Grace Episcopal Church  
In This Issue
Sunday Ministers
Birthdays
Sunday Services

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Sunday 
8:00 AM
Celebrant: 
The Rev. Noah H. Evans   
Preacher:  The Rev. Cameron Partridge 
LEM: Branwen Smith-King
Usher: 
John Schlesinger
Altar Guild:  June Pietrantoni 
10:00 AM
Celebrant: 
The Rev. Noah H. Evans 
Preacher:  The Rev. Cameron Partridge
Minister of Music:
Ruth Roper 
LEM I: Agnes Opara   
LEM II:  Warren Ramirez
Lector I *
Ann Frenning Kossuth 
Lector II *
Patrick Hardy 
Acolytes:
Ushers: 
Steve Duggan 
Altar Guild: 
Olivia Bracken and Amanda Klasen
Stewardship Testimonial:  Naida Gavrelis  
Coffee Hour Hosts: Tom Hamel, coffee
Kathryn and Lee Benjamin, food 
Counters:
Naida Gavrelis and Jill Capuccio
Vestry Person of the Day: 
Margaret Smist  
    
*click on link to prepare for this week's readings  

Birthdays

 

Emma Maganzini (11/3); Johanna Rogers (11/5); Julia Lisella and Karen Williams (11/6); Tayshawn Godfrey-Thomas, Jaidyn Plausky and Audrey Tucker (11/7); James Cluggish and Judith Walsh (11/8); Joshua Nwachukwu and Edward Smith (11/9).

If we do not have your birthday, please contact the church office at 781-396-7215 or office@gracemedford.org  
 Welcome!
Please join us at Grace Church. 
On Sunday, we celebrate the Eucharist at 8:00 AM, 10:00 AM and 5:00 PM.  Sunday School classes begin promptly at 9:45 AM. Nursery care is available for young children.

It's All Saints Sunday!

This year on All Saints Sunday, during the 10:00 AM service, we will be singing the Litany of the Saints.The singing of the Litany of the Saints is an ancient tradition, typically done on high feast days.  The Litany is of many saints, ancient and modern, who are invoked to give us support, witness and powerful examples of living out the Christian faith and life.  You may also bring photographs of loved ones who have died.  These photos will be placed in the Madonna corner before the service and will be present during worship in remembrance of them. 

 

We welcome The Rev. Cameron Partridge as our guest preacher Sunday at 8 & 10AM.  Reverend Partridge serves as the Episcopal Chaplain at Boston University and is a lecturer at Harvard Divinity School.  His family (spouse Kateri Paul, and children Gavin and Brendan) live in Medford and attend Grace Church.  Cameron has previously served as the Vicar of St. Luke's and St. Margaret's in Allston and has a PhD from Harvard Divinity School. The Center of American Progress names Cameron one of the "13 Progressive Faith Leaders to Watch in 2013."

 

Sunday Evening Worship at 5:00 PM will continue for the next few months. We will offer Holy Eucharist each week at 5:00PM in the sanctuary of Grace Church.  We will continue to experiment with different music, ways to sing, use of incense and candles...and maybe some other things we have not thought of yet!  Please come and join us!

 

Protestant services at Tufts are at 7:00 PM in Goddard Chapel.  Click here for the schedule. 
Please remember to turn your clocks back one hour on Sunday, November 3rd! 
The Bridge between our gratitude for the past and our hope for the future.
Grace Church Stewardship 2014
You can find the Grace Church Stewardship packet online here.

To pledge online, click here.

Sunday, November 17:  Finance Forum

"Sundae Sunday" on November 24th. 
An annual tradition, we will end Stewardship season with turning in our pledge cards and an ice cream sundae at coffee hour.
Outreach Corner    
The next opportunity to help at St. Luke's Community Dining is November 30.  Please contact Brenda Pearson at
if you are interested in volunteering or have questions.

See the November Newsletter for information about Thanksgiving with St. Luke's Community Dining. 

 

Food is needed for the food pantries that Grace Episcopal Church supports. Food items may be placed in the baskets just outside the main entrance to the sanctuary (an usher can help you locate them).  The items for Sunday are jelly, peanut butter or sunflower seed butter.

Kid's Corner    

James will lead activities for kids during coffee hour following the 10:00 AM service.  Look in the November Newsletter or upcoming bulletins for information about the Christmas Pageant. 

 

Sunday School Teachers

Pre K - Teacher:   Assistant:   

Early Elementary - Teacher:  Steve Duggan Assistant:  Tom Hamel

Upper Elementary - Teacher:  Sue Maltz Assistant: 

Nursery  -- Sarah Andrade

DIOCESAN CONVENTION IS COMING UP ON NOVEMBER 2

The Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston will be the setting for the 228th Annual Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts.  Your Delegates-elected and attending-from our Parish are Elizabeth Graham and June Pietrantoni.  Margaret Smist will serve as Alternate Delegate, if necessary.  Beth and June attended the Pre-Convention Delegates Forum and Briefing on October 15 at the Cathedral.  Father Noah Evans is our Clergy Delegate.

ˇ        The proposed 2014 Diocesan Budget was presented and reviewed and will be voted at Convention.

ˇ        Nominees for Clerical Deputies and Lay Deputies to the 2015 General Convention were named and those present gave brief statements about their candidacies.   Beth Graham is a candidate for Lay Delegate.

ˇ        Also to be considered and voted:

o   Special Report and Implementing Resolutions on Bishop (coadjutor) Election from the Standing Committee

o   Report of the Committee on Resolutions:

1.      Peace -building in the Diocese of Massachusetts (to continue the work of the B-PEACE and anti-violence work of the Jorge Fuentes Antiviolence Task Force created at the 2012 Convention).

