Grace
Episcopal
Church
 
 
Fifth Sunday
in Lent
 
March 29, 2020


 
 
Anniversary
Jim & Nancy Cook 
 
THE CHURCH BUILDING IS CLOSED FOR ALL BUT EMERGENCY PURPOSES THROUGH APRIL 7.
In the meantime, mail is being picked up and bills are being paid. You may mail your pledge payments to the church however it is convenient  
for you to do so.   

ALL CHURCH SERVICES AND EVENTS ARE
SUSPENDED AT LEAST THROUGH EASTER.
Please read the information in this issue about accessing online worship, Bible Study, and meeting opportunities.
Coming Right Up!  
Grace goes live!
     After two Sundays of recorded audio Morning Prayer, this Sunday, we will be live on Zoom! We had a successful trial run with our Wednesday morning congregation and shall try this now on a larger scale. It will, again, be a service of Morning Prayer, and you can access it with either your computer or a mobile device. If those are not possible, you may phone in. The phone-in option will not include video.
      Watch for an e-mail invitation to arrive Saturday in your inbox. It will include the information you will need to sign on or phone in. It will also include mini-bulletin attachment that you may download or print. I intend to record the service so that I can upload it later for those unable to attend in the morning. So, by entering the meeting, you are agreeing to being recorded. 
      I am including here a link of tips put together by Greg Serwich. He has been successfully assisting those who have had difficulties with the technology. Check this out in advance. If you have problems, give Greg a call. Zoom Tips 
        
What to expect: When you enter before the service begins, you will be able to see and hear each other. Go ahead and chat! When we seem ready, I will instruct you to mute yourselves to reduce any background noise. At that point, I will give some instructions or announcements and Robin will offer a prelude as we prepare ourselves for worship. Following our bulletin or your BCP, we will proceed with Morning Prayer. It will seem strange to say the responses without hearing the rest of the congregation, but join in anyway. At the conclusion of the service, I will invite you to unmute, share the peace, and visit for a little while.
 
See you on Zoom! 
Gloria+   
Covid-19 Updates  
Each Wednesday, all clergy join Bp. Lee in a Zoom meeting for updates, information on available resources, and clarification of any issues. This week, we learned:
  • There is a new  tab on the diocesan website, "Covid-19," with a variety of resources that are updated regularly. Go here diocese and click on the far right tab to explore.
  • Weekly sermons from Bp. Lee will be ready each Saturday afternoon on the diocesan Youtube channel.Go to youtube.com and search on episcopal diocese of chicago.
  • The electing convention for a new bishop is rescheduled for November at the regular Diocesan Convention. Bp. Lee is willing to extend his retirement date.
  • Clarification of use of the church buildings in this time: we can check on the safety and security of the building, do what is needed to pay bills and payroll, and for churches with feeding programs, a limited space may be used by no more than 10 volunteers to prepare bagged meals. But no one is to spend lengthy time in the building for other purposes.
  • Should someone die, any requiem mass or memorial service will be postponed. At most, a graveside burial service may be held with immediate family (no more than 10 people). Also,  anointing of the dying by clergy will be subject to the care facility's rules. If allowed, extraordinary precautions must be taken.
Here at Grace, The Ministry of Care has organized regular phone and e-mail contact with our most vulnerable members. If you are in need of assistance,or pick-up and delivery of prescriptions or emergency supplies, please contact Bonnielynn Kreiser.  Also contact her if you are able to help out. And, of course, your clergy are available by phone, text, and e-mail to provide pastoral care,
Rector's Ramblings 

  • Links to services in other churches and cathedrals have been posted. The services are varied--I suspect that in other dioceses under the same restrictions as ours will be more informal. And I know that people are already thinking about what we may be able to do for Holy Week and Easter
Do remember that we are available by phone, text, and e-mail, and that each of us is urged to reach out to one another! Also know that you are in my prayers daily. As Bp. Lee said, nothing can separate us from God; we are all part of the body of Christ, and we can do this together!

Blessings,
Gloria+
This Sunday
For your personal reading and devotion this Sunday. 

READINGS:
Ezekiel 37:1-14: Ezekiel's prophesy of restoration in which he sees a valley of dry bones, and is called by God to prophesy that the bones come together and be clothed again in flesh, and then that the wind/breath/Spirit blow into them and bring them alive. In this way, he proclaims, God will bring life and restoration to God's exiled people.
Psalm 130: A plea for mercy to God, with assurance that God does not keep a record of sins, but forgives, restores and rescues.
Romans 8:6-11: God's Spirit, and the spiritual attitude that it nurtures, leads to life, and will enliven us not just in our spirits, but in our bodies as well.
John 11:1-45: Jesus, on hearing of Lazarus' illness, returns after a short delay, to Judea, risking his own death, in order to raise Lazarus. After proclaiming himself as "the resurrection and the life" he raises Lazarus, and many people believe in him as a result.

