Grace
Episcopal Church
Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Grace
Notes
15 February 2018
How does a church
“do ministry”? The prayer book Catechism
makes clear that the mission of the Church is accomplished through the ministry
of all members, and that the ministers of the Church “… are lay persons,
bishops, priests, and deacons” (BCP 855). And notice that order, beginning with lay
persons. We need to remind ourselves of
this truth from time to time, and the beginning of Lent is a good time to do
so, because the culture around us wants us to believe that how things get done
is on a “fee for service” basis, and that we need to pay somebody to “do ministry”.
Obviously, we have
paid staff, lay and clergy, and the staff of the parish are charged with
specific responsibilities, which include specific ministries. But think, for a minute, about the number of
ministries that require specific graces conferred in ordination, and the number
of ministries that require specialized skills, gifts, and information that are
part of the job of a staff member, and the number of ministries that any
Christian person can do. The numbers of
ministries involved grow markedly as we move away from specific graces,
specialized skills, gifts, and information, which is why the ministry of the
Church as a whole is described as accomplished by the lay first.
Don’t wait to do
ministry, and don’t ask permission. If
the ministry you are called to is godly it will prosper. If what looks like ministry (or a call) isn’t
that, then what you do will not bear fruit.
But err on the side of grace, for the Church is not a
permission-granting organization but a living Body. And err (and bend over backwards!) on
the side of saying “Yes” to what might be a call to ministry. You don’t need to ask to add someone to the
prayer list; just do so. You don’t need
to ask to have a prayer card placed in the chapel of Our Lady of Walsingham;
just do so.
Lent is a good time
to focus in prayer on what God is calling you to do; who He is calling you to
be. Pray about all the things you would
like to see in ministry in this church, and then you’ll start to hear answers
about how you are called to serve.
Grace
abounds: Please thank:
§ Bob
and Anne Hanlon, Dcn. Paul and Andrea Aparicio, and Elizabeth Schaffenburg for the
Sunday coffee hours.
§ Wayne
Sather for pastoral care.
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:
§ LoveINC: opportunities to serve; service which is
ongoing; the vision for 2018—19; questions and answers.
§ Sheboygan
County Interfaith Organization:
opportunities to serve; service which is ongoing; the vision for
2018—19; questions and answers.
§ Freedom
Cry: the sexual trafficking problem in
Sheboygan; how to help.
§ Samaritan’s
Hand: the opioid abuse epidemic in
Sheboygan; how to help.
§ Good
News Jail and Prison Ministry:
opportunities to serve.
Come
to pray! Come enjoy fellowship! Come to learn!
Music this Week: The
First Sunday in Lent
Music
Director: R. Benjamin Dobey
Prelude Two
Chorale Preludes on Out of the depths I
call to thee Max Reger
Sequence Hymn “Show me your ways, O Lord” Melcombe
Offertory Hymn 143 “The glory of these forty days” Erhalt uns
Communion Motet Lord, for thy tender mercy’s sake John Hilton
Communion Hymn 310 “O saving Victim Opening wide” Herr Jesu Christ
Closing Hymn 150 “Forty days and forty nights thou wast
fasting” Aus
der Tiefe rufe ich
Postlude Chorale Fantasia on Forty days and forty nights
James E. Wallace
Parish Notices:
§ Lenten Booklet: Copies are available
on the table in the Narthex and on our parish website www.gracesheboygan.com.
For
each of the forty days of the Lenten season, this booklet contains a Gospel
lesson taken from the Eucharistic lectionary for the weekdays in Lent, plus the
Sunday Eucharistic lectionary. Following each Gospel lesson is the Collect
prayer for the celebration of Eucharist on each day and a meditation written by
a parishioner. After each meditation, space is allowed for you to note your own
reflections.
§ Book Study on Redemptive Compassion: The group study of
the book Redemptive Compassion: The
Defining Difference has begun. The eight-week class will meet on Sunday
mornings at 9:00 a.m. consecutively, through 4 March 4.
§ Stations
of the Cross, Simple Suppers and Presentations: 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:
o
23 February, Good News Jail Ministry
o
2 March, Samaritan’s Hand
o
9 March, Freedom Cry
o
16 March, Sheboygan County Interfaith
Organization (SCIO)
o
23 March, Love INC.
Please sign up on the sheets in the
Narthex so we can share with the number of attendees with the presenters and
know much food needs to be prepared.
§ 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. Thank you for
your willingness to serve in this ministry!
§ Scout
Appreciation "Pancake Breakfast": Sunday March 11. 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.
§ 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.
§ 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!!!
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