Grace Episcopal Church
Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Grace Notes
28 November 2013
Happy Thanksgiving! Let us pray that this may be a Holy Thanksgiving. In the collect for the feast we pray:
Almighty and gracious Father, we give
you thanks for the fruits of the earth in their season and for the labors of
those who harvest them. Make us, we pray, faithful stewards of your great
bounty, for the provision of our necessities and the relief of all who are in
need, to the glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and
reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
In a time when it is all-too-easy to
focus on consumption, let us ever remember that all that we enjoy is of God’s
bounty. When we do this we can then
offer thanks. We can offer thanks to God
for life itself—let alone the provision for our necessities, and for the fruits
of the earth—and for the greatest bounty, that He has given His only Son for
our redemption.
At your
celebration of Thanksgiving, focus on prayer first. Make a point of opening your meal with
prayer, whether or not it makes guests feel at ease. That’s part of the point—that the Gospel is
offensive to the world. Focus on
prayer. Join with at the Tripartite
service (Wednesday, 7 p.m., at Grace). Join
with us on Thanksgiving Day (9 a.m.)
Make a point of gathering in prayer and worship, and then take this
grace to your own table.
Holiday closure: The church and office will be closed on
Friday and Saturday (29 and 30 November).
No services will be offered on those days.
Grace Abounds: Please thank Ann and Bob Hanlon, and Jennifer
and John Keller for the wonderful coffee hours this past Sunday.
Call for
Contributions: If you have a spiritual reflection to share,
or want to point your fellow worshippers toward a resource, submit your
contributions to Fr. Karl (by email) by Wednesday (noon) each week.
Advent Lessons &
Carols will be offered, again, this year on Sunday, 8 December, at 4 p.m.,
followed by High Tea. This is an ideal
introduction to Anglican piety, as well as just a wonderful opportunity to
gather in worship. This year we are
inviting community leaders from outside the parish to serve as our
readers. Please invite your friends to join us!
Episcopal Youth
Community: New Beginnings: December 7-8, Grace Church,
Sheboygan, for all students grades 6-8 - http://diofdl.org/newbeginnings
Music this week:
Prelude Chorale
Prelude on Sleepers, Wake! J.
S. Bach
Entrance Hymn 58 “Lo, he comes with clouds descending” St. Thomas
Trisagion
S-102 A.
Archangelsky
Offertory Hymn
61 “Sleeper, wake! A voice astounds
us” Wachet auf
Communion Motet Come,
thou Redeemer of the earth arr. David
Willcocks
Closing Hymn
66 “Come,
thou long-expected Jesus” Stuttgart
Postlude Chorale
Prelude on Sleepers, Wake! J. G. Walther
Parish Notices
§ Holiday
Parade: Grace Church will be
selling cocoa and coffee, brownies, apple crisp and hotdogs, before and during
the Holiday Parade Sunday December 1st. The money raised goes to the
Twenty Liter water project. Please come by the front of the church and enjoy a
warm treat as you enjoy the parade, be sure to bring your friends.
§ Simple
Potluck Supper and Compline:
Sunday, December 1st we will have our first Sunday of the month
Simple Potluck Supper at 6:30pm. Come and enjoy the fellowship then stay for
Compline at 8:00pm. The Schola Cantorum will be singing Compline which is the
night time prayers said or sung just before retiring. It is a wonderful and
peaceful way to end the day.
§ Stewardship: If you received a pledge card and haven't
responded yet, please do so. Even if your response is that you don't have
a 2014 pledge, we still need to hear from you as soon as possible. We are in
the process of assembling the 2014 budget and need your pledge
information. Starting the week of December 1, members of the Vestry will
be personally contacting parishioners who haven't responded. Thanks in
advance for your assistance and for supporting Grace Church.
§ Salvation
Army Adopt a Family Gift tags: We
have the tree up, and all the name tags on it, for the Salvation Army
Family gifts, please take a name or two and follow the instructions on the
table next to the tree. Please return the gifts to Grace Church by
December 8th. If you have any questions please call Nancy Yurk at
453-9948.
§ Youth
and Children’s Choir: Youth and
Children’s choir rehearsals for the Christmas Eve service are at 5:30-6:00pm
beginning this Wednesday December 4th, downstairs in the choir room.
Additional rehearsals will be on December 11th and 18th
these will be just before the Pageant rehearsals. The final rehearsal
will be Sunday, December 22nd at 9:00am. The choir is open to 2nd
graders through high school, and will sing for the 4pm service on Christmas
Eve.
