Grace/La Gracia November 22, 2020 E-Newsletter The Last Sunday After Pentecost/Christ the King😁 🙏

Grace La Gracia Church

33 Church Street White Plains, NY 10601

www.gracewhiteplains.org

If you are visiting with us for the first time, we welcome you to Grace Church!

Our liturgy is found in the Book of Common Prayer.

Our communion is open to all baptized Christians.

Please take the time to fill out one of our visitor which the ushers have available.

Your presence is a blessing to us may our worship together be a blessing to you.

November 22, 2020

Announcements

The Rev. Dr. Chip Graves, Rector

therevchipgraves@gmail.com

The Rev. Adolfo Moronta

amoronta@gracechurchwhiteplains.org

The Gospel according to Matthew 25:31-46

Jesus said, “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’ Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Sunday Worship

Grace Church Family,

Our Sunday Worship can be viewed at 10 AM on Face Book (link sent).

Thoughts from the Senior Warden

(November 17, 2020)

There was a remarkable story in the New York Times that appeared over the weekend. It was about a former New York City police officer who had just passed away (another victim of the coronavirus). What peaked my interest is that former police officer Al Howard played a unique role in history in saving the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The episode took place in a department store in Harlem named Blumstein’s. Dr. King was in the store signing autographs for his first book “Stride Toward Freedom” (about the Montgomery bus boycott) when a mentally ill women stabbed him in the chest with a letter opener. Officer Howard and his partner were called to the site and made the important decision to seek advice (by phone) from a doctor at Harlem Hospital. The doctor instructed the officer not to pull the knife out (which was what a bystander was about to do as the officers arrived). As it turned out (according to the surgeon); the blade “impinged on the aorta – the blood vessel near the heart - and a puncture would have caused instant death”. Dr. King, with the help of the officers, was taken to the hospital with the blade protruding from his chest, was treated and recovered fully. The story is mentioned in history books and Dr. King actually referenced the event in the speech the day before his assassination. What is remarkable to me is how modest Officer Howard appears to have been in playing down his part in helping to save the life of a man who was on a journey to accomplish great things. That’s not to say that he didn’t recognized the significance of what was done that day in 1958. In recounting the story to a friend (in the article), the acquaintance makes the statement, “You can save a guy’s life, and still, the life isn’t saved.” To which Al Howard responded, “In the span of the years that he didn’t die by being stabbed, he went on to do his most important works.”

The takeaway? Our actions have consequences greater than we can imagine. The follow-up? Find a way to take action (in whatever way you can). Grace Episcopal Church/La Gracia and our community will be better places for it.

Blessings -

Michael Heffner

Grace Episcopal Church/La Gracia

Senior Warden

How to Pledge to Grace/La Gracia 2020

The church will remain flexible in ways to receive your generosity during this difficult period. Blessings.

How to Pledge to Grace/La Gracia

The church is flexible in receiving your generosity during this challenging period of time. Blessings.

Option 1: The standard way of staying current with your pledge still applies.

Feel free to put a check in the mail and send it to the address below (Attention: Office Administrator). Bundling for a few weeks is fine.

Grace/La Gracia Episcopal Church

33 Church Street - 2nd Floor

White Plains NY 10601.

Option 2: There is a secure drop box on the red door at the front of Grace. The box will be checked regularly for financial contributions, including cash (which will be recorded). Kindly put your donation in an envelope with your contact info written clearly.

Option 3: Visit us on the web to donate electronically. www.gracewhiteplains.org

Look for the “Pledging” tab across the top and click on it. Then, you’ll see a yellow "Donate" button; clicking on that will take you to the site for electronic giving. You may use a credit card or with a PayPal account. For more details on PayPal, feel free to visit: (www.paypal.com).

If you’re interested in creating an account with PayPal, Michael Heffner is available to help explain or set up your account - michaelheffner08@gmail.com.

Please note – PayPal charges a fee to the church for these transactions (which is why a check in the drop box or sent by mail is preferable.)

Thank you for contributing!!

DONATE LINK TO GRACE CHURCH

Click the line above to the donation page on the Grace La Gracia website. Please note that the donate button can be used for weekly pledging.

“SHOPPING SISTERS”

In this very challenging times, we are asked to practice our faith by taking care of our brothers and sisters in Christ. To that end, Grace Church parishioners who are able as well as those in need, have the opportunity by helping those of us who are in need of assistance. For those of you who are willing and able to be a “Shopping Sister” please contact LINDA GALLO who will coordinate this joint effort. We will need volunteers who will shop for those who cannot. Please call her at:or email her at: ldg052@aol.com.

Need Groceries? Supplies? If you are in need of these, know you will have someone to help. A coordinated network will be set up as follows:

1) Send Linda an email or phone her to let her know your needs. In turn, she will contact a volunteer to assist you who will then contact you (be sure to give Linda your contact information). The volunteer will then speak with you directly.
2) The Shopping Sister will then shop your list and deliver to you to an agreed upon location (your home, apartment, etc.) and time.
3) Upon completion of your shopping, the Shopping Sister will let you know the bill. You will then leave a check/cash for her in a mailbox or agreed upon location.
4) Please note: Since the supply chain of goods has been less than normal, the Shopping Sister may not be able to get all items on your list.

