THURSDAY EVENING FORUMS

Sunday, August 29 The Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost ~ Proper 17

8:00 a.m. Low Mass

10:30 a.m. Sung Mass with choir, followed by Laying-on of Hands for healing

Tuesday, August 31 Aidan, Bishop of Lindesfarn, 651

5:30 p.m. Low Mass in the Chapel

Wednesday, September 1 David Pendleton Oakerhater, Deacon and Missionary of the Cheyenne, 1931
[Giles, Abbot in Provence, c.708]

7:15 a.m. Low Mass in the Chapel, followed by breakfast at Effie’s

7:00 to 9:30 p.m. Choir Rehearsal

Thursday, September 2 The Martyrs of New Guinea, 1942

5:30 p.m. Low Mass

Sunday, September 5 The Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost ~ Proper 18

8:00 a.m. Low Mass, followed by Laying-on of Hands for healing (see note below)

10:30 a.m. Solemn High Mass with choir, followed by Laying-on of Hands for healing

Following the 8:00 a.m. Low Mass on the first Sunday of each month, Fr. Maxwell provides the laying-on of hands and prayers for healing. Following every 10:30 a.m. mass, lay members of our parish with healing ministries are available in the chapel to provide this service. If you would like to receive this rite, please quietly enter the chapel during the postlude; our lay ministers will remain in the chapel as long as necessary.

Get ready to Live Big! Mr. John Pryor is leading an education hour for the young and the young at heart every Sunday morning at 9:45 in Nason Hall. They will be using the curriculum “Live Big” which employs games and songs, art projects and stories to teach us about our faith. Come join in the fun!

Our own Grace Church is hosting an ongoing Contemplative Prayer Group in collaboration with members of Christ Church Cathedral every other Tuesday evening. Sessions will be an hour and a half in length, from 7:00 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. Please join us for meditation, centering prayer, personal experiences on the path into the silent land of contemplation, and lively discussions about the writings of ancient and modern contemplatives and mystics from the Desert Fathers to Saint Benedict, Meister Ekhart, Thomas Merton and others. It is recommended that participants purchase and read Into the Silent Land: A Guide to the Christian Practice of Contemplation by Martin Laird, available from Amazon for around $12. For more information please call Larry Malick from the Cathedral at (860) 560-9085 (h) or (860) 677-2177 (w).

8:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. every Thursday
(except the first Thursday of every month)

Please consider joining our wonderful packing and/or distribution team as a new volunteer.

We hope you're noticing all the repairs and improvements that are taking place at Grace: The roof of the church has been replaced and new eaves troughs have been installed. A brick buttress on the north side of the church has been rebuilt, the chimney repaired, and other masonry has been re-pointed. The vinyl siding has been power washed and all our exterior woodwork is being repainted. Overgrown shrubbery has been removed and new landscaping is been planned for planting in the spring. We also hope to refinish the floor in Nason Hall soon. Grace is looking quite shiny and bright!

Needless to say, all this work costs money; fortunately, under the careful guidance of our junior warden, our expenses are being kept quite low and we expect all these improvements to cost approximately $30,000. To meet these expenses we've taken out a low interest loan from the diocese. One of the stipulations of this loan is that the parish raise at least 20% of the total cost of the project. The vestry is delighted to report that parish leaders have contributed almost $11,000 toward all these capital improvements, easily surpassing the requirements of the diocese. If you would like to join in this effort to maintain and improve Grace's buildings, contributing to our building fund, please write a check to Grace Episcopal Church noting "for capital expenses" in the memo line.

Choir Spots Available

The Grace Church Choir is always willing to welcome new members. A reasonable singing voice and a desire to sing are the only requirements, but previous musical training and experience certainly helps. For those that are unable to commit to the full choral schedule of Sundays and Holy Days, it is possible to rehearse and sing select Sundays or a particular Feast. Anyone so inclined: please speak to me!

--Kyle Swann, Choirmaster and Organist
kyleoperdressage@aol.com

~ We need your help to fill Grace Church with the beauty and fragrance of exquisite flowers! With your support, glorious flowers will “grace” our church all year long. Please consider contributing to the Flower Fund.

~The Altar Guild needs additional members to assist in preparing for both Sunday and daily masses, and in maintaining our vestments and linens.

~Our food pantry welcomes volunteers both to pack groceries on Wednesdays at 4:30 p.m. (except the first Wednesday of each month) and to distribute them on Thursdays from 9 to 11:00 a.m. (except the first Thursday of each month)

~Coffee Hour Sign-up: We have need for more people to volunteer to provide refreshments for the Coffee Hour after the 10:30 a.m. services in the coming weeks. Please consider making this one of your ministries here at Grace. There is a sign-up sheet in Nason Hall. Thank you!

Please contact the rector if you feel called to serve in any of these areas;
the burden is light and the reward is great!