Grace Episcopal Church

Plainfield, NJ

 
 
     
             

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Grace Online Newsletter

March 2010

Ann-Marie Aymer, Editor

Welcome to the Grace Online Newsletter!  We hope you enjoy it.

Table of Contents

Video Welcome

A Message from our Rector

Lectionary Readings and Service Schedule

March Birthdays

Lent 2010 at Grace Church

Community Organizing Workshop - Scholarships Available

13th Annual Feinstein Challenge to Fight Hunger

Men's Guild Update

Integrity Circle Gathering at Grace

Intimate Apparel An Off-Off-Off Broadway Hit at Grace Church!

Community News that You Can Use

A Work from the Editor

Video Welcome

Ann-Marie Aymer, Editor

 

The video requires the free Adobe Flash Player

 

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A Message from our Rector

Rev. Carolyn Ecklund

Visit the Pastor's Page for Mother Carolyn's message.

 

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Lectionary Readings and Service Schedule

Click on the date to open a new window with the lectionary readings.

 

March 7
Exodus 3:1-15
Psalm 63:1-8 (Page 670, BCP)
1 Corinthians 10:1-13
Luke 13:1-9

 

March 14
Joshua 5:9-12
Psalm 32 (Page 624, BCP)
2 Corinthians 5:16-21
Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32
 

March 21
Isaiah 43:16-21
Psalm 126 (Page 782, BCP)
Philippians 3:4b-14
John 12:1-8

 

March 28
Luke 19:28-40
Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29 (Page 760, BCP)
Isaiah 50:4-9a
Psalm 31:9-16 (Page 623, BCP)
Philippians 2:5-11
Luke 22:14-23:56
or Luke 23:1-49

 

Click here for the March Worship Schedule.

 

The schedule lists the worship facilitators including ushers, readers, alter guild, etc.  The free Adobe reader is required to view the link.

 

 

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March Birthdays

Birthdays
Kevin Adams
Kiva Brophy
Lorraine McKenzie
Emily Payne
Denise Simmons
Cynthia Smyth
Sakina Stocks

 

Lent 2010 at Grace Church

Your neighborhood church invites you to spend a holy Lent in the community of Grace.

 

“Let my prayer be set forth in your sight as incense, the lifting of my hands as the evening sacrifice.” Psalm 141:2

Click here for a full schedule of activities.

 

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Community Organizing Workshop - Scholarships Available

Kristen Claire Foley

"Be the change you want to see in the world." - Mahatma Gandhi

Grace Church is deeply connected to our neighborhoods, our communities, and our people. We know that we have been called by God to "bring good news to the oppressed" and to "repair the. . . cities." (Isaiah 61:1 and 4)

 

A workshop will be held on Saturday, April 17th from 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM to learn the skills and the steps to organize Grace Church for effective action within the church and the wider Plainfield community. The session will be presented by Mike Gecan, the creator of the Nehemiah Homes Project. This is an exciting opportunity to learn from an expert as well as from our sister churches seeking lasting, meaningful involvement in their communities.
 

The cost of the workshop is $20. There are three scholarships available as well as free transportation for up to three people. Anyone interested in attending (with or without the scholarship) should please contact Kristen Claire Foley at kristenclairefoley@gmail.com.

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13th Annual Feinstein Challenge to Fight Hunger

Jane Wilson, President of the Board of Directors
Plainfield Community Outreach

As you know, we have been serving meals to hungry people in Plainfield since 1994. At this time of year we conduct our only fund raising campaign, the Feinstein Challenge. Through this generous program $1 million is shared each year among agencies which, like Grace’s Kitchen, raise money during March and April. Please open your heart and give as generously as you can.
 

With the down turn our economy is facing, we anticipate cutbacks in funding for programs for the needy. We are blessed with friends like you who care enough about feeding hungry people in our area to do something about it. This year it will cost approximately $32,000 for the approximately 9,000 meals we will serve at Grace’s Kitchen. To better serve our guests we have made connections with local social service agencies to provide information and help to our clients. In addition, the PCO Board of Directors is pursuing funding for an accessible restroom for the use of Grace’s Kitchen guests and volunteers.

 

This is the first step in our plan to make the whole facility accessible to those with mobility problems.
 

All donations must be received during the months of March and April to be eligible for the Feinstein challenge matching program.
 

Please make your check out to Grace’s Kitchen and mail it to Grace's Kitchen, 600 Cleveland Ave., Plainfield, NJ 07060.
 

On behalf of the Board of Directors of Plainfield Community Outreach, Coordinator Mary Jo Buck and the staff and clients of Grace’s Kitchen, THANK YOU for all the time and treasure you contribute through your donation!

 

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Men's Guild Update

President: Kenneth Blenman

Vice President: Jason Algeo
Secretary: Robert Wilson

Treasurer: Dave Magee

Chaplain: Frank Walcott

 

During the month of January, the Men's Guild celebrated its 7th Anniversary since being formed and commissioned on January 15, 2003. Three members of the Church, Jim Coppock, John Hartman and Frank Walcott put their heads together, drew up some by-laws along with a Mission Statement which reads as follows:

  • To work in the service of God and to pursue a commitment as good stewardship

  • To use our God given talents for the good and spiritual welfare of Grace Church

  • To express brotherly love and appreciation to our fellowman in our Community

  • To labor in God's vineyard by inviting others to join and serve in this special ministry.

