If all goes according to plan, the Communion Table will be moved to the crossing, between the choir and the rest of the congregation. Many are looking forward to seeing the Altar again unobscured by the Communion Table.

Also, we expect to baptize Steve Reynolds. He and his wife Patricia live in the apartments across the street.

And finally, the Mission Council's December meeting will follow the 10:00am service. The Council will be acting on the application of a person to be our new Christian Formation Coordinator. Mission Council meetings are open to all.

The Annual Meeting of all members and friends of Grace Church will be held following the 10:00am service on January 21. Officers will be elected. Reports on the past year and plans for the future will be presented. Discussion may ensue.

Warden John Thayer is preparing the Annual Report. He plans to include a goodly list of the interesting events of 2006 and is looking for personal comments to include. To have your thoughts on included in the Annual Report, get them to the office by January 15.

The Clericus (Latin for "clergy") of the Cincinnati West Deanery is coming to Grace for their regular lunch meeting on January 2. We will be providing a wonderful lunch for them and need two or three people to assist Jim Edgy in serving and clearing. Contact the office (513-542-2941, gechurch@fuse.net ) if you can help out.

Besides Grace, the Cincinnati West Deanery consists of the following churches: St. Stephen's (Finneytown), St. James (Westwood), Holy Spirit (Forest Park), Christ Church (Glendale), St. Philip's (Northside), Church of St. Simon of Cyrene (Lincoln Heights), Church of Ascension & Holy Trinity (Wyoming) and St. Luke (Sayler Park).

The Diocese of Southern Ohio has ten deaneries. You can see a map of them here.

Mary Ellen Methot died November 20. Mary Ellen was a member of Grace Church for many years. Always active, she contributed in many ways. A sampling: she sang for many years in the choir, she led a literacy program from Grace Church, she served on Vestry, she donated the black leather chairs in the office and she spruced up the ladies' rooms.

Her son Chris sent us the following obituary, written by Mary Ellen:

Mary Ellen Schlemmer Methot, formerly of New York and Cincinnati, died November 20, 2006. She was 93. She adored her son, Chris and brother, Nelson.

Born in Washington, DC, Mary Ellen earned her degree in Interior Design and Decoration from Pratt Institute. She returned to Cincinnati after 20 years in New York and seven in Dayton, Ohio. She was a Professional member of ASID. After more than 30 years at the A.B. Closson Jr. Co. as a designer, she retired to volunteer at the Cincinnati Art Museum and devoted her last 17 years to teaching adult literacy. She reveled in the accomplishments of her students.

She leaves her son Christopher Methot and his wife Patricia of Grafton MA. Memorials may be made to the Cincinnati Art Museum.

“We Missed You" cards are in the rear of the church. Send one to an absent friend by taking it with you to mail or by putting it in the collection plate for us to mail.

This is the normal schedule for staff members who will be at the church during the week.

• Father Bower is in the office Wednesday through Friday from 9:30am to 12:30pm.
• Jim Edgy, Parish Administrator, is in the office Monday through Thursday from 9:00am to 1:00pm.
• Bob Jones, Sexton, is in the building Tuesday through Friday from 9:00am to 2:00pm.
• Dionne Campbell, bookkeeper, comes in every other Wednesday.

One of the values we try to honor at Grace Church is "honesty and integrity." Openness about what's going on at the church is essential.

To this end, Mission Council Minutes are posted on our web site. We commend them to you; they are not your usual boring minutes. There's an index to the minutes and other information here.

Your editor has been updating the format and information on the Grace Church website. Please review the contents of our website and let him know how it can be made better.

Please send all announcements for the Bulletin Insert to the church office (gechurch@fuse.net , 513-541-2415) by Tuesday of each week.

We would like to equip the Vicar's office with a PC that can be tied into our office network. If anyone would like to donate one--new or used--that would be wonderful.

Christmas Services are wonderful times to introduce friends, neighbors, and family to worship in the Episcopal Church. Our services will be at 7:00pm Christmas Eve and at 10:00am Christmas Day.