Common Ministry Surveys Needed to Plan Grace's Future
Your Common Ministry Committee recently mailed surveys to about 100 members and friends of Grace Church. It is important that every member or friend of Grace return their survey. When enough surveys have been returned to provide a good sample, the postponed congregational meeting will be rescheduled. The purpose of the surveys is to help Grace Church better
understand who we are as a community and what God is calling us to be. We are asking all members and friends to complete and return three one-page
surveys. The surveys are: - The Gifts Survey--about your gifts/talents/skills.
- The Passions Survey--about the "hungers that tug at your heart."
- The "What's Grace to You" Survey-about what drew you, and continues to draw you, to Grace Church--and what more you'd like Grace to be.
If you didn't get a letter or have mislaid it, see the three surveys here. Print them off and mail them in, or copy them into emails and send them to Carol Lyon ( spikelyon@gmail.com) electronically. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact any
member of the committee. If you got a letter, but do not consider yourself a member or friend/supporter
of Grace Church, please let us know that and we will stop sending you members
& friends mailings.
The Common Ministry Committee, Carol Lyon, Chair, 513-542-2941, spikelyon@gmail.com. Bennyce Hamilton, 513-218-3068, hamiltobe@greatoaks.com. Ken Lyon, 513-542-2941, ken@lyonhouse.us. Wanda Miller, 513-542-7892, millerw@fuse.net. Roger Perna, 513-542-8464, rperna@cinci.rr.com. Hawley Todd, TSSF, 513-967-6581, todd@episcopalhealing.org. |
| Keep in Your Prayers ...
 Phillis Dietz, Jim Edgy,
John (Johnbear) Dunn, Jack Hart, Anjean Poyer, Gigi Woode, Toussaint Thrower and family, the Harris family, Marilyn
White, Trevor Van Wagenen, Ed Frye, Karen Van Wagenen, Elaine Hughes, Maureen
Back, Eloise Pinto, Ruth Bertram, Robert Flemister, Judy & Walter Handy,
Molly, Shelly Martin, Barbara Todd, Kim Martin, Robb Martin, Dean Bryeans,
Chris, Irene Bryeans, Joshua, Caleb,
Anne, and Darryl Handy, Marcus Flemister, Kim Herrmann, Al Berghausen, Mary Lou
Bellows, Mike and family, Chris and
family, Malcolm Daniel, Jean Cavalieri, Laura Chace, Erik, Alison, Nathanael
and Alexis Handy, Mary Jo, Belinda
Hoerst, Steve, Tom, and Mary Ratliff. Earl, Eddie Hausfeld, Janet Henthorn, Chuck Bowles, Jackie Lewis, Pete
Staples, the Polly Hager family, Elizabeth Kelly, Shelly and Bill. We also give
thanks for the lives of Rosie and Saleem Ahmed, friends of Marjorie Shadd.
If you need pastoral care or know of someone who does, please call or
email the office (513-541-2415, office@gracecollegehill.org). Please keep us
informed about about illness, hospital stays, requests for visits, communion,
and prayers for special concerns. Help us to serve you. |
Coming Events
- Wednesday, August 11, 7pm: Celebration of Wholeness and Healing with Prayers, Drums and Healers.
- Wednesday, August 18, 6pm: Mission Council Meeting.
- Sunday, August 22, 10am: Blessed Grille: Outdoor worship and cookout on the Garth.
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. |
Celebration of Wholeness and Healing Tomorrow (Wednesday) Evening
 Hawley Todd writes,
It's time again for another Wednesday night of drumming,
loving and healing.
Please join us at Grace. It is a come as you are party! Any time you can make it, feel free. And if you need to leave at any point,thanks for blessing us with your
presence while you were there.
Drumming starts about 6:30ish. The liturgy is at 7:00. Unless the Holy Spirit changes things, the
homily will be short.
Dress for your comfort! Bring a drum or other instrument and help us worship and heal.
Whether you can join us in person or just in the spirit,
please pray for all to receive a divine blessing in whatever ways they most
need it! (Me too!) Also, one of
our intentions is to pray for world peace, so if you could focus on world
peace, that would be fantastic!
Healing Liturgy Happens on Sunday Morning, TooIn July, Hawley Todd led a Celebration of Wholeness and Healing liturgy at Grace's 10 am service--the second time in the recent past that Grace has had such a service as its principle Sunday service. In his sermon, Hawley provided a rationale for why such a service has a place alongside the Eucharist as a principal Sunday Service. Basically, healing is what God does and what Jesus did, and Eucharist and Baptisim can both be understood as healing services also. Hawley's sermon notes are much more convincing that this short summary, so we recommend reading them here. To see what this liturgy is like, see the May 9 Celebration of Wholeness and Healing.
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 Church & Cookout on the Garth August 22
On August 22, 2010 we're planning to have our 10 am service of Holy Eucharist, outside on the garth, followed by a "Blessed Grill" cookout. If by chance, the weather is not at all cooperative, we'll move the service and lunch to the Great Hall.
If you're able to contribute (food or money) there's a signup sheet in the church, or you can just bring whatever you'd like for a picnic. Call the church office with any questions.
Otherwise, please just feel free to come and join us!
