News for September 7: Feast Day Potluck, Sunday Forum Notes, and more
Feast Day Potluck Lunch
For lunch following the combined 10 AM service on September 14, Grace will provide a pasta station which includes 2 pastas (a gluten free choice will also be available), 3 sauces: alfredo, meat sauce (beef and sausage), or marinara, and 3 toppings: chicken, meatballs, or italian sausage. Salad and breadsticks will also be provided.
Please bring a dessert, vegetable side dish, or beverage to share according to the assignment below based on the first letter of your last name so we have a nice variety of extra items to enjoy!
- A-J dessert
- K-R vegetable side
- S-Z beverage
We hope you plan to be here Sunday, September 14 to celebrate our parish feast day and spend time together as we step more fully into the fall season at Grace.
Fall Foyers Deadline
Foyers groups are forming now. Sign up on our website by Sunday, September 7 if you are interested in participating!
Not sure what “foyers” is? Quite simply, foyers is an opportunity for those who participate to become better acquainted and enjoy each other’s company. Small groups of adults meet in one another’s homes for a simple meal and fellowship. The group rotates homes until everyone in the group has had a chance to host. We’ll aim to create groups of 6 people and each group would meet 3 times this fall.
Sunday Forum Notes
Beginning this Sunday, we will explore the development and theological meaning of the Book of Common Prayer. Did you know that we can trace the collects and prayers in our Book of Common Prayer back to the year 120 CE? Do you want to know how influences from ancient Christian communities in Alexandria, Egypt and Syria influenced the prayers we use today? What did Queen Elizabeth I have to do with the way we pray today?
Knowing where we come from helps us understand many of the deep questions that we still have. The Sunday Forum class is a great opportunity to learn more about the development of our practice of prayer through the centuries—as well as how we embody the customs and practices from today. We will continue each week to highlight connections with our liturgy, recognizing always that, as the deep saying goes, “how we pray shapes how we believe.”
The Sunday Forum is also a wonderful way to meet others who are newer to the community, so I encourage everyone to attend to delve more deeply into who we are and how we see and live in the world.
Blessings,
Stuart
One Service September 14
We will celebrate our annual parish feast day: the Feast of the Holy Cross on Sunday, September 14. There will be one combined service that day, at 10:00 AM followed by a pasta lunch and fellowship in the parish hall. Parish feast days give a community a focus point in the year to pay closer attention to a key facet and teaching from Jesus’s own life.
As usual, we will offer the opportunity for folks to walk onto the chancel and view the stone embedded in our altar. The stone, carved in the shape of the cross, is from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, in Jerusalem, a site that for over 1,500 years has been the focus of veneration for Christ’s crucifixion and burial. This relic embedded in our altar helps us have a physical grounding for our prayers. It is a sacramental experience for us to come forward and offer a prayer and remember.
To commemorate this feast day, we’ll also have a station for you to take home your own basil seed starter kit. Legend says Saint Helena, while searching for the True Cross, discovered it under a patch of basil!
EYC Gathering
Our Episcopal Youth Community will gather for fun and fellowship on Sunday, September 14 from 5-7 PM in room 115 of the Grace Center.
Save the Date
Grace Church Friends of Music opens its 2025-2026 season on Sunday, October 26 at 4:00 PM. The Parish Choir and Cumberland Chamber Orchestra will present Mozart’s Coronation Mass, Eine kleine Nachtmusik, and Exsultate, jubilate. Concert is free and open to the community. A reception will follow in the parish hall.
Christian Education
Christian Education classes for children, youth, and adults will meet from 9:30 – 10:30 AM on September 7. Classes will NOT meet on September 14.
Children
Godly Play I (3-6 years old) meets in room 109 of The Grace Center.
Godly Play II (7-9 years old) meets in room 111 of The Grace Center.
Youth
Youth age 10-13 will meet in room 126 of The Grace Center.
Youth age 14-18 will meet in room 115 of The Grace Center.
Adults
The Sunday Forum will meet in the parish hall.
Parenting with Grace will meet in the conference room.
Dates for Your Calendar
Look ahead to upcoming opportunities for prayer, worship, and community!
- September 10 Charis Circles Begin
- September 14 Parish Feast Day & Luncheon
- September 14 EYC Gathering
- September 28 Blessing of Animals
- October 26 Mozart’s Coronation Mass
- November 2 All Saints’ Day with Midtown Brass
- November 12 Sound Bath
- November 18 Thanksgiving Potluck
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!
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