Lenten Focus

Grace Episcopal Church

Sheboygan, Wisconsin

Grace Notes

23 February 2012

Rite I, the service of Holy Eucharist which begins on p. 323 in the prayer book, has not been used at Grace for a long time.  So why are we going to use it now, for the season of Lent?  The reason has a lot to do with our “comfort zone”.  The word liturgy means “the work of the people,” which means that we are engaged in worship that is not passive.  When we do the same thing over and over again there is a danger of passivity, of reciting words in the absence of a fully-formed intent, of a fully-formed offering of self.  Changing the words (albeit only for a season) forces us to think about what we mean when we say a prayer.

Lent is about examination of conscience; about looking at all the ways in which we separate ourselves from God, who at all times reaches out to us.  Examination of conscience can be facilitated when we examine what we do, what we say, and why.  That’s why we recently celebrated an instructed Eucharist.  That’s one reason why we will change the rite for Lent.  But, it’s not the only reason..  Living into the joy of new life in Jesus Christ–which the language of Rite II is probably better at facilitating–cannot be complete unless we realize that we stand before God, that our Lord and Savior is also our Judge.  In Lent we remind ourselves that judgment is real, and that we need salvation.  The language of Rite I probably does a better of job of articulating our need for salvation.

What is the possible downside?  Some people will not like Rite I because it is different from what they know.  Some people will not like being reminded that judgment is real.  Some just won’t like the use of the old informal “thee” and “thy”.  But before you start asking yourself whether or not you like the rite (or any liturgy), remind yourself of what we do in liturgy.  We come before God to offer Him worship and praise, and sometimes we need to remind ourselves that “church” is not about us.  The very foreignness of Rite I (to many; and to many it is as familiar as an old glove) can serve to remind us that no matter how good, smart, blessed, diligent, and even “lucky” (“blessed,” thank you!) we may be, we are saved not by our own efforts but by Jesus Christ.  Jesus stands before the judgment seat for us, and we are justified by virtue of His righteousness and our own faith in Him.  That free gift of God is as “foreign” as anything in Creation.  It is as unexpected and unmerited as can be imagined.  Jesus does not come to us when we are reconciled to God, when everything is OK, but when we are fallen.  So, in Lent, remember that we stand before God, and God says (as found in the “comfortable words” of Rite I) “Come unto me, all ye that travail and are heavy laden, and I will refresh you” (Mtt. 11.28).

Thanksgivings:  Thanksgivings are offered to Katy Prange, for coordinating the planning for Vacation Bible School with St. Dominic Catholic Church and St. Peter Lutheran Church.

Please take the opportunity to notify the office of any member or friend of the parish to whom we owe thanks, in order that we can publicize this in the weekly newsletter.

Please Pray: Please keep Kaleigh Kraft and the entire team for Faith Alive in your prayers. They will be leaving for Kearney, Nebraska  on Friday, March 2 and will be gone for the whole weekend witnessing to St. Luke’s Episcopal Church about how to live out ones faith in community and to speak about their own personal walk with Jesus. Please pray for safe travel and an openness to the Holy Spirit.

This newletter is extralong this week, to allow for a description of, and invitation to, the practice of Lenten devotions.  This description will also appear in the March edition of The Angelus.  Parish annoucements are found this week after the Lenten devotions narrative.

Lenten Devotions & Practices:

Fasting:  The weekdays of Lent are fast days, meaning that the amount of food is reduced. A good (if modern) rule is no snacks, no seconds, no desserts, and no alcohol. If you don't normally eat snacks or drink, you may consider giving up some favorite food.  The idea is to undertake something sacrificial, yet not overwhelming. Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are strict fast days:  one full meal in the evening, a very light one in the afternoon and generally nothing before 3 p.m. Those who are ill, elderly, pregnant or nursing as well as small children are excused from this discipline (BCP 17).

Abstinence:  Abstaining from flesh meat on Fridays (as required by the Prayer Book) is a common discipline for Lent.  The Ancient custom is to abstain from flesh meat on Wednesdays as well as Fridays.  Flesh meat includes all meat except fish. Going vegetarian these days is also an option (BCP 17).

Holy Communion:  Lent is a good time to add an additional service to your usual Sunday attendance. The weekday liturgies are of a rather more intimate and quiet nature than those on Sunday, which can be a great blessing.

