The Messenger Grace-St
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The Messenger Grace-St. Luke's Episcopal Church Volume 65, No. 4 April 2019 Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday April 14 Blessing of The Palms and Procession 8 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 5:30 p.m. Special Children’s Craft (Holy Week Boxes) and All-Ages Palm-Cross Making with GSL Heart and Hands Fellowship (9:30-10:20 a.m.) Holy Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday April 15-17, Noon Holy Communion in the Chapel, 30-minute service without music Holy Wednesday April 17, 6 p.m. A Community Service of Forgiveness and Healing, 6 p.m., 45-minute liturgy amid an array of candles, will hold sacred space and time for worshippers to receive prayers for healing and the option of anointing with holy oil, meditative music, Holy Communion, and to reflect on God as forgiveness and hope. Maundy Thursday April 18, 7 p.m. Maundy Thursday Service with optional Foot-washing, and the Stripping, Washing, and Anointing of the Altar, 7 to 8:30 p.m. followed by an Overnight Prayer Vigil in the Chapel. Sign up in advance or after the liturgy to “watch and pray” for at least one hour. The Reserved Sacrament will be encircled by greenery to signify a garden; meditation books will be available; a host will be at the door to assist watchers arriving and leaving; a priest will end the vigil at 7:30 a.m. with by prayers for Good Friday. Vigil sign-up: www.tinyurl.com/OvernightVigil2019 Good Friday April 19, Noon Service of Music & Meditations, Noon. One-hour service includes a reading of the Passion, hymns, music for choir and organ, meditations by the Reverends Katherine M. Bush, Meredith Jane Day, Amy M. George, and Ollie V. Rencher, Communion from the Reserved Sacrament, and the Solemn Collects before a clergy-led Stations of the Cross at 1:00 p.m. beginning at the Chancel Steps. Holy Saturday April 20, 7 p.m. The Great Vigil of Easter with Holy Baptism, 7 p.m. The Sunday of the Resurrection Easter Day, April 21 Holy Eucharist, 8 and 10:30 a.m. (No 5:30 p.m. service) Special Children’s Activities: Easter crafts in Trezevant Hall at 8:45-9:30 a.m. with Egg Hunts beginning at 9:30 a.m. More on pages 6-7. Worship Opportunites SUNDAY Inside This Issue 8 a.m. Holy Eucharist 8:45 a.m. Breakfast 9:30 a.m. Christian Formation Classes 39ers ............................... 4 Food Pantry Facts .............. 9 10:30 a.m. Holy Eucharist Altar Gifts ........................11 Holy Baptism ...................11 5:30 p.m. Holy Eucharist (canceled 4.21) Athletics ........................... 8 Holy Week & Easter ........ 7-8 Nursery available 7:30 a.m. 'til end of 10:30 service Book Group ...................... 4 Looking Towards Sunday ...11 WEDNESDAY Noon in the Chapel Calendar Highlights ...........12 Memorials/Honoraria .........11 30-minute service without music Called to Grow .................. 4 Message from the Rector .... 3 Christian Formation ........... 5 Outreach Ministry .............. 9 Parish Office Hours Easter Card Offering .......... 7 Palm Sunday for Children ... 7 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday–Friday (closed 4.22-24) Easter Egg Hunt ................ 7 Public Theology ................. 4 Clergy on Call for Pastoral Easter Flower Deadline ......11 School News ....................10 & Hospital Emergencies Egg Filling Day .................. 7 Third Thursday .................. 4 901-252-6334 EYC ................................. 8 Welcoming Bishop Phoebe .12 Parish Clergy & Staff www.gracestlukes.org/welcome/clergy-and-staff On the cover: Grace-St. Luke's stained glass window, Risen The Rev. Ollie V. Rencher, Rector and Victorious Christ, and service schedule for Holy Week and The Rev. Amy M. George, Associate Rector The Rev. Meredith Jane Day, Curate Easter. Christi Authement, Athletics & Fellowship Dir. Addison Combs, Youth Formation Associate The Messenger deadline for May is April 15, 9 a.m. Wesley Emerson, Organist/Choirmaster Please send your articles to Lucy at [email protected]. Sharon Campbell, Children's Education Director Connie Johns, Membership & Newcomers Sandra Kendrick, Assistant Sexton Amanda McGriff, Pastoral Care Director Look for GRACESTLUKES in cyberspace. Chapman Morrow, Development Officer Lucy Owens, Communications Director facebook.com/gracestlukes pinterest.com/gracestlukes Debbie Smith, Music Associate Zeke Smith, Youth Formation Intern Jess Steenbergen, Youth Formation Associate twitter.com/gracestlukes flickr.com/gracestlukes Linda Stine, Parish Administrator Darling "D" Thomas, Sexton instagram.com/gracestlukes youtube.com/gracestlukes 2019 Vestry & Treasurer www.gracestlukes.org/vestry Grant Adams (Worship), Jimpsie Ayres (Congregational Development), Wight Boggs (Fellowship), Patrick Burnett (Jr. Warden & Youth Formation), Nina Callan (Pastoral Care), Jim Greer (Worship), Linda Khumalo (Worship), Stinson Liles (Outreach & Justice), Julia McDonald (Clerk & Children’s Formation), GSL eNews Murray McKay (Adult Formation), Kurt Patton (Sr. Warden & Athletics), Charlie Missing your weekly eNews? Check your spam folders! We have switched to an email service, Pazar (Outreach & Justice), Tom Stephenson MailChimp, to send out our eblasts. If you are not getting eNews emails, they are most likely (Stewardship), Bev Trojan (Treasurer), Simon going to your spam or junk folder. Be sure to add [email protected] to your address book. Wadsworth (Stewardship), and Gavin Wigginson Need help getting them to NOT go in your spam folder? Contact Lucy Owens, 901-272-7425 (Congregational Development) or [email protected]. Support Groups at GSL GRACESTLUKES Mobile App AA meetings: Tuesdays, 6:30 p.m. GSL's mobile app is available for download in the Android and Apple Stores. The app is an Narcotics Anonymous: Sundays, 8 p.m. effective way for the church to communicate with you and for you to stay connected with CoDA: Wednesdays, 7 p.m. the church. The app is packed with resources such as Sunday's readings and the daily office, church events and news, the pastoral care request form, links to clergy and staff emails, Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous: photo capture tools, and more. Best of all, we can alert you to extra special happenings and Thursdays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at noon cancellations via the app's push notifications system. You can download the app in the fol- For more info, contact Lucy in the office: lowing ways: Search for GRACESTLUKES in the iTunes/Google Play stores. Follow this [email protected] or 901-272-7425. link: www.gracestlukes.org/app. 2 | www.gracestlukes.org Embodying The Way of Love The Rev. Ollie V. Rencher, Rector Our Presiding Bishop, the to the way of love. Members of the Church, the body of Christ, Most Reverend Michael Bruce have an ongoing chance and baptismal charge to show the way Curry, has been on a worldwide of love to those who know little about us and what we believe. passionate mission to raise up, Our love message is for those who unintentionally or intentionally call attention to, and boldly have distanced themselves from organized religion, possibly using celebrate the “way of love” that “spiritual” to best describe their position. Our commitments to Jesus modeled and taught those love may be shown through participation in the outreach and who became his followers. Even justice initiatives of Grace-St. Luke’s and the host of faith-based those who observed Jesus from ministries focused on healing. afar were intrigued by his radical The faith within us is rooted in a love that can never separate us and life-giving message despite from the Creator God who gives us life and whose dream is for their actions to the contrary, the kingdom to come on earth as in heaven. May we strive daily to regularly practicing hatred, embody the way of love, employing it in all that we are and offer. evil, and violence out of fear, threat, and realization that earthly kingdoms and injustices were not sustainable. The power of the To practice the way of love is to be and serve in the light of Jesus, unconditional and transformational love of God, as revealed in and is bound to bring about a better, just, and reconciled world. the person and commandments of Jesus, would change the world Indeed, “practice makes perfect,” which means we are to stay at forever. Such is the case today: the way of love changes things. it. The way of love changes things, including us and all beloved children of God. Since Bishop Curry’s installation on November 1, 2015, at Washington National Cathedral as the twenty-seventh presiding Godspeed and blessings as we try, bishop of The Episcopal Church, evangelism, racial reconciliation, –The Reverend Ollie V. Rencher, Rector justice, and equity, all rooted in love, have anchored his ministry. I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that Today, he invites Episcopal Christians to grow more deeply you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through with Jesus Christ at the center of our lives: “Today I believe his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, our vocation is to live as the Episcopal branch of the Jesus as you are being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that you may Movement.” have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the The seasons of Lent (March 6–April 13), Holy Week (April 14– breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of 20) and Easter (April 21–June 8) are purposeful times for personal Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all consideration of and response to the call to become more faithful the fullness of God. –Ephesians 3:16-19 Choral Evensong offered at GSL All parishioners and friends are invited to GSL at 5:30 p.m. on lead evensong on March 31, singing the music of English compos- Sundays, March 31 and May 12, to experience one of the richest ers, Richard Ayleward and Thomas Morley.