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News for
and about Grace Episcopal Church
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June 20,
2007
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July
Volunteer Schedule Online
The
volunteer schedule for worship assignments for July is on line
here.
Check it out, you might be on it!
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The
Rev. Ernestein Flemister Called to be Full-Time Vicar
On June 5,
Mission Council voted to call the Reverend Ernestein Flemister
to be the next Vicar of Grace Church. The
Reverend Flemester has accepted the call.
Her first Sunday at Grace will be July 1. Members and
friends will have a chance to meet her at a reception
following that service.
The Diocese
has made it financially possible for this be a full time
position for the next two years.
Please
pray for her and the ministry she will share with all the
people at Grace Church.
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About
Our New Vicar
The Rev.
Ernestein Flemister is a person of many gifts, experiences and
types of training, all of which qualify her to lead us at
Grace Church.
First, let us
look at her degrees. She has:
- A Masters of Business
Administration in Marketing and Finance from Xavier
University, Cincinnati.
- A Bachelor of Science in
Finance/Human Resources from Franklin University,
Columbus.
- A Bachelor
of Laws from the University of Liberia, Monrovia,
Liberia
- A Master of Divinity from
Bexley Hall Seminary, Columbus.
Her
wide-ranging work experience bodes well for her work
here: She has worked as a night auditor for
Marriott Hotels, a Finance Manager for health care companies,
an Information Technology specialist for a bank, a Financial
Service and Sales Representative for insurance companies,
including Western Southern Life based here in Cincinnati, a
Help Desk Coordinator for Safelite Auto Glass, an Assistant
Minister of Justice for the Liberian Legislature and as a
Legal Counsel for the Liberian Ministry of
Justice.
Her church
involvement is also extensive. For the past
17 years, she has been a member of St. Phillip's Church,
Columbus. While there, she was elected
Junior Warden, was a member of a Rector search committee,
participated in the Choir and Altar Guild; served as a Lay
Reader, an Acolyte Trainer and as a Tutor for middle school
children; worked with social programs such as Eat So Others
Can Live and prepared meals on a monthly basis for a homeless
shelter. She is is a graduate of the
Diocese's Southern Ohio Lay Leadership Initiative) SOLLI
program.
When asked
about her management style, she said that she believes in lay
empowerment and in consensus building.
Grace
Church is fortunate to welcome her as our Vicar.
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 Fr.
Bower Retires ... Again
The election
of a Vicar makes it possible for our Interim Vicar, Fr. John
Bower, to retire--for the third time, it is
said! Fr.
John's last Sunday at Grace in his role as Interim Vicar will
be June 24. A reception in his honor will
follow the service that day.
A
Note from Fr. John
Now that the
Rev. Ernestein Flemister has been suggested by the diocese and
called by the Mission Council, my work at Grace Church is
being brought to a close. The job of an interim priest is,
among other things, to help prepare the way for the rector or
vicar who will ultimately lead the congregation. This task
being happily fulfilled, I am now free to leave Grace Church
to the competent care of the new full-time Vicar and
the Mission Council.
When I
arrived here in mid-October last year, I don't think any of us
quite expected that things would move along so swiftly. But I
am delighted that the evidences of God's work here are so
manifest. Several initiatives have been
launched and there are many opportunities to minister waiting.
The plans for
the development of the property and all that they will involve
are very exciting.
That the
bishops and staff of the diocese have agreed to make the
funding possible for a full-time priest here is a wonderful
testimony to their confidence in the future ministry of Grace
Church.
Much of the
potential for ministry here is still pending. I can move on
comforted that, with the leadership of Pastor Ernestein and
the other leadership here, Grace Church will continue to grow
as a ministry center for the College Hill area. I will be
watching with great interest, and I will continue to pray for
the worshipping community here.
I have
enjoyed my, time at Grace Church and I have been enriched by
your friendship, love, and prayers. My sense is that we have
done well together and that the full fruits of our labor are
yet to be realized.
God is
good!
All the
time!
Faithfully in
love and peace, Fr.
John Bower, Interim
Vicar
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| Vacation
Bible School
Next Week
Grace's
Vacation Bible School will be held this year from Monday, June
25 through Thursday, June 28 in the early evening--from 6:00
pm to 8:00 pm. All young people grades K through 6 are
welcome, at no cost.
The program
for each day will include classroom activities, music, arts
& crafts, snacks, praise dance and prayers.
To register,
provide parent's and children's names, ages, address, phone
and email to Grace Church, by mail to 5501 Hamilton Avenue, or
email to Office@gracecollegehill.org, or call
513-541-2415.
At
registration, parents will provide emergency contact
information; complete a health sheet, including any allergies,
especially food; activity restrictions and permissions; and
any other information that may be pertinent for the safety and
welfare of your child.
Please tell
anyone with kids about this neat
program. |
Episcopal
Humor?
We've posted
a couple of examples of Episcopalians making a little fun of
themselves. Click
here
to see Robin Williams' Top Ten Reasons to be an
Episcopalian and a bit called You Might be an
Episcopalian if ... attributed to Garrison Keillor.
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Contact
Grace Church at 513-541-2415 or office@gracecollegehill.org.
Contact
the editor at 513-542-2941 or eGraceNotes@gracecollegehill.org.
Visit
our web site at gracecollegehill.org.
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