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eGraceNotes from Grace Church
News for and about Grace Episcopal Church
April 13, 2010
Our Values
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A Little Homework for the First Gifts Workshop

There's an easy "homework assignment" to complete before attending the first Gifts Workshop. 

Just take a few minutes to think of and then write down the names of several people who have affirmed or inspired you during your lifetime.

Think of those who, either by advice or example, have helped you believe in yourself--people that have helped you develop self-confidence and become the person that you are today. Write down a few notes about each person and be prepared to share your ideas about at least two of these people with others at the workshop. 

By sharing our ideas, we hope to discern the gifts that each of us has been given.
Dear Friend,

This is a special quickie edition of eGraceNotesto remind members and friends of two events this week:

  • We had great participation in our Gifts Workshop Sunday. For those who weren't able to attend, we're hosting it again this Thursday at 6:30 pm. Snacks and child care will be provided. Read more below, then come to this life-enhancing workshop!
  • The Celebration of Wholeness & Healing Service Wednesday; a multimodal healing service with traditional laying on of hands for healing, African drumming, Reike and Healing Touch. Drumming starts about 6:30 pm, the service starts at 7 pm. Service ends when all have departed in two or three hours.
-o-
Ken Lyon, Editor
eGraceNotes@GraceCollegeHill.org
All Are Invited to Attend the First Gifts Workshop Thursday

All Grace members and friends are encouraged to attend a series of three Common Ministry Gifts Workshops starting the coming week. We expect that these workshops may well enable participants to live lives that are more fun, more meaningful and more rewarding. We also expect that the life of the Grace community will be further invigorated.

Come to the first workshop on Thursday (April 15) at 6:30pm.  Snacks and child care will be provided both times. If you have not already told someone that you'll be attending, please let Ken Lyon know (ken@lyonhouse.usor 513-542-2941) so we can be ready for you.

The Gifts Workshops are being set up on Sundays after church and repeated on the following Thursdays so that as many parishioners as possible can participate in this process. This is the only way we will be able to create goals and missions that truly reflect the nature of the entire parish. Please make every effort to attend all three of these workshops, whether it be on the Sunday or the following Thursday. Together, and with God's guidance, we will be able to develop Grace into the strong parish that it can be. We can be a real force for God's work in greater Cincinnati. Please come along with us on this exciting journey.

Three Grace members attended this series of workshops given by the Diocese. They will be conducting Grace's workshops. Hawley Todd was enthusiastic about what he discovered during his workshop experience. See hereand herefor his observations.

Here's the schedule for all three workshops:

Thursday, April 15 at 6:30 pm. Gifts Assessment Workshop I: "People Who Inspired Me."
You will share with others people in your life that have influenced you and helped you develop the values that you have. This process will help us realize why we are the people that we are today and why we believe what we believe.
 
Sunday, April 25 after worship or Thursday, April 29 at 6:30 pm. Gifts Assessment Workshop II: "Identifying Our Gifts."
We will meet in small groups and talk about accomplishments in our life that we value or feel good about. By listening, others in your group will be able to help you assess your gifts as demonstrated by your stories
 
Sunday, May 16 after worship or Thursday, May 29 at 6:30 pm. Gifts Assessment Workshop III: "What Tugs at My Heart?"
You will identify what community and world issues are most important to you, and we will work together to determine which of these issues are most important to Grace Church as a parish.
Healing Service Visited by the "Hosts of Heaven?"

The monthly Healing Service (aka Celebration of Wholeness and Healing) is coming up Wednesday, April 14. Drumming starts about 6:30 pm; the service starts at 7 pm and goes as long as people stay. 

Here are comments from Hawley Todd following last month's service:

Dear Grace Leaders and friends,
 
I want to thank you all once again for empowering the healing service at Grace Church!
 
There was a tremendous outpouring of love again last night.  It is such an honor to be with people and to give and receive prayer.  Several of us prayed with a lady last night who had come for the first time.  For me, just praying with her would have been enough.  We prayed with her for a long time and she released so much pent up and buried emotions.  God was so present.  I am totally in awe of the grace that abounds at Grace.

This service is a blessing for so many of us.  Our numbers were "down some" last night.  We had about 35 people.  Yet we had scores of angels.  I mean that literally!
 
At the end of the service, two of the drummers told me that they had heard singing and chanting during different portions of the healing time.  And that it was not from any choir we had singing at the service! They were people who told me they were totally blown away by the experience.  Then one of them looked at me and said I didn't look surprised and asked if this happened before. I got a text message from another participant this morning and he told me the same thing.  I mentioned it to one of my Healing Touch friends who had been unable to attend last night.  She said she had experienced something similar at a prior service.  I really wasn't surprised because I have heard it from others as well.  How does one count the "hosts of heaven?"

For more about this service see here.
Coming Events

Grace Church Calendar
  • Wednesday, 4/14: Healing service, 7 pm.
  • Thursday, 4/15 at 6:30 pm: Gifts Workshop I (repeat).
  • Wednesday, 4/21: Mission Council meets, 6 pm.
  • Thursday, 4/22: Parolee Work Day
  • Sunday, 4/25 at 11:15 am: Gifts Workshop II.
  • Thursday, 4/29 at 6:30 pm: Gifts Workshop II (repeat).
See the Grace Calendar Page for more information and more events.

We try to list every event at Grace in the online calendar to facilitate scheduling. If you know of any meeting that's not listed, please let us know at webmaster@gracecollegehill.org.
eGraceNotes is published every week or two or three. Our primary purpose is to help keep members and friends of Grace Church up-to-date on what's happening at Grace.

While we try our best to represent the Grace Church congregation, opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of anyone other than the editor (and perhaps not even his!).

The content of eGraceNotes depends on what news is provided us. Thus, the fact that something appears or doesn't appear in eGraceNotes is more likely a matter of whether or not someone provided information to publish rather than editorial bias. Send news that you think would be interesting to eGraceNotes@GraceCollegeHill.org.

Photos in eGraceNotes are often edited to remove extraneous material.

Ken Lyon, Editor.
Grace Episcopal Church | Phone: 513-541-2415 | 5501 Hamilton Avenue at Belmont Avenue | College Hill (Cincinnati) | OH | 45224