Grace Episcopal Church
Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Grace Notes
13 September 2012
God is not calling us to go to church; He is calling us to be His Church, the hope of the world. I do not know who wrote these words. They were provided to me by Dcn. Michele in response to my request that members of the “Being the Body” team provide quotations that can be used as thematic links during the introduction to our discipleship program this coming Saturday. The full program, Being the Body: Beyond Church Membership, will run for eighteen months. When the clergy who are driving the program, Fr. Karl, Dcn. Michele, Mthr. Marie Gray (St. Paul’s, Plymouth), and Fr. Samuel Nsengiyumva (St. Peter’s, Sheboygan Falls) met this past week to finalize launch details and program “shape,” the spirit of purpose and progress was palpable enough that we all realized the presence of the Holy Spirit. This is what happens when we (all of us) are intentional in ministry.
All of us in ministry? That’s right. As stated in the prayer book Catechism, “The Church carries out its mission through the ministry of all of its members.” Let’s consider a few measures. Over the past four Sundays we have passed out bulletin inserts to allow you to indicate areas of interest for service. We have received thirty-eight cards back. Add to these the nine young people serving as acolytes, and the twelve people serving in the choir; then subtract out the duplicates. When you do this calculation, you find that for a parish with a 2011 average Sunday attendance of 127, over 40% are active in ministry. This not only belies the 80:20 rule of most organizations, it belies that accepted wisdom that “the same people are doing everything in the parish”.
How does this happen? It happens, first and above all, because of the Holy Spirit prompting us to act, and people responding to this call. But it also happens because we are intentional about listening to and responding to God. As a case in point, look at what has happened and is happening in Sunday School and youth ministry. Dcn. Michele has been instrumental in curriculum design and planning. She is also working with the Parish Life Guild in to match calls to service with needs. She can do this (i.e., live more into her calling as a deacon) because six members of the parish have at various times served a couple of hours on a rotating basis to handle administrative duties, and so allow Michele to dedicate time away from the front office. To add to this, Nick Whitford is able to dedicate time to youth ministry because we have been intentional about adding resources to this area, and The Grace Walsingham Foundation has responded to our request for help.
Each of us can live into the ministry to which we are called—whether this is as a deacon, a youth minister or a minister some other area of serving God and His people—when we are intentional, when we decide to respond to God’s call. He calls all the time.
What about if you are restricted in what you can do because of health reasons? What about if you can’t generally come to church? In this case, you can ask first how we can serve you (and let us know!), but in asking what you can do consider this option: Take out your parish directory, and every day pray for five people on the list. Whether you know their needs or not doesn’t matter. Just lift them up before God, for He knows their needs. By praying for every person in the parish on a regular basis you will serve God, and you will serve to build up His Body in this place. Welcome to ministry!
Farewell to Fr. Ken & Grace Okkerse: This Sunday, September 16th after the 10:15am service. We will be celebrating the ministry of Fr. Ken & Grace and sending them off to a new life with gratitude for all they have done here at Grace Church. They moved to Menasha on September 4th to be closer to family. Please join in the celebration by signing up to bring sweets or savories for a Gala Reception and then stay to help clean up. There is a sign-up sheet on the Narthex table.
Chez Grace: A series of parish dinners for 8 to 10 people at a time is being orgainzied, with dinners hosted by leaders of various ministries in the parish. These will serve as opportunities for us all to get to know each other better, in order that we may better serve God as a parish of His Church.
Please sign up now! Sign-up sheets can be found in the parish narthex.
Parish Library: Our parish library needs help. The collection is more extensive than that found in many congregations. (How many of you knew that we have the collected works of Bl. Charles Chapman Grafton, our local saint?) There is some overlap, and some culling needed, complicated by recent donations.
If you are willing to work on cataloguing and arrangement, please contact the parish office. Ideally, if we have two or three people, we can complete the project quickly.
Grounds and Garden Care: For many years this parish has relied on the good offices of Wes and Barbara Jung in caring for the grounds and garden. Barbara–may she rest in peace–now tends another garden, and Wes has moved to Massachusetts to be with his son. We need to form a Grounds Committee. In order to jump start the process, we recently hired a professional landscaping company to provide a major trim on ornamental plants. But now we need to maintain the plants. We need people who know plants, and can work on a rotating schedule to keep the grounds and gardens in order. Please pray about how you are called to serve, and contact Ed Clabots, junior warden, to explore interest.
Pictorial Directory: The pictorial directory photographic sessions are scheduled for 21 and 22 September. Please visit the parish website to schedule your appointment. You will also receive an automated telephone call from the parish, which will provide details of how to schedule your appointment.
Grace Abounds: Please thank all of the Sunday School teachers for their work in launching the new program. In addition to the teachers (Nicci Beeck, Annette Fabiano, Pat Ford Smith, Brian Heck and Nick Whitford), the up-front design and planning work was spearheaded by Dcn. Michele Whitford and Katy Prange.
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.
Episcopal Youth Community: Grace and Peace to you all. This past week in D-group we began our discussion about what does it mean to be a disciple. We looked at the word “disciple”, at its definition, and what we could learn at-a-glance from the scriptures where Jesus calls His first followers. We also watched a video from the Nooma series called Dust, in which Pastor Rob Bell teaches us what it meant to be a Rabbi and a disciple in Jesus' day. Jesus called men who didn't “make the cut,” as it were. When Jesus called these fishermen He called the anybodies, the not-good-enoughs, people who messed up (people like you and me) to be His followers, His disciples, the people who carry on His work. When He says, "Come, follow me" what He means is: “I believe you can do what I do.” This is good news. We can be like our Rabbi, Jesus, because He calls us, and He believes in us.
