Grace
Episcopal Church
Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Grace
Notes
11 January 2018
Recently, Fr. John
Ambelang shared a prayer with me. The prayer was offered for Madeline, who was
dying at the age of one year. The prayer
comes from the American Orthodox Prayer Book, and was offered in the presence
of Madeline’s mother and father as they struggled with her coming death.
O Lord, and our
ways are not Your ways. We confess to You that we cannot see Your divine hand
in the suffering of Madeline. Help us, we beg You, to see that in this evil
there is some purpose, beyond our grasp and comprehension. Our minds are
confused. Our hearts are in distress. Our wills are lost and weak, and our
strength is gone, as we see this innocent creature caught by the sins of the world
and the power of the devil, a victim of senseless suffering and pain. Have
mercy on this child, Lord, have mercy! Do not prolong the agony! Do not allow the pain and suffering to
increase! We know not what to ask You;
give us the grace only to say, “Your will be done on earth, as it is in
heaven.” Give us faith, for we believe,
O Lord; help our unbelief. Be with Your
child Madeline, and suffer with her; heal her and save her, according to Your
own saving plan, established before the creation of the world. For You are our only hope, O God, and in You
we take refuge: Father, Son and Holy
Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
It is to state the
obvious that our own prayer book has no claim to being exclusively beautiful in
language, but let’s examine, as well, the beauty of the theology revealed in
this prayer. In the midst of suffering,
of loss, of pain, believing hearts turn to God.
Believing hearts turn and acknowledge not only their own pain and sense
of bewilderment, but also their dependence upon God—that they are not
abandoned.
In my own
experience of pastoral care attendant on shocking loss I have more than once
encountered a person who is truly angry with God, who is shouting abuse. My reaction has been to be present, but to be
quiet, to let the abuse flow. Why? Because any person can only be angry with
someone with whom he/she has a relationship, with a real person rather than an
idea. And God is a “big guy”. God can take it, and in fact invites us to
cast our burdens upon Him (Mtt. 11.28). In
doing so we offer our hearts in order that God may transform pain into
redemption, in order to confirm and show that love wins, that newness of life
triumphs over death.
Deacon
School begins 13 January: The diocesan Deacon School courses in Old
Testament (taught by Fr. Glen Kanestrom of St. Paul’s, Marinette) and Church
History (taught by Fr. Karl Schaffenburg of Grace, Sheboygan) will be offered
at Grace, Sheboygan, beginning on Saturday, 13 January. Classes meet 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the second
Saturday of each month, January—May and September—December. Auditors are welcome.
If you wish to
audit deacon school, contact Fr. Karl to receive details. Note:
Those in formation for the diaconate pay tuition. Auditors are requested to contribute to the
cost of the school, but if the offering of a donation would restrict your
attendance be assured that a donation is voluntary.
Grace
abounds: Please thank:
§ Jessica
Ambelang and Bobbie May for the Sunday coffee hours.
§ Jessica
Ambelang for providing a Youth Group meal.
§ Bobbie
May for redecorating the church for the change of season.
Special thanks to all who provided Christmas
presents!
"Thank
you! The most beautiful things cannot be seen or touched; they are felt within
the heart. What you have done for us is one of them. We thank you from the
bottom of our hearts for being God's hands and feet. It means so much to
us!"
—Melanie,
mom and Adopt-a-Family recipient
Your
kindness this holiday season meant more than just presents to open. By adopting
a family through The Salvation Army, you showed struggling parents that there
are selfless people who care about neighbors they’ve never even met. Your gifts
offered their children a sense of wonder and cheer this Christmas. And, above
all, your generosity provided a family in need with hope and gratitude that
will extend well beyond one December morning.
Thank
you! Because of your generosity, and that of others like you, 1,200 parents and
children enjoyed a merry Christmas in 2017. I cannot express how much this gift
is appreciated. Please know how grateful we are for your willingness to share
your blessings with those who would have otherwise gone without.
On
behalf of Capts. Daryl and Cherie Mangeri, our staff, Advisory Board,
volunteers, and the families we serve, thank you for your support. We couldn’t
do it without you! The Salvation
Army.
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.
Music this Week: The
Second Sunday after the Epiphany
Music
Director: R. Benjamin Dobey
Prelude All
glory be to God on high J. S.
Bach
Entrance Hymn 7 “Christ, whose glory fills the skies”
Ratisbon
Offertory Hymn 477 “All praise to thee, for thou, O King
divine” Engelberg
Communion Motet Eternal light, shine
in my heart S. Scheidt
Communion Hymn 126 “The people who in darkness walked” Dundee
Closing Hymn 542 “Christ is the world’s true light” St. Joan
Postlude The
people who in darkness walked H. Parry
Parish Notices:
§ Christmas
Joy: Many thanks (and Nicci’s apology for the delay) to
all the volunteers who assisted in bringing Christmas Joy (flowers and cookies)
to our elderly and informed parishioners on December 21st. It was greatly appreciated by all. There were many hands that baked, delivered,
and packaged the goodies including:
Bernie Markevitch, Joyce Wessel, Bob and Jean-Margaret Beech, Anne
Hanlon, Deb Gagin, Pat Sather, Jessica Ambelang, Mary Snyder, Bev Evans, John
Ambelang, Bob and Barb MacEwen, Katy Larson, Jennifer Keller, and Mary Clabots.
