In response to the current status of the COVID-19 pandemic, Grace Church is open for limited in-person worship and visiting hours. Most events will remain virtual for the time being. |
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11 am Morning Prayer and Sermon
on
Clergy:
The Rev. J. Donald Waring, preaching
The Rev. Julia Macy Offinger
The Rev. Thomas Szczerba
Music:
The Adult Choir
Dr. Patrick Allen, organ
THIS WEEK:
Outdoor
Children's Chapel
with Father Thomas!
You’ll find videos of past services and events on Vimeo and YouTube.
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Please see below for weekday worship opportunities, both virtual, and in the church on open days!
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Dear Friends,
This coming Sunday is the Day of Pentecost, one of the three highest feast days of the Christian year (the other two being Easter and Christmas). Pentecost celebrates the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the first few weeks after Easter, the disciples of Jesus were not in any way what you might call “the organized church.” Yes, they had experienced the resurrection, but it was all very confusing and hard to grasp. They didn’t know what to do. If you read John 21, it seems that Peter was simply prepared to go back to his old way of life prior to meeting Jesus. “I am going fishing,” he said before an evening on the sea in which he caught nothing. Forty days after Easter, the appearances of the risen Jesus ceased altogether. Was that the end of it? Was there anything more?
Ten days later the disciples would have an answer. While gathered together they all experienced an infusion of life and power. It was the Spirit of God. It was the Spirit they knew in Jesus. The experience was such that words could not capture it, so they reached for the analogies of wind and fire. The coming of the Spirit was like wind filling their sails, or fire powering their boilers. The church became a ship on the move, with a mission to redeem the earth and all of God’s children who inhabit it.
I can think of no better day than Pentecost to celebrate something we do as the organized church: Episcopal Charities. Episcopal Charities is the outreach arm of the Diocese of New York. What it does is fund parish-based ministries, often in under-resourced communities, where there is a will but not a way to make a difference in the neighborhood. Episcopal Charities provides the way to make food pantries, soup kitchens, after-school programs, and numerous other vital services a reality. The goal is to give people the grace to be able to reach for a better life. I hope you will consider a gift to Episcopal Charities. You can do so online by clicking here, or by using one of the envelopes you’ll find in church on Sunday.
On a sad note, on Tuesday I received word that Harper Anderson, a long-time and much-loved member of Grace Church, had died the previous day. Harper had been battling a number of ailments, and apparently suffered a massive heart attack before leaving his apartment on Monday morning. He was 66 years old, and until this fall had served on the vestry as clerk. He was also a Sunday 9 am altar team member, usher, and lay reader. In time we will plan a memorial service for Harper. For now his family, Teresa and her grown children Claire and Bennett welcome your condolences. Rest eternal, grant to Harper, O Lord. And let light perpetual shine upon him.
See you in church.
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9:00 am Holy Eucharist and Sermon |
On Easter Day we re-launched the 9 am Sunday service. In pre-pandemic times it was part of our regular Sunday worship offerings at 9 am, 11 am, and 6 pm. It was a joy to gather again for the first time at 9 am since March 8, 2020. Going forward we plan to continue with an in-person 9 am Sunday Eucharist (not on the livestream) and 11 am as always, in-person and on the livestream. We expect to re-launch the 6 pm Eucharist in the Chantry in September.
Clergy:
The Rev. J. Donald Waring, preaching
The Rev. Julia Macy Offinger
The Rev. Thomas John Szczerba Jr.
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10:00 am Children's Chapel
(over Zoom) (New time!)
Join Mother Julia and Father Thomas from 10 - 10:25 am to say our hellos, read and discuss the story of the day from our Children’s Bible, and then say our prayers together. (Designed for ages 4-10, but the whole family is welcome.) For Zoom access, please see The Weekly Epistle or email the Rev. Thomas Szczerba well in advance of the event.
Meeting ID: 618 396 533
Password: praisegod
One tap mobile
+19294362866, 618396533# US (New York)
NOTE TO PARENTS:
This week during the 11 am service, we will hold an outdoor Children's Chapel with masks and social distancing. Details below.
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10:00 am Sunday Forum:
The Strange Story of the Roman Urn
Join Saving Grace NYC for a presentation on the Roman Urn in the Rectory Garden. What is it? Where did it come from? How is it related to the first Episcopal Church founded in Rome? For Zoom access, please see this link
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11:00 am Holy Eucharist
CHURCH IS OPEN
for in-person worship!
Clergy:
The Rev. J. Donald Waring, preaching
The Rev. Julia Macy Offinger
The Rev. Thomas John Szczerba Jr.
Music:
The Adult Choir, Dr. Patrick Allen, organ
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Service will continue to be video streamed every week. Access via any of our live channels. If you experience buffering, you can simply switch to another channel.
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45 minutes of your favorite hymns, solos, anthems and voluntaries played on the Bicentennial Organ. Requests taken! Find past recordings at this link.
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Episcopal Charities Sunday |
Today, we celebrate the great work that Episcopal Charities does in ten counties throughout New York. Episcopal Charities is the outreach arm of the Diocese, and it funds parish-based programs in under-resourced communities, including food pantries, rent support, after school programs, and education for recently incarcerated individuals. One-hundred percent of our donation goes to those who need it most. |
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To give click on this link. Or use the QR code in the back of the bulletin to make the donation on your mobile device. If you’d rather write a check, make it out to Episcopal Charities and place it in the offering plate today. For cash gifts, please use one of the envelopes on the tables in the narthex and place it in the offering plate.
