Radical welcome. Faithful worship. Compassionate service. 

17 February 2019
Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany

8:00 am Holy Eucharist 
9:15 am Family Eucharist
11:00 am Holy Eucharist with Parish Choir

Please join us after all services for fellowship, coffee and refreshment in the Guild Hall.

For detailed information about  the parish calendar, ministries, and outreach, please click the link below.

3:30 pm Gentle Yoga takes a holiday break this Sunday, February 17.

In observance of the Presidents' Day holiday, the parish will be fully closed
next Monday, February 18.
Grace's 2019 Annual Giving campaign is underway!
Pledges make up over half of Grace’s income, and we hope every member of the community will join us in pledging this year. Pledges can be made online or by filling out the pledge card in the pews.  
Rev. Robinson preaches
at 2019 Diocesan Absalom Jones service

Our Rector, The Rev. Dr. Allen F. Robinson celebrated the life of Absalom Jones this past Saturday February 9, at the Cathedral of The Incarnation in Garden City, New York.

Absalom Jones was the first person of African descent to be ordained a priest in the United States. Rev. Allen gave a rousing sermon as a guest preacher in which he spoke about “prophetic imagination." He challenged the Congregation to be risk takers, be faithful in God and go deep in your trust in God so that anything and everything is possible! Bravo, job well done!
Another successful Sanctuary Cinema screening AND Happy Birthday to Allen+!

Please join us for our next FREE Sanctuary Screening, on Friday, March 8 at 7 pm in the Guild Hall. " Roma " is the next feature, and popcorn and lemonade will again be in abundance.
Special presentation this Sunday, February 17,
after 11 am service
The Rev. Canon Dr. Howard K. Williams, guest preacher at this Sunday's services, will facilitate a video presentation and discussion about the initiatives of Food for the Poor after the 11 am service in the North Room. Please visit their web site or see the brochure inserts in this Sunday's bulletins for more details.
Save the Date – next Saturday, February 23
The Grace Church Race Relations and Social Justice group would like to invite you to attend a training related to ending the practice of money bail, which negatively impacts so many fellow New Yorkers who cannot afford to post bail while awaiting trial. Join us to learn more about the money bail system and ways to get involved in addressing its inequities. RSVP here and email Kate Hill if you would like to attend with a group from Grace.
First Aid and Defibrillator Training -
10:15 am next Sunday, February 24 
As many of you may have noticed, we now have a first aid kit and AED equipment across from the ADA bathroom and another AED Kit in the North Room. The Grace Church School also has a Kit outside of their office space above the Gym.

Dr. Bryan McCarty has graciously agreed to do some training on this equipment next Sunday, February 24 at 10:15 in the North Room . If you are interested in receiving training, please sign up at the back of the Church.
LENT MADNESS COMES TO GRACE CHURCH!!
Forward Movement’s Lent Madness, inspired by college basketball tournaments, pits 32 saints against each other in a bracket, as each saint seeks to win the coveted Golden Halo. Throughout Lent, fans vote for their favorite saints at www.lentmadness.org and you can sign up on the website and receive an email each morning with essays on the two competing saints on that given day and the ability to cast your vote. This can be an individual or family activity!

Started by the Episcopal Church, this is the tenth year of this growing madness and it’s spreading throughout different denominations! At Grace, we are upping the ante by creating a friendly pool to see who can correctly pick the winner of the Golden Halo who, in turn, will win their own Golden Halo(s)! To join, we are asking a suggested donation of ten bucks which will be used to help offset the cost of our acolytes attending the National Conference of Acolytes in Washington, D.C.

Look for contest forms soon on the Narthex table. There will also be a limited number of free individual bracket cards. Questions? See John Colón or email him .
Special Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper Fundraiser:
Tuesday, March 5 at 6:30 pm
Grace Church Brooklyn Heights cordially invites you to join us on Mardi Gras for a special  Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper Fundraiser . The event will be held on March 5, from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm in the Guild Hall. The cost is $5 for children; $10 for adults; and $20 max for a family.  

Proceeds benefit Grace acolytes attending local and national Acolyte Festivals. For more information, contact  Sarah Davies  or  Allison Robinson . 
Special book presentation: Sunday, March 17
Benjamin Morse, Grace parishioner, biblical scholar and author/ illustrator of The Bible Beautiful Series, will be on hand Sunday, March 17 to share his whimsical and engaging artwork and biblical storytelling. Suitable for children and adults. He will be visiting the Journey to Adulthood class and also show his work and speak during coffee hour after the 11 am service.
 
