News for January 4: Blessings of Doors for Epiphany, CE, and more
Blessing of Doors & Homes at Epiphany
Each year, many in the wider Christian community use chalk to write a blessing for our homes during Epiphany season. It is a longstanding custom to mark this Epiphany season, a time of celebrating the Light coming into the world, with a blessing for homes and families.
To do this, we will have chalk available for you at the end of the service this Sunday, January 4, along with a brief description of the script that the wider community uses.
The blessing involves writing 20 + C + M + B + 26 above the front door, with the letters standing for the Magi (Caspar, Melchior, Balthazar) and the Latin phrase Christus Mansionem Benedicat (“May Christ bless this house”).
Look for the basket of chalk at the end of the service this Sunday!
Christian Education and Spiritual Formation Opportunity in the New Year
As we look to begin the New Year (can you believe it’s 2026?), we wanted to invite you to explore an intentional formation space, Being Truly Human: Exploring Creativity and Imagination in our Practice of Faith. We continue to nurture our awareness of the Spirit’s presence in our lives, and we see how a key facet of this practice is to honor our gifts of creativity and imagination. When we seek to understand what it means to be fully human, we recognize how God has given each one of us creative gifts to share within the community–to take our place in the transformation and healing of the world.
Beginning Sunday, January 4, we will embark on an intergenerational formation experience as we explore our creative and imaginative gifts. As you read before, we will use The Artist’s Way: 30th Anniversary Edition by Julia Cameron as our guidebook for a special twelve-week series of conversations and presentations. Youth and adults will begin together in the parish hall at 9:30 AM each Sunday for brief presentations by parishioners, clergy, and community leaders. Then we will divide into the two age groups for further reflection. On January 4, we will begin our time together with an overview of the sessions, noting what topics we will explore and how the guidebook offers us a weekly format for deeper engagement in our individual creative processes.
Some may think, “I’m not a creative person.” I would argue that to be human is to be a creative person, to share in the divine life itself in such a way that we embody our distinct gifts and strengths in the world. The Spirit calls us to share our gifts within community, and we see how both our personal and shared presence can truly help heal the world. The “point” is not to paint or write poetry or sing; rather, the point is to be fully human and ask ourselves how the Spirit has given us each particular gifts of creativity and imagination that we can share.
So, I really hope you’ll come and share in this experience! I look forward to those who will be guest presenters each week, as we explore such diverse practices as prayer cards, dream work, visual art, art with children, chanting, work with herbs, and poetry–and more!
Blessings to all,
Stuart
Compline
Join us for the first Compline service of the new year on January 6. The service meets on zoom at 8 PM each Tuesday. The link is found on our website and in the calendar section at the bottom of every newsletter.
Caregiver Support Group
The Caregiver Support Group, sponsored by Alzheimer’s Association Georgia, meets in the parlor at 5:30 PM on the first Tuesday of every month. The first meeting of the year will be January 6. Alzheimer’s Association® support groups, conducted by trained facilitators, provide a space for those caring for dementia patients to relieve stress, find comfort, and share resources. The group is open to all.
Charis Circles at Grace
The School for Prayer and Spiritual Practice invites you to participate in our next round of Charis Circles. The group will meet the second Wednesday of each month at 6:30 PM starting Wednesday, January 14. Please note that April’s date will be the third Wednesday to avoid conflict with Spring Break.
If you want to explore more, or join the group, please email Meg McPeek, Assistant for Formation & Community Life.
“Field Trip” to the Cathedral’s Evensong Service
For those who would love to soak in a time of prayer and music, you are invited to join this special “field trip” experience to the Cathedral of St. Philip on Sunday, January 18. That weekend, many of the women in the parish will be at the annual Women’s Retreat, so any others who want, I can rent a van (with enough interest) and take a group to St. Philip’s that afternoon to experience their Evensong service.
We’ll leave the Grace parking lot at 2 PM, drive to St. Philip’s in time for the organ concert at 3:30 and Evensong at 4 PM. Then, we’ll go across the street for pizza! I promise we’ll work to have a great soundtrack for the journey down and back as well. During this Epiphany-tide, perhaps this opportunity will give you a chance to reflect more on God’s Light in our common life. If you want to ride, let me know by Monday, January 12, and I’ll look to arrange the van.
Blessings,
Stuart
Annual Meeting
All parishioners are encouraged to attend the Annual Parish Meeting of Grace Episcopal Church between the services on Sunday, February 1. Join us in the parish hall from 9:30 – 10:30 AM to hear key reports of parish business and enjoy a continental breakfast.
Voting for the vestry election will begin next week, and we will announce the four new vestry members at the meeting on February 1. The nominees this year are: Chip Branch, Bob Byrne, Gary Lawrence, Rob Riedinger, Laura Rives, Tracy Troutman, Ben Wagner, and Spencer Walker. Next week’s newsletter will contain a link to their bios and photos so you can learn more about the nominees.
Dates for Your Calendar
Look ahead to upcoming opportunities for prayer, worship, and community!
- January 16-18 Women’s Retreat
- January 25 FOM: UNG Faculty Recital
- February 1 Annual Parish Meeting
- February 8 Outdoor Eucharist
- February 17 Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper
- February 18 Ash Wednesday
The Glimpses of Grace Podcast
We invite you to explore the podcast on Spotify (or your podcast app of choice) or here on this website!
This post highlights events and news of the parish. For full news, we invite you to subscribe to our weekly e-newsletter.