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Canapes and Conversation
Alan Oyen will be hosting on August 16th from 5-7 pm at 505 S. Prospect Street, phne number 779-214-0120. Bring a friend, a nibble and a beverage to share. Please park in the cul-de-sac at the top of the hill unless you need assistance. All are welcome!
Inquirers' Classes/Reception by Bishop
Bishop Lee will visit Grace Galena on Sunday, September 8 for the last time before his retirement in August 2020. During his visit, he will be receiving or confirming those who would like to become members of the Episcopal Church. When one has been baptized or confirmed in another
non-Episcopal church,
they may be received in the Episcopal Church.
If an adult has not been baptized--or is not sure if they have been
baptized--that can take place as well.
For any of these circumstances, a short class will be offered by Diane Luther. Depending on the availability of those who are interested,
sessions will be scheduled that will cover
what we believe and how we
worship, the sacraments of Baptism and Eucharist,
a brief history of the Anglican and Episcopal church and of Grace. Through short videos and discussions we will also
look at the
structure of our church, our diocese and the national church a
nd
explore the Book of Common Prayer.
Taking the class does not obligate anyone to be received. You may
come if you are wishing to learn more but are not certain about being received--or
come if you simply want a "refresher."
Please contact Diane Luther at dmluther20@gmail.com as soon as possible if you are interested.
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NEWS FROM OUR DIOCESE AND TEC
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BISHOP'S VISITATION
Bishop Lee's Visitation has been rescheduled for Sunday, September 8th. He will visit with St. Paul's Savanna at its service and arrive at Grace in time for our 10:30 service of Holy Eucharist. He will preach and preside as well as receive people into the Episcopal Church.
As this will be his last visitation prior to his scheduled retirement in August 2020, we will have a special coffee hour/lunch and spend our time together in fellowship rather than in asking him
to present a program. He will also meet with the Vestry.
BISHOP SEARCH UPDATE
Several listening sessions have been scheduled across the Diocese to enable churches and members to have input on the profile that will be prepared for potential candidates. Listening sessions will focus on how you see God at work in the diocese, what challenges we face together, and what we seek in our next bishop.
In our Deanery, one will take place on September 7 at St. Peter's in Sycamore, Illnois.
Electing Convention Scheduled for June 20
St. James Cathedral in Chicago
The Special Convention for the Election of the Thirteenth Bishop of Chicago is scheduled to take place on June 20, 2020 at St. James Cathedral in Chicago. At the convention, clergy and lay delegates will cast ballots in accordance with the constitution and canons of the diocese.
A slate of candidates for bishop will be presented to the diocese in April. After the slate is announced, additional candidates may be added to the slate by petition. Before the electing convention, people across the diocese will have the opportunity to meet the candidates in forums called walkabouts.
The Standing Committee will announce more information about the electing convention, including the delegate certification process, soon.
BISHOPS AGAINST GUN VIOLENCE
This group of Episcopal bishops that includes Bp. Lee, has issued a statement in response to last week's mass shootings. These 100 bishops, who came together after the shootings at the Sikh Temple in Wisconsin and Sandy Hook, were brought "together across our differences to demonstrate that we believe in a God of life in the face of death."
The bishops point to the role of "the deadly mix of white supremacy and gun violence that is coming to define our era of American history" as fueling the hatred and anger that lead to mass shootings. They call upon Christians to work to "dismantle the systemic racism that is part of our country's founding narrative...to repudiate white supremacy and white nationalism and embrace humane immigration policies that follow God's command and the Biblical imperative to welcome the stranger in our midst, refuse to participate in scapegoating people with mental illness, a ploy too often used to distract from the urgent yet simple need to enact common sense gun safety measures."
Finally, they say, "Today we are weary of witnessing the slaughter gripping our country. But we
are no less determined to continue speaking, even when it seems our words make no difference; to continue praying in order to gather our strength to act; and to follow Jesus in speaking truth, especially when it seems that truth is out of season." The entire statement can be read here.
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This will be our second week with the temporarily reformatted bulletiins and change in our Prayers of the People.
1) Through September 1, the Sunday bulletin format consists of two parts: a white tri-fold that follows the sequence of the liturgy and contains the parts that will be the same from week to week. This will be returned to the Narthex to be reused each week. The companion piece, printed on colored paper, contains the changeable parts: Hymn numbers, collect and scripture readings, prayer list, flower and coffee hour acknowledgements, and announcements.
The reformatting is meant to reduce the time and effort of preparing bulletins during this period without a Parish Administrator. It has the side benefit of stewarding God's good creation by reducing the amount of paper used, and thus number of trees!
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| Reusable Tri-fold. |
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Tri-fold & Weekly Leaflet |
2) In
response to concerns about the
growing size of the prayer list and the length of time it takes to read each name in the Prayers of the People, we will be naming only a portion of the list each week. For the sick, we will name those just added to the list, those currently undergoing surgery, treatment, or tests, and any crisis issue. For blessings, we will name the week's birthdays, anniversaries, and other celebrations. For the departed, those who have recently died will be named. All names, of course, will be included in the green leaflet along with a request that you join the
Servants Through Prayer who pray all through
the week. Printed prayer lists continue to be available in the Parish House foyer and as links on this e-Blast and the website.
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Can it be true that school is about to begin again? The ARC school supplies have been delivered (see the notice and invitation below under Outreach Updates!). The United Church's Apple Tree program that provides school supplies for the children on the Galena schools' subsidized lunch program, has filled its backpacks with school supplies, too. And, soon, the school buses will be back on their routes.
