|
News for and about Grace Episcopal Church
| June 10, 2010
|
|
|
Dear Ken Lyon,
We have several articles in this issue dealing with Common Ministry. One of the most helpful, in your editor's opinion, is Hawley Todd's article answering the question, "What is Common Ministry, anyway?" (The short answer is "It's shared ministry.") -o-
Who do you know who would be interested getting news about Grace? Click here to send them a copy of this eGraceNotes. -o-
As always, help keep the over 100 recipients of eGraceNotes informed by sending your interesting tidbits along to the editor.
|
Bogus Bible Q & A
Q. Who was the greatest financier in the Bible?
A. Noah. He was floating his stock while everyone else was in liquidation.
|
Common Ministry Workshop Coming Sunday
This Sunday we begin the next phase of Grace Church's exploration of Common Ministry. At a one-hour workshop following our Sunday service, we'll begin exploring what, for lack of a better title. we're calling "Grace Church--What's it to You?" Our purpose is to discern what's important about Grace to its members and friends. We'll be sharing our answers to questions such as: - Why did you come to Grace?
- Why did you remain at Grace?
Refreshments will be served. For those who can't come this Sunday, this workshop will be repeated on Thursday, June 24, at 6:30 pm. At previous workshops, participants report that they appreciated learning more about other Grace members and friends. These workshops are turning out to be a community-building opportunity. Future Common Ministry EventsThe Diocese is sponsoring Common Ministry training at Procter Conference Center on July 10. We are encouraging as many members of Grace as possible to attend this training, so more than just a few can take part in discerning Grace's future. In August, on the 22nd following worship and again on the 26th at 6:30 pm, we have scheduled a Community workshop to learn more about the communities we serve. |
What is "Common Ministry?"
Over the past year, Grace Church has
been exploring "common ministry." Yet I
still hear many people ask, "What is common ministry?" In simple terms, common
ministry is shared ministry. It is an
understanding of the church where everyone shares in the ministry/work of the
church.
Common/shared ministry is a corrective to how many in our culture and church view
what it means to "go to church." For
many, the chaplaincy model prevails. In
that model, the church is run and staffed by paid professionals who "do
ministry" while the members of the church are the clients. Another way of expressing that idea is that the paid
professions are providers who offer a service to consumers. In a similar vein, churches can be seen by
some as entertainment or art centers. The
heart of common/shared ministry is to offer a vision of church life and worship
where everyone participates and the gifts of each person are validated and
empowered. It is the ancient vision of
the church as being the body of Christ.
An excellent example of common/shared ministry is the
Wednesday night Healing Service at Grace Church. The service combines drumming and healing.
Everyone who comes to the service is welcomed to do both and to participate as
led by the Holy Spirit. In any given service,
a significant portion of those attending will drum, receive healing prayer, and
pray for others to receive healing. Almost everyone gives and receives. Yet no one is coerced to do anything or participate beyond one's own
comfort level. It is shared ministry,
common ministry.
Hawley Todd
|
|
Diocesan Meeting on Common Ministry Coming July 10
We need as many Grace members as
possible to come with us to the Procter Center on Saturday, July 10, to attend
the Diocesan conference "Common Ministry Exploration." We will review
what we have accomplished in our journey toward Common Ministry and share with
others about "where do we go from here?" The conference is
from 10 am to 3 pm. There is no charge and lunch is included.
The Procter Center is in London, Ohio, about 1 1/2 hours from
Grace. We will form car pools and be leaving Grace parking
lot around 8:15 am on that day. With many members attending, we will
generate many great ideas as we explore this shared ministry adventure. Contact Roger Perna (513-290-7309, rperna@cinci.rr.com)
and let him know that you are coming.
|
A New Prayer Has Been Added
Alert eyes will note that a new prayer, written by the Common Ministry committee, has been added to our Sunday worship: Almighty God, source of all wisdom and understanding, be present
with us at Grace Church as we seek a new way of being, Common Ministry. We feel anxious about what this might look
like. Look kindly upon us as we discern
this new way. Guide us in Your way. Help us to discern Your hope and purpose for
us. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen
|
Lillian Cora Dakin Baptized
Lillian Cora Dakin, daughter of Ben and Christine Daken and great-grandaughter of Bob & Florence Poyer, was baptized at Grace on May 30. You can see a selection of pictures here. Go to Lilly's own site for lots more pictures.
|
Christ's Community Summer Youth Program Starts Next Week
Here's news about College Hill summer programs for young people from Ralph and Lisa Williams of Christ's Community in College Hill.Christ's Community in College Hill is really trying to bring our summer program back to life . We
are excited to be able to include all of the churches in these
ministries
because you help make it happen. (Current plans are for Grace Church to provide some of the space for this program). Thanks so much for all you do.
