Sunday, February 3rd

We are looking for some volunteers to cook lunch for Grace's Table over the next few months. 

 

The most immediate need is on Saturday, March 30th. We may also need some additional people for other dates in February and March.  

 

The Georgetown students will be around to take care of set-up, clean-up, serving and dessert.  This lightens the load considerably!

 

We have been feeding up to 50 guests on these cold winter Saturdays. This does not include the volunteers, who do not eat unless there are leftovers.

 

If you can volunteer to cook a meal please contact Sarah Haft and Kay Horst via the Grace's Table email address. 

 

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

Interested in becoming a Server, Communion Minister or Reader? There's still time to sign-up!

We'll be holding training on February 24th; all new Servers and Communion Ministers will be scheduled to apprentice with veterans before going solo.  

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 New Orleans style brunch dishes, including jambalaya, gumbo and crepes, as well as 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.

A special part of Grace Church are our Koinonia dinner groups, long organized by Jean McKinney. Jean has given the reins to me, and I hope everyone will enjoy their gatherings as much as they did during Jean's tenure.

 

Koinonia, from the Greek word meaning intimate communion, is a longstanding tradition of parishioners gathering for casual potluck meals at people's homes. Koinonia Groups are being organized for the Spring with lists going out in mid-February.

 

In addition to our dinner groups of eight, we are adding another option -- happy hour groups! 

 

Dinner groups will still have eight participants, with the option to invite Reverend Graham. Hosts prepare a main dish and group members bring appetizers, salad, side dishes and dessert.

 

Happy hours would have half the group bring beverages, and half the group bring light snacks. This option makes it easier to have midweek gatherings. People can drop in straight from work, grabbing their food or beverage contribution on the way. We believe these shorter gatherings with simple appetizers and drinks will be a perfect fit for those with small homes and/or tight schedules.

 

If you've already been participating in the Koinonia dinner groups and want to continue, you don't have to do anything. If you'd like to switch to the new happy hour option, just let me know. 

 

If you haven't been involved in Koinonia -- now's the time! It's a wonderful way to get to know other members of the Parish. Just let me know whether you prefer a dinner or happy hour group. 

 

You can reach me via email or phone at 202.330.1717. I hope to see all you at a Koinonia dinner or happy hour in the spring!

Grace's 2013 stewardship campaign is drawing to a close. Here's a quick look at where we are:

• 113 total pledges; 13 were new this year, 60 of these were higher than their 2012 pledge amount

• $331,517 pledged; this is a nearly 6% increase over 2012 and nearly 12% over 2011

Our gratitude goes to all who have made pledges, but in a special way to Scott Murphy, whose extraordinary competence and commitment are rich and continuing blessings to us all, and to the Stewardship Committee he leads:

 

Helen Buhr  |  David Crawford  |  Diana Dick  |  Amy Aden Dunn  |  Jane Mosbacher Morris  |  Will Ollison  |  Marie-Laure Poire  |  Janet Sale 

 

Special thanks also go to the hosts of our stewardship gatherings:

 

Helena Dunn  |  Margaret and Drew Davis  |  Peter and Beth Wallace  |  Jane and Nate Morris 

 

The high number of increases and new pledges for this year can be attributed, at least in part, to the warm hospitality -- itself an act of generosity -- extended by these Grace members. 

 

 

• We're now able to hire a half-time assisting priest beginning March 1 - search and interviews are in process;

• We've been able to bring staff compensation within shouting distance of levels recommended by the Diocese of Washington;

• We're able to meet new national church standards regarding benefits for lay and clergy employees alike;

• We're able to increase the amount the Grace operating fund contributes to compensation for professional choristers to augment our volunteer choir, reducing the amount paid from a special donation made two years ago - our goal is to transfer this expense completely to the operating fund within the next few years, and we're making progress in this direction.

 

Dear Friends, 

As our church has become engaged in the national conversation regarding gun violence, I recognize that many in our faith communities value the constitutional right to bear arms. Several Episcopalian gun owners have written or called me, given my recent public statements, asking that I take seriously their concerns, and I do. 

In my desire to be a more educated leader and to engage gun owners in the urgent need to address escalating gun violence, I invite all Episcopalian gun owners of our diocese into an intentional conversation.

If you would like to be part of a gathering of gun owners or an online exchange with me, please contact the bishop's office via my assistant Keely Thrall. As soon as I learn the scope of interest, we will work to establish meeting times or ways to be in conversation with one another. 

Faithfully,