News for July 2, 2015

eGrace

Grace Episcopal Church

Hopkinsville, Kentucky

News for July 2, 2015

Shhh! Let's Surprise Virginia!

June 30 was Virginia Price Nelson's 99th birthday! Let's shower her with birthday cards! If you would like to participate in the shower, bring your cards to church this Sunday, or, of course, you can always mail them to her or leave them at the church beforehand. Thanks!

Actions Taken by General Convention

The 78th General Convention of the Episcopal Church is finishing up its work today, and we (Alice and Benjamin) want to make sure that everyone knows about major decisions that have been made. The following is an excerpt from Episcopal Cafe's Convention summary for July 1 that has to do with resolutions related to marriage equality.

"Today began the seventh day of business at the General Convention (GC), but it was far from a day of rest.

"The biggest item came near the end of the day, when the House of Deputies (HoD) passed a pair of canons related to marriage equality in the church. A054 and A036 had already passed the House of Bishops (HoB) earlier in the week and if the HoD concurred, they would be fully approved.

"A054 was a resolution approving a trial rite for marriage. As it stood until today, the only marriage rite approved for use was the one in the Book of Common Prayer (BCP) which was written and worded with the assumption of a man and woman marrying one another. This resolution also approved rites originally created prior to the 2012 GC, 'I Will Bless You and You Will Be a Blessing.'

"A key section of A054, unlike the 2012 resolution, was to not allow a diocese by diocese application but stipulated that all bishops would need to make efforts to provide the rites for any couple that asked; 'Bishops exercising ecclesiastical authority or, where appropriate, ecclesiastical supervision will make provision for all couples asking to be married in this Church to have access to these liturgies.' What this may mean in practice is unclear as Bishops still decide how it will be used. Examples offered in earlier HoB debate was contacting priests in neighboring dioceses to lead the ceremony.

"A036 changed the marriage canon (the church's laws) to eliminate gendered language, thus opening the meaning of marriage to include all couples.

"Each of the motions engendered impassioned debate from opponents and supporters, and in both cases the vote was taken by orders, which means that the lay deputies and the clergy deputies from each diocese vote as a bloc. This allows a record of how each deputation voted, similar to the roll call vote in the HoB.

"In the end, it wasn't even close, with both resolutions passing by overwhelming margins. Understanding the gravity of the decisions taken, voting was punctuated by prayer and the deputies did not react to the results with celebrations and Twitter was filled with tweets to calling for graciousness in response, no matter how one felt about the decision."

We recognize that these are monumental changes, and we want for anyone who has questions or concerns to have the opportunity to get some answers or discuss the concerns. Therefore, we are scheduling a meeting at Grace for Tuesday, July 7, at 6:00 pm, and we hope that many of you will take advantage of this opportunity. We would expect that one concern would be how to give useful responses to some people outside the church who will ask questions or want to talk about differing perspectives. There will also be some meetings in the Diocese, not yet scheduled, which will provide the opportunity for discussion with representatives of our Diocesan deputation to General Convention.

Missions Group

The Missions Group's next meeting will be on July 12 immediately following the refreshments after church. This will be a brainstorming session on how we might work together in the months ahead to serve those in need in our community. Any questions about the group can be directed to Mark Richard at [email protected] or 615-948-3769. All are welcome.

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!

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. There will also be an information day at All Saints Camp and Conference Center on Saturday, June 27, at 10:00 am until 2:00 pm for those interested in exploring this option in more depth. Much more information is available from the Rector.

Dates to Remember

Friday, July 3--HOLIDAY--Parish Office Closed

Sunday, July 5--9:00 am--Adult Forum

Sunday, July 5--10:15 am--Holy Eucharist Rite II

Tuesday, July 7--6:00 pm--Conversation about General Convention decisions

Wednesday, July 8--12:10 pm--Holy Eucharist and Healing Prayers

Wednesday, July 8--4:30 pm--GraceWorks Group

Sunday, July 12--9:00 am--Adult Forum

Sunday, July 12--10:15 am--Holy Eucharist Rite II

Sunday, July 12--11:30 am--Missions Group

Wednesday, July 15--12:10 pm--Holy Eucharist and Healing Prayers

Wednesday, July 15--5:30 pm--Vestry (Moved to July 22)

Sunday, July 19--9:00 am--Adult Forum

Sunday, July 19--10:15 am--Holy Eucharist Rite II

Sunday, July 19--6:00 pm--Feed Your Spirit

Wednesday, July 22--12:10 pm--Holy Eucharist and Healing Prayers

Wednesday, July 22--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 who primary purpose is for the benefit of people who are not members." Think about it.