Grace Episcopal Church and St. Stephen’s Parish

Online Tidings

Pentecost 9, 2007

P.O. Box 51410, Colorado Springs, CO 80949
www.graceepiscopalcolosprings.org
grace.episcopal.church@gmail.com
719/328-1125

Prayer of the Week

For the Parish:

Book of Common Prayer, page 817

Services This Week

Sunday services this week will be at 12:45 pm at First Christian Church, on the corner of Platte and Cascade. Deacon Sally will be our preacher this week. Coffee hour returns after taking last week off.

In the Diocesan Cycle of Prayer, today we remember Epiphany Church in Denver, St. Augustine's Chapel in Creede, The Church of St. Peter and St. Mary in Denver, St. Aidan's Church in Boulder and St. Andrew's Church in Cripple Creek .

The following note was received last week after we were included in the Diocesan Cycle. The writer was deacon & assistant priest to Linda Seracuse at St. James in Conroe, Texas during the time of her health crisis and was a great support to her and that parish.

Dear People of Grace & St. Stephen's -- We remember and pray for you this week in the Diocesan Cycle of Prayer. We pray that God will richly bless you and raise you up in this time of transition. All the best from your brothers and sisters in Christ here on the Western Slope and in the Roaring Fork Valley. In Jesus' Love,

Fr. Torey Lightfoot for St. Barnabas, Glenwood Springs.

If you have concerns about transportation after an evening meeting, please consider arranging a car pool so that you can attend.

Bob McJimsey to Retire from Vestry

Bob has written that he plans to retire from the Vestry following the meeting on Tuesday. Please plan to join us at coffee hour on July 29th to celebrate Bob and his faithful service on behalf of our parish.

Announcements and Articles

Choir Camp Funding - WOW Again

ESM Offerings

Memorials and Thanksgivings

Summer Child Care

Following our usual tradition there will be no Sunday School for the children during the month of August. Sunday Schoolers will remain with their families for the full service. We are grateful to the fine volunteers who provided care the children during June and July, giving a welcome break to the regular Sunday School staff. The Nursery will be available as usual with many thanks to the faithful staff who care for our littlest parishioners.

Grace Midweek Services at First Christian

Tuesdays -- 10 a.m. -- Holy Communion with Fr. Michael. There will be no Tuesday Bible Study this month.

Thursdays -- 12 noon -- Healing Service and Holy Communion.

Youth Group

Youth group is on summer break. There will be no youth group meetings for the next two weeks. Regular meetings will resume on August 12th. Keep in mind the MOSTrust Rummage Sale scheduled for Saturday, September 15th. Youth group members, be sure you are helping clean out your attic or basement over the summer and setting aside all that rummage. Donations will be accepted from anyone in the entire congregation. Please email Jim Hinkle or contact him at 440-4432 to RSVP or for information on how to get involved in our Youth Group program.

A Week at Trinity Ranch

A typical day consisted of getting the campers up, having Morning Prayer, then breakfast, followed by group chores. Next we participated in activities, including fishing, horseback riding, archery, crafts, and a ropes course. After gathering for lunch, we had siesta time for an hour, during which the jc’s studied up on what we needed to do during group time. We gathered together in a large group and discussed the Bible points for the day, and then retreated into small groups and discussed it more fully, with snacks. We then went to our different stations. I was part of the marketplace, doing carpentry where we made boats. I was grateful to have helped out at First Christian’s Vacation Bible School, because we were using the same curriculum! A half-hour of free time was sometimes given after this, after which we proceeded to have an Evening Eucharist service. We gathered for dinner, and a skit was performed during the large group gathering. We settled down with a ! few songs or a Compline service, and after getting ready for bed, we read a story to the campers, had a meeting to plan the next day, and went to bed.

I enjoyed being a leader and watching the children grow, as well as forging new friendships with both campers and jc's. I hope that there are Grace Church members who would like to be campers or Junior Counselors next year, as it was a great experience that was memorable and beneficial.

Grace Bibliophiles

Hospitality and Housekeeping

Please do not bring any peanuts or foods made with peanut products into First Christian as there is a child with extreme allergies.

Tithes and Contributions

All contributions directed to our post office box or placed in the collection basket during Sunday services are used only by Grace Episcopal and cannot be accessed by the secessionist congregation.

Lesser Feasts and Fasts

On July 24th we remembered Thomas ŕ Kempis who wrote the book that has been translated into more languages than any other except the Bible. His The Imitation of Christ has provided nurture and guidance to millions of people worldwide in this manual of devotions.

Holy Father, you have nourished and strengthened your Church by the inspired writings of your servant Thomas ŕ Kempis: Grant that we may learn from him to know what is necessary to be known, to love what is to be loved, to praise what highly pleases you, and always to seek to know and follow your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Weekly Calendar

Contact Information

Legal Status

The additional documents filed last week have now been posted the website. The Supplement to the Brief for Summary Judgment amends our Motion for Summary Judgment to note that Grace Church's attorney in 1992 had cited the Mote case as controlling church property. The Supplement to the Motion for Summary Judgment submits that letter from former Grace Church Attorney Lee Wills as evidence. You can also see these by clicking on any underlined document name.

Ecclesiastic Trial Court Hearing July 31st

The hearing will address the six offenses with which the Diocesan Review Committee has charged Armstrong. Among the charges Armstrong faces are theft of at least $392,409 from a trust account designated for scholarships, tax fraud, accepting improper loans from the church, and improper use of the clergy discretionary fund. At the hearing, the Church Attorney will present evidence supporting the charges, including witnesses, affidavits and documentary evidence.

The Ecclesiastical Trial Court is part of a well-defined disciplinary process established in the Canons of the Church, and based on the U.S. Military’s Uniform Code of Military Justice. Through this process, Armstrong has been given several opportunities to offer testimony and information related to the charges he faces; he has declined to do so. The Church Attorney’s request for summary judgment is based on Armstrong’s failure to respond to several formal citations directing him to answer the charges and giving him the opportunity to provide his own evidence and testimony. In addition, Armstrong has made several public statements that he will not take part in this process.

The Ecclesiastical Trial Court is comprised of three members of the clergy and two lay people who are elected at the Diocese’s annual convention. After reviewing evidence related to the charges in the presentment, the court will determine whether Armstrong is guilty of the charges and make a ruling. If Armstrong is found guilty of offenses, the Ecclesiastical Trial Court will recommend a Sentence of Admonition, Suspension or Disposition to the Bishop; the Bishop can then impose a sentence, which can either be that recommended by the Trial Court, or a lesser sentence than that recommended by the Court.

Vestry Meeting and Minutes

The July Vestry meeting be held this Tuesday, July 31st at 7:30 pm, and the August meeting on Tuesday, August 21st. You are invited to attend all regular monthly meetings of the vestry. Meetings are held at La Posada del Sol Clubhouse at 2090 Mesa, on the corner of Mesa & Fillmore. Turn in the gate at La Posada del Sol -- the clubhouse is directly ahead clearly marked.

Minutes of the April and May vestry meetings can be found on the Grace Episcopal homepage.

Minutes of the June vestry meeting will be posted after they are approved at the meeting scheduled July 31st.