2.      Resolution in Support of a Carbon Tax as a Way to Combat Climate Change

    (a carbon tax to discourage the use of fossil fuels)

3.      Resolution calling for Environmentally Responsible Investing

(to reduce our carbon footprint, our use of fossil fuels and our complicity with the fossil fuel industry)

Parishioners who have questions pre-Convention may contact one of our Delegates:

Beth Graham               617-767-1969  elizabethgraham@gmail.com 

 June Pietrantoni          617-591-9944   June.Pietrantoni@MASenate.gov 

Other Announcements     

 

One-on-One Meetings with Noah

Time slots are still available Mondays during the day and Wednesday afternoons. Evening meetings can also be scheduled-- just let us know.  You can sign up on the bulletin board or contact Carol in the office at 781-396-7215 or office@gracemedford.org or noah@gracemedford.org. 

 

Wednesdays at Grace

5:30: Preschool Godly Play, Godly Play 2

6:00: Community Dinner  

6:45: Godly Play 3, Faith Explorers, Rite 13 and J2A

Adult Education- 6:45-8:00PM

Come learn about Saints during Wednesday's at Grace!

November 6

We celebrate the Saints every November during All Saint's Sunday, and we learn about them during Lent (if you participate in Lent Madness!!!).  Rachael Pettengill-Rasure and Margaret Smist will lead an adult education discussion on the Saints.  We will explore the importance of Saints in the Episcopal Church and how we celebrate them in our worship and in our faith life.  The class will help us explore how the Saints help us to get closer to God, and we will get to think about which saint we may identify with.  If you have any questions, don't hesitate to speak to Rachael or Margaret.  Join Us!!

 

"Do the Math" film showing and discussion with Anne Goldman

November 13

You've heard the buzz words... "climate justice," "economic justice," "divestment." But what do they really mean, and what do we do with them? Anne Goldman, an emerging climate activist and member of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Newton Highlands, will be joining Grace Church for Adult Ed. She will be showing the film "Do the Math," based on a nationwide fossil fuel divestment speaking tour taken by climate author/activist Bill McKibben and 350.org last year. Anne will also facilitate a Q & A session on why divestment is important to this issue and how our own diocese is getting involved.

 

Preparing for Advent for all ages

November 20

Join us for an evening of family fun and creativity on Wednesday, Nov. 20! All adults and children's classes will be gathered together in the parish hall to take part in activities to get ready for Advent, the season of preparation before Christmas. We will make Advent wreaths, play games (like Advent Trivia!) and prepare ourselves for the holiday season. Talk to James or Eva if you have questions!

 

Senior Men's Lunch

The next Senior Men's Lunch will be Wednesday, November 6 at noon at John Brewers Tavern in Malden.  Please RSVP to the Parish Office.

 

Parish Prayer List

During the season of Advent we will be reading all of the names on the parish prayer list during worship. In preparation for this Advent, all names on the prayer list will be removed after November 17.  If you have names you would like to remain on the list after then, please contact Carol in the Parish Office at office@gracemedford.org.  Names usually stay on the list for three weeks, unless the office is otherwise notified. 

 

A History of Grace Church

On Sunday, November 17th from 2:00-4:00, The Medford Historical Society and Grace Episcopal Church will present A History of Grace Church.  Featured speakers include Mayor Michael McGlynn, The Rev. Noah Evans, parish historian -- Allison Andrews and a panel of Grace Church members.  The afternoon will include tours of the historic H. H. Richardson church and a display of artifacts.  The event is free and open to the public.  Refreshments will be served.

 

Book Club 

The Grace Church Women's Book Club meets the third Thursday of each month at 7 pm (except August and December) at a member's house.  For more information about the Club or the location of a meeting, contact Genita in church or at pawleyslegacy@verizon.net. All women are welcome to any meeting even if you aren't a member of Grace Church.

On November 21 we're reading Between Heaven and Mirth by James Martin.  This year the Club decided to meet in December and have another movie night, on December 19, movie yet to be decided. And on January 16, 2014 we're discussing Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard.

 

Medford Gives Thanks

Join the Medford Interfaith Clergy for an interfaith event at Grace Church on Monday, November 25 from 7:00 to 8:00 PM.  We will be collecting non-perishable food donations and monetary donations for three food pantries in Medford.  Checks for donations to the food pantries may be made out to "Medford Interfaith Clergy Association".  Please join us.

 

Thanksgiving Zumba!

Join us for a free "pure turkey madness" zumba session on Thanksgiving morning!  ZumbaŽ is an exhilarating, effective, easy-to-follow, Latin-inspired, calorie-burning dance fitness-party™. The Latin rhythms are intoxicating and fun! This class is open to the public, teens and adults. All fitness levels welcome.  Please bring one of the following food items to help support our local soup kitchens: Coffee, Tea or Peanut Butter.  Contact ZumbaŽ instructor Nanci Palladino with any questions nanci.palladino57@comcast.net.  Class will be held at Grace Church in Wiles Hall on Thursday, November 28th from 9:00 am  to 10:30 am.

 

Calling all Grace Church artists/crafts persons for a Craft Fair

We are going to hold a craft fair for both Grace Church artists/crafters as well as others from the community.  This fair will be held on Saturday, December 7, 2013 from 9-12.  If you are interested in having a table to showcase and sell your crafts, please contact Cheryl Woodbury (woodburyc@comcast.net or 781-289-2573) by Sunday, November 24th.  The cost per table is $20.

 

KOKA CHRISTMAS WREATHS

Is it too early to think about Christmas Wreaths?  Well, not for the elves who work for KOKA.  This year we will be performing our usual duty and providing wreaths for those who order them.  See the order form here or look for it in weekly bulletins in the coming weeks.