Grace Notes Weekly is a newsletter of Grace Episcopal Church in Chattanooga, TN,
and is used to communicate the upcoming activities of this community.
Epiphany
FEBRUARY 21 , 2020
Pancake Breakfast!
In the interest of fairness to the days of the week, Grace is giving Tuesday a break and letting Sunday be the fat one this year: the traditional Mardi Gras pancake dinner moves from Tuesday evening to Sunday morning at 9:00 a.m. We’re hoping that the change from a work/school night to a Sunday morning will allow more people to come and enjoy the fellowship and help with the using up of the butter and syrup in preparation for the leaner season of Lent. 

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IN THIS ISSUE
Pancake Breakfast on Sunday!
Invite/Welcome/Connect Continues
Evensong Benefits MetMin (2-23)
Ash Wednesday Services
Inquirers' Class (3-1)
Thorne Sparkman School & Volunteers
Food Ministry
Gardens and Grounds
Seed-Bomb Making in Pavilion
Scholarships Available
Summer Arts Camps
Centering Prayer @ St. Albans (3-28)
Note of Thanks from the Martin Family
Bach Choir Sings Beethoven (2-22)
Meetings This Week
Serving on Sunday
Lectionary
Hymns
Breakfast (continued)
There will be food options other than pancakes for those who want to avoid the Gras part of the celebration. And for those whose Epiphany will not be complete without the infamous Pancake Olympics, rest serene: the children will be invited to participate in these games at 9:30 a.m.
 
Help will be needed in getting set up and cleaning up; if your schedule allows you to arrive early or stay late to help, you will earn great gratitude!
Invite/Welcome/Connect Continues
The conversation that began last week about the roles hospitality and invitation play in our lives as Christians continues this Sunday at 9:30 a.m. in the Merritt Room. Led by our Curate, David Burman, the session will further acquaint those in attendance with Invite/Welcome/Connect, a ministry that will launch later this year at Grace to build on the good work we are already doing in this area. All are welcome!
Evensong to Benefit Metropolitan Ministries
Evensong to benefit Metropolitan Ministries : This annual service of Evensong has been scheduled for S unday, February 23 at 4:00 p.m. in the Nave at St. Paul’s (305 West Seventh Street at Pine, 37402). The service will feature the choirs of St. Paul’s, Good Shepherd, St. Timothy’s and Grace; music by Joel Martinson, Charles Villiers Stanford and Charles wood are on the program.

The offering will go to support Metropolitan Ministries, which is Chattanooga's "emergency room" for social services. MetMin helps with past due utility bills and rent, provides vouchers to the Chattanooga Food Bank and keeps a food supply that is available to senior citizens once a week. Your offering will translate into direct relief for some of Chattanooga's neediest citizens.
Ash Wednesday Services
Just as the red sky in the morning heralds bad weather on the horizon, pancakes in February are an omen that Lent is drawing near. Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, is in fact next Wednesday (February 26); Grace will offer two services of Holy Eucharist with the imposition of ashes to begin the paradoxical season that begins with acknowledging that we are dust and ends with resurrection and eternal life. There will be a spoken-word service at noon and a choral service at 7:00 p.m.; you are welcome at whichever fits your schedule (or at both, should you have overdone the pancakes on Sunday to such a degree that one is insufficient).
 
If neither of those times fits into your schedule that day, there is a 7:00 a.m. liturgy at St. Paul’s and one at 8 a.m. at St. Timothy’s (if you’re up for driving up Signal Mountain); St. Francis in Ooltewah will offer “ashes to go” on the road by the church from 8-8:45 a.m. and again from 3-3:45 p.m., weather permitting.
Inquirers’ Class
New to the Episcopal Church and wonder about the history, theology or oddities in the Sunday service? Or been here forever but can’t remember all the details? Or just looking for something new to try on a Sunday morning? If you are any of these things, take advantage of this year’s Inquirers’ Class, which begins on Sunday, March 1. Under the capable hand of Sean McEwen, you can learn about the church’s history, its beliefs and traditions; you can ask what you’d like about the church or Christianity.
 
If you plan to attend, please e-mail Sean McEwen at seanjmcewen@gmail.com so he can arrange sufficient materials for all.
Thorne Sparkman School of Religion & Dinner Volunteers
Thorne Sparkman, the annual Lenten series of lectures, begins at St. Paul’s on Wednesday, March 4 and runs through Wednesday, April 1. Registration is a $30.00 flat fee, which covers all sessions. Interested parties must register by February 26.
 
