Grace
Episcopal Church
Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Grace
Notes
8 March 2018
It has been a week of unplanned, unexpected
pastoral issues, some grave. Most of
what has arisen has literally “walked through the door” in the form of people
in need who are not members of this parish, and if there has been a common
denominator between those seeking counsel and comfort it has been a history of
a tenuous relationship with a life of faith.
To be clear, any lack of faith is not the
cause of what presents as a need for counsel and care. How such counsel and care is approached,
however, is affected by whether or not any shared language or experience of
faith is present. For example, it does little
good to quote the Bible to someone who does not have any familiarity with
scripture. In ministry we are called to
meet people where they are. This does
not mean that the message—the Good News—changes, but how the message is
delivered may be affected by the receiver.
The delivery will often not involve biblical language; it will always
involve evidence of caring.
Another common denominator in many who
struggle is a failure in community.
Whatever I struggle with—whether this involves substance abuse, psychopathology,
sin, a history of trauma, or often a combination of factors—will (in the nature
of fallenness) always seek to isolate me.
I may become isolated to the degree that I believe no one cares, and
that there is no God, or (worse) that if there is a God He doesn’t care about
me. The Good News is, of course, that
God cares. God cares enough to give the
very life of His only-begotten Son not just for the most sainted person we can
imagine, but for the most marginalized, the most degraded. Even if I turn my back on God His arms of
love still reach out from the Cross to me.
But, if I just tell someone who is in need of care that God loves them,
however true this is the message may not be received. Many in need must experience God’s love, and
they can often do this only by how they receive care from those whom God calls to
be His arms that reach out: us.
It is in first establishing human contact, in
first working to develop community, that we can begin to allow all to
experience the reality of the Good News.
Like the Celtic missionaries who evangelized much or Ireland and
northern Great Britain, and who then kept alive the flame of the Church
throughout the dark ages on the continent of Europe, our evangelization is more
about “belong that you may come to believe” than about believing to belong. The Good News remains the word of life, of
salvation, but it is in our acts of reaching out and including those who do not
know love that the seeds of belief will truly be planted.
Are you called to
leadership? A member of the Vestry has been compelled to resign by reason of
health. The bylaws of the parish provide
for the appointment of another member to serve out this Vestry duty for the
balance of this year, subject to reëlection to a full ( 3 year) term in 2019. If you wish to explore a call to leadership,
what is involved, and what will be the priorities of the Vestry, please discuss
this with any member of Vestry or the clergy.
Names of all Vestry members may be found in each worship bulletin and in
the newsletter.
Grace
abounds: Please thank:
§ Katy
Larson for the Sunday coffee hour.
§ Mary
Snyder and Tom Wright for the Lenten supper, with cleanup by: Ed and Mary Clabots, Julie Davidson, Elizabeth
Schaffenburg, and Joann and Zach Sorensen.
§ Bobbie
May and Karl Schaffenburg for janitorial help.
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.
Lenten
Series: In addition to the Lenten Meditations
which will allow you to make your own pilgrimage through Lent with the insights
of Scripture, prayer, and the devotional meditations offered by your fellow
parishioners, please plan to gather on Friday evenings, 23 February—23
March. We’ll begin with Stations of the
Cross at 5:30, followed by a simple supper at 6 p.m. (Please sign up if you can help with a
supper.) We’ll continue 6:30—7:30 with a
program in which we’ll explore the ministries the parish shares in in the wider
community, and how you can help.
Presentations will be made by:
§ This
week: Freedom Cry (ministry to human trafficking
victims).
Come
to pray! Come enjoy fellowship! Come to learn!
The Story of the Cross
Sunday, March 18,
5:00-7:00 pm. An invitation for all to come and experience the Stations
of the Cross as told through prayer, Scripture, and film; to help us
experience Jesus' road from Gethsemane to Golgotha in a new way.
If you have been to
our Friday night Stations, this Story of the Cross may be a great alternative
experience. Using video clips from movies and films of all types to illustrate,
and enhance our experience of the sacrifice Jesus made for us. The evening will
be contemplative on the whole, and will conclude with an opportunity for
discussion - and a light meal (like spaghetti and/or soup). Please feel
free to invite others.
Open to ALL, and
all are encouraged to come to this unique experience - though, the recommended
age is 10+. To help us plan food, please tell Nicci or Nick at the office how
many you will bring.
Music this Week: The
Fourth Sunday in Lent
Music
Director: R. Benjamin Dobey
Prelude Jesu
Dulcis Memoria Henry Walford Davies
Entrance Hymn 375 ”Give praise and glory unto God”
Du Lebensbrot
Sequence Hymn 691 “My faith looks up to thee” Olivet
Offertory Hymn 523 “Glorious things of thee are spoken” Abbot’s
Leigh
Communion Motet Like as
the hart Healey Willan
Communion Hymn 321 “My God, thy table now is spread”
Rockingham
Closing Hymn 302 “Father, we thank thee” Rendez a Dieu
Postlude Prelude
on “Amor Patris et Filii’ Charles Villers Stanford
Parish Notices:
- Sacrament of
Reconciliation: Lent
is a time of self-examination preparing for the death and resurrection of
our Lord. The Sacrament of Reconciliation will be offered by appointment.
Please contact Fr. Schaffenburg to set up an appointment to make your
confession.
- Stations of the
Cross, Simple Supper and Presentation: Beginning on the second
Friday in Lent (23 February) we will meet each Friday at 5:30 p.m. for
Stations of the Cross, followed by a simple supper and Christian
formation. Our program this year will feature the following presenters
from community organizations that Grace Church supports:
23 February, Good News Jail Ministry
2 March, Samaritan’s Hand
9 March, Freedom Cry
16 March, Sheboygan County Interfaith
Organization (SCIO)
23 March, Love INC.
Please sign up on the sheets in the
Narthex so we can share the number of attendees with the presenters and know
much food needs to be prepared.
