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| News for and about Grace Episcopal Church |
August 14,
2008 | |
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| Dear Friend,
This issue is a little longer than usual;
your editor is playing catch-up with the news of Grace.
So, relax and take your time to bring yourself up-to-date on
the doings at Grace Church.
As always, check out the Calendar to see
what's coming up at Grace.
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Smokey Grace?
There's a
church in Manhattan known as " Smokey Mary's"
because of the enthusiastic use of incense there. Check
the picture of Grace's cooks at our second "Blessed Grille" of
the Summer on August 3, following the 10 am service. Are we on
the way to being "Smokey Grace?" Or just "Smokey Roger and
David." In any case, the ribs, mets and dogs were
great! You can see more pictures of both "Blessed
Grille" luncheons on the Grace Church Photo Album site here.
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| The Healing Service At Grace: Traditional Healing,
African Drumming and Reike
So I tell you, whatever you ask
for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will
be yours. --Mark 11:24
 Every second Wednesday of the month
(except Summer months), we gather at Grace Church to celebrate
God's gift of healing and reconciliation for each other and
the world. Healing can and does take many forms, but we
acknowledge and recognize God as the singular source of all
healing. God restores and renews our bodies, minds and
spirits through prayers, the laying on of hands, music, art
and the spoken word. God has gifted us with
intelligence, knowledge and skill to make healing possible and
for these and all other gifts, we give thanks to God.
Enriching our Worship
2 says,
In Ministry with the Sick or
Dying, healing is offered for any who feel the need for
specific healing of spirit, mind, or body. The sacrament is
particularly appropriate at times of discovery of illness, a
turning point in an illness, a particular procedure, or at a
time of great distress. Prayer is also an important
dimension of Ministry with the Sick or Dying. But many sick
people find their prayer hampered by illness. The support of
others in prayer becomes even more important in these
times.
We began the African Drumming and Reike
Healing Service at Grace on November 14, 2007. In our
service, we practice traditional as well as non-traditional
healing methods. We have the traditional laying on of
hands and anointing with Holy Oil, drumming and the ancient
Japanese art of Reike.
We began this journey
when Laura Hall, a member of the congregation, brought the
idea to us. She was very enthusiastic and suggested that we
might want to offer this service at Grace. After
prayers, meetings and discussions we decided to meet with
drummer Bob Laake. After our meeting, we came to the
conclusion that we should combine traditional healing with
drumming and Reike. Bob has experience the healing power
of drums in his personal battle with stomach cancer. On
his website, drumforhealing.com/drumcircles.htm, Bob
says,
For thousands of years tribal
cultures from all over the globe have used the drum to heal
people. Tribal societies, both eastern and western have long
recognized the connection between drum energy and their
physical & emotional health. In the same way, we can use
the energy of drumming to help us make the changes we need in
our body, mind and soul. Recent scientific studies
attest to the power of vibrational energy and the Healing Drum
to transform and relieve physical and emotional maladies. It's
no surprise that science is now finding measurable positive
immune system changes. Everyday, people are using the sound
vibrations of the drum to positively alter the body's
biochemistry. Sound enhances the healing effects of many other
treatments and therapies.
The other form or
method of healing that we use in our service is Reike.
This is a holistic form of healing that seeks to bring balance
to our lives.
Reiki (pronounced RAY-key) is a
Japanese word and literally translates as "Universal Life
Energy". It is an ancient form of healing using the natural
energy of which all matter is created. In Chinese culture this
energy is referred to as "chi", in the Japanese as "ki", in
East Indian cultures as "prana", and in Western cultures as
"bioenergy" (particularly when referring to the energy within
plants and animals). The practice of Reiki is
believed to have originated in the Tibetan culture (with the
Tibetan Monks over two thousand years ago) and was
"rediscovered" in the Sutras in the late nineteenth century by
Dr. Mikao Usui of Japan. In the twentieth century, Reiki
Masters have brought this form of healing to the USA, Europe,
and other parts of the world. Reiki is a holistic form
of healing and helps to integrate the physical, emotional,
mental, and spiritual components of one's self by balancing
the energy centers (chakras) plus the nervous, endocrine and
circulatory systems of the body. It stimulates natural
immunity, promotes relaxation, and is helpful with both
chronic and acute problems. Reiki is a complementary form of
healing and can be used in conjunction with other Western and
Eastern healing modalities.
Our healing
service is open and welcome to all seeking and searching for
healing and reconciliation. There is a strong community
developing around this service and we have discovered it to be
a blessing and gift as we assemble each month. We gather
in God's presence to pray and receive blessings and
healing. Sharing in the joy of the spirit uplifts the
community and renews and restores us in unexpected and
profound ways.
As we begin our second year on September
10, 2008, we extend an invitation to you to come and worship
with us.
--The Reverend Ernestein
Flemister.
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Request for Input to Congregational Self-Assessment
From Senior Warden John Thayer:
Grace Church has received a
Congregational Self-Assessment form from the Diocese. The
Mission Council has the responsibility of completing this form
and returning it before September 15. While the Council will
do most of the work, we need suggestions & opinions
from the congregation. The Self-Assessment form contains many
questions, but most of them fall into two simple
categories:
- WHERE ARE WE NOW? (for example,member
size, activity, outlook), and
- WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? (for example,
seeking/welcoming new members, outreach, plans,
hopes).
