Counters:
Jane Scherban and Naida Gavrelis

5:00 PM
Worshipful Walk with The Rev. Dr. Maggie Arnold

*click on link to prepare for this week's readings

Birthdays

Annabell Dow (5/25); Daniel Nwachukwu and Jane Scherban (5/26); Larry Rogers (5/27); Oscar Greene and Tanya Panzera Dow (5/28); Isabella Pastor (5/29); Sarah Shong (5/30) Janna Davis and Harold Pankowski, Jr. (5/31).

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 8:00 AM, 10:00 AM and 5:00 PM. The Rev. Noah H. Evans is the Celebrant and The Rev. Dr. Maggie Arnold is the preacher at the morning services. Nursery care is available during the 10AM service.

Pentecost, May 24, is the birthday of the church and the festival in which we celebrate the disciples speaking in all of the languages of the world. We will be reading one of the lessons on Sunday in many different languages.

Medford's Veterans Welcomed at Grace

This Sunday, May 24th at 10:00 AM, we welcome members of Medford's veterans groups to Grace Episcopal Church as we all mark Memorial Day weekend. Please join us as we remember those who have died serving our country. It is exciting to continue this long standing tradition of honoring those who have served our country.

Worshipful Walk to Wrights Tower

Sunday, May 24th

at 5:00 PM

Worshipful Walks are BACK! Grace Church's 5:00PM service will be moving outdoors on Sunday, May 24th for our first worship hike of the spring. We will hike to Wright's Tower in the Fells, stopping along the way for prayers, scripture, and singing. We will meet at 5:00PM at the Bellevue Pond Parking Lot at Middlesex Fells. Get there early (4:45ish) to park, because spots fill up quickly with many folks out and about for nice weather! Grab your family and friends, your walking shoes and we'll see you there!

A funeral service will be held for Stephen Pietrantoni at Grace Episcopal Church on Sunday, May 31, 2015 at 2:00 PM.

Stephen's obituary is here. Please keep Stephen and his family in your prayers.

Follow the Grace Church organ restoration project on the "Restoring Grace" blog.

Recently, for the first time since its installation, the organ was completely dismantled piece-by-piece and sent to David E. Wallace and Co. organ builders in Gorham, Maine for a complete restoration.

The organ restoration project is the final project to be paid for by the 2011 Grace Church Capital Campaign along with additional fundraising being done to help support this effort.

Outreach Corner

Grace Church is collecting donations to send to Nepal to aid the relief efforts. Please make checks out to "Episcopal Relief and Development". A basket to collect donations will be located in the back of the church.

The next opportunity to help at St. Luke's Community Dining is May 30. It is not just cooking. There are several other duties that go along with community dining, such as, serving food to people seated, clean up, washing dishes, cutting up vegetables, filling the plates with food before serving and so much more.Lisa Carson is the coordinator of Grace Church's work with the St. Luke's Community Dining ministry. Please contact her with any 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 May 24 are

coffee or tea. The items for May 31 are jam or jelly.

Kid's Corner

The Rev. Dr. Maggie Arnold will offer a children's homily Sunday in the parish hall.

Our amazing 'Wednesdays at Grace' and Sunday School teachers will be honored during the 10 AM service on Sunday, May 31. Let's lift up these creative, generous, hard-working saints among us.

Summer @ Grace for kids: Our Sunday School year concludes with this Sunday's Children and Youth Leadership Sunday. From now through September 13th, there will be a Children's Homily in the parish hall during the regular sermon time. Please contact Rev. Maggie at Maggie@gracemedford.org if the Spirit might be calling you to participate in this fun ministry.

Other Announcements

20/30's Fellowship

Grace Church 20/30s Fellowship are meeting up with 20/30s fellowship groups from Christ Church Waltham and St. Andrew's Episcopal Church at 7:00pm on Friday, May 29th in Waltham. We'll be talking about what it means to be a young adult in the church and contemplating questions like: What role does our cohort play in the church? What keeps us coming back? What would it look like to feel fully supported and included at church?...and many more!

