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ST.
AILBE CATHOLIC CHURCH
" ANNUAL
REVIVAL "
REFLECTIONS FROM THE PASTOR SEPTEMBER
30, 2005
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A Prayer Prayed the week before the St. Ailbe Revival.
Well,
Lord, it is that time again-the annual St. Ailbe Revival.
Fourteen years ago when I stood in front of your people for
the first time as Pastor to those who called St. Ailbe their
Church home for the annual fall revival, I really did not
know what to expect. I had invited a friend to be the guest
preacher. Rev. Dr. Frank Thomas, who served as pastor of an
emerging Church that was gaining a reputation to stand in
your pulpit at St. Ailbe Church. I was wondering how he
would be received. St. Ailbe has had revivals before yet,
we were about to plant some new direction to this incredible
time of prayer. Lord, I shall never forget how Dr. Frank
took off his shoes as he spoke about "standing on Holy
Ground" and the need to honor the Ground. Dr. Thomas and
this church would share many additional times of prayer in
the future as our choir went to bless his Church - New
Faith.
During one of its revivals, I was honored to be invited to
share a pulpit in a Church that I have great respect for in
its ministry. The following year Dr. Frank "stopped by"
again to bless us as our revivalist. |
Over the years we have been blessed
with such anointed preachers as Rev. Dr. Frank Thomas.
Rev. Dr. Ramona Joseph, Fr. Brain Walker, Fr. Thomas
Jackson and Booker Stephen Vance. every year has been a
different blessing for us as a community of faith.
This year we are blessed and highly favored to welcome a
new friend to our Church, Pastor Sean H. McMillan, Pastor
Sean is an anointed man of God who brought the Word of God
to us in a fresh and vibrant way. Pastor Sean also brought
with him his Praise and Worship team to join with St.
Ailbe Choir as they ministered in songs that touched
hearts. There were shouts of Amen , standing ovations and
tears.
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Guest Soloist:
Russell Hinton, Roberta Thomas. Russell Pike
GUEST
SPEAKER, REV.
DR. RAMONA JOSEPH
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The next
year we were blessed again to bring one of your anointed
vessels to grace this Church, our good friend. Rev. Dr.
Ramona Joseph. Her use of the Scripture as a true source of
healing still blesses my heart and I am sure many others as
well. ' She has blessed me as a very near and dose friend
and confidant over the years. She also graciously accepted
an invitation to return to our Church the following year.
She preached in our converted -worship space as we had
relocated to our lower level due to a four-month process of
renovating our sanctuary. Dr. Joseph has blessed us several
times since she acted as a facilitator for our "LEADERSHIP
GATHERINGS" (those gatherings of our leadership people). We
shall never be the same because of her. Continue, Lord, to
grant her wisdom, grace and power in her ministry with the
Sweet-Holy-Spirit-Full- Gospel Church where Bishop Larry
Trotter is the presiding Bishop.
Rev. Dr.
Ramona Joseph,
a motivating and dynamic speaker. She delivered a Christian
and inspirational message that truly won souls and
helped in our walk with the Lord. She empowered us
with some of the simple lessons of a "The
Purpose Driven Life" of God's purpose
for creating you, which gave meaning to life,
helped reduce stress, focused energy, simplified decisions, and most important prepared
a way to eternity. WOW!! What
a Blessing.
This Spiritual Revival was the God granted opportunity to… gain knowledge and understanding and to… grow
in the Lord and to… draw closer to God as we… discover
or rediscovered God's purpose for our lives.
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ST
AILBE
YOUTH CHOIR
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The following two years we were blessed with Fr.
Brian Walker, O.P. who is Pastor of St.
Basil/Visitation Catholic Church here on the south
side of Chicago. Lord, you know that Fr. Brian and
I have been friends since childhood. I do thank you
for what you continue to develop within that man.
He truly has been anointed to preach and teach. I
still remember the moment that he invited everyone
gathered to move to the altar of the Church and to
draw upon the miracle that takes place there each
time we gather in prayer, "Oh there is power in the
blood"...........young and those graced-with age
from every corner of the Church gathered at your
altar just to feel the power being passed through it
where the miracle takes place. Thank you, Lord, for
that gift.
Keeping In the great Dominican tradition, you then
guided Fr. Thomas Jackson O.P. our way. His
unassuming manner of preaching was truly a gift. A
man so rooted in the tradition of people, SO YOUNG,
yet so blessed with wisdom and grace. His reaching
back to remind so many from "whence we come". His
scholarly knowledge enhanced by the lived-experience
is something that many of us present will cherish.
Fr. Jackson also blessed us so wonderfully as he
assisted us in the celebration of the Sacraments
when this humble servant of yours had other
responsibilities away from the Church of St. Ailbe
on certain weekends.
