In response to the current status of the COVID-19 pandemic, Grace Church is open for limited in-person worship and visiting hours. Most events will remain virtual for the time being. |
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11 am Morning Prayer and Sermon
on
Clergy:
The Rev. J. Donald Waring
The Rev. Julia Macy Offinger, preaching
The Rev. Thomas Szczerba
Music:
The Adult Choir
Dr. Patrick Allen, organ
THIS WEEK:
Outdoor
Children's Chapel
with Father Thomas!
You’ll find videos of past services and events on Vimeo and YouTube.
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Please see below for weekday worship opportunities, both virtual, and in the church on open days!
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Dear Friends,
As more and more people receive their vaccinations against Covid-19, the news continues to be optimistic for the city. We are loosening the pandemic’s grip on our lives, and can look forward to increasing levels of reopening in society. For now we need to remain cautious, but the blessed day is coming when the current practices of social distancing, contact tracing, and mask wearing will no longer be necessary. At the same time, other pandemic-era lifestyle changes are likely to become part of a new hybrid normal: remote working and learning, more video conferencing and less business travel. And, of course, livestream worship and the ability to participate in the Grace Church community from places near and far.
One pandemic practice that we are officially retiring as of this Sunday is the need to pre-register for in-person worship. In theory, signing up in advance was intended to help with contact tracing if the need arose. Also, with our reduced seating capacity we imagined it might be useful in anticipating how many people planned to attend. Alas, some things work better on paper than they do in practice. For example, on Christmas Day many people pre-registered and then never showed. On Easter Day it was just the opposite. On any given Sunday, many people pre-register at the eleventh hour, after the list is printed for the ushers. Yes, we still need to be concerned about contact tracing, but it’s clear we need a new, simpler system.
Here it is: Come to church! It will be a delight to see you! All you need to do is check in with an usher when you arrive. Ushers will have an alphabetized list of known parishioners, and they will mark you present. We already have your contact information. Newcomers and visitors not in our system will be instructed to fill out one of the yellow contact tracing cards, as they are already doing. It’s that simple. Just check in with an usher upon arrival.
Finally, in this week’s Sunday Forum I’ll be leading Part 3 in a series entitled “Resurrection Appearances.” We’ve been looking at the New Testament reports of incidents when the risen Jesus appeared to the disciples and others. Up this week is the Gospel of John. Still to come is the Book of Acts. At some point we will address the question of how these resurrection appearances inform the Christian hope of life after death. I am guessing we’re going to need a Part 4! Join us this week on Zoom or in the Reception Room at 10 am.
See you in church.
The Rev. J. Donald Waring
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9:00 am Holy Eucharist and Sermon |
On Easter Day we re-launched the 9 am Sunday service. In pre-pandemic times it was part of our regular Sunday worship offerings at 9 am, 11 am, and 6 pm. It was a joy to gather again for the first time at 9 am since March 8, 2020. Going forward we plan to continue with an in-person 9 am Sunday Eucharist (not on the livestream) and 11 am as always, in-person and on the livestream. We expect to re-launch the 6 pm Eucharist in the Chantry in September.
Clergy:
The Rev. J. Donald Waring
The Rev. Julia Macy Offinger, preaching
The Rev. Thomas John Szczerba Jr.
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10:00 am Children's Chapel
(over Zoom) (New time!)
Join Mother Julia and Father Thomas from 10 - 10:25 am to say our hellos, read and discuss the story of the day from our Children’s Bible, and then say our prayers together. (Designed for ages 4-10, but the whole family is welcome.) For Zoom access, please see The Weekly Epistle or email the Rev. Thomas Szczerba well in advance of the event.
Meeting ID: 618 396 533
Password: praisegod
One tap mobile
+19294362866, 618396533# US (New York)
NOTE TO PARENTS:
This week during the 11 am service, we will hold an outdoor Children's Chapel with masks and social distancing. Details below.
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10:00 am Sunday Forum:
Resurrection Appearances, Part Three
The Rector continues the survey of New Testament reports of the risen Jesus. How do the resurrection appearance inform the Christian hope for life eternal? For Zoom access, please see The Weekly Epistle or email the Rev. Thomas Szczerba well in advance of the event. During the month of May we are experimenting with a hybrid format for the Sunday Forum. You can attend in person from the Reception Room or tune in at this Link
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11:00 am Morning Prayer and Sermon
CHURCH IS OPEN
for in-person worship!
Clergy:
The Rev. J. Donald Waring
The Rev. Julia Macy Offinger, preaching
The Rev. Thomas John Szczerba Jr.
Music:
The Adult Choir, Dr. Patrick Allen, organ
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Service will continue to be video streamed every week. Access via any of our live channels. If you experience buffering, you can simply switch to another channel.
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The flowers on the altar today are given to the Glory of God and in loving memory of
Susan Pollard Browning on her eighteenth anniversary in heaven.
The altar candles burn today in memory of
Armande Celestine Browning, in whose honor the candlesticks were given in 2016.
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45 minutes of your favorite hymns, solos, anthems and voluntaries played on the Bicentennial Organ. Requests taken! Find past recordings at this link.
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Festive Altar Embroideries – On Easter Day, we unveiled a new set of white altar and pulpit hangings as well as clergy stoles for use on Easter, Christmas, and other celebratory occasions in the worship life of the church. The work of the liturgical artist Davis d’Ambly, they were commissioned especially for Grace Church and given by Mr. Charles D. Johnston, in loving memory of his mother, Janet Niven Johnston.
