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News from Grace Episcopal Church ~ Martinez, California
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Offering prayer and help to the victims of the Northern California Fires
(Courtesy of the Episcopal News Service) Episcopal News Service article
[Episcopal News Service] The Rev. Karen King woke up to flames in the middle of the night on October 8 in her Oakmont Village home east of Santa Rosa, California. "We could see the flames jumping on the top of the ridges of Anadale [State Park] that separate us from Kenwood," said King, who is the interim priest at St. Patrick's Episcopal Church in Kenwood. "We could see the fires all around us. And we left, thinking we could go home in the morning, and we've never been home." Diocese of Northern California Bishop Barry Beisner said October 9 that "these tragic fires have greatly impacted some of our congregations. Some of our people have experienced great loss." Several Episcopal parishes, including
Incarnation in Santa Rosa, Emmanuel
in Grass Valley and St. Stephen's
in Sebastopol, have opened their doors as shelters for some of the displaced. Episcopal Relief & Development staff members have been in touch with diocesan partners in the region and are standing by to help. Bishop Beisner is providing funds to parishes responding to the fires through his discretionary fund. To donate, please go to:
Select "Bishop's Discretionary," and put "Northern California Fire Relief in the memo line. Please pray for our brothers and sisters in our neighboring diocese.
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Oktoberfest 2017 is THIS Saturday!
It's time again for our ever-popular Oktoberfest Dinner! In addition to delicious food there will be a Raffle and German Karaoke and Sing-along! Dust off the Lederhosen, iron the Dirndl, and reserve your tickets now!
Date: Saturday, October 14
Time: 5:30pm Social Hour; 6:30pm Dinner
Tickets: $20 (general); $10 (12 and under)
Contact: Stan Applegate
Phone: 925-957-0315
Speisekarte (Menu)
Assorted Sausages, German Potato Salad,
Choucroute Garnie a l'Alsacienne (Sauerkraut & Pork),
Königsberger Klopse (East Prussian Meatballs),
Blaukraut (Seasoned Red Cabbage), Apple Strudel.
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At Grace, Christian education for children (
Sunday
School) is called "Godly Play" and is held during the first part of the
10 a.m.
service after which children join their families for Holy Communion.
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We have moved into the foundational stories of the Hebrew Scriptures. These are known as the stories of the "People of God", which is a term we often use to refer to the Jews of the Hebrew Scriptures. We will tell the stories of Creation and the Great Flood. After that the stories will be set in a box of sand known as the desert box which signifies that the People of God are wandering, nomadic, and often in a foreign land. These stories are The Great Family (beginning with Abraham and Sarah), Exodus, the Ten Best Ways (Ten Commandments), The Ark and the Tent, and the Ark and the Temple. You might ask yourself what happened to the Garden of Eden, or Moses in a reed basket, or Jonah and the whale, or a dozen other stories. The reality is that there are more stories to be told than Sundays in which to tell them. But, there is always next year.
This Sunday:
Join us for Family Sunday at 10 a.m. in the Sanctuary. The children are an important part of the service, which will feature child-friendly music, a Children's Homily, and Youth service participants!
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New information about The Celebration of New Ministry!
There will be a
rehearsal for participants THIS Sunday,
October 15, following the 10 a.m. service.
Everyone: p
lease RSVP as w
e are expecting a large crowd.
If you have a recipe or would like to make a gluten-free dessert, please contact Marj Leeds (m-mleeds@comcast.net).
Date: October 21, 2017
Time: 11 a.m.
Luncheon reception following.
RSVP to info@gracechurchmtz.org
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Attention Parents: Celebration of New Ministry information about the children of Grace:
All of our children are invited to sing at the Celebration of New Ministry and they have been diligently practicing during Godly Play time. We would be very grateful if you could bring your children to Grace by
10:30
a.m. on Saturday, October 21 so they can be ready to perform. They are up first!
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Faith-full Forums
We recently added a new adult education offering at Grace,
monthly speaker forums. In June we welcomed the Rev. Sidnie White Crawford,
PhD, who spoke about "What the Dead Sea Scrolls tell us about the Bible." July brought a visit from the chair of the Martinez Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). August included a fantastic presentation from Holocaust survivor and author Bernie Rosner and in September Rev. Deb presented "Episcopal Church 101."
Upcoming Forums
On
October 22,
Amanda Martin, the
Diocesan Legacy Officer will be here to share information about estate planning and memorials.
And on
November 19, we will present
Screenagers, a film presentation that explores the impact of screen time on our children, followed by a discussion about the struggle to raise children in our social media-driven era. For more information, click here:
Screenagers at Grace
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Minute for Mission
A few weeks ago we started including a "Minute for Mission" during the announcement time at Grace at both our
8 and 10 a.m. services.
We are looking for parishioners willing to step up and talk about their membership in the community of Grace. What groups/activities are you involved in? What drew you to Grace? What do you love about it?
Take a minute and tell your brothers and sisters what inspires you as a member of this community of Christ and why others might be fulfilled by it too.
Please let Rev. Deb (
revdeb@gracechurchmtz.org) know what you'd like to share and we will schedule you for your 1 minute of fame!
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Happy Halloween!
All children and the young at heart are invited to celebrate All Hallow's Eve at Grace's annual Halloween Party. Wear a costume and be prepared to play games, enjoy treats and have fun!
Sunday, October 29, 2017,
2-4 p.m. |
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| St. Christopher's Guild The next meeting of St. Christopher's will be Sunday, October 29, at 9:00 a.m. (between services) for planning the Christmas Luncheon and Bazaar. No meeting in September. |
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Stay in touch!
We haven't gone anywhere but we have changed our address. We are no longer receiving mail at our P.O. Box. Please send all mail to:
Grace Episcopal Church
130 Muir Station Rd.
Martinez, CA 94553
Thanks!
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Join us for the Episcopal Impact Fund Night of Light
Join Reverend Deb and family for this wonderful event supporting the Episcopal Impact Fund. We would love to have Grace well-represented.
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Get the inside scoop!
Subscribe to the on-line diocesan newsletter, Diobytes. You will receive an email every Tuesday telling you what's going on in the Diocese of California (and sometimes Grace Church Martinez). This is a great way to be in touch with the greater church. To subscribe, go to Subscribe to diobytes here
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Educate yourself!
We have started a Grace Church Theological Library. It is located in the corner next to the conference table in the Sunday School wing and is a treasure trove of material for you to browse or check-out. There is room for more on the shelves, so if you have books you would like to donate to this collection, please feel free to drop them off (please attach a note with your name and phone number) or contact Les Marks at lestermarks@hotmail.com.
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Employment opportunity
St. Timothy's Episcopal Church in Danville has an immediate opening for a Part-time Office Assistant. For more information, talk to Rev. Deb or call St. Tim's at 925-837-4993.
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| Share the Good News Want to let others know about the great things happening at Grace Episcopal Church? Click on the link below to forward this E-Newsletter to family and friends! |
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