It was difficult to follow the preachers whom you
blessed us with during the early years. The
following year you allowed some of your "home-grown"
individuals to bless us with their faithfulness. As
our revival continued, Fr. Jim Stein and I attempted
to follow the tradition that you were rebuilding
here every year. That Fr. Jim's uses of the human
condition along with his sense of humor and of
course, your words left a gift that may live in this
Church for eternity. Bless him now as he ministers
in Wisconsin.
That next year you allowed another friend. Rev.
Booker Stephen Vance, pastor of our neighboring
Church at 85th Maryland, St. Stephen's Lutheran
Church to bless the people at St. Ailbe. He truly
is a "hands-on" pastor and his preaching reflects
his day-to-day ministry here on the streets of the
south side of Chicago. He is known especially in
the "Lutheran circles" as being a pastor to other
pastors. Bless him. Lord. It is a blessing when I
have seen him "stop by" St. Ailbe for a moment of
prayer. Lord, thank you for allowing his schedule
to be freed up so that he could energize us in your
ways working through him. It was a blessing to see
so many of his Church members show up to support
their pastor as well as to glorify your name with
us.
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St. Ailbe Catholic
Church,
9015 S. Harper,
Chicago., Il 60619
Pastor: Rev. John Breslin
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REFLECTIONS FROM THE PASTOR
Yes, Lord, I know because you tell me quite
often it is not just about the preaching; it is a
holistic experience! Where would we have been
without incredible servants of yours who have
blessed us over the years as we invited choirs.
What a blessing it was!!! The choir of St.
Ethelreda, the Men's chorus of New Faith Baptist
Church, our own children's choir and then the
voices of St. Stephen as well as our own Adult
choir ministering so faithfully each night over
these past fourteen years that I have been a part
of the St. Ailbe family and the years before you
planted me here at St. Ailbe. We were so
blessed. Then, Lord, you brought forth some
incredibly gifted vocalists——let me see. Lord,
please don’t let me forget one of the blessings
you brought forth: Felicia Coleman-Evans, Willie
Brown, Milas Armour, Ethel Holloway, L. Stanley
Davis, Roberta Thomas, and of course, our young
gift that you have brought home to yourself
already, Russell Hinton.
We are so blessed with incredible musicians as
Robert Murphy, Thomas Jefferson, Mark Williams,
Jim Bryson and the list goes on... especially as
we are now doubly blessed with our Minister of
music Patricia Pike assisted by the truly-gifted
Billie Paige and Darryl Petty, and of course aided
by Mendel Beckford and Arthur Thompson who bless
us each and every time we gather in prayer.
Thanks, Lord, especially for our Minister of Music
Fredrick Young who has also gone on to see you
face-to-face, and whose thumbprint will always be
upon the St. Ailbe community.
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Russell Hinton |
Russell Hinton & Children's Choir |
Roberta Thomas |
Russell Pike |
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April Baker |
David Frye |
Kandice Moody |
Children's Choir |
Well, Lord, it is a week away... and we are
claiming your blessing once again. This year we
welcome back a truly gifted anointed man of God,
Pastor Scan McMillan, pastor and founder of the
Shekinah Chapel. Lord, it does not seem that ft
was only a year ago that he graced us with his
ministry. This past year he has assisted us in an
extensive weekend for those entrusted with
leadership of our Church. His gift to weave the
Scripture into the social and political fabric is
a true gift that you have blessed him with in such
a real way. We thank you. Lord, for his "Praise
and Worship team" that travels with him when he
brings forth your Words. Bless him. Lord, as he
is now in preparation for next weekend. We know
that we shall be so blessed as Ms. Jackie
Robinson-Ivy has accepted the invitation to lead
us in the ministry of song during our Sunday
Masses. She will be assisted by our St. Ailbe
Choir that has been so diligent in Its sharing
throughout the year.
Revival time is so important to a Church,
Lord... it is not about form and fashion. Rather,
it truly allows your Word to be experienced in a
new way. So many Churches have a variety of
different methods and visions for revival time.
*
We truly are blessed people because I do believe
that we as a people see that “transformation is
possible”. We were able to produce hundreds of
CD’s of the revival. If you were unable to secure
a copy of the revival series, please pick one up
as soon as possible as I do plan to use some of
the lessons/teachings of the revival as a
springboard through this upcoming year.
As we remember the “revival”, please do not allow
the revival experience just to be a moment in
time, allow it to be a way of life. God has
appointed each person who calls St. Ailbe Church
their home for a mission and ministry. Join with
me in allowing the transformation of us and our
Church to truly be explosive on a day-to-day
basis.**
The mission of our revival here at St. Ailbe is
simple... "To bring one more soul to Christ and
to help someone along the way". Please, Lord,
allow this time that you designed to be what you
need it to be as we day-after-day attempt to live
out what you began so many years ago here at the
corner of 91st and Stony Island Avenue-St. Ailbe
Church.*
On the Battlefield for my Lord,
*Reflections 9/30/2005
**Reflections 10/9/05
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AILBE IMPORTANT DATES
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