Due to dangerous wind chills and travel conditions on Wednesday, January 30, Grace offices will be closed, programs and services are cancelled. Hope Church downtown is open as a warming station and serving snacks all day. FUMC is open 5:00-9:00pm Tuesday-Thursday serving supper. If you need a warm place, or if you are looking to serve and close enough to safely get there, head on over to Hope or FUMC!
Advent Giving Tree: Our Advent tree is up in the Commons full of stars and angels! Each ornament has a gift described on its back. Some of the gifts are for the Rodriguez family (the refugee family of seven who lives in our Parish House.) Others are requests for gift cards for emergency gas or food needs. Others request donations to our Beyond Grace Fund whose contributions will go at the end of the year to either our Feeding America ministry, the Out on the Lakeshore Community Center, or Lighthouse Immigration Advocates. Each angel or star has a detailed description. We ask that gifts, including gift cards be returned unwrapped by Sunday, December 23 so that we can wrap and deliver them. And if you are donating to the Beyond Grace Fund, you may simply designate that on the memo line of your check or put it in an envelope designated as such and place it in the offering plate on Sunday. Many thanks, Grace, for the ways in which we give to the neighbors beyond our doors.
Our next recital in our Grace Notes Series is a special one!
Grace Notes 2018: The Joy Huttar Memorial Organ Recital, November 4 at 1:00pm: Joy Huttar served as Grace’s organist from 1978- 2005 and as such is the longest serving staff person in Grace’s history. This concert marks the first of what will be an annual event in her memory. Mr. Alfred Fedak, Hope College graduate, former Grace Choir Director, composer and Minister of Music at Presbyterian Church on Capitol Hill in Albany, New York will be our recitalist. Al became an Episcopalian while serving as Grace’s Choir Director decades ago.
Oktoberfest This Sunday!
October 21 Oktoberfest (5:00-7:00pm): Don’t miss our annual and fabulous stewardship dinner featuring Dublin Cottle, Amaretto Chocolate Bread Pudding, cider, beer, and special food for kids as we kick off the pledge drive and experience the world premiere of Stewardship the Musical: The Prequel (the final in the ‘Stewardship the Musical’ trilogy).
This Sunday, September 30- Tour de Grace: This year’s Tour de Grace is designed to encourage the entire parish to learn more about Grace’s history as we celebrate our sesquicentennial. After church we will bike by the three previous sites of Grace Church and end at the Pilgrim Home gravesites of Grace’s founding members. A light lunch will be provided at Grace before the ride and desserts at the end of the ride. The route is about 2.5 miles each way and is child friendly!
Kickoff Sunday!
September 9 is Kick Off: We’ll celebrate with a kids’ sermon and Blessing of the Backpacks at the 10:00 service followed by our annual parish photo on the front lawn and a picnic, kick-ball game and drumming at Moran Park (22nd and Pine.) Bring your packs and school supply donations to the 10:00 service. Wear comfy clothes, bring a picnic blanket, and/or chairs and drums if you have’m. Lunch will be provided by Church Family and Fellowship. All are welcome!
Welcome to Rev. Jim Steen
Rev. Steen will be coming on staff at Grace starting September 3 in the second clergy position. He’ll be working about twenty hours per week, including two Sundays per month. He’ll preach and preside with Rev. Jen, offer leadership support to various ministries, and provide pastoral care and counsel as needed.
A brief Bio: Following 40 Years of work as a parish priest, Rev. Steen joined the Bishop’s Staff in the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago in 2010 where he served as Director of Ministries. He had oversight of clergy deployment and mentoring, and with his staff, was responsible for congregational and leadership development in the Diocese’s 130 congregations. Prior to joining the diocesan staff, Rev. Steen served parishes in several major cities, including Seattle, New York, Washington, DC, and Chicago and was the Executive Director of Prism Parishes, an organization he founded to support vitality in congregations with diverse constituencies. Rev. Steen retired recently from full-time ministry and now lives in Saugatuck with his partner of twenty-six years, Tom.
