Grace Episcopal Church  
In This Issue
Sunday Ministers
Birthdays
Sunday Services

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Sunday 

8:00 AM
Celebrant:
The Rev. Dr. Maggie Arnold
Preacher: The Rev. Noah H. Evans  
LEM:  Mia Benjamin, Life Together intern
Altar Guild:
June Pietrantoni


10:00 AM 
Celebrant: The Rev. Dr. Maggie Arnold
Preacher: 
The Rev. Noah H. Evans 
Minister of Music:  Ruth Roper
LEM I:
Rochenet Joseph 
LEM II: Kate Woodward  
Lector I*:
Barbara Povey
Lector II*:
Barbara Novaes 
Acolytes:
Elizabeth Pardy, Emily Pardy and Melanie Edgecomb  
Ushers: 
Daniel Egger and James Klasen 
Altar Guild
Elaine and Robin Sheets    
Healing Ministers: 
Mia Benjamin, Brenda Pearson, Margaret Smist and Rev. Noah Evans 
Coffee Hour Hosts:  Vin Maganzini, coffee and The 3rd-6th Grade Classes, food
Counters:
Dennis Hale and Linda Foote  
Vestry Person of the Day:
Lucia Page
Stewardship Testimonial:  Steve Duggan

5:00 PM
Celebrant and Preacher:
The Rev. Noah H. Evans   
Musician 
Cheryl Forest Morganson
Altar Guild
Mia Benjamin 
 
*click on link to prepare for this week's readings  

Birthdays

 

Joshua Nwachukwu and Edward Smith (11/9); Mayland Fields (11/11); Violet Bell, Liam Glynn and Lucinda Scott (11/14); Eliza Stewart (11/15).


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!

We celebrate the Eucharist at 8AM, 10AM and 5PM The Rev. Dr. Maggie Arnold is the Celebrant at the 8AM and 10AM services.  The Rev. Noah H. Evans celebrates at the 5PM service.  The Rev. Noah H. Evans preaches at all services on Sunday.  Sunday School begins promptly at 9:45AM.  Nursery care is available at the 10AM service.

Steve Duggan, Vestry Member will give a Stewardship Testimonial on our Historic Building, our Committee Structure and his insights as a long time church member and Vestry member. 
The Grace Church Stewardship Campaign

Tom Hamel Stewardship Testimony 11 2 2014
Tom Hamel Stewardship Testimonial 11.2.2014
Tom Hamel, Vestry member and Treasurer offered a testimonial on church finances on November 2nd. 

 

On Sunday, Steve Duggan, Vestry Member will give a Stewardship Testimonial on our Historic Building, our Committee Structure and insights as long time church member and Vestry member. 

 

To make your 2015 Stewardship Pledge to Grace Church online click here.

To view the 2015 Stewardship Packet on the website, click here.

Kid's Corner

 

Christmas Pageant 2014 is scheduled Saturday, December 13th, 5:00 PM in the church sanctuary with a potluck dinner following. There will be two ALL CAST Saturday rehearsals from 10 AM to noon on December 6th and 13th. Actors of all ages are encouraged to join The Parable Players of Grace Church in this annual telling the Christmas story! To be a part of the pageant, contact Laura Duggan at LauraRDuggan16@gmail.com.  

 

Youth Night

The next Friday Youth night will be on Friday November 21st at 6PM. Chaperones will be Deb Smith and Cheryl Woodbury.

 

The Middle School Retreat at the Barbara C. Harris Camp in New Hampshire is Nov. 21-23. A group from Grace is going. Ask Rev. Noah or Rev. Maggie if you are interested in signing up. Scholarships available.

Outreach Corner    

The next opportunity to help at St. Luke's Community Dining is coming up on November 29th.   In November we will most likely be cooking our first meal at St Luke's in the newly renovated Community Dining kitchen.  Stay tuned for more information. 

 

Also, ST. Luke's will be looking for volunteers for Thanksgiving Day! If you are willing to help let me know and I will pass it on. Thank you, Brenda Pearson bpearson267@gmail.com

 

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 food items for November 9 are coffee or teas.  The items for November 16 are peanut butter or tuna.

 

Giving TreeGiving Tree 2014

Grace Church is partnering with the Medford Family Network (MFN) to provide Christmas presents (winter clothes, toys and games) for Medford families in need. The Giving Tree will be up in the Wiles hall on November 23. There will be stars on the tree, each representing an item from the wish list of families in need. You can take a star then write your name and which star number you took on the "star list" located below the Giving Tree. You then purchase the item on the star, and place the wrapped gift with the star attached under the tree by Sunday, December 14, 2014. If you cannot get out to go shopping, and would like to participate you can give money towards a giving tree gift. Wrapped gifts will be delivered to MFN in time for Christmas. Contact Linda Rogers for this project at

Wednesdays at Grace

5:30: younger children's Godly Play classes

6:00: Community Dinner

Dinner Host on November 12:  

Cheryl Woodbury and Sponsor: Margaret Smist  

6:45: Older children's classes

Adult Education- 6:45-8:00PM

Christianity and the "End of Days" with Esther Brownsmith 

November 12, 6:45PM

The "Left Behind" books popularized a particular branch of conservative Christian eschatology -- the study of the end times to come.  We allude to Revelation every time we talk about a political figure being "the Antichrist," or refer to a future doomsday as "Armageddon."  Even Episcopalians recite another form of this theology when we say that Jesus "will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead."  So how did Christians come to interpret the Bible's apocalyptic passages as a description of our imminent future?  We will explore the development of eschatology within the Christian church, paying special attention to the Evangelical beliefs that use their interpretation of the Bible to shape the future of climate change, Middle Eastern politics, and more.

