| Grace
Prepares for a Decision on Common Ministry
As announced in the last
eGraceNotes issue,
the congregation will be voting on the last Sunday in January
on whether or not to accept the Bishop's invitation to
participate in a Diocesan program to develop a strategy and
practice for Common Ministry in the Diocese. To help prepare
for that decision, the Common Ministry Committee has scheduled
after-church sessions for the remainder of January.
In preparation for these sessions, the Committee handed out a
one-page sheet giving answers to a series of questions about
Common Ministry that were posed by the congregation last
August. You can read that document here.
On Sunday, January 10, Roger Perna will lead a Bible study
giving some biblical background on Common Ministry.
Refreshments will be provided.
On Sunday, January 17, Wanda Miller will present the
information about the Common Ministry process that the Diocese
has invited us to particpate in. Coffee hour will be
provided by the Flag Team.
On Sunday, January 24, the congregation will vote.
Refreshments will be provided.
You can read a series of documents about Common Ministry on
the Grace Church online file cabinet here. |
Christmas
at Grace
Grace Church was especially beautiful this year,
thanks to those who contributed flowers and to members
of the Altar and Flower Guilds who decorated the
church.
We celebrated Jesus' birth with an inspiring candlelit
Choral Eucharist on Christmas Eve, with a quiet Eucharist
on Christmas Day, with Lessons and Carols (10 of them!) on
the Sunday after Christmas, and again with Eucharist last
Sunday--the second Sunday after Christmas.
You can see more pictures of the church and of the
Christmas services here.
Thanks to Walter Handy and
Ken Lyon for the photos.
|
| Healing
Service Coming Wednesday
This month's Celebration of Wholeness and Healing is
Wednesday, January 13. Drumming starts at 6:30 pm, the
service starts at 7 pm.
Of last month's service, Hawley Todd reported:
 The
service was much like our Sunday mornings in the fact that
people kept coming well into the service.
The "neatest" group was the last to arrive.
One of the drummers had seen these people at the Northside
market that evening and told them to come. Sharing
stories and word of mouth is how our programs will grow and
prosper.
The weather prevented about ten or more people who told me
they couldn't make it, but we still had a good group; about
31 folks.
It was about 10 when the last folks left and I locked up.
As folks were leaving, I heard some talking about how they
wished this could be more often. Can you
imagine? Actually, I can, since I have grown to love
and respect so many of the people who come.
See more pictures here.
Read more about this service here. |
Coming
Events
- Sunday,1/10, following 10 am service: Common Ministry
Bible Study with refreshments.
- Wednesday, 1/13: Celebration of Wholeness and Healing
with Prayers, Drumming, Laying on of Hands & Reike.
Drumming starts at 6:30 pm; service starts at 7 pm.
- Sunday, 1/17, Morning Prayer service followed by
explaination of Common Miinistry Process, with
refreshments.
- Wednesday, 1/20: Mission Council meeting at 6 pm.
- Sunday, 1/24, following 10 am service: Congregation
votes on Common Ministry process.
- Sunday, 2/14: Annual Congregational Meeting follows
the Sunday service.
- Sunday, 2/28: Bishop's Visitation.
See the Grace
Calendar Page for the most up-to-date listing of events
at Grace. Let us know at [email protected]
if we've missed anything.
|
Grace
Supports Interfaith Hospitality Network
Mary McLain reports:
The new beds for the Interfaith Hospitality Net have
arrived--16 of them! One of them was purchased
wity money raised by Grace Church. Now some gently
used twin bed sheets would be nice.
Last night was Grace's night to host. Without any
recruiting on my part Grace members volunteered to bring
salads, entree, rolls, and dessert and to be dinner
hosts and overnight hosts. Isn't that wonderful!
On Saturday, January 16, there will be a household
shower for our College Hill IHN at the First Baptist
Church (6210 Betts) from 2:30 to 4:30 pm. See below for
what's needed.
Read more about IHN coming back to College Hill in a previous
eGraceNotes article and about Grace's role in supporting
IHN in a Grace
Staples article.
|
Keep
in Your Prayers ...
John (Johnbear) Dunn, Jack Hart, Anjean Poyer, Jim Edgy,
John Thayer, Gigi Woode, Toussaint Thrower and family, Ray
Harris, Marilyn White, Trevor Van Wagenen, Ed Frye, Jo
Carroll, Karen Van Wagenen, Elaine Hughes, Maureen Back,
Eloise Pinto, Ruth Bertram, Robert Flemister, Judy &
Walter Handy, Shelly Martin, Barbara Todd, Kim Martin,
Robb Martin, Dean Bryeans, Chris, Irene Bryeans, Joshua,
Caleb, Anne, and Darryl Handy, Marcus Flemister, Kim
Herrmann, Al Berghausen, Mary Lou Bellows, Jackie Lewis,
Mike and family, Chris and family, Malcolm Daniel, Jean
Cavalieri, Shelby Hager and family, Laura Chace, Erik,
Alison, Nathanael and Alexis Handy, Bennyce Hamilton,
Laura Hall, Bret Barnard and Durand Carroll, Lisa Perry,
and Mary Jo.
If you need pastoral care or know of someone who does,
please call or email the office (513-541-2415, [email protected]).
