Grace Happenings: The Week of July 19, 2020

Grace
Episcopal
Church

Seventh Sunda y after Pentecost

July 19, 2020

Birthdays

Kathy Shannon, Diane Banas,

Charlotte Kennedy, Jennie Fjelde

Anniversary

George & Charlotte Kennedy

THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW!

REOPENING PLANS---HERE WE GO!

A lot has been going on behind the scenes in order to plan and implement our staged limited re-opening of the church building for worship. It is on target, barring an surge in COVID infections that causes the governor to pull back from Phase 4.

On Wednesday morning July 22, the Wednesday 7:30 am service will be held in the church. It will not be in the chapel as usual due to safe distancing considerations. The Sunday, July 26 service will also take place in the church. Online worship by Zoom will also be available for those who are not comfortable returning in person.

There are things you need to know. The most important are contained within the following "Ten 'Commandments'." The full plan that was submitted to the Bishop's office for approval may be found here.

Ten Commandments of In-person Worship

1 To go, or not to go?: If you have a fever, are sick, infected by the virus, or have been exposed recently to someone with the virus, stay home and worship with Grace online. Also, anyone having a condition that makes them more vulnerable to the virus, should seriously consider avoiding the risk of exposure at church by staying home and worshiping from there.

2 Reservation: Make a reservation to attend. Seating in the Nave is limited to 21 designated spots for a single person or couple living in the same household. (Maximum number of people allowed in the Nave: 32.
3 Mask: You MUST wear a mask covering both your nose and mouth! Please bring your own.
4 Social Distancing: Maintain social distancing (6 feet minimum), both inside and outside the church, at all times except when receiving Communion from the Priest.

5 Entering: Enter the church through the Parish Hall door as directed by the Greeter or Vestry Coordinator.

6 Seating: Sit in a designated seat marked with a bulletin on the pew or chair.

7 Communion: As directed by the Vestry Coordinator(s), use the center aisle to go to steps in front of the altar. Receive the host from the Priest and hold it in your hand while returning to your seat by the side aisle. Remove your mask to consume the host after getting back to your seat.

8 Leaving after the service: There will not be a coffee hour; so leave as directed by the Vestry Coordinator(s) by rows through either the Parish Hall or Narthex doors. Refrain from blocking the doors and congregating outside.

9 Offerings: Use one of the collection plates placed near the doors while entering or leaving.

10 Love your neighbor as yourself: Should you become sick or aware of being infected by the virus within two weeks after attending a service, let Grace Church know immediately so we can warn others who attended the service.

On July 16, a Zoom training was held for all who will be involved as Vestry Coordinators, Greeters, or others involved in the logistics of worship. A separate training will be held for the altar guild and those who serve at the altar. I

Meanwhile, online worship and other gatherings will continue. Mail is being picked up and bills are being paid and deposits of pledge payments are being made..

If you wish to read the Bishop's Task Force Guidelines for re-opening, please click this Reopening Guideline.

Meanwhile...

SUNDAY, JULY 19: the online Zoom worship is going to look a bit different this Sunday. In order to include both

those in the church and those choosing to worship at home in the same service, the liturgy will no longer be shared on the Zoom screen. Instead, a downloadable bulletin has been prepared. You may download it to your computer or device or you can print it. Each week, the bulletin will be linked to this e-Blast on Fridays. It will also be attached to the e-mail Zoom invitation that you receive on Saturdays.

HERE IS THE BULLETIN FOR SUNDAY, JULY 19: bulletin

You will be muted except for during the sharing of the peace, birthday and anniversary blessings, and a time of greeting at the end of the service. As usual, the Zoom will be ready for you to admitted from the waiting room at 10:20 am.

JUST A REMINDER: THERE WILL NOT BE A CONGREGATION IN CHURCH ON SUNDAY! Just a priest, a musician, and a video operator. This will be a "rehearsal" for the full congregation on the 26th.

RESERVING YOUR SEATS FOR JULY 26 & BEYOND: by midweek, you should receive an e-mail invitation to reserve your seats for the next Sunday. Once you do so, you will receive a confirmation. On that Sunday morning, you will come to the Parish House door where a Greeter will check your name(s) off on a list and admit you to the building where you will proceed into the nave to find an empty seat that is designated by a bulletin. Pews that are not to be used will be closed off by lengths of ribbon.There will be hand sanitizer stations at the entrance and also at the back of the nave.

This Sunday

READINGS:

Genesis 28:10-19a: Jacob dreams of angels ascending and descending on a ladder and receives God's promise that the land will be given to him and his descendants. Then he calls that place Bethel (House of God).

Psalm 139:1-12,23-24: God knows us inside and out, and is always with us. There is nowhere we can go that God is not with us.

Romans 8:12-25: We do not have to live according to the desires of our corrupt nature, but we have received God's Spirit who assures us that we are God's children, not just for our sakes, but for all of creation that yearns for God's children to be revealed.

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43: Jesus tells a parable in which weeds are planted by an enemy in a man's field. He instructs his workers not to pull up the weeds, but to let them grow with the wheat until the harvest comes, when the wheat and weeds will be separated and the weeds burned, while the wheat is taken into the barn. At the disciples' request, Jesus explains the parable to refer to the work of the evil one and those who follow evil living alongside his followers until the harvest time when judgement will happen.

