Grace Episcopal Church
924 Lake Street
Embracing all to become one with Christ.
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March 17th 10:30am Service:
ACOLYTES: Tim Edwards, Natalia Reniszewski, Grace Coberly, Isabel Coberly, Joe Ratz
MC/LEMS: Walter Thorne; Natalie Ratz, James Redden, Nadia Stefko
LECTORS: Debbie Edwards, Ade Onayemi
INTERCESSORS: Sue Wells, Hansi Kess
ALTAR GUILD: Joan Anderson, Heather Bovell, Carol Dorsey, Flora Green, Hansi Kess, Kathy Onayemi, Al Papillon, Willie Polite, Sally Prescott, Natalie Ratz, Marie Rock, Jane Shirley, Mary Ann Urbashich
BREAD BAKER: The Griffin-Thomason family
USHERS: Flora Green, Stan Kaderbek, Jamaal Bovell, Alex Lippitt
GREETERS: Cyndy Reynolds, Donna Anderson, Gayle Kelley, Kary Deuel
COFFEE HOUR HOSTS: 9:00am: The Debush family
10:30am: Leslie Atwood, Emily Costello
March 24th 10:30am Service:
ACOLYTES: Julia Thomason, Tim Edwards; Mary Hope Griffin, Adult Coordinator
MC/LEMS: Nadia Stefko; Helen Thomason, Walter Thorne, Sue Wells
LECTORS: Jim Prescott, Hansi Kess
INTERCESSORS: Cyndy Reynolds, MaryPat Mauro
ALTAR GUILD: Joan Anderson, Heather Bovell, Carol Dorsey, Flora Green, Hansi Kess, Kathy Onayemi, Al Papillon, Willie Polite, Sally Prescott, Natalie Ratz, Marie Rock, Jane Shirley, Mary Ann Urbashich
BREAD BAKER: The Griffin-Thomason family
USHERS: Laura Morgan Day, Stan Kaderbek, Sam Love, Jim Deuel
GREETERS: Ade Onayemi, Gloria Rayburn, Jane Shirley
COFFEE HOUR HOSTS: 9:00am: TBA
10:30am: Jim & Kary Deuel
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From the Rector
Back in December and before my foot surgery, Weeks Ringle introduced me to the CaringBridge website. Many of you used it as a way to know how my surgery went, what errands I might need and general items that I shared with you. Being on the receiving end of the prayers and notes was truly helpful in my recovery. A community surrounding those in need is such a large part of our faith life.
I would like to invite you to be part of a similar journey for another parishioner. Barbara and Fred Larsen are asking that we be that community for them. Barbara posted this message on Facebook and gave me permission to share it: Fred - my husband of 50 years - is now receiving hospice care. I have opened a page on CaringBridge.org. All who wish to may log in to his page - fredericklarsen - and read his "story," leave a comment and/or ask a question.
Peace be with you and our prayers are with Barbara and Fred.
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J2A Easter Basket Sale
Orders due this Sunday, March 17!
 This year's Rite 13 (Youth) Group has gotten off to an exciting start and are looking forward to going on a pilgrimage together in the years ahead. Groups from Grace and St. Christopher's have gone on pilgrimages to Scotland, Turkey, San Francisco, Ireland, Mexico, and France in recent years. To raise funds for this future formative journey, they will be selling Easter baskets fully loaded with candy and Easter toys. Order forms are at this link, and will be available at church on Sunday. Large baskets will cost $25 and smaller baskets will be $12. Orders due on Sunday, March 17 for delivery on Palm Sunday, March 24. Questions? Contact Mary Hope Griffin at maryhope1@comcast.net. |
Have You Bought Your Tickets? Jack Shea is Coming to Grace Church March 23
Listening Once Again: Holy Week as Spiritual Wisdom
with Jack Shea
Saturday, March 23, 2013
9:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon
Holy Week, the culmination of Lent, offers us another chance to ponder the stories of the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus. But we have heard them many times. Despite our best efforts, they suffer from familiarity. However, if we could learn to hear them as stories of spiritual wisdom, they will reveal our true spiritual condition and inspire and transform our lives. We will revisit these familiar stories in an unfamiliar way in preparation to participate in Holy Week.
