The Good News. See Inside

Transcription

1 The Good News C H R I S T A N D G R A C E C H U R C H S. S Y C A M O R E S T R EET P E T E R S B U R G, V A P H O N E : F A X : W W W. C H R I S T A N D G R A C E. O R G 2019 See Inside Tuesday, March 12 Tuesday, March 19 Tuesday, March 26 Tuesday, April 2 Tuesday, April 9 TUESDAY LENTEN PREACHERS AND LUNCHEONS Join us on five Tuesdays during Lent at 12:15 p.m. for a short worship service and guest preacher followed by lunch in Lackey Hall. ($5.00 per plate) The Rev. Gini DiStanislao, Rector, Manakin Episcopal Church Luncheon - The 10 o clock Circle Menu: Hot Chicken Salad The Rev. Rick Greenwood, Rector, St. Paul s Episcopal Church Luncheon Hostess - Maureen McClure Menu: Chicken Spectacular The Rev. Willis Foster Rector, St. Stephen s Episcopal Church Luncheon Hostesses - Gerry Higgins Menu: Meaty Pasta Casserole The Rev. John Maxwell Kerr, Bishop s Vicar at St. Luke s Episcopal Church Blackstone Luncheon - Elizabeth Johnson Menu: Cheese Souffle The Rev. Eve Butler-Gee, Rector, Martin s Brandon, Burrowsville Luncheon - Kitty Gwaltney/Valerie Jeter Menu: Soup & Sandwich Outreach pg. 2 ECW News pg. 2 Vestry News pg. 3 EYC Updates pg. 3 Calendar pg. 4-5 Did You Know pg. 6 Sunday Services 8:00 a.m. Holy Communion 9:30 Christian Education for Adults and 10:30 Holy Communion Tuesday, March p.m. Prepared and served by the EYC and The Men s Breakfast Group Considerable effort goes into the lunches each Tuesday by members of the church, and this is a major fundraiser for the Episcopal Church Women. Please plan to attend one or more Tuesdays. An English Choral Pilgrimage Christ Christ and Grace Church January 30 - February 8, 2020 You are invited to attend a second informational meeting following the 10:30 service on Sunday, March 3, in the Library to learn about a Christ and Grace Choral Pilgrimage to England, led by (The Rev Robin Teasley, William Owen and Matthew Little). A Choral Pilgrimage is a rich musical and spiritual journey where pilgrims seek an encounter with the Holy in the glory of choral music and the spiritual sites of our Anglican heritage. We will be exploring some of these historic and sacred sites each day alongside worshiping daily at Evensongs and sung Eucharists. It is also a time to build relationships and share stories with fellow travelers as we bond over shared meals and along England s carriageways. We will worship in some of England s most beautiful cathedrals and collegiate chapels, hearing their world-famous choirs sing in their home settings. The Organists and Music Directors will frequently join us for a meal to tell us more about their work, and we will have special reserved seating in the Quires. William Owen has led six of these journeys at his former parish Christ Church Christiana Hundred in Wilmington, DE. Please attend a second meeting on March 3 to learn more about this rich experience and offer your ideas for its shape - no commitment expected! If you attended the initial meeting you are most welcome to attend this one as well to learn about updates. This Pilgrimage is available first to Christ and Grace Parishioners and friends, and then to other churches. Bill Owen will be available at church to assist people in making airline reservations on Thursday February 21, 4-5 PM, and again Sunday, February 24, following the 10:30 service. Shrove Tuesday Activities There will be a Lenten Workshop for the young and the young at heart. Enjoy pancakes and explore Lent with crafts for the kids.

