Sunday, February 11, 2024

The Last Sunday after the Epiphany

Worship Service 

with Holy Eucharist 

in person at 

8 am, 9:15 am, & 11 am

online at

11 am

Service Bulletin

Online services can be viewed on our live Vimeo feed.

Vimeo Link 

February 14, 2024

Ash Wednesday

Holy Eucharist and the Imposition of Ashes

in person at

7:30 am, 12 noon, and 7:30 pm

Wendy Chittenden Memorial Service

Saturday, February 10, 2024

11 am

 Please join family and friends for a Celebration of the Life of Gwendolyn W. Chittenden, on Saturday, February 10th at 11 am. This service will be live streamed for those unable to attend in person.

A reception in the Guild Hall will follow the service.

Service Bulletin

It’s a Super Sunday to Pledge to Grace!

The Big Game is Sunday, and you’ll probably spend it around the TV with friends, devouring chips and snacks and enjoying beverages and fun times! Or maybe you’ll be avoiding the hoopla altogether, curling up with a good book or binge-watching your favorite show on Netflix.

However you enjoy the day, please take a moment to reflect on your many blessings–including those of friendship and good cheer–and also think about the less fortunate in our community whom Grace Church serves through our ministries. Then consider how sharing some of your blessings and treasure can support and strengthen those ministries. Make your All In for Grace pledge today! 

To date, we have received 151 pledges for a total of $569,934. Our goal is $800,000 and we are striving for 100% participation from the Grace community.  Every gift makes a difference—no matter the size—in helping Grace do God’s work in the world. 

It’s not too late to get involved and help us hit our 2024 target!

If you haven’t yet made your pledge, please prayerfully consider doing so today.  Go to https://onrealm.org/gracebrooklyn/AddPledge/2024pledge and make your pledge online or fill out the pledge card in your pew, or the card you received in the mail with Allen’s letter in the fall.

Have a Super Sunday! And let’s go All In for Grace!

Kudos to Our Amazing 70+ WinterFair Volunteers

Thank you for your unwavering dedication and hard work to make this past Saturday’s WinterFair 2024 a tremendous success as a fundraiser and a fun-filled community gathering! Your willingness to give your time and energy without expecting anything in return is truly inspiring. Your acts of kindness rippled through our community and neighborhood, brightening the experience for all who came out for the WinterFair. Your camaraderie and teamwork were evident in all parts of the event, from the Luncheon Cafe to Books to Housewares. You are the heartbeat that keeps us going year after year — you have our heartfelt appreciation.

With great gratitude,

The WinterFair 2024 Planning Committee

Kate Rock, Barbara Becker, Brianna McCarty, Sheila O’Neill, and Marilyn Grant

Thank you to Franklin Stone for the fabulous photos of the WinterFair! See more photos from the day here.

Many thanks to all who contributed to the spectacular desserts for the Winter Fair Cafe!

As always, the selections were a "big hit" and were thoroughly enjoyed by all.

You helped to make this event such a tremendous success !!

In Case You Missed It

Thank you to everyone who attended the 1/28 lunch and conversation with Maia Kobabe and Flourish Klink. Here are some photos from our time together.

20s & 30s Group 

Grace Church is excited to bring back its 20s and 30s Group. The first meeting will be on February 18th in the North Room after the 11 am service. Come join us for bagels and camaraderie as we discuss where we want to take the group this year and beyond. Please RSVP no later than February 13th to Thomas Baldwin at [email protected] if you’d like to attend.  

Hope to see you there!

GRACE CHURCH BROOKLYN HEIGHTS

Lenten Organ Recitals

Tuesdays 1 pm – 1:30 pm

20 February 2024

Paul Richard Olson

Grace Church Brooklyn Heights

27 February 2024

Raymond Trapp

Plymouth Church

Brooklyn, NY

5 March 2024

Larry J. Long

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church (Carroll Street)

Brooklyn, NY

12 March 2024

Michael V. Kaminski

Saint Francis Xavier Church

    Brooklyn, NY

19 March 2024

Scott Bartucca, Oboe

Paul Richard Olson, Organ

26 March 2024

Lynn Bechtold, Violin      Jennifer DeVore, Cello

Paul Richard Olson, Piano and Organ

A Lenten Day of Reflection

Saturday, March 2, 2024

10 am – 2 pm

“In the Wilderness”

Would you like to enjoy a break from your usual responsibilities for a few hours? This day of reflection, led by Anne Silver, will explore the experience of wilderness in the Bible and in our lives. It will include talks by the leader, discussion, opportunities for silence, and suggestions for Lenten spiritual practices. Lunch will be included; the cost per person for lunch will be $15. To attend, please notify Melissa Kelly at [email protected] no later than ­­­­­­Wednesday, February 28th in order to have a tally for lunches.

Daily Lenten Reflections



Episcopal Relief and Development is offering a daily meditation delivered each day by email. The writer, Miguel Escobar, lives in Brooklyn and is on the staff of the Episcopal Divinity School. His reflections for 2024 will explore the themes of humility, authenticity, and justice.

For more information, or to sign up to receive the daily mediations, please use this link:

https://www.episcopalrelief.org/church-in-action/lent/

Foster Care through Forestdale, Inc.

Our friends at Forestdale are expanding their foster care services into Brooklyn.

For more information about their foster program, please read their brochure, or contact Forestdale Board member and Grace parishioner, Bob Whiteford r[email protected].

