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
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,
It is that time of year again when I am staring down a thick stack of letters on my desk. They are, of course, the annual campaign appeal, and one should be coming to every member household of Grace Church as soon as I can sign them all. I am still working my way through the pile, but already many names have brought me up short. It happens every time I realize that here is a person whom I have not seen for seven months. It was mid-March – seven months ago – when the pandemic closed the doors of our church and scattered our flock. Numerous families left the city and are only now trickling back to homes and offices.
I must confess that I do wonder – and worry about – what the long term effect on our congregation will be. How many who left are not coming back at all? When the pandemic finally passes, and it is truly safe to gather again in the ways we did before, how will our habits have changed? My guess is that the remote experience is here to stay in every aspect of society. Business travel will not be what it used to be. Why fly to and from Asia for one meeting in a windowless conference room when you can Zoom instead? Retail shopping was already changing, but the pandemic has accelerated the notion that you don’t need to go to a crowded mall or department store to get what you want. What about attending church? The livestream ministry has been a lifeline keeping us connected. But when Covid-19 is conquered, will you recover the habit of physically coming to Grace Church on Sundays?
Never bet against New York City. The pandemic will end and the Big Apple will recover. But it’s not going to happen overnight, and the city that emerges will different from the one we left behind. Likewise, the family of Grace Church will be different from the one that gathered for three Sunday services on March 8th of this year. A congregation is, by nature, a fragile and fluid thing. We are a community moving through time: constantly changing, now more rapidly than we might wish.
Meanwhile, pay attention to this Sunday’s Epistle (1 Thessalonians 2:1-8). St. Paul was making an appeal to a tiny congregation being buffeted about by time and circumstance. From afar he wrote of his great affection for them: So deeply do we care for you that we are determined to share with you not only the gospel of God, but also our own selves, because you have become very dear to us.
As for me, the stack of letters awaits!
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9:45 am Children's Chapel
(over Zoom)
Join Mother Julia and Father Thomas from 9:45-10:10 am to say hello, read the story of the day from our Spark Children's Bible, talk about it, and then say our prayers together.
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 try an outdoor Children's Chapel with masks and social distancing. Details below.
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10:15 am – The Sunday Forum: "Saint Pauli" |
Today we continue our Sunday Forum series exploring the interplay between faith and politics. This week the Rev. Julia Offinger will lead a discussion about The Rev. Pauli Murray, a civil rights activist, lawyer, and the first Black female Episcopal priest. The reading for this Sunday comes from a New Yorker article from around the time her newest biography was published. You can read the article here and you can find the book here.
The series will conclude on November 8, the Sunday after Election Day, when John Avlon and Margaret Hoover, host of PBS “Firing Line” will lead the Forum. For Zoom access, please see The Weekly Epistle or email the Rev. Thomas Szczerba well in advance of the event.
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11:00 am Morning Prayer
The Twentieth Sunday
after Pentecost
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!
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2021 Annual Campaign: No Ordinary Time
Today we ask all Grace Church members and friends to begin thinking and praying about a financial pledge to the work of the Lord through Grace Church for the year 2021. No Ordinary Time is the theme of the campaign, recognizing that we have lived through a year of hardship and loss. Even still, God’s blessings abound, and in thanksgiving we urge everyone to respond.
Watch your mail this week for pledge information, including a pledge envelope. November 1st is Pledge Sunday, when we begin receiving the commitments of those who are ready to pledge, and distribute cards to those who have not received them by mail.
Please find the Online Pledge Form here,. To make an online gift, navigate to our Pledge Giving Form here. If you need any information or assistance, please contact Matthew Kopp.
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Church is Open
Four Days per Week
Tuesday and Thursday, noon to 3 pm
with Noonday Prayer at 12:05 pm
Wednesday, 5:30 to 6:30 pm
with Evening Prayer at 6 pm
Sunday, 11 am to 12:30 pm
with Worship Service at 11 am
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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.
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.
Meeting ID: 896 065 849
One tap mobile
+19294362866,,896065849# US (New York)
12:20 pm - 30 minutes of music by J.S. Bach, played on the Bicentennial Organ.
Wednesday - Evening Prayer with Homily at 6 pm
(CHURCH IS OPEN for in-person worship. Service continues to be available over Zoom, Facebook Live, and YouTubeLive.) All are required to wear a covering over their nose and mouth, and to observe posted safety guidelines while inside the church.
Meeting ID: 995 1333 2155
Password: 01234
One tap mobile
+19294362866,,99513332155#,,#,01234# US (New York)
4 pm - 45 minutes of diverse music played on the Bicentennial Organ.
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All parishioners and friends of Grace are invited to participate!
October 1-31 accepting submissions. November 2 showcase goes live.
Photography, painting, 3D (Sculpture), story, video, audio, art or craft of any medium, representing your experiences during the months of the pandemic.
You do not have to be an artist! We would love to see everyone get involved! Show a selfie, a scribble, a homemade mask, a special meal, a new hobby, your garden, a story, poem, prayer, etc.
For more information about this project, contact Elana Foundos, Grace Christmas Fair Committee of the GCW.
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20s and 30s – Christ in Pop Culture Night (On Zoom)
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(October 29th, from 6:30pm-7:30pm)
With the election right around the corner, those parishioners in their 20s and 30s are invited to participate in a conversation about faith and politics. Participants will be asked to read Presiding Bishop Curry’s word to the Church about voting. We will then discuss it as a group. Contact the Rev. Thomas Szczerba with any questions and for access to the Zoom link.
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Sunday Forum – November 1st - 10:15am |
On All Saints Day, join parishioner and NYU professor Nicholas Birns to discuss what qualities a saint might or might not have. Our example of somebody whose life might be considered a saintly one is John Lewis (1940-2020), Congressman and civil rights leader. In discussing Lewis's 2015 commencement speech at Washington University, we will examine where Lewis's penchant for getting into what he calls "good trouble" might be, along with what our well-known hymn calls being "patient, brave, and true," an attribute of saintliness. For Zoom access, please see your recent Weekly Epistle or email the Rev. Thomas Szczerba well in advance of the event.
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Trick or Treat at Grace Church - On the rectory lawn
Halloween Night from 5:30pm-6:30pm
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On October 31st, stop by Grace Church to show off your costume to Mother Julia & Father Thomas. They will be on the rectory lawn for an hour giving out candy to all who stop by to say hello. We are looking for families to donate bags of candy that can be given to the kids in the neighborhood. If you have any questions or want to donate please contact the Rev. Thomas Szczerba.
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October is Tuna Month for The Red Door Place
Our food ministry partner, now called The Red Door Place at The Church of the Village, is one of the few pantry/soup kitchens remaining open to serve those in need during the Covid-19 crisis. Donations are desperately needed. Non-perishable food items may be dropped off in the collection baskets in the narthex when you visit Grace Church during open door hours. This month, we are especially hoping for cans of Tuna.
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We pray for those who suffer
Charles McLean
Russell Browning
Florence Benzon
Gordon Matheson
Linda Hall
Claudia Paoloni
John Berringer
Tom Hall
Josephine
all those who suffer due to the coronavirus
and for those who have died
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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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