Grace
Episcopal Church
Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Grace
Notes
27 July 2017
Today is the feast
of William Reed Huntington, an Episcopal priest remembered for his book The Church Idea (1870), in which he
argued that four key identifiers for the Church must be: visibility;
the indwelling of the Holy Spirit; unity; and a perpetual capacity for renewal.
Huntington enumerated four principals as the bases of Church unity, and
these four principals were adopted in what became known as The Chicago—Lambeth Quadrilateral (of 1886 and 1888, and as found
at pp. 876—877 in the prayer book):
a.
Holy Scripture as the revealed Word of God.
b.
The Nicene Creed as a sufficient statement of the
Christian faith.
c.
The Sacraments of Baptism and Holy Eucharist.
d.
The historic Episcopate (apostolic succession), as
adapted locally.
These essential elements of unity form the ground
upon which we can engage in any work intended to promote ecumenism and common
mission, even when we continue to argue about specifics of doctrine. But, when we descend from the altitude of
efforts between denominations and confessions to the ground level of what we do
as a parish, what Huntington first identified as principals of unity can become,
in effect, measures.
These measures must
be experienced; they must all be
visible. We need to constantly ask
ourselves:
1.
Are we visible in the community, in ministry? How does this happen? How can we become a more public presence?
2.
Are we seen/experienced to be Spirit-led and
Spirit-filled? Are lives changed, not
only within the congregation but through the ministries of the congregation in
the community?
3.
Are we seen/experienced to act as a body (the Body),
rather than just as well-meaning individuals?
4. How do we experience change and renewal?
How do we discern when changed is needed?
Any one of the
questions enumerated above could be an area for focused reflection and
discernment, and we can be focused upon all of them all of the time. But when we are intentional about our
identity as the Church and as the clergy and people of this parish in this
place, God will renew us in how He uses us.
There’s no “idea” bigger than this!
Grace
abounds: Please thank:
§ Andrea and Paul
Aparicio for the Sunday coffee hour.
§ Julie Davidson for
janitorial help.
§ Ben Crouse for lawn
care.
§ All who helped clean
the church from debris associated with the roofing project: Nicci Beeck, Colleen Darling, Julie Davidson,
Elaine Dinstuhl, Steve Gallimore, Dale Massey, Ty Massey.
Special “Thank You’ s” : A supply of Thank You note cards can be found
on the table at the back of church nave.
When someone in the parish does something special, take the time to
write them a personal note. Also, from
time to time, think about who you might want to thank for ongoing service, and
let them know you have noticed!
Call
for Contributions: If you
have a spiritual reflection to share, or want to point your fellow worshipers
toward a resource, submit your contributions to Fr. Karl (by email) by
Wednesday in the week of publication.
Don’t
forget “Something Extra for Grace”:
Supplemental giving envelopes can be found in pews. If you want to give something extra, please
use an envelope to ensure that you are credited.
When you think about
giving: When you think about giving, consider that we
are one of the only churches in the downtown area that’s generally open for any
walk-in. Consider this in light of the
information and reflection included in the attached blog post:
Music this Week: The Eighth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 12)
Guest Organist: Sandie Palmer
Prelude: Hinno
Ave Maris Stella Girolamo
Frescobaldi
Entrance
1 – “Father, we praise thee” Christe Sanctorum
Offertory 419 – “Lord of all being, throned afar” Mendon
Communion 508 – “Breathe on me, Breath of God” Nova
Vita
Closing 613 – “Thy kingdom come, O God” St. Cecelia
Postlude Prelude
in F major J. S. Bach
Parish Notices
§ All Saints’ Chapel: We are in need of help for the following
Sunday: August 13th. This would include: picking up the box of bulletins at
Grace Church, arriving a little early to open the buildings, finding readers
for the lessons and the prayers of the people, lighting candles, greeting the
visiting priest, various other tasks, locking up at the end and returning the
box to Grace Church. There are instructions printed and several people who
would be able to help if you have questions. Please sign up for a Sunday or two
on the clipboard on the Narthex table or by calling the office at 452-9659 with
dates you are available. Thank you.
