Prayer of the Week
Prayer of Reconciliation:
Eternal God, you have come among us in Christ to reconcile the world to yourself, and have entrusted us with the ministry of reconciliation. Strengthen all peacemakers and those who, inspired by a vision of a kinder, more just world, bear witness to the grace and truth of your crucified and risen Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.Michael Sadgrove, Dean of Durham Cathedral
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 Soper will preach, and music from the choirs will include The Beatitudes by Stetsenko and Wilby's If Ye Love Me. There will be no coffee hour this week.
In the Diocesan Cycle of Prayer, today we remember St. Barnabas Church in Glenwood Springs, St. Bede Chapel in Denver, St. Joseph in Lakewood, St. Mark's in Craig and St. Matthias in Monument.
Voting Plans Revised
There will be a special parish meeting Monday evening, September 10th at 7:00 pm at First Christian Church to hold an election for additional vestry members. There is no other business at this meeting. Parishioners can turn in their ballots up until 8 pm that evening. All votes will be counted on Monday night and results will be published in the following Tidings and announced at the Sunday service on September 16th.Those parishioners who cannot make the special meeting this Monday, Sept. 10, at 7 pm to elect three new vestry members will be able to vote on Sunday, Sept. 9. Those who cannot come Monday night may turn in a sealed ballot with their name on the envelope at the Sunday service -- but only then. No mail-in ballots or will be accepted. Ballots and envelopes can be picked up from John Hough at First Christian Church prior to the Sunday service. Because of the concert following the service, parishioners are asked to turn in their sealed ballots either prior or immediately after the service.
It is very important that everyone who would like to participate have a chance to vote in this election. Please email or call Kathy Coffey at 528-5754 or Marti Lindberg at 636-1863 to arrange transportation.
Personal statements from the Nominees:
Edward Brown -- 475-9490
Short-term Vision for Grace Church - There are four main areas that must be addressed, or at least started to be addressed, in the short term:
- Learn from past mistakes to establish a parish and vestry structure that provides real knowledge and oversight of parish operations. A properly functioning vestry could have prevented many of our recent parish problems.
- Build an identity as a vital and growing parish, independent of where we meet. We don't know when we will get our building back. God has given us the opportunity to form a community based on Christ first and street address second.
- Hire a permanent rector. Fr. Michael is doing a wonderful job as our Priest, but it is not a permanent assignment. The parish will need to begin planning and preparations for our search for a permanent rector.
- Begin planning for a return to our building. Our parish must begin preparations for the many challenges we will face when we regain our building.
Long-term Vision for Grace Church - Our long-term task will to build a Godly, Biblically literate and prayerful parish who seek God's will as a first resort. Only in that way can we hope to face contentious issues, such as healing the rifts caused by our recent split; or addressing the differing views within our parish concerning controversies in the larger Episcopal Church and Anglican Communion.
Richard (Dick) Harris -- 592-1950
In my view, in managing the business of the parish the vestry should provide:
- Sound and open management of the finances;
- Cooperation within the framework of the Episcopal Diocese as well as with the other churches in the downtown area;
- Promotion of congeniality and fellowship;
- Openness on the part of the vestry to questions, concerns and suggestions of the congregation; and
- A genuine caring attitude in accordance with the teachings of Jesus and the Bible.
John (Chip) Hill -- 481-9642
The practical issues at hand:
- Continue the march toward open presentation of the financial activities of the parish with regular monthly statements—clear unambiguous recording of income and outgoing funds.
- Establishment of protected funds, e.g., Memorial donations, dedicated gifts, etc. so as to encourage giving with confidence that gifts will be used according to the wishes of the donor with particular hope that the musical program will be endowed substantially.
- Support the strongest possible programs for all our youth and young couples noting the average age of Episcopalians in the pew is reportedly 57 (source: The Living Church)—not to ignore my age group but realizing we are committed Episcopalians by now.
- Enlist every possible volunteer for work at Grace when we return to our building to minimize all possible expenses pending full awareness of what our financial position will be.
- Try to spread the reputation of Grace in this community as a loving caring family in the spirit of Christ's invitation "Come unto me all ye who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest."
- Write a new set of bylaws, for congregation approval, which mandate openness in financial affairs, vestry elections, hiring of priests and deacons(not some secret appointment by the rector), and the setting of salaries and benefits for clergy and staff by the vestry.
Bruce MacHaffie -- 579-6793
My goals for Grace Episcopal Church are:
- Firm management of finances, especially the trust funds
- An exciting Christian Education Program
- A strong Youth Group
- An active fellowship program.
- Define the Parish as to who we are, what we stand for, and where we would like to be in the future
- Review the By-Laws and update.