We are providing a day camp from
June 15 through August 13 from 8 am to 4 pm. We are trying to
take in 100 kids. Free breakfast and lunch will be provided. Whole Again Ministries is providing us with ten professional instructors so that we can have a reading enrichment program included in the camp. We also have 15 plus
teen counselors from College Hill who will be getting paid through Community Action to work with our younger kids in the camp. We are also raising donations to
send ten high school youth from College Hill to Young Life Camp in Sharptop,
Georgia. The cost of this camp is $200. They will be leaving Sunday June 13. |
Bridezillas Episode Featuring Grace Church Airs
Last Hallowe'en, the reality TV series Bridezillas filmed a wedding at Grace Church, which is now airing on the We channel. We recorded it and excerpted the parts showing Grace Church. You can see four snapshots and a 1-1/2 minute video of those excerpts here. Grace Church looked really nice, and when the time came for the exchange of vows, the bride looked and acted nice as well.
Watching a full hour of Bridezillas just to see the above footage was pretty painful for your editor. However, if you must, you can see repeat showings of the episode "Andrea and Ivy" on the
WE channel at the following times: Wednesday, June 9 at 11pm | 10c -
Thursday, June 10 at 11pm | 10c
-
Friday, June 11 at 9pm | 8c
-
Friday, June 11 at 11pm | 10c
-
Saturday, June 12 at 11pm | 10c
-
Sunday, June 13 at 8pm | 7c
-
Monday, June 14 at 3am | 2c
-
Friday, June 18 at 8pm | 7c
-
Friday, June 18 at 9pm | 8c
-0- Pass the word: You don't have to be a Bridezilla to have your wedding at Grace! |
Coming Events
- Wednesday, June 9, 7 pm: Healing Service--Celebration of Wholeness and Healing with Prayers,
Drumming, Laying on of Hands & Reike.
- Sunday, June 13, following worship: Common Ministry workshop.
- Wednesday, June 16, 6pm: Mission Council meets.
- Thursday, June 24, 9 am: Parolee work day.
- Thursday, June 24, 6:30 pm: Common Ministry workshop.
See the Grace Calendar Page for more information and more events.
We try to list every event at Grace in the online calendar to facilitate scheduling. If you know of any meeting that's not listed, please let us know at webmaster@gracecollegehill.org. |
Keep in Your Prayers ...
David Mukasa,
Jim Edgy, John (Johnbear) Dunn, Jack Hart,
Anjean Poyer, John Thayer, Gigi Woode, Toussaint Thrower and family, the Harris
family, Marilyn White, Trevor Van Wagenen, Ed Frye, Karen Van Wagenen, Elaine
Hughes, Maureen Back, Eloise Pinto, Ruth Bertram, Robert Flemister, Judy &
Walter Handy, Molly, Shelly Martin, Barbara Todd, Kim Martin, Robb Martin, Dean
Bryeans, Chris, Irene Bryeans, Joshua,
Caleb, Anne, and Darryl Handy, Marcus Flemister, Kim Herrmann, Al Berghausen,
Mary Lou Bellows, Jackie Lewis, Mike and family, Chris and family, Malcolm
Daniel, Jean Cavalieri, Laura Chace, Erik, Alison, Nathanael and Alexis Handy,
Mary Jo, Belinda Hoerst, Steve, Tom, and
Mary Ratliff. Father John Bower and his wife, Louise, Keith, Earl, Eddie Hausfeld, Lisa Perry and Tammy
Robertson and Janet Henthorn.
If you need pastoral care or know of someone who does, please call or
email the office (513-541-2415, office@gracecollegehill.org). Please keep us
informed about about illness, hospital stays, requests for visits, communion,
and prayers for special concerns. Help us to serve you. |
Thanks to ...
... everyone who stepped in at short notice to prepare the
church for the late Ralph Galloway's funeral. Thank you so much for making the
family feel at home and fulfill a wish, you are a special group of people and
may God continue to reward and bless you. (from David Mukasa)
... you all for all those
kind e-mails. (David Mukasa)
... Grace Church for the long time use of the building for our
Search for God Group. We have been meeting there since about 1996 when
Waylen Melton was still there. Thank you so much. (Marian Ruman) |
Thanks from Jim Edgy
Dear Friends, I want to thank you for all your
thoughts, prayers, cards, and other extensions of your care for me, especially your special intention
of prayer at a Sunday Celebration of Healing service couple of weeks
ago. You
will never know how much it means to me. As some of you may know, I have
rejected all extraordinary measures so I live day to day. But I am very
fortunate that I have had a great life both personally and professionally and lived an active, and I hope, productive life until last October when I
left Grace. But my emphasis has always been on quality, not quantity, so
during whatever time I have left I will do the best I can to make it meaningful. I miss you all and want you to know
that you are in my thoughts always. Thank you for the wonderful
opportunity you gave me in allowing me to be with you for the ten
years I was at Grace. My love and prayers go to you all. Jim Edgy |
David Mukasa Out for a While
Senior Warden David Mukasa had surgery on Friday, June 4, at Good Sam hospital, and returned home the same day. His doctor tells him that he'll be out of commission until about the 16th, and isn't to lift anything heavier than 20 pounds for six weeks.
