This past year--Grace Church’s 140th--has been unique, and the year to come promises to be crucial for our ongoing development.

During our annual meeting following the 10:00 am service on January 28, we will share our memories of the past year, our hopes for future years, and our opinions and suggestions on what needs to be done. We will also elect wardens, mission council members and delegates to Diocesan convention.

And we will enjoy a great pot-luck dinner! If your name begins with A through G, we suggest you bring rolls or vegetables, if H through M, a salad, if N through S, a main dish, if T through Z, a dessert. In any case bring yourself and a friend.

We welcome Sheila Jenkins-Morgan as Grace's new Director of Christian Formation. Mrs. Morgan began on January 5 in a part time capacity until her contract as the Director of a Head Start program is completed in May, at which time she become a full time employee.

Mrs. Morgan is a long-time member of St Simon of Cyrene. There, she restarted their Sunday School program, growing it from 5 children to 30. She also developed praise dancing as the main attraction for young people and has taken her group to perform for the General Convention as well as the Union of Black Episcopalians. She is the leader for the annual weekly summer bible school at St. Simon and is familiar with the Hip Hop Mass.

We look forward to her joining the Grace community, along with her two daughters, aged 14 and 9.

We have some extra pews that we feel sure will never be needed. We want to give first choice to anyone who has been associated with Grace Church. The Pews will sell for $100 to $150 each, depending upon condition. The purchaser will be responsible for moving the pews.

If interested, or if you know someone who may be interested, please contact the office (513-541-2415, office@gracecollegehill.org).

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 traditional and contemporary Christian 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 cost is $30

The Exodus program of the youth of the diocese will be held at Grace the weekend of February 16-18. We will need volunteers to assist with 3 meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) on Saturday and breakfast on Sunday. There will be approximately 60 youth in attendance.

If you will be able to help, please let Jim Edgy know (513-541-2415, office@gracecollegehill.org)

Enjoy God's creation this year by helping arrange the altar flowers. No experience is necessary. You will learn by doing.

Four people have already signed up. If you are interested, please contact Carol Lyon (513-542-2941, carolilyon@aol.com).

Accoding to the Episcopal News Service, a plan to recruit and incorporate newcomers, clarity of mission and ministry, contemporary worship, involvement of children in worship, geographic location, a website and the absence of conflict are key factors in why some congregations in America are growing.

The latest national survey of U.S. faith communities, sponsored by the Cooperative Congregational Studies Partnership (CCSP), found that wanting to grow is not enough. Congregations that grow must plan for growth. "Congregations that developed a plan to recruit members in the last year were much more likely to grow than congregations that had not," according to C. Kirk Hadaway, Director of Research at the Episcopal Church Center in New York.

Shirley Allen, former parishioner now living in New Mexico writes, "I am so impressed by the ways that the Place of Grace, which I love so dearly, keeps on keepin' on. The people there, whom I found to be such dedicated Christians, are still doing God's work, and making a difference in so many lives, including mine, by their ongoing commitment."

It surely is nice to hear from Shirley!

The Prayer Shawl Ministry was started at Grace by the Episcopal Church Women about three years ago. As it happens, We learned about prayer shawls from Louise Bower, our interim vicar's wife.

The shawl ministry gives a shawl to anyone in need of prayer, for comfort, healing, grief or on a happy occasion like the birth of a baby. We have about five knitters in our group and to date our group has knit 50 shawls.

When hurricane Katrina hit I saw that Tom Raper RV was sending RV's south. I contacted them about putting a prayer shawl in each RV. Then I sent an urgent SOS to all parish nurses to get enough shawls to send; we had just five days to do it. We were able to get 37 shawls for the 45 RV's that went to new Orleans.

Prayer shawls are always given, never bought. Donations are accepted toward buying yarn.

We have not limited our shawls to just Grace parishioners. I know of several that have been sent to Texas, Iraq, New Orleans and Mississippi.

Article contributed by Florence Poyer.