—Nick Whitford
Being the Body: Knowing, Being Doing: This discipleship program (which will be offered in conjunction with St. Paul’s, Plymouth and St. Peter’s, Sheboygan Falls) begins on Saturday, 15 September, at 9 a.m., here at Grace. Our first session will focus on a diagnosis of where we are in the Church now, and we will then build from there. As a preview, consider that our first two speakers this Fall will be The Rev. Dr. Steven A. Peay, Academic Dean at Nashotah House, and Dr. Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., retired president of Gordon Conwell College, and a world-known author of more than 25 books on scripture.
Please sign-up at the parish office, so that we can have a reasonable headcount estimate for logistical planning.
Music this week:
Prelude Saraband Bingham
Entrance Hymn 427 “When morning gilds the skies” Laudes Domini
Offertory Hymn 448 “O love, how deep, how broad, how high” Deus tuorum militum
Communion Motet Ave Verum Corpus W. A. Mozart
Communion Hymn 498 “Beneath the cross of Jesus” St. Christopher
Closing Hymn 477 “All praise to thee, for thou, O King divine” Engelberg
Postlude Fanfare; Galliard H. Howells
Parish Notices
§ Pictorial Directory Update: We have had a very good response to date and Sept 21 and 22 are now fully booked. There are openings still available for Monday, October 1 for later in the afternoon and evening so please call Barb MacEwen (920.467.6909) to make your appointment now or go on line at the church website and book it yourself. We want and need all of you to participate. Thank you.
§ Please Check your Entry in the Parish Directory: An “almost final” draft is located on the narthex table. If you have not checked your entry, please do so as soon as possible. We plan to have the new non-pictorial directory available at the annual meeting on September 30. This is different from the pictorial directory, which will be distributed sometime early in the new year. Thank you for helping keep our records up to date.
§ Annual Meeting Reports: If you are in charge of anything, please write a short report to be included in the Annual Report and send it to the office office@gracesheboygan.com by Thursday September 20th. Thank you so much.
§ Parish Annual Meeting: Our Annual meeting will be September 30, 2012. We will begin with Low Mass with hymns at 9:00am followed by the meeting in the church at 10:15. We will conclude the morning with an all parish potluck at 11:45. If you are in charge of anything, please write a short report to be included in the Annual Report and send it to the office. There is a sign-up sheet on the table in the Narthex. We will also need a team of people to clean up. Please mark your calendars now.
§ Call for Vestry Nominations: Vestry elections will be held on Sunday, 30 September, at the parish annual meeting. We need at least six nominees, with names provided to the parish office by 16 September. 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).
§ Walsingham Pilgrimage: This is the 61st Annual Pilgrimage to the American Proto-Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham. On Friday, October 12th there will be a Quiet Day with meditations at 12:00 and 3:00pm concluding with Solemn Evensong at 6:00pm. The Rev. Arnold W. Klukas will lead the meditations. On Saturday, October 13th The Rt. Rev. Russell E. Jacobus will celebrate at the Procession and Solemn Pontifical Mass at 10:30am. The Rt. Rev. Lindsay G. Urwin, OGS will preach. Bishop Urwin is the, Administrator of the Anglican Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham, Walsingham, England. If you can help with the cost of the Pilgrimage by donating for music and for flowers please make you check out to Grace Church with “Pilgrimage music and flowers” in the memo. Thank you so much.
§ Coats for Kids: is a community service campaign. Area residents are asked to donate clean coats in good repair. We accept coats of all sizes for people of all ages, with the need being greatest for children’s coats. These coats will be distributed to Sheboygan county residents who would otherwise go without. Drop off location: Reinbold-Novak Funeral Home, 1535 S. 12 St. Sheboygan. September 4 –October 24 Monday–Friday 8:30am–4:00 pm. Distribution Location: Salvation Army, 710 Pennsylvania Ave. Sheboygan. Friday, October 26, from 9:00am–1:00pm and Thursday, November 1 from 2:00–6:00pm.
§ Break the Language Barrier: He gives you flowers when what you really want is a hug. She spends time with you but what you really need is a home-cooked meal. The problem isn’t a lack of love, it’s your love language! Join us as we discover the five different ways that people express and receive love. Apply the right principles and soon you’ll know the joy of being able to express your love-and feel truly loved in return. Based on the book The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman. Registration is required for this free program. Join us at Great Marriages 612 Center Avenue, Sheboygan Saturday, October 13, 2012, 9:30am – noon Call GMSC at 920-783-3660 to register.
§ Songs of the Seasons Goes Broadway: You are invited to join us for “Let Us Entertain You: A Musical Revue” presented on Sunday, September 16, at 2:00, at First Congregational Church (310 Bluff Ave.) Special guests will be the cast from Sheboygan Theatre Company’s 4th of July musical revue and Jason Summers from NYC, the guest director of STC’s upcoming musical. The show was created and arranged by Sandra Kasten, choreographed by Veronica Hilke, and will be accompanied by Bill Born. Narration was written by Doug Kleinhans. The freewill offering will be used to offset the expenses of the Songs of the Seasons sacred music concert that will be held on February 17, 2013, at Bethlehem Lutheran Church.
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