• ... All who helped make the August 28 worship service and Blessed Grill the special family gathering that it was. It was particularly nice to be able to both welcome new folks and reconnect with others. We so appreciate all the contributions of ideas, time, effort, decorations and food!   
• ...the Worship Team for writing the new Prayers of the People.  
• ...Mary McLain for having taken the responsibility for printing our service bulletins for such a long time.   
• ...the Ohio State Parolees for yard work, mopping, trash removal, and especially for the thorough cleaning of the kitchen under the direction of Chuck Bowles!  And to all the other volunteers who worked: Wanda Miller, Roger Perna, Bob Jones, Grace Staples and Mary McLain.    
• ... The people who provided pictures of the Grace Homecoming & Cookout--The Blessed Grill: Walter Handy, Wanda Miller, Virginia Chapel, J White.   
• ... The Worship Team, under the leadership of Judy Handy, for making our 9/11 service a particular help in interpreting the meaning of the events of ten years ago.  
• ... Fr. Bob Hufford, Fr. John Bower, Fr. David Howard, the Rev. Alice Connor and Hawley Todd, TSSF, for ably leading our worship services. You can read their mini-biographies here.   
• ...All for making our Snack 'n Chats successful (we plan to continue them).  
• ...All who donate to the College Hill Food Pantry.  

Roof over the office BEFORE.

Roof over the office AFTER.

The long-awaited repairs to Grace's roof were completed on August 23. No leaks have been observed since then, even during the recent heavy rains. 

Hundreds of roofing slates were replaced. Two leaking flat rubber roofs over the ends of the transept were fixed:  the flat rubber roof over the Peace Chapel was replaced and the similar flat roof on the opposite side was repaired. Repairs were made to ridge caps, flashing and some limestone caps.

Still to be repaired is interior water damage on both ends of the transept.

The repairs were made possible by generous gifts by members and friends of Grace, and by compensation from our insurance company for the portion of the roof damage that was deemed to be caused by high winds.

Senior Warden Roger Perna reports that we now have an interesting situation: The total of gifts received for roof repairs plus the insurance settlement is more than enough to cover the cost of the repairs. Dealing with the surplus will be on the agenda for this coming Sunday's Mission Council meeting.

Says Roger Perna, "We're thankful that the Lord has blessed us with people with generous hearts. This is what Grace Church is all about."

Our Lectionary Bible Study will begin this Wednesday, September 14. We will be meeting on Wednesdays at 11 AM and again on Thursdays at 7 PM. We decided on these times to give opportunity for those who are available during the daytime and those who work during the daytime to be able to attend the Bible study.  

Each week, we will be discussing the upcoming Sunday Scripture lessons.  

This week's study will include Exodus 16:2-15 (The Israelites are blessed with manna from heaven), Psalm 105 (Praising God for keeping his covenant with Israel), Philippians 1:21-30 ("to live is Christ, to die is gain . . ."), and Matthew 20:1-16 (parable of the workers in the vineyard). If you can, please read these passages before coming to the Bible study. You can read the lessons here.

We will have plenty copies of the Bible to read from; you are encouraged to bring your own Bible if you have one.  

Sincerely, Roger Perna

I recently received a very kind email from Jonathan Tan. He said, 

"Grace was the best parish I worked with because of the warmth and enthusiasm of the parishioners." 

Jonathan has helped us remember why we are here and what we can do; this small group of God loving people can accomplish much in His name.

The above engendered this reflection by Hawley Todd: 

How does Grace Church measure success? How do we know that we are doing what God desires? Each of us will find our own answers.

For myself, success is never about numbers. While at St Thomas my teaching staff for the Sunday School was always between 50 -60 teachers every year. Yet it was a smile on the face of a child or a note like Jonathan sent us that for me was the benchmark of success.

Please never lose sight that sharing love and transforming lives is what we are about. And that tends to happen one person at a time

Thanks be to God for our Senior Warden sharing this with us! 

• Now that the weather is cooler, Sunday worship has moved back to the church from the air-conditioned Great Hall. The weekly Snack 'n Chats will usually be in the Small Assembly Room on the ground floor.    
• The worship volunteer schedule is posted here. Check now to see if you're scheduled. If you can't make it, find a replacement and let webmaster@gracecollegehill.org know. If you'd like to participate more actively in our worship in any way, let Worship Team Chair Judy Handy (513-681-5829, jhandy23@cinci.rr.com) know.        
• Our diocese has completely reformatted their web site and it has a great new look. See it here.  Your editor went browsing through it last week, and found some really useful information there.       
• If you'd like an uptodate copy of the name and address section of the Grace Church directory, let the editor know (eGraceNotes@GraceCollegeHill.org).     
• The African-American flag from the front of the church has worn out. A replacement costs $25. If you'd like to donate, go here, or send in a check.  

Thank them when you see them!