Daily Office:  If you do not now read Morning and/or Evening Prayer from the Prayer Book, Lent is a good time to begin doing so.  If you can attended the morning or evening office in the chapel at the parish, that would be ideal, but if not many people certainly pray this alone or with their families.  It takes some effort and discipline to get the habit established, but once accomplished, it can bear great fruit in your spiritual life.  Each Office takes 10-15 minutes a day. The clergy are available for help in the mechanics of the rubrics and lectionary.  There are also many websites that can help you with this.  Either do an online search for “Daily Office” or just try http://www.missionstclare.com/english .

Spiritual Reading:  An ancient custom is to take a spiritual book for regular reading during Lent. This can be a book on the Scriptures, or one of the spiritual classics. Many are available in the parish library or you may see the clergy for suggestions.  One great idea is to take The Bible Challenge (found on the parish website) as a Lenten discipline, and then continue throughout the year.

Confession:  A sacramental confession, in private to a priest, is not only an opportunity for a thorough self-examination, but also a powerful weapon against the temptations which come our way in Lent. The priests of this parish are available for this sacrament (The Reconciliation of a Penitent, BCP 447), as are other priests in the area. Although the Anglican Communion does not require Sacramental Confession, it is recommended, and helpful.

Self-Denial:  You may want to give up some special pleasure or recreation for Lent (tobacco, sweets, television, Facebook), and perhaps give what you would have spent on it to charity. This can be done in conjunction with other practices: if, for example, you give up an hour of TV every day, you might use it to read Evening Prayer and some Scripture.

Service:  As well as “giving up” something in Lent, some wish to “take on” some special service, such as visiting a shut-in parishioner, volunteering at the hospital or a  nursing home, running errands for an elderly neighbor, or some special project at the parish.

Scripture Reading:  Delving into the Word of God is never out of season.  Even if you do not take The Bible Challenge, Lent is a good time to establish (or re-establish) the discipline of a daily time of Scripture reading.

Educational Opportunities:  Take the opportunity in Lent to join the Adult Education Class on Sundays at 9:00am.  Even if you do not take The Bible Challenge, participating in a discussion of the Scripture will be informative, and may interest you in further study.

Corporate Special Devotions:  There are numerous opportunities for your spiritual growth throughout Lent. In addition to the Sunday morning Liturgies, on Friday’s at 5:30 p.m. the parish will gather for Stations of the Cross, followed by a light supper and adult education.  Lent is a good season to explore the additional litrugies offered on every weekday.

Evangelism:  Lent is a good time to renew one’s commitment to sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with friends and neighbors, and to invite them to worship with us here at Grace.  Even if someone say’s “no,” your risk of disappointment is itself a Lenten sacrifice.

Lenten study:  On Friday, 24 February, we will begin our Lenten study suppers.  Stations of the Cross will be offered at 5:30 p.m. in the nave, followed by a pot luck supper and discussion in St. Nicholas Hall.  Study will follow Richard Foster’s book Celebration of Discipline.  This is an easily-readable and yet profound to the practice of spiritual discipline, of putting God first.  Many of you have this book.  If you do not, please alert the parish office, so we can order the necessary number of copies. 

Music this week:

Prelude:  Two Chorale Prelude on Out of the depths I cry to thee                  Max Reger

The Great Litany, sung

Offertory Hymn 143  “The glory of these forty days”

Communion Motet      Lord, for thy tender mercy’s sake                                John Hilton

Communion Hymn:   1940 Hymnal no. 209  “O saving Victim, opening wide”

Closing Hymn 150      “Forty days and forty nights”

Postlude                      Prelude and Fugue in D Minor                                   J. K. F. Fischer

Parish Notices

§  Tripartite Ministry:  The Tripartite Ministry we share with St. Dominic Catholic Church and St. Peter Lutheran Church will meet here at Grace on Thursday, 1 March, at 5 p.m. to plan the details of Vacation Bible School and our joint service on Good Friday.  We will also explore how to work together in youth ministry.  If you are interested in VBS and/or youth ministry, please plan to attend.

§  Friday Evenings in Lent will begin this Friday, February 24^th with Stations of the Cross at 5:30pm followed by suppers and study. We will be study Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster. We have several copies for available for purchase at a cost of $15.00 each. Please speak with Deacon Michele if you would need a book.

§  Cooking on Friday Evenings in Lent: If you are interested in cooking and hosting a dinner on the Fridays during Lent, please sign-up on sheets in the Narthex. All of the Fridays are still open except the first one. Thank you for your willingness to serve in this manner.

