Grace Episcopal Church  
In This Issue
Birthdays

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Grace Church
 
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Sunday Services 
8:00 AM
Celebrant:
The Rev. Dr. Maggie Arnold
Preacher:
The Rev. Noah H. Evans
LEM: Branwen Smith-King 
Usher: 
Wesley Foote, Sr. 
Altar Guild:
June Pietrantoni

10:00 AM 
Celebrant: 
The Rev. Dr. Maggie Arnold
Preacher: 
The Rev. Noah H. Evans
Musician:
Edith Auner   
LEM I:
Mia Benjamin
LEM II:
Esther Brownsmith 
Lector I *:
Laura Duggan 
Claudia Stumpf 
Acolytes:
Jaeda Hamel, Elizabeth Woodbury and Isaiah Irwin Evans 
Ushers:
Don Capuccio and Dennis Hale 
Altar Guild
Elaine and Robin Sheets 
Vestry Person of the Day:
Sean Kerans 
Healing Ministers:
The Rev. Noah H. Evans, Carrie Cross, Cindy Scott and Brenda Pearson
Counters:
Don Capuccio and Dennis Hale
Coffee Hour:  
Tom Hamel, coffee - The Kossuths, food
 
5:00 PM
Celebrant and 
Preacher: 
The Rev. Noah H. Evans
Musician: 
Nicholas Hayes 
 
*click on link to prepare for this week's readings
Birthdays

Clare Mumma, Olivia New, Agnes Opara (3/6); Eleanor Puryear (3/7); Adrian King (3/8); Jeff Pietrantoni (3/9); Kristine Brawley and Mildred Burger (3/11).
 
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.  Sunday School begins promptly at 9:45 AM Nursery care is available during the 10 AM service. 
Listen to the The Rev. Noah H. Evans' Annual Meeting sermon, given on February 28, 2016.
Listen here.
World Food Program Fundraiser Success!
by Mia Benjamin
On Saturday, February 27, Grace Episcopal Church hosted a benefit concert to raise funds for the World Food Program's relief effort for refugees and internally displaced people in Syria. Over one hundred people packed the parish hall...

Medford City Council, local clergy want plan for green burials


By Alex Ruppenthal posted on March 3, 2016 on Medford Wicked Local: News from The Medford Transcript.

Medford religious leaders and elected officials are asking the city's Board of Cemetery Trustees to reconsider an earlier decision to prohibit green or natural burials at Oak Grove Cemetery... read more
This Sunday is Girl Scout Sunday, and we are honoring the Girl Scouts in our congregation at the 10am service. Any Girl Scouts are invited to come to the front of the pews at announcement time for a prayer of blessing.
The donkey takes center stage this week in Sunday School as we learn about Jesus' ride into Jerusalem.
Lent at Grace Church
What will your Lent practice be?  What will your family's be? We invite you to join Grace for Lent!  

Find more information about Maggie's walking meditation practice, Noah's lessons in developing our prayer life, and growing a Rule of Life with Mia and the monastic community Society of St. John the Evangelist on our website.

For Lent, Our Wednesdays at Grace Adult Education series is "Read the Bible!" an introduction to different ways of reading biblical texts, which may develop into a practice of reading scripture.

Grace Church will also be holding special Lenten events, including children's activities.  read more
Saturday, March 5, the 22nd day of Lent contemplate "Render unto Ceasar..." and visit Medford City Hall.
Use your imagination and the locations mentioned in the calendar as clues to link the journey through Lent to the life and history of the City of Medford. Reflect on Jesus' journey at each site that you visit.
 
Download our Lent calendar, drawn by Rev. Maggie with thanks to Dee Morris and the Rite 13 youth group for help with ideas and images.  It is called "Jesus-caching" the Journey to Jerusalem.  You can pick up a copy at church or find it on the website here.  Use the hashtag #medfordlent to post what you discover along the way.
Lent Madness began in 2010 as the brainchild of the Rev. Tim Schenck. In seeking a fun, engaging way for people to learn about the men and women comprising the Church's Calendar of Saints read more.
Outreach Corner 
The next opportunity to help at St. Luke's Community Dining in Chelsea is February 26, 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 March 6 is coffee.  The items for March 13 are peanut butter, sunflower seed butter or jelly. 

Save the date!  Bishop Alan M. Gates will be at Grace on Wednesday, April 6 at 7:00PM for a Service of Dedication of our restored organ, and a celebration of the completion of our Capital Campaign project.  A festive community dinner will be held at 6:00 PM.

You can follow the organ restoration progress by going to David E. Wallace's website or checking their Facebook page and checking the Grace Church restoration blog. 
Barbara C. Harris Summer Camp
Barbara C. Harris Camp & Conference Center Summer Camp registration is now open! Noah will be a camp chaplain and at Camp, Sunday, June 26th - Friday, July 1st. Sign up for that week, or any week of the summer!  Talk to Noah or Maggie about scholarships.  More information at BCHCenter.org 
Wednesdays @ Grace
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
 
Read the Bible! on Wednesday Nights
Wednesdays February 24 to March 16
The Christian scriptures can easily be seen as odd and strange, as well as beautiful and powerful, and sometime even indecipherable.  During this Lenten series we will explore a number of different ways to read and understand the bible.   Join us for one or all of this exciting series! 
 
Lectio Divina
Wednesday March 9 at 6:45PM
Led by Mia Benjamin
Lectio Divina is a contemplative method of reading short passages of scripture that has its roots in the Benedictine monastic tradition.  read more 
 
Living Close to Scripture
Wednesday, March 16 at 6:45PM
Led by the Reverend Noah H. Evans
How do we let scripture permeate our lives, and shape our daily experience of God...read more 
Other Announcements
 
Officers, Vestry Members and Delegates were elected at the Grace Church Annual Meeting on February 28. 2016. read more

Adult Baptism, Confirmation 
and Reception in the Episcopal Church class
Sundays, 4-5PM, January 31 - March 13
Taught by: The Rev. Noah H. Evans, The Rev. Dr. Maggie Arnold and Mia Benjamin
Are you interested in being baptized or in exploring being confirmed or received into the Episcopal Church?  This class will explore some foundations of Christian faith, life and practice.  Candidates for Baptism will be baptized at the Easter Vigil on Saturday, March 26 at 7PM.  Please let Noah or Maggie know if you have questions of would like to attend.
 
Book Club
The Women's Book Club meets every third Thursday at 7PM.   For March 17, we're reading The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon , April 22 it's Life After Life by Kate Atkinson and May 19 the book is House Rules by Jodi Picoult.  For more information, contact Genita Johnson at pawleyslegacy@verizon.net. 

 
YLA (Youth Leadership Academy) Fundraiser
Paint Afternoon for Elizabeth and Catherine Woodbury's YLA mission trip to Arizona and Mexico to talk and learn about border issues and the people this issue effects.  Come and paint with Cheryl Woodbury and have some fun with others from the church.  The fundraiser will take place on Saturday, March 12 at 3 p.m.  Light refreshments will be served.  The cost is $40 and all supplies and refreshments are included.