September 28, 2025 is Stewardship Sunday and we will be honoring our namesake, St. Michael the Archangel, with a picnic feast following the 10 am worship service. St. Michael the Archangel* is the protector and leader of the heavenly armies. We are grateful for everything we have accomplished in 2025 and what we look forward to accomplishing in 2026.
Stewardship is utilizing and managing God’s resources for the glory of God and the betterment of His creation. Being a good steward in this world is a way of expressing our gratitude and love for God. Giving not only helps our church community flourish, but it also brings blessings into our lives.
“Whoever sows sparingly will reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will reap bountifully”. 2 Corinthians 9:7.
“God loves a cheerful giver, so give voluntarily and not reluctantly or under compulsion”. 2 Corinthians 9:8.
God also loves a generous giver, so give from the heart and give for the Glory of God. “You will be enriched in every way for great generosity, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God”. 2 Corinthians 9:12.
Fun Facts about our Church and Saint Michael the Archangel*
A little history about our church and it’s name. On June 12, 1945, the Right Reverend Wallace E. Conkling, Bishop of Chicago, attended a meeting at a Barrington public school where he gave permission to form a parish in Barrington. There were approximately 50 people at the meeting and the name Saint Michael was chosen by popular vote. The name Michael means “who is like God”. Saint Michael the Archangel is the protector and leader of the heavenly armies.
The largest bell in the bell tower is named Michael. In 1955, the Bard family gave $25,000 to build the 30-foot bell tower which has become a landmark for the Village of Barrington. The bells are often played before the organ prelude. At funerals, a bell is tolled once for every year the person lived. The Bard memorial bells were handset in the Netherlands by the Petit and Fritsen Ltd. bell foundry and each bell bears an inscription with texts from Holy Scripture. The largest bell is named Michael and weighs 1,100 pounds. It is inscribed: “To the Glory of God and in loving memory of Mary Spear Bard. I praise the true God, I call the people, I gather the clergy, I mourn the dead, I summon the living, I rejoice with those that rejoice, my voice is the voice life, I summon you, come, pray.” The next two largest bells are named for archangels Gabriel and Raphael. The nine smaller bells are named: Katharine, Deborah, Jennifer, Janet, Mary, Karen, Laura, Grace and Helen for members of the Bard family who gave the memorial gift.
Our sacred life-size icon of Saint Michael the Archangel. In 1972, parishioner Georgia Collimore gifted the breath-taking painting of Saint Michael the Archangel in Thanksgiving to God for her children Robert, Christopher and Georgia, and her parents, Wilton and Jo Kuffel. The sacred painting awakens and nourishes are faith in the mystery of Christ. Saint Michael is depicted wearing armor and wielding a sword of justice, the ultimate symbol of protection against evil which represents his strength and courage to face any challenges that may come our way. He also holds a scroll which reads “I lead God’s angels. I carry the sword. I support those who live of God, but with this sword, I will execute those whose hearts are unclean.” A little known fact about the sacred painting is that it is mounted within a metal track and can be moved to one side to reveal a secret Alter Guild room.
*History researched and verified by Liz Gabis, Sr. Warden
Announcing the sign up for Vacation Bible School Campers!! We will be having a Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Vacation Bible School the last week of July. The cost for the camp will be $20 per camper for the week. Please make checks payable to St. Michael's Episcopal Church. It will be running Monday 7/28 to Thursday 7/31. 9am -noon. A small allergy friendly snack will be included. Preschool children thru grade 5 are welcome to register. We have limited availability based on volunteers and registration. I am in need of volunteers. This would count for any community service hours for high school students. I work with Cary Grove, Lake Zúrich and Barrington High schools. Any college students home for the summer who would like to be involved are encouraged to contact me. I could write a letter of recommendation for the participation. I need crews for decorating, technology crew and teaching support. I can be reached at There would be some safe church safe community basic training programs as well. Thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing from you and working with some awesome community partners.
Click Link below
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050944ABA623ABFF2-57253925-vacation
easter_sunday_9_00am_and_11am_4-20-25.pdf
Image:
Tissot, James, 1836-1902. Mary Magdalene Questions the Angels in the Tomb
from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=56871 [retrieved April 2, 2025].
Swanson, John August. Entry into the City, from Art in the Christian Tradition,
a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN.
https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=56544 [retrieved April 2, 2025].
ri_palm_sunday_8am__04-13-25.pdf
Friday, March 21, 2025
Greetings from Guatemala!
Our team is finishing up its week here in Panajachel, Guatemala, and preparing to travel home tomorrow. It has been a holy week filled with hard work, companionship, and fun. Gastrointestinal challenges aside, the team has fared well, and we were able to digging a septic hole, and we began laying the foundation blocks for the new house. Our week is week 2 for the overall construction project, and it will likely take eleven to twelve total weeks to complete the new house for our family. Once complete, the house will have running water, a functioning toilet and shower, separate sleeping areas for the parents, boys, and girls, and a kitchen. The impact this new house will have is hard to overstate when compared to their current living situation. I was also very glad to hear that one of the daughters is also on a scholarship from Porch to continue her education into the seventh grade. Their local neighborhood school only goes through the 6th grade, and thanks to Porch, she is able to continue her education and also receives assistance to offset the additional travel cost.
Our team joined with two other teams for a large group of twenty-one people. When you travel to Porch, your trip is a combination of hard, manual work on the construction site, prayer, and a large emphasis on building relationships with the family and their community. Porch’s success here depends upon that connection, as local community leaders are often initially suspicious of outside groups. We dig, cement, shape steel, sift sand, and we also play baseball, Legos, and give out lots of knuckle bumps to all the kids in the community. Some of our group also visited a senior citizen center and had a chance to connect with Guatemalans of greater years. If there is one reason I have made multiple trips to this place, it is because of the balance of work, relationship, and play that groups get to experience. I also feel strongly that supporting a local organization that continues to help people throughout the year after we leave is critical to good mission work.
Thank you for your prayers and for your donations; we were able to give an additional $3,100 to Porch de Solomon out of your donations to our group. Porch’s approach is to help the next family as much as possible, whether that is with a house, food, medical care, scholarships, or even a pig that can be transformed into a small business. If you were unable to donate and wish to, you can give to the church for “Guatemala” or donate directly here: https://porchdesalomon.org/donate/
We will see you in a couple of days!
Jesse+
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