Get more information, and purchase tickets ($20 in advance; $25 at the door) at this link. |
Easter Vigil Reception
 Hello everyone! Don't forget about our wonderful reception following the Great Vigil of Easter on Saturday, March 30. We are always in need of finger foods. This could be anything from tea sandwiches to cheese and crackers. Also, we need volunteers to help in the kitchen. If you could give us a small amount of your time, either before or after the service for set-up and/or clean-up, it would be very much appreciated. Questions? Contact Carole Barber, 708-386-1055; Laura Day 708-453-7162; or Jane Shirley, 773-378-0674. |
Holy Week & Easter at Grace
Palm Sunday - March 24
9:00 a.m. - The Rite Place - Palm Sunday for Kids
10:30 a.m. - Choral Eucharist
Maundy Thursday - March 28
5:30 p.m. - The Last Supper, Kids' Style
7:00 p.m. - Foot-washing & Holy Eucharist
Vigil at the Lady Chapel until 10PM
Good Friday - March 29
12:00 Noon - Stations of the Cross
5:30 p.m. - Good Friday Service for Kids
7:00 p.m. - Good Friday Liturgy
including the Singing of St. John's Passion
The Great Vigil of Easter - March 30
7:00 p.m.
followed by a festive reception
Easter Day - March 31
9:00 a.m. - The Rite Place - Kids Do Easter
(followed by an Easter Egg hunt)
10:30 a.m. - Festival Choral Eucharist |
Seeking Easter Flower Donations
 If you would like to donate toward Easter Flowers, in memory or thanksgiving, you may do so securely online by clicking the button below: Or, click here for a form to submit with your donation. All forms must be received by Sunday, March 24, 2013, for acknowledgment to appear in the Easter bulletins. Thank you! |
Silent Auction Basket for Bishop Anderson House's Spring Benefit
 Grace will be contributing a basket for the silent auction at Bishop Anderson House's benefit. The theme of our basket is "Good to the Last Drop". Help us put together a basket of coffee and tea goodies. Mary Hope Griffin is organizing the basket and will have sign ups for various items and monetary donations. Please see her at Coffee Hour on Sundays March 17, 24, April 7 and 14. |
Book Study Group to Meet March 13
The next Book Study Group meeting is this Wednesday, March 13, at 7:00 p.m. We'll meet at the home of Bets Howland and Dennis Zavac, 309 N. East Ave., Oak Park. Please contact Bets or Dennis with any questions at 708-383-2376.
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Uncorking Theology to Meet March 20
Uncorking Theology will next meet on Wednesday, March 20, from 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. Held at the home of Cliff & Sarah Hunt, this will be a planning meeting to discuss future meeting frequency and topics.
Questions? Please contact Dennis Zavac or Bets Howland at 708-383-2376.
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Invitation to CROSSwalk 2013: Friday, March 22
As we prepare our hearts and our bodies for the Holy Week processions of Palm Sunday and Good Friday, please consider starting your Holy Week journey two days early this year. On Friday, March 22nd, thousands of Christians will come together for CROSSwalk, a prayerful procession across the heart of Chicago to remember the more than 797 children and youth who have been murdered in the city since 2008.
At a time when news of shooting deaths fills the airwaves and debates about how to protect our children rage in the halls of local and national legislatures, we will join in an act of public worship, bearing witness to tragic loss of life and opening our own hearts to be converted to the way of the Prince of Peace.
The procession will begin at 6:00 p.m. on March 22nd at St. James Commons (65 E. Huron St.). We will travel through the Loop with stops at Daley Plaza and Old St. Pat's Church, and making our way to the lawn outside Stroger Hospital, where too many victims of violence die or are narrowly spared from death. Along the way, we will pray, sing, and hear testimony from parents who have lost children to violence, and community leaders who are working to bring an end to it. Participants will have the opportunity to connect with groups in need of volunteers' time, energy, and resources.
For more details about the event, including logistics for transportation and volunteer opportunities, visit the crosswalk website. If you're interested in walking all or part of the CROSSwalk procession with a group from Grace church, contact parishioner Nadia Stefko.
As we continue our lenten journey together, please pray for the victims and perpetrators of violent crime, their families and our affected communities. And "seek the welfare of the city where God has sent you" (Jeremiah 29:7).
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Holy Women and Men
For the next several weeks, we will be commemorating a holy woman or man in the Prayers of the People at the 10:30 liturgy. Since some of these saints are not well known, we'll be including brief biographies of them in e-Items. This week we will be remembering Elizabeth Evelyn Wright:
Elizabeth Evelyn Wright, 1872 - 1904
Elizabeth Evelyn Wright was born in Talbotton, Georgia, in 1872. Her father was an African American and her mother of Cherokee descent.
With the encouragement of her teachers, Lizzie, as she was called, enrolled at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. She worked for the school during the day and attended night classes, but Olivia Washington, wife of the head of Tuskegee, Booker T. Washington, noted her promise and strength of character. Mrs. Washington made it possible for Lizzie to attend day classes.
Wright interrupted her studies and went to Hampton County, South Carolina, to establish a school for rural black children. Arsonists thwarted her efforts and she returned to Tuskegee to finish her degree, graduating in 1894. She returned to Hampton County to re-start her school, but once again her efforts were turned back. Together with two colleagues, Jessie Dorsey and Hattie Davidson, she ventured to friendlier territory near Denmark in 1897. There she started the Denmark Industrial Institute, modeled after Tuskegee. It continues today as Voorhees College, affiliated with the Episcopal Church.