 

Apocalypse as Radical Hope with Esther Brownsmith 

November 19, 6:45PM

If the Bible's apocalyptic books aren't a playbook for our doom-filled future, then what do they mean to modern Christians -- if anything?  In this final installation, we will return to the Biblical texts to see what we can learn about their relevance for today.  The original apocalypses offered a vision of future liberation to a group of believers who struggled against apparently hopeless oppression.  Where in our world does the future seem so hopeless that God's radical revolution is the only way out?  Can these ancient texts continue to inspire us to dream of a better future?

 

THERE IS NO WEDNESDAYS AT GRACE ON WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 26TH

 

Interfaith Vigil at City Hall 

 On Wednesday, December 10 from 6:00-7:30pm Grace Church's Peace Team will lead a community-wide interfaith vigil to commemorate the second anniversary of the Sandy Hook school shootings and to issue a powerful call for the end of violence in our society. The event will be held at City Hall and will include a striking visual display of the devastating impact of gun violence in the two years since the Newtown tragedy.

 

Save the Date! 

Visit by the Rt. Rev. Alan Gates

January 7, 2015

Bishop Alan Gates will come to Wednesdays at Grace on January 7, 2015.

Other Announcements     

 
Come-See The Show
Friday, November 7, 7:30 P.M.  

in Wiles Hall

Don't miss our parishioners Brenda Pearson, Sarah Masciave and June Pietrantoni in the by-request performance of "LOVE LOSS AND WHAT I WORE" that will be presented November 7th. Those who attended in April laughed and cried throughout the evening and they have asked us to do it again. So, if you saw it before, come see it again. And, if you missed it in April, don't miss it now.

 

Tickets are $10 and can be obtained from, Maria Fenn, Brenda, Sarah or June, and at the Parish Office.   Dessert and coffee will be served.     Proceeds are for the youth groups of our parish: J2A and Rite 13.

  

Christmas Caroling Party Planning

Grace Church will be throwing a Christmas caroling celebration for our neighbors at the Medford Rehab and Nursing Center on December 14 at 2:00pm! If you'd like to be involved in planning the party, come to a meeting in the Common Room after the 10:00AM service on Sunday November, 9 or contact Mia at  mia@gracemedford.org. 

 

20's & 30's Fellowship

The 20/30s Fellowship group will be meeting at 6:00pm in the Parish Hall on Sunday, November

9th. You are also invited to attend the 5pm service beforehand. To sign up to bring broth, bread, or soup ingredients email Mia at mia@gracemedford.org or friend her on Facebook to get added to our Facebook group!

  

Peace Team

The next Peace Team meeting is Tuesday, November 11 at 6PM at Grace Church.

  

Senior Men's Lunch

The next Senior Men's Lunch will be Wednesday, November 12th at noon at John Brewers Tavern in Malden.

  

Book Club 

Grace Church Women's Book Club meets monthly at 7 pm on the third Thursday.  Any woman is invited to attend any meeting.
 
The book we're reading on November 20th is,

Me Before You by JoJo Moyes..  For more information about meetings please see Genita during church at 10 AM service or contact her at

Visit from Church of the Divine Savior, Bogota -- November 20 - 28

Parish Potluck, Sunday, Nov. 23 at 11:30AM.

Three members, including Padre Jose, of our partner parish, Church of the Divine Savior, Bogota will be visiting Grace Church for a week this November! On Sunday, November 23rd we will be having an all Parish Potluck to celebrate their being with us. Members of last winter's mission team will prepare turkeys, and we ask everyone else to bring a dish to pass as we welcome our visitors. Stay tuned for other ways to meet and share with our guests during their visit. For more information, please contact any member of the mission team: Maria and Molly Fenn, Jim, Brenda and Ruthanne Pearson, Kate Woodward, Kathryn and Emily Benjamin, Steve and Ellie Viggiani and Noah Evans.

 

Grace Church Arts & Crafts Fair 

December 6th from 9-1 in the Wiles Hall.

Calling all artists and crafters, please contact Cheryl Woodbury by email at woodburyc@comcast.net to reserve a table. Tables are limited and are only $20 payable to Grace Episcopal Church. Please spread the word to family and friends.

 

Grace Women's Lunch:

The next Grace Women's Lunch will be at John Brewer's Tavern at 12 noon on Wednesday, December 3, 2014. Contact Cindy Scott at lucindarscott@gmail.com by December 2nd. if you will be attending.

 

KOKA wreath sale

KOKA (Knights of King Arthur) will once again be making and selling wreaths for the holidays. Order forms will be available soon in the Parish Hall or see Wes Foote, Jr. for more information.