Church = Mission

Grace Episcopal Church

Sheboygan, Wisconsin

Grace Notes

9 January 2014

What is the mission of the Church?  This question is posed in the catechism found in the prayer book, with the answer being stated to be, “The mission of the Church is to restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ” (BCP 855).  The catechism also teaches that the mission of the Church is accomplished through the ministry of all of her members.

Pretty basic stuff, this is, but also too small a description of a holy mystery.  Why?  It is because the Church does not have a mission, she is a mission.  The Church is the Body of our Lord Jesus Christ.  We are gathered into a holy mystery in which we incarnate God’s presence.  At John 1.14 it is famously revealed “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth ...”  We must make the revelation of a timeless reality timeless—ignore the tense in the verbs used in Scripture, and make the revelation that the Word becomes—is—flesh, and dwells among us and in us now, as the Word incarnated in the world.  That is the mission of the Church, our mission.  We are to make God present to each other and to the world.  We are to enflesh God’s presence and love, and we don’t do this unless we make God’s will our own.

Ask yourself this question today and every day:  How will God use me to make Himself present, to reveal Himself, to those with whom I meet?  When we live into the reality that we are part of the Body of Christ, then we start acting more like His eyes and ears, His hands, His back, His strong arm, and we start to recognize Him in others, as well.  May God use every one of us, to His glory!

Grace Abounds:  Please thank:

§  Bobbi and Kaleigh Kraft for the wonderful coffee hours this past Sunday.

§  Barb MacEwen for kitchen set-up and clean-up for the parish potluck supper on Epiphany, and Jessica Ambelang and Julie Davidson for clean-up.

§  The Crouse family for serving the altar at the Epiphany Mass.

Sacrament of Reconciliation:  Reconciliation (Confession) will be offered this Satuday, 11 January, from 7:45 to 8:45 a.m.

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 in the week of publication.

Music this week:

Prelude             How brightly shines the Morning Star                                    Buxtehude

Entrance Hymn 124      “What star is this, with beams so bright”

Offertory Hymn 497     “How bright appears the Morning Star”

Communion Motet        Christ, when for us you were baptized                                   Hart

Comm. Hymn 120        “The sinless one to Jordan came”

Closing Hymn 119        “As with gladness men of old”  

Postlude                       How brightly shines the Morning Star                                    Bach

Parish Notices

Small Groups: Sunday, January 12^th  at 9:00am please meet in St. Nicholas Hall, grab a cup of coffee and a treat, we will divide up into small groups to share our reflections of the scripture passages and get to know one another better.

More Small Groups: Sunday, January 12^th after the 10:15am service there will be a small group experience in the Library. Grab a cup of coffee and a treat and join the conversation.

Girl Scout Cookies! Girl Scout Cookies can be preordered for $3.50/box this Sunday, January 12^th after both masses. Money will be due on Sunday, February 23^rd when the cookies will be delivered at church. Any Grace Church youth member who is involved in Daisy/Girl Scouts should come in their troop uniform to help work the booth and we will divide the orders up equally between the participants.

Directory (Almost Final Draft) Update: For various reasons the update was not done last fall. We hope to print it in time for the Annual meeting on January 26^th. If you did not check your entry last fall, or have a recent change please check and change it in the draft found on the narthex table.

Soup and Cinema: The Mission starring Robert Di Nero and Jeremy Irons will be the movie Wednesday, January 15^th beginning at 6:00pm. Come and enjoy a bowl of soup, the show and conversation. Please sign up on the sheet in the Narthex.

Annual Meeting Reports: If you are in charge of anything, please write a short report to be included in the Annual Report and send it to the office office@gracesheboygan.com by Sunday, January 19th. Thank you so much.

Flower Schedule for 2014: Giving the gift of flowers is a wonderful way to remember a loved one or to offer thanksgiving for your blessings. If you wish to sign up for a specific Sunday, the Flower Schedule is available on the table in the narthex. More than one person can sign up for each Sunday.

Coffee Hour Schedule: There is a new sign-up sheet for hosting coffee hour in 2014. If you would like to host please sign up for either 8:00am or 10:15am. We are in need of someone to oversee the schedule and be the point person for questions. If you would be able to spend a few minutes a week double checking the sign-up sheet and giving reminders or if you have questions please see Deacon Michele or Bobbi Kraft. Thank you so much.

The Annual Meeting: This year’s annual meeting will take place on Sunday January 26, 2014. We will have one Mass at 9:00am followed by the annual meeting held in the Nave 10:30am. We plan to have an all parish pot-luck lunch in St. Nicholas Hall at the conclusion of the meeting. The agenda of the meeting will include committee reports, new Vestry and Warden elections, 2013 financial review and 2014 budget, review Vestry actions, and an overall review of the 2014 calendar. Please make every effort to attend and participate.

All Parish Potluck Lunch: Following the Annual Meeting we will have and All Parish Potluck Lunch. Please bring a dish to pass and share in fellowship. Please sign up on the sheet in the Narthex.

Call for Vestry Nominations: Vestry elections will be held on Sunday, 26 January, at the parish annual meeting. We need at least six nominees, with names provided to the parish office by 20 January. You can nominate another person or yourself. To run for Vestry you must be a qualified elector of the parish, which means that: (1) You are regular in your attendance on worship;(2) You have received Holy Eucharist at least once in the prior year;(3) You are active in your support of the parish through a pledge or some other form of giving; and (4) Your are at least sixteen years of age. Vestry members are called to lead. Be prepared in the election process to provide a brief biographical sketch which allows your fellow parishioners to better understand your relationship with God and His Church, and your call to lead. Vestry members are called to commitment, and are expected to attend twelve meetings throughout the year (once per month).