The Sixteenth Sunday After Pentecost - 9.12.2021 |
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Oh God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us through Jesus your son. Look now with compassion on the entire human family; and particularly this part of the family, in the United States, and those in our nation’s capital; take away the arrogance and hatred which infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us; unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in your good time, all nations and races may serve you in harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
For the Human Family, Book of Common Prayer, p. 815
PLEASE REMEMBER IN YOUR PRAYERS
Our vestry, lay leaders, and congregation as we embark on the search process for a new rector;
Ian, Jean, Karin,Ian Cochran, Barbara and Peter dePinto, Ellie Hafstad, Carol Streichert, JoAnn Stone,
Chris Mitchell, Lee, Maura McGrath
REST IN PEACE: Thomas Ruffin
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Pushing old boundaries
Over and over, God’s call to us means pushing old boundaries, embracing outsiders, giving up the notion that there is not enough of us to go around. We may resist; we may even lose our tempers, but the call of God is insistent, as insistent as the Canaanite woman who would not leave Jesus alone. The call of God keeps after us, calling us by name, until finally we step over the lines we have drawn for ourselves and discover a whole new world on the other side. . . .The best lesson, I suppose, is that God’s face can turn up anywhere, and especially on the far side of the lines we draw to protect ourselves—in the face of a Canaanite woman, or a person with AIDS, or in any of the other faces that turn toward us seeking help, seeking care, seeking relationship with us that we are reluctant to give. The call of God is insistent, and whenever we limit who we will be to other people or who we will let them be for us, God gets to work, rubbing out the lines we have drawn around ourselves and calling us into the limitless country of his love. We may well formulate new limits and draw new lines, but none of them last very long, because that is the way it is when people have been called out by God. Once God has called us out there is no going back—whatever we choose to do—God never calls us back behind our lines.
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COLLECT FOR THE SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
O God, because without you we are not able to please you, mercifully grant that your Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
8:00am - Holy Eucharist
9:30am - Holy Eucharist in the Garden*
10:15am Church School Registration
11:00am - Holy Eucharist
The 11:00am order of service is available to download HERE
*The 9:30am service is outdoors in Memorial Garden, weather permitting. It does not move inside in the case of bad weather. Cancellations will be posted on website by 8:00am.
Please register in advance to help us prepare for Communion.
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This Sunday we again welcome The Rev. Emily Wachner, who will be with us through the end of September. Mtr. Emily is thrilled to call Nyack her home, after a decade spent serving institutions in Manhattan. Following her graduation from Yale Divinity School and subsequent curacy in St. Louis, MO, Emily served as a priest at Trinity Wall Street from 2011 - 2015, directing liturgy and congregational programming at St. Paul's Chapel. From 2015 - 2020, Emily taught on the faculty at the General Theological Seminary, as Director for Integrative Programs (field education) and Lecturer in Practical Theology. Emily's husband, Julian, is the Director of Music at Trinity Wall Street; their children, Tallis and Tabitha, attend the Montessori Center of Nyack.
Next Sunday, September 19 we'll welcome back former rector Fr. Richard Gressle at the 8:00am service and to preach at the 11:00am service. Mtr. Emily will celebrate at 9:30 and 11:00am.
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CHURCH SCHOOL LEADERSHIP CHANGES
This Sunday, September 12 at 9:30am will mark the last appearance of Annie Hekker Weiss as our church school director. We are endlessly grateful for the love, boundless creativity, and devotion she has poured into the position and shared with our young people over her years as director!
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We're happy to welcome Sandra Rodriguez who takes over as church school director this month.Sandy is a special education teacher who has spent the last 25 years working in early intervention, and is familiar to many having served as a church school teacher here for several years.
Church School registration and activities will take place at 10:15am, following the 9:30 Eucharist in the Garden, over the next several weeks. If you'd like to register in advance, the form is available here. The tentative church school calendar is here.
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Midnight Run is returning to Grace! We will start back up in making approximately 100 sandwiches and bag meals for those who are homeless beginning this Saturday, September 11 - 10:00am at Grace. Please consider joining us. Kids are welcome too. If you would like more information or to be included on our email list, please email Barbara Miesch at: bmiesch@hotmail.com or Heidi R. Hill at: nyack13@gmail.com
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Please note that for your safety and the safety of others, and in accordance with recently revised CDC guidelines for Rockland County, we ask that everyone wear masks while in the church.
Thank you for you cooperation and consideration.
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CLICK HERE for the latest Diocesan notice re COVID protocols
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Announcements & Ongoing Programs |
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NEW CHOIR OPPORTUNITIES!
