Radical welcome. Faithful worship. Compassionate service.
Statement From Bishop Provenzano On White House Directive To Open Churches For Public Events

"To all the People of God gathered in the Diocese of Long Island, the Episcopal Church in Brooklyn, Queens, Nassau and Suffolk:

Regardless of the misinformed and politically-motivated direction coming from the White House, the Church will continue to be the Church, caring for the safety of all people and protecting the health and well being of our parishioners. 

The Church will continue to be the Church and our buildings will remain closed until we can begin to safely gather in person. We will continue to pray, worship, share in formation and education through online platforms, and other electronic communication. We will care for God’s people and minister to their needs and not put them at risk. We will honor the loyal and selfless dedication of our hospital workers and essential workers by avoiding reckless ideas and uninformed options in the face of medical science. St. Augustine taught us that God’s grace builds on nature. We will count on God’s grace and rely on sound science."

The Right Rev. Lawrence C. Provenzano
Bishop of Long Island
36 Cathedral Avenue
Garden City, NY 11530
Office: (516) 248-4800 ext. 131
Welcome to the Rev. Deacon Chris Lee, our new Assistant to the Rector for Youth, Young Adult, and Family Ministries

The Rev. Alan Christopher Lee is a cradle Episcopalian from Charlotte, NC, an alumnus of UNC-Chapel Hill, and has lived in Brooklyn since 1995. Chris worked as a musician and as a journalist before discerning a call to ordained ministry. He was ordained to the Diaconate in January 2020, and received his M.Div. from the General Theological Seminary in May 2020. Chris’ passions in ministry include Christian formation for all ages, the church’s role in racial reconciliation, and exploring the richness of Anglican liturgy and music. He also enjoys reading, playing guitar, coaching youth sports, and following Tarheel basketball. Chris is married to Julie Bleha, and they are the parents of Thaddeus and Callum.
LIFT* Summer Reading Recommendations

“When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.” (Leviticus 19:33-34)
 
Hearing other people’s stories across cultures is a cornerstone of building a beloved community. Sharing stories can enable understanding, empathy, trust, and belief from the heart that we are all God’s children. In that spirit, many of LIFT’s 2020 Summer Reading Recommendations provide a window into immigrant experiences in America. The recommendations offer compelling, inspiring, challenging, and enjoyable fiction and non-fiction stories, as well as include books that teach us ways of opening our ears and hearts so that we hear others deeper. 

The primary book we recommend for everyone to read is  Seeing My Skin by Father Peter Jarret-Schell . “A personal journey of a priest's understanding of his Whiteness widens into an invitation…"

Click on the button below to read more, as well as receive the Summer Reading List .
June 7 North Room Chat: Covid19’s Racial Skew: What’s a Christian to do?

Even though we can’t meet in the North Room right now, nothing can stop us from having a  “North Room” Chat ! Allison Scott and LIFT Committee members  will lead a discussion on  Covid19’s Racial Skew: What’s a Christian to do? . A second follow up session on this topic will be held on Sunday, June 14.
 
Join us the first Sunday of each month at  10:15am as we discuss spirituality and Christianity in bite-sized chunks. No need to prepare in advance. Just be open to learning something new, sharing your own life experiences, and, most importantly, growing in the Christian faith. Save the date for the next Chat on July 5, 2020 .
Raising Kids in a Racially Diverse World:
A Workshop for Parents

Grace Church is committed to racial equity and justice. Becoming God's beloved community requires all of us to build our skills in discussing race and equity so that we can help our children develop these abilities, too.
Join a supportive group of parents for three sessions that will provide tools to model racial awareness and communicate effectively about race. 

  • Session 1 focuses on building fluency in race and equity discussions with our kids by identifying ways to start conversations and respond to kids' questions. 
  • Session 2 helps parents develop our skills in identifying bias and modeling equity-building responses for our children.
  • Session 3 focuses on concrete steps families can take to engage in race and equity work at Grace and in the community.

Sessions will take place on Zoom from 8:00-9:15pm on the following Mondays: June 8, 22 , and July 6 , and will be facilitated by parishioner and parent educator Kate Hill. 


