News from Grace Episcopal Church, Amherst August 2016

THIS THING CALLED LIFE

Have you ever had a dream in which you seemed to have solved all your problems? In the dream, you seemed to have achieved intense clarity on things that were nothing but opaque in your awakened state. While dreaming, you may even say to yourself, “Now I get it! Now I understand!” It all makes sense.

If you’re like me, you may reach for paper and pen on the night table to scribble down a few notes of this newfound enlightenment – capture it while it is still fresh on your mind. But then you wake up in the morning, and it’s all gone. The notes are gibberish and the dream evaporates faster than the morning dew. How many mornings you wake up thinking, “that was some dream”, but can’t remember one thing. All that is left is the haunting feeling that for a brief fleeting moment the secrets of life were unlocked for you.

St. Augustine, one of the greatest Christian theologians, had something similar to say about fathoming the mysteries of God. “If you have understood,” he wrote, “then what you have understood is not God.” (Sermon 117:5)

We can know God, we can love God, but we can never fully understand God – and that is a good thing! Imagine if God were fully and completely knowable. God would have an endpoint and everything would be finite – a limit to revelation, inspiration, and the unfolding mystery of God. How awful and terribly sad that would be.

In the Old Testament, the inability to fully comprehend God is illustrated in the mystery of God’s name. In the Book of Exodus, when God calls Moses to bring the Israelites out of Egypt, Moses asks God what he should tell the people when they ask him for God’s name. God says to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” (Exodus 3:14). God is who God is; God will be who God will be. This most holy name implies there is no limit to God. Our God is a God who is known today, but who will be more knowable to us tomorrow, ever more and ever increasing, into eternity.

The late artist, formerly known as, Prince wrote in one of his songs: “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today 2 get through this thing called life.” It seems we have two choices on how we will journey through this thing called life. We can live life frustrated because we cannot always make sense of life. We can let the things that are beyond our control and beyond our comprehension frustrate us.

OR

We can willingly accept the fact that not all our questions will be answered. We can never know or understand everything, but we can live each day with the purpose of, with God’s help, learning and discovering more. Living into the mystery of God is an exciting way to live.

In the words of the psalmist: This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. (Psalm 118:24). Now, imagine, dream if you will, what our ever-revealing and enlightening God has in store for us tomorrow.

Grace and peace,

The Rev. Tom Synan+

www.gracechurchamherst.org Ministry at Grace

September is right around the corner and with it come many opportunities for service. Below is a list of all available ministries here at Grace.

Acolytes, Altar Guild, Angel Choir, Lectors, LEMS, Lay Eucharistic Visitors, Music Ministry, Outreach Commission, Ushers, Counters, Haiti Ministry, Ramalla, Episcopal Peace Fellowship, Brother Lawrence Guild, Funeral Reception, Columbarium, Garden Ministry, Greening Grace, Iconography, Men’s Group, Over 60’s Gathering, St. Nicholas Bazaar, Christmas Pageant, Tea and Titles, Mutual Care, Prayer Circle, Stewardship, Archives Committee, Planned Giving, Finance Committee, Property, Coffee Hour/Hospitality, Sunday School, Adult Education, Rite 13, Sunday Bible Study, Contemplative Bible Study, Evensong

For additional information on each ministry, visit this link to access A Guide to Grace Church.

www.gracechurchamherst.org We are a community striving to be fully alive in the glory of God — in our life together, in our participation in the sacraments, and in our efforts to respect the dignity of every human being. Come worship with us, join our Music Ministry or the Altar Guild, help out with Sunday School, or join us in service at the Interfaith Cot Shelter, Craig’s Doors, or Not Bread Alone. Try knitting a prayer shawl, or grab a shovel and help us to plant our new gardens in the spring! We hope that you will join us and find a home where you can discover the life of Christ that dwells within you and that needs community to find its full expression. We look forward to seeing you in Church, at gatherings in the Parish Hall, or at coffee hour after services, in the Connector. If you are new here, please fill out a blue “Welcome card” (found in the pews). Just place it in the collection plate, and indicate if you would like to speak with a member of the clergy.

