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A spiritual home where all are welcome; a healing place in a broken world.
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Education for Ministry Graduates Two
Laura Hall and Lisa Perry graduate from Grace Church's Education for Ministry program Sunday during the Celebration of Wholeness and Healing service. Their graduation marks the end of a four-year program of study of the basics of a seminary curriculum--Hebrew Scripture, New Testament, Church History and Modern Theologians. The group, under the mentorship of Hawley Todd, meets weekly during the school year. On this occasion, some EfM students and graduates shared their thoughts on this program. - What has EFM meant in my life since I graduated two years ago? It strengthened my faith and gave me courage to try new things. Without this course I could never have said yes to the call chair the search committee for the next Dean at Christ Church Cathedral. A resolve to serve after completion of EfM course presented itself in this call. God bless us all. --Chris Carey
- I haven't met Laura Hall or Lisa Perry, but I suspect we are kindred spirits having emerged from the Education for Ministry program. There are few Sundays--no, there are few days that the approach to my faith has not been informed by the study, processes and sharing so much with the people I met through EfM. Laura and Lisa will continue to reap rewards from this time forward. My father used to tell me that the most important thing in life was to know Jesus. This program was a great way to get to know him! If you haven't considered this opportunity before; you should! Congratulations to Lisa and Laura! --Larry Haas
- EFM is the only commitment I can think of (apart from family or cathedral choir) for which I consistently was willing to sacrifice work opportunities, recreation, food and sleep if necessary for four years. Now, of course, EfM also was work (of a wonderful sort). It was an experience of re-Creation, it was spiritual food and it was as health-promoting as sleep. (It was never a good place to sleep--you'd miss too much!) EfM was life-changing in the sense that I continue to refer back to ideas and discussions, I have a new network of people willing to engage in further discussion, and I gained deep respect for people I might otherwise not have known to the extent I know them today. EfM deepened my engagement with my faith, my church and my world by giving me new tools and a supportive environment in which to try them out. Thanks to Ken and Hawley! --Holly Pratt
- A few months ago, Ken Lyon preached about Epiphanies--those "aha!" moments. Almost weekly, I experienced an epiphany in EfM class. This meant so much to me because it helped me take one more step toward healing from a fundamentalist past. Many things I saw in fundamentalism judged and hurt me and other people. Almost weekly, I learned something in EfM that let me see how the gospels can be lived without judging or harming anyone when the bible is really understood. In addition, Hawley and the wonderful people in my class have helped me to trust people more. The ways fundamentalism harmed me and then sent me into the world with weak boundaries had seriously injured my trust. My trust healed a lot during EfM. I thank Hawley and all of my class mates for all of the healing I received due to the loving and nurturing environment we all worked together to create, so we could all learn and grow in a safe environment. --Rhonda Sharp
You can read more about the EfM program at sewanee.edu/EFM/. The next session will start in the fall.
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 Thanks to ... ... the EfM students and graduates who shared their thoughts about the program (what's the world coming to--Episcopalians giving testimonials?!?!). ... to Albertha Howard for writing the "Notes on Today's Readings", printed on the cover of June 2nd's bulletin. ... everyone who worked at or attended the Community Dinner last Wednesday. ... Gwynne Gabbard and Rhonda Sharp for coordinating Hawley Todd's birthday celebration last Sunday. Special thanks to Gary Armstrong at The Bread Basket for providing what was needed to purchase a full sheet cake for the party, with enough left over to share with the Community Dinner attendees.
... J White for hosting a meeting of the users of Grace's building Saturday.
... Jean Kinmonth's generous gift/bequest to Grace Church in thanksgiving for our healing services.
Send your "thank you's" to egracenotes@gracecollegehill.org.
Even though everyone who does something special may not be recognized each week (although we do try), we are aware of how hard members of this congregation work together to keep this church going. Most of the work done in this church is by volunteers, so thank you to every one in this congregation for keeping our dream of Grace Church alive by your consistent contributions. None of us could do it without all of us working together. |
 Selected Short Subjects
Roger Perna reports that Grace Church recently received a generous donation given to honor the ministries that Hawley Todd brings to Grace Church and to the general community. His healing and prayer efforts bring meaning and purpose to many people's lives. We thank God for Hawley's work in our midst.