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Please Get Fully Vaccinated |
Vaccines against Covid-19 are now available for anyone 16 years of age and older who wants to be inoculated. Receiving the vaccine protects not only you, but those you love and everyone around you. It is the best way to help speed along the reopening of society. Please speak with your doctor or go to the NYC Vaccine Finder to make an appointment.
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Church is Open
Four Days per Week
Tuesday and Thursday, noon to 3 pm
with Noonday Prayer at 12:15 pm
Wednesday, 5:30 to 6:30 pm
with Evening Prayer at 6 pm
Sunday, 9 am to 12:30 pm
with Worship Service at 11 am
All are required to wear a covering over their nose and mouth, and to observe posted safety guidelines.
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Grace Parish Showcase Sponsored by the Grace Church Women - Online Now! |
We have had a great response to this project, which attempts to display how the creative spirit of our people was at work during the lockdown. Many have submitted, photography, videos, art, stories, and photos of themselves and their families and more!
The show is live! Find it here. Don't miss it! |
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The Weekly Pledge Envelopes have arrived for our Pledging households. If you would like to have your box of Pledge Envelopes set out in the Nave on Sunday, please email Matthew Kopp
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No Ordinary Time: 2021 Annual Campaign |
All parishioners and friends of Grace Church are asked to support our mission by pledging -- or promising -- a financial gift for the coming year. To make your pledge, please fill out the pledge envelope you received in the mail at home. You can place it in the offering plate any Sunday, or mail it to the parish office as soon as you can.
You may also make your pledge at the link below (You have all of 2021 to make your payments!)
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Monday - Centering Prayer (over Zoom)
12:15-12:45 pm Christian silent prayer that prepares us to receive the gift of God’s presence. Led by Currie Estreich, MA, Spiritual Direction, the General Theological Seminary.
Meeting ID: 337 800 858
Password: 058288
One tap mobile
+16465588656,,337800858# US (New York)
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday - Enter, Rest, Pray (CHURCH IS OPEN)
Tuesday, noon–3 pm, Wednesday, 5:30-6:30 pm, and Thursday, noon–3 pm. Tuesday and Thursday Noonday Prayer at 12:05 pm. Wednesday Evening Prayer at 6 pm. All are required to wear a covering over their nose and mouth, and to observe posted safety guidelines.
Midweek In-Person Worship - Tuesday and Thursday Noonday Prayer at 12:15 pm. Wednesday Evening Prayer at 6 pm. All are required to wear a covering over their nose and mouth, and to observe posted safety guidelines.
Tuesday, Thursday – Bach at Noon
12:20 pm - 30 minutes of music by J.S. Bach, played on the Bicentennial Organ.
Wednesday - Women’s Bible Study (over Zoom) – 10:30 am-noon – Long-running program of guided Bible study and discussion for women. For Zoom access info, please see the link below or email the Rev. Julia Macy Offinger well before the event.
Meeting ID: 896 065 849
One tap mobile
+19294362866,,896065849# US (New York)
20s & 30s Pub Theology on May 27th from 6:30pm-7:30pm (over Zoom) - All parishioners in their 20s and 30s are invited to join us for a discussion on Rowan Williams book, Tokens of Trust. For Zoom access, email the Rev. Thomas Szczerba well before the event.
12:20 pm - 30 minutes of music by J.S. Bach, played on the Bicentennial Organ.
4 pm - 45 minutes of diverse music played on the Bicentennial Organ.
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No Sunday Forum May 30th for Memorial Day Weekend – Our next and final forum before a summer recess will take place on June 6th. For Zoom access, please see The Weekly Epistle or email the Rev. Thomas Szczerba well in advance of the event.
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Final Men’s Bible Study before summer recess – June 2nd from 6:30pm-7:15pm (over Zoom) - The men of Grace Church are invited to join us via Zoom for a bible study on the lectionary for the coming Sunday. After this bible study, we will go on a summer recess, we will pick things back up in September. If you are interested in participating, please contact the Rev. Thomas Szczerba by email.
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Parish Picnic – June 6th - After the 11 am service we will close out the program year with as much of a parish picnic as the CDC allows us to have! We anticipate lite-bites and beverages on the lawn of Huntington Close.
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Summer Break for Wednesday Evening Prayer - June 9th will be our final evening prayer service of the season in the current hybrid format. Our current plans are to resume the Wednesday 6 pm Eucharist in the chantry come September after the summer recess. Stay tuned as the plans develop.
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May is Peanut Butter Month - In May everyone is invited to contribute a jar (or jars) of peanut butter to the Grace Church food collection. All food donations are appreciated - but this month we focus on peanut butter as a very important staple item for The Red Door Place food ministry. Let’s see how many jars we can collect. Collection baskets are near the doors of the main church.
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We pray for those who suffer
Gardner Rankin
Richard Johnson
Lewis Zachary Cohen
Russell Browning
Claudia Paoloni
Tom Hall
Josephine
all those who suffer due to the coronavirus
and for those who have died
Harper Anderson
Charlie Welsh
Michele Tunstall
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Send your photos of milestone events for possible publication in the Weekly Epistle to Matthew Kopp, Membership and Development Manager.
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Your engagement on our social media helps Grace Church!
Please Subscribe, Follow, Like and Share
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GRACE CHURCH IN NEW YORK
212-254-2000
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