grace episcopal church
galena, illinois


Thirteenth Sunday of Pentecost

August 22, 2021
Holy Eucharist, 10:30 am


August 22, 2021

Due to the upsurge in COVID cases, and out of concern
for those who cannot yet be vaccinated or whose
immune systems are compromised,
we respectfully request that you wear a mask indoors,
regardless of your vaccination status.

Our diocese has requested that each church regularly review the CDC map that has four stages of COVID risk and make decisions accordingly about safety precautions. Jo Daviess County's risk factor (and that of the entire state of Illinois) is now in the highest category. The only other precaution reinstated at this time is to suspend contact during the Peace. Please be cautious and also be prepared for changes at any time.

Social hour is suspended.
Ministers of the Service
Members & Guests, Celebrants
Rev. Dr. Gloria Hopewell, Presider
Rev. Diane Luther, Deacon
Greg Serwich, Lector
Elizabeth Ludescher, Intercessor
Robin French, Music Director
Nancy Cook, Erben Organist
Charlotte Stryker,Vestry Coord.
Debbie Kallback/Maren Coates,
Altar Guild
Karen Serwich, Greeter
CANAPES & CONVERSATION CANCELLED!
Due to the COVID situation, Canapes & Conversations at the Elsbree's has been cancelled for today, Friday, August 20th. We hope to get back to having our social outings as soon as safely possible!
Thanks for understanding.
VESTRY NEWS--DIOCESAN CONVENTION DELEGATES

The 184th Annual Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago will be held on Saturday, November 20, 2021 as a virtual gathering on Zoom between 9 am and 3 pm.  Convention is the annual business meeting of the diocese, during which we elect leaders, consider resolutions and hear reports from across the diocese and the wider church.

Grace needs to appoint three delegates and one alternate delegate to represent Grace at the Convention. If you have an interest in serving in this way, please contact Wardens Lynn Giles or Richard Luther. Though it may not be as fun as attending in person, we will likely offer the possibility of gathering at the church together and have some treats.

Convention updates, including registration information and a preliminary schedule, will be posted begf
CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF RUTH H. BEEGLE

On Thursday, September 2nd, at 3:00pm a memorial service will be held outdoors (under a tent) at the Beegle farm, 5490 West Beegle lane in Hanover.
The Rev. Linda Packard will officiate. Please RSVP by August 20 to
Ruth's daughter, Lucretia, at Lucretia@mypurefreedom.com or 512-423-4381.
EPISCOPAL CHURCH NEWS

Episcopal Relief and Development
On Saturday, August 14, a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck the southwest portion of Haiti. This devastating earthquake was followed by Tropical Storm Grace on Monday night and much of Tuesday. More than 1 million people, including more than half a million children, have been impacted by the back-to-back disasters, and the death toll is close to 2000. Episcopal Relief & Development and its partners are responding immediately with direct assistance to vulnerable households in the region, as partners plan long-term recovery. Your generous gift can provide assistance to help people in the wake of these disasters. To assist in these efforts, visit episcopalrelief.org/haiti-relief.

Bishop Curry's Prayers for Afghanistan and Haiti

Eternal God, hear our prayer for the peoples of Afghanistan. There is a profound humanitarian crisis. Countless people, mostly women and children, are now fleeing and vulnerable. The lives of many are now endangered. The hopes of many are forgone. Send your Spirit, Lord, to rally the resolve of the nations of the earth to find pathways to save human lives, protect human rights, and to resolve the hardships of those seeking refuge, asylum, and safety. Hear our prayer for the peoples of Afghanistan. This we pray as followers of Jesus, the Prince of Peace. Amen.










Eternal God, send forth your Sprit to encourage and strengthen the people of Haiti in these difficult times. We pray especially for those impacted by the recent earthquake. Encourage and strengthen those who help and support others. In your mercy, receive the souls of those who have died; comfort their families and loved ones. Surround with your presence the sick and suffering. Aid the work of those who still search and rescue. Empower the medical and aid workers and all who labor to heal.
 
