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Save the Dates
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Grace at Noon:
Monday through Friday,
12:00 pm
Visit with
Bishop Sean Rowe
and Mrs. Carly Rowe:
Sunday, March 2
Pancake Supper:
Tuesday, March 4
Ash Wednesday:
March 5
Vestry Meeting:
Sunday, March 9,
after church
Book Group:
Sunday, March 9,
at the Bross home,
6:00 pm
Lent Evening Prayer:
Wednesdays, March 12, 19, 26; April 2 and 9,
6:00 pm |
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This Sunday we are blessed to welcome Bishop Sean Rowe and Mrs. Carly Rowe to Grace!
The bishop will preach at our eucharist, enjoy a reception afterward with everybody, and then meet with the vestry. Bishop Sean is the nominee for Bishop Provisional. Delegates and clergy will vote on his nomination at a special diocesan convention this Saturday morning at the cathedral. To learn more about Bishop Sean, click here to watch a brief video.
The vestry and I are looking forward to an energizing Sunday--see you then!
--Beth Reed, priest-in-charge
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Pancake Supper Fundraiser
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Come for sweet treats! 
Our annual Pancake Supper is this Tuesday, March 4, from 4:30-7:00. Advance tickets (through Sunday, March 2) are $7.00 and $4.00 (12 & under); the prices at the door are $8.00 and $5.00 (12 & under).
This event is a great occasion to invite friends or colleagues to check out the life of Grace Church and support our work.
From the Fundraising Committee: "Donations gratefully accepted! For every $20.00 donation, you will receive one complimentary ticket (which may be donated back to share)." Lori M and Kathy Y have been asking for support from local businesses and they are having some success: The Giant at Cedar Crest and Tilghman gave us a gift card to help buy ingredients. It's a start! The money raised supports the work of Grace Church. For more information, call the church office at 610-435-0782. |
Lent
| |  Ashes, prayer, and studyLent begins this Wednesday. Our liturgy is pared down, our silences lengthened, our music more sober--all in preparation for our immersion in Christ's life, death, and resurrection that we celebrate in the Paschal (Easter) Triduum: April 17-20 this year. Please put all three nights of the Triduum (Thursday, Friday, Saturday) on your calendar and plan now to participate in these deeply moving and engaging liturgies. They are the center of our year. Ash Wednesday is this week, March 5. We celebrate an evening Eucharist at 7:30, in which we hear the call to the observance of a holy Lent and participate in the sign of ashes. During the day, Beth Reed and others (including Pastor George from St. John's Lutheran) will be offering "Ashes to Go"--an invitation to repentance--on Hamilton Street. Intrigued? Visit this site and this one. Want to participate? Be in touch with Beth.On five Wednesday evenings at 6:00, there will be Lent evening prayer, with chanted psalms, silence, and prayers, in the church. (March 12, 19, 26, April 2, 9) |
| Book Group in Lent | |
 | | Walter Brueggemann |
What were the prophets doing,
and what could it mean for us?
The Book Group is organizing Sunday night study and conversation for Lent: we'll be reading Walter Brueggemann's
The Prophetic Imagination.
Everyone is welcome; especially if you've not participated in this activity before, consider yourself invited!
The first Lenten gathering is in Bethlehem at the home of Mary Louise and Addison B, on Sunday, March 9, at 6:00 pm. They will provide beverages, and other participants can bring appetizers to share.
Librarian Kelly C has copies of the book; see him on Sunday or contact him by email to get one. For reviews of the book, click here. |
Grace in the City
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"Campaign for Change" 
Did you know that Allentown is going to have a Freedom School this summer? Through a grant from the Children's Defense Fund and with the leadership of Resurrected Life Community Church, 50 middle school students will have the opportunity to learn more about African-American history, civic engagement, and other topics.
The Freedom School is one part of a growing movement called "Campaign for Change" in Allentown. John Paul M and Beth R are participating in biweekly community meetings (Sunday nights). In addition to learning about the summer program last Sunday, we practiced listening skills in an effort to develop our "muscles of resistance." In pairs, we listened to another person we didn't know for five minutes without interrupting, then had a turn to speak ourselves without being interrupted. Everyone agreed that we learned a lot, both about the other person and about listening. About 25 folks--community residents, leaders, college students, and high school student--took part.
If you'd like to learn more or participate, talk with Beth R.
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Grace on Facebook
| |  Check it out and "like" our page
Our parish has a Facebook page (Grace Episcopal Church Allentown PA) and while it's not new, it's been a bit more active lately. We can all help our parish's communications efforts by visiting the page, liking it, commenting on posts, and sharing posts with your friends on Facebook.
New this week: Chuck M created an "event" on our page for the Pancake Supper: this event has already been seen by 108 people on Facebook, most of them not parishioners. This technology greatly expands our reach.
Our presence in cyberspace is a big deal! Almost all visitors to our church have first checked us out on the web somehow, so it really matters that Grace is present and active on the web.
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