PLEASE REMEMBER IN YOUR PRAYERS

READINGS                       

THIS WEEK: Feast of St. Michael and All Angels

NEXT WEEK: Feast of St. Francis 

CLICK HERE to listen to sermons from previous weeks

REFLECTION

Entertaining Angels Unawares 

My meanderings through the dictionary, a favorite activity during attacks of procrastination, have taught me about the complex and unsentimental nature of our care for the stranger: the words "Host," "guest," "hostile", "hostage," "Hospital," and "hospitality" all spring from the same Latin root hostis, meaning stranger or enemy. To extend hospitality means widening the circle temporarily, perhaps taking a risk. Our generosity may be rejected, and we certainly dare not hope for thanks or reimbursement. To offer hospitality is an obligation. There is nothing soft or mushy about it. It has nothing to do with artificial standards of behavior.

...

The unnamed author of the letter to the Hebrews knew this: "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it" (13:2). This word of advice can be comforting or alarming, depending on where we are, spiritually and geographically, at any given moment. It is hard for me to believe that I might be entertaining an angel when the volunteer for the local public television station interrupts me at the dinner hour with a phone call requesting money, or when the supermarket clerk refuses to make eye contact and leaves me feeling that I have intruded on her space. But many times we might be entertaining angels when we are too busy to notice. These hospitality angels, like the Holy Spirit, can be very subtle. Of course sometimes they are hard to miss, but all too often we just pass them by. 

...

...When I lived in New York and rode the subway daily, I would entertain myself by speculating: Who are the angels? What am I missing? Recalling the story in Genesis where Jacob, sleeping in the desert with a stone for a pillow, looked up and saw the heavens opened and angels ascending and descending, I would occasionally look up the grimy stairs to the street and ask myself, Which ones are the angels? Surely there must be one or two in that motley crowd. I never knew for sure.

-Margaret Guenther 

At Home in the World: A Rule of Life for the Rest of Us

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 1

9:30am Enquirers Class (Patterson Hall)

10:30am AGC Sensory Circus Class (Memorial Hall)

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2 - Feast of St. Francis

PET BLESSING AT ALL SERVICES

8:00am Holy Eucharist (Rite I)
9:30am Holy Eucharist (Family Service)
10:10am Community Activity/Refreshments
11:00am Holy Eucharist
2:30 AGC! Youth Troupe rehearsal (Memorial Hall

PARISH FORUMS - between the 9:30 and 11:00am services

CONFIRMATION
We are preparing the class list for the 2012 confirmation group. If you have someone going into the 8th or 9th grade who has not been confirmed and is interested in knowing more about the Faith  as it is lived by the Episcopal Church, please call the  church office or email us  so we can include all who are  interested for the fall start up.  CONFIRMATION ORIENTATION IS SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 at 12:30pm.

ENQUIRERS CLASS ON SATURDAY, OCTOBER 1

For adults who would like to consider being confirmed or received into the Episcopal Church when Bishop Sisk is here on November 5, and for those who would just like to know more about the Church, we will have an Enquirers Class on Saturday, October 1 from 9:30 to noon. Attendance does not obligate you to become a member of the Episcopal Church, however if you do wish to be confirmed or received, it is required. If you're interested, please call the office to register so that we have enough material on hand (as well as coffee & carbs!). If you'd like to know more, or cannot make this date, please speak with Fr. Gressle (358-1297.)

NEXT SUNDAY - FEAST OF ST. FRANCIS - Blessing of the Animals

Next Sunday we celebrate the Feast of St. Francis, and we invite you to bring your pet(s), for a special blessing at any of the services. Don't have a pet? Bring your favorite stuffed beast along to be blessed. All are welcome.   

ADULT SPIRITUAL FORMATION COMMISION AND
THE DIOCESE OF NEW YORK

On Saturday, October 22, Professor Mark Welton of the Episcopal Muslim Relations Committee of the Diocese of New York will lead a presentation , entitled Islam, Sharia, and Reformation: Understanding the Current Revolution in the Muslim World.  The program will offer a comparative perspective that recognizes the important differences between Islamic and Western history and culture - but also highlights important similarities, centered on the law -both the Sharia and the rule of law - that may be helpful in understanding the Islamic world and its current revolution, and perhaps help form a foundation for common understanding and future dialogue. Open to all, the program costs $10, which includes coffee and a light lunch.  For information or to reserve a place: 845-359-1297 ext. 10 or parishoffice@gracechurchnyack.org. 

NOMINEES FOR BISHOP CO-ADJUTOR ANNOUNCED

The nominees for Bishop Coadjutor were announced on August 29  -- click here  for details, including bios of the candidates and a timeline of the election process. Convention delegates and  anyone interested will have the opportunity to meet the candidates at Grace on Wednesday, October 12, beginning at 7:00pm.

CHURCH MEMORIALS

In association with the 150th anniversary of Grace, the list of altar, liturgical and music memorials is being updated (Garden memorials are maintained as a separate list and are not part of this update effort). If you have any information regarding church memorial gifts (such as altar cloths, communion sets, bells) given in 2000 or later, please forward the information to Stephanie Campbell at lsnmcampbell@optonline.net by September 30.

KEEP IN TOUCH

PARTING THOUGHT