Interfaith Matters - A note from your ION rep. Eve Webster Did you know that Grace Church is part of the Interfaith Opportunities Network? In fact, our own Zina Tillona was one of the founders. Ion was founded in 2005 in order to “provide a lay interfaith network that strengthens communication, leading to education and collaboration among participating congregations.” There are representatives from Moslem, Jewish, and a variety of Christian communities. You will find their names and personal statements at www.interfaithamherst.org. Our June meeting was at Immanuel Lutheran Church where Pastor Steven Wilco was present as host. Reflecting on the meeting, he reminded us of three rules for religious understanding attributed to Krister Stendahl, former dean of Harvard Divinity School and Lutheran bishop of Stockholm. 1. When trying to understand another religion, ask the adherents of that religion and not its enemies. 2. Don’t compare your best to their worst. 3. Leave room for “holy envy”. Holy envy, according to Steve is “the deep appreciation of traditions and beliefs of other religious groups while remaining rooted in one’s own.”

COMPOSTING at GRACE CHURCH! We have compost bins behind the Parke House on Spring St. Please consider bringing your kitchen food waste to add to them. Fruit, vegetables, tea leaves, coffee grounds, grass cuttings, flowers and any plant material (NO WOODY STEMS or WEEDS) are all welcome. PLEASE NO FATS, MEAT or PLASTIC BAGS! The worms are already doing their wonderful thing, so it would help them if all contributions could be put under the pieces of carpet. Thank you so much. Instructions are on the bins. Questions Mary Hocken 549-8773 or [email protected] for the Garden Committee.

www.gracechurchamherst.org Archives The First Rector After the organizational meeting at Mary Jones' house, Sunday services were held for the next year and a half in the hall of the Amherst Academy building which stood on the site of the current parking lot across the street from the Jones Library. For a few months these services were conducted by the Rev. Andrew Croswell, who was a missionary priest in North Cambridge and a friend of Rev. Frederick Dan Huntington. But on 20 Oct 1864, just one month after the first organizational meeting, the parish voted to extend a call to Rev. Samuel P. Parker, D. D., to become the rector of Grace Church, offering him a salary of $1,200 per year, including $200 per year to be paid by the Rev. Frederick Dan Huntington. Instead of replying immediately, Mr. Parker hesitated. He was 59 years old in a time when the average life expectancy for a white male in the U.S. was 40.5 years. He was comfortably situated in the dual rectorships of St. Paul's Church, Stockbridge, and Trinity Church, Lennox, two of the oldest churches in western . His connections to Stockbridge went back over 30 years when he had been a deacon minister. He had planned to retire in Stockbridge and he had many friends there. Did he have the stamina to "uproot" and to start a new church? Fred Huntington thought he did, because he recommended Sam as his choice for the new rector. Did his wife have a say in this endeavor? Without formally accepting the call, he offered to serve on a temporary basis beginning the first Sunday in Advent, 1864. He occupied the pulpit throughout Advent, Christmas, and Epipheny and he must have liked the people of Grace Church because his letter of acceptance was read at a parish meeting held 15 Jan 1865. His rectorship started immediately. The church was coming together piece-by-piece... wardens, vestry, an enthusiastic congregation, and now, a rector. Next, some land... and a building?

Samuel P. Parker, First Rector What was Samuel P. Parker's middle name? It was "Parker." His mother had married a second cousin with the same surname and they decided to use the popular naming convention giving the boy his mother's maiden name as a middle name... thus he became Samuel Parker Parker.