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Prayers and Thanksgivings
 Prayers for healing are asked for Judy Handy, Rev. Ernestein, Patty Rogers, The Rogers Family, Carl, Jackie, Robb Martin, Kim Martin, Melissa, Jordan and Brandie, Bill and Viola, Lee Hardy, Christine Hicks, Derek, Rhonda Sharp, The Partin Family, Mitchell, Bob , Jared, Shirley L. Allen, D.L. , Merrilee Atkins, Carol Lyon, Maree White, Verene and Katrina, Rita Lyon, Anna Keefer, Christine Zuniga, The Coal Miners and their families who are being laid off, Virginia Chapel, Our President and Our Country, Sam Spade, Bill Jenne, Kathy Wills, East Price Hill and The Lauck Family, Don Wake, Patience and her family, Peggy Partin, Cleo Leach, Malachi Francis, Trish G. Russo, Albertha Howard and DeConte Howard, Amandita Sullivan, Horistine, Eugenia and Kenneth, Helen, Pat Jones, Jacque, Kasey McAdams, Johnny, Lexi Woeste, Emily and Caleb, Earl and Ann, Angie Evans , Vickie, Drew Gibson, JB (Jo), John, Ruth, David, Alan Weinrich's Family, All people touched by pancreatic cancer, Sonya, Peter Harten. To add or subtract from this list, please contact the Church Office (513-541-2415, office@gracecollegehill.org) with the names of the persons to be included on this list. If you email, please place "Prayer Request" in the subject line. Please also indicate whether the name of the prayer recipient is to be listed in the bulletin. Names remain on the list for about a month. Please let us know if people should be put back on the list. 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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Belief is the Least Part of Faith
The following shared by Mary McLain from the Diocese of Southern Ohio Retiree Newsletter.
[On May 29, T. M. Luhrmann, a professor of anthropology at Stanford and the author of When God Talks Back: Understanding the American Evangelical Relationship With God, contributed an article to the New York Times. The full article is available online ( here). Here are some excerpts from the article.] Some Sundays ago, I was part of a sermon in my university's church. It was the kind of ecumenical church in which I'd grown up. The minister and I sat on the proscenium above the congregation and below the stained-glass windows, and spoke about the ways that evangelical Christians understood God.... Afterward, ...the questions people asked....circled around the puzzle of belief. Why do people believe in God? What is our evidence that there is an invisible agent who has a real impact on our lives? How can those people be so confident?
These are the questions that university-educated liberals ask about faith. They are deep questions. But they are also abstract and intellectual. They are philosophical questions. In an evangelical church, the questions would probably have circled around how to feel God's love and how to be more aware of God's presence. Those are fundamentally practical questions.
....This choice is more real for many evangelicals than most secular liberals imagine....In a charismatic evangelical church I studied, people often made comments that suggested they had complicated ideas about God's realness. One devout woman said in a prayer group one evening: "I don't believe it, but I'm sticking to it. That's my definition of faith."
It was a flippant, off-the-cuff remark, but also a modern-day version of Pascal's wager: in the face of her uncertainty about God's existence, she decided that she was better off behaving as if God were real....
The role of belief in religion is greatly overstated, as anthropologists have long known...., Émile Durkheim...thought that belief was more like a flag than a philosophical position: You don't go to church because you believe in God; rather, you believe in God because you go to church.
In fact, you can argue that religious belief as we now conceptualize it is an entirely modern phenomenon.... As the comparative religion scholar Wilfred Cantwell Smith pointed out, when the King James Bible was printed in 1611, "to believe" meant something like "to hold dear." Smith, who died in 2000, once wrote: "The affirmation 'I believe in God' used to mean: 'Given the reality of God as a fact of the universe, I hereby pledge to Him my heart and soul. I committedly opt to live in loyalty to Him. I offer my life to be judged by Him, trusting His mercy.' Today the statement may be taken by some as meaning: 'Given the uncertainty as to whether there be a God or not, as a fact of modern life, I announce that my opinion is yes.' "
....(S)ecular Americans often think that the most important thing to understand about religion is why people believe in God, because we think that belief precedes action and explains choice. That's part of our folk model of the mind: that belief comes first.
