Grace
Episcopal Church
Sheboygan,
Wisconsin
Grace
Notes
5 November 2015
By calendar
date, today is the fourth anniversary of my service as rector of this parish. It’s tempting at any anniversary to reflect
on what has changed over the years—the changes in people, programs, etc.—but I
believe it more important to focus on what has remained the same. What has remained the same at Grace has been
the underlying charisms (gifts of the Spirit) by and through which her people
witness to the glory of God.
Different faces
are seen in particular ministries, but in each ministry what remains is what
abides. God’s Word does not change. His beauty is everlasting. His truth is eternal. His holiness and love are beyond time. His goodness and blessing abides in all. To the extent that we have “made progress” as
a congregation this is because of how we have remained faithful, and to the
extent we face challenges this is because we have focused more on our own
resources than on God.
Moving into year
5, I remain convinced that the best and only “strategic plan” for the Church
and for the parish is to discern God’s will and do it. It’s really that simple. When we are faithful in prayer—in paying
attention—and then, by God’s grace, act on the basis of prayer, God will both
make clear what He desires and provide us with every blessing we need to
accomplish His will. His will may often
be different from what we had in mind!
That’s the consistent witness of Scripture. But equally consistent is the witness that
when those who serve Him do what God purposes, it becomes reality.
Moving into year
5 we again face financial challenges, serious ones. And yet the gospel lesson for this coming
Sunday (Mk. 12.38-44—the widow’s mite) reminds us that the contrast that Jesus
observes in the widow is not between prudence and a blind faith, it is between
security and trust; it is between an offering of self and the preservation of
self-protection. Faith involves risk,
great risk. When Jesus speaks of the
widow’s offering, where is He? He is in
the Temple, having come to Jerusalem, the place He has predicted to His
disciples where He will be rejected, condemned, and killed. He is in the place where He knows He will
offer all, and seeing the widow offer everything she has, He sees one who too
acknowledges the greatness of God. May
we offer of self.
I thank God,
every day, for how He has called me to serve, and that He has called me to
serve in this place. I thank God for how
He equips us to serve together.
Grace
abounds: Please thank:
§ Pat Sather, and Andrea and Ellen
Aparicio for the Sunday coffee hours.
§ Dcn. Mike Burg, Pat Ford Smith, Barn
MacEwen and Mary Massey for packing clothing shipments for refugees in Croatia.
Call for
Contributions: If you
have a spiritual reflection to share, or want to point your fellow worshippers
toward a resource, submit your contributions to Fr. Karl (by email) by
Wednesday in the week of publication.
Advent
meditations: For several years the parish has prepared and
published a booklet of Lenten meditations, in which parishioners have reflected
on the prayer and scripture lessons appointed for each day in Lent. This year we will begin an additional
meditation series, with meditations offered for each day in Advent.
Advent, sometimes called “Little Lent,”
begins on 29 November (First Sunday in Advent) and concludes at sundown of the
Vigil of the Nativity, 24 December. For
each day a prayer and scripture lesson will be provided. Those who participate will offer a brief
meditation (up to 400 words) in response to the prayer, meditation, and
progress of the season as we each prepare to receive Our Lord become
flesh. These meditations will be
published in print and online, and can be submitted for attribution or
anonymously. In addition, meditations
can be read aloud on Grace Abounds, as part of our podcast series.
If you wish to participate, please sign up
for a day, and have all meditations completed and submitted to the parish
office not later than 16 November.
Grace
Abounds Developments: New hardware and software is arriving as this
is written, which will allow video and audio live streaming within the
month. In addition, effective now
the hearing aid loops are active in the church nave and in St. Nicholas
Hall. If you wear a hearing aid, and set
the T-coil switch, the loop will automatically feed into your hearing aid. This is independent from the speakers in the
nave and hall; it feed directly into the hearing aid. If you want to try the system, and do not use
a hearing aid, headsets are available.
Music
this Week: Pentecost 24, Proper 27B2
Prelude Lento Stanford
Prelude on
“Lead us, O Father”
Entrance
Hymn 475 “Give praise and glory
unto God”
Offertory
Hymn 388 “O worship the King”
Communion
Motet Lead us, O Father Gibbons
Communion
Hymn 302 “Father, we thank thee who hast
planted”
Closing
Hymn 686 “Come,
thou fount of every blessing”
Postlude Toccata in D Pachelbel
Parish
Notices
§ Adult Formation: At 9:00 a.m. Sunday
we will continue with a validation phase of live-streaming adult education on
the web. To do this we will start with a
“rerun”. We will offer a course first
offered in early 2012, as updated, to test how existing educational materials
can be adapted and expanded in a webcast context. The course will be Anglican Identity, a four
part series for which the written (from 2012) materials can be found already on
our website. The Anglican Identity course focuses on what it means to follow
Jesus Christ in the unique ways that are Anglican. What is different about being an Episcopalian,
for example, than about being a Christian in another tradition? How is this identity manifested uniquely, and
what strengths and challenges exist in being not just a Christian but an
Anglican Christian? This course can
provide a good refresher or process check for lifelong Episcopalians, and a
more complete grounding for new Episcopalians.
