Grace Episcopal Blog

Tuesday, February 21, 5:30-7:30 p.m. – Annual Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper in the Parish Hall.. It’s a fundraiser for youth ministry at Grace, so be sure to come out to enjoy a rich fellowship supper and support our youth.

Ash Wednesday (February 22): Services of Holy Eucharist with Imposition of Ashes are at Noon and 6:00 p.m. The choir will sing at the 6 p.m. service.

Thursday, February 23, 11:30 a.m. in the Parish Hall: Vintage Grace Luncheon and Program.

New Classes during Lent, starting on February 26:

• “Harry Potter” for 5th-8th Grade after the 9:45 a.m. Holy Eucharist, led by the Rev. Meghan Holland in the Youth/Asst. Rector’s Office.
• After the 7:30 a.m. Holy Eucharist, Meghan will offer “The Next Place” a series discussing liturgical, ethical & theological implications around Christian death and dying. Located in the Adult Library.
• Also on February 26, the Red Cross will be in the Parish Hall for a Blood Drive.

Wednesday Night Lenten Suppers and Classes Begin on February 29 at 5:15 pm. Nursery for babies/toddlers, Godly Play for preschool children, Lenten Arts & Crafts for elementary children, and two groups for adults:

1) Discussion of Rob Bell’s book, Love Wins: A Book about Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived
2) “Caught Between Lamentation and Praise”–Engaging Poetry, Scripture, and Ourselves

As you can see there is much happening, so please join us for one of these exciting programs!

St. Mary’s, Madisonville
Saturday, February 18, 10:30 AM – 2:00 PM

Lay and clergy representatives from each of the churches in our Deanery (the geographical region stretching from Owensboro to Hickman) will discuss how congregations fund the work of the diocese with the goal of presenting a new proposal at the next Diocesan Convention. While this may not be the most exciting topic, it is vital that our congregation be represented at the table as options are explored that will effect our budgeting process in the future, as well as the ability of the diocese to carry out its mission. Please contact the Rev. Libby Wade if you are able to go.

Sunday, January 29, 4:00 PM

Concert organist, recording artist, and Allen Organ Voicing Specialist Walter Strony will be with us the last week of January to voice our new organ so that it produces the very best sound in relation to the acoustical properties of our worship space. On Sunday, January 29, at 4:00 PM, we will dedicate the organ to the glory of God and then enjoy a gala concert by Mr. Strony, followed by a reception.

Walter Strony has performed hundreds of concerts from coast to coast in the United States, as well as in Japan, Australia, England, and Canada. In July 2007 he performed the first solo organ recital in many years at New York’s Radio City Music Hall. He is the only living organist to have been twice voted “Organist of the Year” by the American Theatre Organ Society—in 1991 and 1993. In 2011 he was the youngest inductee in the ATOS “Hall of Fame.” In addition to being a master Allen Organ voicer, author, and recording artist, Mr. Strony is equally at home playing both theatre and classical organ. Born in Chicago in 1955, he began music lessons at the age of seven. His theatre organ teacher was the famous Chicago organist Al Melgard, who for many years was Staff Organist at the Chicago Stadium. His classical studies were with Herbert L. White and Karel Paukert. In his spare time, Mr. Strony works on the restoration…read more

Lots of Advent Opportunities at Grace!

Join us for Paducah’s Holiday Parade at 5pm on Saturday, December 3rd. We’ll watch the parade together from the sidewalk on Broadway, then we’ll get together for a good ol’ fashioned Holiday Potluck.

Our first Christmas Pageant rehearsal takes place December 4th, after the 9:45am service. There are still open roles, so all children are invited to participate! (Non-speaking roles are even available for children that will only be in town Christmas Eve.) The performance will take place at our 4pm Christmas Eve Service on December 24th. Contact The Rev. Meghan Holland for more information.

St. Nicholas is coming! We will celebrate the Feast of St. Nicholas on December 4th with a visit from St. Nicholas himself! Kids should be sure to leave their shoes outside the sanctuary during the 9:45a service. There might be a special treat in them after the service!

Children ages 3-7(ish) are invited to participate in our Godly Play Advent Retreat on Saturday, December 10th at 10am. Lunch for the whole family will follow.

The Hanging of the Greens will be done after the 9:45a Lessons and Carols Service on December 18th. A beautiful service followed by a festive decorating party!

Christmas Offerings

This year, the offerings from our Christmas services will be divided between Grace’s Stained Glass Window Fund, PCM’s Fresh Start Project, and Community Kitchen.

The Nativity Pageant with Holy Eucharist will be December 24th at 4pm. The Festival Eucharist will begin on December 24th at 10:45pm. Christmas Day Eucharist…read more

Some of the upcoming Worship Offerings here at Grace

Sunday, November 13th at 9:45am Eucharist – Bible Sunday! We’ll be handing out Bibles to our 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders.