I find it interesting, though it has been a long time since I've had a child in school, that I still respond to the rhythm of the school year. And not just by choosing an alternate route through town to avoid the mid-afternoon traffic on Franklin! No, I see the football and soccer teams practicing on the fields. If I were lucky, I would hear the marching band rehearsing, too. The displays of pencils and folders, glue and construction paper, markers and 3-ring binders, make me long for fresh, unmarked notebooks--and the new semester that is in store!
Maybe that rhythm is why I like the church with its framework of liturgical seasons. How the year is marked with symbols and colors, special celebrations and observances that cycle around again and again--the familiar and dependable but with space for fresh ways of thinking and being in our life of faith. Time as a spiral, old and new at the same time. Changing and unchanging. Roots and new shoots. Church. Life.
See you in church!
Gloria+
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For these Sundays in August and on September 1, our hymns will be those requested by the congregation, most from our 1982 hymnal, but at least one each week from another source. Thanks to those who submitted requests. There are still a few openings for September 1!
READINGS
Genesis 15:1-6: God promises that Abram will have descendants as numerous as the stars. Abram's faith in this promise is considered to be the basis for his relationship with God (or is counted as righteousness).
Psalm 33:12-22: Strength, military might, magnificent horses cannot save people. Only waiting on God and trusting in God's mercy is a safe refuge.
Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16: Abraham is an example of faith, giving up his homeland and living as a foreigner in a strange land for the sake of a God-given inheritance.
Luke 12:32-40: Jesus promises God's kingdom to those who follow Christ, inviting them to give up temporary, material security and wealth for heavenly security and riches. He encourages them to stay awake and be aware of God's coming.
In so many ways we have developed a spirituality that hoards blessings, and keeps God's promises to ourselves. Even the way we view salvation - as a personal escape from hell that requires no engagement with, or responsibility for, others, and that recognises no other possible avenues of grace - is a hoarding of God's goodness and mercy for ourselves. And so, even within the church, we too easily hoard material wealth, facilities, people and opportunities, allowing our brothers and sisters in other communities, or other parts of our cities, to go without, to struggle and to suffer. How might our view and practice of Church change if we began to recognise that God's blessings are given to be shared, that we are called to live "among the foreigners" and that it is here that God's promises are fulfilled? How differently might we live if we chose to be "descendants of Abram" trusting God's Kingdom promises whole-heartedly, and laying aside our usual human structures of security and comfort in order to recognise God's coming through the least, the 'other', the ones who cry for justice?
The thumbnails
and reflections excerpted from sacredise.com
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Formation News -- Inviting Opportunity
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The Grace EfM Group is set for the 2019-2020 year and there is room for additional members. Have you thought about starting EfM? Maybe this is the year to do it.
Did you start EfM somewhere else, perhaps in the old format?
Maybe this is the year to continue. It's even possible to retak
e one of the years in the new format.
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Outreach Ministries Update
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Annual School Supplies Collection for
ARC
Donna Davis has delivered our collection of school supplies that we blessed last Sunday to ARC's new facility. In thanks for the ongoing generosity of Grace members,
the Director of ARC, Dave Decker, has offered members of Grace Church a private tour of the new ARC facility. He will guide an evening tour in September at 6PM.
There will not be an additional public open house. So, if you are interested, please sign up on the sheet in the Narthex next to the date you wish to attend. The last date for sign up is September 25th. The date with the most interest will be the date of the private tour. Hope to see you then.
Riverbend Mobile Food Pantry
will be in Galena once again on Saturday, September 7. Food will be distributed at Crossroads Community Church beginning at 10:30 am. Volunteers are always needed and should plan to arrive at 10 am.
NOTE FROM JIM McCRAE, UCG BOARD PRESIDENT
To the United Churches:
You will remember that Jerry Howard of the Chamber of Commerce did a presentation to the United Churches in May, looking for volunteers to serve in the Chamber's funnel cake booth at Country Fair this fall in exchange for a share of the profits. The Chamber is still seeking additional volunteers, so please get the word out to your congregations. This could be a relatively easy fundraiser for you.
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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
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For quick reference, find Sunday's readings by clicking here:
The Lectionary
Ministers of the
Service:
Lector:
Greg Serwich
1st Chalicist:
Bill Foltz
Bonnielynn Kreiser
Acolyte:
Elizabeth Ludescher
Vestry Coordinator:
Anita Sands
Altar Guild:
Alice Maffit & Frani Beadle
LEM:
Bonnielynn Kreiser
Presider:
The Very Rev. Dr. Gloria Hopewell
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Pentecost 8
10:30am
August 11, 2019
Eucharistic readings
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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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*Cursillo & Bible Study will take a summer
break and resume
after Labor Day.*
Wednesday Events
7:30 am
Midweek Morning Prayer
8:10 am
Community Breakfast at Victory Café
All are welcome!
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The choir is on recess for the month of August.
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For current and
upcoming events, download a copy of the calendar with this link: August
OR check out the goog
le
calendar on the website
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8/11-
8/18-
8/25-Hansen/Beadle
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.
NEW:
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| Grace Galena Mass in the Grass 6th after Pentecost 2019 |
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Grace Galena 7th after Pentecost 2019
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| Grace Galena 8th after 2019 Sermon |
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