§  Potluck Dinner and Compline: Bring a dish to pass and join us next Sunday, March 4^th at 6:30pm, for a potluck dinner and fellowship. At 8:00pm the men will sing Compline, a beautiful restful service full of candles and music.

§  Adult Formation: Classes take place in St. Nicholas Hall, at 9 a.m. We will launch The Bible Challenge on the First Sunday in Lent (26 February). 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 will be provided on the parish website, along with weekly study summaries.  During Lent we want to focus on parish participation, and so our Sunday morning adult education hour will involve review and discussion of the Bible readings for the week.  After Lent we will revert to our education hour covering a variety of topics, with the first focus being on how to defend our faith against worldly attacks. 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.

§  Women’s Bible Study: The Women’s study has been postponed until sometime after Easter. The class will study Beth Moore’s “Stepping Up: A Journey Through the Psalms of Assent” a study of Psalms 120 through 134. Please watch for details in the future.

§  Scout Appreciation "Pancake Breakfast": Sunday March 4^th Please mark your calendars to stay a few minutes, 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. The Scouts will also have available Maple Syrup gift assortments.

§  Needed: Bernie and Jessica are looking for some BADLY NEEDED shelving or storage units to better organize two rooms in the basement. Does anybody have some unused ones sitting around anywhere? Please contact them or Ed Clabots if you do.

 

Of Mantle and Word

Grace Episcopal Church

Sheboygan, Wisconsin

Grace Notes

16 February 2012

In the Old Testament (2 Kgs. 2.1-12) lesson for the Last Sunday of Epiphany we hear of the prophet Elijah being taken up in a whirlwind into heaven.  His disciple Elisha is left standing, crying after Elijah as father.  And so our lesson ends, but the story does not, for in the very next verse we read “And [Elisha] took up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him ...” (2 Kgs. 2.13).  This is the same mantle which Elijah had cast upon Elisha when he first called him (1 Kgs. 19.19).  By his discipleship and by receiving the mantle, Elisha receives the office of Elijah, as “man of God” to speak for the Lord.

Who among us has received prophetic mantle?  Well, perhaps the evidence is not so direct as in Elisha’s case, but the fact remains that in speaking for God any one of us must seek God’s word.  And we don’t have to look far.  God’s holy word is available to us in Scripture when we in fact study what God has to teach us, and how we are to discern His message in the Bible.

Biblical interpretation is fraught with pitfalls which can be traced to human pride.  If I read the Bible to find what I want it to say, am I really listening?  If I pick out a single verse or passage as “what the Bible teaches” about any topic, am I paying attention?  If, however, I drink deeply and regularly from the well of Scripture, I will find that not only am I refreshed and guided, but that I am equipped to guide and encourage others, that they too may come to know that God is with them.

In order to discern God’s word, and to speak for God, this requires that we seek His word.  At Grace Episcopal Church we will launch The Bible Challenge on the First Sunday in Lent (26 February).  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 will be provided on the parish website, along with weekly study summaries.  During Lent we want to focus on parish participation, and so our Sunday morning adult education hour will involve review and discussion of the Bible readings for the week.  After Lent we will revert to our education hour covering a variety of topics, with the first focus being on how to defend our faith against worldly attacks.

If you need a good study bible for the challenge, contact the parish office.  We will order bibles in quantity to earn the available discounts.  Generous scholarship assistance is available, if the price of participation forms any barrier for you.

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.

Thanksgivings:  Thanksgivings are offered to Dcn. Michele Whitford for her extra work in printing and copying the lengthy Mass booklets used at our instructed eucharist on 12 February.

Please take the opportunity to notify the office of any member or friend of the parish to whom we owe thanks, in order that we can publicize this in the weekly newsletter.

Lenten study:  On Friday, 24 February, we will begin our Lenten study suppers.  Stations of the Cross will be offered at 5:30 p.m. in the nave, followed by a simple supper and discussion in St. Nicholas Hall.  Study will follow Richard Foster’s book Celebration of Discipline.  This is an easily-readable and yet profound to the practice of spiritual discipline, of putting God first.  Many of you have this book.  If you do not, please alert the parish office, so we can order the necessary number of copies. If you are interested in cooking and hosting a dinner those sign-up sheets are also available in the Narthex.