A soup and salad supper is available each evening at a cost of $30.00 for adults and $15.00 for children for all five nights. Nursery for children up to age 4 is available but must be arranged ahead of time; if you’d like to deposit a child during the sessions, please call (423)266-8195 or e-mail beverly@stpaulschatt.org .
 
 
Each Parish is asked to provide three or four volunteers for a particular Wednesday to help serve dinner and bus the dishes back to the kitchen. This is not onerous duty and will not hinder you from taking part in the program. Grace’s Wednesday is April 1; if you’d be willing to help, please contact the office ( dcarden@saygrace.net or 243-3257.
Food Ministry
Food continues to ooze off the shelves to go home with a steady stream of visitors in need this month. Thanks to the SOUP-er Bowl Sunday influx of soups, we are very well stocked in that area; however, gaps are popping up in other areas.

This week's needs include:

* Vienna sausage
* canned tuna
* canned pinto beans, green beans, and peas
* beanie weenies
* canned fruit and fruit cups
* granola bars
* Spam
* peanut butter (16 oz. jars) and Jif "To Go" cups
Gardens and Grounds
-- Community Garden meeting Sunday, 8 March, at 4:00 p.m. in the Frierson Pavilion. This season opener is mandatory for all bed renters.
-- General Grounds Work Day the First Day of Spring: Saturday, 21 March, 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m . Lunch provided, as soon as we find someone to do it.
-- Spring Fling, 22 March 12:30-2:30 p.m. (see below for details!)
Spring Fling! Love is the Bomb (of Seeds)!
Who:  Free and open to the public.
Sponsored by: Green Grace & Grace Gardeners of Grace Episcopal Church, Chattanooga Area Pollinator Partnership (CHAPP) of the Tennessee Valley Wild Ones, Members of Chattanooga Chapter of Tennessee Interfaith Power & Light
--- This even is particularly suitable for children: BRANG' 'EM!---
 
What:  Seeds rolled into toss-able bombs for guerilla gardening, including your own yard. 
Also, Native trees/shrub (small whips) giveaway from the Tennessee Environmental Council, as long as supplies last.
-- Seeds are a mix of Southern Appalachian eco-types, including grasses, for medium-to-dry sunny sites.
-- Also, celebrate a brief liturgy of repentance for damage humankind has rendered to the world God so loved.
 
How:  we are offering free lunch after church at 12:30 p.m. Sunday, 22 March, 2020 and will then dismiss to the Frierson Pavilion for a hands-on assembly of small, toss-able seed bombs, held together by sterile clay. Be prepared to get dirty!
 
When/Where : Lunch Sunday, 22 March at 12:30 p.m. Brief instructional talk. Bomb-making in Pavilion at 1:15.
 
Why: BECAUSE IT'S FUN!
 
Volunteers needed! We particularly need a person to head up the kitchen phase of this operation, as Kristina and Lisa will be focused on Pavilion operations.   
Scholarships Available
The Molly Hazen Tucker Memorial Scholarship -- This scholarship, established by the Episcopal Church Women of our diocese in the name of Molly Tucker, mother of The Rev. Lou Parsons and a woman of strong leadership in education worship, mission, and the church at large, offers a one-time grant of $2,000 to a young female high school graduate/GED recipient for use in pursuing a trade or a college education.
 
Qualified candidates will be confirmed members of the Episcopal Church in the Diocese of East Tennessee, be a high school senior or graduate and candidate for the first year of an accredited college, business, or technical school. Preference is given to those in financial need. Funds may be used for tuition, books, or other necessary school expense and will be paid directly to the school or administered by the applicant’s parish or senior warden.
 
Applicants must file a written application along with one letter of recommendation from EACH of the following: her parish priest or Senior Warden if no priest is available; a high school teacher, faculty member or employer. These items should be collected and dispatched in one envelope. The deadline for application is
May 1 ; the scholarship will be awarded during the first part of June.
 
Applications and instructions are available in the church office or from the ECW president: Brook Mueller, 20 County Road 576, Englewood, TN 37329.