Samuel Parker was born 10 Sep 1805 in . He was the grandson of the late Rev. Samuel Parker (1744 - 1804), the second Bishop of the diocese of Massachusetts (for one year, 1804.) Having been prepared for college at the Boston Latin School, he entered Harvard in 1820. Graduating in 1824, he became an usher and, subsequently, sub master of the Boston Latin School. After some years occupied in teaching he prepared himself for the Christian ministry in the Episcopal Church. His first job was deacon minister of Trinity Church, Lenox (1834 - 1836,) beginning before his ordination later in 1834. Concurrently, he was helping to establish a new church, St. Paul's Church, Stockbridge (1835 - 1838) where, for awhile, he held services in a schoolroom and then in the town hall. A new church building was built in the 1840s after his departure, but Samuel was involved in all of the planning. 20 April 1836, Samuel Parker married, in Stockbridge, Catherine Eliza Pomeroy (1809-1880,) the granddaughter of Judge Theodore Sedgwick, a delegate to the Continental Congress, a Representative and Senator from Massachusetts, and the fourth Speaker of the United States House of Representatives during the administration of John Adams. She was also the niece of Catharine Sedgwick, one of the first recognized female writers in the United States. Samuel Parker and Eliza had five children born 1836-1858. In 1841, while still working part-time at St. Paul's, he became the minister of Trinity Church, Van Deusenville, MA (a village within the town of Great Barrington.) [This small, clapboard church, after its de-consecration many years later, became the home of Ray and Alice Brock and played an important role in 's 1967 song and the 1969 movie, "Alice's Restaurant."] In 1844, he became the full-time rector of St. Paul's, Stockbridge, for two years. Then he moved with his family to to work as an assistant to the Rev. William August Muhlenberg, the founder of the Church School Movement. He also served as a fill- in sermonizer in several churches in the city. Circa 1849, he accepted a call to St Mary's Church on Staten Island, where a beautiful stone church, erected through his personal appeals and devoted labor, in place of the small wooden structure in which he at first offi- ciated, remains a monument to his untiring energy and zeal. His love of the , however, was still quite strong, and in 1855 his family moved back to Stockbridge to the dual rectorships of St. Paul's and Trinity Church in Lenox, at the same time devoting a part of the day to preparing students for college. In 1861 Union College in Schenectady conferred upon him the degree of DD. He remained until 1865 when he answered the call of Grace Church. It was another opportunity to found and nurture a new church... despite his reluctance to leave his home and friends in Stockbridge, despite his wife's reluctance, and despite his age and infirmities, he said "yes."

www.gracechurchamherst.org Archives Frederick Dan Huntington was probably happy to "turn over the reins" of Grace Church to a full-time rector. He had been traveling back and forth from Boston in his role as shepherd to this new, start-up flock. One of the Rev. Parker's first speeches to the entire community was at the town-wide public service on the day of the funeral of President Lincoln, 19 Apr 1865. At 11:00 am the church bells began to toll and at noon the service in the "brick church" (First Congregational, third meeting house) began. Citizens of the town from all parts and all denominations crowded into its pews. In the pulpit were Rev. H. L. Hubbel, Professor J. H. Seeley, and Rev. Dr. Samuel P. Parker. There is no record of what he said that day, but the speech solidified his position as one of the moral authorities and great preachers of the region. Rev. Parker's annual reports to the diocese are full of success stories. The first report written in 1866 describes fund raising success, a new building nearing completion, and a long list of gifts given to decorate and celebrate the consecration of the new church. He wrote: "It is felt by all churchmen, alive to the importance of planting of our Church in New England, and acquainted with the history of this new enterprise, that the formation and success of this Parish , thus far, is the work of God. A warm religious interest has marked ev- ery step, and earnestness and boldness of operation have stamped it with the seal of Faith. It has compelled the respect, and, to a large extent, even the sympathy of a community, whose education and associations are alien. Its position, in the presence of two col- leges, where it may reach the hearts and minds of the vast number of young men coming hither to be educated, in coming time, ele- vates it to a place of the foremost importance, among Church enterprises in our whole land." The 1867 report was shorter, but still filled with more gifts, in some cases the doubling of an earlier generous offering. Seventy of the eighty-four pews were subscribed. He concluded: "The parish is united, hopeful, and active in works of love. May the Grace of God continue to be multiplied and rest upon it." In the 1868 report he mentioned that a new $1,550 organ had been installed... and that half of the cost had already been paid. But he seemed most pleased about the students. Twenty Amherst College students were regular worshippers and several were communi- cants. Of these, one was a candidate for the ministry. Thirty or forty were present regularly at the evening service and several stu- dents were teachers in the Sunday school. A graduate of the class of 1867, who had been confirmed the previous year, proposed to become a candidate for the ministry. With these successes to report and with the church firmly planted in Amherst soil, Rev. Parker tendered his resignation on 17 Jan 1869, which was accepted with deep regret; resolutions were passed expressing "the sense of loss experienced by church and parish in parting from one whose labors among them had been so untiring and crowned with such success." But... he didn't go back immediately to Stockbridge to rest on his laurels. After successive periods of service in Exeter, NH, Win- chester, and Melrose he again returned to Stockbridge and officiated in vacant churches in that vicinity, and last at Sheffield. During his final residency in Stockbridge he took a lively interest in all that concerned the welfare of the town and its people, the beautifying of the place, the improvement of the public library, and selection of its books to which he gave much time and thought. Dr. Parker was a man of fine classical attainments and pure literary taste; a clear, vigorous, and polished writer; and an earnest and instructive preacher. Several of his sermons prepared by invitation for special occasions were published at the request of the hearers and essays and articles from his pen appeared from time to time in the church magazines. He was universally respected and beloved. Samuel Parker Parker died 16 Nov 1880 in his beloved Stockbridge. His wife had preceded him in death by three months. They were survived by two sons and two daughters. They were both buried in the Sedgwick Family plot, D-13, in the Stockbridge Ceme- tery. In 1901, a memorial altar and reredos of quartered oak were placed in Grace Church given in memory of the Rev. Samuel P. Parker by his friends and former students. In St. Paul's Church, Stockbridge, a lovely stained glass window, "St. Paul Preaching at Athens," by John Lafarge, is a memorial to Rev. Parker and a work of art worthy of a visit.