2 Message from Robin+ Sitting in my office on this Second Sunday after the Epiphany, I am humming Songs of thankfulness and praise which is one of my favorite Epiphany hymns. Aside from loving the tune, I love how it describes the events in the life of Jesus that reveal him as the Son of God. That is the meaning of Epiphany it s a making known, a revealing of the nature of God as witnessed through Jesus the Christ. As the sun shines in the window and white clouds race across a deep blue sky, I am reminded that like the weather, things are constantly changing all around us. What remains constant is the presence of Christ, unceasingly revealing God. I see God in creation and I see God in the people of Christ and Grace. There is such joy each week when I stand behind the altar and look out at all of you, shining in the light of God s love. Light scatters the darkness and reveals the holy all around us. This Epiphany, our children have been shining lights, revealing God s nature, showing me what it means to follow Jesus and live in the light. As they have learned about Epiphany and heard the story of the Magi bringing gifts to the infant Jesus, they talked about gifts. Gina shared with me their amazing understanding of gifts as they listed what gifts they would bring to Jesus, and they expressed their thankfulness for the gifts that they have received from Jesus. I am sharing a few of them with you so that you too can see the light of Christ, here in this place, shining forth from our youngest members. Gifts We Would Give to Jesus Love Stuffed Animals Infinity Years to Live Kindness Patience Myself Teddy Bear Hugs and Kisses Nap Church Building Keys Gifts Jesus Has Given Us Love Family Life Everything We Could Ever Love Kindness Church Family A Village Nap And if you are not already amazed at the depth of the spirituality of our children, here are a few of their prayer requests: For a sister to feel better, for a dog to live forever, for a friend to get well, for God to watch over Teddy and Nap Nap, that the Lord would help people find a sense of belonging, for family, and for love for the whole world. Finally, they are praying for T-Rex, because God loves him too! We are so blessed to have these children in our midst, revealing to us the nature of God, because they are so very good at noticing the presence of God. Where have you seen God lately? Robin+ If you have a key to the church building, please contact the church office at or churchoffice@christandgrace.org. We would like to update our master list of all key holders. If you no longer need the key you have, please return to the church office at your earliest convenience. Thank you. OUTREACH Angel Tree 2018 Update by Sonyia Elder Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. 1 John 18 EPISCOPAL CHURCH WOMEN P A G E 2 Many thanks to all who donated money, gifts, and time to the Prison Ministry children and the Battlefield Park Assisted Living residents during the Christmas holiday. We served 49 children and 10 senior citizens, all who resided in Petersburg. Christ and Grace is a generous and beautiful community that shines Divine light through their actions. Namaste, Sonyia January 2019 was ECW month. On Sunday, January 20th, the installation of two officers, Vice President, Samantha Ellis, and Treasurer, Linda Crocker, took place during the 10:30 am church service. Following the church service, the ECW Board hosted a wonderful reception for all members of the congregation to attend. Needless to say, a good time was had by all and no one left church hungry!! Valerie Jones and Kitty Gwaltney will continue their ter ms as President and Secretary respectively. We are grateful for all the support we receive from our church family in all our endeavors. CHILI AVAILABLE FOR SUPER BOWL SUNDAY - Pick up your chili orders on Sunday, February 3, in the kitchen. Cost is $10/quart. FRAMEABLE CHURCH PRINTS AND NOTECARDS are available for your purchase. The 10x12 prints are $5.00 and note cards are $1.00 each or 6/$5.00. This print is one that was made in 1988 from a painting by Boots Holden. Copies for purchase are available in Lackey Hall. Proceeds will benefit the ECW. LENTEN LUNCHEONS - SEE SCHEDULE/MENUS ON THE FRONT PAGE ECW CPC BOOK SALE will begin on Sunday, March 10 and continue throughout the season of Lent. Please begin bringing in your used books, CD's, games, historical, biographical and children's books and place in the back room of Lackey Hall. (Please do not bring Reader's Digest or text books.) The ECW contributes all proceeds to the Anne Rusmisell Church Periodical Club. Cindi Hardy will be organizing this sale FUNDRAISING EFFORTS went very well as follows: A week stay in Williamsburg Raffle raised $364.00; annual Bake Sale raised $ ; Super Bowl Chili Sale raised $500.00; annual Wreath Sale raised $ ; annual Lenten Lunches raised $ and Prints/Note cards raised $ totaling $ We are grateful for all the support we receive from our church family in all our endeavors.

