The Rev. Elsa Worth
Rector 
The Rev. Nancy Gage
|
Musical Interlude
| |
| |
If you would like to have music when reading The Glow (or for whatever else you might be doing!), just click on the keyboard image to listen (or download) music performed by Dave during our services.
|
Happenings- |
To see what's been going on in, and around, Grace, click on each of these links:
|
We are the CEREAL church!
|  |
For a long time, Grace
Church has been delivering canned goods and other food donations down to the St. Luke's/St. Paul's Food Pantry in Bridgeport. They urgently need donations of all kinds of groceries, but one of the items that they seem to run out of and need a lot of is cereal.
If all of us could remember to pick up a box of cereal (or two or more!) each time we shop, we'll be able to make a wonderful and much needed contribution for the food pantry each week. There is a collection basket at the main entrance of the church, and also one in lower Lewis Hall. |
|
"The Glow" Archives:
To view previous issues of "The Glow", click here. |
  | | If you wish to subscribe to the Episcopal Diocese of CT weekly eNewsletters, please click HERE. |
|
|  |
Click HERE to read this week's wellness message from Living Compass |
|
| Dear friend,
"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who lives but Christ who lives in me."
Galatians 2:20
Have you ever had the experience of giving your life away? Some people describe it as having a sense of letting their own thoughts and egos go and allowing something bigger than themselves to work in them instead. In his letter to the Galatians, Paul was describing how he had once worked as hard as he possibly could to follow all the rules in life, and thought he was doing pretty well at it. But then he suddenly discovered that all his efforts were actually working against God instead of for God. So he stopped doing things his own way. And when he let go of his own way, giving away his own life in a sense, God could then work in him in a new way, and therefore also work through him in a new way. Where in your life are you struggling really hard to make things work on your own? What might it be like to lay your burden down?
Here at Grace Church we are dancing with life's big questions. If you're searching for a community of faith to belong to, we invite you to come to explore, come to connect and come to believe among us here at Grace Church. We'd enjoy both your company and your participation as we follow in the way of Jesus and learn and grow in discipleship together. |
|
|
Peace,
The Rev. Elsa Worth
Grace Episcopal Church |
Grace-full Conversations
Changes are taking place at Grace Church and there are more changes to come. Budgetary limitations are causing us to seriously re-evaluate how we do church together. Though we're not sure how things are ultimately going to turn out, we know that the Spirit is in this with us and that it is a priority for us to remain together as a caring community through anxious times. With so many questions and unknowns about our future floating around, it is crucial for each of us who care about this faith community to make time for prayer and spiritual discussion together, as we air questions, concerns, worries, suggestions or anything else that's on our minds and hearts. To that end, Elsa is initiating bi-weekly Grace-full Conversations. During these times together we'll listen to God and to each other, considering things like: What is our deepest purpose for gathering as a Eucharistic community? How does church fit into our lives and how important is it to us? Who is God calling us to be? What is the role of the priest in a church community? What is the role of the laity? How are we, as a church, reaching out to our neighbors? Could we grow more deeply and intentionally into God's mission and how might that look? What are the societal changes we are being faced with? How do we perceive these changes affecting our church and our own lives? How do these changes affect what we both can and want to do together as a church?
The key word in all of this is together. If the people of Grace Church are to move forward together, we need to make the time to meet together to discern our next steps. Therefore, opportunities will be available twice a week - every Wednesday and Sunday beginning June 12. Gatherings will take place in the chapel after coffee hour on Sundays and each Wednesday evening at 7:30 pm. Each meeting will last 1¼ hour and will include Scripture exploration, prayer and discussion. All are encouraged to attend at least once a week if possible. This is our opportunity to stay in touch, to discover the new things God is doing here at Grace, and to deepen in faith together through the process.
|
EF Open House at Grace
-this Saturday, June 15, 4-6 PM
The Swedish company, Education First (EF), is starting up a new exchange program in Trumbull this summer. Fifty-one German and Russian students will be coming to the Trumbull area for 3.5 weeks at the end of July. Elsa is going to take a few mornings during each of those weeks to teach English and culture for this program (as is Rabbi Amanda Brodie from Temple B'Nai Torah down the street. Jokes are already being made: a priest and a rabbi come into a classroom...) Find out more about the program at a special open house for people from congregations around Trumbull, which will be held here at Grace on Saturday, June 15 from 4-6. EF will be providing snacks and entertainment. Would you enjoy hosting a student or teacher from overseas and show them what life in America is like? In order to get the program up and running this first year, EF will make a small donation to Grace Church in your honor (or to whatever congregation you belong to) if you decide to host.
|
Annual Church Picnic
-next Sunday, June 23rd! 
