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A spiritual home where all are welcome; a healing place in a broken world.
Issue 132, Saturday, March 5, 2011
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Dear
Friend,
At a meeting this week of the Mission & Formation Team Leaders, Carol Lyon shared some learnings from a recent congregational development workshop. Some Key Points:
- While 65% of Americans born before 1942 say they are Christian, only 4% of those born after 1982 say they are Christian.
- Of those saying they have no religion, 77% agree that God exists.
- Only 1 out of 6 people believe that spiritual maturity is meant to be developed in a church.
The leaders' response: What a wonderful opportunity! Their next response: How do we communicate the acceptance and spiritual growth we have experienced at Grace Church with these people? The advice we're getting from experts in this field is that social media (for example, Facebook) are a good way to get a conversation started. Facebook makes it possible to share our personal experiences in a way that no other media makes possible. A FB page is also a great way to keep uptodate on news about the organization. We've created a Facebook page for Grace to find out how Facebook might help us communicate with the world. Click the link below to see it. Then click the "like" button to register as a fan of Grace Church. Once you've "liked" the Grace page, you can post news and comments for anyone to see and, possibly, respond to.  If you don't have a Facebook account, you'll get a signup link for you to use to get an account. If you're concerned about being bombarded with unwanted messages, there are privacy settings that you can set to specify the amount of privacy you desire. If you'd like help setting up your FB account, your editor will be happy to help. See you soon on Grace's Facebook page! |
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| About Sunday's Service
This Sunday's worship is again a Celebration of Wholeness and Healing. We schedule this service about once a month as an alternative to Eucharist.
Healing is the process of becoming the person God created us to be. Wholeness and healing happen as we invite God's presence into our lives. Prayers for healing are simply putting oneself in an attitude and position where one is open to receive God deeper into one's life. Healing is holistic. It involves the body, emotions, mind, and spirit of a person. And not only that, it involves all of one's relationships with others and creation. With that understanding of healing, we can see that Eucharist is also a healing service. Both services focus on healing the wounds that separate us from God, from each other, and that exist within ourselves.
Thus, coming to the rail for healing prayers in this service has much the same function as coming for the elements in the Eucharistic service.
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Annual Meeting Elects Leaders for 2011
The following were elected at Grace's Annual Meeting in February: Wardens: Sr Warden - Roger Perna Jr Warden - Wanda Miller Mission Council Treasurer - John Thayer Marjorie Shadd Chuck Bowles Mission and Formation Team Leaders For 3 yr term Co-convenor - Carol Lyon Christian Formation (Education) - Roger Perna Pastoral Care - Marjorie Shadd For 2 yr term Co-convenor - Hawley Todd Outreach - Mary McLain Worship - Judy Handy For 1 yr term Christian Formation (Education) - Ken Lyon Newcomer Ministry & Congregational Life - J White Outreach - Grace Staples Alternate delegate to Diocesan Convention. Albertha Howard For a complete listing of people serving in various positions at Grace, see the Grace Church People page. |
O utgoing Senior Warden David Mukasa Honored
Outgoing Senior Warden David Mukasa was honored for his service to Grace Church at the Annual Meeting with applause, a plaque and an apron with a collage of pictures of Grace Church people. You can see Annual Meeting pictures, including pictures of David and his apron here.
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 Thanks to ...
... J White and her sister Marie for donating the sconces for the Great Hall, and thanks also to David Mukasa and Ken Lyon for installing them. ... Roger Perna for all he has done and for his commitment to the church. ... Hawley Todd, for leading our healing services. ... Jonathan Tan, for his musical gifts. ... All who heal the sick and poor in spirit in their daily ministry. ... |
Prayer Requests
Please pray for the following Grace Church families:
Malcolm & family, Jean & family, Brian, Anne & Darryl, Kim & Robb, Daniel & Leroy, Erik & Alison, Marie, Mary Ratliff, Irene Bryeans, the people of New Zealand.
Please let us know who should be included on our prayer list. You may use the Prayer Request Book at the rear of the nave to have persons included in the Sunday bulletin Prayer List and for prayers this week, or you can tell the office (513-541-2415, office@gracecollegehill.org). Make sure you have the person's permission to list him or her.
Pastoral Care
If you need pastoral care or know of someone who does, please call or email the office (513-541-2415, office@gracecollegehill.org). Keep us informed about about illness, hospital stays, requests for visits, communion, and prayers for special concerns.
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| An Invitation to a Holy Lent
From the Ash Wednesday service:
Dear People of God: The first Christians observed with great devotion the days of our Lord's passion and resurrection, and it became the custom of the Church to prepare for them by a season of penitence and fasting. This season of Lent provided a time in which converts to the faith were prepared for Holy Baptism. It was also a time when those who, because of notorious sins, had been separated from the body of the faithful were reconciled by penitence and forgiveness, and restored to the fellowship of the Church. Thereby, the whole congregation was put in mind of the message of pardon and absolution set forth in the Gospel of our Savior, and of the need which all Christians continually have to renew their repentance and faith.
I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church, to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God's holy Word. And, to make a right beginning of repentance, and as a mark of our mortal nature, let us now kneel before the Lord, our maker and redeemer.
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Coming Events
Lent starts next week! Get ready for Lent with our Shrove Tuesday pancake supper from 6 to 8 pm. Lent starts Wednesday with two Ash Wednesday services: - At Noon, Fr. Bob Hufford will celebrate Eucharist (with music) with imposition of ashes for those who want them.
- Our regularly scheduled Celebration of Wholeness and Healing will include imposition of ashes for those who want them. That's in addition to the drumming and healing practitioners. Drumming starts at 6:30 pm; the service starts at 7.
