The Cincinnati West Deanery (of which Grace is a part) is sponsoring a joint celebration of the Feast of the Epiphany at St. Stephen's in Finneytown on Saturday, January 6 at 7:00 pm. This will be a celebration of the Holy Eucharist with the Fr. Bailey, Rector of St. Stephen's, presiding. Members of all the congregations in the deanery are invited.

One thing that will make this service just a little different is a huge bonfire after the celebration to burn Christmas decorations (real greenery, of course). Bring some greenery to add to the conflagration.

St. Stephen's is located on Daly Road just north of Compton. See you there!

Mark your calendars and plan on attending the Annual Meeting on Sunday, January 28, following the 10:00 am service. At that meeting, in addition to enjoying a pot luck luncheon, you'll elect Wardens, Mission Council members and Convention delegates. You'll also hear reports on Grace's past, present and future.

Exodus 4, the Grace of Healing, is coming to Grace the weekend of February 16 to 18. The Exodus movement is for high school students. It's focused more on empowerment and education than emotional highs and lack of sleep.

Run by a group of high school students who are paired with an adult mentor, Exodus focuses on how to maintain faith in a faithless world. Scripture lessons from Jesus' teaching to his Disciples on the Mount will be paired with student issues to translate Jesus' teaching into contemporary language. During discussions and activities, ideas are formulated and voiced.

The event culminates in transforming ideas into action--for instance, an evening of dinner, worship, and fellowship that is designed and implemented by the Exodus participants for the host congregation's community.

The Evangelism Commission invites any or all of us who want to help Grace grow to the Magnetic Church, a weekend of sharing evangelism tools with practical and fun workshops.

The commission has engaged Andrew Weeks, a gifted lay evangelist and humorous, inspiring speaker to present this event on January19 and 20 at St. Paul’s, Chillicothe. Weeks invites everyone, especially skeptics, to attend the opening Friday evening session, during which he will focus on spiritual issues to help us to overcome any negative images of evangelism. On Saturday, he will lead us in intense, interactive sessions: "Presenting Your Church to the Public" (Signs, Property and Media); "Managing New Member Ministry Processes" and two sessions that include small group workshops: "The Ministry of Greeting" and "Communications / Internal Media."

From these sessions, you will get scores of practical ideas you can start to implement immediately. Learn more about the program at . The cost is a small registration fee--$20/person--plus the cost of staying in a motel Friday night.

Let's get at least a car-load going from Grace. Contact the office (513-542-2941, office@gracecollegehill.org) if you're at all interested.

Your editor has added pages to the Grace web site containing basic information about the Episcopal church. See FAQ's (Frequently Asked Questions) here and a Glossary here. Send him your comments, corrections and additions.

Like the discovery of The Law in the ruins of the temple, your editor and his wife uncovered Grace Church's by-laws while rummaging through their attic for Christmas decorations.

Part of our Annual Meeting will be devoted to celebrating all that has been accomplished during the past year. Grace Staples started a list and came up with 25 items. Check the list and then let John Thayer know of any you would like to add.

Enjoy God's creation this year by helping arrange the altar flowers. No experience is necessary. You will learn by doing. If you are interested, please contact Carol Lyon (513-542-2941, carolilyon@aol.com).