Written by a pastor currently serving
as an associate pastor at a wealthy historic
Gospel community. For this pastor, living
into his call means that he often laments
his ministry and the lives of his community
and denomination.
From, “When Steeples Cry: Leading
congregations through loss and change” by
Jaco J. Hamman
O
Lord, you are the God of our ancestors.
You are our God before our birth,
even before time began.
You built your Church and opened her
doors, O Lord.
You blessed your church and gave her life.
You gave her a voice.
Have you forgotten your Church O God,
have you left her to fend for herself?
Lord, hear us in our pain and fear.
We see young people walking the streets,
yet we do not see them in our churches.
We remember friends, who have left us.
We remember friends, who have forgotten us.
Now our churches sit empty.
Doors shut like a coffin,
our sorrow increases with each nail driven.
We have invited people to join us,
yet silence fills our ears, and emptiness
surrounds us.
Why are we alone?
O Lord, where is our voice,
will anyone still listen?
The hymns are not sung,
the creeds are not confessed,
the Word falls on deaf ears.
We preach your Gospel,
we serve your world,
we try to hold to what you taught us.
Where is our voice? Will no one listen!
Our nation marches to war as we cry
“Peace!”
Our churches only seem to matter when
buildings fall.
People only need us to marry and bury them.
We were once a church of traditions and
pride,
we were once a church of scholars and
thinkers.
We were once a church with renowned
preachers.
At one time we were blessed,
at one time, we had influence,
at one time, we mattered.
Have we wronged you?
Have we not sung your praise?
Have we not been faithful with what you gave
us?
Lord, we are a confused people,
Lord, we have forgotten your goodness,
Lord, we have taken our own path.
O Lord, you choose us, we did not choose
you.
We are your people, and you will not abandon
us.
Set our feet upon the path again.
Bring life to us again.
Lord once again fill the churches
with people seeking to praise you.
Lord bring the next generation
to meet you in our midst.
Return our voice, that we may once again,
spread the Gospel of your love.
Help us to be faithful,
help us to seek you,
help us find ourselves in your presence.
We will continue to praise you,
We will continue to worship you,
When our hearts are sad
And when they are filled with joy.
On Sunday, August 29 Grace held the annual
Peach Festival and Carillon Concert.
On a perfect sunny and warm day everyone
enjoyed a large variety of peach
desserts and a delightful concert performed
by Wesley Arai from Los Angeles, California.
This was Wesley's second concert at Grace.
We interviewed Wesley the day before as he
prepared for the concert.
We have a number of videos from Wesley's
practice session at the bottom of the
newsletter. Click
here to jump to the
videos.
For
the Love of Jesus and a Community for All,
Join Us for Family Friendly Sunday Mornings
at Grace!
You will
find a rich assortment of activities and
resources that support your child in her
discovery of God and the Christian life.
Your child will find fun, meaningful worship
as he or she gathers with friends to sing,
say prayers and celebrate Communion in an
engaging way.
Sundays - 1st,
2nd 3rd and 5th
9:00 AM
- Ring the bell as we gather and sing in the
church!
- Hear Bible Lessons.
- Chat with the pastor about the bible
story.
- Pray for the world and loved ones.
- Celebrate the ancient meal of the Lord’s
Supper.
9:30 AM
- Meet Mr. G. at the piano and become a
Grace Chorister.
- Even if you are very, very small or a big
kid, Mr. G. has a song you’ll love to
sing.
- Learn the meaning of Greek and Hebrew
words, and the stories of the
songs!
9:45 AM
- Dash to the Parish Hall for 30 minutes of
stories from our sacred scriptures
and activities while you enjoy a snack.
- Tell your parents that you will be
finished with Family Friendly Sunday
Morning at 10:15 am! Beg them to get
involved!
Fourth Sunday
Morning at 10:30 AM Youth & Family Sunday at 10:30 am
EVERY 4th SUNDAY. Children and youth
participate in the readings, ushering, Grace
Choristers sing, Children hear a sermon and
fresh Communion bread is blessed and given.
Every single Sunday, receive the
age-appropriate copy of Gretchen Wolff
Pritchard’s “Sunday Paper” that follows the
bible story. Color it with crayons
available at worship every Sunday.
You spoke and we heard. Thank you to
everyone who participated in the recent
Christian Education survey. We received more
than 40 responses. It is clear that there is
a hunger to learn more about the faith we
profess and experience more deeply the God
we serve. As a result, there will be three
additions to the already strong program of
adult Christian Education. Please consider
joining us for one or all of these
opportunities:
"The Episcopal
Church" in Miniature
Mondays at 7:30 PM
September 20, September 27, October 4,
October 11 Come and learn about Anglican
spirituality, the history of the Episcopal
Church, how we relate to the larger Anglican
communion, and the Book of Common Prayer. On
the final week, there will be a special Holy
Eucharist celebration which explains many of
our Episcopal practices.
"The Spirituality
of Contemplative Prayer" Thursdays at 7:30 PM
November 11, November 18 These two sessions will explore the rich
tradition of contemplative prayer and how to
live a contemplative life.
