Sunday, December 31, 2023

Epiphany Sunday

Worship Service 

with Holy Eucharist 

in person and online at 

10 am

Service Bulletin

Online services can be viewed on our live Vimeo feed.

Vimeo Link 

Upcoming Services

Sunday, December 31st: Epiphany Sunday

Worship Service at 10 am*

Sunday, January 7th

Worship Service with Holy Baptisms at 10 am*

The Annual Parish Meeting will be held following the service.

Sunday, January 14th

Worship Service at 10 am*

* These services will be live streamed.

We return to 3 services at 8 am, 9:15 am, and 11 am on January 21st.

Happy New Year! There’s Still Time to Pledge!

We wish you a joyous and prosperous 2024! Before you ring in the New Year, please remember to make your pledge to the All In for Grace 2024 Annual Giving campaign.

To budget properly for 2024, Grace needs all pledges by year’s end—that means Sunday!

Many of you have already stepped up with your generous pledges—we need many more of you to do the same. Grace is well on our way to reaching our financial and participation goals, but we’re not there yet.

We are striving for 100% participation from the Grace community! If you contributed last year (thank you!), please consider increasing your support by 5%.

Once you are ready to make your All In for Grace pledge, please go to https://onrealm.org/gracebrooklyn/AddPledge/2024pledge and make your pledge online.

Let’s finish this year strong and go All In for Grace!

Parish Wide Justice Read

Gender Queer: A Memoir

Our text is Maia Kobabe’s Gender Queer and is available for purchase here. According to the American Library Association, which tracks banned books in American public schools and libraries, Kobabe’s memoir was the most challenged book of 2022, the second consecutive year it topped the list. In the form of a graphic memoir, Kobabe uses the illustrations to chronicle the journey of coming out, and address questions about gender identity – what it means and how to think about it. You’re invited to read at your leisure. We’ll gather in the North Room on Sunday, January 28th following the 11 am service for lunch and conversation, facilitated by Flourish Klink, friend of the author, a seminarian at Union Theological Seminary, candidate for the priesthood, and the first non-binary transgender person who will be ordained in the Diocese of New York. For more information, please email Rev. Leandra Lambert at LLambert@gracebrooklyn.org.

Rector's Bible Study

The Rector’s Bible Study meets in the McKittrick Choir Room on Tuesdays from 10-11:30 am. Bible Study is on break and will resume Tuesday, January 9th, when we will begin studying the Book of Isaiah.



if you cannot make it in person, participants can also join via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7186241850. 

Should you have any questions, please reach out directly to the Rector at arobinson@gracebrooklyn.org.

Yoga at Grace Church

Join certified yoga instructor Robbyn McCauley at 1pm on the first Sunday of each month for a yoga class in the gym at Grace Church. Our next class will be held Sunday, January 7th.

Robbyn began her yoga practice in 1998, and has been practicing off and on since then. In 2020, she earned her 95 hour certification in youth, children's and trauma-informed teens' yoga. Most recently, another opportunity came to light and Robbyn immersed herself in a weekend long retreat and earned a certification in restorative yoga. Robbyn has a love of Iyengar's teaching and always focuses on alignment, safe sequencing, and trauma-informed language during all of her classes.

Email graceyoga2023@gmail.com to register and please tell us the following: 1. Do you have any yoga experience? and 2. Do you need a mat?

Sunday School & Winter Calendar

Children in grades K*-5 are invited to participate in Sunday School. Classes meet from 10:15–10:45 am in Classroom 2 (on Sundays with one 10 am service only, Sunday School meets from 9:15-9:45 am). Volunteers lead children in 30-minute sessions focusing on Bible stories, using the Storymakers curriculum.

Sunday school classes resume on January 7th at 9:15 am. The winter Sunday school schedule can be found here.

Please note: Snacks will be served upstairs in the Guild Hall at the end of Sunday School. Please eat in the Guild Hall and not in the classroom.

*If your child is not yet a reader but would like to attend Sunday School, they can attend with a parent to help with the activities.

Sacred Ground in 2024

Sacred Ground is an 11-part series on race, grounded in faith. Part of the Episcopal Church’s commitment to Becoming Beloved Community, Sacred Ground uses documentary films and readings to walk small groups through chapters of America’s history of race and racism, while inviting participants to weave in their own family stories.

More than 300 people have participated in Sacred Ground circles through the Diocese of Long Island, and the program will be offered again beginning in February 2024.

Following an initial Zoom gathering of all participants on February 5, 2024, small groups will continue independently over the 10 remaining sessions, meeting weekly or every other week, on various day and evening schedules. The Cathedral of the Incarnation will be hosting a session on Wednesdays from 12-1:30pm, every other week.

To learn more and to register, please click here.

Grace Church and St. Paul’s, Atlanta are pleased to announce a 2024 Pilgrimage to highlight racial equity and social justice. In partnership with Faith Journeys, we’ll travel June 30-July 7, 2024 through four states visiting select sights along the United States Civil Rights Trail. By visiting museums and meeting with local leaders, members of Grace Church and St. Paul’s will leave with deeper relationships with one another and a renewed commitment to individual and collective action to dismantle oppressive systems and rebuild a just and equitable church and world. For more information, please email Rev. Leandra Lambert at llambert@gracebrooklyn.org.