Lynn Olney -- 576-6455
I graduated from law school in 1975 and started practicing in Colorado Springs in 1976. The vestry of Grace Episcopal will continue to face legal issues after the current litigation is settled. As we look at issues of improved oversight, fiscal controls, possible by-law revisions or personnel management, my training, skills, and interests could be applied to those tasks. I believe we must expand our role in the diocese and the community, and that our network of resources must expand as well. I believe I can bring a different perspective to the vestry with my legal background, as I am acquainted with the current issues before the court and could assist persons unacquainted with the legal jargon of the litigation before Judge Schwartz of Division 5.
Thank you for allowing me to be considered as a candidate for the vestry.
Sue Stoner -- 548-9254
- Advertise for, interview, select, and hire a permanent rector. When? How? What qualities and assets are we looking for?
- Plan for our return to the Tejon Street building. What about hiring staff? Using volunteers? What changes will have to be made? What and who do we keep?
- Continue our new openness about our finances and budget. We will have to consider pledges, oversee the trusts, create stability, and increase our income. How will we do it?
- Unite our fractured parish. Get people who left to come back. How? Work to heal wounds in order to move ahead. Increase membership. Stop the bleeding of people leaving to get away from the conflicts.
- Repair the damaged reputation of Grace in the community. Create a positive attitude and openness with the press. Public relations matter. Offer the building once again for concerts, speakers, programs, and other community activities. Make it once again a center of civic involvement.
- Continue to strengthen the youth group and acolyte programs. The young people in our church are our future.
- Consider starting a real Sunday School for the adults, perhaps group discussions led by volunteer facilitators and divided by age and interests. Few people can attend the Bible study during the week, and we want more than just sitting and listening to a rector talk. Interaction and participation by the parishioners are keys to understanding and involvement.
Opportunity for Discussion
The Grace_Concerns blog site has provided the opportunity for vestry candidates to discuss their positions and interact with parishioners in a public forum. You can see the posting, get involved in the discussion and read any responses at http://www.graceconcerns.blogspot.com/.Sunday School Registration
Sunday School for children three-years-old through fifth grade will resume on September 16th. Sunday School this year will focus on Old Testament Bible stories. We will explore the journey of God's people and their relationship with God. Children will attend church with their parents, then follow thier teachers to Sunday School after the children's homily.Registration for children enrolling in Sunday School will be after the service on Sunday, September 9th. Stop by in the Fellowship Hall and meet your child's teacher for the fall semester.
Fall Lay Ministries Fair
The Lay Ministries Fair will be held at coffee hour after the service on September 16th. This will be your opportunity to learn more about the various ministries that are part of making Grace Episcopal function each week, and to volunteer to help in those areas that interest you.Altar Guild Meeting and New Member Recruiting
There will be a meeting of all members of the Altar Guild and those interested in joining in this critical work on Sunday, September 9th at 10:00 am at the home of Spot Holmes, 1219 N. Tejon. Please email Anna Johnson or call 471-2233 to RSVP or for more information. If you have been looking for a way to be involved, the altar guild may be the place for you.Thank You to the Members of the Parish
The Server's Guild is extremely grateful to the Parish and the congregation for acquiring some new hooded albs for the acolytes. The ones we've been using since Palm Sunday (all on loan from St. Raphael's) are just fine and dandy, but we really needed a few more and a greater variety of sizes.Thank you all very much
MOSTrust Headquarters - Building for Mission
MOSTrust in Tanzania urgently needs a place for the administration and management of this growing program. Offices for staff, conference rooms for interviewing caregivers and processing clients and file storage is required for this expanding program. The government has provided land on which to build the MOSTrust Center and construction is underway. The estimated cost is close to $40,000. To date, 80% of this price has been raised in the Building for Mission campaign. You can be a part of the 20% solution by contributing now! Let these orphan children, the living victims of this scourge, know that their lives are worth living and that you want to help.
Please make checks payable to and mail to MOSTrust USA, PO Box 307, Colorado Springs, CO 80901-0307. Have questions or need information? Call 719-282-7881.
Bill and Cindy Page, and Paul and Beth Ronka will be available at the conclusion of our services during September to answer any questions you may have about this project or about how to make a donation. Thank you.
Youth Group Rummage Sale
This Saturday at First Christian starting at 8:00 am is the youth group rummage sale to benefit MOSTrust and the orphans we support in Manyoni, Tanzania.- Drop off items to be sold at the Hinkles, 1523 North Tejon, between 4:00 and 8:00 pm on Friday, September 7th.
- If the items are too big or too many for storage and transportation to the rummage sale Saturday, call or email Jim Hinkle to set up a time for a pick-up.
- Coffee, donuts and hot dogs will be available throughout the day.
Donations will be accepted from anyone in the entire congregation, not just youth group families. Please support our youth group as they seek to move valuable treasure from one parishioner's house to another, for the benefit of MOSTrust. Email Jim Hinkle or contact him at 440-4432 if you have any questions.