The Church Club of New York invites Grace Church parishioners to gain insight into how a Diocese raises up new leaders to meet the challenging needs of the Church today. This crucial work is facilitated by the Diocesan Commissions on Ministry (COMs), which assist and advise the Bishop in each diocese. The members of the COM in the Diocese of New York, along with the Canon for Ministry, help the Diocese recruit potential leaders, discern with them, and then contribute to forming, assessing, and mentoring those who are called to Holy Orders. Join us for this Zoom event to meet The Rev. Susan E. Hill (Chair of the COM), The Rev. Canon Charles W. Simmons (Canon for Ministry), and The Rev. Jacob Andrew Smith (Vice-Chair for Recruiting), and learn more about how this vital work is carried out in a neighboring diocese. Learn more or register here. Tickets to this event are free or by donation. 

Event Information: 

Wednesday, Feb. 28, 6pm (ET) | Zoom

https://churchclubofnewyork-bloom.kindful.com/e/-equipping-the-saints-for-ministry-1

Saint Thomas Choir School Chorister for a Day Event

 Saint Thomas Choir School in the heart of Manhattan, where boys in grades 3-8 live, sing, work and play together in Columbus Circle, just a few blocks from Central Park. Our students serve as the treble choristers of the Saint Thomas Choir of Men and Boys at Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue. Our small classes and generous financial aid provide boys with a passion for music the opportunity of a lifetime.

The Chorister for a Day event, held on Sunday, February 25th, is an opportunity for boys in grades 2-6 and their families to visit the Choir School for an afternoon in the life of a chorister. Prior music study is not necessary; any boy who enjoys singing is welcome to attend! The event includes a tour of the school, Q&A with administration and current parents, and an opportunity for boys to rehearse and participate in an Evensong service with our current choristers. Click here for registration and more information. 

If you are interested in learning more about the Choir School or planning a visit to see our students in action, please contact Nora Thomson, Director of Outreach & Enrollment at [email protected].

Saint Thomas Choir School 

202 W. 58^th Street 

New York, NY 10019 

212.247.3311 

choirschool.org 

Rector's Bible Study

The Rector’s Bible Study meets in the McKittrick Choir Room on Tuesdays from 10-11:30 am. This term, we are 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 [email protected].

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.

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.

Spring Retreat

Now that the winter holidays are past, we are organizing a country retreat in Cornwall, Connecticut, over the weekend of April 5-7. This will allow people who can’t make the mid-week retreat that we offer at Holy Cross, a chance for a Friday - Sunday get-away. The retreat will be held at the Trinity Retreat Center, which is situated on a small farm along the Housatonic River. They offer private and double rooms each with a private bath. We have reserved 8 rooms. The cost is $150 a night for a single and $135 for a double. This is all inclusive, including meals. We will have someone lead us (topic TBD) for a donation of $400. If we split it among 8 of us that would be $50 added to $300 making $350 for the weekend. If we have some doubles, of course it would be less. We will drive up in private cars.



There’s a wonderful video on its website https://trinitywallstreet.org/trinity-retreat-center .

That may help you visualize the complex. Scholarships are available to those who would like to attend but could not afford it otherwise. If you’d like to join us, please contact Robin Ketchum at [email protected].

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, March 3rd. 

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 [email protected] to register and please tell us the following: 1. Do you have any yoga experience? and 2. Do you need a mat?

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 l[email protected].

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

This week, as we head into Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent, may each of us, each day, walk humbly and honestly in God’s presence.  Inspired by Elisha’s words to Elijah—“I will not leave you”—may we be faithful companions to Jesus on his journey, walk with him, watch with him when he asks, and not leave him. We pray that the Church may transform the world as we proclaim God's love through service to all. That we, the people of Grace Church, who have come to know the shining light of Christ’s presence, may greet a troubled world with love and compassion and, by faith and God’s power, may lighten the darkness for others. That God may guide Joe, our president, Kathy, our governor, and Eric, our mayor, and may strengthen them and grant them compassion to meet the difficult challenges of our time. That the Spirit will imbue all elected officials and all who serve the people of this country with an understanding and a conviction of God’s hopes for the world; we pray that justice will not be obstructed nor suffering human beings be used as pawns in struggles for earthly power. For all who long for light in the darkness of war, violence and unrest in the world, we pray that obstacles to peace may crumble, and suspicions and hatred may cease. And for all who are working to establish peace, may the Spirit will guide their efforts, and open new pathways for dialogue, lasting peace and mutual understanding. That God will walk with all who struggle to get by, especially those seeking jobs, a place to call home, food for their table or health care; and may God bring them hope and fulfillment. In thanksgiving for God’s gift of love, and for all those who have loved us in many different ways throughout our lives; may God’s love so shine through us that it warms not only those who are dear to us, but also all whom we meet. For those who have been commended to our prayers, especially, Gordon; Abe & Karen; Carol M.; Tom C.; Vivian H.; Lally; Roger; Bill; Mary; Jane O.; Dolores; David; Ron & Betsy; Sohee; Jane K.; Richard & Linda; Rosemarie; Andrew; Katie Lynn; Stephen; Kathy P.; and Judy. For those who care for sick or aging loved ones, and those whose names and needs are known only to God. For all who have died, and all who mourn. Glorious God, Hear our prayer.

Grace Notes Submissions

Announcement submissions for Grace Notes and Sunday bulletin can be sent to Melissa Kelly, Parish Administrator. All submissions must be received no later than Thursday at 10 am in order to be included in that week's e-newsletter and bulletin. Thank you!

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 [email protected] 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 credit 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 Melissa Kelly in the parish office. The suggested donation, which covers the cost of the altar flowers for Sunday services, is $200. 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.

Public visiting hours for the church sanctuary are Monday-Friday from 3-5 pm. Please note that the building and offices will be closed on President's Day, Monday, Feb.19th.