And that was not really what I saw after my years spending time in evangelical churches. I saw that people went to church to experience joy and to learn how to have more of it. These days I find that it is more helpful to think about faith as the questions people choose to focus on, rather than the propositions observers think they must hold.
If you can sidestep the problem of belief--and the related politics, which can be so distracting--it is easier to see that the evangelical view of the world is full of joy. God is good. The world is good. Things will be good, even if they don't seem good now. That's what draws people to church. It is understandably hard for secular observers to sidestep the problem of belief. But it is worth appreciating that in belief is the reach for joy, and the reason many people go to church in the first place.
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 Altar Flowers
Flowers on the altar this week are donated in loving memory of Luisa Tolman, whose birthday is June 23, by
Sam Spade. To donate altar flowers on the Sunday of your choosing, see the sign-up sheet in the church near the upper Belmont entrance. Or call the office. Or donate online here.
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Coming Attractions
The online Grace Church Calendar lists most everything we know about that's happening at Grace Church. Here's a snapshot of about a week's worth of the online calendar as of today. If something's not listed, or if you see errors, please tell the office (office@gracecollegehill.org, 513-541-2415). |
Worship Service Schedule & Participants
Here is the service schedule as of today. If you're scheduled and can't make it, find a substitute and let Ken Lyon ( webmaster@gracecollegehill.org, 513-542-2941) know so the schedule can be updated.
Sunday Service Participants are needed in all volunteer positions. We will provide training as needed. We are a Common Ministry Parish--everyone is encouraged to serve. Contact Worship Team Leader Bill Jenne ( williamjenne1@aol.com). The up-to-date schedule is available on our website ( gracecollegehill.org). Sunday, June 16: Celebration of Wholeness and Healing- Officiant: Hawley Todd, TSSF
- Keyboards: Dan Pater
- Bells: John Thayer
- Acolyte: Ken Lyon, Don Wake
- Healing Ministers: J White, Hawley Todd, Tammy Robertson, Bill Jenne, Laurie LeClaire, Gwynne Gabbard, Sam Spade
- Lector: Grace Staples
- Litany of Healing: Judy Handy
- Offering Counters: Bill Jenne, Ruth Bertram
- Usher: Wanda Miller
- Flower Guild: Carol Lyon
- 9am Adult Bible Study: Ken Lyon
Sunday, June 23: Eucharist II- Celebrant: The Rev. Bob Hufford
- Keyboards: Bill Jenne
- Acolyte: Don Wake
- Healing Ministers (leads): J White & Hawley Todd
- Chalice: Carol Lyon
- Lector: John Thayer
- Prayers of the People: Phyllis Mukasa
- Offering Counters: Roger Perna, Carol Lyon
- Usher: Grace Staples
- Altar Guild: Carol Lyon
- Flower Guild: Carol Lyon
- 9am Adult Bible Study: Ken Lyon
Sunday, June 30: Eucharist II- Celebrant: The Rev. David Z. Howard
- Keyboards: Bill Jenne
- Acolyte: John Thayer
- Healing Ministers (leads): J White & Hawley Todd
- Chalice: Grace Staples
- Lector: Albertha Howard
- Prayers of the People: Mary McLain
- Offering Counters: John Thayer, Bill Jenne
- Usher: David Mukasa
- Altar Guild: Wanda Miller
- Flower Guild: Wanda Miller
- 9am Adult Bible Study: Roger Perna
Sunday, July 7, Celebration of Wholeness and Healing- Officiant: Hawley Todd, TSSF
- Keyboards: Bill Jenne
- Handbells: John Thayer
- Acolyte: Don Wake
- Healing Ministers: J White, Hawley Todd, Tammy Robertson, Bill Jenne, Laurie LeClaire, Gwynne Gabbard, Sam Spade.
