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Movie Night: Grand Canyon, Friday April 12th
Our next movie will be "Grand Canyon", a unique film starring Kevin Kline, Mary McDonnell, Danny Glover, Steve Martin, Mary-Louise Parker and Alfre Woodard. It illustrates the fulfillment that can come from recognizing miracles and the natural human inclination to help others, notwithstanding the barriers dividing us, especially in modern times and large urban areas like Los Angeles. The cast, under the direction of Lawrence Kasdan ("The Big Chill"), skillfully portrays how we can be totally consumed with our daily lives and concerns until confronted, or saved, by a "miracle". Also, on rare
occasions, a transforming transcendence can yank us from our natural predilection to dwell on our aspirations and anxieties. In this secular movie, that occurs at the southern rim of the Grand Canyon.
Of course, as Christians seeking the Kingdom of God amongst us, we too can find transcendence at the Grand Canyon, or beneath a dark night sky covered by a canopy of stars, or even in the eyes of a baby. We also can find it in worship, prayer, and scripture or, perhaps most importantly, in being Jesus to others, especially to those outside the doors of our churches. Similar to water and wind in the Grand Canyon, we possess the God given power to change the earth.
As usual, Movie Night will begin at 6 p.m. in the Parish Hall. Bring your own snack if you wish to (quietly) dine during the movie. Coffee and hot water (for tea) will be provided.
Easter Lilies
This is the last Sunday to sign up for Easter Lilies. The cost is $15. You can call Fräni at the Parish House office to sign up. 815-777-2590
Lenten Soup and Supper Concludes on Tuesday
A brief session of Taize Prayer
will take place prior to the soup supper at
5:30 pm in the Galena UMC sanctuary.
The sixth and final study session will be lead by The Rev. Catiana McKay at Galena United Methodist Church with the soup supper at 6pm and discussion at 6:45 pm, ending by 7:30 pm.
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Palm Sunday
Weather permitting, the congregation will gather at 10:25 am outside the church on the sidewalk for the blessing and distribution of palms. We will then process inside together for the liturgy.
Tuesday-St. James Cathedral
On Tuesday in Holy Week, April 16, from 10 am to 1 pm, all members of the diocese are invited to gather at St. James Commons and St. James Cathedral to prepare for the celebrations of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Great Vigil of Easter.
The half-day retreat is a time of refreshment and reflection and will begin with prayer and meditation, include a celebration of the Eucharist with the blessing of chrism. An informal lunch for those who can stay will follow.
Our traditional service of the Last Supper and Jesus' washing of the disciples feet will began at the Parish House where we will share the Agape meal.
We will then move into the church for the 7 pm liturgy that will include communion, followed by the relocation of the sacrament to the chapel and the stripping of the altar. The liturgy will not conclude with a blessing or sending out as it is the first part of the Triduum, a continuous Holy Week liturgy that will reconvene on Good Friday.
Those who wish are invited to hold vigil in the Garden of Repose in the Chapel.
Good Friday The Garden of Repose remains open in the Chapel for prayer and meditation until the evening
liturgy.
A Noontime United Churches Liturgy
will be held at the Galena United Methodist Church.
The second part of the Triduum begins at 7 pm in the stripped and barren churc
h. The altar party enters in silence. We hear the Passion narrative, venerate the cross, and receive Communion in silence from the reserved sacrament. Again, there is no benediction as the altar party exits and the congregation departs.
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All right. I am going to let it all out here! Each year as Lent comes to a close and we prepare for Holy Week and Easter, I am at a loss to understand why our churches are not filled full at the Holy Week liturgies. And I am hopeful that this year will be different. I am hopeful that on Good Friday, i will enter the chancel to see the pews filled with worshipers, not just that handful that join the altar party and the faithful choir that has prepared its offerings for weeks.
It is not just that this week underpins our faith--all that we, as followers of Christ, proclaim--but that it does so by touching our entire selves, soul, body, and mind, our full range of emotions and every one of our senses. It is a retelling of the foundational story--not a routine and mechanical exercise of remembrance but a practice as old as human history itself. We tell and retell the story to ourselves, "to our children and our children's children" so that it is not just remembered but continues to shape and form us. It is not simply a story from the past that is dusted off each spring but a story that lives right now and into our future as it calls forth in us the ability the participate through ritual and song, weaving together one rich tapestry of our faith that does not really make sense unless experienced as a whole.