Please keep us informed about about illness, hospital stays,
requests for visits, communion, and prayers for special
concerns. Help us to serve you. |
Thanks
to ...
... Grace Church Choir for some beautiful music for our
Christmas services.
... Mother Kimberly Knight, Father John Bower and the Rev.
Raymond Betts for officiating at our services.
... Ken Blue for providing music for our services.
... Sexton Bob Jones, for all he does to keep Grace Church
looking neat, clean & welcoming. And especially this
week, for getting the sidewalks cleared to make it easy
for people to come to Grace.
If you know of others who deserve our thanks, do let the
office know at 513-541-2415 or [email protected].
|
Some
History About Our Children's Processional Cross
 We
were pleased to receive this email from Peggy
Sagnella of Rhode Island:
I was pleasantly surprised to happen across the eGraceNotes
article from last year with the picture of your
Children's Processional Cross which was made by my
grandfather Byron Schonwald. I am the Peggy Ann
Apgar referred to on its inscription. I can hardly
wait to speak tonight with my mother, Helen Elizabeth
Schonwald Apgar, who is the daughter of Ruth and Byron, to
see what she remembers about the history of the
cross. She is getting on in years, but I am sure she
will have an interesting story to tell.
I have fond memories of visiting Grace Church as a child.
Later, she wrote:
Grandpa's hobbies were woodworking and photography. ... I
think he must have completed the cross in about 1954
because the inscription doesn't include the name of my
youngest cousin who was born in 1955 but it does have the
name of my younger brother who was born in 1953. My
grandparents moved to Hendersonville, NC when Grandpa
retired in the late 1960s.
I hope to make a visit to Cincinnati some day so I can see
the cross.
Again, I want you to know what an absolute delight it was
to find out about the existence of this piece of our
family. Thank you for your restoration work!
What a nice story!
|
 Healing
Prayer FAQ Now Online
Grace offers healing prayers for individuals every Sunday
during communion in the Peace Chapel. Prayers are again
offered at a Celebration
of Wholeness and Healing the second Wednesday of each
month, starting at 7 pm. Have you wondered what this is
all about? Or what would happen if you were to
participate?
You can get answers to these and other frequently asked
questions in a Healing
Prayer FAQ by Hawley Todd TSSF.
The article will be published as a pamphlet by Forward
Movement Publications, but is available to you right
now on Grace's web site here.
|
College
Hill Ministerium Sponsors Martin Luther King March and
Service
 |
Bishop
Coming to Confirm and Receive; Classes Available
 Bishop
Bavi Edna "Nedi" Rivera will be visiting Grace
Church on Sunday, February 28. Grace will be Bishop Rivera's
first visitation in this Diocese. (You can read more about
Episcopal Visitations on the Diocesan web site here.)
Bishop Rivera will confirm and receive new members
into the Episcopal Church at that time. Confirmation is
available to any baptized person who has not already been
confirmed in a church in the apostolic succession; reception
is available for those who have been confirmed in a church
in the apostolic succession (for example, the Roman Catholic
Church).
Catechist Hawley Todd has offered to give classes for those
desiring to be either confirmed or received. If you are at
all interested, contact Hawley at [email protected].
Note that when blessings of same-sex unions commences after
this coming Easter, one requirement is that at least one of
the partners be a confirmed or received member of the
Episcopal Church. Read more about this in a previous
eGraceNotes article. |
Discussion
of Theological Foundations of Common Ministry Scheduled
The diocesan Faith in Life Commission is sponsoring a
public discussion about the theological foundations for
Common Ministry on Saturday, January 16, from 4 to 6 pm at
the Church of the Redeemer, 2944 Erie Avenue, Cincinnati.
Bishop Breidenthal and others will discuss a brief paper
by the Rev. Bill Carroll, the chair of the Faith in Life
Commission and rector of the Church of the Good Shepherd
in Athens. The paper takes its title from the BCP's final
clause of the greeting to newly baptized: "And Share
With Us in His Eternal Priesthood." Read the paper on
Life website, www.fil.diosohio.org, here.
|
| Printed
Version of eGraceNotes Now Available; Internet Access, Too
eGraceNotes
readers know that this publication contains news of Grace
that's not easily available elsewhere. But, hard as it is
for some of us to believe, not everyone receives eMail. To
improve communications, we are now posting a printed
version of eGraceNotes
on church bulletin boards, and will make copies available
along with service bulletins to those who want them.
We understand that this is not a perfect solution, in that
it's impossible to follow links to further information
without a computer. To alleviate this problem, we are
offering use of one of the computers in the Grace office to
any member or friend of Grace Church who wants to have
internet access and an email address. Contact Ken Lyon
(513-542-2941) and he'll set you up and show you how. |
Testing
for Census Jobs at Recreation Center Next Week
The Census called to let us know that they've scheduled
testing for jobs with the 2010 Census for next week right
across Belmont at the College Hill Recreation Center. The
test will be administered on Wednesday and Thursday at
9:30 am and 12:30 pm. Make a reservation by calling
513-766-3040. Plan to bring two forms of ID (such as a
driver's license and a Social Security card).
There are a number of jobs available paying from $8.25 to
$19.50 per hour.You can see more information here.
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| Music
Live at Lunch at Our Cathedral is Now Weekly
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