Likewise, inspire and empower the resolve of the nations and peoples of the world to be your instruments of help and healing. Stir up the might of your love and compassion among the nations to rally resources and stay the course until the humanitarian job is accomplished. 
 
Lastly, enfold and uphold the people of Haiti—from the youngest newly born to the oldest among us—in the arms of your love and the strength of your might. This we pray in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
OUTREACH NEWS
Thank you for your support of the ARC!

The ARC received many great school supplies and a donation of $721 from Grace Church. Outreach gave $500 and you contributed $221.
Give yourselves a gold star for your help in educating the children of this community.
Thank you for all you do so generously.

Donna Davis
FELLOWSHIP NEWS
SOCIAL HOUR SUSPENDED
Coffee and conversation has been suspended due to COVID.
FORMATION AND SPIRITUALITY MINISTRY NEWS

REGISTRATION FOR EfM 2021-2022

The next year of EfM at Grace Church will begin the week of October 17, 2021. There is room for a few more students.
Registration will begin soon. Please let Lynn Giles know if you plan to join the group so she can send you a registration link.
Her email is lynngiles@lynngilesphotography, phone/text is
815-757-2011 or simply talk with her at church.
Compline on Zoom
On Tuesday evenings, at 8:30 pm, Lynn Giles will lead a service of Compline. She has been participating in the service that has previously been offered to the Diocese of Chicago by St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Glen Ellyn. This service of the Daily Office in our Book of Common Prayer is a brief, contemplative service that is ideal for prayerful letting go of the cares of the day and preparing for a restful night. Find the link button above.
ADULT INQUIRER'S CLASS
An Adult Inquirers Class will be offered sometime this summer (dates will be determined by the
schedules of those interested in attending). We will be talking about our identity as Episcopalians, the Book of Common Prayer, a brief history of the Anglican/Episcopal church, our creeds, prayer, Baptism,
Eucharist, the Trinity (don’t come looking for an explanation!), and the Jesus Movement as described by
Presiding Bishop Curry. Attending qualifies you to being received or confirmed in the Episcopal Church, if you choose.
 
This is open to anyone in the church or community. Those considering reception will be given priority
(this is an in-person class). The time commitment is about eight hours. If you are interested in this or
would like more information, please contact Rev. Diane Luther at dm20luther@gmail.com, or
call (815) 281-2301.
 
MEDITATIVE PRAYER 9:00am on Fridays
Looking for a way to improve your prayer life, to open your heart, mind and soul to the Holy Spirit? Consider joining the Centering Prayer Group Friday mornings for about forty minutes of meditative prayer: twenty minutes of Centering Prayer followed by Lectio Divina.
Contact Greg Serwich (gserwich@gmail.com) for a Zoom invitation which includes a description of these types of prayer.
The Study Group is taking a break for the summer and will reconvene in September.
WORSHIP:
THIRTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

Joshua 24:1-2a, 14-18: Joshua challenges the people of Israel to choose which god they will serve, and the people affirm their commitment to the God of their ancestors who brought them out of Egypt.
 Psalm 34:15-22: A celebration of the way God watches over the righteous and saves them, but opposes the wicked and brings them down.
Ephesians 6:10-20: The apostle encourages the Ephesian believers to recognise that their struggle is not against human beings, but against spiritual forces of evil, and in order to stay strong they need to put on God’s armour and remain faithful in prayer. Then he asks them to pray for him as he seeks to spread the Gospel.
John 6:56-69: Jesus proclaims that he is the bread that came down from heaven, and that whoever eats his flesh and drinks his blood will remain in Christ and Christ in them. Then many disciples grumble and even start leaving, but when Jesus asks the twelve if they want to go too, Peter answers that they have nowhere else to go, because Jesus has the words of eternal life.