The Rector's Discretionary Fund

Even the most meticulously crafted budget can’t always cover an unexpected emergency, e.g. a child’s trip to the ER; a car vandalized and needing an expensive part; an elderly parent in another city requiring help.

Since it was established in 2004, the Rector’s Discretionary Fund has given to parishioners in circumstances like these. The need is great, especially after the pandemic, with more on the horizon, and the sole source of funding for this important fund is the generous contributions of our congregation, helping members of our Grace community when they are facing temporary financial hardship.

Contributing to this important fund fulfills our parish goal of Serving with Compassion. If you would like to participate, you can do so by using our online payment system, Realm. If you prefer to pay by check, please make it out to Grace Church Brooklyn Heights with Rector’s Discretionary Fund on the memo line.

Thank you for your faithful generosity.

Evening Prayer

Grace Church offers Evening Worship every Tuesday - Friday at 5pm online.

To attend Evening Prayer online, please use the following Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7186241850 .

Parish Prayer Concerns & Thanksgivings

In thanksgiving for all the blessings God has given us, and especially for the precious gift of God’s son, Jesus Christ; may we receive these gifts humbly and gratefully, praise God’s loving generosity, and rejoice that Christ is born again in our hearts and lives. That we may live ever more fully in the hope to which God has called us through Jesus Christ, and know more deeply the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe. That we may be servants of the Gospel; may we, who know God’s grace, truth and love, share that knowledge with those who have not seen God and do not know him. Through our words and actions, may we bring the light and hope of Christ to this troubled world. In thanksgiving for the clergy and staff of Grace Church; may God bless them, inspire them, strengthen them, and sustain their spirits. For the New Year: may the light of Christ may be rekindled in us; may hope be reborn in us; may our compassion broaden; and may a new generosity and zeal for service so shape our lives, that Christ is not just born in us, but shines through us. That Joe, our president; Kathy, our governor; Eric, our mayor; and all elected officials may speak the truth, govern with compassion and humility, and be inspired to find new solutions to the issues that challenge our country and cities. For peace on earth and goodwill among all people; may the Prince of Peace transform hearts, and bring safety, healing, and reconciliation to all who are afflicted by warfare and violence. That God will defend the poor, the needy, and the oppressed, rescue them, deliver and redeem them, and move many among us to come to their aid. For refugees, migrants ,and asylum seekers, and all who work to help them. For captives and hostages. For all whose lives are altered by gun violence. For those weighed down by stress, and those whose health is affected by the uncertainty of these times. For those commended to our prayers, especially Ann H.; Jane P.; Hamp; Mary Rose; Butch; Ann R.; Tom C.; Vivian H.; Lally; Rosemarie; Judith H.; Sarah Jane; Patti & Steve; Tom; Irma; Amanda; Judith & Sandra; Pam; Barbara; Carrie; Stephanie; Cecelia; Lois; Helen; Joanne T.; Demetrios; Debbi; Lauren; and Susan. For those who endure chronic or incurable illnesses; and those who care for sick or aging loved ones. For all who have requested private prayers, and those whose names and needs are known only to God. For those who have died, and those who mourn.  Blessed Son of God, Shine in us today.

Sunday Services at Grace

Grace Church holds in-person services at 8 am, 9:15 am, and 11 am each Sunday unless otherwise noted. All are welcome.We have child care available for those who need it during the 9:15 am and 11 am services. 

Join us for coffee hour! Please join us for coffee and snacks after each service. 

The 11 am service will be live-streamed for anyone unable to attend in person.

If you have any questions about our worship schedule, please contact Melissa Kelly, Parish Administrator, at parishoffice@gracebrooklyn.org or (718) 624-1850 x 10.

The Common Cup

Holy Eucharist will again be offered in both kinds, bread and wine.The wine will be offered each Sunday at the 11 am service. The wine is offered from the common cup (drinking directly from the chalice). Intinction is not permitted.  At communion time, after receiving the bread, one may proceed to the eucharistic minister to receive the wine by drinking directly from the chalice. Those not wishing to drink from the chalice may cross their arms and reverence the cup.

Giving to Grace

We are happy to let you know that you can make a pledge or general offering donations by text! 

Please send a text to 73256 with the message "GraceBrooklyn". The first time, you will be prompted to provide your name and address, including your card number. If you save that information for future use, the second offering by text will be immediate. You can also make one-time pledge payments and general offering donations online here.

If you would like to set up a recurring pledge payment on Realm, please contact Melissa Kelly, parish administrator, for an invitation to join. 

In Remembrance or Gratitude...

Altar flowers are a wonderful way to express gratitude for life's blessings or to memorialize a loved one.

If you would like to contribute Altar flowers, please contact Marilyn Grant. An acknowledgment will be included in the service bulletin.

Weekday Visits to Grace

When you visit, please use the Clergy Door, which is the first door on your right in the Hicks Street courtyard. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5 pm.