Those who are passionately engaged in the work of keeping our churches vital and healthy are told that young people are seeking more ritual and beauty. Where are they? Where are the former Roman Catholics and cradle Episcopalians who grew up in times that holy days of obligation were taken seriously? Where are those of us who found and embraced the Episcopal Church because of its liturgy and its beauty? All of that is encompassed in the Great Three Days, the Triduum--the sights and sounds of the liturgy and its music, the fragrance of oil and rose petals and candles, the taste of bread and wine, the touch of warm water and gentle hands.
Do we shy away from the intimacy of these moments--the humility of having our feet washed (optional, by the way), the emotions that catch us off-guard? Do we fea
r the emptiness when the brass and silver have been removed from the altar, when the Tabernacle gapes open and the sanctuary candle snuffed out?
Yes, it is easier to go from the Hosannas to the Alleluias without pausing in between. And I am certainly not trying to "sell" the experiential
aspect for their own sake. But for the possibilities they hold for deepening our faith and relationship with the One who created us as whole beings whose ability to laugh and cry, to rejoice and mourn, to feel and to love deeply, makes us who and whose we are.
See you in church--lots, I hope!
Gloria+
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READINGS:
Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29: A celebration of God's goodness and faithful love, answering prayer, turning the rejected stone into the capstone, and inviting people into God's presence.
Luke 19:28-40: Jesus rides into Jerusalem as the people offer praises. The Pharisees though are unimpressed, calling on Jesus to silence the crowd.
This week we are startled into seeing God's Reign afresh, as the subversive, empire-challenging reality that it is. Even as the Pharisees try to silence the praises, and as the people fail to understand what they're celebrating, Jesus just keeps coming, embracing the suffering to come, and manifesting God's new way of being and reigning. The Reign of God continues to infiltrate our world; its message still being proclaimed and revealed; and the powers-that-be still try to silence it - with death if necessary. But, our call, as followers of Christ, is to refuse to be silenced. To continue to challenge unjust empires and to hold open the door to God's Reign to all who will come, refusing to bow to the threats of factions, religious exclusivity or political expediency.
In every life and community, the Reign of God enters as a disruptive and invitational influence. It subverts every petty power-struggle, turf-war and personal empire that we might set up, and calls us to embrace this new self-giving, inclusive, God-connected way of being. The challenge for us is to take this message seriously, and strive, daily, to embody God's Reign in every interaction, every decision, and in how we live together in community. The work of justice is done as much in the small unseen conversations and justice-supporting actions as in the big moments.
The thumbnails
and reflections excerpted from sacredise.com
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Outreach Ministries Update
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Update from Glory Parish
Last week in the eblast Steve Dowe provided a history of Glory Parish in South Sudan. Bishop Joseph provided a recent update.
Bishop Joseph states the Mother Deborah, the rector at Glory Parish, has been ill for some time and is unable to seek treatment. Due to lack of funds she is unable to go to Egypt for treatment. And due to the closed border between Sudan and South Sudan she is unable to leave.
Due to the closed border, goods become more expensive to the level that many are unable to buy food.
Lastly, there are no good roads in South Sudan to connect to other states and get support from other states.
As always, Bishop Joseph asks for our prayers to help in these challenges.
Galena River Sampling Update
Your Grace Episcopal Environmental Committee supported our Galena River sampling project (sampling took place in August of 2017 and May of 2018), and I'm hoping you can share the presentation information below with them - an opportunity to see the results of your/their contribution. Thanks, again, to you and to the committee!
From 5 to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, April 17th at the Galena City Hall, scientists from the University of Illinois will be presenting on the water quality sampling they have been doing in Jo Daviess County. Sam Panno, Principal Scientist at the Illinois State Geological Survey and Walt Kelly, Groundwater Science Section Head at the Illinois State Water Survey, will summarize their work sampling springs, wells and the Galena River and explain what we can learn from the results. For questions, please contact Beth Baranski at 563/580-6192 or beth@bhms-arch.com
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2019 Parish Directory
It's that time of year again...please send any phone or address updates to Fräni at gracesec@gracegalena.org - this is also a good time to verify birthdays and anniversaries!
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Cooking with God's Bounty
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Cucumber Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
- Zest and juice of 1 small/medium lemon
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 6 slices good-quality white bread, crusts cut off
- ⅓ large English seedless cucumber (about 4 inches), thinly sliced
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese, fresh dill, lemon zest, and lemon juice until all incorporated. Season this mixture with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Lay the slices of bread on your work service (I used a large cutting board) and spread the cream cheese evenly among each slice in a thin layer.
