eGraceNotes from Grace Church

A spiritual home where all are welcome; a healing place in a broken world.

Issue 139, June 17, 2011 

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Greetings!

This Sunday's service will be special in a couple of ways. We'll have EfM graduates, and their their families and friends, at a healing service, followed by a reception in the Great Hall.

Ken

In This Issue ...
Sunday's Celebration of Wholeness and Healing Honors Education for Ministry Graduates
Common Ministry Review & Sharing Session at Procter July 9.
Join the Grace Church Conversation
Prayer Requests
Thanks to ....
Coming Events
News Shorts
Sunday Service Volunteers Make our Worship Complete
Choir Camp at Christ Church Cathedral
Free Tickets for July 19 Performance of Opera Goes to Church in College Hill
Christ's Community in College Hill Summer Program News
Episcopal Retirement Homes Looking for a Parish Health Ministry Coordinator
Cincinnati Pride Interfaith Service Coming July 7
Sunday's Celebration of Wholeness and Healing Honors Education for Ministry Graduates

Eight graduates from Grace Church's two Education for Ministry classes will be honored at Sunday's worship service. These people have completed a four-year course of study from the University of the South at Sewanee that covers the basics of a seminary education. Under Mentor Hawley Todd's leadership, they met weekly for 30+ weeks a year and now have a pretty good understanding of Hebrew Scripture, Christian Testament, Church History and Modern Theologians. More importantly, they have learned, through a process called Theological Reflection, to integrate the subject material with their own lives. For most graduates, EfM is a journey that enhances their lives and their faith in often urprising ways.

The graduates were drawn to Grace's EfM classes from several churches in the area: Grace Church, St. Paul's UCC on Old Blue Rock, Christ Church Cathedral, St. Stephen's and St. James, in addition to one not affiliated with any church. They are:  Roger Perna,  Wanda Miller,  Charlie Parker, Bill Hatley, Paul Gahn, Margaret Knapp, Chris Carey and Bill Hahn.

A reception will be held for the graduates and their family and friends in the Great Hall following the service.

Sunday's service will be a Celebration of Wholeness and Healing, a service we do on Sunday mornings about once a month. Officiant Hawley Todd explains the rationale for having a healing service as the principle service on Sunday morning thus:

Healing is the process of becoming the person God created us to be. Wholeness and healing happen as we invite God's presence into our lives. Prayers for healing are simply putting oneself in an attitude and position where one is open to receive God deeper into one's life. Healing is holistic. It involves the body, emotions, mind, and spirit of a person. And not only that, it involves all of one's relationships with others and creation. With that understanding of healing, we can see that Eucharist is also a healing service. Both services focus on healing the wounds that separate us from God, from each other, and that exist within ourselves.

 

Thus, coming to the rail for healing prayers in this service has much the same function as coming for the elements in the Eucharistic service.

Common Ministry Review & Sharing Session at Procter July 9

The final meeting of the current Diocesan Common Ministry project will be held at Procter Conference Center on July 9 from 10 am to 2:45 pm.  Each Common Ministry Church's church will share their experience with the program, which should make this a valuable learning time for us.  All involved or interested people are invited.

Free lunch will be served. Let the office (office@gracecollegehill.org, 513-541-2415) know if you'd like to go. Ride pools will be organized if needed.
Join the Grace Church Conversation

Enewsletters like this are nice, but they're one-way and occasional. If you'd like to interact electronically with Grace members and friends, or be kept uptodate in real time, we have a couple of ways to do that. 
  • Grace's Facebook Page allows anyone who has "liked" that page to post their own comments and respond to others' posts. Click here to go to see our page. Currently, about 90 people are following the posts on that page.
  • The GraceLeaders Email List consists of most of the volunteers involved at Grace (about 30). We use this mailing list to communicate on an ongoing basis via a single email address (graceleaders@gracecollegehill.org).  If you'd like to be added to this mailing list, just email webmaster@gracecollegehill.org. You don't have to be a "leader" to be on this list; just interested and potentially involved. 
Prayer Requests
   Prayer Requests
Please keep these people in your prayers for their special needs:

John, Lauren, Dr. Rehan, the Daniel family, the Cavalieri family, Virginia Chapel's family, Anne, Darryl, Caleb & Joshua, Brian, Kim & Robb, Lynda, Marty, Leroy, Erik, Alison, Alexis & Nathanael, Marie, Maureen Back, Irene Bryeans, Dean Bryeans, Fr. Bob Hufford, Diane, Maxwell & family, Barbara, Beverly, the people in the Mississippi flood area and those effected by the forest fires in Arizona.


