Canapés & Conversations  

Relaxed bridegroom and groom's attendants!

	Vows

                                    

The second event was Pat Terry's performance in a reading of "4,000 Miles" at the Galena Center for the Arts. Pat was magnificent as Vera, the grandmother.

One of the exciting things about Grace Church is the involvement of its members in the Galena community, in so very many ways. Teresa is known far and wide through her work at the Gazette, her Kiwanis activities and, of course, her children's and youth ministries at Grace. Pat is such a highly respected musician and actor, known throughout the area for directing and performing.

And, our members are everywhere--volunteering their time and their talents on boards, as docents, as artists and performers, serving others through the Food Pantry, Women and Friends, and the ARC, the library, and the Medical Center. Bringing joy and loving kindness to all. I am so pleased to know you--and to be your rector!

See you in church!

Gloria+

READINGS

Joshua 24:1-2a, 14-18: Joshua challenges the people of Israel to choose which god they will serve, and the people affirm their commitment to the God of their ancestors who brought them out of Egypt.

Psalm 34:15-22: A celebration of the way God watches over the righteous and saves them, but opposes the wicked and brings them down.

Ephesians 6:10-20: The apostle encourages the Ephesian believers to recognise that their struggle is not against human beings, but against spiritual forces of evil, and in order to stay strong they need to put on God's armour and remain faithful in prayer. Then he asks them to pray for him as he seeks to spread the Gospel.

John 6:56-69: Jesus proclaims that he is the bread that came down from heaven, and that whoever eats his flesh and drinks his blood will remain in Christ and Christ in them. Then many disciples grumble and even start leaving, but when Jesus asks the twelve if they want to go too, Peter answers that they have nowhere else to go, because Jesus has the words of eternal life.

This week is all about choices. On the one hand there is the choice to abandon our devotion to God and God's ways. In the Gospel, many of Jesus' followers find his call to be completely united with him - to believe that he is the source of life and to take him into their beings - too much to handle and they abandon Jesus. But, his disciples, although they may be feeling like they want to go, recognise that life is found in Christ and so remain faithful. In the Old Testament related reading, Joshua calls the people to choose where they will put their devotion, while making his own commitment to God clear and public. In a similar way, Psalm 34 describes the differences between those who stay faithful to God and those who are "wicked". Linked with our choice to follow Jesus there is a call to prayer in this week's Lectionary. In the famous passage from Ephesians, Paul calls the believers to prepare themselves for the attacks of evil by putting on God's armour (making a choice to stay faithful), and he calls them to prayer for themselves and for him as he seeks to spread the Gospel.  The theme this week is simple and clear: everyday we will be faced with the choice to remain faithful to Christ or to turn away, and we will need the intimacy with God that comes through prayer and through sharing in the life of Christ to remain true to our calling. In a world where religion is being questioned and falling out of fashion, and in which many parts of the Church are in decline, this choice, and the call to prayer, are as important as ever.

 

The thumbnails come from sacredise.com,

The Furniture Ministry

 

Steve Barg presented a Mission Moment during worship on August 19 updating the congregation on the work of the Furniture Ministry in assisting those area families who have no beds, kitchen tables, or sofas. The Grace Church Outreach Ministries provided a donation of $1,000 to support these efforts. 

 

Sunday, October 7:  World Communion Sunday at the Galena Arts Center; shared ecumenical worship with Presbyterian, United Methodist, and Lutheran churches.

Thursday, October 11: Bp. Joseph from the Diocese of Renk, Sudan, will be with us. Details to follow.