Growing in Faith. Creating an Inclusive Community.
Serving with Compassion. Working for Social Justice.
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August 14
The Tenth Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist
in person at 10 am
We are unable to offer online services on Sundays during the summer months.
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Sunday Services in Summer
During the summer, Grace Church will hold 1 service only, every Sunday at 10 am through September 18th. Sunday services will be held in the air-conditioned Guild Hall. Unfortunately, we will not be able to offer a livestream or Zoom for our Sunday services June 26th through September 11th.
Join us for coffee hour! Please join us for coffee and snacks after each service. Coffee hour will be held in the Courtyard during the summer months.
Childcare is available in the Colonial Room, next to the Guild Hall.
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.
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Pilgrimage to the Holy Land |
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A New Call for Father Chris
Dear Friends—
I have some bittersweet news to share with you. I have accepted a call to become Priest-in-Charge at the Church of Saint Mary the Virgin in Chappaqua, NY. My last day at Grace Church will be Sunday, September 25th.
While Julie, Thaddeus, Callum, and I are very excited about this new chapter, there is also sadness over leaving a community which has felt like family, and formed me as a priest in incalculable ways. Whatever I am able to achieve in ministry will always bear the marks of my time with you.
When I started at Grace, back in June 2020, the world was still more or less in lockdown; our services were being held over Zoom; and all our outreach, formation, and family programming had been suspended. It would have been easy for a newly-ordained priest to feel disheartened. Yet thanks to your profound welcome, encouragement, and faith in me, I managed not only to survive, but to thrive. I have learned so much from you, and am so proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish together. I simply can’t thank you enough.
Grace Church has been a beacon of Christ’s love in Brooklyn Heights for 175 years, and to have been just a small part of her story is truly a blessing. It would be difficult to find a more gifted clergy team, a more dedicated staff, a more visionary vestry, and a more faithful group of laypeople all under one roof. My prayer—and my conviction—is that Grace will continue to be a force for God’s peace and justice in Brooklyn and beyond, for decades to come.
Thankfully, there should be ample time for goodbyes over the next several weeks. And since we’re only moving a few miles up the river, I’m already looking forward to being able to come back and visit. Please feel free to stay connected with me via email at alanchristopherlee@gmail.com. God bless and keep you all!
Faithfully,
Chris+
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The first issue of the Justice Journal, a newsletter of our Social Justice and Reconciliation Ministry, is now available. Click here for an e-copy. Hard copies are available for pickup at the church.
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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.
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EFM Registration Open for Fall 2022
The Education for Ministry (EFM) Seminar program at Grace Church welcomes inquiries from new participants from Grace and other parishes. Registration with Sewanee University opened in July for the Fall season. Currently the seminar group has 4 openings. This course of study over 4 years provides a framework for individuals to connect faith to their daily lives through reading and discussion. Meeting in a group of up to 12, led by mentors trained to facilitate the experience, you will begin to think theologically, reflect faithfully, and speak civilly when confronted by beliefs and principles in opposition to your own. You will learn how to articulate your faith and shape your faith into action. The Grace program meets Wednesday evenings at 6:30 - 8:30 pm September to June, in person and on Zoom, with breaks at holidays. Previous students who didn't complete all 4 years are welcome to return. Register ASAP to allow time to obtain textbooks. The annual fee is $325 plus the cost of textbooks. For more information, https://efm.sewanee.edu/about/ or contact co-mentor Kim Lovejoy, kim.lovejoy@gmail.com, (646) 335-5080. Kim will be available after the 10 am service on August 14 for to answer any questions.
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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.
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Evening Prayer
Grace Church offers Evening Worship every Tuesday - Friday at 5pm online.
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Parish Prayer Concerns & Thanksgivings
That we may experience God’s active, transformative presence in the world, and be kindled by God’s call to us; but may we also remember that the urgency of Jesus’ call is rooted in His deep and abiding compassion for the suffering and the powerless. May our passion for justice serve the Gospel of peace, and not merely our own self-protection; and may the fire of God’s love, working through us, purify us. That, surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, the Church may run with perseverance the race that is set before us. That God will continue to watch over, protect and grant safe return to all who are participating in the Grace Church Holy Land Pilgrimage from August 5-16, 2022. That the current ceasefire between Israel and Gaza will hold; and that God will grant long-awaited just peace and reconciliation to people of all religions who live in the Holy Land. For Joe, our President; Kathy, our Governor; Eric, our Mayor; and all elected officials; and for civic responsibility and thoughtful deliberation in the coming elections. For all who are working to promote the safety, well-being, and dignity of the migrants flooding to our borders. For the poor, rural, and marginalized whose homes have been destroyed more than once by catastrophic flooding, but who have been overlooked for meaningful aid and cannot afford to relocate. For those who have been injured or killed in gun violence, and for urgently-needed gun control laws. For all who are incarcerated, and especially for those who are being held unjustly. For peace and reconciliation in all places of conflict. For those who have been commended to our prayers, especially Cecilia; Lois; Moe & family; Maxine & family; the Baldwin family; Stephanie; Hezekiah; Carrie; Barbara; Noreen K.; Vivian H.; Max; Lenore; Vivian & Michael L.; Clark; Heidi; Linda; Judith; Sarah Jane; Joyce; Patti & Steve; Tom C.; Irma; Amanda; Judith & Sandra; Pam; Jane P.; Jim; Claude; and all who are sick with COVID-19. For those who endure chronic or incurable illnesses; and 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, especially, Eric Baldwin, father of Thomas Baldwin; longtime parishioner Sybil Payne; and Kevin Mannion, father-in-law of Melissa Kelly; and for all who mourn.
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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.
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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.
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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. Please note our summertime office hours: Monday through Thursday from 9 am to 5 pm, and Fridays from 9 am to 12 noon.
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Grace Church | 254 Hicks Street | Brooklyn NY 11201 |
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