3 Children s Church Chat The Preschool 5 th Grade class has been doing some amazing things since fall began. The children have already completed their first of a 4 part study unit, broken down into 13 week, focused on Family. The children have already learned about Jesus s family, the church family, and different kinds of family relations in the Bible. We are currently focused on how prayer and faith allow God to heal family members and look forward to showing off some of our talent this month by performing the song, God Heals Hearts. Through stories, coloring pictures, singing songs, making wish lists, sharing prayer requests and more the children have started to open up to one another. The other teachers and I have witnessed the love these little ones have for the Lord, their families, each other and the world around them. Simple conversations about what blessings we have or what we would like God to gift the world illicit responses from them that show the pure love, grace and truth that Jesus came to teach us all. Please feel free to pop downstairs one Sunday and see these amazing little ones at work and feel free to bring any children in your life to join them; I promise they will be warmly welcome by all. Gina Mead ALTAR FLOWER DEDICATIONS There are still slots on the calendar for dedications for your loved ones. The remaining Sundays include Lent, Palm Sunday, and Advent, and on these Sundays there will be greens, palms, or another type of arrangement rather than flowers. These arrangements still involve a cost to the church, so your support for adorning our altar is much appreciated. Please consider signing up on the flower calendar in the hall, filling out a form, and giving it to Lee or Jill. Thank you for your assistance in beautifying our church! EYC NEWS P A G E 3 I hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas and that your new year is off to a good start! We started the journey to Christmas back in November with a way too early Christmas movie which was a lot of fun. During December we spread the Christmas spirit at the Ladies Home, made Christmas special for 10!! children through the Angel Tree ministry, Escaped Old Towne Petersburg (well at least the older folks did J), and finished up with the best Christmas Pageant and Christmas Eve service ever. You are all lights in our world. My hope is that in the process of sharing your light with others through our Christmas activities, you were able to experience the true JOY of Christmas. Jeff Geisz Matthew 5: Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. 15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Upcoming EYC Events: February 3 Marigene will be leading the group and they will be watching an installment of Bruce Feiler s Walking the Bible in the youth room at 9:30. February 10 Ladies Home Visit. Our outreach by committee approach worked well for our last Ladies Home Visit. Many thanks to Samantha Ellis for coordinating the shopping for our last visit. February 17 - Practice/Preparation for Sunday at 9:30 AM in the Room. February 24 - Sunday Tuesday, March 5 - All youth on deck to set up, serve and clean up from 5-8 p.m. Pancakes served from 6-7 p.m. Cost is $5.00 per person with maximum of $20.00 per family. VESTRY NEWS The Vestry started the year with a very productive retreat on January 12. New members Patrick Matthews, John Brockwell, Debbie Newman, and Marigene Little joined the returning members and Lindsay Ryland, who consulted with us on our transition to calling Robin as our new Rector, to plan for the opportunities and challenges for the year ahead. One of the needs we identified at our meeting was greater participation by all members of the congregation in all internal and external activities. We will be hoping to have more educational sessions in the near future about how you can get involved by sharing your time and expertise. The annual Diocesan Council meeting will be on February 8 and 9 in Williamsburg and we are planning to use the Adult Education time on Sunday, February 3, to present and discuss the issues that we expect to come before the gathering this year. This year's Council will be significant because of the transition to a new Bishopric after the retirement of Bishop Hollerith. We will look forward to receiving your input. Meeting Highlights from January New members John Brockwell, Marigene Little, Debbie Newman, and Patrick Matthews began their newly elected 3 year term. Officers elected: Bill Miller,Sr. Warden, Greg Gwaltney, Jr. Warden, Paul Higgins, Treasurer, and Cat Richardson Register. Paul Higgins encourages our congregation to turn in their pledge cards so that he can present a final operating 2019 budget. It is difficult to plan the year when you do not have complete information. Pledge cards are available in the church office.

