Changed, not ended

Dear friends,

In the church we tell time by the Calendar of the Church Year in The Book of Common Prayer. According to our calendar, there are seven Principal Feasts in the church year. Christmas and Easter come to mind, of course, but here are the others: Ascension Day, the Day of Pentecost,

Trinity Sunday, All Saints’ Day, and the Epiphany.

This Sunday, November 2nd, we’ll observe one of these feasts: All Saints’ Day. We’re actually “transferring the feast,” as they say, because All Saints’ Day falls on November 1st . In the church calendar, November 2nd is the Commemoration of All Faithful Departed. Like many parishes, we’ll combine these two into one All Saints’ service, celebrating those whom the Church honors

as saints, and remembering our loved ones – our own “saints” – who have died.

As Christians, grief and hope are woven together in our remembrance of those who have died. When a loved one dies, grief becomes our companion. Over time, we learn to live with grief; it never really goes away. But in the midst of grief is our hope as Christians, expressed beautifully

in this prayer when the Eucharist is offered at a funeral:

For to your faithful people, O Lord, life is changed, not ended; and when our mortal body lies in death, there is prepared for us a dwelling place eternal in the heavens. (Prayer Book, p. 382)

When we die, life is changed, not ended – that is what we trust God to do for all of us, God who raised Jesus from the dead and “holds our souls in life,” as the Psalmist says (Psalm 66:8). How we are changed is beyond our understanding; what that dwelling place eternal in the heavens will be like is beyond our imagining. But we hope; we hold on to hope; we let hope take hold of us.

In the Prayers of the People there is always a bidding for those who have died. This Sunday, the bidding will include the names of those loved ones who have been buried from Grace since last All Saints’ Sunday. And there will be time to pray, silently or aloud, the names of those dear to you who have gone home to God.

May you know God’s peace today.

~ Sarah

priest@gracechurchsalem.org

This Sunday

Don't forget -

clocks "fall back" this weekend!

Parish Prayer List

Please keep the following in your prayers:

Margaret Connor, Liev Manck, James Ward, Thomas Trombley, Barbara Dwyer, Lilyann, Margarette Connor, John Gilbo, Vance Gilbert, Reny Sparapani, Laurel, Gary Young, Amy, Paul, Heather and Prescott, Ariana, Sheridan, Javy, Faith Aroko and Family, Jesse Hurst and Family, Maureen Joyce, Arthur, Deb Young, Cindy Rhodes, Ron, Allison Mascolo, Melissa Glassman, Max Joyce, Marc Britt, those battling cancer, Mel, Corey MacNeil, Dianne, Jenny, Loretta and Kris, Priscilla Lemons, Deb Papps, Derek Fuller and Family, for the peaceful repose of the soul of Smadar and all victims of war the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem and their ministries; the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Salem, the Salem Public Schools and for an end to racism, war, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, gun violence and oppression. In thanksgiving, we pray for the ministry of The Reverend Debbie Phillips and her husband, Eric Wagner, this community of faith, for God’s grace and forgiveness, for those with the courage to stand up to tyranny, for creation, for the diversity of people, and for all the blessings of this life.



If you have additions or deletions to the prayer list, please email prayerlist@gracechurchsalem.org by Tuesday at noon for publication in that week's e-news. 

The Parish Prayer List is read aloud each Wednesday at Morning Prayer.

Outreach: Grace Church parishioners, their families, and friends have knitted or crocheted many beautiful children’s hats to donate to various organizations that support children in Salem and beyond. We plan to donate roughly 300 hats before Winter sets in.

Fundraiser: Hats can be sponsored at $10/hat. The hats are given to the children and the $10 donations support Grace Church and its mission. Hats can be supported by using the donation button on the Grace Church website, www.gracechurchsalem.org. If you donate online, be sure to send an email to fundraising@gracechurchsalem.org so that the donation will be attributed to the Hats O.F.F. campaign.

Fellowship: Come hang out with us knitters on Tuesday nights at 7:00 p.m. No need to be a member of Grace Church or even to know how to knit.

We are having a blast! 

Everyone is Welcome

at Diocesan Convention Workshops

Our annual diocesan convention takes place on Friday, November 14^th and Saturday, November 15^th at the Marriott in Burlington. The Saturday session is when the required business of convention takes place, and also includes an address by Bishop Whitworth – Laura Beasley- Topliffe, Joanne Moar, and I will represent Grace as your delegates at this session.

The Friday afternoon session runs from 2:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. and is open to everyone. This afternoon session is free (though you must register), and you can choose to attend two of the following workshops:

• Stewardship Fundamentals for Small and Medium-Sized Parishes
• Exploring Anglican Identity
• Exploring Invite, Welcome, Connect
• Keys to Faith Formation
• We Stand with the Vulnerable: Supporting Immigrants
• Stronger Together: Building Collaborative Parishes
• Managing Church Property for Mission
• Building Support with LGBTQIA+ Youth & Adults

Wishing that I could attend all of them, I’ve registered for “Stewardship Fundamentals for Small and Medium-Sized Parishes” and “Managing Church Property for Mission.” If you’d like to attend the workshops, or for more information, go to www.diomass.org.

~ Sarah

Take a moment to see how your care and contributions support the life of Grace Church.



Click the flyer to open a larger version.

PARKING IN OCTOBER

October Parking

Resident-only parking is in effect weekends from noon to 7 AM and weekdays from 5 PM to 7 AM.

Sunday morning services are not affected.

For Celtic Service, Knitting Group and other church-related gatherings: parking in the restricted areas will be allowed, but you must display a pink dash placard. You can receive a parking pass from an Ushers or from Parish Administrator, Jenny Connors.