Dr. Robert Craig Scholarship -- The Craig scholarship offers money towards tuition to St. Nicholas School and is open to a child whose family is rooted and active in Grace Church. The application deadline is April 30th , 2020. If you wish to apply, please contact Paula Garner, Parish Administrator (423-243-3250, ext. 2), for an application. 

The Dr. Robert Craig Scholarship at Grace Episcopal Church, Chattanooga, TN., was established in 1991 through a generous endowment from Dr. Robert Craig. The Craig family, long-standing and faithful members of Grace Church, have always been devoted to education and especially to St. Nicholas School. This scholarship will continue their support and legacy in perpetuity by assisting our own youth in that endeavor.
Summer Arts Camps
Summer Arts Camps -- Grace Episcopal Arts Camp (June 1 – 5)
Arts Camp for K-departing 5 th is on the calendar for June 1-5, 2020, 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. For more information, or to volunteer to help with preparations or during the camp, contact Maria Hurt at mhurt@saygrace.net . Watch for information about the first planning meeting and electronic sign-up!
 
Grace Episcopal Preschool Arts Camp – Dates still TBA, but it will be on a Saturday and Sunday, with most activities designed for 2-4-year-olds. Babies and under-twos may be able to drop in for music and messy pursuits, however (though they may need to bring a parent to assist them)! Contact Maria if you want more information or would like to help.
Centering Prayer Introductory Workshop (3-28)
St. Alban’s Episcopal Church (7514 Hixson Pike, 37343) will hold an introductory workshop for those interested in beginning Centering Prayer on Saturday, March 28, from 9:30 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. Cost is $30, with snacks and drinks provided. You may bring a lunch if you’d like. The workshop will be led by Dr. Barbara Ray. Six continuing sessions, scheduled to begin the following week, are included at no additional cost.
 
Registration forms are available in the church office and must be mailed to St. Alban’s by March 14.
 
Centering Prayer is a form of contemplative prayer that is both a relationship with God and a discipline to foster that relationship. It is a silent form of prayer where one listens to God with the intention to consent to God’s presence and action in one’s life.
Note of Thanks from the Martin Family
The family of Margaret Martin would like to give their sincere thanks and gratitude for the loving remembrance and tribute expressed in her honor by her beloved friends and members of Grace Episcopal Church.
 
Janie Martin Duke
Lee Martin, Jr. (Kit) 
Lyn Martin
Bach Choir Celebrates Beethoven
Were he alive, Ludwig van Beethoven would be marking a milestone this year, trying to blow out two-and-a-half centuries-worth of candles on a cake the size of Cincinnati. Though LvB is no longer with us, you can still celebrate his with some of his magnificent choral music on Saturday, February 22, by joining the Chattanooga Bach Choir at the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul for a concert titled Beethoven at 250. The concert begins at 8:00 p.m.; tickets are available via the choir’s web page ( www.chattanoogabachchoir.org ) or at the door.

The seldom-heard Mass in C will be sung, along with other works by the celebrated composer. The choir is directed by Grace choirmaster/Music Director David Long and comprises several members of the Grace choir.
MEETINGS THIS WEEK
Invite/Welcome/Connect (Merritt Room) -- Sunday, 9:30 a.m.
Centering Prayer (Barth Room) -- Friday, 1:00 p.m.
Serving This Sunday
At the 8:00 a.m. service : Lectors, Amie Brien-Slack, Jim Dorris; Intercessor, Nan Fortiner; Chalice, Diana McMurray; Usher, Mike Revenig
 
At the 10:45 a.m. service : Lectors, Bill Pickering,
Breezie Finley; Intercessor, Susan LaGraff; Chalice Edith Snider, Diana Peterson; Oblations, Jean Whisenant, Paul Thomas; Acolytes, Jeff Bertrand, Keith Davis; Lead Ushers, Jerry Evans, Tom Carroll; Web Broadcast (camera, sound),
Tom Makepeace, Bill Boren

Lectionary Readings
Exodus 24:12-18, Psalm 2, 2 Peter 1:16-20, Matthew 17:1-9            

Hymns
Songs of thankfulness and praise (Hymnal 135); Christ upon the mountain peak (Hymnal 129); O Light of Light, love given birth (Hymnal 133); Jesus is Lord of all the earth , vs. 1, 3,4 (Hymnal 178); O wondrous type! O vision fair (Hymnal 137)          

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