Q. Who was the greatest female financier in the Bible?

A. Pharaoh's daughter. She went down to the bank of the Nile and drew out a little prophet. 

A repeat of the "Grace Church--What's it to You?"  workshop will take place tomorrow, Thursday, at 6:30 pm in the Small Assembly Room.  Our purpose is to discern what's important about Grace to its members and friends.

We scheduled this workshop for people who couldn't make it to the Sunday workshop on the 13th. At that workshop, we got many great answers to questions such as:

• Why did you come to Grace?
• Why did you remain at Grace?

Participants in our series of Common (Shared) Ministry workshops report that they like learning more about other Grace members and friends. These workshops are turning out to be a real community-builder.

Future Common Ministry Events

The Diocese is sponsoring Common Ministry training at Procter Conference Center on July 10. We are encouraging as many members of Grace as possible to attend this training, so more than just a few can take part in discerning Grace's future.

In August, on the 22nd following worship and again on the 26th at 6:30 pm, we have scheduled a Community workshop to learn more about the communities we serve.

What are the gifts and/or skills God has given you? At the second Common (Shared) Ministry workshop, over 20 people answered that question with help from others.  Attendee's answers were used to make up a consolidated list of over 20 possible gifts that members might possess.

Today, that list was mailed to all Grace members and friends believed to be active at Grace. All recipients are being asked to check off their gifts, add any that aren't listed, and return the completed list to the church. 

Common Ministry Chair Carol Lyon says, "Even if you have attended the workshop, please fill out the form. This will help us get a total picture of the gifts and/or skills our members and friends. Let me assure you that we're not going to use these lists to harass you into doing jobs. We'll use your answers to create a better picture of Grace Church as a community."

If you don't get a letter in the next few days and you want to be included, go to the  online Gifts Survey, where you can either print it off and mail it in, or copy it into an email and send it to us electronically.

If you don't get a letter in the next few days, and you want to be sure to be included in the Grace Church Directory, let Ken Lyon know at ken@lyonhouse.us.

Tony Denbo writes,
 Take a look. It's looking better already!

The Greater Cincinnati Energy Alliance has informed Grace Church that our application has been approved for participation in the GCEA Summer 2010 Non-Profit Grant program. Participation will include an energy audit and expert advice on energy savings as well as possible grant money to make our building more energy-efficient.

Mssrs Mukasa, Perna and Lyon and Ms McLain will attend meetings and work on the grant requirements to position us for possible grant dollars.  All work that's part of this program must be completed by the end of this year. 

Grace Church is participating in this year's Christ's Community in College Hill summer program by hosting a class of 7th and 8th graders in the Small Assembly Room most every morning from June 15 to August 18.

 

...  all the members of Grace for the gracious welcome we all got for Ralph Galloway's funeral service. Arrangements were simple, people were welcoming and helpful, the church looked lovely and worked well.  I was very pleased to see the people who came--people who had known Ralph as Grace for far longer than I had.  He always considered himself a member of Grace and you helped give him a good send-off.  Thank you.  Anne Warrington Wilson+

... Tony Denbo, Jeff Goddard and an unnamed landscaping friend for edging flower beds and other yard work that's keeping our face to the community looking good. 
 

The cost to add air conditioning to the five new fuel-efficient furnaces in the education wing would be about $5000. The price is so low because much of the work to prepare for air conditioning was done when the furnaces were installed. There are no plans to install air conditioning in these spaces ... yet. Should there be?  Let Senior Warden David Mukasa know.

We don't have an estimate on what it would cost to cool the church ... yet.  Should we? Let Senior Warden David Mukasa know.

Diocesan Meeting on Common Ministry Coming July 10

We need as many Grace members as possible to come with us to the Procter Center on Saturday, July 10, to attend the Diocesan conference "Common Ministry Exploration." We will review what we have accomplished in our journey toward Common Ministry and share with others about "where do we go from here?" 

The conference is from 10 am to 3 pm. There is no charge and lunch is included.  The Procter Center is in London, Ohio, about 1 1/2 hours from Grace.  We will form car pools and be leaving Grace parking lot around 8:15 am on that day.  With many members attending, we will generate many great ideas as we explore this shared ministry adventure. Contact Roger Perna (513-290-7309, rperna@cinci.rr.com) and let him know that you are coming.

You probably are aware of the fact that Grace Church has a long and interesting history dating from its founding in 1866 in the new settlement of College Hill.

Now you can read a history of our first hundred years in Laura Chace's booklet, The Parish of Grace Church, A History, 1866-1966, which is now online here. In addition to about 60 pages of text, there are about 25 pictures from Grace's first hundred years.

Ms. Chace, a historian, was a long-time member of Grace Church who served as warden as her father did before her.  A lifelong College Hill resident, she is now serves the Diocese as a deacon.

 

EFM combines the traditional functions of fellowship group and Bible study with a method of theological reflection designed to tap into our creative, metaphorical and mythical ways of thinking, to help us make conscious connections between our faith traditions and the "post-religious" world we find ourselves in today. A group of six to twelve participants, led by a trained mentor, meets weekly for 36 three hour meetings in the course of a year. The course is a four year program but participants commit to one year at a time.

EfM features:

For complete information about EfM, click here.

For contact information and to download a list of fall clases in the diocese, click here.