For many people the Church has not been seen as a place of hope. Rather it has been seen as a place which offers hope only to a select few, while condemning the rest of the world. However, the Lectionary offers an alternative narrative this week. While Jesus does speak about weeds and wheat, he does not allow the weeds to be pulled up, because they may not be recognised, and some wheat may appear to be weeds. Only God, when the time comes, has the ability and the right to make this distinction. In our time, we are called to live together - "wheat" and "weeds" together - trusting in the hope that the time will come when evil and injustice are removed from our world. What this means is that we cannot judge anyone as "weeds" or "wheat", because be might be seeing wrongly and missing what God knows about the heart. All that is left for us, then, is to embrace our hope and make it available to all. This means that we can welcome those we might be tempted to exclude, we can support and defend those who are vulnerable and marginalised, we can support those who are in need, and we can live - in our communities and our homes - the inclusive, gracious, merciful and generous hope that God offers us. The question this raises for us is this: in what ways can our worship this week proclaim God's hope and help us to live it through the week? In what ways can we, as a community called by the name of Christ, demonstrate the hope of God's reign in our worship and our mission? And, in what ways can we hold out this hope for others, inviting them to share it with us, without seeking to make judgements prematurely?

Thumbprints and commentaries from:

sacredise.com

Formation Ministry News

Wednesday Morning Study Group

Communal Bible Study affords an enjoyable and fulfilling way to grow spiritually and exchange insights with fellow parishioners, especially during the pandemic. We currently are studying the Gospel of Matthew. All are welcome Wednesday mornings, 10:30 - 11:30. Contact Greg Serwich for a Zoom invitation.

Meditative Prayer 9:00am Fridays

Looking for a way to improve your prayer life, to open your heart, mind and soul to the Holy Spirit? Consider joining the Centering Prayer Group Friday mornings for about forty minutes of meditative prayer: twenty minutes of Centering Prayer followed by Lectio Divina. Contact Greg Serwich (gserwich@gmail.com) for a Zoom invitation which includes a description of these types of prayer.

Education for Ministry (EfM)

Is next September your time to start EfM? Or continue EfM after a break? Here are some details that might interest you:

The theme for next year is: Living into the Journey with God.

The two interlude books are The Sabbath by Abraham Joshua Heschel and Hospitable Plant by Stephen Jurobics. All textbooks and the two interlude books are included in the tuition fee.

Education for Ministry (EfM) is open to anyone who wants to deepen their understanding of their faith.

Anyone who studied under the previous format (with the big red binders) is welcome to jump into any one of the four years, like Mary Lou Smith did last year.

For a registration form or more information, please contact Lynn Giles at 815-757-2011 or lynngiles@lynngilesphotography.com.

Worship and Ministry in the Midst of COVID-19!

Pentecost Season Worship

Sunday services will begin at our usual 10:30 time on Zoom. They will also be recorded and uploaded as quickly as possible for those unable to participate on Zoom. The uploads will appear on the church's Facebook page, @FullyGrace and on the Grace website.

Wednesday morning services and Bible Study are also on Zoom each week. If you would like to add your name to any of these participant lists, please e-mail the church office.

Ministry of Care

Here at Grace, The Ministry of Care has organized regular phone and e-mail contact with our most vulnerable members. If you are in need of assistance,or pick-up and delivery of prescriptions or emergency supplies, please contact Bonnielynn Kreiser. Also contact her if you are able to help out. And, of course, your clergy are available by phone, text, and e-mail to provide pastoral care,

Outreach Ministries

Current list of needs for needy in Galena:

(although money can always be used)

cleaning supplies

baby wipes

feminine products

size 6 diapers

laundry detergent

outdoor toys for kids (all ages)

toilet paper

paper towels

cleaning sponges

fresh fruit (strawberries, bananas, grapes are popular)

Anything can be dropped off on the porch of

704 Park Avenue, Galena . Thank you!

Women and Friends Make a Difference

Other Outreach News

During this COVID-19 pandemic, donations have been made to the ARC for the childcare it is providing for children of essential workers and to the Hispanic Council, Galena Chapter for assistance to those in need. Like our other regular donations, the funds come from the portion of Endowment income allocated to the Outreach Ministries. Its budget, in addition to recurring local, regional, and international organizations, includes a portion that unables us to address unexpected crises and needs.

Leadership

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 2019-2021)
Worship Committee:    Charlotte Stryker (class of 2022)
Formation and Spirituality:   Elizabeth Ludescher (class of 2022)

Fellowship & Hospitality: Anita Sands (class of 2021)

Ministry of Care/LEMs: Nancy Cook (class of 2023)

Outreach: Tony Packard (class of 2021)

Communications: Eric Kallback(class of 2023)

Governance: Wardens & Rector

Officers: Greg Serwich, Senior Warden

Lynn Giles, Junior Warden,

Richard Luther, Treasurer

Diann Marsh, Clerk
The Rev. Dr. Gloria Hopewell, Rector

Staff: Robin French, Director of Music

Nancy Cook, Erben Organist

Nancy Kenney, Parish Administrator

Chris Ludescher, Nursery Attendant

This Sunday

Seventh Sunday after Pentecost

July 19, 2020

Zoom Worship-10:30 am

Meeting ID: 818 6495 8597

At the end of worship and exchanging the peace, we will again offer a Zoom conversation time where you will spend about 15 minutes in a break-out room with a few others parishioners.

For quick reference, find Sunday's readings by clicking here:

The Lectionary

Genesis 28:10-19a

Psalm 139: 1-11, 22-2

Romans 8:12-25

Matthew 13:24-30,36-43

Ministers of the

Service:

Presider: Rev. Dr. Gloria Hopewell

Lector:

Intercessor:

Pianist: Robin French

Next Sunday's Readings:

Eighth Sunday after Pentecost

July 26, 2020

Genesis 19:15-28

Psalm 105:1-11, 45b

Romans 8:26-39

Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52

Grace's Prayer List

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."