Please let us know who should be included on our prayer list. You may use the Prayer Request Book at the rear of the nave to have persons included in the Sunday bulletin Prayer List and for prayers this week, or you can tell the office (513-541-2415, office@gracecollegehill.org). Make sure you have the person's permission to list him or her.

Pastoral Care

If you need pastoral care or know of someone who does, please call or email the office (513-541-2415, office@gracecollegehill.org). Keep us informed about about illness, hospital stays, requests for visits, communion, and prayers for special concerns.
Thank You Very MuchThanks to ...
  • ... Hawley Todd for leading Sunday's service, for mentoring Grace's two EfM classes, and for leading the monthly Healing service on the second Wednesday of every month.  
  • ...  Leah Scott, owner of Cincy Balloons LLC, for providing the beautiful balloons last Sunday, that enhanced our space in the sanctuary and Great Hall. 
  • ... Carol and Ken Lyon for the flowers on the altar this Sunday. 
We're sure that we've left out many of the people who deserve our thanks. Let us know who we've missed by clicking eGraceNotes@GraceCollegeHill.org.

 

Coming Events

 

To see everything that's coming up at Grace, click here.  

 

If you think you have an event scheduled at Grace, please check this calendar to make sure that it's listed. If it's not listed, or if you see errors, please email eGraceNotes@gracecollegehill.org.

News Shorts
  • Please make sure to be here next Sunday to wish our organist, Jonathan Tan, well, as he leaves to begin a new teaching position in Australia.  June 26th will be his last service with us until the Advent season.
  • Pictures of last Sunday's Pentecost service are now online. Take a look, here
  • We're getting closer to actually repairing the roof. The bids need to be evaluated and the insurance company and the Diocese contacted to arrange funding to supplement the approximately $10,000 already contributed or pledged by members and friends.
  • We've posted some new pictures of members and friends in the Grace Church Picture Directory. Ken Lyon brings his camera to church most Sundays. If you're not in our album or if you'd like a "retake," just ask. 
  • Mission Council is considering a proposal to host a day care center. A committee headed by Chuck Bowles is developing a contract with the provider. Possible displacement of groups by the day care program will be handled by the appropriate committees and the wardens. Work will be expedited on a new Small Assembly Room across from the Sunday School room.
  • Mission Council has given the go-ahead to air condition the Great Hall. 
  • Altar flowers are funded through your donations. The suggested amount is $35. You can donate for flowers on our Donation Page, or you can sign the Flower Donation Sheet on the table by the Belmont Door. There is a special flower box for smaller donations that can be combined to provide a Sunday arrangement.  
Sunday Service Volunteers Make our Worship Complete

Sunday Service Volunteers are needed in all positions including choir members, Sunday School teachers and sitters. Training is offered for acolytes, Eucharistic Visitors and Chalice Bearers.

We are a Common Ministry Parish - everyone is encouraged to serve. Please let the office know of your interest for training dates.

The current schedule of services and volunteers is posted here.

 

Choir Camp at Christ Church Cathedral

Young singers who have completed grade one through grade eight are invited to participate in Christ Church Cathedral's Choir Camp, July 11-15, 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. During the week, children will sing, play instruments, create art, play games, enjoy good meals and explore Christian faith. On Friday evening, the families of the children will be invited to attend a worship service at which the children will sing. A dinner will follow.

The cost of the camp is $50 (scholarships available). Registration for the camp is due July 1. For more information, and to download a registration form, go  here. Christ Church Cathedral is located at 314 East Fourth Street (Fourth & Sycamore), downtown Cincinnati; phone: 513.621.1817.

 

Free Tickets for July 19 Performance of Opera Goes to Church in College Hill

This year marks the first Opera Goes to Church concert at College Hill Presbyterian Church. The performance on Tuesday, July 19 at 7:00 p.m. promises to be a unique experience, bringing together a host of community choirs for an unforgettable night of music."We will have a choir that is representative of six area churches of varying denominations, and members of the community at large," said Christina Miller, Director of Community Relational Outreach at College Hill Presbyterian Church. "You could not dream up a better opportunity to build bridges!"