§ Please keep Bill in prayer: Bill May has
been diagnosed with a compression fracture in a vertebra. This means that
he will be on restricted duties. We have established a volunteer rota for
items such as: fellowship hall set-up and take down; restroom cleaning;
trash removal; floor cleaning; lawn care. Sign-up sheets are on the Narthex
table. Thank you.
§ Special Ultreya Community Picnic: will
be held Thursday, August 10th
at St. Mark, Waupaca 5-9pm. "Ultreya"
means Onward! and was used by Christian pilgrims to greet and encourage one
another. This word is used by the Cursillo community to signify meetings
held after a Cursillo experience and friends and family are always
welcome. It includes worship, singing, witnessing, teaching, prayer, and a good
time. Bring a dish to share, your own plates and utensils, chairs and a name
tag, if you have one. More information can be found at monarchcursillo.org.
§ Starter Kitchen Kits: A
Love INC Ministry sponsored by Bethel OPC in Oostburg is in need of 1-quart and
2-quart sized pots, and bubble wrap to secure the breakables within the
kits. Please place your items in the
Love INC Collection Bin located in the Narthex. This product drive with run
through August 16th.
§ Freedom Cry
would like to ask for your help and support in promoting participation and
fundraising for our new Hope's Hearts Project going on now and through the end
of the summer. They would love everyone to participate in this exciting
art project and consider donating to cover our cost of materials.
o
Many youth are especially vulnerable to being lured by human
traffickers in the summer. That is where the idea for Hope's Hearts wind chimes
was born. It offers a positive activity for the community, especially youth, to
engage in that will also accomplish the goal of reducing youth vulnerability.
o
The wind chimes include five words of encouragement on
ceramic hearts, information on trafficking, and a call to encourage others. In
the art studio time, participants will create ceramic hearts, stamp them with
the selected words of encouragement, and put them together into wind
chimes. These wind chimes will be spread throughout our community with
special focus on the places known to be hiding spots or hangouts for runaways
or youth who may be vulnerable to traffickers.
o
When someone finds one of the Hope's Hearts, they will be
encouraged to find someone else who needs a word of encouragement and pass it
on. Together we can make a difference and change the atmosphere of our entire
community! For more information go to www.freedomcryinc.org/donate
§ Biblical Greek to be offered:
Join us on Thursday evenings, beginning on Thursday, 7 September. (Classes
will meet 7—9 p.m.) This is not a course about learning to speak Greek,
and it is unlikely that you will become fully literate in the biblical language
but, what you will learn is how to really dive deeply into the Bible by using a
myriad of resources (online and in print) that will allow you to study the
words in the original and what the grammar in the original may point to in
meaning. There is a cost: $100—hence, the early notice. There
will be limited scholarships available. We are opening this course to
other churches, and will limit overall class size, so if you are curious
explore your interest with Fr. Karl or Mthr. Michele.
§ Education for Ministry:
How do I learn to make the Bible stories become my stories? How do I learn how
God wants to bless me with more than I can imagine? Join the EfM (Education for Ministry) group
that is starting on Monday, September 11th. Two groups will meet at St. Peter’s
Church House in Sheboygan Falls. The morning group is from 9:30-11:30 and the
evening group runs from 5:00-7:00pm.
Scholarships are available, so don’t let the cost of $375 for this
college credited class, stop you from joining. Registrations are due by August
1st so materials can be received before the first class. Contact Barb
Drewry-Zimmerman at bzimmy@excel.net or
920-893-5189 for registration materials. The choice is yours—do you want to
learn how to bring God’s mercy & delight into your neighborhood?
§ Grace Notes is
here: http://gracechurchgracenotes.blogspot.com/.
You can sign up to receive the blog every Thursday
§ Like
Grace Church on Facebook:
@gracesheboygan
§ Follow
Grace Church on Twitter:
@gracesheboygan
§ Follow
Grace Church on Instagram:
@gracesheboygan
§ We
Are on Itunes! Check out the
new podcast!!!
