Grace Episcopal Church
Serving the community of Martinez
and Contra Costa County since 1868

ANNUAL MEETING THIS SUNDAY
January 24
following a combined 10:00am Service

Please plan to join us this Sunday (1/24) as we gather for the Annual Meeting of the Parish.  At that time we will elect new members of the Vestry as well as our Delegates who will represent the congregation at Deanery and Diocesan functions for 2016.  We will also hear about the financial status of the parish.  2015 has been a busy year of transition and we are grateful for everyone's contributions to the life of Grace Church.

Vestry Highlights

Here are some highlights of our January Vestry Meeting:

- The 2015 year-end finances of the parish were presented by our Treasurer, John Heyse.

- A draft of the 2016 budget was reviewed by the the Vestry and adjusted to address some emerging budget priorities.

- A schedule of 2016 parish events was presented for discussion and volunteer sign-ups.  A copy will be included in the annual reports of the parish and published on the church website.

- It was decided that the next meeting of the Vestry would take place on February 17 due to that fact that Ash Wednesday is on our regular meeting day (the second Wednesday of the month) this year.

Sunday Counters Getting Underway

We are ready to launch a team of Counters to assist in recording the cash donations to Grace Church.  Two people will meet each Sunday following the 10:00am service to meet briefly in the church office to accomplish this task.  We had several volunteers and need you to please email Fr. Jeff to confirm your interested in being trained for this ministry. Training will take place as soon as possible.
Eucharistic Visitors - NEXT MEETING

We had a great first meeting with some of those who are interested in revitalizing a ministry of Eucharistic Visitors.  It is still not too late to get involved.  Our next gathering will be on Sunday, February 10 at 9:00am in the Parish Hall. For questions or more information you can also contact Fr. Jeff via email.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY: ASSISTANT TREASURER

If you have some basic computer skills and the ability to to reconcile a checkbook we would like to hear from you.  The role includes no more than 2-3 hours per week working in the church office and there will be ample training.  If you are able to help, please email Fr. Jeff as soon as possible.
DID YOU KNOW . . .

Did you know there is a weekly eNewletter from the Diocese of California that you can subscribe to?
Following the link below to see a sample of DioBytes and register your email to receive regular notices about the many good things happening in our diocese.
RENEW SONGBOOK NOW IN USE
Last Sunday, January 17, we began to use our new songbook for the 10:00am service.  Once per month, we will offer these contemporary songs as an addition to our traditional worship.  This will also be a whole family service in that we are inviting our children to be with us for the whole service (instead of attending Sunday School) and there will be a special Children's Message in addition the regular sermon. We have scheduled these services on the following dates:

February 21, March 13, April 17, and May 15

At the end of that time we will review how this music has enhanced our experience of worship with the choir and others that my wish to be part of the discussion.

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