Click here for more info and reviews of Ben’s work.
Funeral Planning Workshop:
Tuesday, March 26, 6:30 pm in the Guild Hall
Funeral Planning for Folks Who Have No Time to Die

A talk with funeral director Amy Cunningham

Planning for your own death, and getting acquainted with what is traditional and newly possible in funeral service enables you to face your own mortality with courage and focus on what your life has been all about. Sadly, for people who postpone funeral discussions, their survivors are then confronted with huge decisions involving thousands of dollars as they hold Kleenex in their hands. Join journalist and NY licensed funeral director Amy Cunningham for a riveting (even fun!) presentation on trends within the $16 billion funeral business. Topics covered include how to make a cremation more meaningful, the differences between a green burial and a traditional one, the usefulness of a burial shroud, plus a run-down of service costs and options including a funeral in the home, casket in church, urn in church, committal prayers at gravesite or crematory chapel, witnessed cremation. We'll touch upon digital obituaries, "life letters" to loved ones, eulogies, full body donation to medical science, and organ donation. After all that, we'll have time for questions. In the end, you’ll get a glimmer of what funerals customs and products from the past should be preserved, and what can be jettisoned—and you'll leave with some planning resources for yourself or for someone you love.

Amy Cunningham is a licensed funeral director and owner of the Brooklyn firm Fitting Tribute Funeral Services. She specializes in simple burials within the NYC- Metropolitan area and upstate, home funerals, and cremation services at Green-Wood Cemetery's crematory chapels in Brooklyn.  Amy was profiled by the New York Times , and was named one of nine  top funeral innovators by FuneralOne, a leading voice for change in the funeral industry. She majored in English at the University of Virginia and holds a mortuary degree from the American Academy McAllister Institute. 
Grace Core Values Inquiry Process
Who are we as a church community? What are we called to do? This is an exciting time of transition and growth at Grace, and we need your help to deepen our understanding of the core values that underpin Grace’s mission and our vision for the future. Between now and April, members of the vestry will be inviting parishioners to engage in conversation about Grace’s core values and mission. Please be receptive if you are called or approached at coffee hour to chat for a bit. You may also contact Amy Rowland directly if you are interested in participating in this dialogue. In addition, the vestry will be facilitating a focus group about core values during a North Room Chat at 10:15 am on Sunday, April 7 - please save the date and join us. We encourage everyone to participate in this important work, and will continue to update you about future opportunities for engagement.
Interested in participating or receiving a bi-monthly newsletter?
Who are our high school or college bound students at Grace? Any alumni attending Grace? Anyone moving away or individuals moving to the neighborhood and attending Grace? Having an exhibition (graphic art, sculptures or photography)? Where will it be? Published a book lately? Any book signings? Vacation rentals?

This publication could help us get to know each other better and engage in dialogue. Hope you will consider this format. If interested please contact Charlotte Thorp.
SAVE THE DATE!!!
Grace Church Brooklyn Heights, in association with Qumri Pilgrimages, is hosting a trip to the Holy Land, June 12-23, 2020. There is a space limit of 40 pilgrims. An informational meeting will take place on S unday, March 10 at 10:15 and 12:15 in the North Room . If you are interested in learning more about the trip to the Holy Land, I invite you to attend the informational seminar. Additional information regarding site visits, accommodations, cost and airline travel will be forthcoming. Any inquiries, please see Allen+.
Rector's Tuesday Bible Study
Please know that you are invited to join us each Tuesday, from 10:30 am to 12:00 pm in the Choir Room, for bible study and conversations around interpretation, application, social justice, current world events or a host of other topics that may surface during our time together. We really do have a lot of fun and we invite you to come and join us!

Right now, we are studying the Gospel of John. Each class is independent of others; therefore, you do not have to play “catch up” in order to participate. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me! Allen+.
Grace Schedule of Upcoming Baptismal Dates

As is a parish church tradition, no more than seven Candidates are Baptized as a group, usually during an 11 am service of Holy Eucharist with Baptisms. 

Here are the upcoming dates:
  • Sunday, March 3, 2019, 11:00 am – full
  • Saturday, April 20, 2019 (Easter Eve), 4 pm – 4 spots remaining
Please contact Christian DeRuiter, Parish Administrator, for more information and to obtain an application.
Pastoral News and Prayer Concerns
Parish Prayer Concerns: Wendy, Sybil, Jacob, Eric & Frances, Lesley, Sandra, Bill and Elle.
Grace Church | 254 Hicks Street | Brooklyn NY 11201