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Feed Your Spirit Eucharist Saturday at 6:00 pm!
This Saturday, August 13, at 6:00 pm, we will have a "Feed Your Spirit" Eucharist in All Saints Parish Hall, followed by a reception, also in All Saints. Grace Notes will be providing the music, with special guest violinist, Rachel Crick. Please come and join us and bring your friends!
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Invitation from Alice
Many of those who observe trends in the "church" over the years believe that the institution of the church and the practice of Christianity in the United States is going the way of the church in Europe--growing smaller and smaller in membership, with fewer and fewer churches remaining open--essentially dying. There have been numerous books written about how churches can buck this trend, to
develop programmatically and structurally to be a more vital presence in the communities they serve and to be able to thrive in a challenging marketplace. Recently two clergy colleagues recommended that I read the book Weird Church: Welcome to the Twenty-first Century, by Estock and Nixon, published in 2016. I quickly ordered a copy and read it while on my recent vacation. Very interesting. I was already doing a lot of visioning and talking about how Grace Church might thrive into the future, but, after reading this book, I was even more motivated to encourage others to be more involved in the visioning process. I would like to get a group together who would be interested in and willing to read and discuss Weird Church together over a number of weeks--perhaps meeting around lunch, probably on Tuesdays. Please let me know within the next week or so if you would like to participate. I can quickly order copies from Amazon for $19 each, or you can order it in Kindle format for $9.99. Think about it! Thanks!
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Disaster Preparedness Training back on the schedule
Dave Bryant, Co-Chair, along with the Rev. Karl Lusk, of the Disaster Preparedness Initiative for the Diocese of Kentucky, will be at Grace on Sunday, August 14, at 11:30 am, to meet with any and all who are interested and available to formulate and implement Grace Church's plan. It is more than obvious, with numerous tragic and disastrous situations currently occurring all over the United States, that the timing is right for getting such a plan in order. Please come and learn and participate in this necessary work.
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A New Name for Catechesis?
As we are planning for the upcoming year in spiritual formation for children, the suggestion arose that we consider a name change for the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program. "Catechesis" does sound a little strange, right? So, going forward, we're shifting over to simply being the "Good Shepherd" program for children. Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? As part of the shift, we're also brainstorming about having some additional musical focus--maybe a Good Shepherd Choir. There's no end to the possibilities. That's how God works! So, as we move into September, we'll be scheduling "Good Shepherd class" or "Good Shepherd time" on Sunday morning. Other ideas?
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Deanery Listening Session
On Saturday, August 27, from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm, Grace Church will be hosting both clergy and membership of the Four Rivers Deanery for a "listening session" concerning current issues in the Diocese that will be of interest at our next Diocesan Convention, to be held in November at Christ Church Cathedral in Louisville. Those issues will especially include the Diocesan budget and the future of All Saints Camp and Conference Center in Leitchfield. Four Rivers Deanery includes all the Episcopal Churches in Western Kentucky, and this will be an opportunity for us to interact and get to know members of other churches and to remind ourselves that we do not function totally independently but are part of a larger whole (the Diocese of Kentucky) and an even larger whole (TEC--the Episcopal Church). Members of Trustees and Council (and maybe Bishop White) will be present to share information and answer questions. Alice will need to have a rough idea of how many are coming in order to plan for box lunches, so please let her know of your interest.
On a related issue, nominations for various Diocesan positions are now being taken. Serving on a committee or board is a good way of being more involved in the life of our denomination and is greatly appreciated by our leadership. Please give this opportunity your prayerful consideration.
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Grace School is fully enrolled!
In the interest of full disclosure, maybe one or two more could be accommodated, but for all practical purposes we are full! This is going to be a great year for Grace Kindergarten and Pre-school. Cool Spots for Hot Tots--our program for little ones who will be starting at Grace School--had its first session this week, and the excitement was obvious. So many people are working so hard for Grace School. At the risk of leaving someone out--many thanks to Tweetie White, Emma Nanney, Joyce Cornett, Judy McPherson, Sheila Evans and Christa, Pam Vance, Dennis Netz, Susan Ferguson, the rest of the Grace Kindergarten Board, those who will be helping the next two weeks at Hot Tots, the teachers, the parents--the list goes on and one. And, you can help, too. See Tweetie White's letter below.
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Education for Ministry
(Seven people have committed to participate in EFM for the 2016-17 year. That means that we are ready to register with Sewanee. But, it also means that, if one more person registers, an additional person can register at half the cost! Let us know quickly of
your interest.
)
It's that time of year again--time to recruit and sign up participants for our 2016-17 EFM group. Education for Ministry is a 4-year program, created and administrated through the School of Theology at the University of the South at Sewanee, that exists for the purpose of educating the laity and lay leadership of churches in the areas of Old Testament, New Testament, Church History, Theology, Ethics, and Interfaith Relations--with a particular emphasis on theological reflection. Theological reflection is a way of looking at how God is working in the world and in our churches and in our lives. Participants commit to one-year at a time, which involves extensive reading and participating in a weekly group session. The material is academic in nature and requires a willingness to think broadly. Groups tend to bond over time, and sessions tend to become important sources of friendship and community. Sewanee charges $350 per year for each participant. Alice Nichols will be the Mentor for this year's group, and the Mentor role is less that of a teacher and more that of a facilitator. Please contact Alice or Susan Ferguson with your questions.
