Grace Episcopal Church
Serving the community of Martinez
and Contra Costa County since 1868
GUEST PREACHER THIS SUNDAY
AND
DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME
Our guest preacher for both our 8am and 10am services this Sunday (March 13) will be the The Rev. Canon Julia McCray-Goldsmith.  Julia+ is the Canon for Discipleship for the Diocese of California.

Also, don't forget to set you clocks ahead one hour on Saturday night (March 12) as this is the time we "spring ahead"  for Daylight Savings Time!
IT IS STILL NOT TOO LATE . . . SAINT PATRICK'S DINNER

It is still not too late to purchase your tickets for our annual Saint Patrick's Dinner fundraising event on Saturday, March 19 starting at 5:30pm.  Contact Susan Bremmer email or Marj Leeds email for more information. Or call the church office at 925.228.6574
HOLY WEEK SCHEDULE

We are planning a wonderful schedule of Holy Week services which you are encouraged to attend in preparation for our celebration of Easter:

Palm Sunday - March 20, at 8:00am and 10:00am

Maundy Thursday - March 24, at 7:00pm

Good Friday - March 25, at 12:00noon and 7:00pm

Holy Saturday - March 26, at 10:00am (note start time)

Easter Vigil - March 26, at 6:30pm, followed by reception

Easter - March 27, at 8:00am & 10:00am followed by Egg Hunt 
VESTRY RETREAT AND MARCH VESTRY MEETING UPDATES

We had a very productive Vestry Retreat on Saturday, March 5, at Saint Paul's Episcopal Church in Benicia.  In a "10 Minute Update" following each of the services on Sunday, March 6, the Vestry emphasized the following message to the congregation:
  • We see the Vestry moving forward in a positive direction from "management" into "leadership" of the parish.
  • We are feeling a renewed sense of hope in the congregation around the present and future life of the parish.
  • Congregational participation is vital to our work together in the Interim/Search process we are engaged in.

This spirit of fruitfulness in leadership continued at our Vestry Meeting on March 9 where we affirmed the following Vision for our Search Process:

 

We see our task in leadership of the congregation to "develop a specific selection process which meets the needs of the parish".

 

Two strategies were also adopted for this work:

  1. We will invest our time and energy in upgrading and improving our church web site as a integral part of our search process instead of creating a large separate parish profile.  Concise executive summaries will be used to cover those unique topics that primarily related to the search/call process.
  2. Congregational gatherings using an "appreciative" approach will be the means we use to engage the congregation in a series of conversations about the hopes and needs of the parish and the new clergy call.

It was also affirmed that the search process is not simply a time to find a new rector, it is a time to reflect on what PURPOSE our parish serves in the Kingdom of God, the NATURE of our ministries, and the congregation's GOALS as we seek to serve Christ in the world.  Only when the congregation can answer these questions will we know what to look for in our next rector.    
EUCHARISTIC VISITORS- MEETING SCHEDULE

Our Eucharistic Visitors will continue to meet monthly as we further develop this new ministry in the parish. Our next gatherings will be April 10, May 8, and June 12 at 9:00am in the Sunday School. We will be focusing on reviewing the training materials our EV's have already completed; and engage in confidential reflection on their experiences in this new role.  For questions or more information you can contact Fr. Jeff via email.
PLEASE SAVE THESE DATES . . .

Saturday, April 4 - Mutual Ministry Review & Natural Church Development Planning.  The whole congregation is encouraged to attend this gathering from 3:00pm to 8:00pm in the Parish Hall, which will include a soup supper done by our chef extraordinaire, Stan Applegate.  The youth of the parish are particularly requested to attend as they are an important part of the present and future life of our congregation.

Saturday, May 7 - Funeral service for Bob Bruchard, starting at 1:00pm

Saturday, July 9 - Invite/Welcome/Connect Evangelism Training, from 10am to 4:00pm at Saint George's Episcopal Church in Antioch.  Featuring the wonderful work of  Mary Parmer, a congregational development consultant/coach, speaker, and retreat leader living in Austin, Texas.  She is the creator and developer of INVITE-WELCOME-CONNECT which was born out of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas Newcomer Project.
CONTEMPORARY MUSIC SERVICE THIS SUNDAY

Our monthly experience of contemporary music in worship continues this Sunday, March 13, at our 10:00am as we use the Renew! Songbook for our liturgical setting and congregational hymns.
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