Music this week:

Prelude:                                   Chorale Prelude on O Lamb of God, pure, sinless        J. S. Bach

Entrance Hymn 7                    “Christ, whose glory fills the skies”

Offertory Anthem                   Christ, whose glory fills the skies                                  Candlyn

Communion Motet                  O everlasting light                                                         John E. West

Communion Hymn 137          “O wondrous type!  O vision fair”

Closing Hymn 122                  “Alleluia! song of gladness”

Postlude                                  Paean on ‘Divinum Mysterium’                                    Cook            

Parish Notices

·         Shrove Tuesday Feast before the Fast: Shrove Tuesday is February 21^st we will be having a Potluck dinner following a 6:00pm Mass. Please mark your calendars and plan to attend this festive occasion. There is a sign-up sheet in the Narthex, please indicate a dish to pass and please volunteer to help clean up.

·         Ash Wednesday: February 22^nd is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, it is a day of fasting and penitence. We will observe this day with Mass and Imposition of Ashes at 12:10 p.m., and Solemn Mass with Imposition of Ashes at 6:00 p.m. This is a holy day and a wonderful way to begin your Lenten observance.

§  Vacation Bible School:  VBS will be offered this summer in coöperation with St. Dominic Catholic Church and St. Peter Lutheran Church, our partners in the Tripartite Ministry.  If you interested in further details, or can assist in any way, please plan on attending a meeting at St. Peter (2104 Geele Ave.) this Friday, 17 February, at 4 p.m.

§  Ministry Expansion Committee Needs Your Help: In addition to your prayers, the MEC also needs to hear from you about what local assistance you are aware of in the community. One major goal of the MEC is to compile a list of community resources so that if Grace church cannot meet a particular need, we are able to quickly reference someone who does. There are a few criteria to keep the list manageable, but if it is a program that meets a need, no matter how small, the MEC would like to know about it.  An example could be a local laundromat that offers a free laundry day once a month. Please help out if you can and leave written information with the Grace Church office or contact an MEC member directly. CRITERIA: (1) must be offered on a regular schedule and at least once monthly (2) is at no cost or obligation to the recipient. 

 §  Scout Appreciation "Pancake Breakfast": Sunday March 4^th Please mark your calendars to stay a few minutes, 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. The Scouts will also have available Maple Syrup gift assortments.

§  Love Bowls: will be held on Sunday, February 19th from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm in The Commons at Sheboygan South High School -3128 South 12th Street. Love Bowls is a fun, family-oriented event where patrons buy a beautiful bowl for $16 and sample as many soups as they wish. Over 60 local restaurants donate their signature soups. Local talent will entertain throughout the day. All proceeds from Love Bowls stay in Sheboygan County and help defray the cost of meals for our elderly, homebound and disabled neighbors.

§  The Discerning Our Future Task Force: is working to help the diocese discern its future direction. On Saturday, February 25th, 10am-12noon, there will be a diocesan-wide meeting hosted in each deanery. Each congregation is asked to send lay representatives who will answer the same questions used at the Clergy Day with answers compiled and posted on the website. Please volunteer to do this important work as we move forward as the Diocese of Fond du Lac.

Ø  The meeting for this deanery will take place at St. Paul’s Cathedral, Fond du Lac.

Ø  Please contact Fr. Karl to express interest in serving.

·         NEEDED:  Bernie and Jessica are looking for some BADLY NEEDED shelving or storage units to better organize two rooms in the basement.  Does anybody have some unused ones sitting around anywhere?  Please contact them or Ed Clabots if you do.

·         Women’s Bible Study: A women’s Bible study will begin on Wednesday February 29^th and run for 6 weeks. The class will meet at Grace Church on Wednesday evenings from 6:30 until 8:00pm. The class will study Beth Moore’s “Stepping Up: A Journey Through the Psalms of Assent” a study of Psalms 120 through 134. This is an educational journey tying the Old Testament to the New by relating events of prophetic fulfillment from Jesus’ life with the ancient pilgrims. Two days worth of study is spent on each Psalm, offering a decent and rich overview. The video teaching is by Beth Moore delivering truth that can change lives and accompany the written material beautifully. This is an excellent study to be experienced each day through personal study and through participation in the group discussion each Wednesday evening. Please call the office at 452-9659 to register.

