October 2, 2022

The Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost

Holy Eucharist

in person at 8, 9:15, and 11 am

online 

at 11 am

  Vimeo link

Service Bulletin Here

Online service can be viewed on our live Vimeo feed.

Festival of Ministries

On Sunday, October 2, following both the 9:15 and 11:00 services, we will hold open discussions in the North Room about Grace’s various ongoing ministries, at which time we’ll encourage you to share your ideas about possible new ones to address emerging and ongoing needs.

To get you thinking about how all of us at Grace can serve both within our congregation and in the outside community, here’s a list of some of the ministries that already exist at Grace. Perhaps this will help frame your thinking about this good work, and your own participation in it. 

All are invited — seasoned members and newcomers alike. Food will be provided, so we hope to see many of you there!

Hospitality

• Sunday Coffee Hours
• Harvest Dinner
• Lessons and Carols Reception
• Special Occasion Receptions

Liturgical Support

• Altar Guild
• Liturgical Eucharist Ministry (LEM)
• Lay Readers
• Ushers
• Media Ministry
• Flower Guild
• Decorating the Church for Christmas and Easter
• North Room Chats

    Community Outreach

• Interfaith Shelter
• CHIPS (Community Help in Park Slope)
• Red Hook Initiative
• Red Hook Gardens
• Summer Reading Program
• PS 676 Support
• Heights and Hills Thanksgiving Dinner
• East Brooklyn Congregations
• High School Tutoring Program
• High School Life Skills Mentoring Program

Stroller Group Social Events

• Brunches
• Hallowe’en Events
• Gingerbread House Building
• Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper

     Special Events 

• Newcomers Gatherings (Fall and Spring)
• Multicultural Festival
• Christmas Pageant
• WinterFair
• Spring Gala and Silent Auction
• Seniors, Retirees and Opinionated Elders Luncheon (Fall and Spring)
• End-of-Season Cookout (June)
• Rally Sunday Cookout (September)

    Other



• Education for Ministry
• Docent-Led Church Tours
• Sanctuary Cinema
• Moms Book Group

Welcome Back Jess Smith

We are glad to be welcoming back Jess Smith to Grace Church as the Intern for Youth and Family Ministries. Jess is in her third and final year at Union Theological Seminary pursuing her Master of Divinity in Anglican Studies. Last year, she helped with Sunday School and the Grace Church confirmation class, both of which were deeply rewarding.

Jess is excited to be working with the youth and families at Grace. A lifelong Episcopalian, Jess was fortunate to have grown up all over the world, including places like Tokyo, Japan, and Geneva, Switzerland. She loves music, having joined the church choir in each place she lived, and loves the joy and connection that comes from praising and communing with God through song. As she continues her studies at seminary, she looks forward to learning more about her own religion and others, with a special interest in working with her local community to help build God’s just future.

Sunday School Returns

Children in grades K-5 are invited to participate in Sunday School, which resumes Sunday, October 2nd, 2022. Classes meet in the Poplar Room (classroom 2), downstairs and across from the men’s restroom, at 10 am (immediately following the 9:15 family service). Trained volunteers lead children in 45 minute sessions focusing on the week’s Bible readings, using the Storymakers curriculum. Please email Jess Smith, Intern for Youth Education, with any questions.

Click here to register. 

Annual Blessing of The Animals

Sunday, October 9th, 1:30 pm

Grace Church will celebrate the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi on Sunday October 9th at 1:30 pm, in our garden on Grace Court, across from the church. All are welcome at this community event, which will feature prayers and music in honor of God’s good creation and blessings for our beloved pets.

Assistance for Asylum Seekers

With the massive influx of our migrant brothers and sisters arriving in New York City from the southern border, Grace Church has an opportunity to provide care by donating items to meet their immediate needs. Click here for a list of items requested in all sizes from newborn to adults. Once items are ready, please contact our Associate Rector for Social Justice & Reconciliation, Rev. Leandra Lambert at llambert@gracebrooklyn.org for drop-off instructions.

 Join Us for Multicultural Day and Meet Our Speaker

One of the highlights of every Multicultural Day is hearing from our featured speaker. This year, we’re honored to welcome longtime Grace parishioner, Soossan Salmassi, and learn of her journey from Iran to New York. 

