The Grace Vine. January Rector s Writ

Transcription

1 The Grace Vine January 2017 Rector s Writ Happy New Year! It s ironic how this secular holiday is squarely between two of our Principal Feasts, Christmas and the Epiphany. We can enter this new year with the light of Christ leading us along right paths and directing our deeds. We can let go of past mistakes, we can seek forgiveness and be forgiving. We can embrace and hold fast to the promise that Jesus makes all things new. (see Bible quote below) Some of us may be thinking that we could use some newness here at Grace Church. Now is the time to focus on what we can improve, change, or offer that will bring in new people; how we can actively invite people and make sure they feel welcome. The new year is a good time to build and nurture our ministries and our spiritual lives. How do we best serve our current members? How do we encourage and appreciate the fellowship, service, and support our church family already provides? How do we bring in a good number of new members and build up the ministries and gifts they re willing to offer? We ve been working on growth in membership and giving for some time without yet achieving results we d like to have. We plan on your attendance at our Annual Meeting on January 29th. We hope for good fellowship and feedback; time to discuss not only concerns about the deficit, but ideas for growth and possibilities as well. We pray to uphold Christ s teachings and for God s direction as we proclaim the Gospel in our day. So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! (2 Cor. 5:17) You can keep a faith only as you can keep a plant, by rooting it into your life and making it grow there. (Phillips Brooks) Fear knocked at the door. Faith answered. No one was there. (Inscription on an ancient mantelpiece in Hind s Head Hotel, Bray, England) I expect to pass this way but once; any good therefore that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to any fellow creature, let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again. (Etienne De Grellet; also attributed as an early Native American saying) May your new year be filled with God s blessings and peace. Carol+

2 Service and Lay Ministry Schedule If you cannot serve when scheduled, please find a substitute and call the parish office with that person s name. Thank you for sharing in the liturgical ministry of Grace Church. Sunday, January 1 8:00 &10:00 AM Morning Prayer The Holy Name Officiant The Rev. William Snyder Worship 8:00 Bette Brooks Leader 10:00 Carolyn Englert Greeters Nancy & Fred Lundgren Acolyte Phillip Crouse Coffee Hosts 8:00 Joan & Frank Seman 10:00 Steve & Susan Merrill Deacon The Rev. William Snyder Worship 8:00 Sally Dier Leader 10:00 Jane Gear-Jozsa Greeters Lisa & Jeff Marsh Acolyte Eric Splinter Coffee Hosts 8:00 Mike & Shirley Johnson 10:00 Nancy & Jim Ervin Church Sch. Chris Stickle 1 st Reading Numbers 6:22-27 NancyLundgren Psalm 8 2 nd Reading Philippians 2:5-11 Fred Lundgren Gospel Luke 2:15-21 Sunday, January 8 8:00 & 10:00 AM Holy Eucharist 1 Epiphany Worship 8:00 Bette Brooks Leader 10:00 Jane Gear-Jozsa Greeters John & Mary Jean McDonald Acolyte Jeff Marsh Coffee Hosts 8:00 Bill Snyder 10:00 Carol Marotta, Gail Richards, Doris Whipple Church Sch. Sue Ahrens 1 st Reading Isaiah 42:1-9 Carolyn Englert Psalm 29 2 nd Reading Acts 10:34-43 Kathy Summy Gospel Matthew 3:13-17 Sunday, January 15 8:00 & 10:00 AM Holy Eucharist 2 Epiphany Deacon The Rev. William Snyder Worship 8:00 Sally Dier Leader 10:00 Nancy Lundgren Greeters David Miller & Alex Wroblewski Acolyte Jenna Summy Coffee Hosts 8:00 TBA 10:00 John & Mary Jean McDonald Church Sch. 1 st Reading Isaiah 49:1-7 Tim Splinter Psalm 40: nd Reading 1 Corinthians 1:1-9 Jeff Croll Gospel John 1:29-42 Sunday, January 22 8:00 & 10:00 AM Holy Eucharist 3 Epiphany 1 st Reading Isaiah 9:1-4 Steve Merrill Psalm 27:1, nd Reading 1 Corinthians 1:10-18 Jane Gear-Jozsa Gospel Matthew 4:12-23