Keep David in your prayers.
|
Wilma Walker Dies
![Edit Image Absalom Jones](http://gracecollegehill.org/images/people/paulandwilmawalker.jpg) Longtime Grace member Wilma Walker
(pictured here with her husband Paul in an old Parish directory) passed away on May 30. The family is planning a Memorial Gathering at Grace Church on July 11 from 5 to 8 pm. Wilma's daughter, Patricia Walker, can be reached at 513-263-0619. Some may remember a time when several members of Wilma's family were all active at Grace Church. They include Wilma's mother Maria Meyer, her sister Karla Vogt, and her children, nephews and nieces. We've seen daughter Patty back at Grace at recent Wednesday evening Healing Services. |
The Parish of Grace Church, A History, 1866-1966 Now Online
![](http://lh4.ggpht.com/_crF3pBs61vo/TAfu3LcckdI/AAAAAAAAN2E/T4sZ9gqzfMU/s576/gracehistory000.jpg) You probably are aware of the fact that Grace Church has a long and interesting history dating from its founding in 1866 in the new settlement of College Hill. Now you can read a history of our first hundred years in Laura Chace's booklet, The Parish of
Grace Church, A History, 1866-1966, which is now online here. In addition to about 60 pages of text, there are about 25 pictures from Grace's first hundred years. ![](http://christchurchglendale.org/PWDA/files/134/staff_laura.jpg) Ms. Chace, a historian, was a long-time member of Grace Church who served as warden as her father did before her. A lifelong College Hill resident, she is now serves
Christ Church Glendale as a deacon.
|
Food Needed for Grace Church's IHN
Hosting Night
A few food items are still needed for our Interfaith Hospitality Network hosting June
25. Please let Grace Staples know if
you can bring one of the following to feed 22 adults and children: Raw veggie tray or ice cream. Food needs to be delivered to the College
Hill Presbyterian Church by 4:30 pm Friday, June 25, or arrange with Grace. |
Lay Preacher Training Starts up in the Fall
The Diocese' Center for Life Formation will begin a new class to train lay persons for
licensing as Preachers in the fall. The training is a two year program
that meets monthly at the Procter Camp & Conference Center from 10 am to
3 pm on Saturdays, nine times per year. The program includes worship,
Bible study, theological reflection and the practice of writing, delivering and
evaluating sermons. You can read more about this program here.
Grace Church member Ken Lyon has just completed his first year in this program, and reports that it is both helpful and rewarding. |
Church Pictorial Directory Available
You can pick up your copy of the new Grace Church Directory at the church, or you can contact the office (513-541-2415, office@gracecollegehill.org) to have one mailed to you. We plan to issue yet another update in the near future, so do let us know of any changes that should be made. |
Healing Touch Information Available
Hawley Todd has observed that our Celebration of Wholeness and Healing services on second Wednesday evenings are drawing quite a variety of people who are interested in and/or are practitioners of various modes of healing. One of the recent additions to the mix is Healing Touch. For those who are interested in learning more about Healing Touch, practitioner Daniel Snyder has sent us the following: Dear Healers, Tell us what you want to heal. Do you have physical health issues?
Emotional health issues? Mental health issues? Saturday June 12th, 2010, is our
next Healing Touch practice group at The New Thought Unity Center,
1401 E.McMillen, Cincinnati, OH 45206, from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm. No experience is
required. All are welcome. .... Here is a link to Energy Magazine, a free on-line magazine
about what is happening with Healing Touch in the U.S. & around the world.
You can contact Daniel Snyder at 513-221-1660 or daniel44@fuse.net. |
Altar Flowers Beautify Worship
There are many
beautiful flowers this time of year that can be used to decorate the
altar. If you would like to give flowers in honor of someone or in memory
of someone the donation the donation is only $35. There is a sign-up sheet on the table by the Belmont door. Or you may call the
church office to let the Flower Guild know which Sunday you would like flowers
and to let the office know in whose honor or memory the flowers are being
donated. The flower fund is designed to be self-sufficient. With your donation, we
can continue to have lovely flowers on the altar. --Carol Lyon, Flower Guild
|
Education for Ministry Fall Classes Now Forming
Education for Ministry is a program of theological education for lay people offered by
extension from the School of Theology of the University of the South,
Sewanee, Tennessee. It has been offered in southern Ohio since the
1970s and at Grace Church for over 10 years. The enrollment deadline is late July, so act now!
Hawley Todd mentors two EfM groups at Grace; one meets Monday evenings, the other on Friday mornings.
EFM combines the traditional functions of fellowship group and Bible
study with a method of theological reflection designed to tap into our
creative, metaphorical and mythical ways of thinking, to help us make
conscious connections between our faith traditions and the
"post-religious" world we find ourselves in today. A group of six to
twelve participants, led by a trained mentor, meets weekly for 36 three
hour meetings in the course of a year. The course is a four year program
but participants commit to one year at a time.
EfM features: Small Seminar groups of from 6 to 12 students Trained mentor(s) and thought-provoking texts Theological reflection practiced regularly Prayer and worship in a Community of study
For contact information and to download a list of fall clases in the
diocese, click here. |
Free Episcopal Stickers Available
Show your colors! We have acquired a supply of Episcopal Church stickers for any and all to put on their car, their window, their door, or wherever. They are free for the taking on tables near the entrances to the church.
|
|
|
|