Not by our Resources Alone

Grace Episcopal Church

Sheboygan, Wisconsin

Grace Notes

9 February 2012

In the Old Testament lesson for the coming Sunday we hear of the healing of Naaman the Syrian by Elisha the prophet (2 Kgs. 5.1-14).  Naaman, the commander of the Syrian army, has leprosy.  An Israelite serving girl in his household tells his wife that the man of God in Israel can cure Naaman, and the king in Damascus sends Naaman to the king in Israel, who suspects a trick–that since he cannot cure the Syrian man of war, the king of Syria is seeking a pretext for war.  Naaman comes to Elisha, but Elisha only sends an intermediary out, and instructs Naaman to bathe in the River Jordan, at which the Syrian takes great offense, saying “... I thought that he would surely come out to me ...,” and that there are rivers in Damascus too.  His servants then point out that if the prophet had commanded a mighty work, Naaman would have complied, so why not wash in the river?  Naaman is cured, and returns to Elisha saying “I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel ...”  Subsequently, Naaman serves the Lord.

Who are you in this story?  Are you the servant girl who says to another that they must take their affliction to God, or are you Naaman, a powerful person who thinks that because of your power and wealth God certainly takes a special interest in you and your well-being?  Are you the king of Israel, who thinks that when someone brings a problem that surely they bring it only to increase your own problems, to pick a fight?  Are you the prophet Elisha, who says, “Here is what God will have you do”?  Are you a servant who says, “Don’t worry about all your own powers and works, but trust in what God tells you to do”?

Each of us can think of a time when we have focused so intently on our own resources and the resources of the world that we have forgotten that it is God who blesses.  We try to make things complicated, rather than living in the simple wisdom that when we discern God’s will and do it we are blessed; that afflictions offered to God are burdens to which Jesus refers when He says that He will bear our burdens and give us “rest for our souls” (Mtt. 11.29).  Trust in God.

Thanksgivings:  Thanksgivings are offered to Ed and Mary Clabots for cleaning and organizing classroom space for Sunday School, and to Dcn. Mike and Val Burg for moving and organizing classroom furnishings and materials.

Please take the opportunity to notify the office of any member or friend of the parish to whom we owe thanks, in order that we can publicize this in the weekly newsletter.

Music this week:

Prelude                        Air                               Gerre Hancock

Entrance Hymn 371  “Thou whose almighty Word”

Offertory Hymn 567  “Thine arm, O Lord, in days of old”

Communion Motet      As pants the hart         Early American

Communion Hymn 336  “Come with us, O blessed Jesus”

Closing Hymn 411  “O bless the Lord, my soul”

Postlude    Prelude & Fugue in G Major        Buxtehude

Parish Notices

§  Instructed Eucharist:  This coming Sunday, 12 February, the 10:15 service of Holy Eucharist will be celebrated as an instructed eucharist.  There will be no sermon,  Instead, we will walk through each and evvery thing we do in worship, worshipping as normally, but explaining why we do what we do; what symbolism is involved; where our practices come from.  The service will last no longer than a typical service, because of the absence of a sermon.  This is a good opportunity to bring a friend who may be curious about The Episcopal Church.

§  Office Closed:  The parish offices will be closed  this week on Monday through Wednesday, due to clergy being present at a diocesan retreat in Marathon.  The offices will reopen on Thursday.

Ø  There will be no Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer or Holy Eucharist observed/celebrated on Monday through Wednesday.

Ø  In the event of a pastoral emergency, call Fr. Karl on 920-889-7190 or contact the St. Anthony Retreat center at 715-443-2236.

§  Tripartite Ministry:  Tonight, Thursday, 9 February, at 4 p.m., we will meet at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church on Geele Ave. with clergy and members of that congregation and of St. Dominic’s Catholic Church, to discuss how we are called to best serve in common ministry and witness.  This meeting is about more than planning a joint service (e.g., as has happened in the past for Good Friday) but about how we can most effectively serve together in the community.  Whether you have been active in the Tripartite Ministry in the past or not, please come to the meeting, that we may discern a common call.  Youth members are encouraged to attend.

§  Bible Study:  Bible study will not meet this Tuesday, due to clergy conference.  Bible study will meet, as usual, this Thursday following the 9 a.m. Mass.  Study summaries of the lessons for the coming Sunday are posted on the parish website on Tuesday of each week. 

