Greetings from Grace!
In this Issue: Music on the Lawn for Whitsunday, Taste of Georgetown, Friends of Grace Gala and More!
Grace Episcopal Church
1041 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007
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Upcoming Events
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After the 10:30 AM Service
Exam Care Package Assembly for Georgetown Students
Grace's Garden and Grounds Workday
After the 10:30 AM Service
Pastoral Care Knitting Circle
We'll meet in the Rose Room as we do the second Sunday of each month; contact Susan Tobias for more information
During the 10:30 AM Service
Farewell and Thanks to Seminarian Robert Hartmans and Reverend Bill Doggett
Noon to 1:00 PM
Music on the Lawn to Celebrate Whitsunday
Live music in Grace's Garden; details to come, but save the date, invite friends and join us! Learn More
Prayers for the Nation and the World
at the Memorial Cross immediately before the 10:30 AM Service
Saturday, June 1st
Taste of Georgetown
Sunday, June 2nd
10:30 AM service moves to 10:00 AM
This is our tradition between Memorial Day and Labor Day
Adult Forum takes a break
It will return after Labor Day
Grace's Garden and Grounds Workday
After the 10:00 AM Service
Pastoral Care Knitting Circle
We'll meet in the Rose Room as we do the second Sunday of each month; contact Susan Tobias for more information
Please join us for a star gazing party at The Green Bank Science Center in West Virginia
Friends of Grace Gala and Silent Auction
Save the date and please let us know if you, a friend or a relative have anything to contribute to the silent auction. Learn more about donating to the auction here; More details to come on the Gala.
 July 2013The 20th Grace Church Bach Festival
- Sunday, July 7th,
1:30 PM - Wednesday, July 10th,
7:30 PM - Saturday, July 13th,
7:30 PM - Sunday July, 14th,
1:30 PM
Save the dates! More details to come.
Friday, July 12th
7:30 PM at Wolf Trap
Grace's own Steven LaBrie, baritone soloist, in Carl Orff's Carmina Burana with the National Symphony Orchestra
Save the date! More details to come.
Dates are TBD
Holy Pilgrimage DC 2013: Spirit, Art & Music
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| Exam Care Packages |
 We are so thankful for the Georgetown Students that help with Grace's Table every Saturday. We prepare care packages for Georgetown students to help them get through exams. Package recipients may not be Grace's Table volunteers, but we can think of this as a way to 'paying forward' our gratitude to those who help us out every Saturday. We'll be assembling the packages on Sunday, May 5th, after the 10:30 AM service and all help is appreciated! If you are able, please bring a contribution for the packages. Any type of "study snack" is welcome; home-baked goodies are always a special treat, but healthy store bought fare is also great.
Please bring your contribution packaged in individual portions; our goal is to create care packages for at least 40 students. Contact David Bujard via email or phone (703-209-1209) to learn more.
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| Parents' Night Out |
Leave your little ones with us on Tuesday, May 13th and enjoy an evening in Georgetown or simply some time to yourself. Helen Buhr and Chris Kreutziger will be on hand to have fun with the children.
Please contact Helen via email or phone (301-529-2511) if you plan to come.
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| Coffee Hour Hosts | |
May
5th Adult Forum
12th Eucharistic Ministers
19th Music on the Lawn and Seminarian Lay Committees
26th Koinonia
June 2nd Friends of Grace Gala Committee 9th Greeters 16th Emile and Juliet Cochet, in thanksgiving for Grace's baptism 23rd Pastoral Care Committee 30th Counters |
| May Birthdays |
Charles Bolmar
Amaya Bravo
Vicki Carlson
Don McCree
Jenevieve McCree
James Pener
Sofie Pham
Whitney Redding
Jackson Sipple-Asher
Alecia Torres de Valdez
We'd like to include you in this list! Please email us with your birthday!
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| Flowers for the Church |
 It's always a pleasure to see flowers in the church!
If you have a loved one or an event you'd like to commemorate, please consider contributing flowers for the Sunday services! You may deliver flowers to the church yourself on Saturdays or call 202-333-7100 or email the church office and we can order them and have them delivered for $65.