The Grace Church Choir is looking for new members for the 2021-2022 season. If you have a love of music and choral singing, please consider the opportunity for liturgical ministry. The choir sings primarily at the 11:00am service as well as four Sunday afternoon services of Choral Evensong and the repertoire ranges the entire span of the Anglican choral tradition. For the 2021-2022 season, rehearsals are held on Sunday mornings at 9:30am, offering greater flexibility for those with multiple demands on time and energy. Membership requires a meeting/audition with the director and a commitment to regular participation.
Do you enjoy singing but want a more occasional option? Consider joining the Parish Choir! All are welcome to participate, and this is a wonderful opportunity for families to make music together in church. The Parish Choir sings on the 2nd Sunday of the month* (October-May) at the 11:00am service. Simply arrive by 10:30am to learn a simple anthem to sing that morning.
For more information about these choral opportunities, or for questions about musical participation at Grace Church, contact Brandon Beachamp, Choirmaster and Organist, at bbeachamp@gracechurchnyack.org or at 347.556.1112.
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SEARCH COMMITTEE UPDATE
In July, the vestry appointed Beth Paskowski to chair the Search Committee. The Episcopal Church has a unique process to call the next priest to serve. Priests are neither appointed by the Bishop (although they must be approved) nor are they voted upon by the congregation (although the congregation participates). The Search Committee’s job is twofold: to elicit information from the congregation about the congregation, and to read and review the position resumes that are received. Then follows a rather involved decision making process shared by the committee, the vestry and the Bishop.
This committee ideally is made up of representatives from all areas of our congregation. They need to be people of faith, and have the ability to work for consensus. Since the Search Committee is limited to 9-12 people, the challenge is to identify such representatives from our wealth of applicants.
If you are interested in serving on such a committee for 9-12 months, please fill out an application* or contact the office for a paper copy. Send the application to the parish office or Kickie Fulmor, Molly MacQueen, or Beth Paskowski by September 25.
*Click on the ink to open the PDF file. How you are able to complete and submit this form is somewhat variable depending on the version of Adobe Acrobat that you have. If your version is relatively recent, you should be able to complete the form online, save it to your computer, and then email it to the office. Some may find it necessary to download the form, fill it out by hand, then scan and email to us. We will also have paper copies available at church on Sundays. We will also have an online form available at a later date. If you're having trouble, let us know!
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GRACE IS GOING GREEN!!!
In an effort to be more eco friendly, Grace is researching and instituting some initiatives such as
green cleaning, expanding recycling and composting, installing a bike rack and more.
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COFFEE HOUR HELP NEEDED
If you are interested in helping to provide and serve refreshments on a Sunday, please let me know. Reimbursements are available for supplies. K Fulmor
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REMEMBER YOUR FOOD DONATIONS FOR PEOPLE TO PEOPLE ON SUNDAYS
Food donations for People to People are always needed. When you come to church please bring a non-perishable food item to leave in the basket at the entry to the church. Peanut butter, tuna fish and cereal are greatly appreciated “
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BROWN BAG AND A BIBLE Join us via Zoom on Thursdays and Sundays
Brown Bag and a Bible continue Thursdays at noon and Sundays at 2:00pm in its new virtual format via ZOOM and led by Pat Reynolds. ALL ARE WELCOME.
As always the sessions will focus on the readings for the week. The series will continue for the next five weeks. If you'd like to join, contact Pat (reynolcw@gmail.com) for the ZOOM link.
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PLEASE PLEDGE NOW FOR 2022!
Now more than ever, as we enter this critical transition period and work together to identify and attract our new rector, your commitment to our financial health is critical.
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Our Virtual Offering Plate
Please keep your pledge current!
To help ensure continuity for the church and our outreach programs to the community, please keep your pledge current if you are able, or make one-time donations as you would on Sunday. You can mail a check to us at 130 First Avenue, Nyack, NY 10960 or use our Virtual Offering Plate to make an online gift. Use the drop down menu under "FUND" to choose "Other Gifts" or "Pledge Payments".
We are so grateful for your support.
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Everything is Waiting for You
David Whyte
Your great mistake is to act the drama
as if you were alone. As if life
were a progressive and cunning crime
with no witness to the tiny hidden
transgressions. To feel abandoned is to deny
the intimacy of your surroundings. Surely,
even you, at times, have felt the grand array;
the swelling presence, and the chorus, crowding
out your solo voice. You must note
the way the soap dish enables you,
or the window latch grants you freedom.
Alertness is the hidden discipline of familiarity.
The stairs are your mentor of things
to come, the doors have always been there
to frighten you and invite you,
and the tiny speaker in the phone
is your dream-ladder to divinity.
Put down the weight of your aloneness and ease into
the conversation. The kettle is singing
even as it pours you a drink, the cooking pots
have left their arrogant aloofness and
seen the good in you at last. All the birds
and creatures of the world are unutterably
themselves. Everything is waiting for you.
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