- Lector: Tammy Robertson
- Litany of Healing: Leah Wilson
- Offering Counters: Ruth Bertram, Roger Perna
- Usher: Ruth Bertram
- Flower Guild: Carol Lyon
- 9am Adult Bible Study: Ken Lyon
Wednesday, July 10, 7pm: Celebration of Wholeness and Healing- Officiant: Hawley Todd, TSSF
- Lead Drummers: Bob Laake, Rich Spirit
- Ministers of Healing: Hawley Todd TSSF, J White, Gwynne Gabbard, Amy Wehr,
Sam Spade, Bill Jenne, Colleen Kerns, Fran Malone, Jackie Millay, Matt Peffly, Sherri Elmore, Tammy Robertson, Teri Dettone, Tina Todd
Sunday, July 14: Ante-Communion- Officiant: Ken Lyon
- Keyboards: Bill Jenne
- Handbells: John Thayer
- Acolyte: Don Wake
- Healing Ministers (leads): J White & Hawley Todd
- Lector: Mary McLain
- Prayers of the People: Tony Saylor
- Offering Counters: Roger Perna, Carol Lyon
- Usher: Don Wake
- Flower Guild: Wanda Miller
- 9am Adult Bible Study: Ken Lyon
Sunday, July 21: Eucharist II- Celebrant: The Rev. David Z. Howard
- Keyboards: Bill Jenne
- Acolyte: John Thayer
- Healing Ministers (leads): J White & Hawley Todd
- Chalice: John Thayer
- Lector: Judy Handy
- Prayers of the People: Grace Staples
- Offering Counters: John Thayer, Ken Lyon
- Usher: Phyllis Mukasa
- Altar Guild: Jacqueline McCray
- Flower Guild: Carol Lyon
- 9am Adult Bible Study: Roger Perna
Sunday, July 28: Eucharist II- Celebrant: The Rev. Bob Hufford
- Keyboards: Bill Jenne
- Acolyte: Don Wake
- Healing Ministers (leads): J White & Hawley Todd
- Chalice: Carol Lyon
- Lector: Leah Wilson
- Prayers of the People: Ken Lyon
- Offering Counters: Bill Jenne, Ruth Bertram
- Usher: Mary McLain
- Altar Guild: Wanda Miller
- Flower Guild: Wanda Miller
- 9am Adult Bible Study: Ken Lyon
Sunday, August 4: Eucharist II- Celebrant: The Rev. Susan Lehman
- Keyboards: Bill Jenne
- Acolyte: John Thayer
- Healing Ministers (leads): J White & Hawley Todd
- Chalice: Ken Lyon
- Lector: Tony Saylor
- Prayers of the People: Maria Mukasa
- Offering Counters: Roger Perna, Carol Lyon
- Usher: Wanda Miller
- Altar Guild: Tammy Robertson & Lisa Perry
- Flower Guild: Carol Lyon
- 9am Adult Bible Study: Ken Lyon
Sunday, August 11: Eucharist II- Celebrant: The Rev. Susan Lehman
- Keyboards: Bill Jenne
- Handbells: John Thayer
- Acolyte: Ken Lyon
- Healing Ministers (leads): J White & Hawley Todd
- Chalice: Wanda Miller
- Lector: Grace Staples
- Prayers of the People: Judy Handy
- Offering Counters: Ken Lyon, John Thayer
- Usher: Grace Staples
- Altar Guild: Jacqueline McCray
- Flower Guild: Wanda Miller
- 9am Adult Bible Study: Ken Lyon
Wednesday, August 14, 7pm: Celebration of Wholeness and Healing- Officiant: Hawley Todd, TSSF
- Lead Drummers: Bob Laake, Rich Spirit
- Ministers of Healing: Hawley Todd TSSF, J White, Gwynne Gabbard, Amy Wehr,
Sam Spade, Bill Jenne, Colleen Kerns, Fran Malone, Jackie Millay, Matt Peffly, Sherri Elmore, Tammy Robertson, Teri Dettone, Tina Todd
Sunday, August 18: Celebration of Wholeness and Healing- Officiant: Hawley Todd, TSSF
- Keyboards: Bill Jenne
- Handbells: John Thayer
- Acolyte: Don Wake
- Healing Ministers (leads): J White & Hawley Todd