The annual church picnic follows the service next Sunday. Burgers and dogs will be provided - you bring the sides. Please sign up to bring the items that are posted for the feast. If it's a nice day, we will be out on the front lawn, so bring your lawn chair, too, and extras if you have them. We have the folding wooden chairs, but we'll bet your lawn chairs are more comfortable.
|
Trumbull Day - Come and Play!
-Saturday, June 29th
Grace Church has rented a booth at Trumbull Day 2013. We're taking our church on the road to greet the people of our town with warm hospitality and Grace-full activities. We hope to have at least 6 Grace Church people present at all times throughout the afternoon not only to enjoy being together, but to show Trumbull how much we enjoy being together. Come, bring your lawn chair, relax and hang out with friends while being open and friendly to passers-by. We'll make sure we have plenty of empty chairs with us so new people can some and join us. Bring your knitting! Bring your ball and gloves! Bring some snacks to share. Wear your Grace T-Shirt! It's an all day Grace Church party down at Hillcrest Middle School and every member of Grace of every age are encouraged to come and spend part of their Saturday with the church. Please sign up for an hour or two or three - or more! A vestry member will be bringing a sign-up sheet around during coffee hour today. Donna will be there with her blood pressure table, Elsa will offer healing prayers. We thinking of organizing times for meditation or Bible study. Do you have ideas for Trumbull Day? Talk to anyone on the vestry. News is coming soon about how you might also be able to contribute to a cupcake sale/decorating station. Stay tuned!
|
Medical Mission Trip to Panama
Ted, a faithful member of the Discovery Group is taking a two week trip to Panama with a group from Black Rock Church to bring medical and other assistance to people in Panama. They are bringing much needed personal care items along to give away. Ted's in charge of getting donations of toothbrushes and toothpaste. We can help him! Please bring your donations of these dental care items (or other personal hygiene items such as shampoo, soap, aspirin, band aids, diapers, etc.) to church no later than Friday, June 21 and we'll make sure they get to Ted and the mission trip group. Donations can be left in the box in the narthex this Sunday, or in the church office in the coming week. If you come by outside of office hours, you can leave your donation in the box in the library.
|
Wednesday Morning Meditation
Our morning meditation group is growing! If you're an early riser, this is a wonderful way to start and center your day. Wednesday morning from 7-7:25 in the chapel. Wednesday meditation continues through the summer.
|
Saturday Morning Discovery Group
-every Saturday morning
Each Saturday from 9-10, the Discovery Group gathers at Panera bread in the Trumbull Mall. We are currently using the Sermon on the Mount to seek the overlap between the way of Jesus and 12 step spirituality. You need not be in a 12 step group to attend. It's a great bible study! The Discovery Group will continue through the summer.
|
|
Holding Down the Fort
For many of us, summer is a time of going away and having all kinds of fun outings. Sometimes that mean missing more Sunday mornings at church than usual. But while we're away on vacation - or at church on a church swap day over with Christ Church, our bills don't take a vacation and keep coming in to the Grace Church office all summer long. If you have made a pledge to Grace, we hope you will keep it current despite vacation, and to this end, the vestry asks you to consider setting up an automatic payment from your bank account to Grace for the remainder of the year so that you don't even have to think about it! If you don't want to pay on line, consider offering your pledge in advance when you know you're going to be away so that we don't have cash flow problems over the summer. Our church depends on the weekly pledges you have made to support our budget even when you're not here, so please keep your pledging current this summer and fall.
|
Dr. Nat has his t-shirt! How about you!
Grace T-Shirts, 2013 Edition, available
-designed by Lee Toth
Be the first on your block to have the NEW 2013 Grace t-shirt!
Wear your shirt to church events, like the church picnic or Trumbull Day!
Wear it to the gym, to the pool, to the grocery store!
Men's and women's sizes available.
To order just click on the Dr. Nat's picture.
|
|
Used Clothing Shed
 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. |
|
This Week's Announcements
|
Sunday, June 16th:
Eucharist service - 9:30 AM
Grace-full Conversations in the chapel after coffee hour Wednesday, June 19th: Guided Meditation - 7:00-7:25 AM Grace-full Conversations in the chapel - 7:30 PM
|
Sunday, June 23rd:
Eucharist service - 9:30 AM
Church Picnic following the service
Wednesday, June 26th:
Guided Meditation - 7:00-7:25 AM
Grace-full Conversations in the chapel - 7:30 PM
|
|
|
