The Rev. Elsa Worth
Rector 
The Rev. Nancy Gage
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Musical Interlude
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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.
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Happenings- |
To see what's been going on in, and around, Grace, click on each of these links:
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We are the CEREAL church!
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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. |
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"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. |
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Click HERE to read this week's wellness message from Living Compass |
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| Dear friend,
"Who is my neighbor"
Luke 10:29
The story of the Good Samaritan is one of the most well known in the Bible (Luke 10:25-37). It is the story Jesus told when someone asked him the question "Who is my neighbor?" A lawyer asks Jesus, as a faithful person, who he is supposed to be neighborly toward. Should I be kind to people outside my faith? People who engage in things I don't approve of? People of foreign cultures to mine? People I consider 'unclean?" Jesus reframes the whole picture by saying it's not about who, by their behavior, is worthy of our neighborliness. It's about our own behavior. We are called, as faithful people, to be neighborly toward everyone, no matter how different, foreign, or even 'unclean' we think they are. While you may think you already act like a neighbor to all, all of us have those we think of as 'others' or 'strangers.' Just take a moment to imagine you're on a full bus. The seat next to you is open. Which person or kind of person would be the last one you'd want to come and take that seat for the next half hour of the ride. Jesus is saying that you're called to be a good neighbor even to them. Who are your strangers? What about others - or yourself - do you find it hard to be neighborly toward? What can you learn something about the nature of neighborliness from that Samaritan traveler long ago? 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. |
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Peace,
The Rev. Elsa Worth
Grace Episcopal Church |
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Annual Summer Church Swap
-continues THIS Sunday, July 14th
 Continuing Sunday, July 14th, Elsa is away spending time in NH with her family. She will return on Sunday evening, July 21. On July 14 and 21, Grace Church will go on the road and worship together with Christ Church over in Tashua (5170 Madison Ave - Corner of Tashua Road). Christ Church's summer services are held at 8 or 9:30 am.
Let's all show great hospitality to our church neighbors by showing up to be together! In August, we will welcome the people of Christ Church here on Main Street for three Sundays when Louise is away. If there is a pastoral emergency while Elsa is gone, please contact the Rev. Louise Kalemkerian at 203-536-9259.
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Moving Forward in Mission - Update
Grace Church is in a time of transition. We know there are changes ahead due to budgetary constraints, but we're not sure how they're going to look. Our work is to continue to explore God's preferred and promised future for Grace Church, and that is spiritual discernment that we can really dive into together as a church. We are well aware of our situation. One of the options that has been discussed was to explore the viability of having a shared, collaborative ministry with Christ Church. At this time, it is looking like this type of collaboration will need to be postponed until some future undetermined date. We continue to be in a period of acceptance and of listening and of 'trying things on' so that we can move forward as a body into action, one step at a time. Christ Church is going through a time of discernment, also. Our focus needs to be on how God is speaking and moving with Grace Church and we need to be paying prayerful attention to discern what we're being called to in the midst of change. This situation calls for us, now more than ever, to discuss/discern together what is God's plan for Grace Church. Please note below the Grace-full Conversations schedule and participate in these discussions.
The joint vestry meeting with Christ Church scheduled for Tuesday, July 16th has been postponed and a new date will be scheduled in the near future.
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Grace-full Conversations
-Wednesday, July 17th, 7:30 PM
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 has initiated 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, except when Elsa is on vacation, and each Wednesday evening at 7:30 pm, including July 17th. 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.
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A Big Trumbull Day "Thank You"! 
Trumbull Day was a great time. It was wonderful that Grace Church showed up along with many other community groups and organizations to be a part of our greater Trumbull community on a festive day for our town. Many thanks to everyone who came to lend their support: Ron, Steve, Carl and Bo who set everything up and hauled everything away again. Helga, Jillian, Kara and her friends, who organized and ran our "decorate your own cupcake" booth. Agnes who created our raffle basket. Dave who came with his easel and a canvass. Donna who offered free blood pressure screenings. Lee who created the cards about Grace that we were handing out to everyone. Trish, Alan, Mouse, Dave, Tom, Fiona, Erika, Doug, Aiden, Susann, Chris and Gail and her grandsons for showing up, hanging out, and just being enthusiastic Grace parishioners. Thanks, too, to everyone who baked cupcakes! It was a community day supported by our community. Thank you! To see pictures of Trumbull Day, click on the fireworks above.
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Noisy Collection for Oklahoma
Thank you to everyone who brought their many spare coins for the noisy collection in June. Between us all, we raised $239 to send to Oklahoma through the Red Cross. Thanks to Carl for organizing this collection, and to us all for making some noise!
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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. |
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This Week's Announcements
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Sunday, July 14th:
Grace Church worshiping at Christ Church - Services: 8:00 & 9:30 AM
Wednesday, July 17th:
Guided Meditation - 7:00-7:25 AM
Grace-full Conversations in the chapel - 7:30 PM
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Sunday, July 21st:
Grace Church worshiping at Christ Church - Services: 8:00 & 9:30 AM
Wednesday, July 24th:
Guided Meditation - 7:00-7:25 AM
Grace-full Conversations in the chapel - 7:30 PM
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