Join Soossan on October 16th at 10 am. The day will also include festive worship, music, food, educational displays, and dance. 

If you have any questions, please reach out to Allison Robinson (a.robinson2@verizon.net) or Denise Young Farrell (dlyfarrell@gmail.com). See you there! 

Our International Food Festival – one of the signature elements of our annual Multicultural Day – is back, and we need your dishes to make it better than ever! Sign up to bring your international favorites – whether it’s Spanish empanadas, Korean bulgogi, Jamaican jerk chicken, or Japanese fried rice – our culinary palettes are diverse and delicious! 

Come for festive worship at 10 am on October 16th and stay for food, music, and educational displays following the service. All cooks (we also welcome catered deliveries) – please sign up here!

[Image – International foods, photo credit: Washingtonian]

Fall Book Group

NOTE TIME CHANGE: 10:30-11:45 am

Meeting on the Fridays listed below

Announcing a Book Group with:

Soul Stages 

Surviving and Thriving in the Second Half of Life

By Christopher Chamberlin Moore

A small group to explore how our faith changes throughout our lives.

Friday mornings in the Choir Room from 10:30-11:45 AM

Four sessions: October 14th, 21st, 29th and November 4th

(special session with Lindsay Boyer using Welcoming Prayer on 11/4)

To register, email the Rev. Erika Meyer, emeyer@gracebrooklyn.org

To order book, use either link:

https://www.churchpublishing.org/soulstages

or

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/soul-stages-christopher-chamberlin-moore/1139676700

Social Justice and Reconciliation Fall Reading Group

You’re invited to join the Social Justice and Reconciliation reading group. Our text is Tony Messenger’s Profit and Punishment: How America Criminalizes the Poor in the Name of Justice and is available for purchase here. You’re invited to read the text at your leisure throughout the fall. On December 11th, following the 11 am service, we’ll gather in the North Room for discussion and conversation. For more information, please email the Rev. Leandra Lambert at llambert@gracebrooklyn.org.

Red Hook Farms: Come Volunteer this fall!

On September 10th, over twenty volunteers from across New York City, including several first-timers, descended on the Columbia Street Farm for a beautiful day of urban farming and community connections. To get the “farm” ready for fall, volunteers pulled weeds and “made” compost. Even the chickens got in on the action and became “weed wackers."

The next volunteer date designated for Grace Church is Saturday, October 8th, from 10 am–1 pm. Join us to help address food insecurity in NYC. Click here to register. For questions, email Cara Dorr, caradorr@gmail.com. Please register no later than Tuesday, October 4th. If you cannot come out to the farm, but want to give support, check out their farmstand at 560 Columbia Street on Saturdays from 10 am-3 pm. Hope to see you this fall!

And please save the date: Harvest Fest - October 15th at the Columbia Street Farm. There will be food, music, games, contests, face-painting, a pumpkin patch, ponies, goats, and much more!

Grace Church School Admissions for 2023-2024

Applications for Grace Church School are now available on the school website. The School offers a warm introduction to classroom life for young children. It has a child-centered, play-based curriculum that meets children where they are, ignites their curiosity, and fosters a love of learning. For more information about the school and the admissions process and to apply for the toddler program or the preschool program, please visit www.gracechurchschool.org. 

CHIPS 50th Anniversary Celebration

Thursday, October 20, 2022

6:30-8:30 pm

The Green Building

452 Union Street Brooklyn, NY 11231

(between Nevins and Bond)

Join CHIPS on Thursday, October 20th as they celebrate 50 years of food, friendship, and new beginnings. This will be a combination in-person and virtual event.



For more information, please contact Sikeea Graham at: sikeea@chipsonline.org

Tickets available here. 

The Rector's Discretionary Fund

As the Grace Church community continues to deal with the after-effects and continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic, we would like to ask parish members to consider making an offering to the Rector's Discretionary Fund.

With this fund, the Rector is able to help those in our community when they need it most.

If you would like to contribute to this important fund, you can do so by check or via our online payment system, Realm. If you prefer to make a donation by check, it should be made out to Grace Church with "Rector's Discretionary Fund" in the memo.