Soprano Jacqueline A. Echols, who appears in Cincinnati Opera's production of The Magic Flute, will be joined by other opera singers, the Omega Jazz Quartet, and thetalented College Hill artists who make up the College Hill Community Choir, including members of the following groups: College Hill Christian Church, College Hill Presbyterian Church, Good News Church of God in Christ, Grace Episcopal Church, House of Joy Christian Ministries, and The Cincinnati Super Choir.

Cincinnati Opera's longstanding commitment to diversity, inclusion, and community engagement makes Opera Goes to Church!™ a natural expression of the company's mission to be an indispensable member of the Greater Cincinnati community.

Although Opera Goes to Church concerts are free, space is limited. Tickets are available at the Cincinnati Opera Box Office beginning Wednesday, June 1. Call 513-241-2742.
Christ's Community in College Hill Summer Program News

We received this from Ralph and Lisa Williams of Christ's Community in College Hill.

I am writing to inform you of the exciting things that are happening in our summer program at Christ's Community in College Hill. For the past 36 years, we have offered the community one of the finest Day Camp programs in the city of Cincinnati.

 

This past summer, CCCH employed 15 young men and women through our summer youth employment program. We registered over 130 youth in our Day Camp program. We also sent 10 youth to Young Life Camp in Georgia. Our enrichment program scored the highest out of 27 programs in the city of Cincinnati. We have also been able to take our kids on trips such as, Cincinnati Natural History Museum, Coney Island, Zoo, etc.

 

This summer we are expecting to employ even more College Hill Youth. Our Day Camp numbers have exceeded 130. It is important that we continue to plant seeds and proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ to our young people. We are asking that you join us this summer in prayer as well as financial support. Remember it only takes a Spark to get a fire going.

 

You can call Christ's Community at 513-541-0303, or visit them Monday through Thursday from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm at 5819 Salvia Avenue, College Hill (Cincinnati), OH 45224.

Episcopal Retirement Homes Looking for a Parish Health Ministry Coordinator

Jeanne Palcic, Program Manager from Episcopal Retirement Homes, writes,

We are seeking a part time Parish Health Ministry Coordinator for the Cincinnati and Dayton area.  We are looking for a Registered Nurse.

 

This is a half-time job whose major responsibilities include assisting congregations in developing and/or enhancing a health ministry program in Greater Cincinnati and Dayton churches and teaching, counseling, mentoring, planning and implementing health and wellness programs.

For immediate consideration, please forward your resume to:

Kim Muse
Staffing Coordinator
Episcopal Retirement Homes
3550 Shaw Avenue
Cincinnati, OH 45208
(513) 272-5555 ext. 5396
kmuse@erhinc.com
Cincinnati Pride Interfaith Service Coming July 7

Bruce Beisner asks us to let people know about the 2011 CINCINNATI PRIDE INTERFAITH SERVICE Thursday July 7, 2011, 7:00pm, St. John's Unitarian Universalist Church (320 Resor Avenue in Clifton).

All are invited to attend this very special multi-faith worship event! Clergy and lay leaders from across the rainbow of spiritual and religious perspectives will gather to celebrate how their diverse faiths respect and embrace people of all sexual orientations and gender identities. The service will take place on Thursday July 7 at 7:00pm at St. John's Unitarian Universalist Church in Clifton. The theme will be "Together in a Spirit of Love" and the service will include rousing music, inspirational readings, prayers and rituals from Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Native American, Pagan and many other religious traditions.

The Pride Service is being organized by the Unitarian Universalist Council of Greater Cincinnati. St. John's Church is located at 320 Resor Avenue, off of Clifton Avenue in the Gaslight District. For more information, please visit www.cinciuu.org or www.equinoxcincinnati.com.
eGraceNotes is published every week or two or three. Our primary purpose is to help keep members and friends of Grace Church up-to-date on what's happening at Grace.

While we try our best to represent the Grace Church congregation, opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of anyone other than the editor (and perhaps not even his!).

The content of eGraceNotes depends on what news is provided us. Thus, the fact that something appears or doesn't appear in eGraceNotes is more likely a matter of whether or not someone provided information to publish rather than editorial bias. Send news that you think would be interesting to eGraceNotes@GraceCollegeHill.org.

Photos in eGraceNotes are often edited to remove extraneous material.

Ken Lyon, Editor.