§  Circle of Faith: Time to think about the winter retreat at the Norbertine Center, De Pere sponsored by the Diocese of Fond du Lac Women's Ministries! Pastor Diane Murray is our Spiritual Leader and she will be presenting a program called "Circle of Faith" February 17-19, 2012. You will be able to use the pool on Saturday and do exercises that include Christian music and prayer.  Snowshoes will be available to those who wish to take advantage of the beautiful grounds. Is a massage more your cup of tea?  or a book study?  We will have crafts and fellowship! If you sign up with a friend you can get $10 off your registration! Registration cost for overnight is $110 includes room and meals, for commuters the cost is $50 includes meals. You can find more information and to register online at diofdl@diofdl.org. Deadline is Feb. 1st.

§  Ministry Expansion Committee Needs Your Help: In addition to your prayers, the MEC also needs to hear from you about what local assistance you are aware of in the community. One major goal of the MEC is to compile a list of community resources so that if Grace church cannot meet a particular need, we are able to quickly reference someone who does. There are a few criteria to keep the list manageable, but if it is a program that meets a need, no matter how small, the MEC would like to know about it.  An example could be a local laundromat that offers a free laundry day once a month. Please help out if you can and leave written information with the Grace Church office or contact an MEC member directly. CRITERIA: (1) must be offered on a regular schedule and at least once monthly (2) is at no cost or obligation to the recipient. 

§  Grace Church Choir Needs Your Help! Can you carry a tune? Do you love to socialize with a fun group once a week? Are you looking for a way to donate more time and talent to your Church? The answer to these questions is: Join the Grace Church Choir. We need you to join us. You do not even have to read music, as many of our current members do not. Every Wednesday from 6:00pm until 7:00pm, we rehearse in the choir room immediately at the bottom of the stairs to the lower level.  After choir, many of us go to dinner at Rupp's for an enjoyable dinner, and often spouses or significant others join us. We have anywhere from 4 to 14 in an evening.  We gather at 9:30am on Sunday mornings to rehearse before Mass. We can use sopranos, altos, tenors and basses. We would love you to join us and hope you consider joining us in our work and our festivities. We need you!

§  Scout Appreciation "Pancake Breakfast": Sunday March 4^th Please mark your calendars to stay a few minutes, 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. The Scouts will also have available Maple Syrup gift assortments.

§  Love Bowls: will be held on Sunday, February 19th from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm in The Commons at Sheboygan South High School -3128 South 12th Street. Love Bowls is a fun, family-oriented event where patrons buy a beautiful bowl for $16 and sample as many soups as they wish. Over 60 local restaurants donate their signature soups. Local talent will entertain throughout the day. All proceeds from Love Bowls stay in Sheboygan County and help defray the cost of meals for our elderly, homebound and disabled neighbors.

§  Adult Formation: For the three Sundays preceding Lent, Adult Education will focus on “How to study Scripture”.  The intent is to better equip parishioners to participate in the Bible Challenge, a program which will begin on the First Sunday in Lent (26 February), in which you can read the entire Bible in one year. The Adult Education classes in February will focus on methodology and biblical interpretation, as well as the history of Scripture. How is the Bible organized? How is it read as an organic whole? What are the issues in translation? Why are some books included, and others were not included? The classes will use an abbreviated version of the teaching document An Introduction to Holy Scripture found under the Adult Education of our parish website. You can use this document to work ahead, or to study to greater depth during the course. The document includes links for resources for further study.

§  Hearts & Flowers: Spend Valentine’s evening with the Lakeshore Chorale at Grace Episcopal Church! Featuring Brahms’ Liebeslieder Waltzes along with a bouquet of love songs sung by members of the Chorale – solos, duets, ensembles, and more. A gala Valentine reception is included. Seating is limited. Tuesday, February 14th, 7:00 pm. 15.00 adults; 8.00 students Available from the website or from Lakeshore Chorale members. Tickets will not be sold at the door. www.lakeshorechorale.org for more information call 920-451-1863.

§  The Discerning Our Future Task Force: is working to help the diocese discern its future direction. On Saturday, February 25th, 10am-12noon, there will be a diocesan-wide meeting hosted in each deanery. Each congregation is asked to send lay representatives who will answer the same questions used at the Clergy Day with answers compiled and posted on the website. Please volunteer to do this important work as we move forward as the Diocese of Fond du Lac.

Ø  The meeting for this deanery will take place at St. Paul’s Cathedral, Fond du Lac.

Ø  Please contact Fr. Karl to express interest in serving.

