Acolytes: Conor Daly, Jordan Williams, Caroline Daly Ushers:
Daniel Egger, James Klasen
Altar Guild: Carolyn Rogers
Counters: Bryan Spence and Naida Gavrelis
Coffee Hour Hosts:Vin Maganzini, coffee and the Hunt Family and Kathy Mumma, food
*click on link to prepare for this week's readings
Birthdays
Stacy Sullivan (2/5), Grace Sullivan (2/6), Siobhan Glynn (2/7), Evelyn Masciave (2/8), Warren Ramirez and Anita Stinson (2/9), Joshua Davis (2/10), Genita Johnson, and Barbara Povey (2/11).
??If we do not have your birthday, please contact the church office at 781-396-7215 or office@gracemedford.org
Children making Valentine's to send to Grace Church parishioners who may find it hard to get to church.
Welcome
Please join us at Grace Church.
We celebrate the Eucharist at 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM. Sunday School begins promptly at 9:45 AM. Nursery care is available for young children.
Protestant worship services are held at Tufts University at 5:00 PM on Sundays in Goddard Chapel. Rachael Pettengill, Grace Church's Lay Associate for Student Ministry coordinates these services.
For updates on the restoration of Grace Church, please see our restoration blog.
Outreach Corner
Our next scheduled day of serving at St. Luke's Soup Kitchen is Saturday, February, 25
If you have any questions or would like to join the "team" serving on the 25th please contact Brenda Pearson at brendapearson@comcast.net.
Food Pantries
Bring food to church for the three food pantries that Grace Church supports. Food items may be placed in the baskets just outside the main entrance to the sanctuary.
The item for Sunday, February 5 is cereal. The items for Sunday, February 12 are ketchup or mayonnaise.
Kid's Corner
Last week the kids made Valentine's Day Cards in the Wiles Hall for parishoners who cannot make it every Sunday to Grace Church. They all came out great and it felt like we had a record amount of kids for a project! Thank you to the kids, and a huge thank you to all of the adults that helped out! It was a ton of fun on Sunday!
Sunday School classes are at 9:45 A.M on Sunday mornings. Please join us! For more information regarding education programs here at Grace please feel free to contact me at james@gracemedford.org .
We are still looking for people to sign up for cooking on Wednesday Nights at Grace. If you would like to volunteer there is a sign-up sheet at the back of Wiles Hall, or you can simply contact me at james@gracemedford.org .
Casting has begun for the Passion Play, and the scripts are being distributed. If you or your child would like to be in the Passion Play feel free to contact me james@gracemedford.org or Laura Duggan lrduggan@aol.com . Thank you.
On Sat. Feb 11th from 10am-2pm, St. Paul's Cathedral in Boston will be hosting a Family Fun Day, and our very own Laura Duggan will be there acting out the role of Mrs. George Weatherbee. For more information you can contact me.
Peace,
James Liberge
Sunday School Teachers:
Pre-K
Teacher - Maria Fenn
Assistant - Siobhan Glynn
Early Elementary
Teacher - Steve Duggan
Assistant - Nathan Brawley
Upper Elementary
Teacher - Marina Novaes
Assistant - Sue Maltz
Other Announcements
Wednesdays at Grace
5:30: Pre-K Godly Play
6:00: Community Dinner
Dinner Hosts: The Cross and Spence Families
6:45: Godly Play 2 & 3, Rite 13 and J2A
Embracing and Adult Faith: A Conversation about the Christian Faith
January 11 - February 8
Who is God? What does salvation mean? What place does Jesus hold in contemporary Christian faith? What is role of community in faith? How do we practice discipleship? In January and February, we will explore these questions though a curriculum designed by acclaimed author Marcus Borg. The series is broken into five subjects. Come to the whole series or to those sessions that most appeal to you - facilitated by Stephen Trever and Noah Evans. Come to one, or the entire series.
February 8 - Community
February 15
English Garden Designs with David Choi:
While most architects design buildings first, then design the landscape around them, David Choi designs the landscape first in order to find its appropriate building. This philosophical approach to architecture--along with his Anglican values--has led him to journey extensively throughout England, visiting notable estate gardens, and national trust properties. With photographs and drawings, he recounts his thousand miles trek through the most romantic countrysides of southern England. Experience the spatial poetics of these gardens, though the eyes of an award winning local architect.
February 22 - Ash Wednesday services at 12:00 PM and 7:00 PM
No Wednesdays at Grace.
Women's Book Group:
We meet on the 3rd Thursday of the month at 7 pm, except in April due to Spring break, we changed it to the 4th Thursday, Thursday, April 26.
February 16 -Singing in the Comeback Choir by Bebe Moore Campbell at Genita's house.
March 15 -Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson
April 26 (changed due to Spring break) -The Dove Keepers by Alice Hoffman
May 17 - bring your favorite poem or short story for everyone to enjoy!
Please contact Genita Johnson if you have any questions.
Lenten Reading:
A Season for the Spirit by Martin Smith
This Lenten Season we are inviting the whole parish to join in reading Martin Smith's A Season for the Spirit: Readings for the Days of Lent, a thoughtful series of short daily reflections on finding Christ through the Spirit at the center of all aspects of our humanity.In order for us to better estimate the quantity of our book order, we are asking that you reserve a copy by either adding your name to the sign-up sheet in Wiles Hall or by contacting Stephen at stephen@gracemedford.org.Lent begins early this year on February 22, so please reserve a copy by February 10.There will also be a chance to join one of several discussion groups about this book during the Lenten season -contact Stephen for more information.