Brought to you by LIFT (Loving Intentionally and Faithfully Together).LIFT is a laity-led Grace Church ministry that creates parish opportunities for discernment and action following the Episcopal Church initiative on race, “Becoming Beloved Community”.
Giving to Grace While Services Are Suspended
 Thanks to everyone who has been sending in pledge payments by mail. We are so grateful for this ongoing support even while we are not together. As a reminder,
If you have a pledge and make your payments via a pledge envelope : Please help consider converting to a monthly automatic payment by credit card or ACH debit from your bank account. This can be set up as a safe and encrypted transaction through Realm, our church management system. If you do not already have a log-on, the easiest way to access your account is to contact Kate Rock < katewrock@gmail.com > or Takisha Brown < tbrown@gracebrooklyn.org > for an invitation to join. (Otherwise, you risk setting up a second and duplicate record.) 

If you do not have a pledge but make general offerings to the plate on Sundays:  Please consider a new pledge. Kate or Takisha can help. Or you can make a one-time general offering through  https://onrealm.org/gracebrooklyn/-/give/now .
And if you are able to help in other ways, please consider a gift to the Rector’s Discretionary Fund.  This confidential fund allows Rev. Robinson to respond directly and discretely to those with urgent and unexpected needs and has already helped several households during this crisis. You can make a gift on line at  https://onrealm.org/gracebrooklyn/-/give/now .

Just one additional thought: a transition to on-line pledge and giving support also shows thoughtful consideration of Sandra Joseph and Takisha Brown, our incredible administrative staff who are managing the work of our Church as remotely as possible. We are so grateful to them! 

Thank you again for your thoughtful generosity toward Grace at this challenging time. 
Grace Kids - Bible Stories and Activities for Families

Attention Grace Church families and children! Are you looking for a Sunday School experience for your children as well as a chance to connect with friends while we are apart?  Grace Kids  is a new Zoom offering that will be available each Saturday at 10:00 am  where we will share Bible stories, sing songs, and offer craft ideas for you to do at home! We hope you will join us for our fifth session this Saturday, May 30th . Please contact Deacon Catherine at cwieczorek@gracebrooklyn.org with any questions.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7186241850
Meeting ID: 718 624 1850

 Files for this week's craft are attached below.
Grace Church 2nd Annual Multicultural Day Planning Meeting
 
Back by popular demand: Multicultural Day, October 18, 2020 , a celebration of our international diversity with food, artifacts, pictures, music, children's activities, entertainment and much more! If you are interested in planning this event, join us via Zoom on Sunday, June 14th, 10:00 - 10:45 am.  

Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 718 624 1850

One tap mobile
+19292056099,,7186241850# US (New York)

For more information or if you/your family want to set up an International Country Display Table or donate a dish for the Food Festival, contact Denise Young Farrell  or Allison Robinson .
Bible Study with the Rector
Join us via Zoom for the Rector’s Bible Study , on Tuesday, June 2, 10:30 am-12:00 pm .

Join Zoom Meeting
From laptop or computer
Meeting ID: 718 624 1850

From your Smartphone
One tap mobile
+19292056099,,7186241850#  US (New York)

From your Landline or cellphone
Dial by your location
+1 929 205 6099  US (New York)
Meeting ID: 718 624 1850
Parish Prayer Concerns

 All who are hospitalized or quarantined because of COVID19, and the medical personnel and essential service providers who continue to risk their own lives to care for others; also those for whom prayers have been requested, especially, Geraldine; Gail; Douglas; Jane S.; Ann & George; Steve & Patti; Roger; Bill; Anne, Moe & family; Mercedes; Jean; Sybil; Julian; and Mary.



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Come Together for Times of Prayer During the Week
Zoom Evening Prayer at Grace  online, 5:30 pm, Tuesdays – Fridays

For Evening Prayer click here . 
 
Also, Lindsay Boyer has compiled these opportunities for  Centering Prayer . For further information, click this link .
Grace Notes Announcements
To submit an announcement for Grace Notes please send all information to the Parish Office no later than 5:00 pm on Wednesday of each week. Please be aware that submissions that do not meet the deadline will be published the following week.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation!
Office Hours Update

 Due to the Cornovirus (COVID-19) , the Parish Office is no longer open at this time. However, Parish Administrator, Ms. Takisha Brown is still available to assist you remotely Monday through Friday (except for holidays) from  9:00 am to 5:00 pm. If there is anything you may need, please contact Parish Administrator, Ms. Takisha Brown preferably by  email . If you must call the office (718-624-1850), please leave a voicemail and Takisha will get back to you as soon as possible. Thank you.
Grace Church | 254 Hicks Street | Brooklyn NY 11201 
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