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GraceWorks Updates
GraceWorks is in the process of having a website created for developing an online presence and beginning online sales! Alex Keys, who has helped the church with earlier ventures into electronic media (e.g., this newsletter!), is using the "Shopify" platform to develop our website because its primary use is for retail sales and most of the features we need are built into what this platform offers. Watch for "going live"!
Save the Date!! Our third annual Picnic at the Labyrinth is scheduled for Sunday evening, September 25. This event has been great fun in the past and has generated significant monetary donations to the GraceWorks program. More information will be coming your way.
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MARK YOUR CALENDARS--October 1
Payback can be sweet! After using our nave as a recording studio, Rachel Crick and Jeff Calhoun have asked to have a concert at Grace on Saturday, October 1, to introduce their production. Lucky us! This event will be advertised widely and a great opportunity for us to welcome others and to show off the church. Please mark your calendars and plan to be with us!
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Another Step toward Energy Efficiency
All of the chandelier light bulbs in the Gaither Building have been replaced with LED's! Every little bit helps!
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Interfaith Worship
In these uncertain and, too-often, violent times, when hostilities toward those perceived as being "different" seem to be growing, it is incumbent upon us as Christians to reach out to other groups and do our part in developing understanding and greater unity. Toward that end, we are exploring the possibility of a regular time for people with different belief systems to come together for spiritual sharing through worship experiences designed to be relatively short, inclusive, and incorporating sacred scripture from various traditions and using the common language of music and meditation. We hope that we will have a number of people in this congregation and others who would like to contribute. If you are interested in possibly working with us on this endeavor, let Jim Garnett or Wayne Eastham or Alice Nichols know. We will be calling a planning meeting shortly.
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Kroger R
e-Registration
Have you received a card from Kroger telling you that, if you are participating in the Community Rewards program, you will need to re-register August 1? Yes, it's apparently true. So, mark your calendars and make the update. Money that we have received for Grace School from Kroger has not been insignificant, and, any that we continue to receive will be placed in the Tom Schmidt Memorial Fund. Re-registration is easily done online. Simply log onto
www.kroger.com/communityrewards
and search for Grace Episcopal Kindergarten or enter 88636 and link your card to our school. Then check your next Kroger receipt at the bottom to make sure that it indicates a contribution to Grace Episcopal Kindergarten.
Thanks for your help and your support of our ministry to the children and their families.
Another way to financially support our school is to save BOXTOPS FOR EDUCATION from the labels of many items that we use frequently. We recently sent in a batch which will bring in $150. It's a lot of work for a little bit of money, but every dollar counts! Start saving BOXTOPS now for our next submission in about six months.
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Dates to Remember
Saturday, August 13--6:00 pm--Feed Your Spirit Holy Eucharist in All Saints, with reception following
Sunday, August 14--9:00 am--Adult Forum
Sunday, August 14--10:15 am--Holy Eucharist Rite II
Sunday, August 14--11:30 am--Disaster Preparedness
Tuesday, August 16--3:00 pm--Kindergarten Board
Wednesday, August 17--9:00 am--Cool Spots for Hot Tots
Wednesday, August 17--12:10 pm--Holy Eucharist with prayers for healing
Wednesday, August 17--5:30 pm--Evening Prayer and Vestry
Sunday, August 21--9:00 am--Adult Forum
Sunday, August 21--10:15 am--Holy Eucharist Rite II
Wednesday, August 24--9:00 am--Cool Spots for Hot tots
Wednesday, August 24--12:10 pm--Holy Eucharist with prayers for healing
Saturday, August 27--10:00 am--Deanery Listening Session
Sunday, August 28--9:00 am--Adult Forum
Sunday, August 28--10:15 am--Holy Eucharist Rite II
Wednesday, August 31--NO HOLY EUCHARIST--Rector at seminar
Sunday, September 4--9:00 am--Adult Forum
Sunday, September 4--10:15 am--Holy Eucharist Rite II
Monday, September 5--LABOR DAY HOLIDAY--Parish office closed
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The Casa del Sol Prayer of Jesus
Ground of all being, Mother of life, Father of the universe, Your name is sacred, beyond speaking.
May we know your presence, may your longings be our longings in heart and in action.
May there be food for the human family today and for the whole earth community.
Forgive us the falseness of what we have done as we forgive those who are untrue to us.
Do not forsake us in our time of conflict but lead us into new beginnings.
For the light of life, the vitality of life, and the glory of life are yours now and for ever. Amen.
(John Philip Newell)
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Copyright © 20XX. All Rights Reserved.
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Copyright © 20XX. All Rights Reserved.
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