We welcome your ideas,
comments, suggestions etc. Send them to
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Recent Goings-On In &
Around the Church Building
Belinda Perna dropped
by the church a week or two ago and snapped some pictures of
the kinds of things that go on around the church during the
week.  Behind
the parking lot, she caught Jim Dietz & your editor
pulling bushes and small trees out of the ground with a
Jeep.  Inside, off the
lower hallway, she found David Mukasa, Bob Jones and Jim Edgy
busily renovating the room below the choir room in the
original part of our
building.
Not
pictured are Roger and Belinda Perna, who were too busy
spending hours and hours weeding, trimming, purchasing and
planting to take pictures of themselves. Here is a picture of
the results of the work that they and others have done to
improve our face to the world.
Drop
by during the week some time. Who knows what you'll
see!
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| Grace Helps Flooded Family
With thanks, from Florence and Bob
Poyer:
Our son, Chris, and his wife,
Jen, lost everything in their home during the big flood in
Cedar Rapids, IA. The response from their Grace Church friends
and relatives has enabled them to furnish a two-bedroom
apartment with the necessary items. Our Grace Church
family sent them a sizeable check to go for more things they
will have to replace when they finally get into permanent
housing.
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 Keeping in Touch With the Larger
Church
The famous Lambeth Conference of
(most) Anglican Bishops is now over, and your editor, for one,
is very happy to have received almost-daily updates on the
proceedings from our Bishops Breidenthal and Price. Their
perspectives were far more informed and nuanced than anything
I read in the press coverage.
You can read their
"Letters from Lambeth" on the Diocesan website here. They start
in July and continue into August.
I highly
recommend that all our members with email subscribe to the
Diocesan email list (provide your email here). It's
an easy way to keep in touch with (part of) the larger world
of the Church of which we're a member.
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Health & Wellness Briefings Now on
Website
For almost a year now, the Health & Wellness Ministry
Committee has been publishing Health & Wellness Briefings
in our Sunday Bulletin. This series of short articles have now
been posted on our website so that you can see any that you've
missed. You can see them all here, or you can
choose from the following list:
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Grace Church Mission Fair Coming Sunday, September 7
Present your favorite mission at the Grace Church
Mission Fair. Where do you volunteer? Would you like to
encourage others to volunteer with you? Grace Church's
Outreach Committee will present a Mission Fair after the
service on September 7. Contact Judy Handy ( jhandy23@cinci.rr.com, 513-681-5829) or
Grace Staples ( Gracenpete@cs.com, 513-251-3538) or the
church office if you would like to contribute a display of
pictures and information in addition to the Grace Church
projects. Each committee will have a booth so you can
learn about what they are doing, and volunteer to help them if
it is your interest. This is your opportunity to learn
the best way for you to serve God. If you are the chair
of a group, please see Roger Perna (513-542-8464, rperna@cinci.rr.com) about your display.
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Confused about political rumors, claims, etc, about the
Presidential race?
 The Annenberg Foundation has a
non-partisan site that researches and clarifies them. Go
to factcheck.org and it will help you sort
out the truth from the fiction. |
 Join
the Choir, Sing!
Choir Practice begins Thursday, Aug 28, 7:00
p.m. Anyone who is interested, please see Jim Edgy
(office@GraceCollegeHill.org, 513-541-2415).
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Interfaith Immigration Summit Coming to Columbus in
September
Mobilizing for Humane Reform, a two-day conference
sponsored by the Ohio Council of Churches and other
organizations will be held Sept. 9-10 in Columbus. This
conference will bring together faith-based leaders and
advocates in the Midwest to work towards educating and
mobilizing their communities in support of fair and humane
immigration reform. For more information about this
event, visit the Diocesan Public Policy
Bulletin Board. |
Fire Up for Christian Formation!
The Diocesan Christian Formation Commission invites
you to a day of sharing resources and connecting with other
Christian educators. The second "Fire Up for Formation"
conference is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 27 at Procter Camp
& Conference Center. The conference will run from
9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The conference is open to anyone
interested in Christian Formation for any age group,
especially directors of religious education, church school
directors, clergy, vestry and other Christian educators.
Bishop Breidenthal will again be the keynote speaker
at this year's conference. Sharon Pearson, Curriculum
Specialist with Morehouse Publishing will offer one of the
workshops available. Cost is $12 to those who register
before Sept. 8 and $15 after Sept. 8. For more information, or
to register, see the Diocesan website
or contact the Christian Formation Commission chair, Melissa
Shirley, at shirley.37@osu.edu. |
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up-to-date on what's happening at Grace.
While we try
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The content of eGraceNotes depends on what
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matter of whether or not someone provided information to
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would be interesting to members or friends of Grace to eGraceNotes@GraceCollegeHill.org.
Photos
in eGraceNotes are
often edited to remove extraneous material.
Ken Lyon,
Editor. | |
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