two households, according to the water district.
__________
The Rev. Claudia Giacoma, an Episcopal priest, participated in the “Blessing of the Hands” at St. Mark’s Hospital, Salt Lake City, Utah.
It’s one of Utah’s most ecumenical gatherings,” said Wes Wilde, one of the hospital chaplains. “The idea is to take the goodness from this to the patients inside the hospital and share with them the blessings they receive as they do their daily work.” Susan Fischer, the staff chaplain who organized the blessings eight years ago for employees, said they have come to depend on the “ritual of healing” it provides for themselves and their patients. Religious leaders included Muslim, Buddhist, Catholic, Episcopal, Latter-day Saint, Methodist, Lutheran, Native American and nondenominational clergy and chaplains.
photo by Laura Seitz, Deseret News
_____________________
The Chicago Daily Herald’s “Cook of the Week” is Father Scott Barron, Rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church, Mount Prospect, IL who shows off his recipe for macaroni and cheese.
The Arlington Heights resident calls himself an “everyday cook,” but he loves to experiment with dishes from different cultures and challenges himself to prepare a meal with whatever he finds in the refrigerator or pantry.
“This is my one creative outlet,” he said. “I like the idea of a whole lot of different ingredients coming together in one thing.”
He explores ethnic markets, from Japanese and Mexican to Indian and Italian.
“I will browse grocery stores like other people browse clothing stores,” he said.
______________
Churches create 5 acre natural refuge
Ann Arbor has a new five-acre natural area – with trails, benches, and wildlife-friendly plantings – that was just certified by the National Wildlife Federation.
Volunteers working with Northside Associated Ministries, which include St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church and Northside Presbyterian, created the space in recent months at 1679 Broadway.
“It’s a beautiful area,” said Jim Pierson, chair of the building and grounds committee for the churches.
The site was opened to the public after a grand-opening ceremony the weekend of May 2 that was attended by Mayor John Hieftje and other local officials.
__________