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Community of Congregations Meeting to Welcome Samaritan Interfaith Counseling Center
Please plan to join the Community of Congregations for a Community Meeting on Thursday, March 21, 2013 at 7:30 pm at Pilgrim Congregational Church, 460 Lake Street, Oak Park, to learn about the services offered by Samaritan Interfaith Counseling Center and the newly formed Samaritan Center for Congregations. Samaritan Interfaith offers faith based counseling to people of all faiths being respectful of their faith traditions. They offer counseling services that are based on a sliding scale and ability to pay.
Samaritan Center for Congregations is a newly formed division of Samaritan whose mission is to strengthen congregations by helping them discover and utilize proven resources to address the opportunities and challenges they encounter. They can help with issues from staff development to fund development, from conflict management to facilities management, from leaky roofs to leaky budgets. The Samaritan Center for Congregations will collaborate with your staff to find and use the right resources for your particular situation.
Presenters for the evening will be Dr. Scott Mitchell, Samaritan President, Dr. Ken Potts, Samaritan Therapist, and Rev. Mike Bradburn, LCSW, Samaritan Therapist
Please feel free to contact us with questions via email at oprfcoc@gmail.com or via phone at 312-560-3968.
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Upcoming Events
| Wednesday, March 13, 2013 | | Wednesday Morning Eucharist | 7:00 AM | | Breakfast with the Rector | 8:00 AM | | SLAA/SAA Meeting | 9:00 AM | | Schola Rehearsal | 3:30 PM | | St. Giles Catechesis (JC) | 6:00 PM | | St. Giles Catechesis (MC) | 6:00 PM | | PADS Overnight Shelter | 7:30 PM | | Thursday, March 14, 2013 | | SLAA/SAA Meeting | 9:00 AM | | Voice Lessons | 2:00 PM | | Evensong | 6:00 PM | | SAA 12-Step Group | 7:00 PM | | Sight-Reading Club | 7:00 PM | | Adult Choir Practice | 7:30 PM | | Friday, March 15, 2013 | | Rector's Day Off | | | Early Birds' Boot Camp | 6:00 AM | | SLAA/SAA 12-Step Workshop | 9:05 AM | | Saturday, March 16, 2013 | | St. Giles Catechesis (LH) | 9:00 AM | | St. Giles Catechesis (MC) | 9:00 AM | | Voice Lessons | 9:00 AM | | SLAA 12-Step Group | 9:30 AM | | Sunday, March 17, 2013 | | The Rite Place - A service for the child in us all | 9:00 AM | | Coffee Hour | 9:30 AM | | Catechesis of the Good Shepherd | 9:35 AM | | Sung Choral Eucharist | 10:30 AM | | Coffee Hour | 11:45 AM | | Rite 13 | 12:00 PM | | Recording in Nave | 1:00 PM | | Madrigal Rehearsal | 3:30 PM | | SLAA 12-Step Group | 7:15 PM | | AA 12-Step Group | 8:30 PM | | Monday, March 18, 2013 | | Early Birds' Boot Camp | 6:00 AM | | SLAA/SAA Meeting | 9:00 AM | | Voice Lessons | 2:00 PM | | EfM (Education for Ministry) | 7:00 PM | | Tuesday, March 19, 2013 | | Early Birds' Boot Camp | 6:00 AM | | St. Giles Catechesis (LH) | 4:00 PM | | St. Giles Catechesis (MC) | 4:00 PM | | St. Giles Catechesis (JC) | 6:00 PM | | SLAA 12-Step Group | 7:00 PM | | Vestry Meeting | 7:00 PM | | Wednesday, March 20, 2013 | | Wednesday Morning Eucharist | 7:00 AM | | SLAA/SAA Meeting | 9:00 AM | | Schola Rehearsal | 3:30 PM | | St. Giles Catechesis (JC) | 6:00 PM | | St. Giles Catechesis (MC) | 6:00 PM | | Uncorking Theology | 7:00 PM | | PADS Overnight Shelter | 7:30 PM |
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Our Mission:
Grace Church seeks to bring God's love and Christ's teaching to all people, to become a passionately involved, intentional Christian community, to support the spiritual journey of each person, and to work toward reconciliation, peace, and justice in our world.
Our Core Values: -Reach out to support our neighbors locally and worldwide as we seek to obey God's command to love our neighbors as ourselves.
-Encourage and support spiritual growth in all people while respecting that each person is at a different point in his or her spiritual journey.
-Work to be ever more present to and caring for each member of the Grace community and to be fully welcoming to all who enter Grace's doors.
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