Grace Episcopal Church
Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Grace Notes
19 September 2013
How do we experience faith? We
will explore this during the Faith Alive weekend, starting tomorrow. Faithful Christians who have the same
struggles are traveling to be with us to share their own experience of God.
Experience matters. This is pretty obvious if you spend a few
minutes to watch the “debate” between two comics—one a professed atheist and
one a professed Christian—found here:
(There are one or two crude words used.)
http://www.upworthy.com/a-debate-between-an-atheist-and-a-christian-has-quite-a-surprising-result?g=2
This isn’t really a debate. People
aren’t exchanging and critiquing ideas and arguments. They are exchanging feelings. The atheist (who in effect says that he will
choose damnation if God exists and doesn’t meet his expectations) describes a
conversion experience (to atheism) based on a confusion between the question
“how” and the question “why”. The
Christian—who knows the Bible pretty well—tries to meet these objections by
testifying to who Jesus is, but in doing so he describes God in terms of
cultural phenomena. They both ignore
that God is not a cultural phenomenon, that faith is not a cultural phenomenon,
and that we don’t judge God according to our expectations. He reveals His.
But—and here’s the catch—most people aren’t really going to engage
in debate, and aren’t well-equipped to do so (notwithstanding the admonition of
1 Peter 3.15 that we are to be ready to offer a testimony to the hope that is
within us). What people are more likely
to respond to is us sharing our experience of faith. If they are open to such sharing it will
plant seeds to allow them to examine their own experience. Maybe then they’ll ask real questions about
God, about who He is, rather than about who He is not. Come this weekend and witness how this is
done. Experience this sharing yourself.
Urgent call for prayer warriors! The prayer vigil for the Faith Alive weekend
begins at 5 p.m. on Thursday (today), and lasts until 4 p.m. tomorrow
(Friday). We need people to sign up for
the following hours on Friday: 1 a.m., 1
p.m., and 2 p.m. Keep the vigil going to
cover our guests and all of us with prayer, to lift the parish up to God, that
we may be protected and may receive new life in and by the Holy Spirit.
Grace Abounds: Please thank Jim Gardner and Mary Snyder for
the coffee hours this past Sunday. Please
thank Bobbie May for her work weeding around the grounds.
There are many people to be
thanked for all of the work that has gone into making our Faith Alive weekend a
reality. A complete listing will be
forthcoming, but for now please thank to two co-chairmen of the effort: Fr. John Ambelang and Tom Wright.
Faith Alive: A schedule for the retreat:
|
TIME
|
Grace Parishioners
|
ADULTS & TEENAGERS
|
|
NURSERY
|
|
THURSDAY
|
24 HOUR - Please Sign-up
|
PRAYER
|
VIGIL BEGINS at 5:00pm
|
|
|
FRIDAY
|
|
|
|
|
|
5:45 PM
|
Supper
for Everyone – Meet the Faith Alive Visitors / Guests
|
x
|
|
4:30
PM
|
|
6:40 PM
|
Program
in Parish Hall
|
x
|
|
TO
|
|
7:35 PM
|
Small
Groups
|
Note
1
|
Children’s
Activity
|
9:00
PM
|
|
8:45 PM
|
Program
in Parish Hall
|
x
|
|
|
|
9:00 PM
|
ADJOURN
|
|
|
|
|
SATURDAY
|
|
|
|
|
|
10:00 AM
|
Neighborhood
Coffees
|
Note
2
|
|
8:15
PM To
|
|
12:00 N
2:00 PM
|
Men’s
Luncheon /Women’s Luncheon
|
Note
2
|
|
2:00
PM
|
|
6:00 PM
|
Pot
Luck Dessert in Parish Hall (for all)
|
x
|
|
|
|
6:30 PM
|
Program
in Parish Hall
|
x
|
Including children's skit
|
4:30
PM
To
|
|
7:35 PM
|
Small
Groups
|
Note
1
|
Children’s
Activity
|
9:00
PM
|
|
8:45 PM
|
Prayer
Teams in Church
|
x
|
|
|
|
9:00 PM
|
ADJOURN
|
|
|
|
|
SUNDAY
|
|
|
|
|
|
8:00 AM
|
Church
Service
|
|
|
Sunday
School and Christian Education & Nursery
|
|
10:15 PM
|
Church
Service
|
|
|
|
|
12:00 N
|
FA
Team Leaves After Extended Coffee Hour
|
Coffee
Hour and Follow-Up
|
|
As
Usual
|
|
4:00 – 5:00PM
|
All
Parish Follow-up Meeting
|
|
|
Note 1: Adults will go to adult small groups, and the
teens will go to their own small group
Note2: Only adults at coffees, and luncheon. Teens will have their own activity. Teens should meet at the church at 10:00 AM
Raking Leaves
Fundraiser: If raking your yard this
year seems like too much of a task, then our Boy Scout Troop is here to help.
They will be raking leaves on the following dates: November 2nd, 9th, and
16th. If you are interested please contact Paul Aparicio (paac92399@yahoo.com). A sign-up
sheet will be available in the narthex.
Episcopal Youth Community:
Music this week: We are joined this Sunday both by Sheboygan’s
own Winds of Worship flute choir (which includes Grace’s Sutton Cecil), and by
the music team from our Faith Alive visitors, led by Ann Kirkpatrick of Denver,
Colorado.
Prelude Winds of Worship Flute
Choir
Entrance Hymn 450 “All hail the power of Jesus’ Name” Coronation
Offertory Hymn “Amazing Grace” New Britain
Communion Music Winds of Worship Flute Choir
Faith Alive Music Team
Comm. Hymn 335 “I am the Bread of life” I am the Bread of Life
Closing Hymn 493 “O for a thousand tongues to sing” Azmon
Postlude Winds of Worship Flute
Choir
Parish Notices
§ Citizenship Celebration - Recently, Ellen Aparicio
passed her citizenship test and will have her oath ceremony later this month to
become a U.S. Citizen. To celebrate her accomplishment, Paul and Andrea
Aparicio will be offering an American themed lunch with a hot dog bar and apple
pie after the 10:15 service on September 29th. Please join us in
celebrating with Ellen on her accomplishment.
§ Bishop
Election Candidates: For all
information concerning the search for the eighth Bishop of Fond du Lac please
go to bishopsearch.info. Full biographies of the candidates are now
available. Printed copies are available
at the parish office. The closest “walkabout” opportunity to meet
the candidates will be on Friday, 4 October, at St. Paul’s Cathedral, Fond du
Lac, beginning at 5:30 p.m.
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