Sunday, January 13th

Interested in becoming a Server, Communion Minister or Reader?

We'll be holding training in February; all new Servers and Communion Ministers will be scheduled to apprentice with veterans before going solo.  

Thank you to all the Grace's Table Volunteers that brought food from September through December 2012!

 

Grace's Table offers hot lunch, Bible study and fellowship on Saturdays for people who are homeless or living on the margins. 

 

If you can volunteer to cook a meal please contact Sarah Haft or Kay Horst.

 

The Outreach Committee is happy to reimburse Grace's Table volunteers for their out-of-pocket costs of providing food and parking.

Greetings from Grace is published every month to inform and engage members and friends of Grace Episcopal Church in Georgetown.

In Christ's Redeeming Love,

To help us prepare for Lent, the Outreach Committee will sponsor a brunch on "Fat Sunday" after the 10:30 service on the Last Sunday of Epiphany, February 10th (Ash Wednesday is February 13th).

 

"Fat" or "Shrove Tuesday" is a traditional occasion for using up the cooking oils, lard and butter in a household before the fast of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday. Grace has moved this celebration to the preceding Sunday so as to increase attendance.

 

Come and enjoy an all-star combo from the Blues Alley Youth Orchestra and a rich smorgasbord of brunch dishes, desserts and other tasty treats laden with fat and totally lacking in any nutritional value. 

 

To ease guilty consciences, the Outreach Committee will be selling indulgences. All indulgence payments and other contributions support the work of the Outreach Committee, which helps to fund our Grace's Table ministry with homeless neighbors, Music on the Lawn, and Grace's membership in the Washington Interfaith Network (WIN). 

 

If you are trying to lose weight or simply disapprove of this whole event, the Outreach Committee would still welcome your monetary contribution.

When John suggested we interview Luis for the newsletter, I jumped at the chance!

 

He was so helpful to me during Music on the Lawn; it was great to get to know him better and I'm hoping I can share with you some things you might not know about Luis.

 

It's been more than 11 years since Luis became the Sexton here at Grace. That was before John Graham got here (David Bird was the Rector), but Helen was already managing our office. 

 

Luis had been living in the DC area but returned home to Bolivia after his father passed away, to help settle the estate. When he got back to DC he was in need of a job and a friend suggested he call Grace. He interviewed with David and the rest is history.

 

His time spent as a building engineer prepared Luis well for his job as Sexton; having to either fix or find someone to fix anything that goes wrong in an office building isn't unlike the work he does here at Grace. But Luis didn't begin his life in DC as a building engineer.

 

26 years ago Luis left Bolivia and, after a short stay in Florida, came to DC to see a friend. Although he had taken years of English in school, he struggled with the language. After jobs in fast food and janitorial services, a colleague noticed his strong work ethic and invited him to take classes to improve his English and train to become a building engineer. Luis was thankful for the opportunity and made the most of it.

 

While he initially came to the states alone, through the years Luis has been able to bring his children here from Bolivia to be with him. All are grown and now live in the DC area - and he has four grandchildren here as well!

 

Luis and I took a walk to the new ice rink at Washington Harbour after lunch. I'm hoping that he and maybe even his children and grandchildren will join us for the Skating Party on January 27^th - it was nice to learn that he knows how to skate and enjoys it.

 

We also talked a lot about bicycling! Luis has two bicycles and enjoys going out to ride. These days he can most often be found on the trail to and from Bethesda, but he used to enjoy riding all the way to Reston and back! Luis had hoped to participate in the Bishop's Bike Ride this summer, but ended up not being able to. Maybe a group of us from Grace, including Luis, can join Bishop Mariann this year, if she hosts rides again.

 

I asked Luis what he enjoyed most about Grace; he didn't miss a beat before replying that it was the people. He said that the parishioners are so appreciative of the work he does here and they are constantly thanking him! This, he says, makes him feel good.

 

I wish you all could have joined our lunch - there's so much more I'd like to share with you! But at the very least, the next time you see Luis, take a moment to ask him how his grandchildren are, find out whether he's been ice skating yet and once again thank him for all he does for Grace. 

 

 

• John Graham noted the changes by Bishop Mariann of the guidelines concerning same-sex marriages in the Diocese of Washington.

• First, Bishop Mariann lifted Bishop Chane's previous restrictions on same-sex marriage for those coming from other jurisdictions.

• Second, for congregations and clergy who feel called to preside at same-sex marriage, she asks that marriage policies be the same for both heterosexual and homosexual couples.

• Since the resolution of the Vestry was published in the Grace Newsletter, John has had a large number of written and verbal expressions of support. Some parishioners stated or re-stated their concerns about same-gender marriage, while several expressed great pride to be associated with Grace and this resolution.

• John, the Vestry, and the Parish took a year and a half to consider and reflect on this issue. Kimberly Ludwig expressed appreciation for John's leadership. He made certain that everyone had the opportunity to express their thoughts on this historic decision. She thanked him for the deliberative process and the time to make the decision.

• The following resolution was passed unanimously by the Vestry by voice vote: Resolved:that the Vestry of Grace Episcopal Church, Georgetown, authorize the Reverend John M. Graham, in his capacity as Rector of Grace Church and at his discretion, to solemnize same-sex marriages at Grace Church in accordance with the authority granted by the 2009 and 2012 General Conventions of the Episcopal Church and by the guidelines promulgated by the Diocese of Washington in response thereto.

• For the Bishop's Guidelines for Same-Sex Marriage, Episcopal Diocese of Washington, please visit www.edow.org.marriage

• Peter Wallace, the Vestry Treasurer, presented the first draft of the 2013 Budget. He noted that we will close 2012 with a balance of $125,000 in the general account. In the first review of the 2013 Budget, he projected pledge income of $312,000, about $8,500 more than last year.

• On the cost side, including all the items we might want to fund, we come up with a deficit. Peter suggested that we may want to lower our ambitions. 

• One major increase will be the National Church requirement that parishes offer health care coverage for lay and clergy staff working more than 1,000 hours yearly. 

• The Vestry had a lengthy discussion of the Budget, and discussed Peter's proposal on the health care coverage and his other suggestions for cutting costs. 

• Due to time constraints, John Graham and Paul Alligood will send email reports to the Vestry on the progress on their items, including the stone work, the crane easement, the South Street garden, and Bike Share.

Full minutes of the Vestry Meeting will be filed in a notebook in the Volunteer Office of the Rectory after they have been approved by the Vestry.

 

Many thanks to those who write notes and made calls, and to the District and neighborhood officials who responded to them.

We've gotten word from Bikeshare that the rack will be moved off the street and onto the sidewalk as soon a weather and their schedule permit.

The Georgetown Advisory Neighborhood Commission unanimously passed a resolution supporting this plan at their meeting on Wednesday, January 2. 

Grace once again hosted the Congregation-based Shelter that the Georgetown Ministry Center puts together each winter. 

Roughly a dozen homeless men and women received a hot dinner, safe and warm place to sleep and healthy breakfast for the two weeks in December that the shelter was based at Grace. 

Thanks to all the volunteers that cooked and served meals, spent overnights, helped move our guests belongings in and then out after their stay and who generally make Grace a welcoming place for those in need.