The Guild is open to all male members of the church from age 18, and meetings are held every 3rd Sunday of the month.
 

Since its inception, the Guild has completed many tasks, the initial one was to refurbish the tile floor in Knickle Hall, erect a fence at the Rectory, retile the hallway from the sacristy to the ladies' room, landscape the garden, and most recently complete the ramp on Cleveland Avenue. This ramp was constructed through painstaking efforts, through rain and cold weather. It was spearheaded by Robert Wilson, John Eklund, Jason Algeo, Dennis Bazzy, Tim Mann, Bob Carlson, Trevor King, Frank Walcott and Barbara Nichols, who sought out to secure the necessary permits to have it erected. Now, weather permitting, the ramp will be stained and weatherproofed. Thanks also to Jim Spears who oversaw the pouring of the concrete slab at the entrance.
 

The Guild has taken on and completed other projects too numerous to mention, so much so that our “to-do list” seems endless. In any event, we have extended our service to include doing light handy work for senior citizens in the congregation. We will, however, spend more time keeping the gardens and Grounds tidy this year. Please let us know that we are happy to oblige.

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Integrity Circle Gathering at Grace

"No good thing will God withhold from those who walk with integrity." - Psalm 84:11

 

Integrity, a national organization seeking the inclusion of all the baptized in all the sacraments, is beginning a circle at Grace Church. Integrity began in the mid-1970s as a place for support for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender Episcopalians. Encouraged by Mother Carolyn, a small group of parishioners gathered in All Saints' Chapel on a chilly winter evening for a planning session.

In the course of our conversation, we decided that there are three areas of interest for the Integrity Circle at Grace Church: prayer, community outreach, and education.

 

While we hope that Grace members and friends will attend these events, it is also our sincere desire that members of the wider Plainfield community feel welcome as well. A second planning and brainstorming session will be held in All Saints' Chapel on Tuesday, February 23rd at 7:30 PM.

 

It is important for as many people as possible to share their ideas and input with this budding new ministry. Grace Church's Integrity Circle's first event will be a Lenten Evening Prayer on Thursday, March 18th at 7 PM. We will gather for a simple supper of soup and bread and then worship together as a faithful community. All are welcome.

 

More information about Integrity can be found at www.integrityusa.org.

 

Please contact Kristen Claire Foley at kristenclairefoley@gmail.com with any questions, concerns, or suggestions.

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Intimate Apparel
An Off-Off-Off Broadway Hit at Grace Church!

Rev. Ted Moore - Deacon

One of the first of the many special Black History Month events at Grace Church this year was a fascinating dramatic reading of the drama Intimate Apparel by Pulitzer Prize prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage.

 

The play takes place at the turn of the 20th century in New York City. The main character, Esther, is a seamstress who lives in a boardinghouse owned by Mrs. Dickson, a widow who mothers the young women who board in her house. For 18 years, Esther, 35, has earned a living by making beautiful undergarments. She makes the same items for Mrs. Van Buren, rich socialite, as she does for her good friend Mayme, a prostitute.

 

Esther has a romance by mail with George, a man from Barbados who is working on the Panama Canal and whom she has never met. At the same time, a platonic relationship that has the capacity for love - a love that can never be - grows between Esther and Mr. Marks, a Jewish salesman who sells fabric. Esther eventually marries George, is betrayed by him and eventually ends up back in Mrs. Dickson's rooming house.

 

The dramatic reading of Intimate Apparel in Grace Hall on January 30 was superbly directed by Carrie Hayes, who did an expert job helping the actors interpret the characters. The cast consisted of three professional actors and two amateurs. Their performances were delivered with such passion and enthusiasm that it was easy to forget that the lines were being read and
were not fully dramatized.

 

The two amateur actors in the cast were Mother Carolyn Eklund, who portrayed Mrs. Van Buren, and Karen Moore, who enacted Mrs. Dickson. Kudos to both of them for their excellent performances.

 

The intimate setting of drama, which was performed on the stage of Grace Hall, added to the enjoyment of the evening. I hope Carrie is already at work planning the next drama for the stage at Grace Church.

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Community News that You Can Use

2010 Census is Coming!!!

The purpose of the census is to help determine how $400 billion of Federal Aid to U.S. cities will be distributed. It only happens every 10 years. The Postal Service will start delivering the questionnaires in mid March.

 

There are about 10 questions that need to be answered such as, name, sex, age, date of birth, race, household relationships, whether you own or rent, and where you live. You will not be ask to give your social security number legal status information. You will be given a postage paid envelope to send back the completed form. Stand up and be counted!!

 

If you're looking for part time work, they need workers. Call 1-866-861-2010 or go on their website at www.2010.census.gov.

 

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A Work from the Editor

Ann-Marie Aymer

Would you like to submit an article, story, poem or any type of artwork
to be included in Grace’s Monthly Newsletter?

 

The deadline for submissions is the 10th of every month.  The next deadline is Wednesday, March 10, 2010 for the March Edition

 

Please send any information to amaymer@verizon.net

 

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