- Adult
Formation-Parallel Passions begins Sunday: Have you ever
wondered how Jesus must have felt as he stood in front of Pontius Pilate? What
was it like for him as he carried his cross through the streets of
Jerusalem to the place of execution? Did he know it was going to end like
this? How does this speak to us as we carry our crosses through the
trials of life? We will walk with Jesus’ in his final days through
his arrest and execution as seen through the eyes of the evangelists, Mark
and John. Please join Facilitator Jerry Molitor today and on 18 March at 9:00 a.m. in St. Nicholas Hall to
seek how Mark and John’s accounts of Jesus’ passion can inspire us to live
in the hope of the Resurrection on Easter Sunday. All are welcome. Bring a
friend!
- Adult
Formation-Sacramental Life (Holy Eucharist): Please join
Leslie Kohler on 22, 29 April, 6, 13 and 20 May as
she finishes guiding us through the sacrament of Holy Eucharist using the
book Sacramental Life by David DeSilva. This book explores
spiritual formation through the Book of Common Prayer. “Those that have
participated before know that this is a fairly freeform guided discussion.
I am as interested in learning from you, as I am teaching you.” -Leslie
- Scout
Appreciation "Pancake Breakfast” on Sunday! All are welcome
to stay after each service, to savor a down home Pancake Breakfast. Scouts
will supply all the know-how for the event. As an added bonus, Maple Syrup
will be supplied by the Drewry Farms of Plymouth. This award-winning Maple
Syrup is served at all the major restaurants in the area and beyond.
- 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 is 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: 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) have begun. 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.
- Ushers Needed: Ushers are often
the first people seen by newcomers, visitors, and even regular
parishioners when coming to Grace Church. People enjoy being greeted by a
smile; become a part of this ministry today! Interested parishioners can
contact the parish office: office@gracesheboygan.com.
- Easter Flowers and Music: Please donate
for Easter Flowers and Music. We enjoy the Beauty of Holiness in both the
flowers that adorn the church and the special music which includes strings
at the Solemn Mass on Easter morning. Please be as generous as you are
able; call the office or fill out the purple slip found in the pews to
indicate your wish for memorials and/or thanksgivings. The deadline for returning to the
Parish office is Monday, 19 March at noon.
- Easter Vigil
Dinner:
The first Mass of the Resurrection is on Saturday, 31 March at 7:00 p.m.
The Easter celebration then continues at Trattoria Stefano, 522 South 8th
Street, at 9:30 p.m.
- The actual cost
of the meal is a gift to the parish, so you not only get a delicious meal
but you help the church by purchasing a ticket for the dinner.
Tickets can be bought in the parish
office or in the narthex after mass for $50 a person. Everyone is invited, but
seats are limited. There are scholarships for anyone wishing to attend but are
challenged by the cost.
- Save the Date-Chrism Mass: Saturday, 24
March, 11:00 a.m. at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Fond du Lac. In the
early church bishops baptized catechumens at the Easter Vigil with blessed
oils. Over time this blessing was made earlier so oils could be used at
the local level. This tradition includes blessing the oil of catechumens
(adults preparing for baptism), oil of the sick (for anointing) and chrism
(for baptism, confirmation, ordination of clergy, and consecration of
altars).
§ First Communion Instruction: Pat Ford Smith will
be providing Communion Lessons in preparation for the Bishop's visit on Sunday,
22 April. Classes will be held from 1:30-3:o0 p.m. on the following
Sundays: 25 March, 8 and 15 April. If
you or your child are interested, please contact the office to sign up and for
further details.
§ The Feast of the Annunciation: We celebrate on
Monday, 9 April at 12:10 p.m. the Eve of the Feast of the Annunciation, which
commemorates the annunciation by the archangel Gabriel to Mary that she will
bear the Messiah (Luke 1.26-38) On this day the liturgical colors change in
Lent, i.e., the feast takes precedence over the season. It was, in the West,
New Year’s Day until 1582. Please come and join the festivities.
§ Spring Conference 2018: Faithful Innovation in a Disruptive Age,
Saturday, 28 April, 9:00 am-3:00 pm, Liberty Hall in Kimberly.
Registration fee of
$30 per person, includes breakfast, lunch speaker and supplies. If you are interested in attending, but are
challenged by the fee, contact the Parish office. https://www.diofdl.org/eventsblog/spring-conference-apr-28
§ Save the Date! Summer Camp: The Diocese of Fond
du Lac Summer Camp is for kids age 4 through graduating 12th
graders. Camp is an opportunity for campers and staff to learn more about God,
about community, about themselves and have fun!
Registration forms
will be available soon. If you have questions about what camp is like please
speak with Nick Whitford at the coffee hour following this mass.
Senior Camp (completed grades
9-12) June 10– June 16
Middler Camp (completed grades
6-8) June 17– June 22
Junior Camp (completed grades
2-5) June 17– June 22
KinderCamp (parent & kids
ages 4-7) June 22 – June 24
Scholarships are
available.
§ 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.
§ Lost and Found: If you have ever lost
anything while at Grace Church, it may be in the office lost and found box.
Please email the office office@gracesheboygan.com to identify and
claim.
§ Please
continue to pray for those listed in this Mass booklet. Thank you.
§ Like Grace Church on Facebook
§ Follow Grace Church on Twitter:
@GEC_Sheboygan
§ Follow Grace Church on Instagram: @GEC_Sheboygan
§ We Are on Itunes! Check out the new
podcast!!!
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/grace-church-sheboygan/id982836791
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