The readings for Lent 5 are a prophecy. As we prepare to move into Holy Week, the transition point this week is a focus on resurrection. God's people are given a vision of resurrection through Ezekiel. The Psalmist recognises God's grace, mercy and rescue, and Paul proclaims that God's Spirit gives us life in our whole being. John's Gospel, also in a prophetic narrative, describes the raising of Lazarus, and demonstrates that Jesus is the one in whom life and resurrection are found. So, as we prepare our hearts for the coming journey through Jesus' passion, we are reminded in advance that death does not have the last word, and that resurrection is promised and experienced in the midst of pain, threat and death. Jesus does not shy away from the threat of death, but offers himself as the one who brings life, even though he will ultimately die. And, yet, there is the hope, proclaimed even by Jesus himself, that he, as the forerunner, will be raised, assuring us that our resurrection is also certain. It's a celebratory theme this week, but also a challenge not to shy away from the forces of death and evil, but to confront them - in ourselves and in our world - in the hope of resurrection.

Thumbprints and commentaries from:
sacredise.com
Resurrection and Meditation Gardens 
The Resurrection and Meditation Gardens
While the church and parish house closed due to the Governor's orders, the Resurrection Garden and the Meditation Garden are still accessible.  According to the Governor's edict, playgrounds are off limits but being in other outdoor space is open so long as people follow the 6 foot rule.  If you find comfort visiting the graves in the Resurrection Garden, you may do so.  There are three prayer stations in the Meditation Garden with votives and prayers in the drawers.  When you feel drawn to visiting the Meditation Garden, you may do so.  Please, however, observe the 6' physical separation rule if there are others in the garden when you arrive.
April Outreach Event  
Collecting the Blue UTO Box
UTO isn't simply a tip jar for Jesus to say, "Hey man, nice work!" but it is a moment to stop and notice. UTO is that space to remember that our humanity is bound up with the hope and love of Jesus.
 
I want to start by saying that I find the term "tip jar for Jesus" a great one. It makes me think about the people who work at our Galena restaurants. Right now, we are all concerned for them because their jobs are temporarily gone. But, like Fried Green Tomatoes, most places are setting up funds for their workers. We are encouraged to leave tips for them. Tipping them, is not only helping them financially, it is thanking them for the work they do to take care of us. Stopping to think of thanking them is a pause of gratitude that recognizes their humanity and mine and the fact that we are bound together in spite of being strangers to one another and that our charge is to take care of each other. We don't often allow ourselves time to stop and notice, and when we don't, our blessings start to unravel with the busy nature of our modern lives or get washed away with worries. It's why researchers often suggest that the best way to combat anxiety is with gratitude. Gratitude interrupts the neurological processes that feed worry. Gratitude helps us to notice, to hem up, to give thanks, and to remember whence the blessing sprouted. Without gratitude, then, the blessings can simply drift away, and that can leave behind resentment, frustration, anxiety, and depression. We can miss the blessings right in front of us and begin to feel like everyone else is blessed except us if we let the small blessings pass by without that moment to stop, notice, and give thanks.
In the year 2018, UTO provided over $1,200,000. In grant money. Your change "tips" a lot of people. That financial support and taking a moment to be grateful are the reasons for the UTO box...every time you drop change in, count a blessing!
 
Quotes and information taken an article titled "Tip Jar for Jesus" from The Rev. Canon Heather L. Melton, Staff Officer for the United Thank Offering
Vestry News  
Diocesan Election Convention
The Vestry appointed three delegates and an alternate to the Diocesan Election Convention: Lynn Giles, Elizabeth Ludescher and Tony Packard as delegates and Georgia Hansen as the alternate. The convention was scheduled for June 20 and has been postponed until November's regular Diocesan Convention.
Formation Ministry News 
EfM Seminar 
During this time of sheltering, the five students enrolled in the EfM seminar at Grace Church are meeting via Zoom.  Three use computers or laptops while two are calling in by phone.  We have two students who will graduate at the end of this year (Crystal Mason and Richard Luther).  One is in her third year (Teresa Burke).  Two are first year students (Sue Anderson and Mary Lou Smith).  Lynn Giles is the mentor. EfM stands for Education for Ministry. It is a four-year curriculum developed by the University of the South, Sewanee TN for the education of lay people in the church.  The first year focuses on the Hebrew Bible; the second year the New Testament while the third years reviews church history and the fourth year reads contemporary theology and ethics.  In addition, as a group, we reflect on theological issues as they relate to our world.
The EfM group planned to have a Mission Moment followed by a coffee hour on May 31, 2020 to explain how the program works.  These plans are now "on hold."  New students may enroll to start in September 2020.  Tuition is $375/yr., which includes all textbooks.  Scholarships are available.  There is lots of information about EfM on the website, efm.sewanee.edu.  If anyone has questions, Lynn Giles is available at:

Leadership  
Vestry Liaisons

V estry Liaisons' primary purpose is to assure two-way communications between the various ministries and the  Vestry,  to represent the ministries for resources or  policy issues, and to  support  their  events  an d activities.