Our Parish Picnic
We have been invited to join in the Annual PigNic hosted by Chapel of Our Saviour on Saturday, September 8th starting at 2:00 pm. There will be three not so little piggies roasting over open-pit charcoal fires. Also on the grill will be hot dogs and hamburgers. Mike Bristol will have his famous micro-brews in the beer garden. Provided side dishes include baked beans, potato salad and coleslaw, but we welcome any veggies, salads, or desserts you may want to contribute. Beyond food and drink, there will be live entertainment plus crafts and fun things to do for all ages, including a jump room, dunk tank, hayride and petting zoo. Children will be served at 3:30, adults at 4:30 and desserts at 5:00. Could you imagine a better Saturday than starting at the MOSTrust rummage sale and ending in a beer garden?Graceful Hands
Graceful Hands, a ministry of those who create hats and receiving blankets for newborns, will be meeting on Thursday September 13th at 1:00 pm at Bobbie Bradford's, 817 Panorama Dr, 667-1555. Call if you need directions or information. We'll also be discussing distribution of what we have made so everyone can join in the giving.Mothers of Preschoolers
Beginning on Thursday, September 6th, a joint group of mothers from First Christian and Grace Episcopal churches will meet to provide a space in busy lives for encouragement, friendship and Christian fellowship. The goal of MOPS (Mother's of Preschoolers) is to provide a haven for soothing frazzled moms; an opportunity to build lifelong friendships; an accepting atmosphere with encouraging discussions; and a time when women can receive practical advice on family life from a Biblical perspective.Using the book Dwelling -- Living Fully from the Space You call Home, Deacon Sally Ziegler from Grace will lead the discussions during the first semester. Robyn Lee will serve as the leader from FCC and Tami Eckholm from Grace. Invitations have been issued to the mothers from St. Michael's and the Chapel of Our Saviour. Child care will be provided for babies and pre-school children.
For information please call Tami Ekholm at 522-1976 or Mary Lou Porter at 599-5548.
Supporting Scouts
Members of Grace Episcopal who are Boy Scouts will be selling popcorn as a fundraiser beginning Sunday, September 16th. Several of these boys are currently working on their Eagle rank. If you like Scout popcorn, please consider supporting members of our parish. Popcorn ordered this month will be delivered by the scouts at church or to your home in November.ESM 25th Anniversary![ESM Anniversary Logo]()
Ecumenical Social Ministries invites you to an open house on Tuesday, September 25th, 2007 from 5:00 to 7:00 in celebration of 25 years serving the low-income and homeless in our community.
ESM was founded in 1982 by eight downtown churches, including Grace Episcopal. Today ESM is the largest local organization of its kind, offering emergency services such as food, clothing, and medicine as well as housing assistance, job search support, and mental health counseling.
Come learn more about our programs, meet staff, and tour our facility! Refreshments will be served.
ESM is located at 201 North Weber Street. Free parking is available in the First Presbyterian parking lot. For more information, please call 228-6781 or email esm@ecusocmin.org. RSVPs appreciated by September 24th, 2007.
Please click here for more information about ESM's programs. Grace Episcopal's weekly ESM commitment is:
| 1st Sunday | 250 cans of soup |
| 2nd Sunday | 250 boxes of crackers |
| 3rd Sunday | 400 cans of pork and beans |
| 4th Sunday | 500 boxes of macaroni and cheese |
| 5th Sunday | toiletries, paper products and baby items |
Grace Bibliophiles
After exploring the early days of our city and its locale in Irving Howbert's Memoirs of a Lifetime in the Pike Peak Region, this group of readers has put together a typically eclectic selection of books for the next three months.September -- Turning to a classic modern American novelist they will read Joyce Carol Oates' 1971 success, Wonderland. Reviewers said, "Wonderland is not a place from which one escapes unscathed but for those who care about the best in American fiction it must be visited."
October --As special as The Kite Runner was to its readers, the consensus is that A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khalid Hosseini is more so, bringing Hosseini's compassionate storytelling and his sense of personal and national tragedy to a tale of two women that is weighted equally with despair and grave hope.
November -- In this month readers will have a wide choice of books by Ruth Rendell, an English mystery writer who combines her sharp observer's eye with an analytic view of how some of our modern vices can feed our malaise. Some of her best are The Water's Lovely, The Lake of Darkness and End in Tears. The Pikes Peak Library has a good selection of these gripping books -- choose one and come to discuss with us.
Bibliophiles meet at noon on the third Friday of the month in the Chapel. The next meeting will be September 21st.
Tuesday Bible Study
A Throne Established Forever is the title of Father Michael's
Tuesday Bible study. The course will continue throughout the fall
semester with these objectives:
- To begin to appreciate the significance of God's covenant with David for understanding the content and meaning of the New Testament.