Meet us there at 7:00pm or come by the church at 6:15pm if you are in need of a ride. The main dish will be provided, so bring whatever side dish, dessert or beverage you'd like! Contact Mia mia@gracemedford.org with questions and join our Grace twenties and thirties Facebook group!

More details to follow, but save the date. Contact Mia mia@gracemedford.org with questions and join our Grace twenties and thirties Facebook group!

Medford Community Day

Come and represent Grace Church at the Medford Community Day! We need some enthusiastic members to help out at our exciting booth from

1:00-4:00pm on Sunday, May 31. Let Mia mia@gracemedford.org know if you're interested!

Anderson Scholarship Applications due June 1

Applications are now available for students pursuing continued education in the Fall of 2015 who want to apply for the Anderson Scholarship. Printed applications are in the Parish Office above the mailboxes or by email by contacting Carol at office@gracemedford.org. They are due to the Grace Church Office by June 1, 2015.

Eligibility & Requirements

Per the conditions of the donor, applicants must meet the following minimum criteria:

Be an active member (or family of an active member) of Grace Church.
Enrolled or recently accepted in an institute of higher learning.
Copy of College Acceptance Letter
If already enrolled in a college, submit a copy of the upcoming course listings or unofficial transcript.

The applicant should be a student in good standing, participant in active community service, including church, community, and/or school programs. Preference will be given to applicants who have actively participated in Grace Church programs.

Women's Lunch

The next monthly Grace Women's Lunch is scheduled for noon on Wednesday, June 3, at John Brewer's Tavern in Malden.

Welcome Lunch

There will be a welcome lunch following the 10AM service on Sunday, June 7th for those who are new(er) to Grace Church. This is a time for you and your family to share a light lunch with Grace Church staff, other newcomer's and some long-time parishioners. Contact Margaret Smist if you would like more information.

Yoga Class

Jenn ( Param Sevak Kaur ) Woodward is offering a free hour and a half Kundalini Yoga and Meditation class, June 7 at 3:00pm at Grace, to help us let go of all the pressures from the world and go calmly within.

The class will include meditation, breath work, a yoga set and yes, even some Dancing! There is no experience necessary! Just bring a blanket or a mat with you.

End of School Year Picnic, Sunday, June 14!

Come one, come all - join us for our picnic to celebrate the end of school and the start of summer. We will be holding the picnic following the 10 am service on Sunday, June 14th on the front lawn (weather permitting).

As always, a free will offering is collected for the main meal - hot dogs, hamburgers, veggie burgers, chips and all the fixings. The 'extras' are provided by parishioners so if you are coming see below - hope to see you there!

If your last name begins with.......

A-- P: Bring a salad (green, potato, pasta, corn etc) or baked beans

Q - Z : Bring a dessert

Book Club

The Women's Book Club meets every third Thursday except in August at 7 pm. Any woman is welcome to attend any meeting. We meet again on June 18 and we are discussing How to be a Good Wife by Emma J. Chapman. For more information, see Genita at the 10 am church service or email her at

pawleyslegacy@verizon.net.

GreenUp CleanUp Event Hosts Needed!

http://gracemedford.org/greenupcleanup/

If you are interested in being the point person for a CleanUp, or represent a group that would like to partner with Grace Church to clean up a park, please let us know. No prior experience is necessary.

Email us at greenupcleanup@gracemedford.org to get the process started. If you have questions, please ask a member of the GreenUp CleanUp team: Alicia Hunt, Margaret Smist or Ann Frenning-Kossuth

Water Chestnut Pull

Our river is covered with an invasive plant - water chestnuts. The City of Medford, the Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA) and the MA Department of Conservation and Recreation are involved in a multi-year project to remove this plant from our river. One portion of the work each year is hand pulling the weeds. The work is messy, wet and fun!

Saturday July 18th, 9am-noon

join members of Grace Church to hand-harvest water chestnuts with MyRWA. Advance registration will be required to reserve space in a canoe. For more information contact Alicia Hunt.