Beginning on Thursday, March 10, we will be having a Morning Prayer service, Monday through Friday at noon in the Memorial Chapel. We will also be having a Lectionary Bible Study during Lent; Wednesdays at Noon and Thursdays at 6:30 P.M. The Thursday night sessions will include a simple soup supper before the Bible study. We will be studying the lessons for the upcoming Sunday. The Meditation & Prayer Group continues on Mondays at 6 pm and Wednesdays at noon. Future special services: - Sunday, April 17 Palm Sunday Service 10 am
- Thursday, April 21 Maundy Thursday Service 7 pm
- Friday, April 22 Community Good Friday Service Noon to 3 pm
- Sunday, April 24 Easter Sunday Service 10 am
To see everything that's coming up at Grace, click here. If you see errors or omissions, please email eGraceNotes@gracecollegehill.org. |
| Lectionary Bible Study & Soup Supper Starting Thursday
Please plan on joining us as we begin our Lenten Lectionary Bible study on Thursday, March 10 at 6:30 pm. We will begin with a simple soup and bread supper which will be supplied by several church members.
Each Thursday night in Lent, we will be reading and discussing the Scripture lessons that will be included in the upcoming Sunday Service. The lessons for the first Sunday in Lent (Mar.13) are: Genesis 2:15-17, 3:1-7 (the temptation of man (Adam), Matthew 4:1-11 (the temptation of Jesus), Romans 5:12-19 (Paul contrasts Adam and Jesus), and Psalm 32 (the joy of forgiveness).
Please bring your favorite translation of the Bible and any Bible commentaries that you like. The session will be very meaningful to you if you can read the lessons before the Thursday night study. Hope to see you there!
Sincerely, Roger Perna.
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News Shorts
News items not big enough to get their own separate article, but too good to leave out:
- During February's Parolee Work Day, five parolees cleaned up room five (the room under the choir room that's being remodeled). As the weather improves, they'll do outside work.
- We have 8 kids enrolled in Sunday School. We now have enough SS leaders to staff SS every Sunday.
- J white has been talking with people who visit Grace Church:
- Some of our visitors are enthusiastic about what we're doing and are offering to contribute.
- Some newcomers tell us that we seem desperate. We overwhelm some with our enthusiasm for them.
- Our highest priority need for volunteer help in the Mission & Formation area is for people to work with J White on Newcomer Ministry & Congregational Life.
- Sunday Service Volunteers are needed in all positions including choir members*, Sunday School teachers and sitters. Training is offered for acolytes, Eucharistic Visitors and Chalice Bearers. We are a Common Ministry Parish - everyone is encouraged to serve. Let the office know of your interest for training dates. *We are especially in need of volunteers to join us as we prepare to sing and/or play instruments on Easter Sunday. Please speak with Jonathan or any member of the choir.
- From Florence Poyer: My e-mail flo30jo was hacked, do not use. New is poyergriffin@att.net.
- The Procter Conference Center newsletter has been revamped and is quite informative. The current issue has information about upcoming summer camps as well as other activities for young people and adults. See it here.
- Suddenly we have two different organizations approaching Grace about using space in the education wing on an ongoing basis. One is an organization serving AIDS patients and another is a day care center. The Building Committee is working with both applicants and will be making a recommendation to Mission Council.
- The Cincinnati Orchestra will present Classical Roots: Lift Ev'ry Voice, a historic concert at Music Hall...with a 150 member community mass choir from African-American Churches celebrating the variety of musical styles of African-American traditions. The concert will be March 11,2011 @ 7:30. Adult tickets range from $20-$50. Student tickets are available for $8. Call the Music Hall Box Office to order tickets.
- Some statistics: We had 128 visitors to Grace's website last week, of whom 114 were first-time visitors. The number of "friends" for our Facebook page has grown to 76. The number of times posts on our Facebook page were viewed by friends and others last week was 881. The number of subscribers to eGraceNotes is 163.
- It has been many years since the sound of laughter and the thumping of ballet shoes have been heard in the halls of Grace Chuch. Get ready to hear those lovely happy noises again. We are pleased to announce that plans are being firmed to offer a one hour ballet class on Friday evenings in the Great Hall. Pam Petrusch, who was once a student here will be conducting the classes. Children of Grace Members may attend free. Students will be between the ages of 3-1 0 years old.
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| Episcopal Humor?
Mary McLain contributes:
This is a "funny" I saw on T-shirts at convention - maybe you have seen it before...
Top ten reasons for being an Episcopalian (according to Robin Williams, an Episcopalian)
10. No snake handling
9. You can believe in dinosaurs
8. Male and female, God created them; male and female, we ordain them
7. You don't have to check your brains at the door
6. Pew aerobics
5. Church year is color coded
4. Free wine on Sunday
3. All of the pageantry, none of the guilt
2. You don't have to know how to swim to get baptized
and the number one reason for being an Episcopalian:
1. No matter what you believe, there's bound to be at least one other Episcopalian who agrees with you.
See this and some more Episcopal humor here. If you have some to contribute, send it in!
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Service Volunteer Schedule Posted
We have posted a new service participant schedule here that covers services through the end of March. Please check to see that you'll be able to serve when scheduled. If you can't serve on your appointed day, please find a replacement from the list of worship resources at the bottom of the schedule, and let webmaster Ken Lyon know at webmaster@gracecollegehill.org or 513-542-2941. If you see any errors in the listing, please let Ken know. |
| Memorial Chapel Opened for Prayer & Meditation
The Memorial Chapel just inside the lower Belmont door has been opened for use by anyone at any time for meditation and prayer.
This part of our ongoing effort to find ways to make good use of our assets. In this case, it was as simple as deciding to unlock the door and leave it open.
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Grace Pictures Online
As always, you can see lots of pictures of Grace Church members and friends, and the various things we're doing, in the online Grace Photo Albums. |
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