Come prepared to share!
§ Lindsay Fischer is the solo cellist:
at
the next Sheboygan Symphony Concert on November 14th at the Weill
Center, in their performance of the J.S.Bach Brandenburg Concerto No. 6. The
concert also features Ana Sinkovec Burstin playing Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto
No. 1. For more information go to
weillcenter.com or call 920 208-3243. The Symphony Office number is
920-452-1985 and their website also has information at sheboygansymphony.org
§ Christmas Shoeboxes: We are looking for
the following items to fill the shoeboxes: toothpaste and individually wrapped
toothbrushes, mild soap bars and wash cloths, pencils, colored pencils, erasers
and pencil sharpeners, paper to write on. These items must be able to fit into
a shoe box. Please deposit donated items in bin located on display table in the
Narthex. Deadline for donations is November 16th.
§ Fall Clean-up: Saturday November
21st there will be a Fall Clean-up – outside only – commencing at
8:30 a.m. for 3 hours. Breakfast and
snacks will be provided. The Boy Scouts
will help us at the beginning of what will be their own leaf cleaning campaign.
§ Israel Pilgrimage: A group of 25 pilgrims from the Diocese of Fond
du Lac, including Deacon Michele and Jon
Whitford, Ed Clabots, and Leslie Kohler, as well as friends from other dioceses
and other denominations, are traveling in Israel. Please hold these pilgrims in your prayers
for safe travel and enrichment. For further information go to https://stthomas2israel.wordpress.com/
§ Refugee Crisis in Croatia: Missionaries Aaron
and Winnie Horvat are trying to help
the Syrian refugee families flooding into Croatia. The stories of hardship,
horror and desperation are hard to imagine. Most have had to leave everything
behind, coming with only the clothes on their backs. Many have makeshift shoes.
Aaron and Winnie’s main focus has been mothers with small children. Items
needed: baby blankets, children’s socks & underwear, sweaters, hoodies,
warm jackets, toothbrushes & small size toothpaste, individually wrapped
sanitary napkins, children’s shoes, women’s underwear & socks. Please
deposit donations in plastic bin in Narthex. Deacon Mike will box and ship the
items. Donations towards shipping are also welcome. There is no deadline. For
more information please refer to bulletin board in Narthex.
§ Tripartite Thanksgiving Eve Worship: Join the
Celebration on Wednesday, November 25th at 7:00pm at St. Peter’s
Lutheran Church. Join in the Tripartite Combined Choir and enjoy fellowship and
deserts following the worship. The Thanksgiving Offering will benefit the
Salvation Army. We will need two people to serve as ushers and a reader, if you
can help please call the office. Thank you.
§ Salvation Army Bell Ringing: Volunteers are need
for hourly slots of bell ringing on November 28th at Piggly Wiggly
Northside 1:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. and Pick & Save Southside 9:00 a.m. – 7:00
p.m. Sign-up sheets can be found in the Narthex. For any questions please call
Nancy Yurk at 453-9948.
§ Advent
Meditations:
For several years the parish has prepared and published a booklet of Lenten
meditations, in which parishioners have reflected on the prayer and scripture
lessons appointed for each day in Lent. This year we will begin an
additional meditation series, with meditations offered for each day in Advent.
Advent, sometimes called “Little Lent,” begins on November 29th
(First Sunday in Advent) and concludes at sundown of the Vigil of the Nativity,
December 24th. For each day a scripture lesson will be
provided. Those who participate will offer a brief meditation (up to 400
words) in response to the scripture reading. These meditations will be
published in print and online, and can be submitted for attribution or
anonymously. In addition, meditations can be read aloud on Grace
Abounds, as part of our podcast series. If you wish to participate, please
sign up for a day, and have all meditations completed and submitted to the
parish office no later than November 16th. Sign-up sheets and
scripture readings can be found in the Narthex.
§ 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.
§ Missing Tables: Six rectangular
tables have gone missing since Mass in the Grass. If anyone has knowledge of
where they might be, please call the office.
Or, if you have these tables in your possession, please return them as
soon as you are able. These tables are
used for set up in meetings.
§ Like
Grace
Church on Facebook
§ Follow
Grace
Church on Twitter: @GEC_Sheboygan
§ We
Are on Itunes! Check
out the new podcast!!!
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