§ Christmas
Pageant Rehearsals: will be on
Wednesday December 4th, December 11th and 18th
starting at 6:00p.m. The rehearsals will begin in the church and then go
downstairs for costumes. Participation is open to youth of all ages. The
Pageant will take place during the 4:00 p.m. Christmas Eve Mass. Please sign up
on the sheet in the Narthex. If your child would like to participate but cannot
make rehearsals please note that on the sheet or call the office.
§ Director
Needed: If you would like to spend
some time with shepherds and angels have I got a job for you! A volunteer or
two are needed to direct the Christmas Pageant. The more help keeping little
feet in place the better. Please speak with Pat Ford Smith or Nicci Beeck.
§ Advent
Lessons and Carols: On Sunday, 8
December, a festival of Advent Lessons and Carols will be offered at Grace
Episcopal Church, beginning at 4:00 p.m.
§ The festival prepares us for the coming of
the Messiah by following the scriptural record through nine lessons, each
followed by a seasonal carol offered by choir and congregation. The choir
will also offer seasonal anthems, and music will include Dr. R. Benjamin Dobey
on organ. The service is followed immediately by a High Tea reception.
§ Christmas
Castle Volunteers: Tuesday,
December 17th from 1:00 – 3:30pm help make Christmas merry for
hundreds of children this year by volunteering. As a volunteer you will have
the opportunity to walk the aisles of the “toy store” with clients to help them
find the perfect gift. The Christmas Castle is located on the west side of
Memorial Mall in the old Walgreens’s. Please sign up on the sheet in the
Narthex.
§ Christmas
Joy: is scheduled to meet
on Thursday, December 19th at 11:00 AM in the church kitchen. At that time we
will assemble winter greens and flowers and bag cookies, and then make
deliveries (there is a sign up sheet in the narthex.) We need helping hands and
money (to buy for packaging supplies and flowers.) Can you bake, make a
delivery or help arrange? Please join us for this fulfilling ministry to our
shut-ins. They will appreciate it. If you have questions please call Barb
MacEwen at 467-6909.
§ Study/Discussion
Group: This group decided to
study of Galatians. They plan to meet after the 10:15 service starting December
1, hoping to meet every two weeks in the conference room. Contact people
are Mary Massey and Fr. John Ambelang.
§ Canticle
of Christmas: Mark your calendars
for the Lakeshore Chorale & Lakeshore Youth Chorale Christmas Concert.
Sunday, December 8, 2013, 2:00 p.m. at St. Peter Claver Church, 1444 South 11th
Street, Sheboygan. Lakeshore Chorale & Youth Chorale celebrate the
Christmas season with a variety of holiday music, an audience sing-along, and
conclude with a reception of punch and Christmas cookies! $15.00 adults; $8.00
students OR included in Season Ticket.
§ Society
of Mary: The fundamental
Mission is to foster devotion to Mary, Mother of God, at Grace Episcopal
Church. The Society will be revived, to qualify as an internationally-recognized
named cell. Focuses will include: (a) Revitalize attendance at the
celebration of the five annual commemorations of Mary on the Church Calendar;
(b) Increase attendance support of the Walsingham protoshrine daily prayers,
and for the corporate Rosary recited on Mondays at 5:30 p.m.; (c) Improve
communication in the broader community of our intended missions. Normal meeting
time will be after the first service on the fourth Sunday of the
month in the church library and possibly Monday after shrine and rosary.
Contact person is Mary Kohler.
§ "So
many books so little time".
I am interested in starting/being a part of a book club centered at
Grace. My initial thought is a once a month meeting at Grace to discuss
the months selection. At this point I am simply throwing out a few ideas I have
seen work in the past. All "rules" would be decided by the
participants. Since we have made some progress in developing "Faith
Alive" small groups revolving around mostly spiritual issues I thought a "literary"
small group might be nice. Any thoughts, suggestions, interest would be
welcome. Dale Massey (920) 254-3034, masseydale51@gmail.com.
§ Meals On Wheels Christmas Cookies: Meals On Wheels
volunteers will be delivering a box of homemade cookies to our clients again
this Christmas season. (As many of you know, for some clients, this is the
only gift they will receive). So all we need are the cookies. If you
would like to donate some of your goodies to our project please call or email
Maureen at Meals On Wheels at 451-7011 or client1@shebmow.org. We have
cookie drop off sites in both Sheboygan and Plymouth and we will be packaging
cookies on the 17th of December. Your response in the past has
been overwhelming and we cannot thank you enough for your continued support.
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