§  A Romantic Evening for National Marriage Week: Looking for a fun way to spend a romantic evening with your spouse? On Wednesday, February 15, Great Marriages will be hosting a pre-concert gathering at their new office in honor of National Marriage Week. Following the event at the Great Marriages office, enjoy a romantic concert at the Stefanie H. Weill Center. The evening activities begin at the Great Marriages office at 612 Center Avenue at 6:15 pm with a pre-concert event. Enjoy a tour of the new building, music, some fun activities and refreshments. Following the gathering at Great Marriages, Jim Brickman, America’s romantic piano sensation, will be performing a concert at the Stefanie H. Weill Center. The concert will showcase his beautifully romantic piano music and will take place on February 15 at 7:30 pm. The pre-concert event at Great Marriages is free, however reservations are required, so call Great Marriages at 920-783-3660 or email info@great-marriages.org by February 12. Space is limited. Tickets for the concert can be purchased by calling the Weill Center ticket office at (920) 208-3243 or visit weillcenter.com. Specially priced balcony seating has been reserved for Great Marriages guests, so mention Great Marriages. In addition, you will also receive a free ticket to a movie for each ticket purchased, while supplies last.

When Caesar Renders

Grace Episcopal Church

Sheboygan, Wisconsin

Grace Notes

2 February 2012

It is not common knowledge (even among lawyers) that as recently as about four decades ago the laws of most states provided a certain level of immunity from lawsuit for charitable organizations.  The rationale behind so-called “charitable immunity” was a public policy calculus which recognized that damages paid out by a charity against a liability claim were monies not available for work aiding the public.

Until the late 1930’s the practice of charity was almost invariably associated with the practice of religion.  The public-relief programs of state welfare and medical aid simply did not exist.  If you ran into serious trouble there were two resources that might be available to you: your extended family and friends, and the Church.  Now, while family, friends and Church still play important roles in helping people in need, the first assumption is that the government will provide the primary aid.  What happens when government priorities do not align with religious identity?

It is not appropriate to comment in a parish newsletter about political matters, but in ceding responsibility for the care of each other to the State, people of faith are starting to see that this can have an impact on the practice of their faith.  For example, under the new federal health care insurance laws, a Roman Catholic hospital will be ordered to provide coverage for contraceptives to employees.  The point is not whether you agree or disagree with Roman Catholic doctrine on reproduction, or whether you agree or disagree with federal policies on health insurance.  At issue is the practice of one’s faith independent of the dictates of the State, and the approach that all people of faith can best pursue is to reclaim for the Church the office of charity.  We can’t complain about Caesar’s rules when we rely on Caesar to do the work that Jesus has given to us (Mtt. 25.40).  

Tripartite Ministry:  On Thursday, 9 February, at 4 p.m., we will meet at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church on Geele Ave. with clergy and members of that congregation and of St. Dominic’s Catholic Church, to discuss how we are called to best serve in common ministry and witness.  This meeting is about more than planning a joint service (e.g., as has happened in the past for Good Friday) but about how we can most effectively serve together in the community.  Whether you have been active in the Tripartite Ministry in the past or not, please come to the meeting, that we may discern a common call.  Youth members are encouraged to attend.

Bible Study:  Bible study meets on Tuesdays following the 5:30 p.m. Mass, with discussion beginning at 6:30.  A pot-luck soup-and-salad supper is planned.  (If you do not plan to arrive before 6:30. enter using the glass doors on Ontario Avenue.)  Thursday study sessions follow the 9 a.m. Mass.  Study summaries of the lessons for the coming Sunday are posted on the parish website on Tuesday of each week. 

Thanksgivings:  Thanksgivings are offered to everyone who made the parish Annual Meeting a success on 29 January, including Jessica Ambelang as hostess, Tom Wright for budget review, Steve Larson for review of the giving campaign for Grace Walsingham Foundation, Joann Otte for taking meeting minutes, and Dcn. Michele Whitford for her Jill-of-all-trades support.

Please take the opportunity to notify the office of any member or friend of the parish to whom we owe thanks, in order that we can publicize this in the weekly newsletter.