3 Sunday, January 29 9:00 AM Holy Eucharist 4 Epiphany Annual Meeting Deacon The Rev. William Snyder Wrshp Ldr Charles Parsons Greeters Nancy & Jim Ervin Acolyte Kevin Splinter Coffee Hosts Hospitality Committee Church Sch. None Worship 8:00 Bette Brooks Leader 10:00 Carolyn Englert Greeters Nancy &Fred Lundgren Acolyte Phillip Crouse Altar Guild Shirley Johnson & TBA Coffee Hosts 8:00 Joan & Frank Seman 10:00 Susan & Steven Merrrill Church Sch. 1 st Reading Micah 6:1-8 Charles Parsons Psalm 15 2 nd Reading 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 Jeff Croll Gospel Matthew 5:1-12 Sunday, February 5 8:00 & 10:00 AM Holy Eucharist 5 Epiphany 1 st Reading Isaiah 58:1-12 Nancy Lundgren Psalm 112: nd Reading 1 Corinthians 2:1-16 Fred Lundgren Gospel Matthew 5:13-20 Acolytes Schedule 2/12 Jeff 2/19 Jenna 2/26 Kevin 3/5 Phil Congratulations! and many happy returns... Baptisms 4th 10th 12th 15th 26th 28th 30th Birthdays Emily Summy Pat Williams Helena Blaginykh Bruce Ahrens Courtney Rich Paige Paxton Jake Stover Bud Hughes 9th 18th Bill Summy Maggie Rich 11th 21st 28th 31st Anniversaries Fred & Nancy Lundgren Leslie & Larry Thomas Mike & Shirley Johnson Carl & Rachelle Seiter

4 Did You Know?... Happy New Year to everyone! The year 2016 went so fast; hopefully 2017 will slow down a bit! Although I doubt it!... We want to thank Cherry & John Monegan for the beautiful Christmas tree and other decorations that adorned the parish hall this holiday season. And thanks to Cherry, John & Mary Jean McDonald, Fred Lundgren, Rick Lashley, Sue & Bruce Ahrens, Marsha Snyder, and Rev. Carol for decorating the parish hall. And thanks to John Monegan for having lunch ready for us to enjoy. It was a busy day---but well worth it! The parish hall never looked so good Five ladies from the church; Kathy Summy, Carolyn Englert, Mary Jean McDonald, Shirley Johnson, and Marsha Snyder enjoyed an evening with Tapestries of Ohio, the Madrigal Group Tim and Marcia Splinter are in, currently hosted at Christ Episcopal in Warren. They sang 15 th and 17 th century music with costumes and played musical instruments of the period. There was a procession of the Yule Log and the Boar s Head, and a wonderful dinner was served during the program. It was a great evening; maybe next year we can get several more people to join in the festivities We have some very smart kids in our parish family. All the following are on the honor roll at their school: Garfield High School 11 th grader Kevin Splinter has a 4.0 (plus) along with Carolyn Englert s granddaughter, Rose Englert; Sarah Audet, an 11 th grader at Kent Roosevelt is on their honor roll; and 10 th grader Paige Paxton is on the Honor Roll at Stow High school. Kirsten Seman and Emily Ervin both made the honor roll at Brown Middle School. Carlin Elementary school has two of our children with all A s; third grader McKenzie Ervin and fourth grader Aundrea Seman. In their first year of college, Eric Splinter is on the Dean s List with a 3.7 at Clarkson University and Georgia Golec is on the Dean s list at Ohio University. Kevin Splinter and his high school Academic Challenge team took their turn at Channel 5 recording a show. Their episode will air Jan 28th at 7pm on Ch. 5. In addition, his math team members scored very highly in the state in a recent nation-wide competition test. Congratulations to all these bright young students we re all very proud of you!... Mary Jean & John McDonald s granddaughter Emily Spellman, has been singing with the Summit Choral Society for the last four years and John & Mary Jean were very impressed with the quality of the program the group performed at their Christmas special. And their granddaughter Sandra Spellman plays basketball at Nordonia High School and in one of the recent games she scored five three pointers and a total of seventeen points. Nancy and Jim Ervin s granddaughter Emily is busy in middle school, loves playing basketball, and regularly has top points for her team. Sounds like the McDonalds and the Ervins have some very gifted grandchildren Thank you to everyone who is giving non-perishable food. We re almost at our 200 item goal for the month of December, and thanks to Nancy & Jim Ervin for delivering it all to the Center of Hope Once again this year we have to thank Carolyn Englert for all her work on the ECW Christmas Cookie sale. And thanks to everyone who baked and bought cookies Dani Dier is working at Stambaugh Auditorium in Youngstown and decorated 31 Christmas trees this year, and hopes to decorate 32 next year. She wants a 30 foot tree for their display. That s a very tall ladder, Dani!!... Once again this year St. Nicholas (Steve Merrill) preached on the second Sunday of Advent. The children came up from the Sunday school rooms to hear him and they had some answers and some questions for St. Nick, and the congregation learned a thing or two about him, too. And Mrs. St. Nick (Susan Merrill) managed coffee hour while St. Nick changed to Santa and visited with the kids. That made the day very special Many thanks to Martha Croll and Tim Lewicki and our choir for all their work getting ready for the Christmas Eve service Bette Brooks, Nancy Lundgren, Cindy Hoskins, Jane Gear-Jozsa, and Mike & Shirley Johnson participated in our Advent Quiet Day and Eucharist... Thanks to Growth Committee members and parishioners who contributed to an advertising program on WNIR talk radio. Deacon Bill had the idea, arranged the meeting between the radio rep and the Growth & Membership group, and did the fund raising requests. Members gave over $1,100 to support the radio ads to air before Christmas and after the new year. Many thanks to Charles Parsons who graciously offered his talents to write some of the ads, and to Marsha Snyder and Rev. Carol for writing the other three ads. Let us know if you hear them on WNIR, The Talk of Akron at 100 FM.