We all need to be mindful that this is a challenging time for all. Since we will all be unable to be community in person, this provides the opportunity to continue putting our faith into action. For those of you able and willing to participate, please contact Linda with your email and/or phone information at your earliest convenience.

The Spring United Thank Offering (UTO) collection at the church was originally scheduled for Sunday, May 31. However, since we will not be able to convene at that date we ask that those who are able to contribute do so by check. You may count the coins in your box and write check for that amount. Please mail the check to the church, made out to Grace Church and be sure to put UTO in the memo section of your check. If you are unable to contribute now, or prefer to turn in your UTO box of coins, please make you contribution at the Fall UTO collection on November 1st. Please do not send UTO boxes of coins to the church.

Whether you give now or in the fall, please continue your ministry of daily thankfulness for Gods's blessings and continue to place coins your box. We still have so much to be thankful for every day, even in this challenging time. What better time than now to thank God for the blessing we receive everyday! Perhaps you were blessed with the ability to take a walk today, give thanks and put a coin in your box.

Consider listening to the webinar, The Theology of Gratitude : Human Expressions While Living in a Complex world. The live conference is April 24th, it is online and free. Sections of it will also be rebroadcast in case you miss it. Here is a link to information and registration for the conference. You have to register to get a login code for the conference. View this email in your browser

The UTO is a ministry which promotes individual, daily recognition of our blessings from God - small and large. In recognition of these blessings, we put coins into our UTO boxes. These coins are then used to fund grants for projects that enrich the lives of people in the United States and abroad. Many of these people are our most vulnerable brothers and sisters, whose needs do not take a pause because of the Corona virus pandemic. In fact needs among this population will most certainly increase when this is over. Let us keep them in our prayers and do what we can. Thank you, Melanie Jackson

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La Bocca Ristorante

8 Church Street

White Plains

http://www.laboccaristorante.com/

Grace/La Gracia Parishioners-Order a meal to enjoy at home!

Please give a thought to our local businesses. Tony Spiritoso has been an angel to Grace since he opened his restaurant in 1997. La Bocca is open for take-out. Enjoy a great meal at home. Thank you, Michael Heffner

Faith and Facts in a Climate of Fear - Letter from The Episcopal Dioceses of New York

Westchester County Dept of Health: Coronavirus Fact Sheet

2020 Fall Angelus

2019 Grace La Gracia Annual Report

Engraved WALK OF GRACE STONES Forms click here

2020 Annual Stewardship Pledge Forms (English/Spanish)click here

Hermanas de Compra

FOR FUTURE REFERENCE

Join a Committee or become Greeter or Office Volunteer

Grace La Gracia is always looking for more volunteers to serve on our various committees. We rely on our parishioners to help keep our parish going. For more information or to join, contact the parish office or just stop by one of our meetings!

If any of these roles interest you, please contact the parish office.

Acolytes

The Grace La Gracia Acolyte Ministry is always in search of new members to aid and assist the Clergy and Congregation in prayer, praise and worship. We welcome adults and youth aged 7 and up. Please contact Lauren Reid at Lrrmink@gmail.com if you would like to join this vital ministry.

Pastoral Care

We are inviting members who have a passion for serving others to join our Pastoral Care team. This ministry means so much to our members and it just might change your life. Please contact Sandy Gadsden at sunaganatag@aol.com for more information.

Interested in volunteering with our Sunday School?

We have a vacant Assistant Teacher position in the upcomingschool year. If you are interested in committing a few Sundays a month to our youth, pray about it & feel free to talk to one of our Grades K-6 Sunday School volunteers (Linda Gallo, Michael Heffner, Cynthia S. Brown & Lyndsey Wall). Thank you.

Altar Flowers Signup sheet is on the bulletin board near the library. Remember those you love by signing up for flowers to adore the altar. Contribution: $100.00

Lectors Are Needed

Volunteers are needed for all services including the Family service, every third Sunday of the month. If you are available for one or both of these services, please provide your contact information to Michael Heffner

Volunteer to be an Usher

Ushers are needed for all services. Please contact Andrea Spencer E: dreaspencer@aol.com if you would like to join.

Names on Prayer List

If you have a family member or loved one on our prayer list, please provide our office with emergency contact information.

Mother Teresa once said to “Do things for people not because of who they are or what they do in return, but because of who you are.”

Any person or group of parishioners interested in underwriting a worship service at Grace Church, please contact Fr. Chip for more information.

Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic Downtown Music is canceling all concerts until September. While we believe the decision to cancel is the correct one to safeguard our community and everyone involved in the performance from any potential exposure, we understand that it is also disappointing. We thank all our supporters for their patience and understanding as we look forward to performing for you soon.

Please click here to consult our website for future announcements and updates.