4 Page 4 FEBRUARY 2019 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat :00 HE :30 Adult and Sunday School Choir Hope Center Lunch 6:00 pm Potluck Diocesan Annual Council Williamsburg 10 8:00 HE 8:45 Big Breakfast Hope Center Lunch :00 am Men s Breakfast 9:30 Adult and Sunday School Choir 3 pm Garden Club Meeting 17 8:00 HE :30 No Adult and 5:30 Celtic Service. 10:30 am Ladies Home Communion Service Choir 6:30 Vestry Mtg 11 am Daphne Spurlock Funeral and Reception 24 8:00 HE :30 Adult and Sunday School Choir

5 Page 5 MARCH 2019 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat :00 HE 4 Band 5 7 pm Handbells 6 12 pm Ash Wed. Service No Potluck 7 pm Ash Wed. Service 7 7 pm AA Meeting :00 HE 8:45 Big Breakfast 11 Band pm Lenten Service and Lunch 7 pm Handbells 13 3 pm Garden Club Meeting 6:30 Lent Potluck and Program 14 7 pm AA Meeting am Men s Breakfast 17 8:00 HE Sunday School 18 6:30 pm Vestry Meeting 19 10:30 Ladies Home Communion Service 12 pm Lenten Service and Lunch 20 6:30 Lent Potluck and Program 21 7 pm AA Meeting :00 HE pm Lenten Service and Lunch 27 6:30 Lent Potluck and Program pm Handbells 7 pm 31 8:00 HE Sunday School

6 DID YOU KNOW? In case of snow on any given Sunday this winter, please use your best judgment and all precautions when venturing out. If you think it is too dangerous to drive, by all means, stay home. Cancellation notices can be found by calling the church office to listen to the phone message, ed to parishioners, listed on CBS Channel 6, as well as on the church Facebook page and the church website CELTIC SERVICE P A G E 6 Please join us for our Celtic Evensong and Communion Service on Sunday, February 17, featuring Melissa Adams. On Sunday, March 17, Laraine Smith will be our featured musician. Pre-service music begins at 5:15 p.m. and the service begins at 5:30. Casual dress is encouraged. Please bring a friend and plan to stay for the reception that follows the service. MEN S BREAKFAST The Men of Christ and Grace meet each month for breakfast from 8:00 9:00 am. The next dates are Saturday, February 16, and Saturday, March 16. Come hungry! Andy Gates and Jim Donnelly have a great breakfast planned. Join us for food and fellowship. All are welcome. ASH WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6 SERVICES WILL BE HELD AT NOON AND 7:00 P.M. THE STAFF OF CHRIST AND GRACE thank each and every one of you for your many kindnesses during the Christmas season. Your cards, donations in our honor, gifts and tasty treats were most appreciated. May the New Year bring you many blessings. SUNDAY ADULT EDUCATION (9:30 A.M.) February 3 - What s Going on in the Diocese? February 10 - Lectionary Study February 17 No Adult Forum February 24 Lectionary Study WEDNESDAY NIGHT LENTEN POTLUCKS Beginning Wednesday March 13, from 6:30 p.m. - 7:45 p.m. and each Wednesday evening for the following 4 weeks, you are invited to bring your favorite dish to share at our potluck suppers. This is a great time to invite a friend to join in the fellowship of our church. Following dinner we will learn about the Stations of the Cross as seen through the eyes of Mary. Together we will create the Stations to be used on Good Friday. We will end the evening with a service of Compline. Staff The Rev. Robin Teasley, Rector Jill Donnelly, Parish Secretary Marwee Walsh, Kitchen Coordinator James Harris, Sexton Greg Gwaltney, Property Administrator Kitty Reed, Bookkeeper Contact the Church Phone: churchoffice@christandgrace.org Website: christandgrace.org Find us on Facebook at Christ & Grace Episcopal Office Hours Tuesday-Friday, 9:00-1:00 p.m. The Good News is published monthly, Sept. June. Christ and Grace Church 1545 South Sycamore St. Petersburg, VA Address Services Requested