The Impact of Stewardship
The Worship Edition
That the Worship Committee has representatives from the Memorials Committee, Altar, Flower and Taizé Guilds, Music, Acolytes and Vestry?
Memorials: Carole Elmore
The church tower bell was a gift from Sara Henderson Smith, wife of Francis Henney Smith (considered father of Grace Church. He was superintendent of VMI for 50 years and oversaw the reconstruction of VMI after its destruction during the Civil War.) The bell was in memory of her first born daughter, Anna Smith (May 1889- May 1896). The bell weighs 1850 pounds.
All the stone needed to build Grace Church was given by Professor and Mrs. James J. White from their quarry.
The young Grace Church struggled monetarily for several years. In 1889 the Ladies' Aid Society of the church raised $557.91 to pay for the rectory debt, cost of music, and the entire cost of fuel for a year of heating and lighting the church. They were also instrumental in having Mary Custis Lee's name added to the Lee window behind the altar.
Not until 1970 was a woman elected to the Vestry. Mrs. William (Varney) Badgett was elected to serve. She was also very active with the youth of the church. In 1972 she started the first Girl Scout Troop in Rockbridge County.
There is a plaque in the church saying "This Chancel is lighted to the memory of Henry Norgrove of Oxford, England and Matilda, his wife. They were the first Episcopalians to come to Rockbridge County" In the Nave there is a window commemorating them and another window in memory of their sons- Edward W. Norgrove (May 7 1863) and William Norgrove (May 4, 1863) killed in battle less than a week apart in the Civil War.
Taizé Guild: Barbara Luton
There are 44 candles lit for each Taizé Service on the 2nd Sunday of the month at 5 p.m. This is a quiet celebration of the Eucharist with readings, prayers, silence and music in the Taizé
tradition.
The centerpiece of our Meditation Garden located behind the church is a labyrinth created by local stonemason Michael Berry-Rec and patterned after the labyrinth at Chartres Cathedral in France. Labyrinths have been forms of walking prayer/meditation for generations.
Vestry: Steve Shultis
The Grace Vestry meets monthly on the 4th Monday of the month at 5:00 pm. Usually these meetings occur in the Parish Hall but are currently via Zoom.
Wholly Conversation is an informal meeting of the Vestry to discuss various topics selected by the wardens and the rector. The location is the Parish Hall or via zoom and theses meetings are scheduled for the 4rd Monday of the month.
Vestry terms are for three years. 4 individuals per class. 12 total.
Worship Committee: Joanne Robblee
The earliest record of candles in an Anglican church -- the Episcopal Church is an Anglican church -- is from the reign of King Edward VI. He called for two lights to be placed on the altar to symbolize that Christ is the light of the world.
The altar candles are lit and extinguished in a particular order so that the Gospel side candle is never burning alone. The Gospel side of the church is the left side as you are facing the front. So the candles are lit from right to left and extinguished from left to right.
Anointing with oil: Sacramental use of oil as an outward sign of God's active presence for healing, initiation, or ordination. Anointing with oil by smearing or pouring may accompany prayers for healing (unction) and the laying on of hands in the rite for Ministration to the Sick (BCP, p. 453). The signing with the cross of the newly baptized may be done by anointing with the oil of chrism, which signifies that the person is "sealed by the Holy Spirit in Baptism and marked as Christ's own forever." (BCP, p. 308). The oil for anointing may be scented, with different fragrances used in services for healing, initiation, or ordination.
All things come of Thee, oh Lord, and of Thy own have we given Thee.
We find these words in the Old Testament of the Bible; 1 Chronicles, chapter 29, after God has decreed that a temple be built. New International Version 29 Then King David said to the whole assembly: “My son Solomon, the one whom God has chosen, is young and inexperienced. The task is great, because this palatial structure is not for man but for the LORD God. 2With all my resources I have provided for the temple of my God—gold for the gold work, silver for the silver, bronze for the bronze, iron for the iron and wood for the wood, as well as onyx for the settings, turquoise,[a] stones of various colors, and all kinds of fine stone and marble” 6Then the leaders of families, the officers of the tribes of Israel, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, and the officials in charge of the king’s work gave willingly. 9The people rejoiced at the willing response of their leaders, for they had given freely and wholeheartedly to the LORD. In verse 14, David says: “But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.”
Flower Guild: Claudia Ellis and Elizabeth Boetsch
After someone signs up to donate flowers for a particular day, someone will call them to discuss their interest. Is it a special occasion, or are there particular colors requested, etc.? We, also, go by the church calendar for specific colors or styles. When that is determined we think about garden flowers or florist flowers and order what is needed. For special seasons, Christmas and Easter, we rely on tradition, but we try to add our own touch. Sometimes the touches are small and not too obvious.