Worship:                                Rector                       
Building and Grounds:         Greg Serwich (Sr. Warden 2019-2021)   
Worship Committee:            Charlotte Stryker (class of 2022)        
Formation and Spirituality:   Elizabeth Ludescher (class of 2022) 
Fellowship & Hospitality:      Anita Sands (class of 2021)                 
Ministry of Care/LEMs:        Nancy Cook (class of 2023)  
Outreach:                              Tony Packard (class of 2021)     
Communications:                 Eric Kallback(class of 2023)
      
Governance:                  Wardens & Rector 
        Officers:                 Greg Serwich, Senior Warden             
                      Lynn Giles, Junior Warden,
                      Richard Luther, Treasurer                    
                                      Diann Marsh, Clerk      
                                      The Rev. Dr. Gloria Hopewell, Rector 

Staff:                              Robin French, Director of Music
                                      Nancy Cook, Erben Organist
                                      Nancy Kenney, Parish Administrator
                      Chris Ludescher, Nursery Attendant      
This Sunday 
March 29, 2020 
Sunday Morning 
Fifth Sunday in Lent 
For quick reference, find Sunday's readings by clicking here:
The Lectionary
     Ezekiel 37:1-14
     Psalm 130
     Romans 8:6-11    
     John 11:1-45

Ministers of the
Morning Prayer Service:
Presider:
Rev. Dr. Gloria Hopewell
Lector: Elizabeth Ludescher
Pianist: Robin French

ROTA: December 2019-May 31,2020
Next Sunday's
Readings: 
Palm Sunday  
April 5, 2020
The Liturgy of the Palms

 Matthew 21:1-11 

 Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29 

 

The Liturgy of the Word
Grace's Prayer List
For a current prayer list, click on the following link:
   Grace Prayer List 
The Request For Prayers notebook is in the Narthex/ Entrance area of the Church. Please feel free to request prayers for yourself or others at any time by filling out a form or contacting the office by either phone or email. May we first and always be "a people of prayer."
Meetings this Week 
Events This Week:
Sunday
Morning Prayer online

Wednesday 
Morning Prayer* online --7:30 am  
Bible Study** online--10:30 am
Thursday 
EfM online

To be invited to online events, please contact *Gloria at gracerector@gracegalen
a.org
or **Greg Serwich at gserwich@gmail.com
 
Compline or Evening Prayer TBD  
 
All are welcome!
Looking Ahead 
For current and upcoming events, check out the goog le 
calendar on the website
Calendar   
Sunday Social Hour Hosts

 

R eminder for hosts:
Napkins and plates are provided. Use what you need from our pantry Remember: Keep it simple. We usually have about 35-40 attending.

  **Coffee schedule sign up is on the bulletin board in the Parish House.**
Formation Schedule  
You can now get information on Formation Ministries directly from the new Grace website at the following links:
Children and Youth Adults
Spiritual Practices

Ministry of Care 
If you are in need of assistance while ill or recovering: meals, transportation, visits, please contact the Ministry of Care
Facilitators who can assist you and connect you with parishioners who have trained and committed to this ministry that includes Parish Visitors, Meals, Rides, as well as the ongoing Servants through Prayer, LEMs, and the Greeting Card ministry.

Ministry of Care Leadership Team: Facilitators
Bonnielynn Kreiser
Terri Jackman
Clergy Advisors:
Gloria Hopewell,
Linda Packard
Sermons and e-Blasts 

DEADLINES!
News and prayer requests: 
Sunday Bulletin:
   Wed. end of day.
e-Blast:
   Thursday noon. 

Anniversaries and Birthdays
Have yours been missed in our bulletins?   Send to Nancy.   Thank y ou!    

News and Photos
 f or e-Blast!
People want to know
what's going on at Grace!  T here are places here for your event, program, or
interesting tidbit.   Comments on this e-Blast may be sent here.
   
Audio files of sermons are posted on the Grace Church website as well as in the next week's e-Blast. Paper copies are available upon re quest. 
 
Older recent sermons  
 Newest sermons/services:
Grace Galena Lent 4 Morning Prayer
Grace Galena Lent 4 Morning Prayer
 
Grace Galena Morning Prayer with Lent3A Lections 
Grace Galena Morning Prayer with Lent 3A Lections
 
 
Grace Galena Lent 1A Sermon 
Grace Galena Lent 1A Sermon
  
   The Rev Dr. Gloria Hopewell, Rector
Cell Phone:  773-988-3497

Grace Episcopal Church Office:
107 S. Prospect Street
Galena, IL 61036
815-777-2590