"An Advent
Afternoon Away with God" Sunday, December 5 - 12:30 PM
until 3 PM (this time is not set in stone) Spend an afternoon away from the holiday
frenzy. Our time together will be an
opportunity to learn more about Advent as
well as better prepare ourselves to
celebrate the Feast of the Incarnation (also
known as Christmas).
Adult Forum
Sundays at 9:30 AM
Of course, the ongoing opportunities will
be, well, ongoing. Consider spending time in
the Adult Forum on Sunday mornings at 9:30
AM. There is always a lively
discussion and new voices are invited to
join the conversation.
Adult Bible Study
Tuesdays at 7:30 PM
Also, an Adult Bible Study meets on Tuesday
evenings at 7:30 P.M. The session begins
with the opportunity to pray together and
continues with opportunities to learn more
about the Holy Scriptures.
For information about any of these programs,
please see Kristen Foley
or email her at
krisfoley@aol.com and she will direct
you to the right person.
The Grace Church Choir always welcomes new
voices into their fold, no matter the level
of experience. Whether you are soprano or
alto, tenor or bass, or unknown and yet to
be determined, whether your music reading
skills are great, adequate, minimal or
nonexistent, we welcome you to join us. Men
are always especially welcomed.
The choir rehearses on Wednesday evening
from 7:30 to 9:00 P.M. in the choir room and
sings for Choral Eucharist on Sundays at
10:30 A.M., September through June.
Joining us now is an ideal time as we begin
a new season of enhancing our Worship with
fine choral music and leadership for our
liturgy. Perhaps God is calling you to
ministry in music. St. Augustine writes that
to sing is to pray twice. Sing with us! Join
us in fellowship and song!
The Grace Church Choir will begin the new
singing season on Sunday, September 12,
2010, and rehearsals will being on
Wednesday, September 15, 2010.
"No good thing will God withhold
from those who walk with Integrity."
The Integrity Circle at Grace is officially
registered with the national Integrity USA
organization, allowing it access to
resources and information. The circle meets
once per month for fellowship, planning, and
worship.
There
are big plans in process for a service
project to benefit the parish. At its most
recent meeting, the circle talked about ways
to reach out to other Episcopal churches in
the area. It was decided that the ministry
offered by Integrity to gay and lesbian
Christians is worth sharing.
The circle hopes that its presence will be
part of Grace Church's vision: to provide a
community for all in the service of Jesus
Christ.
For information about Integrity and the
Circle at Grace, please feel free to contact
Kristen at krisfoley@aol.com or speak to one
of the members.
Women, Men, Girls, and Boys “In
Conversation” groups invite you to join
their monthly discussion meetings in the
multi-purpose room The discussion meetings
will resume on September 28, 2010 from
6:30 to 8:30 P.M.
Discussions will center around the summer
reading selections.
Women
will discuss The Help by Kathryn Stockett.
Men will discuss Living and Loving Out Loud
by Cornel West
High school girls and boys, Before I Die, by
Jenny Downham
Middle and elementary students, Warriors
into the Wild, by Erin Hunter.
Contact group coordinators Barbara Gadegbeku
(908-757-4624) or Willa Cofield
(908-753-0715) for more information. They
are especially interested in new members for
the male reading/discussion groups.
The deadline for the PTR (property tax
reimbursement) has been extended to November
1, 2010. Public inquiries should call
1-800-882-6599. This year’s budget provides
that new applicants are not eligible to
receive a check in 2010.
The Homestead Rebate Applications will be
mailed out in the fall to eligible
recipients. (probably seniors and disabled
persons). Homeowners will receive a notice
from their tax office that a credit
Will be applied to your May 2011 tax
payment. You will then pay a lesser amount.
The Governor wants taxpayers to know you are
receiving property tax relief.
If you have Questions about your assessed
value of your home, now is the time to visit
your Local Tax Assessor. Ask to see your
property ID card, making sure you are
assessed correctly for next year.
If you are not receiving a veteran or senior
deduction, ask about eligibly requirements
also. Questions not asked will go
unanswered.
Please
submit all articles for the October edition
of the Grace Newsletter by no later than
Friday, September 10, 2010. We accept
articles from all ministries, members and
friends of Grace Episcopal Church
For more information, or to submit an
article, please contact Ann-Marie Aymer at
amaymer@gmail.com.
It is a very different experience to to hear
the carillon from inside the tower.
You will notice that there is quite some
mechanism to make the bells play!
Thanks to Wesley for performing an excellent
concert. Here are some videos from his
practice session the day before the Peach
Festival.
"The Bells of Aberdovey" arranged by
Sally Slade Warner
O
Lord, you are the God of our ancestors.
Join
us as we dedicate our new piano in the
Sanctuary to the Service of God during the
10:30 AM Choral Eucharist. 
There
are big plans in process for a service
project to benefit the parish. At its most
recent meeting, the circle talked about ways
to reach out to other Episcopal churches in
the area. It was decided that the ministry
offered by Integrity to gay and lesbian
Christians is worth sharing. 
Women
will discuss The Help by Kathryn Stockett.
Please
submit all articles for the October edition
of the Grace Newsletter by no later than
Friday, September 10, 2010. We accept
articles from all ministries, members and
friends of Grace Episcopal Church