- To understand the biblical idea of the monarchy and the Old Testament background for the Davidic covenant.
- To understand the basic outlines of the promises made to David and the shape of the Davidic kingdom under both David and Solomon.
Weekly Healing Service
Each Thursday at noon a group of parishioners gather in the Chapel for a Service of Healing with laying on of hands and Holy Communion available. While this service has taken place for many years it has gained new importance as the members lift up all our Grace sisters and brothers, both at first Christian and at CANA, with prayers for healing and unity. As the sorrows of the larger world seem to increase, it is a true labor of love to come together and hold up the needs of all the broken places. There are prayers for family members, for one another, for reconciliation and for parishioners in need. To join in offering these intercessions within the company of the faithful is truly a gift that provides a strong center to the week.We invite any who can add their voices to this weekly time of prayer and worship. A bonus has developed since we are meeting at First Christian; often members continue their fellowship with lunch together. All are welcome.
Herbert Beattie, Bass
As part of the First Christian concert series, bass Herbert Beattie will sing works by composers of the 20th century, including Hindemith, Shostakovich and local composer Carlton Gamer on Sunday, September 9th at 3:00 pm. He will be accompanied by Carol Wilson on piano and organ.Note that there will not be a coffee hour after our service on September 9th.
Weekly Calendar
| Friday, September 7 | Rummage Sale Drop-off | 4:00 pm |
| Saturday, September 8 | MOSTrust Rummage Sale | 8:00 am |
| Parish Picnic with Chapel of Our Saviour | 2:00 pm | |
| Sunday, September 9 | Altar Guild Meeting | 10:00 am |
| Choral Eucharist at FCC | 12:45 pm | |
| Sunday School Registration | 2:00 pm | |
| Youth Group | 2:00 pm | |
| Herbert Beattie in Concert | 3:00 pm | |
| Monday, September 10 | Special Parish Meeting to Elect New Vestry Members | 7:00 pm |
| Tuesday, September 11 | Holy Communion at FCC | 10:00 am |
| Fr. Michael's Bible Study at FCC | 10:40 am | |
| Brown Bag Lunch at FCC | 12:00 pm | |
| Worship Committee Meeting | 5:00 pm | |
| Communications Committee Meeting | 7:00 pm | |
| Wednesday, September 12 | Grace and St. Nicholas Choirs rehearsal | 4:30 pm |
| St. Cecilia Choir rehearsal | 5:30 pm | |
| St. Stephen's and Taylor Choirs rehearsal | 7:00 pm | |
| Thursday, September 13 | Healing Service at FCC | 12:00 pm |
| Graceful Hands | 1:00 pm | |
| Sunday, September 16 | Choral Eucharist at FCC | 12:45 pm |
| Children's Sunday School | 1:30 pm | |
| Youth Group | 2:00 pm | |
| Lay Ministries Fair | 2:00 pm |
Contact Information
All underlined contact names throughout the Online Tidings are linked to email addresses for your convenience. Just click in the online version to contact one of our vestry, staff or volunteers:| General Inquires | Grace Episcopal | 328-1125 |
| Priest | Father Michael O'Donnell | 233-2386 |
| Deacon | Rev. Sally Ziegler | 648-9350 |
| Choirs (all ages) | Deke Polifka | 633-7956 |
| Volunteer Coordinator | Marti Lindberg | 636-1863 |
| Altar Guild | Anna Johnson | 471-2233 |
| Ushers | Bruce MacHaffie | 579-6793 |
| Chalice Bearers | Mary Lou Porter | 599-5548 |
| Lectors | Olivia Bennett | 473-8305 |
| Acolytes | James Duell | 471-8944 |
| Nursery | Helen Hazelton | 633-7464 |
| Sunday School | Ed Brown | 475-9490 |
| Youth Groups | Jim Hinkle | 440-4432 |
| Hospitality | Leigh MacHaffie | 579-6793 |
| Diana Anderson | 502-1999 | |
| Transportation | Kathy Coffey | 528-5754 |
| Service Sheet | Bill Hazelton | 210-4349 |
| Online Tidings | Chuck Theobald | 442-0602 |
| Contact/Mailing Lists | Dave Eschliman | 471-8334 |
| Parish Nurse | Jill Wasinger | 473-7366 |
| Webmaster | David Newton | 282-2360 |
| Vestry: | Clelia deMoraes | 633-6807 |
| | Amy Duell | 471-3026 |
| | Timothy Fuller | 473-2629 |
| | Helen Hazelton | 633-7464 |
| | John Hough | 577-9426 |
| | David Watts | 389-0050 |
| Clerk | Conni Eggers | 592-0388 |
Vestry Meeting and Minutes
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. The next meeting of the vestry is scheduled on Tuesday, September 25th at 7:30 pm.Minutes of the June 26th, July 3rd and July 31st vestry meetings are available now on our web page.