Music this week:

Prelude            Chorale Partita on   All glory be to God on high                                Walther

Entrance Hymn #1      “Father, we praise thee”

Offertory Hymn 135   “Songs of thankfulness and praise"

Communion Motet      Lord God, you now have set your servant free                       Gibbons

Communion Hymn 328          “Draw nigh and take the Body of the Lord”

Closing Hymn 493      “O for a thousand tongues to sing”

Postlude                      Prelude and Fugue in G Major                                               Kuhnau

Parish Notices

 

§  Circle of Faith: Time to think about the winter retreat at the Norbertine Center, De Pere sponsored by the Diocese of Fond du Lac Women's Ministries! Pastor Diane Murray is our Spiritual Leader and she will be presenting a program called "Circle of Faith" February 17-19, 2012. You will be able to use the pool on Saturday and do exercises that include Christian music and prayer.  Snowshoes will be available to those who wish to take advantage of the beautiful grounds. Is a massage more your cup of tea?  or a book study?  We will have crafts and fellowship! If you sign up with a friend you can get $10 off your registration! Registration cost for overnight is $110 includes room and meals, for commuters the cost is $50 includes meals. You can find more information and to register online at diofdl@diofdl.org. Deadline is Feb. 1st.

§  Ministry Expansion Committee Needs Your Help: In addition to your prayers, the MEC also needs to hear from you about what local assistance you are aware of in the community. One major goal of the MEC is to compile a list of community resources so that if Grace Church cannot meet a particular need, we are able to quickly reference someone who does. There are a few criteria to keep the list manageable, but if it is a program that meets a need, no matter how small, the MEC would like to know about it.  An example could be a local laundromat that offers a free laundry day once a month. Please help out if you can and leave written information with the Grace Church office or contact an MEC member directly. CRITERIA: (1) must be offered on a regular schedule and at least once monthly (2) is at no cost or obligation to the recipient. 

§  Grace Church Choir Needs Your Help! Can you carry a tune? Do you love to socialize with a fun group once a week? Are you looking for a way to donate more time and talent to your Church? The answer to these questions is: Join the Grace Church Choir. We need you to join us. You do not even have to read music, as many of our current members do not. Every Wednesday from 6:00pm until 7:00pm, we rehearse in the choir room immediately at the bottom of the stairs to the lower level.  After choir, many of us go to dinner at Rupp's for an enjoyable dinner, and often spouses or significant others join us. We have anywhere from 4 to 14 in an evening.  We gather at 9:30am on Sunday mornings to rehearse before Mass. We can use sopranos, altos, tenors and basses. We would love you to join us and hope you consider joining us in our work and our festivities. We need you!

§  Love Bowls: will be held on Sunday, February 19th from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm in The Commons at Sheboygan South High School -3128 South 12th Street. Love Bowls is a fun, family-oriented event where patrons buy a beautiful bowl for $16 and sample as many soups as they wish. Over 60 local restaurants donate their signature soups. Local talent will entertain throughout the day. All proceeds from Love Bowls stay in Sheboygan County and help defray the cost of meals for our elderly, homebound and disabled neighbors.

§  Adult Formation: There is no Adult Education on 29 January. Classes resume on Sunday, 5 February in St. Nicholas Hall, at 9 a.m. For the three Sundays preceding Lent, Adult Education will focus on “How to study Scripture”.  The intent is to better equip parishioners to participate in the Bible Challenge, a program which will begin on the First Sunday in Lent (26 February), in which you can read the entire Bible in one year. The Adult Education classes in February will focus on methodology and biblical interpretation, as well as the history of Scripture. How is the Bible organized? How is it read as an organic whole? What are the issues in translation? Why are some books included, and others were not included? The classes will use an abbreviated version of the teaching document An Introduction to Holy Scripture found under the Adult Education of our parish website. You can use this document to work ahead, or to study to greater depth during the course. The document includes links for resources for further study.

§  Hearts & Flowers: Spend Valentine’s evening with the Lakeshore Chorale at Grace Episcopal Church! Featuring Brahms’ Liebeslieder Waltzes along with a bouquet of love songs sung by members of the Chorale – solos, duets, ensembles, and more. A gala Valentine reception is included. Seating is limited. Tuesday, February 14th, 7:00 pm. 15.00 adults; 8.00 students Available from the website or from Lakeshore Chorale members. Tickets will not be sold at the door. www.lakeshorechorale.org for more information call 920-451-1863.

§  The Discerning Our Future Task Force: is working to help the diocese discern its future direction. On Saturday, February 25th, 10am-12noon, there will be a diocesan-wide meeting hosted in each deanery. Each congregation is asked to send lay representatives who will answer the same questions used at the Clergy Day with answers compiled and posted on the website. Please volunteer to do this important work as we move forward as the Diocese of Fond du Lac.

Ø  The meeting for this deanery will take place at St. Paul’s Cathedral, Fond du Lac.

Ø  Please contact Fr. Karl to express interest in serving.