Sunday, November 13th at 5:00pm – Taize service with Eucharist (No other 5pm services in November)

Thursday, November 24th at 10:00am – Thanksgiving Eucharist

Sunday, November 27th at 4:00pm – Advent Walk with other Downtown Churches

Sunday, December 4th at 9:45am – St. Nicholas Sunday – Come meet St. Nicholas!

Vestry Nominations for 2012

We are conducting an open call for those interested in serving on Grace
Church’s Vestry. The Vestry is the decision-making body of a parish. Our
Vestry members are elected to three-year terms and meet once a month (usually
on the fourth Monday evening). Any confirmed member of the congregation
(in good standing), who is not closely related to a staff member or ongoing
vestry member, is eligible for nomination. The Vestry Nominating Committee
will present a slate of five nominees for election at our Parish Annual Meeting
on February 12, 2012. If you have further questions or would like to be
considered for nomination, please contact the Rev. Libby Wade or one of the
our outgoing Vestry members, who form the Nominating Committee: Michael
Cochran, Johnette Mends-Cole, Phil Counts, Genie Drossos, and Todd Jones.
A Vestry Job Description can be found on our website:
www.gracepaducah.net/resources-2/vestry/
The deadline for submitting names to the committee is December 1, 2011.

PCM recently challenged Grace Church to give one container of soup per
family per Sunday from October through December! Our 2nd-5th Grade
Sunday School Class has eagerly taken the lead with this project. In January,
the class hopes to make a field trip to Paducah Cooperative Ministry (PCM)
to learn more about how our gift of food will benefit others. Here’s what the
class decided the parish needs to know about this project:

Goal: 515 Containers of Soup by January 1, 2012
Who will we help? The poor.
Why do people need food? To survive and keep from dying.
What are our favorite soups? Chicken Noodle, Chicken & Dumplings,
Clam Chowder, Minestrone, Chili, Beef Stew, Beef Vegetable, Potato,
Broccoli & Cheese, Tomato (does that give you any ideas of what to bring?).
How will we reach our goal? By our whole church working together!
Where do people put the soup they bring? During the week, soup may be
placed in the Food Pantry near the Men’s Restroom in the office hallway. On
Sunday, place soup in one of the bright green storage tubs near the front door
or the Fletcher Hall door of the church.
When? Every family, every Sunday! The Project ends on January 1, 2012.
How will this class help? Make a sign to identify the Food Pantry, write
newsletter articles, make a poster, count the soup each week, present some
of the soup at the offertory in the 9:45 worship service as a symbol of our
food offering.

Remember: “Every Family, Every Sunday!”
–Submitted by: Sarah, Kendall, Kiersten,…read more

Stewardship Campaign for 2012

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21

“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” Winston Churchill

Christian Stewardship is the grateful, joyful and responsible use of God’s gifts to do the work He is calling us to do. Our offering options are “The Three Ts” – time, talent and treasure. In the months before Thanksgiving, appropriately, Grace Church asks us to make a specific and formal financial commitment.

Let’s adopt a GRATEFUL, JOYFUL and positive approach to pledging, rather than an April 15th tax mentality or the end-of-the-year budget “left-overs”. I encourage you to put giving to Grace at the top of your financial priorities and make your pledge an intentional one!

What’s different this year? In addition to our annual pledge, which supports the mission and ministry of the parish, we will be asked to make an extraordinary gift to fund the new organ, and be reminded about the ultimate gift of remembering Grace in our planned giving.

Let’s have some fun! Parish parties will be held on three different Sundays, October 16th, 23rd and 30th after church (“balance the budget brunch”) and early evening (“stewardship supper”). Each member will be invited to attend one event for food, fellowship, and discussions with members of the staff and Vestry. Pledge information packets will be available. Please contact the church office if you have a specific date and time you wish to attend,…read more

Grace Episcopal Church and the Fresh Start Transition House:

Grace Church has “adopted” the Common Room of the PCM Fresh Start House. This means that we are responsible for furnishing this room. We need…

• Entertainment Center
• 2 desks · Couch
• Loveseat · Lamps
• Single chairs · Carpets
• Coffee (donated!) and end tables
• Television (donated!)
• Table (donated!) and chairs (yup, still need chairs…)

- Financial donations for the room also accepted.

- Contact The Rev. Meghan Holland to arrange for drop-off of donated items.

Fresh Start: What is it?

Contributed by: Nicole Hoyle Eaton

The Fresh Start Transition House is a 3,000 square foot single
story building that is the former home of the Army Reserve
Medical Detachment Unit. Located at 2001 N. 12th St, the
building will allow for five bedrooms, three of them double
occupancy. There will also be an office, a small conference
room, and a community living room. Residents will share a
kitchen and prepare their own meals.

Women, especially those just released from prison, need a
place where they are valued so they can learn to value
themselves. The Fresh Start Program will give them a fair
chance to return to the community without their past
haunting them at every step. They will, in every sense of the
phrase, be given their own fresh start in life.

By providing support and resources to residents, the women
will become productive citizens in the Paducah community.
Instead of continuing to be an expense in the form of tax
dollars, lives will be changed…read more