Usually, on Monday morning, someone will take the flowers apart and make several arrangements which are then delivered to the donors or various members. We are fortunate to have eleven members with so much creativity and interest in arranging the flowers, and we all look forward to seeing what each other comes up with.
Lent is a more solemn season of preparation for the Easter Triduum. Any decoration of the Church is supposed to be more subdued than normal with a few exceptions like Laetare Sunday, the fourth Sunday of Lent. Flowers are specifically banned as decorations around the altar for nearly all of Lent.
Altar Guild: Jane Brooke
Water used during the washing of the priest's hands at Mass, is not allowed to be disposed of in regular plumbing. Episcopal churches will usually have a special basin (a Sacrarium) that leads directly into the ground for the purpose of proper disposal.
That the corporal (the “placemat” under the chalice) takes its name from the Latin corpus (meaning body)?
That the custom of covering the altar with a cloth for the Eucharist can be documented as early as the second century?
That the linen on top of the altar is called the fair linen? The BCP directs that at the Eucharist the altar is spread with a clean white cloth during the celebration. Historically in the early church, a small table was brought out and put in place for the liturgy of table. A white cloth was put in place on the table at this time.
The consecrated bread of the Eucharist – the host, derives from the Latin term, hostia, ‘victim,’ which reflects an understanding of the Eucharist in sacrificial terms relative to Christ’s death on the cross. The individual wafers of the Eucharist may be referred to as “hosts.” Many parishes use a large host that is broken by the celebrant at the fraction. This “Priest’s Host” may be decorated with Christian symbols that are pressed into the large wafer. It is typically placed on the paten (silver dish) prior to the service.
Music: Martha Burford
Four Sundays before Christmas, Advent begins the liturgical new year. The first two weeks especially emphasize the theme of painful longing and waiting for the birth of Christ. Holding to the calendar is a means of discipline as well as educating the congregation about the reasons that led to the birth of Christ. Those themes are expressed in well-known Advent hymns such as “Come, O Long Expected Jesus,” “There’s a Voice in the Wilderness,” and, of course, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” In our culture of instant gratification, the need to await actively for the coming of Christ is part of the Advent season.
When you say or sing "Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty; the whole earth is full of your glory" what part of the Eucharist are you participating in? Yes, the Sanctus with "heaven and earth." Does it surprise you that those words are uttered during Kedusha in Jewish liturgy and the words are words uttered in Isaiah 6:3.
That the words of "Come, thou fount of every blessing," were written by Robert Robinson? His conversion happened one night when he went to an evangelist meeting with some friends to heckle the preacher. Instead, he heard God calling him to serve. He wrote the hymn text in 1758, when he was 22 years old, for his congregation's Pentecost celebration.
That many hymns are metrical (rhythmically metered) paraphrases of psalms? And, have you ever thought about this? Isaac Watts' famous, "Joy to the World," is really a paraphrase of Psalm 98, and doesn't really refer to the birth of Christ. Watts titled the hymn, "The Messiah's Coming and Kingdom." Do you wonder if we should sing it during Advent, as it engages the language of Psalm 98 and the Lord's coming?
That the little numbers and letters at the bottom right of hymns stands for the meter of the lines? CM-common meter consists of four lines that alternate iambic tetrameter-iambic trimeter, (8.6.8.6...) SM-short meter is 6.6.8.6. Other hymns, such as "Love Divine all loves excelling" can be trochaic or iambic 8.7.8.7.D.
Acolytes: Sharon Massie
That most acolytes can tell you how many lights are in the chandeliers in the nave?
Elise, Emma, John Brooke, their mother, Erika and their grandfather, George have all acolyted as youth at Grace/RELee?
That one acolyte volunteered that the acolyte robes were comfortable and breathable?
That Adults can be acolytes too?
Worship Committee: Joanne Robblee
A tippet is a scarf-like narrow piece of clothing, worn over the shoulders. Tippets evolved in the fourteenth century from long sleeves and typically had one end hanging down to the knees.
An alb is long white robe symbolizes the garment of the newly baptized, also the purity of the soul required for communion, and the garment in which Pilate clothed Christ
A cincture is used as a belt to gather the alb at the waist. It is most often white, but can be the color of the day or liturgical season. If a stole is worn it is slipped through the knots on the cincture. This helps the stole to be stabilized.
A stole is a long narrow strip of cloth, worn about the neck and down the front of the priest, usually over the alb. The stole is an article of enormous important as it indicates the state of the ordained office. Like the cincture, the stole can be the color of the day, or liturgical season.