Internship Program

The Red Hook Initiative, a community-based non-profit serving youth and residents in public housing in Red Hook, Brooklyn, is looking for Grace Church parishioners interested in offering young adults an internship in their places of work.

The young adults, 18 to 24 years old, will first receive 30 hours of job readiness training from RHI’s Employment Program that covers résumés, cover letters, navigating challenging work dynamics, effective communication, and approaching one’s career path from a strength-based perspective. After the completion of training, candidates will be interviewed for internship positions.

These internships, which will begin in the fall, are for 20 hours per week for 12-15 weeks. Interns will be paid $15 an hour by RHI.

RHI seeks to place young people in the following fields: fashion, graphic design, business administration, accounting, sales, non-profit organizations, small businesses, or in entrepreneurial settings.

For further information, contact nellis@rhicenter.org or Mark McIntyre at markmcint@gmail.com.

Parish Prayer Concerns & Thanksgivings

That we may daily, steadily, make our faith and our calling as Christians central to our identity; may we live it as fully as we can; and may we boldly do so with a discerning heart, regardless of uncertainty, worry, or fear. That we may grow in our reliance on God in every area of our lives and be open to following wherever God leads us. For the outcome of our Ministry Fair, that many may find joy in service to others in the name of the Lord. That Joe, our president; Kathy, our governor; Eric, our mayor; and all leaders may foster respect and opportunity for all people, and work tirelessly for reconciliation and recovery in our cities and states. For all who have been displaced and suffered losses because of Hurricane Ian, and all who are assisting with rescue, relief, and repair efforts. That those who work for peace may seek new ways to defeat the evils that confront the human family, and that a way may be found to de-escalate the very dangerous aggression that threatens Ukraine and the larger world. For healing of the earth and its climate. That all who face poverty and discrimination may be renewed by the Spirit of God and become a source of light and promise to others who are struggling. That we may do our part to offer welcome, hospitality, and assistance to immigrants and refugees entering our country. For our Jewish sisters and brothers as they observe Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. For humane treatment for all who are incarcerated and all detainees. For all who struggle with anxiety or depression. For those who have been commended to our prayers, especially Demetrios; Marybeth; Vivian H.; Noreen K.; Anita; Tom K.; Cary; Stephanie; Gwen; Trey; Lenore; Marilyn; Lauren; Manjit; Ladson & Xandria; Christine; Vivian & Michael; and Clark. For those who care for sick or aging loved ones. For those whose names and needs are known only to God. For all who have died, and all who mourn. Merciful God, hear our prayers.

Traffic Alert for this Sunday -- Atlantic Antic

The Atlantic Antic Festival is this Sunday, October 2. Atlantic Avenue will be closed to traffic from midnight until 9pm. If you drive to Grace Church for services, plan alternate routes and allow extra time.

Sunday Services

Grace Church holds in-person services at 8 am, 9:15 am, and 11 am each Sunday unless otherwise noted. All are welcome. Masks are no longer required to attend Sunday services. We have child care available for those who need it during the 9:15 am and 11 am services. 

Join us for coffee hour! Please join us for coffee and snacks after each service. 

The 11 am service will be live-streamed for anyone unable to attend in person.

If you have any questions about our worship schedule, please contact Melissa Kelly, Parish Administrator, at parishoffice@gracebrooklyn.org or (718) 624-1850 x 10.

Giving to Grace

We are happy to let you know that you can make a pledge or general offering donations by text! 

Please send a text to 73256 with the message "GraceBrooklyn". The first time, you will be prompted to provide your name and address, including your card number. If you save that information for future use, the second offering by text will be immediate. You can also make one-time pledge payments and general offering donations online here.

If you would like to set up a recurring pledge payment on Realm, please contact Melissa Kelly, parish administrator, for an invitation to join. 

In Remembrance or Gratitude...

Altar flowers are a wonderful way to express gratitude for life's blessings or to memorialize a loved one.

If you would like to contribute Altar flowers, please contact Marilyn Grant. An acknowledgment will be included in the service bulletin.

Weekday Visits to Grace

When you visit, please use the Clergy Door, which is the first door on your right in the Hicks Street courtyard. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5 pm.