5 Annual Parish Meeting January 29th, 9:00 A.M. Holy Eucharist Covered Dish Luncheon to Follow the Meeting We will have one Holy Communion service at 9am, followed by Grace s Annual Parish Meeting on January 29 th, We will elect 3 new members to Vestry; one new member to the Beatty Committee; hear reports; and present the 2017 proposed budget for approval. The meeting will be followed by a covered dish lunch and time for fellowship. Please plan to attend. The following people are responsible for reports: Rector s Report Rev. Carol Evans Senior Warden s Report Bette Brooks Junior Warden s Report Fred Lundgren Treasurer s Report Marcia Splinter Deacon s Report Bill Snyder Altar Guild - Nancy Lundgren Altar Guild Financial - Marsha Snyder Brookdale Kathy Summy & Bill Snyder Acolytes Tim Splinter Christian Education Chris Stickle Adult Christian Education Carolyn Englert Choir Martha Croll Gracie s Back Door - Nancy Lundgren/Sally Dier Prayer Chain Carolyn Englert ECW Marsha Snyder ECW financial Report - Mary Jean McDonald Discretionary Fund Marsha Snyder Hospitality Committee Nancy Ervin Card Ministry - Shirley Johnson Memorial Fund - Marsha Snyder Visibility Committee Kay Canan / Sally Dier Membership & Growth Rick Taylor Big thanks from all our parish family are in order to: Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! Bette Brooks for providing brand new oil candles for Christmas services. John Monegan for creating a new centerpiece for the cabinetry behind the altar. It looks great and the stain matches perfectly! All members who ve stepped up to help with our several outreach opportunities & needs. Shirley & Mike Johnson for their soup & cookie ministry & visits; for creating & mailing great cards; and for keeping recent pictures and helpful updates on Grace s web page. Nancy Lundgren and Grace s Altar Guild for their ministry all year and especially at Christmas. Nancy Lundgren and Sally Dier for their efforts in Gracie s & the funds given to help others. Nancy Ervin & the Hospitality Group for providing lunch after the Church Greening. John McDonald & Dennis Dier for getting the heating system & thermostats in working order. Marcia Splinter for serving as treasurer & Tim Splinter for designing the Grace Vine & keeping our computers running (in addition to choir, son in college, madrigal dinners ) Kay Canan who arranged for us to get a new vacuum to clean salt & ice melt off the runners. The Fund Raising Group who raised $1,100 toward the deficit & paid for the R.C. ad. Kay Canan & Carol Marotta for designing and arranging a Christmas ad in the Record Courier Grace s ECW for baking and selling a LOT of cookies & to Carolyn Englert for overseeing this. Our organist, choir director and choir for providing lovely music and anthems for Christmas. Jim Ervin for keeping walkways & lots cleared and salted for safe maneuvering in snow & ice. All those who donate extra coffee, juice, cream, sugar, paper towels, etc. for coffee hour.

