P.O. Box 548, Colorado Springs, CO 80901
www.graceepiscopalcolosprings.org
grace.episcopal.church@gmail.com
719/328-1125
Grant, Lord God, to all who have been baptized into the death and resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ, that, as we have put away the old life of sin, so we may be renewed in the spirit of our minds, and live in righteousness and true holiness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Book of Common Prayer page 252
| Sunday, February 24 | Adult Education | 11:30 am |
| High School Youth Group | 11:30 am | |
| Choral Eucharist at FCC | 12:45 pm | |
| Children's Sunday School | 1:30 pm | |
| Coffee and Fellowship | 2:00 pm | |
| Youth Confirmation Class | 2:00 pm | |
| Feast of St. Matthias | ||
| Tuesday, February 26 | Holy Communion | 10:00 am |
| Father Michael's Bible Study | 10:40 am | |
| Brown Bag Lunch | 12:00 pm | |
| Grace Notes Handbell Choir | 7:15 pm | |
| Senior High Cawfee Tawk Tuesday | 8:30 pm | |
| Wednesday, February 27 | Lenten Noontime Reflections | 12:00 pm |
| St. Nicholas Choir Rehearsal | 4:30 pm | |
| St. Cecilia Choir Rehearsal | 5:30 pm | |
| Taylor and St. Stephen's Choirs Rehearsal | 7:00 pm | |
| Thursday, February 28 | Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) | 9:00 am |
| Healing Service | 12:00 pm | |
| Saturday, March 1 | Youth Group Ski Day to Monarch Mountain | 6:05 am |
| Women of Grace | 9:30 am | |
| Sunday, March 2 | Adult Education | 11:30 am |
| Middle School Youth Group | 11:30 am | |
| Choral Eucharist at FCC | 12:45 pm | |
| Children's Sunday School | 11:30 am | |
| Coffee and Fellowship | 2:00 pm |
To see this in a printable calendar layout, click here.
In an article our Bishop sent me some months ago, I noticed the author was making a distinction between Common Life versus Right Doctrine. It made me think that perhaps God had placed Grace and St Stephen's Episcopal Church in temporary exile until the focus of our journey together is on our Common Life—locally as well as globally.
I am coming to believe that the notion of even the possibility of so called Right Doctrine is impossible if Right Government does not prevail as a kind-of "first-fruits" and genuine earmark of a Christian church. My conclusion: Ecclesiastical integrity is paramount, then, at this point in our Common Life.
As I see it, Right Government promotes unity amidst diversity; whereas an extreme focus on Right Doctrine as a foundation, only promotes division and mistrust--obviously, the exact opposite of God's intention for His body and a slap in the face of the prayer of His Son, Jesus Christ, that, "We all might be one...".
This is what hyper-individualistic, Protestant fundamentalism fails to achieve: UNITY. Just look around with thousands of competing denominations. I believe this inordinate focus on theological conformity causes schism, ultimately, and is 180 degrees in the opposite direction of where the "One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church” truly resides, historically as well as biblically.
Thus, our exile is a chance to model true biblical community. Where our focus is on our Common Life and what holds us together, which is quintessentially: "Loving God and our neighbor as ourselves"—a hallmark of true Anglican Christianity.
These conclusions were also shared by me with our New Member Class this past Sunday night--with 27 people in tow! Oh, how God is helping to soften hearts and open minds to the moral loveliness of genuine Christian community. My prayer for us this continuing Lenten season is that we contemplate the prayer of Christ for unity and ask, pray, and fast for our Lord to help us embrace the wisdom of The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, who rightly concluded: "We must learn to live together as brothers, or perish together as fools!"
The night began by telling the youth that there was no program planned, just hanging out. No activities, no set agenda, just being together. The e-mail inviting the youth to this weekly event asked: Tired of studying? Bored with sitcoms and reality shows? How about planning to solve the world’s problems before you go to bed? Though we did not solve the problems, we did begin preparing ourselves to solve problems by simply creating margins where our youth can relax, get reacquainted with each other and talk.
The conversation flowed from the card game “Hearts” to football, to gambling to caucus work to Obama to whether the US was more ready for a black leader or a female leader. Perhaps the most central theme though, was killer pet fish – Oscars, Dempseys, piranhas. Of course, this portion of the dialogue was facilitated by the male participants!
While our youth culture in America is filled with too much entertainment – wii, X-box, PS3; too much non-personal contact with people via e-mail and texting; too much violence and sexual content through movies, Ultimate Fighting marathons, and disrespectful toddlers with foul mouths in the Family Guy TV show, our youth at Grace Episcopal Church have a different challenge. Their challenge is to create margins.
Creating margins is the need to slow down. Between IB or AP homework and community service, between sports practice, band or orchestra, karate or dance, there are many fine activities in which our very busy, successful youth find themselves.
Creating margins is the equivalent of the “Holy Waste” of costly perfume poured over Jesus’ head by the woman who visited Jesus in the Gospel of Mark, 14th chapter. Many present at Simon the Leper’s house confronted this woman because it would have been more practical to sell the perfume and give the proceeds to the poor. The “waste” became “holy” because it was given to our Lord. Time is our most valuable possession.
So, we go to a coffee house from 8:30-10pm each Tuesday to slow down. (Hopefully the transporting and planning to get there doesn’t turn into another activity!) But, when we slow down, and hang out, we find we can have that which is one of our deepest desires as a human being --- community. Yes, creating margins allows us to create community. Come “waste” time with us.
Your RSVP is very important to be sure we have planned enough space. Please respond to Sherry Brown at 488-9783, Nel Benton Hough at 577-9426 or Susan Stoner at 548-9254.
In regards to the McWilliams House, Thomas Simmons, who has more than 20 years experience in research and documentation of historic buildings, explains in his affidavit that the National Trust for Historic Preservation uses the term "demolition by neglect" to describe "a situation in which a property owner intentionally allows a historic property to suffer severe deterioration, potentially beyond the point of repair.... Sometimes demolition by neglect occurs when an owner essentially abandons a historic property. More often neglect is an affirmative strategy used by an owner who wants to develop the property." In regard to the latter point, Simmons points out, the affidavit of Grace CANA Senior Warden Jon Wroblewski, may be illuminating: "The parish office rests on valuable property, it is an old building and is not well-suited to the mission of Grace Church & St. Stephen's. In the long run, it is probable that a new building will be placed on that ground (long after this case is over)."
You can refer to the latest claims, counterclaims and affidavits under Filings with the Court on our website.
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