Rev. Jim has a son, Daughter-in-law and two grandchildren all of whom live in Boulder, Colorado. Jim says, “I continue to be fascinated by all aspects of organizational leadership and am currently drawn to a deeper exploration of contemplative spirituality. Cooking is my favorite hobby.” Be sure to introduce yourselves to him and welcome Rev. Jim to Grace Church!
July 29 Worship at Hope Church
Hope Church provided us with our first meeting space and we’re going to thank them on July 29. THIS SUNDAY!
We’ll meet at and worship with Hope Church at 10:00AM that day, with Rev. Jen Adams as the guest preacher and Grace as the coffee hour hosts.
Our 8:15 service will still be at Grace that morning.
Inspired by Grace Begins this Sunday!
Inspired by Grace: DRUM CIRCLE!
Sunday, July 15, 11:30-1:00, Grace Church Sanctuary
Everyone is welcome to join Jennifer Wolfe and Beth Trembley for a time of collaborative rhythm-making. Absolutely no drumming experience required! Drum circles help us listen more attentively to others. Playing hand drums engages us physically, mentally and spiritually. While drumming, we wordlessly communicate with one another and have fun creating something new that is bigger than all of us! We will bring drums to share, but feel free to bring any hand drums (preferable) or hand-held percussion instruments you have.
150 Years of Grace!
Join us as Grace turns 150 years old! Our year-long Sesquicentennial celebration begins June 10th with our Sunday services at 8:15 and 10:00am. Immediately following the 10:00 service we’ll process to the front yard for an unveiling and dedication of Holland’s newest historical marker, acknowledging 150 years of this Episcopal congregation. A celebratory luncheon will begin at 11:30 and then all are invited to a Grace Notes Recital at 1:00pm. Jazz saxophonist Jordan VanHemert is our recitalist. He will be joined by Graeme Richmond (cello) Rhonda Edgington (organ,) Steve Jenkins (harpsicord) and others. Join us this Sunday as we begin to celebrate 150 years of Grace!
Marktplaats Thanks you! Thank you to everyone who helped out this past week at Marktplaats! A special thanks to Debbie Coyle, Alex Foster, Renee Krueger, and Prescott Slee, for your leadership & coordination. We will have numbers in soon for the amount earned for the Grace Youth fund. All the time and care given this project is greatly appreciated. Look to hear more from youth soon!
We’re moving into high gear with planning for our Sesquicentennial celebration – 150 Years of Grace! The celebration will begin on June 10, 2018 and go through June, 9 2019. Be sure to mark your calendars for June 10th which will include a special meal after the 10:00 service. We will be sending out a mailing this week announcing some of the celebratory highlights of the year. Remember that we’re eager to receive any photos you have of special events or groups at Grace Church, whether those pictures be digital or paper. If the pictures are digital, please send them to Mary Miller at the church email or bring in a flash drive to her. If the pictures are paper, you can bring them in and Mary will scan them and return them to you. Thanks for helping us prepare for 150 Years of Grace!
Service Times Reminder: Just a heads up that we change our service times to the summer schedule on Memorial Day weekend. Sunday services from May 27 through September 9 will be at 8:15am and 10:00am.
Grace Celebrates Earth Day
This weekend Grace will celebrate Earth Day in lots of ways! We’ll have a cleaning of the Grace grounds on Saturday from 8:30-11:00am. Bring rakes, a fork rake if you have one to help with mulch, and be sure to leave some room for a donut or two! Grace Youth will be going on a hike, leaving Grace on Saturday at noon and returning at 3:00pm. On Sunday we’ll have services at 8:15 and 10:30am with Forum Hour at 9:15. Our guest speaker at the Forum will be Dr Brian Bodenbender, Professor of Geology at Hope College. He and Grace member, Dr Ed Hanson will lead a presentation and discussion on environmental concerns and care. As a part of our 10:30 service we will process outside and bless the grounds of Grace, stopping at three stations to sing, hear about actions for earth care, and sing. The 10:30 service will be followed by a special Coffee Hour, outside if weather permits. The day will end with an Organ Recital with Dr. Stephen White, Music Director at St Thomas Episcopal Church in Battle Creek as our guest recitalist. Join us as we take good care, process, bless, make music, and share!