Radical welcome. Faithful worship. Compassionate service. 
17 September 2017 
Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost

8:00 am Holy Eucharist

9:15 am Family Service with Eucharist 

11:00 am Holy Eucharist with Parish Choir

Coffee hours are held in the Guild Hall after 8 am and 9:15 am services; in the rear of the church after the 11 am service.

For detailed information about the parish calendar, ministries, and outreach please click the link below.
Grace Sunday School resumes, September 17
Primary Grades 2-4 will begin weekly classes beginning this Sunday, September 17 , from 10 to 10:50 am , in the second floor classroom above the Choir Room.

In discussion with The Rev. Anne Richards this past summer, this year’s goals are to:
  • Encourage children's personal relationship with God and their place in Christian Community in a way that transforms
  • "Living the Good News" curriculum of interactive and experiential classes structured around the weekly lectionary and activities that engage children in applying Bible stories to daily life
  • Welcome and retain children with positive experiences
  • Serve continuing students, children graduating from Godly Play and visitors
  • Engage families through parent participation as class assistant at least 3 times/year
  • Build a regular program for Grades 5-7 with Amanda Sawyer's leadership
Call for Teachers

Please consider joining our dedicated corps of Sunday School teachers. Three more teachers are needed to complete the roster. Teachers rotate as leaders and assistants and are supported by committed and enthusiastic parents. Training and support are provided for this vital role. Please respond by this Sunday, September 17 . 

For more information, contact Kim Lovejoy via email or call 646-335-5080, evenings and weekends. 
Fall Bible Study resumes, September 19
Beginning this coming Tuesday, September 19, from 10:30 am to Noon in the Choir Room, Grace Church is offering a five-week seminar on the Minor Prophets. The seminar will be led by the Rev. Dr. Christian D. von Dehsen, a Lutheran pastor and biblical scholar, and will offer opportunities to explore the messages of the 12 Minor Prophets through study and lively discussion. 

The schedule for the seminar is:

September 19: Introduction to the historical context and a focus on the prophet Amos

September 26: A focus on the prophets Hosea, Micah, and Jonah

October 3: A focus on the prophets Zephaniah, Nahum and Habakkuk

October 10: A focus on the prophets Obadiah, Joel and Haggai

October 17: A focus on the prophets Zechariah and Malachi
Responding to Hurricanes Harvey & Irma
Join us in prayer and support for communities affected by Hurricanes Harvey & Irma. Partner with Episcopal Relief and Development to assist victims in all areas affected by this fall’s storms and natural disasters. 
Centering Prayer Group Resumes, September 19
Beginning 7 pm , next Tuesday, September 19 , please join us for our twelfth year of contemplative practice. We meet in the chapel in the main church (under the organ pipes). Co-leaders are Lindsay Boyer, Jim Connell and David James.
 
The group is open to all and welcomes newcomers. Centering prayer is an easy to learn form of silent contemplation. It is a wonderful way to make a quiet space for yourself in the midst of the busyness of daily life. We do two 20 minute periods of centering prayer, separated by a brief walking meditation. Then we read a short sacred text several times while listening in silence with the ear of the heart. The group usually lasts about an hour.  

For more information, please contact Lindsay or visit her website .
Brown Bag Lunches continue
We will have our second brown bag lunch on Wednesday, September 20 , from 12:30-1:30 pm in the Choir Room. All are invited for a casual, weekly conversation with Jim Hagen and others, on the first and third Wednesdays of a given month.
Service Team Captain for the 9:15 Sunday
Family Service
We are organizing team captains for the 9:15 service who, on a rotating basis, arrive a little early before the service and organize any last minute items: are the candles lit, is the Intercession book ready, do we have a young person to read the intercessions? It is not much to do, but will make a big difference in helping the service flow freely. We will have a short organization meeting on Sunday, September 24, meeting at the coffee hour after the 9:15 service. 

Any questions or suggestions? Contact Jim Hagen.
Young Adult classes begin, September 24
Led by Grace member Amanda Sawyers, the Journey to Adulthood program of young adult classes uses an engaging, discussion-based format to draw young people, Grades 5 and up, into thoughtful consideration about what it means to be a faithful adult in today’s world. The Journey to Adulthood program is based on the key concept that “Personhood is a gift from God, but Adulthood must be earned.” It encourages teens and ‘tweens to explore all areas of their developing selves and to learn to connect their faith to all areas of life.

The class meets during the program year, generally on the last Sunday of the month at 10 am in the Hope Library. To learn more about Journey to Adulthood classes, please contact Amanda Sawyers.
East Brooklyn Congregations (EBC)
Affordable Housing Rally, October 9
On Columbus Day, Monday, October 9 , members of Grace will attend a major rally at City Hall to press Mayor de Blasio to:
  • build 15,000 units of subsidized senior housing on surplus NYCHA land; and
  • rehabilitate NYCHA from top to bottom.
New senior housing would be a significant step in alleviating the city's housing crisis. It would allow seniors in NYCHA apartments to move into the new senior housing and free up NYCHA apartments for thousands of needy families.

The rally is sponsored by East Brooklyn Congregations, an organization of 40 churches and homeowner associations in central Brooklyn, that created Nehemiah Housing. Grace has been a member of EBC since the1980s, beginning under Goldy Sherrill's leadership.

We want a large turnout of Grace members at the City Hall rally. This is Grace's chance to build power within EBC.

To sign up for the rally, contact Mark McIntyre, Ansley Samson or Tom Chittenden .

See here to learn more about NYC housing crisis.  
Tutors Needed
Tutors are needed for Grace's Tutoring Program, which resumes at Frederick Douglass Academy VII in Brownsville on Tuesday, October 10 .

Parishioners with a free afternoon a week work with small groups of high school students devising strategies to pass state Regents exams through the fall semester.

Tutoring takes place at FDA VII, 226 Bristol Street, Brooklyn, which is accessible by the 3 train.  

For further information , email Mark McIntyre or call him: 646-644-3261.
Rector Search — Telephone Interviews Underway
Search Committee pictured above: 
Front row, left to right : Sarah Davies, Marilyn Grant, Vivian Harrison, Barbara Becker, Anne Silver, Brianna McCarty. Back row, left to right : Thomas Baldwin, Craig Whitney, Michael Rycheck, Chris Larson.

September is “telephone interview month” for the Search Committee, as we start getting to know our candidates better in the first round of interviews. For the next couple of weeks, we will continue to conduct phone calls with each of the candidates approved by the Bishop. Following these calls, the Committee’s next task will be to select from this group six or seven candidates for in-depth, in-person interviews.

The Committee is grateful for the prayers and support of the clergy, the Wardens, the Vestry and the entire parish throughout this important process of transition.

You can view our Parish Profile   here .  

For further information, please contact the Search Co-Chairs,   Vivian Harrison  and  Barbara Becker . 
Grace Church School Applications
Parish families interested in applying for admission to Grace Church School for the 2018-2019 school year may request an application online ,  beginning at 9 am on Wednesday, September 6, 2017 .

Completed applications are due September 29, 2017 . Tours will be assigned once completed applications are received. 

Please indicate that you are applying under Special Consideration status as a Grace Church Parish Member. 

Special consideration eligibility does not guarantee admission to the school. For further information about special consideration eligibility, please contact Vivian Toan.
Pastoral News and Prayer Concerns
Parish Prayer Concerns: Wendy Hooker; Sally Forbes; Sybil Payne; Patrick Owen Burns, Sr.; Bill Newbury; Jacob Connor; Eric and Frances Harrison; Bill Mead.
Grace Church | 254 Hicks Street | Brooklyn NY 11201