Grace Episcopal Church
Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Grace Notes
13 March 2014
Servus servorum Dei (Servant of the servants of God) is one of the
titles of the pope. It is used as the
opening of each papal bull (proclamation).
The title was adopted by Pope St. Gregory the Great (d. 604), the same
Gregory we associate with Gregorian chant, and the same Gregory who dispatched
St. Augustine of Canterbury to England in 587, to take the Roman way of Christianity
to Britain.
Gregory’s feast day was yesterday,
and the collect prayer in our Anglican liturgy for the feast makes a neat play
on his title, referring to God raising Gregory as “a servant of the servants of
God”. This nod to this papal dignity is
testimony to the catholic (that is, universal) outlook in Anglicanism, but also
serves to remind us about what real Christian leadership is comprised
of—servanthood.
To serve God and others—this is to
lead. When you see others in the parish
who serve you are seeing those who model Christian behavior. They are leading, and they are calling all of
us to serve with them. In serving God
and each other, we are making changes in how the Vestry meets. It has been our practice to meet once a
month, and to include in meetings a detailed review of parish financial status,
action items and concerns. This has
involved discussion of the financial reports, and reports made by the wardens
and rector. We are now moving past this
model, which was adopted intentionally to allow for maximum transparency and
trust-building.
What will change? We will continue to meet, but we will not
review reports. They will be distributed
well-enough in advance that each member of Vestry can review them and determine
if he or she needs to raise a question.
The actual meeting time will be devoted to how the Vestry functions in spiritual leadership, thinking and
praying about who we are and who we are called to be, and how we will become
the Church we are called to be, both within the parish and the wider community.
Remember: Vestry meetings are open. Any parishioner may attend. (The
meeting for March will be on the 23rd, at 11:45 a.m.) Any parishioner may request copies of all
reports and financial information. Most
importantly, as you lead by serving, as you discern who we are called to be,
raise your insights with any member of Vestry, or just come to Vestry yourself,
that through each other’s voices we may better learn who God is calling us to
be.
Grace Abounds: Please thank:
§
Jane Hanson and Mary Massey for the Sunday
coffee hour, with Jack Britton for clean-up.
§ Bill
and Deb Gagin for the Friday Lenten supper.
All:
Wednesday you received an email request for assistance for
this weekend's Happening #67. The request for food donations was
responded to in FULL!! Once again, Grace has shown its willingness to
bless the youth of our Diocese and provided in abundance. What a
wonderful way to keep the cost down and offer a ministry that wouldn't
otherwise be available!!!
Thank you for blessing us!!
Yours,
Happening #67 candidates
and staff
So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. I Cor 10:31
So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. I Cor 10:31
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 From Seven Sketches on Verses from the Psalms Percy Whitlock
Introit Plainsong
Antiphon:
Call to remembrance thy tender compassion and mercy, O Lord, and thy
loving-kindnesses towards us, which have been ever of old: neither suffer our
enemies to triumph against us; deliver us, O God of Israel, out of all our
troubles.
Psalm: Unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul: my God, in thee
have I trusted; let me not be
confounded.
Glory be
to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost: as it was in the
beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Antiphon: Call to remembrance…
Kyrie Missa
‘Alme Pater’ Plainsong,
adapt. Wayne Wildman
Psalm 121 (choir) Anglican
Chant: Walford Davies
Tract (choir) Psalm 106:1-5
Offertory Hymn 448 “O love, how deep, how broad, how high” Deus
tuorum militum
Communion Motet Dear
Lord and Father of Mankind C.
Hubert H. Parry
Closing Hymn
142 “Lord, who throughout these forty
days” St. Flavian
Postlude Fantasia in C Minor (a 5 voci) J. S. Bach
Parish Notices
§ Metropolitan
Opera: On Saturday, 15 March, we will gather at
11:45 a.m. for the live broadcast of Jules Massenet’s masterpiece Werther, in a new production starring
Jonas Kauffman and Sophie Koch. A review
of this found here:
§ Adult
Formation: on Sunday mornings at
9:00 a.m. will allow us to journey together through the Lenten meditations
prepared in the parish. For each day in Lent or parish devotional booklet
includes the collect prayer, the gospel lesson, and a meditation prepared by
one of your fellow disciples in this parish. The booklet also includes space
for you to add your own meditation. On Sundays, we’ll explore together the
meditations for the week, that together we can walk on our Lenten journey. We
can experience our journey together by offering our own insights in small group
settings.
§ Stations
of the Cross, Simple Suppers and Teaching: Every Friday in Lent we will meet each Friday at 5:30 p.m. for
Stations of the Cross, followed by a simple supper and Christian
program. The program will consist of facilitated discussion which will
focus on particular stations of the cross in the context of our own spiritual
§ lives. Such a testimony will be followed by
facilitated small group discussions. Please sign up to attend on the sheets in the
Narthex so enough food will be prepared. Thank you.
§ Service
of Reconciliation: Please join
Grace Church, Sheboygan, St. Peter’s, Sheboygan Falls and St. Paul’s, Plymouth
on Wednesday, March 19th at 6:00pm. The evening will include
scripture reading and hymns; prayer and self-examination. There will also be
opportunity for both corporate and private confession. Please come for an
evening of hope and forgiveness. The service will take place at St. Paul’s, 312
Main St. Plymouth.
§ Knit
Together: Since 1898 (yes, EIGHTEEN
ninety-eight), Christmas at Sea has provided commercial mariners with hand knit
hats, scarves, vests, and socks each winter as our way of saying “thank you”
for making our lives more comfortable. Indeed, international seafarers and
inland river mariners deliver the goods that make our own gift-giving
celebrations possible. (http://www.seamenschurch.org/christmas-at-sea ) On
Saturday, March 22nd we will gather together from 2:00-4:00 PM to hear more
about this organization and the ways we could possibly help. We will have the
1898 Hat pattern on hand and some supplies available. Whether you’re a new
knitter or an experienced one, whether you want to bring a project you’re
working on or try this new one, whether you don’t even knit but want to bring a
project to work on while in fellowship…please join us. And if you’d like to
find out what supplies to bring to make an 1898 Hat, contact Deacon Michele or
Bobbi Kraft for more details.
§ All Saints' Chapel Ownership - Sunday services
at All Saints' Chapel will continue to be a shared ministry this year which
means volunteers will be needed to have ownership of opening and closing the
chapel. A sign-up sheet is located in the Narthex. If you have questions
regarding responsibilities, please ask any member of the Vestry.
No comments:
Post a Comment