The Rev. Elsa Worth
Rector 
The Rev. Nancy Gage
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Thought for the week
-courtesy of Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
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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,
"all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted."
Luke 14:11
Did you ever know someone who needed to be "taken down a peg?" I think Jesus did, too. He went to a Sabbath dinner at a prominent citizen's home, and noticed how all the important guests were choosing the most honored seats for themselves. He pulls his disciples aside and tells them something very practical - if you choose the place of honor for yourself and a more important guest arrives, you'll have to suffer the embarrassment of being asked to move down. But if you choose the lowest place, maybe you'll be honored by being asked to move up! But Jesus is not just giving them a good strategy for getting what they want. He is teaching them about right sizing their own priorities. He says, "When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind." It is the giving itself that really matters - not what you get out of it yourself. When have you given without any expectation of anything in return? How did that feel compared with giving while having an expectation that you'd get something back?
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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The Grace community "on the road", again!
-THIS Sunday, September 1st
Elsa and her family will be going to Vermont over Labor Day weekend to visit Steve's family, so this Sunday, September 1st will be our final summer swap Sunday as we worship at Christ Church.
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Moving Forward in Mission
-the big questions
- In order to be the church we're called to be into the future, what kind of staffing and property do we really need?
Of course, underlying that questions is an ever deeper one:
- What kind of church are we being called to be?
This is in no way an abstract question for us right now, because when the time arrives that we need to describe and define a part time rector position and perhaps seek a new rector, we will need to be very clear on exactly what kind of leadership we most want and need. Let us put our trust in the powerful grace that has always been at work among us.
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"These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit-but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock. But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don't work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach. When a storm rolled in and the waves came up, it collapsed like a house of cards."
These are the last words in Matthew's account of Jesus' famous Sermon on the Mount. A group of us read this particular passage together on Sunday after church and talked about how we want our church to have a strong foundation. Our task is to discern just how to identify what is rock and what is sand as we make changes and move forward in mission so that we can continue, as the old hymn says, to build on the rock that naught can move.
Our GraceFull conversation meetings have been a meaningful way to personally make time to listen to God through Scripture, conversation and prayer, as well helpful time for us all to discern the direction of our church into the future. We'll be using healing stories from the New Testament at these meetings until Sept 18. Then, The Story book groups will take over at the same times.. Please join us - whether you've come before or not.
Grace-Full conversations take place every Wednesday evening in the chapel at 7:30 and every Sunday during coffee hour. Also, please note that we will be holding a Vestry meeting on September 8th at noon. All members are invited to attend this meeting.
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Youth News:
Painting:
On Friday, August 30th from 5pm-8pm the Grace Church/Christ Church Ancestors group will gather at Grace for a Labor Day weekend BBQ and painting party. Parents and members of both communities are invited to join in on the festivities. As always, friends are welcome. Please wear or bring painting clothes and a dish to share (things like burgers/hot dogs/veggie burgers, potato salad, water melon, drinks, etc. are great). Please contact contact Sarah via email for additional information.
Ancestors:
The Grace Church/Christ Church Ancestors group will continue this year with an exploration of the New Testament family. Throughout the year we'll ask: What does it mean to be a disciple? Classes will meet roughly every other week from 12-1:30pm at either Grace or Christ Church and students in middle school and high school are invited to attend. Also, if any member of the community is feeling called to the ministry of Christian Education, please contact Sarah at 717-575-7137, or at the above email link.. No experience is required other than a love of children and the call to follow. Our first meeting will take place on September 15th at Grace Church where we'll begin with an introduction of discipleship. We start with lunch (provided by a parent) and the lesson and activities will last about an hour.
The Blessing of the Backpacks:
School has started and we'd like to give our students a special blessing as the year begins. Students from preschool through grade 12 are invited to bring their backpacks to church on Sunday, September 15 for a special prayer from the congregation.
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Remembering Carol Szustak
- Sunday, September 8th
Longtime friend and member of Grace Church, Carol Szustak, who returned home to her Heavenly Father on April 20, 2013, will be especially remembered at the Sunday, September 8th, 9:30 Sunday Eucharist here at Grace Church. A reception will follow the Service in the Church Hall.
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The Story - time to order the books
Grace Church will be reading the entire Bible together from Genesis through Revelation, beginning this September. We will be using a book called, "The Story" which is a narrative version of the Bible that tells the entire Biblical story in 31 readable chapters. One chapter will be used each week in our bi-weekly Grace-Full conversations, and the same chapter will also be the focus of the sermon each week (except for during the four weeks of Advent). To get the most out of this journey through the Bible, it would be best to have your own copy of The Story so that you can read along.
Some of you have perhaps already read the Bible cover to cover, but chances are, most of you have always thought you'd like to read it, but have never actually done it. Maybe some of you have started reading the Bible only to get discouraged by how long and complicated it is. The Bible is certainly a very complex book - it is not chronological and it is compiled from a wide range of diverse writings from many different sources. A narrative in 31 chapters will obviously not include every detail of the complete Bible, but The Story does a commendable job of covering all the major themes of the Biblical story in a chronological way, making it easier to read and to absorb. Once you've read The Story, you will have gained a new level of understanding of the Bible overall and will find it much easier to dive more deeply into scriptural prayer and Bible study in the future.
The best part of this project is that everyone at Grace can take part in it together. Also available are: The Story for Teens, The Story for Kids (older elementary), The Story for Children (younger elementary), and The Story for Little Ones (babies and toddlers). Families can all be learning The Story together, and parents will enjoy sharing The Story with their children at the same time that they are reading it themselves. All of these books are available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble online - and are even available in price-friendly Kindle and Nook editions. All the books are available on line right now but might be harder to come by as the fall approaches.
Finally, you are invited to let others outside our church know that this book group is forming at Grace. You may know people who have always wanted to read what the Bible says themselves and don't know how to get started. This will be a wonderful overview for anyone wanting to understand better what's actually in the Bible.
Samples of all books will be on display on Sundays. If you have any questions, please speak with Elsa. Meanwhile, she hopes everyone will get their books to be ready to begin our journey together with The Story on September 22
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EfM - Education for Ministry
You are invited to join our Education for Ministry group. We are a small group of inquiring Christians who meet weekly (September to June) to discuss Scripture, church history and theology. Discussion is lively and fun, reading is interesting and enlightening, (no papers or tests) and an opportunity to learn and grow in your faith. Our evenings consist of discussion, projects, worship and of course, snacks! The program covers four years but your commitment is for one year at a time. We meet on Tuesday evenings at St Paul's Shelton from 6:45 to 9:30 PM. If you are interested in learning more about this great program, please contact Ginnie Glassman at GinnieG123@aol.com or 203-268-9322 or Nancy Wilson at 203-929-1722. We would love to have you join us.
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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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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, September 1st:
Grace Church at Christ Church - services at 8:00 & 9:30 AM
Wednesday, August 28th:
Guided Meditation - 7:00-7:25 AM
Grace-full Conversations in the chapel - 7:30 PM
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Sunday, September 8th:
Eucharist Service - 9:30 AM
Carol Szustak reception following service in Parish Hall
Vestry meeting - noon-2:00 PM
Wednesday, September 11th:
Guided Meditation - 7:00-7:25 AM
Grace-full Conversations in the chapel - 7:30 PM
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