- Lector: Ken Lyon
- Litany of Healing: Phyllis Mukasa
- Offering Counters: Bill Jenne, Ruth Bertram
- Usher: David Mukasa
- Flower Guild: Carol Lyon
- 9am Adult Bible Study: Ken Lyon
Sunday, August 25: Eucharist II- Celebrant: The Rev. David Z. Howard
- Keyboards: Bill Jenne
- Acolyte: John Thayer
- Healing Ministers (leads): J White & Hawley Todd
- Chalice: Grace Staples
- Lector: Maria Mukasa
- Prayers of the People: Mary McLain
- Offering Counters: Roger Perna, Carol Lyon
- Usher: Ruth Bertram
- Altar Guild: Wanda Miller
- Flower Guild: Wanda Miller
- 9am Adult Bible Study: Ken Lyon
Sunday, September 1: Eucharist II- Celebrant: The Rev. David Z. Howard
- Keyboards: Bill Jenne
- Handbells: John Thayer
- Acolyte: Ken Lyon
- Healing Ministers (leads): J White & Hawley Todd
- Chalice: Carol Lyon
- Lector: Tammy Robertson
- Prayers of the People: Leah Wilson
- Offering Counters: John Thayer, Ken Lyon
- Usher: Phyllis Mukasa
- Altar Guild: Carol Lyoner
- Flower Guild: Carol Lyon
- 9am Adult Bible Study: Ken Lyon
Sunday, September 8: Eucharist II- Celebrant: The Rev. Bob Hufford
- Keyboards: Bill Jenne
- Acolyte: John Thayer
- Healing Ministers (leads): J White & Hawley Todd
- Chalice: John Thayer
- Lector: Mary McLain
- Prayers of the People: Tony Saylor
- Offering Counters: Bill Jenne, Ruth Bertram
- Usher: Don Wake
- Altar Guild: Tammy Robertson & Lisa Perry
- Flower Guild: Wanda Miller
- 9am Adult Bible Study: Ken Lyon
Wednesday, September 11, 7pm: Celebration of Wholeness and Healing- Officiant: Hawley Todd, TSSF
- Lead Drummers: Bob Laake, Rich Spirit
- Ministers of Healing: Hawley Todd TSSF, J White, Gwynne Gabbard, Amy Wehr,
Sam Spade, Bill Jenne, Colleen Kerns, Fran Malone, Jackie Millay, Matt Peffly, Sherri Elmore, Tammy Robertson, Teri Dettone, Tina Todd
Sunday, September 15: Celebration of Wholeness and Healing- Officiant: Hawley Todd, TSSF
- Keyboards: Bill Jenne
- Handbells: John Thayer
- Acolyte: Don Wake
- Healing Ministers: J White, Hawley Todd, Tammy Robertson, Bill Jenne, Laurie LeClaire, Gwynne Gabbard, Sam Spade
- Lector: Judy Handy
- Prayers of the People: Grace Staples
- Offering Counters: Roger Perna, Carol Lyon
- Usher: Mary McLain
- Flower Guild: Carol Lyon
- 9am Adult Bible Study: Ken Lyon
Sunday, September 22: Eucharist II- Celebrant: The Rev. Susan Lehman
- Keyboards: Bill Jenne
- Acolyte: Ken Lyon
- Healing Ministers (leads): J White & Hawley Todd
- Chalice: Carol Lyon
- Lector: John Thayer
- Prayers of the People: John Thayer
- Offering Counters: John Thayer, Ken Lyon
- Usher: Wanda Miller
- Altar Guild: Jacqueline McCray
- Flower Guild: Wanda Miller
- 9am Adult Bible Study: Ken Lyon
Sunday, September 29: Eucharist II- Celebrant: The Rev. Susan Lehman
- Keyboards: Bill Jenne
- Acolyte: John Thayer
- Healing Ministers (leads): J White & Hawley Todd
- Chalice: Ken Lyon
- Lector: Tony Saylor
- Prayers of the People: Ken Lyon
- Offering Counters: Bill Jenne, Ruth Bertram
- Usher: Grace Staples
- Altar Guild: Carol Lyon
- Flower Guild: Carol Lyon
- 9am Adult Bible Study: Ken Lyon
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