News for July 23, 2015

eGrace

Grace Episcopal Church

Hopkinsville, Kentucky

News for July 23, 2015

You are Invited!

All are invited to Charlie and Lannie Ross's home on Wednesday, July 30, at 5:00 pm, for a celebration of the first anniversary of GraceWorks. This will be a time to share snacks and fellowship, as well as to learn more about GraceWorks--what we have accomplished thus far and how we envision moving forward. If you have interest, or even curiosity, about the program, this will be a good opportunity to get more information. Begin the journey! (Rosses address: 3233 Circle Drive)

Report from Missions Group

The Missions Group is working to identify ways we can help those in need in our community. Suggestions for new or continued efforts include volunteering with Western State Hospital and the Aaron McNeil House. There should also be continued efforts in serving our community with meals and notes for those in need. Also, Mark Richard is leading a pilgrimage to the Amistad Mission in Bolivia in early 2016. Please consider making this trip. Amistad provides a loving home to abandoned, abused, and orphaned children. There will be an informational meeting soon with more details. We'd also like to hear from you. Our committee welcomes your suggestions. Contact Mark Richard at 615-948-3769 or [email protected], if you'd like to share your ideas. Of course, GraceWorks continues to be our largest missions program.

Education for Ministry

After taking a year off, we are planning to re-start our Education for Ministry (EFM) group in September. EFM is a program administered through the School of Theology at the University of the South at Sewanee. It is a four-year program covering study of Old Testament, New Testament, Church History, Theology, Ethics, and Interfaith Relations, but commitment to participate in the program is made one year at a time. The purpose of EFM depends on the individual student, and many graduates begin with a simple desire to learn more about the Bible and Christianity. However, the larger purpose is to provide participants with information and skills to serve through the church in various ministries. The materials used are ones often found in college and graduate level classes. Participants usually find their experience to be personally enriching. For more information, please go to

"http://efm.sewanee.edu/about-efm/about-efm" on the internet. Alice Nichols and Mark Richard will be the co-mentors for this group, and either can answer any questions you might have.

Report from Spiritual Formation Group

We are gearing up for our fall schedule, especially with planning for Catechesis of the Good Shepherd--our Christian Education program for children. At this point we are in need of people to help make program materials and to participate in providing coverage on Sunday mornings as needed. Please let Alice Nichols or Joyce Cornett know of your interest or potential interest. Adult Forum has been continuing through the summer--at 9:00 am on Sunday mornings--and using the video curriculum from Living the Questions. A 3-week book study of God and the Gay Christian by Matthew Vines is being planned and scheduled for Wednesday evenings in September.

Genealogy Project

As you may have seen in an article in the

Kentucky New Era, on Saturday, July 25, at 10:00 am, there will be an announcement and launch of the Freedmen's Bureau Project at the Hopkinsville-Christian County Public Library. Volunteers are being recruited to help with the process of indexing records on potentially 4 million African Americans--making records searchable online for the first time in history. Members of the local LDS Church (Mormons) attended a recent meeting of the Ministerial Association to encourage participation by other local churches.

Kindergarten and Pre-School Update

School will start on Wednesday, September 9, following an Open House and Cookout on Tuesday evening. We have a few student spots still open, especially in the four-year-old group. If you know of parents who might be interested, please encourage them to call the church ASAP.

Grace Church provides significant support to Grace School, and we can all contribute to that support in three ways:

1. If you shop at Kroger, designate Grace Kindergarten as the recipient of credits accrued from all your purchases. This does not interfere in any way with your own points earned toward savings on gasoline. You can make your designation online at "kroger.com" or at the customer service counter at Kroger. If you need assistance, talk with Tom Schmidt, Treasurer of the Kindergarten Board of Directors.

2. Save any "Boxtops for Education" that may be on many grocery products that you regularly purchase. There is a container on the table across from the sacristy where you may deposit your box top decals.

3. When you have a birthday, consider giving a dollar for each year of your life as a gift to Grace School, as an offering of thanksgiving for all the blessings of your life. Thank you!

Book of Common Prayer

We have recently purchased a few copies of the BCP which are especially suitable for gift-giving. They are smaller than the ones we use in church, have an attractive binding, and are available for sale through the church office for $30.

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!

Dates to Remember

Sunday, July 26--9:00 am--Adult Forum

Sunday, July 26--10:15 am--Holy Eucharist Rite II

Monday, July 27--4:30 pm--GraceWorks Group

Wednesday, July 29--12:10 pm--Holy Eucharist and Healing Prayers

Wednesday, July 29--5:00 pm--GraceWorks Anniversary and Information at Rosses

Thursday, July 30--4:30 pm--Membership Group

Sunday, August 2--9:00 am--Adult Forum

Sunday, August 2--10:15 am--Holy Eucharist Rite II

Wednesday, August 5--12:10 pm--Holy Eucharist and Healing Prayers

Sunday, August 9--9:00 am--Adult Forum

Sunday, August 9--10:15 am--Holy Eucharist Rite II

Tuesday, August 11--3:00 pm--Kindergarten Board

Wednesday, August 12--12:10 pm--Holy Eucharist and Healing Prayers

Sunday, August 16--9:00 am--Adult Forum

Sunday, August 16--10:15 am--Holy Eucharist Rite II

Sunday, August 16--6:00 pm--Feed Your Spirit

Wednesday, August 19--12:10 pm--Holy Eucharist and Healing Prayers

Wednesday, August 19--5:30 pm--Vestry

Have you remembered Grace Church in your will?

We are working on starting a legacy society for Grace which will be called the George P. Giddinge Society--named for the first Rector at this church--as a step toward securing the future of our parish, especially our wonderful buildings and grounds. All who include the church in their wills will automatically become members of this honorary group and names will be placed on a permanent plaque, probably in the narthex. If you have already made this important decision and taken the steps necessary to insure that your wishes are carried out, please make our Treasurer, Bill Nichol, aware. Thank you so much for your loving dedication to Grace Church, for all it has meant to so many people and for all that our ministry can continue to mean to the City of Hopkinsville.

Quote from Archbishop William Temple

"The church is the only organization whose primary purpose is for the benefit of people who are not members." Think about it.