At our annual meeting on February 3rd, Elsa charged Grace Church with three important tasks.

• To decide which outreach and mission activities we will engage in this winter and spring to keep sowing the seeds of God's healing love out into our community and make Grace known as a place of healing and wholeness
• To consider all possible clergy leadership models as we move into the future - full time, part time, shared leadership or having no clergy at all; and to specifically explore the possibility of clergy sharing with Christ Church.
• To consider our property and its uses, exploring ways to either increase our income through our property or to decrease our property costs.  No possible options will be off the discussion table.

Each individual in our church has been asked to consider which area interests and animates them most and to put their name on that working group's list. You will find these lists posted on the wall downstairs today. We will all move forward in organizing these teams into working groups at the next vestry meeting on Sunday, March 10 (to which all are invited). Between now and then, you are encouraged to continue the important conversations about these tasks that we contionued last Sunday, and to continue to add more questions and ideas to the newsprint for each area. You are welcome to add your questions and ideas to any of the three areas, but you are asked to put your name in only one working group. If you missed the meeting and have questions, please speak to Elsa or a vestry member during coffeehour. Time to get to work!

Join your neighbors in faith for a potluck supper and then a short Lenten service on the Wednesday evenings of Lent. Supper is at 6, and the service is from 7-7:45. We host (service only, no supper due to karate) on Feb 27.  

• February 27                Grace Episcopal Church, 5958 Main Street, Worship only at 7:00 PM, no supper
• March 6                      Long Hill United Methodist Church, 6358  Main Street
• March 13                    Trumbull Congregational Church, 3115 Reservoir Avenue
• March 20                    Unity Hill United Church of Christ, 364 White Plains Rd.  

As suggested by Presiding Bishop Katherine Jefferts Shori, the Worth family plans to do a week long fast in which they eat within the food stamp budget of just $4 per person per day.   About this Food Stamp Fast, Bishop Shori wrote:

Lent is a time when we pray, when we fast, when we study, when we give alms. It's a time of solidarity and it is particularly a time to be in solidarity with the least of these. As you prepare for your Lenten season and your Lenten discipline, I'd encourage you to think about consciousness in eating... It's very, very difficult to find adequate calories and reasonably nutritious food for that kind of a budget. But it would be an act of solidarity with those who do go without every day and every week. An act of solidarity like that might increase your consciousness about those who go hungry, it might increase your own consciousness about what you eat, and it might provide an opportunity to share some of your largesse, some of what you save from that kind of eating with those who go without.

The Worth's are planning to begin next Sunday, March 3, and continue through the following Saturday, March 9. Would you like to join in? If so, please let Elsa know you're in solidarity. She hopes you'll email her through the week with your experiences of this fast.

The vestry has decided to hold its meetings on the second Sunday of each month, beginning on March 10. This change not only fits better with our current vestry members' schedules, but it also gives everyone in the parish the opportunity to attend, stay informed and get involved. Also on every second Sunday, beginning March 10, we'll be having a potluck lunch in the church hall after church. Who doesn't love a good potluck lunch? Please mark your calendars now to remember to bring something yummy to share. The vestry meeting will then take place following lunch, and all are invited.

Certainly you've noticed the used clothing shed in our back parking lot.  Please spread the word about this new outreach project -laminated posters and small flyers are available to post and share.  Clothes donated into the shed are picked up by St. Pauly's, who distributes them all to people in need across the globe through their connection with larger agencies.  All of the usable clothing that gets donated makes its way to people in need, saving landfill space.  Items accepted include clothing, shoes, sneakers, belts, linens, pillow cases, blankets, curtains and stuffed animals.  (Please do not put rags, fabric scraps, pillows, toys, household goods or electronics in the shed.)  Grace church receives 4 cents per pound on all items collected in exchange for hosting the shed. For further info on this project, there is information about St. Pauly's available in coffee hour, or click on this link: St. Pauly's.  

If you and your spouse were married on or before December 31, 1963, you are invited to attend a special 50th anniversary liturgy held each spring in Hartford. Whether or not you can make it to the service, we can make sure you are included in the prayers that day. If you and your spouse have been married for 50 years or more and you'd like to be included in any way or if you have questions about the event, please call Maryann in the office.