6 Fathers (and Mothers) and Friends By Bette Brooks They lived not only in ages past; there are hundreds of thousands still. The world is bright with the joyous saints who love to do Jesus' will. As our diocese enters the celebration of its bicentennial, let s begin the year with some quick facts and a brief history of the Diocese of Ohio. The Diocese of Ohio is composed of the northern 48 counties of our state, and we are located in Ecclesiastical Province V (made up of the upper and eastern Midwestern states or parts of them). Our diocese currently has fewer than 100 parishes and a membership of about 19,000. The current bishop is The Rt. Rev. Mark Hollingsworth, Jr., and two Assistant Bishops, The Rt. Rev. William Persell and The Rt. Rev. Arthur Benjamin Williams, Jr., support him in his work. The Diocese of Ohio had, in the beginning, the same boundaries as the State of Ohio and was the first diocese of the Episcopal Church to be established outside the original 13 colonies. As settlers moved westward after the Revolutionary War, they brought their faith traditions with them and missionaries soon followed. Shortly after Ohio was admitted to the Union, the first Episcopal church in Ohio was established at Worthington. After years of petitions and hard work, the General Convention of the Episcopal Church finally granted Ohio a separate diocese in Philander Chase was the first bishop (more about him next month) in 1819 and he established the diocesan see (headquarters) in Gambier along with a new Episcopal college, Kenyon College. Gambier was named for Lord Gambier and Kenyon College was named for Lord Kenyon; these two men were the largest benefactors of the college and the new diocese. In 1875, the Diocese of Ohio split, not in order to make the workload easier but because of differences of liturgy and theology. The issues grew out of the response to the Oxford Movement. This reform movement within the Anglican Communion called for the church to turn to the more Anglo-Catholic roots of the liturgy (think of Henry VIII and his renunciation of the Catholic Church). The Evangelism Movement wanted a purer, more Protestant expression of worship. Unable to reach a compromise, the diocese split. The northern part of the Diocese, which favored the Evangelism approach, moved its see to Cleveland and retained the name Diocese of Ohio. The southern portion, which favored the more Anglo-Catholic style of liturgy, was named Diocese of Southern Ohio and moved its see to Cincinnati. Now, the question was where in Cleveland to locate the bishop? It was not until the last years of the 19 th century that Trinity Cathedral was begun. Completed in 1907, it is styled as a modern Gothic church (more about this form of architecture in a later column). Diocesan offices were located in the attached Church House where they remain today.

7 1 January The Grace Vine Sun Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Sat The Holy Name 8am HE 9am Coffee 10am HE 11:15 Coffee 1 Epiphany 8am HE 9am Coffee 9:45 Ch. Ed. 10am HE 11:15 Coffee 2 Epiphany 8am HE 9am Coffee 9:45 Ch. Ed. 10am HE 11:15 Coffee 3 Epiphany 8am HE 9am Coffee 9:45 Ch. Ed. 10am HE 11:15 Coffee 29 4 Epiphany 9am HE 10am Annual Meeting followed by luncheon pm Vestry Meeting 1-3pm Sit & Stitch Gracie s Back Door 10-2 Gracie s Back Door 10-2 Gracie s Back Door Gracie s Back Door pm Mission Area Council Church of our Savior, Akron pm Choir 7pm Choir 8am Fellowship Breakfast 7pm Choir 7pm Choir

8 Grace Episcopal Church of Ravenna The Rev. Carol Evans Rector The Rev. William Snyder Marsha Snyder Secretary Tim Lewicki Organist Martha Croll Choirmaster Phone: Web Site: The Vestry of Grace Episcopal Church Barb Popiel (2016) Fred Lundgren (2016) Carol Marotta (2016) Kay Canan(2017) Bette Brooks(2017) Carolyn Englert(2017) Phillip Crouse(2018) Jeff Croll(2018) Dennis Dier(2018) Grace Episcopal Church 250 W. Cedar St. Ravenna OH 44266