Family Day at the Cathedral
Saturday, Feb. 11 (10 a.m.-2 p.m.) Cathedral Church of St. Paul (138 Tremont Street) in Boston A time of celebration and learning for children, youth, parents and educators that marks the beginning of the cathedral church's 100th anniversary year.Plan to come shake off the midwinter doldrums with a day of interactive fun for all, including: Grace Church Parishioner Laura Duggan helping to tell the history of the Cathedral
*A gathering and photo opportunity with Bishop Barbara C. Harris (on the anniversary of her 1989 consecration);
*Time with Bishop Tom Shaw; *An introduction to "The Abundant Garden" children's program by Episcopal Relief and Development; *Learning about cathedrals through art, song and scavenger hunting; *Special activities for middle and high school students; *Festive worship to culminate the day.
Come Join us at Grace, February 11th from 5-10PM for a night of Music, Love and Delicious Food!
The choir and J2A are joining forces to give parents, couples and hip singles a night out while supporting great causes.
Jenn Woodward and James Dargan will be providing music to amuse and warm your heart.
The choir will be serving dinner before the concert and J2A will be providing childcare.
Cost: $15/ Single Ticket $25/ Couple
$40 Couple with child care
Interested in the Altar Guild?
A training session will be held following the 10 am service on Sunday, February 12th.This is for all altar guild members and others who may be interested in joining the Guild.We would like to gather and reflect on our ministry and the upcoming Lenten season.Please speak to Carolyn Rogers or Margaret Smist if you are interested in the training.
TAKE ACTION FOR CLIMATE CHANGE AND TRANSPORTATION EQUITY
On Sunday, February 12, Greening Grace will host a letter-writing campaign to protest MBTA's proposed fare increases and service cuts and urge legislators to change the funding formula for the MBTA.Please join us in Wiles Hall at 11:45 after coffee hour! Years of borrowing for - instead of paying for - repairs and improvements to the states' roads and transit systems have left the state without enough money to fund basic transportation operations.Also, the funding mechanism that the legislature put in place for the MBTA (a portion of the state sales tax) failed to produce the anticipated revenue.As a result, the MBTA is proposing grave fare hikes and service reductions to pay the bills.For example, the MBTA plans to cutallcommuter rail service on weekends, and one of the proposals would eliminate four bus routes that service Medford.Service cuts and fare hikes will urban poor families the hardest because of their dependence on public transit and their limited ability to afford the fare increases.Also, it is wrong to cut public transit when we need to take serious steps to tackle climate change.Come with your laptops, pens, friends, and kids.There will be chocolate snacks to help bring out your inner environmentalist.To learn more, go to www.mbta.com. To learn more about the letter writing event please contact Jonathan Hunt or Catherine Smith.
Senior Men's Lunch
The next Senior Men's lunch will be Wednesday, February 15 at noon at John Brewers Tavern in Malden.Please RSVP to the Parish Office.
Celebrating the American Spirit:
An Evening of Poetry, Music and Conversation
The friends of the Medford Public Library present a program in special recognition of Black History Month on Wednesday, February 15 at 7:00 PM.It features Grace Church's own Noah Evans as well as Sonny Carrington, saxophonist; Terry E. Carter from the West Medford Community Center; Wallace Kountze from the Mayor's office; Diane McLeod from the Office of Human Diversity, John O. Page, Shiloh Baptist Church; and Dorothy Elizabeth Tucker of West Medford.The program is free and open to the public.Light refreshments will be served.
Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper
Tuesday, February 21
We will again be holding an evening of fun and food at Grace Church as we celebrate the evening before Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent.Our Annual Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper will be held from 5-7 pm.There will be fun activities for the kids and pancakes, bacon and sausage for all!
A free will offering will be collected to cover the costs of the supper.As always, bring friends and family to celebrate with us at Grace.
A sign-up sheet will be available in the parish hall during February.If you are interested in attending or would like to assist in the kitchen, please contact Cheryl Woodbury or Margaret Smist.
Ash Wednesday Services
Holy Eucharist with Ashes will be celebrated on Wednesday, February 22 at noon (no music) and 7:00PM (with music and Choir).There will be no Wednesdays at Grace that day.
Adult Confirmation:
Are you interested in being confirmed or received into the Episcopal Church? Margaret Smist and Rachael Pettengill will be teaching an adultconfirmationclass after Sunday services during Lent. For more information speak with Rachael (rachael@gracemedford.org) or Margaret (margaret.smist@gracemedford.org)
Snow Policy 10 AM services will not be cancelled except for extreme circumstances. If the 8AM service or the 10AM service is to be cancelled, an announcement will be recorded on the church answering machine by 7:30 AM Sunday.
Last week the kids made Valentine's Day Cards in the Wiles Hall for parishoners who cannot make it every Sunday to Grace Church. They all came out great and it felt like we had a record amount of kids for a project! Thank you to the kids, and a huge thank you to all of the adults that helped out! It was a ton of fun on Sunday!