Grace Episcopal Church  

In This Issue
Birthdays

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Sunday Services 
8:00 AM
Celebrant and Preacher:
The Rev.  Noah H. Evans 
LEM: 
Mia Benjamin 
Usher:
Wesley Foote, Sr.  
Altar Guild:
June Pietrantoni

10:00 AM

Celebrant and Preacher: 
The Rev. Noah H. Evans
Musician:
Edie Auner    
LEM I:
Agnes Opara 
LEM II:
Esther Brownsmith  
Lector I *:
Genita Johnson
Margaret Smist
Acolytes:
Jaeda Hamel, Ellie Hunt and Emma Maganzini  
Ushers:
Don Capuccio and Jill Capuccio
Altar Guild
Adele Travisano and Marie Glynn 
Vestry Person of the Day: Louis Carson
Counters:
Dennis Hale and Kristen Spence
Coffee Hour:  Steve Duggan, coffee and food host needed 
 
5:00 PM
Celebrant and Preacher: 
The Rev. Noah H. Evans  
Musician: 
Nicholas Hayes 
Altar Guild:  Mia Benjamin
 
 
*click on link to prepare for this week's readings
Birthdays

Gail Corcoran, Jr. (1/10); Scott Benowicz (1/14); Keira Corcoran and Jean Swan (1/15).
 
If we do not have your birthday, please contact the church office at 781-396-7215 or office@gracemedford.org  
The Rev. Noah H. Evans offered a prayer during Medford's Inaugural Ceremony
Welcome.
Please join us at
 Grace Church!
We celebrate the Eucharist at 8:00 AM, 10:00 AM and 5:00 PM.  Sunday School begins promptly at 9:45 AM.  Nursery care is available.
by The Rev. Dr. Maggie Arnold
Enjoy some of our Letters to a Future Church!  They'll be sealed in a time capsule, and placed behind the newly reinstalled organ, on January 10th. Get yours in while there's still time!  Read excerpts from some letters here.
Grace Church parishioner, Oscar Greene, has been writing for many years. His work has appeared in newspapers, magazines and anthologies. He is the author of several books:  House of Strangers, Hampton and The War Years, and From Homecoming to Twilight and Ruby: A Love Story.

My Belated Apology
A reflection by Oscar Greene

"Hold thy peace"                   Zephaniah 1:7
 
For twenty-one years, a Monday morning incident troubled me. It began with my performance appraisal... read more
  We have  confirmed a  date of Tuesday, January 12, 2016 for the re-installation of the organ to begin.  The work will take 3-4 weeks to complete.  We are excited that this project is nearing completion, and that soon enough we will have organ again for our worship.  You can follow the organ restoration progress on the Grace Church restoration blog. 
The Three Wisemen Arrive! 
by Mia Benjamin 
Over the twelve days of Christmas, we joined our intrepid wise men on their arduous journey to visit the baby Jesus. See their journey.
Join us this week in Sunday School as we follow the young Jesus, debating with Teachers in the Temple, then with Satan in the wilderness.
Outreach Corner 
The next opportunity to help at St. Luke's Community Dining in Chelsea is January 30, 2016. Please contact Lisa Carson with any questions or to volunteer to help. 
 
Food is needed for the food pantries that Grace Episcopal Church supports.  The item for January 10 is canned soup. The items for January 17 are tuna or cereal.  
Wednesdays @ Grace will resume January 6 
Toddler Godly Play class - 5:30-6:30
Godly Play 1-Preschool-Kindergarten,   5:30-6:15
Godly Play 2-Grades 1-2,   5:30-6:15
Dinner,   6-6:45
Child-care for children through 2nd grade, 6:45-8
Bible Class (grades 3-4), 6:45-8
Rite 13 youth group (grades 5-7), 6:45-8
J2A youth group (grades 8-9), 6:45-8
Adult Education classes, 6:45-8

Wednesdays, January 13, 20 , 27 at 6:45PM 
Active Hope: How to Face the Mess We're in without Going Crazy
Led by the Reverend Noah H. Evans
We know that major environmental and social change is beginning to happen, and that our lives and habits need to change as well. read more 
January 13 - The Great Turning
January 20 - Seeing with New Eyes
January 27 - Going Forth
 
Wednesday, February 3 at 6:45 PM
Thru-Hiking the Continental Divide Trail
Last summer, Chris Pirrello, Beverly Convery's grandson, hiked the entire Continental Divide trail...read more 
Other Announcements
 
Youth Mental Health First Aid Course
Building off of our successful Mental Health First Aid course this past February, Grace Episcopal Church is partnering with the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts to host the Youth Mental Health First Aid course on Saturday, January 9th from 9:00am-6:00pm (with a break for lunch). The course is open to Grace Church, the wider Medford community, and adult youth ministry volunteers across the Diocese. Cost of the program and materials is $25. Lunch and hospitality is included. Register here.
 
Fundraising Event to Support the World Food Program - We need your help!
Grace Church has undertaken a few modest activities to respond to the Syrian refugee crisis but is planning a larger, Medford-wide, interfaith event to raise funds for the World Food Program (WFP).   WFP feeds more than four million people every month inside Syria and provides electronic food vouchers to 1.3 million refugees in neighboring countries. Grace Church will host the event from 2:00 to 4:00 on February 27 and is in the process of planning food, entertainment, a silent auction, PR, etc. There still is much to do to pull this off, and we would love your participation. Please contact Catherine Smith  to get involved. The next planning meeting is January 10 noon.
 
Young Adult Looking for a Job?
Are you or do you know a young adult in their 20s and 30s looking for a job or additional work? You are certainly not alone! James Kossuth, a career adviser for graduates at BU Law School, and his family will be joining us for dinner January 10 at 6:00pm in the parish hall to share his insights about job-searching with us. After dinner, we'll be discussing the spirituality of unemployment and discerning new purposes and vocations. Contact Mia mia@gracemedford.org with questions. 
 
Book Club
The Women's Book Club meets every third Thursday at 7PM.  On January 21 we read -The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown; For more information, see Genita Johnson at the 10 am church service or email her at  
pawleyslegacy@verizon.net. 
 
Medford Historical Society & Museum  
Sunday, January 31, 2016 at Noon.
The Medford Historical Society has been around since 1896. In recent years, its mission and identity has become the museum for all things Medford. Have you been to the Society lately, or ever?  
 
MHSM invites Grace Church to come over for a tour and refreshments. We will gather at church after services and walk over together (or drive). It is located just a few blocks from Grace, at 10 Governors Ave.
 
Allison Andrews will introduce you to Medford artifacts and curiosities from the museum's collections. Visit the website at medfordhistorical.org.
 
There is a sign-up sheet in Wiles Hall for planning, but feel free to show up on the day of.
 
Grace Episcopal Church Annual Meeting
The Grace Episcopal Church Annual Meeting will be on Sunday, February 28 immediately following the 10AM service. Annual Reports are due to the office on February 10th.  You can email your report to office@gracemedford.org