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Marriage of Jackson and Giuvela Browning |
Grace Church celebrated the wedding of Jackson and Giuvela Browning on April 10th.
This fine photograph is courtesy of Elana Foundos.
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Please Get Fully Vaccinated |
Vaccines against Covid-19 are now available for anyone 16 years of age and older who wants to be inoculated. Receiving the vaccine protects not only you, but those you love and everyone around you. It is the best way to help speed along the reopening of society. Please speak with your doctor or go to the NYC Vaccine Finder to make an appointment.
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Church is Open
Four Days per Week
Tuesday and Thursday, noon to 3 pm
with Noonday Prayer at 12:15 pm
Wednesday, 5:30 to 6:30 pm
with Evening Prayer at 6 pm
Sunday, 9 am to 12:30 pm
with Worship Service at 11 am
All are required to wear a covering over their nose and mouth, and to observe posted safety guidelines.
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Grace Parish Showcase Sponsored by the Grace Church Women - Online Now! |
We have had a great response to this project, which attempts to display how the creative spirit of our people was at work during the lockdown. Many have submitted, photography, videos, art, stories, and photos of themselves and their families and more!
The show is live! Find it here. Don't miss it! |
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The Weekly Pledge Envelopes have arrived for our Pledging households. If you would like to have your box of Pledge Envelopes set out in the Nave on Sunday, please email Matthew Kopp
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No Ordinary Time: 2021 Annual Campaign |
All parishioners and friends of Grace Church are asked to support our mission by pledging -- or promising -- a financial gift for the coming year. To make your pledge, please fill out the pledge envelope you received in the mail at home. You can place it in the offering plate any Sunday, or mail it to the parish office as soon as you can.
You may also make your pledge at the link below (You have all of 2021 to make your payments!)
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Monday - Centering Prayer (over Zoom)
12:15-12:45 pm Christian silent prayer that prepares us to receive the gift of God’s presence. Led by Currie Estreich, MA, Spiritual Direction, the General Theological Seminary.
Meeting ID: 337 800 858
Password: 058288
One tap mobile
+16465588656,,337800858# US (New York)
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday - Enter, Rest, Pray (CHURCH IS OPEN)
Tuesday, noon–3 pm, Wednesday, 5:30-6:30 pm, and Thursday, noon–3 pm. Tuesday and Thursday Noonday Prayer at 12:05 pm. Wednesday Evening Prayer at 6 pm. All are required to wear a covering over their nose and mouth, and to observe posted safety guidelines.
Midweek In-Person Worship - Tuesday and Thursday Noonday Prayer at 12:15 pm. Wednesday Evening Prayer at 6 pm. All are required to wear a covering over their nose and mouth, and to observe posted safety guidelines.
Tuesday, Thursday – Bach at Noon
12:20 pm - 30 minutes of music by J.S. Bach, played on the Bicentennial Organ.
Wednesday - Women’s Bible Study (over Zoom) – 10:30 am-noon – Long-running program of guided Bible study and discussion for women. For Zoom access info, please see the link below or email the Rev. Julia Macy Offinger well before the event.
Meeting ID: 896 065 849
One tap mobile
+19294362866,,896065849# US (New York)
20s & 30s Pub Theology on May 13th from 6:30pm-7:30pm (over Zoom) - All parishioners in their 20s and 30s are invited to join us for a discussion on Rowan Williams book, Tokens of Trust. For Zoom access, email the Rev. Thomas Szczerba well before the event.
12:20 pm - 30 minutes of music by J.S. Bach, played on the Bicentennial Organ.
4 pm - 45 minutes of diverse music played on the Bicentennial Organ.
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Sunday, May 16th Sunday Forum: Resurrection Appearances, Part Four –
The Rector concludes the survey of New Testament reports of the risen Jesus. For Zoom access, please see The Weekly Epistle or email the Rev. Thomas Szczerba well in advance of the event.
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Summer Break for Wednesday Evening Prayer -
June 9th will be our final evening prayer service of the season in the current hybrid format. Our current plans are to resume the Wednesday 6 pm Eucharist in the chantry come September after the summer recess. Stay tuned as the plans develop.
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Men’s Bible Study – May 19th from 6:30pm-7:15pm (over Zoom) -
The men of Grace Church are invited to join us via Zoom for a bible study on the lectionary for the coming Sunday. This bible study will take place on the first and third Wednesday of the month and will run until June. If you are interested in participating, please contact the Rev. Thomas Szczerba by email.
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May is Peanut Butter Month - In May everyone is invited to contribute a jar (or jars) of peanut butter to the Grace Church food collection. All food donations are appreciated - but this month we focus on peanut butter as a very important staple item for The Red Door Place food ministry. Let’s see how many jars we can collect. Collection baskets are near the doors of the main church.
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We pray for those who suffer
Gardner Rankin
Richard Johnson
Lewis Zachary Cohen
Judy and Lila Glantzman
Russell Browning
Claudia Paoloni
Tom Hall
Josephine
all those who suffer due to the coronavirus
and for those who have died
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Send your photos of milestone events for possible publication in the Weekly Epistle to Matthew Kopp, Membership and Development Manager.
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Your engagement on our social media helps Grace Church!
Please Subscribe, Follow, Like and Share
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GRACE CHURCH IN NEW YORK
212-254-2000
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