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| Eagle Bank Parking -- New! |
Grace parishioners attending services have exclusive access before 1:30 on Sundays and non-exclusive access for the 5:00 Sunday services.
Please be sure to pick up a permit from the church entrance and place it on your dashboard.
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| Little Free Library |
The Little Free Library project seeks to build community through literacy and to share knowledge and wisdom across generations through free book exchanges.
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| GMC Needs Pants | |
Pants are the latest item on Georgetown Ministry Center's Clothes Closet Wish List.
Most clients are asking for jeans or khakis, men's sizes 32 to 38 waist, women's sizes 6 to 12.
If you have some gently used pants you can donate, please drop them by GMC, in the basement of Grace's rectory, between 8:00 AM and 4:00 PM, Monday through Friday.
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May 1, 2013
Dear Friend of Grace,
We're planning a special Music on the Lawn for May 19, Whitsunday, immediately following the 10:30 service -- please invite friends and plan to join us. We'll also be wishing Seminarian Robert Hartmans and The Reverend Bill Doggett a bitter-sweet goodbye on that day.
If you haven't already, I hope you'll take a moment one Sunday to welcome The Reverend Sarah Motley, who is our new part-time assistant rector. Read the profile of her in this issue to learn more about her journey, which brought her from California though Switzerland and now to Grace.
Please take a moment now to get caught up on upcoming happenings at Grace.
 In Christ's Redeeming Love,  |
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Music on the Lawn for Whitsunday, May 19th -- Please Join Us!
Whitsunday, which is the traditional English name for the feast widely known as Pentecost, commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the twelve Apostles and other followers of Jesus.
It is sometimes considered to be the "Birthday of the Church."
We will celebrating Whitsunday this year with a special Music on the Lawn performance at Grace, beginning around noon just after the 10:30 AM service.
Herman Burney, on bass, and Marshall Keys, on alto sax, will be entertaining us with their straight-ahead, bluesy, "push the envelope" jazz.
Please invite your friends and plan to join us for this happy event which, weather permitting, will take place outside in Grace's Garden. We'll have cake to celebrate the birthday of the church and you're welcome to bring a picnic!
As all Music on the Lawn events, it will be free and open to the public. If you're able to help with the planning or on the day of the event, please reach out to Jeanne Jennings. We look forward to seeing you there!
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 2013 Taste of Georgetown, June 1st -- Volunteers Needed!
By Catherine Aselford
Volunteer for the 20th Annual Taste of Georgetown...it's fun!
Each year, dozens of restaurants line up under tents along Wisconsin Avenue to offer "tastes" of their delicious dishes. Grace parishioners make up the majority of the volunteers selling tickets, greeting, and giving out information.
Grace began Taste of Georgetown in 1993 as a fundraising event for the Georgetown Ministry Center. In those days, Taste of Georgetown took place entirely on Grace's lawn, and Grace people not only sold Tastes, but served up the food!
A few years ago the Georgetown BID joined us, and now Taste of Georgetown closes down Wisconsin Avenue between M and Water Streets. During the last two years, approximately 10,000 people attended the Taste of Georgetown. Volunteers receive free Taste tickets, enjoy social time outdoors, and have fun!
This year, Taste of Georgetown will be on Saturday, June 1. If you are able to volunteer, please contact the church office via email or phone (202.333.7100) or Catherine Aselford.
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 Glory of the Heavens: Star Gazing Party in West Virginia, June 15th
By John Boynton
We have a date!
Many of you have expressed interest and we that even more of you will join us as we visit Green Bank, West Virginia, one of the few "dark spots" on the east coast to enjoy the glory of the heavens.
The Green Bank Science Center, part of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, hosts monthly "Star Parties" where visitors can observe he glory of the heavens, both with and without telescopes. We've set our sights on Saturday evening, June 15th.
The Star Parties are free to the public. Green Bank is a ways from DC, but we have several reasonably priced options for overnight accommodations. We'd also need to cover the cost of gas (if we carpool it'll be less expensive) and food (we can cook in the cabin).