- Arrange the cucumber slices in rows over 3 slices of the bread, overlapping them a bit. Top with the remaining bread, and cut into quarters so there are 4 pieces from each sandwich.
- Serve immediately or bread will get soggy. En
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Vestry Liaisons
V
estry Liaisons' primary purpose is to assure two-way communications between the various ministries and the
Vestry,
to represent the ministries for resources
or
policy issues, and to
support
their
events
an
d activities.
Worship:
Rector
Building and Grounds: Greg Serwich (Sr. Warden 2018-2020)
Worship Committee: Charlotte Stryker (class of 2022)
Formation and Spirituality: Elizabeth Ludescher (class of 2022)
Fellowship & Hospitality: Anita Sands (class of 2021)
Pastoral Care/LEMs: Bonnielynn Kreiser (class of 2020)
Outreach:
Tony Packard (class of 2021)
Communications: Larry Poston (class of 2020)
Governance: Wardens & Rector
Officers: Greg Serwich, Senior Warden
Lynn Giles, Junior Warden,
Richard Luther, Treasurer
Diann Marsh, Clerk
The Rev. Dr. Gloria Hopewell, Rector
Parish Administrator: Fräni Beadle
Organist/Pianist: Robin French, Nancy Cook
Choir Director: Pat Terry
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For quick reference, find Sunday's readings by clicking here:
The Lectionary
Ministers of the
Service:
Lector:
Carmen Ferguson
1st Chalicist:
Bill Foltz
Bonnielynn Kreiser
Acolyte:
Molly Beadle
Vestry Coordinator:
Tony Packard
Greeter:
Maren Coates
Altar Guild:
Alice Maffit & Frani Beadle
Presider:
The Very Rev. Gloria Hopewell
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Easter Sunday
April 21, 2019
Eucharistic readings
for your own study:
1 Corinthians 15:19-26
Psalm 118:1-2,14-24
Acts 10:34-43
John 20:1-18
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For a current prayer list, click on the following link: Grace Prayer List
The
Request For Prayers notebook is in the Narthex/ Entrance area of the Church. Please feel free to request prayers for yourself or others at any time by filling out a form or contacting the office by either phone or email. May we first and always be "a people of prayer."
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Tuesday Events
9am
Vestry Meeting
7:30 am
Midweek Morning Eucharist
8:10 am
Community Breakfast at Victory Café
Cursillo Reunion
St. Francis Room
Morning Bible Study Parish House
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Wednesdays at 7pm
Saturdays at 10am
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For current and
upcoming events, download a copy of the calendar with this link:
April OR check out the goog
le
calendar on the new website
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4/14 - Available
4/21 - Easter Brunch
4/28 - Available
5/5 - Available
R
eminder for hosts:
Napkins and plates
are provided. Use
what you need from
our pantry
.
Remember: Keep it simple. We usually have about 35-40 attending.
**Coffee schedule sign up is on the bulletin board in the Parish House.**
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You can now get information on Formation Ministries directly from the new Grace website at the following links: Children and Youth Adults Spiritual Practices
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If you are in need of assistance while ill or recovering: meals, transportation, visits, please contact the
Ministry of Care
facilitators:
o Carol Poston o Charlotte Kennedy who can assist you and connect you with parishioners who have trained and commited to this ministry that includes Parish Visitors, Meals, Rides, as well as the ongoing Servants through Prayer, LEMs, and the Greeting Card ministry.
Ministry of Care Leadership
Team:
Facilitators : Carol Poston, Charlotte Kennedy
Clergy Advisors: Gloria Hopewell, Linda Packard
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DEADLINES !
News and prayer requests:
Sunday
Bulletin --
Wed. end of day.
e-Blast:
Thursday noon.
Anniversaries and Birthdays
Have your celebrations been missed in our bulletins?
Send to Frani.
Thank y
ou!
News and Photos
f
or e-Blast!
People
want to know
what's going on at Grace! T
here are places
here for your
event,
program, or
interesting
tidbit.
Comments on this e-Blast may be sent here.
Audio files of sermons are posted on the Grace Church website as well as in the next week's e-Blast. They also may be found on the church's FB page.
Paper copies are available upon re
quest.
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Grace Galena Lent 4C 2019 Sermon |
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Grace Galena Sermon Lent 3C 2019 |
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Grace Galena Sermon Lent 2C 2019
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