§ Book
Study on Redemptive Compassion: The group study of
the book Redemptive Compassion: The
Defining Difference have begun. The eight-week class will meet on Sunday
mornings at 9:00 a.m. consecutively, through March 4 with the exception of
January 28. (There will be no class that
day because of the annual meeting.)
§ Annual
Meeting Reports: If you are in leadership of any Ministry, please
write a short report to be included in the Annual Report and send it to Nicci
nbeeck
@gracesheboygan.com by Sunday, January 19th.
§ The
Annual Meeting: This year’s Annual Meeting will take place on Sunday,
January 28, 2018. We will have one Mass at 9:00am followed by the Annual
Meeting at 10:15am. If you have been in leadership of any group or committee,
please submit an annual report to the office@gracesheboygan.com. You are encouraged to make every effort to attend, as your
participation is valued.
§ Bible
Challenge: Videos for all 52 weeks of the year are now
available on Grace Abounds. If you take this challenge, you will find that in
one year you will read all of the Bible! This will require less than an hour of
your time, six days a week.
A schedule of readings are provided on the parish
website, along with weekly study summaries and a weekly video summary of the
readings.
If you need a good study bible for the challenge,
contact the parish office. When we immerse ourselves in Scripture, the mantle
of the Lord does fall upon us. We are equipped to discern God’s will and to
lead others to know and love and serve the Lord.
§ Deacon
School begins 13 January: The diocesan Deacon
School courses in Old Testament (taught by Fr. Glen Kanestrom of St. Paul’s,
Marinette) and Church History (taught by Fr. Karl Schaffenburg of Grace,
Sheboygan) will begin this Saturday, January 13th. Classes meet 9
a.m. to 4 p.m. on the second Saturday of each month, January—May and
September—December. Auditors are welcome.
If you wish to audit deacon school, contact Fr. Karl to receive
details. Note: Those in formation for the diaconate pay tuition.
Auditors are requested to contribute to the cost of the school, but if
the offering of a donation would restrict your attendance be assured that a
donation is voluntary.
§ Call
for Vestry Nominations: Vestry elections will be held
on Sunday, January 28th, 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).
§ Call
for Diocesan Convention Delegates and Alternates: The 144th Convention of the Diocese of Fond du Lac will be held October
19-20 in Fond du Lac. More details will
be announced in the Spring. We are in need of four delegates and four
alternates to attend and vote at Diocesan Convention. If you feel called to
serve in this way, please call the office. Delegates and alternates are
determined by volunteer order. In the event that we have more than eight
responses we will vote on January 28th at the Annual Meeting.
§ Lenten
Meditations: Our book of meditations, written by
parishioners, has become a treasured tradition to enter into the Lenten season.
This year, the 2nd-5th grade Sunday School class will
participate to joyfully remind us what the scripture looks like through the
eyes of child.
To participate:
·
Choose from
the scripture readings on the Narthex table. All are welcome to choose more
than one.
·
Read and
reflect on the scripture for the scripture(s) chosen.
·
Write a
meditation based on what resonated with you, or you feel called to share based
upon the readings.
o The meditation can be 10 words or 400 words; there
are no rules and no right or wrong ways.
Submit your meditation to Nicci by February 7th, to allow
production time.
These meditations will be published in print and online before Lent
begins. In addition, meditations can be read aloud on Grace Abounds,
as part of our podcast series.
§ Diocesan
Clergy Retreat, February 5-7: There will
be no Masses on these days.
§ Flower
Schedule for 2018: 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 2018. If you would like to host, please sign up for either 8:00 a.m. or
10:15 a.m. If you have any questions, please see Katy Larson. Thank you so
much.
§ Girl
Scout Cookies: Girl Scout Cookies can be pre-ordered for $4.00/box
on Sunday, January 14th and 21st after both masses. Money
will be due when the cookies will be delivered at church (February or early
March). 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.
§ Something
Extra for Grace: Envelopes are available in the pews if you are moved
to give an extra gift, beyond your pledge or regular plate donation, toward the
life of the church. Gifts are tax deductible if you write your name on the
envelope.
§ Grace
Notes is here: http://gracechurchgracenotes.blogspot.com/. You can sign up to receive the blog every Thursday
§ Like Grace Church on Facebook:
@gracesheboygan
§ We Are on Itunes! Check out the new
podcast!!!
§ Love
INC Monthly Bulletin is now available online at:
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