www.gracechurchamherst.org Outreach

Outreach! Our July Outreach Offerings brought in $1000.00 to be sent to Amherst Committee for A Better Chance.

Not Bread Alone is a community meal program that offers FREE homemade, hot meals and groceries to anyone in need. Meals are provided three days a week and on Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving and Christmas in Ongoing Interfaith Vigil Against Drone Warfare the lower level dining room of the First Congregational Tuesday, August 2nd and August 16th at noon in the Church in Amherst, 165 Main St. Grace Church Parker Room. Silent meditation, prayers, members volunteer on the second Saturday of each discussion. Pray for peace in our time. All are welcome. month from 10:30-2:30. For more information or to volunteer, please contact Chris Hoffman ([email protected])

www.gracechurchamherst.org Grace in Haiti Good News from the Haiti Ministry School is out for the summer in Bayonnais, but there is more activity than ever at our partner school, St. Matthieu. Thanks to the generosity of Grace parishioners and others, a new classroom building has been rising in recent weeks and is now nearly complete. This is the first purpose-built building the school has known—hitherto, classes have met in the church and, as enrollment mushroomed, also in an abandoned goat shed. The six new classrooms are arranged in a line, with a graceful arcaded porch running the length of the building. It serves as a breezy open-air hallway, connecting all six rooms and providing welcome shade for the classroom windows from the intense Haitian sun. The building meets the latest Haitian standards for earthquake-proofing, with extra rebar and horizontal bracing bands. When school begins in September, grades one to six will each have a dedicated classroom. The youngest children and largest class—the two-year Préscolaire, equivalent to US preschool and kindergarten combined—will have the entire church sanctuary to themselves. Providing for future contingencies, the priest in charge of the school, Father Diegue, decided to employ a concrete slab roof rather than a gabled roof of sheet metal, not only because it is more durable, but also because it would permit adding a second story someday, should the school expand to incorporate additional grades. He is also having electrical conduit installed, in the hope that solar panels can eventually be added, which would make the school the only electrified structure in the village. The project appears to be on budget and on schedule. If enough funds remain, the next priorities are to build a teachers’ room and a storeroom. We are awaiting cost figures and keeping our fingers crossed. For the second year in a row, the Haiti Ministry will underwrite teacher training in August for the school’s seven teachers. A team of trainers from Port-au-Prince will come to La Redemption, a large K-12 school in Gonaives, the city nearest Bayonnais, to offer a week-long program geared toward preparing the teachers for a recertification that is slated to take place in 2018. Gonaives was chosen as the site so that the trainers will have access to electricity for the visual aspect of their presentations. Another person busy on the school’s behalf this summer is the tailor who makes the school uniforms. The Haiti Ministry plans to send $4000 to St. Matthieu for uniforms and textbooks for the new school year. We are deeply grateful to the congregation for responding so generously to the capital campaign for the new building. We hope you will also continue to support the ongoing expenses of operating the school, primarily the seven teachers’ salaries, and that when you’re buying school supplies for your own children or for “Project Backpack,” you’ll pick up some extra crayons, pencils, and composition books for the pupils of St. Matthieu. A box for these donations is in the Connector. Celebrate the momentous new classroom building and enjoy an afternoon in the country at an Indian Summer Spectacular, a benefit for St. Matthieu, described elsewhere in this issue. It may be the most expensive ice-cream sundae you’ve ever had, but look at all your investment will achieve!

