Online Tidings
Pentecost 25, November 18th, 2007
P.O. Box 51410, Colorado Springs, CO 80949
www.graceepiscopalcolosprings.org
grace.episcopal.church@gmail.com
719/328-1125
Prayer of the Week
On Thanksgiving Day
Almighty and gracious Father, we give you thanks for the fruits of the earth in their season and for the labors of those who harvest them. Make us, we beseech thee, faithful stewards of thy great bounty, for the provision of our necessities and the relief of all who are in need, to the glory of thy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Amen.
Book of Common Prayer Page 194
Thanks to Director Gayle Grace and the members of the First Christian Choir as they joined with Choirmaster Deke Polifka and the St. Stephen's and Taylor Choirs in last week's offertory anthem Lord, Make Me an Instrument (from Lux Perpetua) by Jonathan Willcocks.
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Diocesan Cycle of Prayer
In the Diocesan Cycle of Prayer, today we remember those who work with children and youth, the Sangre de Cristo Region of our Diocese and its Missioner, Paul Lautenschlager, St. Francis' Church in Dillon, St. Matthew's Church in Parker and St. Stephen's Church in Longmont.
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Weekly Calendar
| Sunday, November 18 | Adult Education in the Fellowship Hall | 11:30 am |
| Thanksgiving Ingathering | |
| Choral Eucharist at FCC | 12:45 pm |
| Guest Homilist: The Rev. Desmond Goonesekera |
| Children's Sunday School | 1:30 pm |
| Youth Group | 2:00 pm |
| Tuesday, November 20 | Holy Communion | 10:00 am |
| Fr. Michael's Bible Study | 10:40 am |
| Brown Bag Lunch at FCC | 12:00 pm |
| Grace Notes Handbell Choir | 7:15 pm |
| Wednesday, November 21 | Joint Downtown Churches Thanksgiving Service at First Presbyterian | 7:00 pm |
| Thursday, November 22 | Grace Thanksgiving Day Service at First Christian | 10:00 am |
| Sunday, November 25 | Adult Education in the Fellowship Hall | 11:30 am |
| Choral Eucharist at FCC | 12:45 pm |
| Children's Sunday School | 1:30 pm |
| Youth Group | 2:00 pm |
| Hanging of the Greens at First Christian | 2:30 pm |
To see this in a printable calendar layout, click here.
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Enter the Silence
On the morning of December 7th we will invite members of FCC and the other Episcopal parishes to join in our annual Quiet Day. This is a gift for our spirits as we prepare for the glory of the Incarnation. As usual we will meet at 9:00 am for Morning Prayer in the Chapel and then observe a meditative time of silence until a light lunch is served. A booklet of devotions, prayers, and poems will be available. Please call the office so we can plan lunch.
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Choral Evensong
On the evening of December 7th we will invite the entire community to join us for a Choral Evensong at Shove Chapel, 1010 N. Nevada Avenue on the Colorado College campus, starting at 6:00 pm. The St. Stephen's and Taylor Choirs will present music of Herbert Howells, C.V. Stanford, Andrew Carter and Paul Manz as we enter the season of Advent. Please spread the word about this event to those you know who might be interested, plan to join us and bring a friend.
Christmas is Coming
The choir at First Christian is doing an easy fund-raiser for their choir room renovation, selling high-end cutlery, kitchen tools, stoneware and candles. You may shop on line at RADA Cutlery, and the site is very easy to use. The fundraising site features quality cutlery, stoneware, bread and dip mixes, candles, and recipe books. All would make great gifts for Christmas! Pick up an information sheet near the tall desk in the Fellowship Hall. Look for the heading, "Christmas is coming". It is an easy and fun way to help our friends at FCC.
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Hanging of the Greens
Please remember to sign up this Sunday to help FCC with the Hanging of the Greens taking place on Sunday, November 25th, beginning at 2:30. We would love to have more people to help "green" the church for the holidays. Since Grace is also providing the food for the dinner afterwards, we could use more volunteer cooks to help. We are making soup, bread, and desserts to feed both congregations after their hard work. Pastor Dave and Father Michael will also be sharing Advent traditions at the dinner hour. The sign up can be found at the trestle table between the sanctuary and Fellowship Hall. Thank you!
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Thanks for All
On Wednesday, November 21st, several of the downtown churches will be banding together to celebrate a joint Thanksgiving service. First Presbyterian Church, 219 E. Bijou Street, will be our hosts this year. A buffet dinner will be provided at the church at 5:00 p.m. for the cost of $8.00. There is no need to make a reservation ahead of time. The Thanksgiving service will begin at 7:00 p.m. Father O'Donnell will be one of the celebrants to represent our church. If you have any questions, feel free to call First Presbyterian Church, 884-6100, or Marti Lindberg, 328-1125.
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Focus on our Members: Sarah Smith
Sarah Apgar Smith is a new member of Grace Church. Her husband, Ben, is deployed to Iraq currently and will return in January to join us as well! Originally from Baltimore, Maryland, Sarah first migrated west with the Army to Fort Carson in 2003, where she and Ben met. The Smiths have a house in Cheyenne Canon next door to Joyce, Deke and Elle Polifka. Following a barbeque at the Polifka’s house at which discussion ranged from a common family interest in organ music to a description of Episcopal Church life on the east coast, Joyce and Deke invited Sarah to visit Grace that Sunday. Sarah says it has been a blessing for her to be introduced to our community, especially at this wearing time.
After spending a year in Europe teaching eighth graders since Ben has been away, Sarah returned to Colorado Springs this summer to start a new outdoor tours and education business called TrailSmiths. The vision for the effort arose from a background leading wilderness trips, teaching soldiers and coaching athletes, as well as spending a large part of life out of doors. Sarah reflected recently on her inspirations for her work: “Most people find that when they are in the outdoors they are most at peace. They also experience discovery, emotion, spirit and confidence in ways they haven’t before. In my life this has always been true – throughout my childhood exploring the Maine coast, on college backpacking trips, and in my new marriage. In fact, Ben and my partnership, in its infancy, probably grew and strengthened most during our time together backpacking in Denali National Park in Alaska. We did not see another human nor a single manmade structure for a week and found new connections within ourselves.” Sarah added that she wants to share that same love and revelation with others by conducting snowshoeing, hiking and biking tours in Colorado. Her commitment to leadership and building dynamic people led to the creation of her leadership academy in addition. “I look forward to merging my spiritual growth in the outdoors with that which I hope to find at Grace. That is a blessed opportunity.”
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Directory Still Available
Remember, the first version of the membership directory is still available for a $2 donation. Please see Jan Malvern at the desk in the Fellowship Hall for your copy. If you have any corrections to your entry, please send an email to grace.episcopal.church@gmail.com so we can insure it is correct in the next version. Thank you!
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Lost and Found
If you have left glasses or gloves at First Christian, or even going back as far as Shove Chapel in the past six months, look for those items in a basket at the Information Desk after church this Sunday.
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