I'm thinking we could leave the morning of the 13th to check into our accommodations and get to Green Bank before dusk (activities start in the late afternoon) for the Star Party. After the Star Party we can spend the night and then drive back to DC on Sunday (we can either hold our own Sunday worship service or find a local church).
I'm estimating the total cost per person at $100 or less, assuming we have a group of at least 6 people.
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 Friends of Grace Gala and Silent Auction, June 23rd
By Jane Mosbacher Morris
Join us Sunday, June 23, 2013, from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM for our annual Friends of Grace Gala. This year's theme is "A Texas Shindig", where we will enjoy Rocklands BBQ, live bluegrass and country music, and our famous Silent Auction (not to mention a few line dancing lessons and some Texas-style games!). Your participation in this year's gala is especially important. Since our first gala in 2006, we have raised nearly $150,000 for the Saving Grace Fund, allowing us to: - repaint our sanctuary exterior
- repair several building roofs
- install new windows in our parish hall and Rectory
- tuckpoint our Rectory
- replace failing heating and air conditioning blowers in our sanctuary
- replace the lift that makes our building accessible to persons with disabilities
- and secure our aging trees with a major pruning and cabling project.
This year, we're initiating a multi-year project to replace the aging stone arches over our windows and doors. All who frequent Grace will soon see netting over the windows above the main entrance. This netting secures the arches in place, but we'd like to remove them as quickly as possible by replacing the deteriorating stone. This will both increase the building's structural integrity and begin restoring the facade to its original majesty and beauty. As soon as work on these three arches is complete, we will turn our attention to those that frame remaining windows and doors. All of that said, if you or a friend or relative have anything to contribute to the auction for this year's gala, we will ALL benefit! The categories for past donations have fallen into include:
- Great Escapes -- vacation homes
- Fabulous Feasts -- prepared food or gift cards
- Cultural Treats -- tickets
- Superior Services -- babysit, dogsit, edit, computer help, lead a tour
For more information on contributing please email Hillary Liebtag or Scott Murphy.
Hope to see y'all there!
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 Holy Pilgrimage DC 2013: Spirit, Art & Music
By The Reverend Sarah Motley
Summer is just around the corner, and plans are underway for another enlightening and enjoyable 'Grace Church version' of what has been familiarly known as Vacation Bible School.
Summer allows a little more time for getting to know our neighbors and neighborhoods, through some of the many cultural offerings in the area.
One of the 'Hallmarks of Grace' is engagement with the arts. This parish hosts poetry readings, youth jazz, organ concerts and more. Coming in July and August will be a five or six session series of explorations and visits to sites around DC that will open our eyes, ears and hearts to the beauty and wonder expressed through the arts.
Under consideration are:
- an evening visit to the National Cathedral to learn about its gargoyles and listen to the service of Compline
- a guided session on instrument-making
- puppet theatre
- an evening of jazz, and a walk and picnic, at the Sculpture Garden
- a National (or other) Gallery scavenger hunt
- a storyteller
- a free Millennium Stage performance at the Kennedy Center
- and to conclude it all, a Gospel choir brunch at the Howard Theater.
Sound interesting? Let Jacqueline Walters or The Reverend Sarah Motley know --we'd love to hear your own ideas, or offers to help plan and coordinate the activities as well. Watch for dates and details in the June newsletter.
Hurry up summer!
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 Profile: The Reverend Sarah Motley
By Jeanne Jennings
"You bring everything from where you've been to where you are"
This is the quote from my lunch with The Reverend Sarah Motley that sticks with me, because it means that we're all very lucky. Sarah has been at some pretty amazing places and now we at Grace have the opportunity to benefit from it!
Before coming to Grace last summer to help with the Vacation Bible School Holy Pilgrimage program, Sarah spent three years in Geneva, Switzerland.
She went to Geneva to earn her Masters degree at The Ecumenical Institute at Bossey, which is the international center for encounter, dialogue and formation of the World Council of Churches. The Institute brings together people from diverse churches, cultures and backgrounds and there's as much focus on personal exchange as there is on academic study.