As we listen for what God may be saying to us this week in terms of the global issues of our time, the readings draw our attention to three important calls. The first is to remember that we always face the choice to remain faithful to God or to abandon God’s ways. We can work for justice in God’s name, but fall to the temptation to adopt the strategies of evil, believing that the end justifies the means, or we can stay committed to the ways of integrity, transparency and ethical operations. We can continue to trust in and strive for the ideal of God’s Reign, or we can choose expediency and embrace whatever compromises get the job done, at least in part. The call to stay faithful speaks strongly through the readings this week. The second call is to recognise that whatever opposes God’s Reign of justice, peace, compassion and love, it is not human beings. Rather it is the evil in human hearts, and in human structures, institutions and systems that opposes God’s Reign. As such, we are called to resist the evil, while still maintaining an attitude of grace and compassion toward the people we must confront or who oppose what we do. Finally, there is the call to make prayer a significant part of our strategy as we work to manifest God’s Reign in our world. Ultimately, we need prayer for its ability to empower us, and for the way it changes us to conform more and more to the ideals of God’s Reign for which we strive. Choosing God’s ways, resisting evil while refusing to demonise any person, and prayer – these are the tools by which we can contribute to the healing of our world, if we are willing to use them.
thumbnails and commentary from sacredise.com
HELP WANTED!:
An apprentice to work with Zoom at Grace Church.

This is an important part of our Worship Ministry, and more people are needed to keep our live online services coming! It may seem very complicated, but those of us who have been handling it for nearly a year now all had to start from very basic computer skills and learn "on the job." If we have a small team, the responsibilities can be rotated, making it easier for all of us--and making it possible to explore better ways to assure the best audio and visual experience for those worshiping in person and those online.

Please contact Lynn Giles if interested and for more information.
lynngiles@lynngilesphotography.com
ZOOM POETRY GROUP 2:00pm on Mondays
A Zoom Poetry meeting from Grace Church has been organized and meets Mondays at 2:00pm. This is not specifically a Grace ministry, but a number of Grace members and friends are part of it If you are interested, write Carol Poston at poston@sxu.edu or call her at 815-777-0220.
RECENT LITURGIES

A Wednesday Episcopal spoken service of Holy Eucharist 8/11/21: The Rev. Linda Packard, Presider; Joe Maffit, Lector and Homilist; Lynn Giles, Zoom Host.
An Episcopal service of Holy Eucharist 8/1/21: The Rev. Dr. Gloria Hopewell, Presider; The Rev. Diane Luther, Deacon; Elizabeth Ludescher, Intercessor; Greg Serwich, Lector; Nancy Cook, Musician; Lynn Giles, Zoom Host.
An Episcopal Service of Holy Eucharist 8/8/21, Mass in the Grass: Our annual summer Eucharist at the beautiful LinMar Gardens: The Rev. Dr. Gloria Hopewell, Presider; The Rev. Diane Luther, Deacon; Steve Coates, Lector; Deb Pausz, Intercessor; Robin French, Music Director; Lynn Giles, Zoom Host.
REOPENING CHURCH
Hybrid worship has resumed for both in-person and Zoom congregations in line with Diocesan guidelines and Phase 5 of the State of Illinois COVID recovery.
For those present in the Church:
Please put your smartphone or other device in airplane mode so that our
internet capacity is reserved for our online streaming. 
Don't forget to wear your mask if you intend to sing!
For those on Zoom:
Please mute yourselves before the Prelude begins and immediately after the Peace. This prevents other participants on Zoom from being distracted by conversation
and background noise.
Those who will join us on Zoom will receive the usual e-mail invitation with a link to the day's bulletin.
Vestry:
Lynn Giles, Senior Warden
Richard Luther, Jr. Warden
Jim Berry, Treasurer
Crystal Mason, Clerk
The Rev. Dr. Gloria Hopewell, Rector
Staff:
The Rev. Dr. Gloria Hopewell, Rector
The Rev. Linda Packard, Priest Associate
The Rev. Diane Luther, Deacon
Nancy Kenney, Parish Administrator
Robin French, Music Director
Nancy Cook, Erben Organist
Charlotte Stryker: Worship
Elizabeth Ludescher: Communications
Nancy Cook: Outreach
Eric Kallback: Building & Grounds
Crystal Mason: Pastoral Care
Phil Jackman: Fellowship/Parish Life
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