Welcome to the weekly e-newsletter of Grace Episcopal Church. Read about what's happening at Grace, and use the quick links to the left to find other helps to our life with God. 

It's an important time of year to welcome seekers and visitors. Who do you know that may be hungry for God and a spiritual community? To share this news with a friend, click the "forward email" link at the bottom of the page. This could be a simple way to let someone know about our life and work, and to communicate our welcome.

See you Sunday!

 

For the full readings, click on "Sunday Scripture texts" (above left).

After the service, we'll gather for refreshments and then for the Congregational Forum.  

Scripture passages for each day are printed in the back of the Sunday bulletin. These psalms and passages are read across our larger church; that is, they form one way our Anglican communion prays together. In public and for individual devotion, Anglicans across the world meditate on the same texts each day.Texts are assigned to the morning and the evening. 

 

Daily Scripture texts can also be accessed from the link at the top left of this page. 

You may find apps for iPhones helpful: Lectionary ($.99) has all the Sunday texts, and from within that app, for another $1.99, you can access the texts for daily prayer. 

Patty McNamara and Grace Church volunteers and other volunteers served 302 neighborhood families in November. This includes 42 senior citizens, 450 adults, and 398 children.

The pantry gratefully received about 12,000 pounds of food from the local Boy Scouts' food drive in November. That amounts to nearly a month's supply of food for our neighbors that was donated to, instead of purchased by, the pantry. Such donations help the pantry stretch its tight resources even further. 

Patty recently sent out annual appeal letters and donations have been coming in, for which she and the clients are grateful. 

People in the neighborhood notice the need and respond as well: A woman who regularly attends a meeting at the Baum School on Fridays rang the parish doorbell this week and dropped off a box of food "because I see the line of people outside every Friday and I wanted to help." This is a Place of Grace in many ways. 

 

Some Grace parishioners plan to participate in this event on Saturday, Dec. 10, including Professor Kelly Denton-Borhaug, who will speak at the supper that closes the event, and Beth Reed. Everyone is welcome. Kelly's presentation is "De-escalating U.S. War Culture: A Primer for Peace Advocates."

 

For more information, check the LEPOCO site.

December 18, after the Eucharist, we will "green" the church for Christmas. Children, young people, and adults are all needed and welcome; there are tasks for all. We decorate our huge wreath, drape garland, set out candles, and string lights on trees. John Adamson and other musicians (children especially) provide some Christmas carols. It's a lot of fun.

December 17, Saturday morning, volunteers will be needed to prepare for the greening. We will begin at 9:00.

Volunteers who procure our trees approached a new vendor this year, Beck's Christmas Tree Farm, and the farm is donating some trees to us. This is a helpful gift. Consider patronizing this tree farm if you need a tree or other decorations, and if you go, please convey the church's gratitude. The address is 4674 Park Avenue in Neffs (by Slatington). Phone: 610-767-6750.

It's commonplace to note the huge contrasts between our culture's definition of Christmas (and exploitation of it for commercial purposes) and what we find in the gospels and the heart of our Tradition. 

Here are some online resources for resisting cultural pressures to spend extravagantly on unnecessary things: 

Check the announcements section of the Sunday bulletin for more suggestions, including donations for scholarships to Grace Montessori School and donations to Grace Community Foundation.

Out of five people in the family of Merce and Mike Fegley, four of them play Cratchits in the Allentown Civic Theatre's A Christmas Carol. Oakes is Tiny Tim, August is an older daughter, Merce is Mrs. Cratchit, and Mike is Mr. Cratchit. Julia Reed is a singing urchin. Performances run through Dec. 17. 

We know he's a creative leader and teacher:

now more people do and will benefit from Father Malloy's gifts and skills. The president of General Theological Seminary in New York, Lang Lowrey, has named him the Associate Dean. Pat will begin his new work officially in January.