Her choice to go to Bossey says a lot about Sarah. While she's spent much of her career studying the Bible, the key for her seems to be bringing its teachings to life to benefit the people around her.
Sarah grew up in California; she was baptized into the Episcopal church when she was in high school but when it came time for seminary she attended Harvard Divinity School. Her father was from Boston and she still had some family there, which played into her decision. But she also liked the interdenominational aspects of the program, although she did take many classes at the Episcopal Divinity School which was part of the Boston Theological consortium.
She was ordained in Massachusetts and took her first job at Trinity Church in Princeton, New Jersey. Later she served as Interim Chaplain at Princeton University and on the staff of the diocese there, as editor of their newspaper.
She's had a very different trajectory than many women ministers, getting involved in the "behind the scenes" workings of the church.
She spent 5 years as coordinator of the Supplemental Liturgical Texts of the Standing Liturgy Committee, developing supplemental prayers for use as response to the concern for inclusive language in liturgy. This was the mid 1980s; it was a controversial project and although Sarah and the committee focused on staying neutral, they took, in her words, "quite a beating" from people who stood on the far ends of the spectrum with respect to the issues being addressed.
After that she became an Associate at a small church in Trenton, New Jersey. It was a nice break from the "national scene" for her and she enjoyed this "small slice of the Kingdom of God" where she could build personal connections with parishioners. It was here where her daughter, Vivian, was born and baptized.
Next up: a return to California where she was Chaplain at an ecumenical campus ministry at UC Davis for 8 years, then became pastor at a small Hispanic mission. Again, she loved the personal contact, and being able to help those whose lives were so impacted by cultural issues and immigration laws. She still loves to speak Spanish when she gets the chance.
She says that going to Bossey wasn't part of a larger plan; she felt it was time to move on from California and just applied. She calls it a "leading of the spirit." The timing seemed right; Vivian was a junior in High School and her twin sons, Martin and Fielding, weren't yet teenagers.
They all enjoyed Geneva and the children, especially, were thriving. So although she finished her masters in a year, they stayed on for two more.
Vivian decided to attend American University, here in DC, which was one factor in the decision to move here, rather than go back to California. But Sarah also says that, in a way, coming back to DC has brought her journey full circle.
She spent 2 summers here, back in the early 1970s, as a college intern. She actually lived here in Georgetown, in a house on Q Street. The nation was in the thick of the Watergate scandal and watching what was going on and what people based their lives on had an impact on her.
It was then that she decided to focus on being faithful, not successful; Sarah says that being a witness to the truth of the gospel is all that matters.
After returning to DC, Sarah started attending parishes near her home. She lives in Friendship Heights, so worked her way south on Wisconsin Avenue, spending her Sundays visiting different Episcopal churches. When she got to M Street, she planned to head east and continue her quest. But then she went a block further and saw Grace.
From her first visit, she felt a desire to be part of our congregation. John's sermon, so well done but also delivered without the benefit of written notes, was certainly a factor. But so was seeing the other readers that day, people whom she felt an immediate affinity for.
I got to know Sarah and her family last year, when she assisted Jacqueline Walters with the Vacation Bible School Holy Pilgrimage program. I was so pleased to learn that she'd be staying on as our assistant rector.
And speaking of her family -- Vivian is currently completing her junior year abroad at Oxford. Martin and Fielding are still at home, teenagers now and very happy to be part of our congregation.
We are so blessed to have Sarah joining our parish! Please take a moment to introduce yourself, if you don't already know her, and welcome her to the Grace community. She's already having an impact -- check out the plans she and Jacqueline have for this summer's Holy Pilgrimage and please plan to join us!
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 Vestry Notes from the April Meeting
By Barbara de Beaufort
- Paul Alligood reported that the Grounds Work Day was a great success. The gardening group has several new members and the work was finished by noon. The spring flowering plants are in their glory.
- Paul Alligood expects Eastbanc to begin construction in the Verizon lot in the next week or so. The chain fence is up. The condominium will have 4 or 5 floors, and include retail space on the Wisconsin Avenue level.
- The Vestry agreed that we need a structural report and recommendation from a structural engineering firm on the stonework of the church windows.