The new six-classroom building for St. Matthieu’s Head teacher Clibert Massillon surveys the roof, School, with its arcaded porch, is nearly complete. as electricians lay electrical conduit.

www.gracechurchamherst.org

Upcoming Events at Grace

An Indian Summer Spectacular!

Ice Cream Social and Fall Garden Stroll

Sunday, September 11, 3-6 p.m.* At the Niswongers’, 8 North Street, Williamsburg**

Build the sundae of your dreams Tour extensive, colorful, terraced gardens Enjoy an afternoon in the country Lawn games and art activities for kids

Bring the family or a friend!

$25 for 1 or 2 people $35 for a family

A benefitbenefit forfor St.St. Matthieu’sMatthieu’s SchoolSchool inin Bayonnais,Bayonnais, Haiti

Reservations required, by September 5. To reserve, email [email protected]

*Rain date: Saturday, Sept. 17, 2-5 p.m.

**Only 35 minutes’ drive from Grace Church. Rides from the church will be available. Watch the Sunday Bulletin for details.

www.gracechurchamherst.org “At the end of life we will not be judged by how many diplomas we have received, how much money we have made, how many great things we have done. We will be judged by "I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat, I was naked and you clothed me. I was homeless, and you took me in.” -Mother T eresa

seeks to further the healing ministry of We coordinate parishioners eager to help Jesus Christ in our parish family by Grace Church members or their families offering prayer and support to members of during an illness or family crisis. Short-term Grace Church who are sick, injured, help includes offering rides to church or to disabled, aged, and those who find medical appointments; bringing meals to the themselves in crisis or in challenging door, shopping for groceries, picking up transitions. For more information or to prescriptions, and visiting. Quarterly request assistance, please contact facilitators accept referrals from clergy, Jeannette Stebbins ([email protected]). family or friends. Please contact Jeannette Stebbins([email protected]) for more information.

Do you know someone who can’t get to church? Lay Eucharistic Visitors or LEV’s are trained ministers who are given Communion from the altar, and take it out to share with parishioners who cannot get to church. LEV’s offer home-bound and nursing home residents a chance to share Holy Communion with the rest of the gathered parish. Please think about who would welcome having a LEV bring Communion. Please call the Parish Administrator Angela Battle at 256-6754, speak to any clergy member, or email Mary McCarthy at [email protected] to make arrangements.

Prayer Circle is ready to pray for the needs of those in crisis who want a degree of anonymity. Names will be held in confidence by members of the Circle and will not be published outside Circle members. Names will remain on the list for a month, unless otherwise requested. If you would like to be prayed for in this way, or would like to make a request for a loved one, please contact: MJ Fowler ([email protected])

www.gracechurchamherst.org

Grace Notes August 2016

Return Service Requested

“Grace is nothing else but a certain Beginning of glory in us.” --Thomas Aquinas

Grace Episcopal Church • On the Common •14 Boltwood Avenue, Amherst, MA 01002-2301

Phone: (413) 256-6754 • Fax: (413) 256-3518 • [email protected] • www.gracechurchamherst.org

Friday 5:30 pm Evensong pm 5:30 Friday

Wednesday 12:10 pm Rite I Holy Eucharist and Healing Prayer Healing and Eucharist Holy I Rite pm 12:10 Wednesday

Sunday 8:00 am and 10:30 am Holy Eucharist Holy am 10:30 and am 8:00 Sunday

Service Schedule Service

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