Thanks to Judy Handy for this article. |
Finance/Stewardship Meeting Called
Treasurer Roger Perna invites all Grace
Leaders and other interested persons to attend this year's first
Finance/Stewardship Committee meeting on Tuesday, August
24th at 6:00 pm. We will discuss, among other things, our 2011 Stewardship
Campaign.
Roger says, "I am going to propose that we conduct the "New
Consecrattion Sunday" stewardship program which involves no home visits or
phone calls to solicit pledges. Instead, the emphasis is on inviting all
members to be present on "Consecration Sunday" where the pledging
process is led by a guest leader. The service is followed by a catered
luncheon where we celebrate all that God has done for us and our Church. Want to learn more? Come to the August 24th meeting.
Questions? Contact Roger (513-290-7309, rperna@cinci.rr.com). |
Bishop's
Workshop on Fundraising for Local Churches
Bishop Thomas E. Breidenthal invites members of the diocese
to participate in a workshop on September 11 on effective fundraising and
development techniques designed to strength your local congregation.
These
techniques will be applicable to all churches, from small or struggling to
large congregations. The cost is $15 per person, which includes morning
refreshments and a box lunch.
The Fundraising for Local Churches program will be offered
from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm at Christ Church, 409 E. High Street, Springfield.
Bishop Breidenthal will offer a brief presentation, relating fundraising to
common ministry. Topics for the day include:
- Why people give;
- Planning and conducting
capital campaigns and special appeals;
- organizing and implementing a successful
annual giving appeal;
- receiving and promoting bequests;
- and available service
and support for local churches from the Episcopal Church Foundation.
Register online at www.stewardship.diosohio.org or contact Jim Edgy
(jedgy@cinci.rr.com, 513.702.6916) or Pat
Ryan (pryan@skystoneryan.com, 513.553.3738). |
Bridge, Anyone?
 Play bridge? If so, think about joining the Grace Church Bridge Group. For many years, members of Grace Church and others have been getting together on the third Friday of each month from September to May to snack and play Bridge. At the end of the year, the highest-scoring pair may win as much as $25! The first meeting of the 2010-2011 playing year will be a pot luck dinner at Hammond North at 7 pm on September 17. This is an organizational meeting so no bridge will be played. Call Phillis Dietz at 513-541-8793 if you're interested. |
 Grace's Web Site: Our Other Front Door to the World
We all know that Grace's very visible presence at the south entrance to College Hill is a factor in bringing visitors to our services. Our web site is another. Each week, over 100 new people visit our site. Take a look at what they're seeing here.
Then let your editor know how it can be improved here. |
Buildings & Grounds Notes
The first Buildings & Grounds meeting in a long time convened in early August and agreed to: - Get the gutters and drains cleaned and the downspouts fixed.
- Proceed quickly to make needed repairs to the slate roofs.
- Look for carpet for the Sunday School room.
- Level the mound near the parking lot by October 1.
- Find someone who can do the wiring for lighting in the New Small Assembly Room (under the choir room and across from the Sunday School room).
Members of this committee are: Wanda Miller (chair), David Mukasa, Roger Perna, J
White, Chuck Bowles, Tony Denbo, and Ken Lyon.; |
Course Offerings from the School For Ministry
The School for Ministry is a program for adult formation offered
jointly by the Episcopal Dioceses of Ohio and Southern Ohio. The
courses, part of the academic training provided for persons in diaconate
formation, are now being made available for others who would like
to deepen their faith and learning.
Classes for the fall semester (August through January) will be at Procter Camp and Conference
Center.
Introduction to the New Testament : the Gospels and
Acts of the Apostles will be offered from 11 am to
noon, and from 1 to 2 pm with a break for lunch by the Rev. Michael Kreutzer,
a Biblical scholar and Rector of St. Mark, Dayton.
Introduction to Pastoral Care will be offered from
2:15 to 4:15 pm by the Rev. William Doubleday, Interim Dean and
Professor of Pastoral Theology at Bexley Hall, Columbus.
Classes will be held on Saturdays, August 28, October 2, November
6, December 4 and January 8. The cost is $50 per course. Lunches are $10
each or $50 for the semester. Both courses and lunches are available for
$150. Books are an additional cost and are to acquired by the student. Courses
can be taken for credit or audit. |
Grace Church Hosts Bridezilla Wedding
You read about Grace's Bridezilla wedding in eGraceNotes here and in the College Hill eNewsletter here. Now Interchange, the newsletter of the Southern Ohio Diocese, has spread the word about the that wedding that was held at Grace last Hallowe'en. Here's what Interchange said:
When Grace Church, College Hill, began offering its sanctuary to the broader community for weddings, they didn't expect to make national TV. Last summer, a goth-oriented bride chose Halloween for her wedding date and chose Grace Church for the wedding because it looked ... "gothic." It wasn't until later that the church discovered that the reality TV program Bridezilla would be filming the wedding and its preparations. Grace Church wedding coordinator Florence Poyer had some misgivings, but the "Andrea and Ivy" episode, which airs on the WE channel, revealed that all of the fireworks happened before the service, and the wedding itself was quite lovely. Scores of white candles on the high altar illuminated the front of the church and remained to enhance the regular All Saints service the following Sunday. You can see a 90-second excerpt showing Grace Church here. |
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