- Netting will be installed on the front of the church when a lift/cherry picker is available.
- Paul Alligood and The Reverend John Graham are arranging to have a surveyor evaluate the wall around the church yard. We would like to have these evaluations before and after Eastbanc construction.
- Diana Dick will work with The Reverend John Graham to develop an Emergency Evacuation Plan based on guidance from a firefighter friend of Adam Harrington's.
- The e-save the date for the Grace Gala on June 23rd will go out soon, followed by the official invitation in the mail.
- Robert Hartmans' last day at Grace will be May 19th. We will give thanks for his ministry at 8:30 and 10:30 services; a festive Music on the Lawn will follow 10:30.
- The Reverend Bill Doggett's last day at Grace will be the last Sunday in April. He will join us at 10:30 service on May 19th, where we will give thanks for his ministry at Grace, as well as Robert's.
- Adam Harrington is considering ordination in the Episcopal Church. Our Parish is prepared to support Adam through this entire process, whatever the outcome.
- The Reverend John Graham has asked the following people to serve on Adam's Parish Discernment Committee: Diana Martin (Chair) Daniel Capizzi, Kimberly Ludwig and David Crawford. The committee met for the first time on April 14th.
- The Vestry must write a letter of support for Adam. In order to remove even the appearance of conflict of interest, Adam will tender his resignation from the Vestry.
- The Reverend Sarah Motley has proposed that Grace add Healing Prayer to the services on Sundays and Wednesdays.
- The Vestry approved the assessment and cleaning of parts of our organ by David Moore, the builder of the organ. We would still have use of the organ while the parts are being cleaned.
The full minutes of the Vestry Meetings are filed in a binder in the Volunteer Office in the Rectory, after they have been approved by the Vestry.
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| Weekly at Grace | |
Sundays
8:30 AM
Holy Eucharist
9:40 AM
Adult Forum: Evil and the God of Love
Held in the parish hall; child care available
10:15 AM
Prayers for the Nation and the World
Held outside at the Memorial Cross, includes remembrance of the Fallen (last Sunday of each month; 15 minutes)
10:30 AM
Holy Eucharist
Music, child care and Sunday School
5:00 PM
Service of Prayer, Meditation and Communion
Informal
Tuesdays
12:15 PM
Centering Prayer
35 minutes
Wednesdays
12:15 PM
Holy Eucharist
30 minutes
Saturdays
11:30 AM
Grace's Table
Grace's Table offers hot lunch, Bible study and fellowship for persons who are homeless or living on the margins.
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 About Grace
Grace Episcopal Church, Georgetown, was founded nearly 150 years ago to serve the laborers, craftsmen, shopkeepers, and watermen of the Georgetown waterfront.
By 1857 regular services were being held in a wooden chapel that stood in the southwest corner of the churchyard, where the World War I Memorial Cross now stands.
Outreach to the community, particularly lower Georgetown, remains a vital ministry of Grace.
To that end we host a variety of events for the public, including an annual Bach Festival and Music on the Lawn. Our parishioners are also active volunteers for the Taste of Georgetown, which supports the Georgetown Ministry Center, located in the basement of our Rectory.
Grace Church is committed to providing a spiritual refuge for everyone living and working in the Georgetown area regardless of their religious affiliation.
Visitors to Grace find a warm welcome, wonderful music, and a heartfelt faith. We are located on the east side of Wisconsin Avenue, just below M Street and the Canal, in the heart of Georgetown.
Please join us for a service, an event, or just moment of quiet during your day. A weekly schedule of events appears in the column to your left.
Grace Episcopal Church 1041 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007 2 hours free parking, with Grace validated exit ticket, is available in two locations. The Cinema Garage on K Street (just east of the intersection of Wisconsin and K Streets, one block south of the church): - Sunday until 1:00 PM
- Monday through Thursday until 11:00 PM
- Friday until 6:00 PM
The Eagle Bank lot, directly across Wisconsin Avenue from the Church:
- We have exclusive access to this lot Sundays until 1:30 PM
- And non-exclusive access for the 5:00 PM service on Sundays
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