Grace Episcopal Church and St. Stephen’s Parish

Online Tidings

Pentecost 10, 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 Church Musicians and Artists:

Book of Common Prayer, page 819

Services This Week

Sunday services this week will be at 12:45 pm at First Christian Church, on the corner of Platte and Cascade. Father Michael will be our preacher this week, and coffee hour will be immediately after the service.

In the Diocesan Cycle of Prayer, today we remember the Parish of St. Barnabas of the Valley in Cortez, St. Alban's Church in Windsor, Intercession Church in Thornton, St. Andrew's Church in La Junta and the Southwestern Region of our Diocese and its Missioner, Andrew Cooley.

Bishop O'Neill's Visit

Martin Nussbaum answered questions regarding the status of the property. He reiterated his hope that we regain the property at the hearing on October 12th, but is prepared for a trial if necessary. He noted that evidence has been filed showing that as early as 1992 and as recently as December, Don Armstrong and the secessionist vestry were advised that the Mote decision made it illegal for an Episcopal parish to leave the church and attempt to take the property.

Several people commented on the spirituality and mutual support that we have experienced since being excluded from the Tejon Street property. When asked what we must be doing to reunite with parishioners who have chosen to stay at Tejon Street, the Bishop acknowledged the profound need for healing, and suggested that prayer and an open heart were the most important steps to take. Later, he noted, "The Wilderness experience is the most dramatic and profound existence. . . it is a place of transformation and miracles."

During his closing remarks, he quoted Archbishop of Canterbury Donald Coggin (Abp 1974-1980) saying, "Nothing pleases the devil more than when we focus on the issues that divide us rather than on Christ." He closed the meeting with a prayer and benediction.

Thrift House News

Don't forget we always need clean, useable clothing, household things, jewelry, and collectibles. If you have as little as three hours a month to spare, consider volunteering at Thrift House. Call Beth Phillips for more information 634-6826.

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 for 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.

Announcements and Articles

Youth Group

Youth group is on summer break. There will be no youth group meetings this week. 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.

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.

Weekly Calendar

Contact Information

Legal Status

Also on the website you can find 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

The panel present at Tuesday’s hearing before the Ecclesiastical Trial Court consisted of five judges—two lay Episcopalians and three Episcopal clergy canonically resident in Colorado—and three alternates. The presiding judge was Rev. Peter Munson, the rector of St. Ambrose in Boulder. Other clergy appointed to the panel included Rev. Marty Pearsall, of St. Andrews in Manitou Springs and Rev. Marcia Stackhouse, of Our Merciful Savior in Denver. Clergy appointed to the panel as alternates included Revs. Todd Sorensen of St. Gregory in Littleton and Marilynn Schneider of St. Gabriel in Cherry Creek Village. Scott Barker, the lay assessor for St. John’s cathedral assisted Judge Munson+ with counsel concerning evidentiary rules during the proceeding. A staff member from St. Ambrose present at the meeting suggested that Fr. Munson did not expect when he accepted his appointment to the Ecclesiastical Court to preside at such an proceeding as it had been more than 20 ye! ars since a trial had been conducted before the Ecclesiastical Court.

Judge Munson+ noted on the record that respondent, Donald Armstrong, and his counsel, Dennis Hartley, declined to attend the proceeding. The respondent had filed a motion to dismiss for lack of jurisdiction on Friday, July 27, which was received by the court on Monday, July 30. Attorneys for the Diocese filed a response to the motion and Attorney Hartley filed a reply. After deliberations on Tuesday morning the Ecclesiastical Court denied the motion to dismiss as Armstrong had failed to present evidence of any formal renunciation as spelled out in the canons. Press and public were welcome to the hearing. Copies of the Motion for Summary Judgment of Offense were made available to all present. Thick notebooks—estimated at 700 pages—containing exhibits, affidavits and supporting evidence were provided for the members of the ecclesiastical bench. During the course of the proceedings, which included live testimony by a certified fraud examiner, projected images of check req! uests, checks, and parish accounts, and a videotaped deposition of the attorney who created the Bowton trust and has served as a trustee since its inception, numerous references were made to the exhibits provided to the court for use in their deliberations.

The Colorado Springs Gazette reported on August 1st, that a spokesperson for the secessionist Grace-CANA church stated that the vestry had opened its own investigation shortly after the schism and expects to have its findings ready next month.

You can read the Gazette article here. We have also posted the Motion for Summary Judgment of Offense, which contains more details than the original Presentment. Though the titles are similar, this is not the same document as that concerning the motion for summary judgment in the return of our property in the civil court.

Vestry Meeting and Minutes

In other business, the vestry appointed John Hough to the seat of retiring member Bob McJimsey. John and Nel and their two children, Elisa and Bart, have been members of Grace Episcopal for 11 years. John served for many years as an usher, a driver on the transportation committee and more recently as a chalice bearer. He is in private practice as a pediatric psychologist.

The August Vestry meeting will be held 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 soon.