Grace Episcopal Church  
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Sunday Ministers
Birthdays
Sunday Services

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Sunday 

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

10:00 AM 
Celebrant:
The Rev. Dr. Maggie Arnold 
Preacher: 
Mia Benjamin, Life Together intern 
Minister of Music:  Ruth Roper
LEM I:
Margaret Smist  
LEM II: Mia Benjamin  
Lector I*:
Dennis Hale
Lector II*:
Margaret Smist  
Acolytes:
Louis Carson, Victoria Spence and Rebecca Spence 
Ushers: 
Steve Duggan, Butch Edgecomb and Melanie Edgecomb 
Altar Guild
Olivia Bracken
Healing Ministers:  Cindy Scott, Rev. Evans, Sara Folta and John Rogers    
Coffee Hour Hosts:
Vin Maganzini, coffee Sue Maltz and Adele Travisano, food 
Counters:
Wes Foote and Don Capuccio  
Vestry Person of the Day:
Nathan Brawley

5:00 PM
Celebrant:  The Rev. Dr. Maggie Arnold
Preacher:
Mia Benjamin, Life Together intern    
Musician 
Cheryl Forest Morganson
Altar Guild
Mia Benjamin 
  
*click on link to prepare for this week's readings  

Birthdays

 

Jim Pearson, Jr (12/2); Helen Sweeney (12/4); Laura Duggan (12/5); Clarence Ligon, III. (12/6).   

 

 

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  and 5PM services.  Mia Benjamin, Life Together intern preaches at all services.  There is no Sunday School on November 30, but The Rev. Noah Evans will offer a children's homily in Wiles Hall.  The children will exit following the Gospel reading and return to the service at the Peace.  Nursery care is available at the 10AM service.

Join us following the 10 AM service to make an Advent wreath and to pick up an Advent calendar.   
The Grace Church Stewardship Campaign
Margaret Smist Testimony 14
Margaret Smist Testimonial 11.23.14
On Sunday, Margaret Smist, Vestry Member offered a Stewardship Testimonial on Mission, Outreach, Hospitality and Fellowship. 

Please turn in your pledge as soon as possible if you haven't already done so.  
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! For questions, contact Laura Duggan at LauraRDuggan16@gmail.com.    

 

Preparing for Advent

Join us to build an Advent Wreath for your home, after the10am service this Sunday, November 30. Then you can light the candles every night as we prepare for the coming of the Christ child. We provide the supplies, you go Christmas-crazy (it's a thing). You can also pick up an Advent calendar for your household on the same Sunday: we have one for everyone and a special pop-out one for families with young children.

Outreach Corner    

 

The next opportunity to help at St. Luke's Community Dining is coming up on December 27th. Please contact Lisa Carson if you can help or if you have questions.

 

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 November 30 are peanut butter and tuna.  The item for December 7 is rice.

 

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

6:45: Older children's classes

Adult Education- 6:45-8:00PM

Praying Out Loud

Wednesday, December 3, 6:45PM

Led by Rev. Noah Evans

Are you uncomfortable when asked to pray out loud?  Does even saying grace cause you some anxiety?  Do you worry about the words you might say, or even something else?  You are not alone!  Join the Rev. Noah Evans on Wednesday, December 6 as he leads a discussion on the many reasons we might have for avoiding vocalized prayer and offers practical advice on how to pray out loud.

 

Wednesdays at Grace on 12/10: come for a pizza party at 5:30, then we will proceed to City Hall for the Interfaith Peace Vigil. No classes that night, as we join together in prayer for peace.

Peace Vigil at City Hall

 

Peace 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.

 

Trivia Tournament

for our last Wednesdays at Grace of 2014 

Join us on 12/17 for an intergenerational trivia tournament! Compete to see who has the most knowledge about our Christian tradition and the Bible, earning glory for your team and helping farmers in need around the world. Bring your change jar from home and play for money to donate to Heifer International. Win a flock of chicks for a family in Bangladesh, or a hive of honeybees for a Guatemalan family. Test your skill and do some good!

 

Mary Magdalene in the Christian Tradition

Wednesday, January 14, 21 and 28 6:45pm

Led by the Rev. Dr. Maggie Arnold

Would you like to know more about this mysterious figure at the heart of the Gospels? She was the friend of Jesus and the first witness of the resurrection, yet she has also often been identified as a prostitute. Learn who started that rumor, and about the history of how Christians have talked about this woman as sinner, saint, preacher, mystic, and even as Jesus' wife.

 

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     

 

Grace Women's Lunch:

The next Grace Women's Lunch will be held on Wednesday, December 3 at noon at John Brewer's Tavern in Malden.  Please let Cindy Scott know by Sunday, November 30 if you will be able to attend.  Email lucindarscott@gmail.com.

 

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.

     

KOKA wreath and Greening Grace's LED Christmas Light sale

KOKA (Knights of King Arthur) will once again be making and selling wreaths for the holidays. In addition, this year Greening Grace will be offering energy efficient LED holiday lights for sale. Order forms will be available soon in the Parish Hall or see Wes Foote, Jr. for more information about the wreath sale and Jonathan Hunt for more information about the holiday light sale.

 

Newcomer Lunch, Sunday, December 7

Are you new(er) to Grace Church? We would like to have you join us for an informal lunch in the Common Room following the 10AM service. It will give you a chance to meet other newer members of the parish and some long-timers, too! If you would like to attend, please email margaret.smist@gracemedford.org  by Thursday, December 4. Just let us know how many people are attending so we can plan accordingly. We are looking forward to seeing you.

 

20's & 30's Fellowship

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

7th. 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!

  

Christmas Caroling Party  

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 contact Mia at  mia@gracemedford.org.     

 

Book Club

Grace Church Women's Book Club meets monthly at 7 pm on the third Thursday, except for the

month of August.   Any woman is invited to attend any meeting. On January 15, the book is By Nightfall by Michael Cunningham. For more information about meetings please see Genita during church at 10 AM service or contact her at pawleyslegacy@verizon.net.

 

Interested in the Altar Guild?

Are you interested in worship?   Do you enjoy the beauty of the church seasons? If you are, please consider attending one of our Altar Guild trainings in December. It would be a good way to see if this is a ministry you may be called to.

 

Reverend Maggie will be meeting with the Guild following the 10 am service on both Sunday, December 14 and 21.   You only need to attend one of the days, and if you are interested in becoming part of the Guild you can speak to Margaret Smist