Death and Resurrection: A study of the Afterlife

            In this six-week group, led by Rev. Benjamin Hart, we will explore the history of our understanding of the afterlife. Our understanding of life after death has evolved from Mesopotamia and our oldest Jewish roots, through the apocalyptic literature of the Bible, and through the Gospels, Paul, and later theologians. Please join us each Wednesday, beginning April 15, at 6:00 pm for an open discussion and Bible study as we explore these topics.       

UTO Contributions

If you have been making contributions to a United Thank Offering box and have not turned your box in, please do so by this Sunday, April 12.  We will be sending our combined contributions to UTO headquarters to go toward funding all sorts of mission projects throughout The Episcopal Churches and certain other Provinces within the Anglican Communion.  

Directory Update

We will soon be doing an update to the parish directory.  If any of your information has changed or if you are aware of other information that needs to be updated, please pass it on to our Parish Administrator, Ruth Rock. Her email address is [email protected]. Thank you!

Instructed Eucharist

On Sunday, April 19, during the 10:15 am service, we will be having what is called an "Instructed Eucharist."  No, that doesn't mean we will be telling you what to do!  But rather, there will be a commentary that goes along with the service explaining what it is we are doing and why.  Even if we are here often for the Eucharist, we sometimes forget what our ritual is all about, or perhaps we need to think about it in new and different ways. The plan is to make a recording of the service that we can put on the Grace Church website that may be helpful for people who may have wanted to come to Grace but were concerned about not understanding what we do. We think you will find the service interesting and informative. Maybe there are people you would like to invite to join us.   

Report on Lent and Easter

Despite the terrible weather and having to cancel two of our Lenten Preaching Mission services and lunches, attendance was great at the other four. This mission seems to continue to be a meaningful one in our community--we even had people calling in to check on the menu ahead of time!  Bishop White has established that he will be the ongoing preacher for the last Friday before Holy Week so he can try to combine the trip with the annual chrism mass for clergy that same week.  Holy Week services also went smoothly and were well-attended--Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, and Good Friday.  And, finally, Easter Day was glorious in every way--the music, the flowers, the Alleluias, a congregation much larger than any we have seen in recent memory, and precious Rudy Mahoney's baptism! The icing on the cake was the Easter Egg Hunt! A perfect Easter! Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia!

School of Ministry

The Diocesan School of Ministry is now accepting applications for a new cohort of participants who would like to begin this two-year program in September. This program is designed for the education and formation of those called to the diaconate or to intentional lay ministry in the Church. Much more information is available from the Rector.