Dear Friends,

I know people get tired of hearing me say this, but this worshiping community really is amazing. Aside from the many things I have listed in the past (participation, singing, sharing of leaflets and books, hospitality to one another) today I would like to commend you on your respect for the organ voluntaries at the beginning and end of the service.

I will now share some information from Ben Keseley, music director of St. George's Church, Arlington, Virginia.

"My daughter likes to ask questions.  A lot of questions. So many that we final bought her an Echo dot so she could ask Alexa several of her burning questions.  A few weeks ago, while I was practicing a piece at home, she asked why we had preludes and postludes in worship.   Perhaps you have wondered the same thing.

In very general terms, the history of preludes and postludes in worship is quite simple.  We inherited our tradition of preludes and postludes (also called voluntaries) from the 17th century Dutch tradition of concertizing before and after worship.  Church organs at that time were owned by the city council and organists were hired by the city. During the early part of the Reformation in the Netherlands, there was no place for music in Dutch Reformed church services, but since the Dutch people enjoyed organ music, and organs were still in churches from days of Catholicism, the city hired organists to play concerts before and after worship.  Over time, this tradition of voluntaries has developed and morphed into one that is quite the opposite of its beginnings.  For we no longer view these voluntaries as performances that are outside of worship, but as integral offering and part of our worship, a time of centering ourselves in God and God’s beauty and love. I invite you to consider these voluntaries as a sacred bridge that brings us from our worldly context into the presence of God, or in the case of the closing voluntary, one that sends us back into the world to live out our calling as children of God.  

These bridges are firmly anchored in holy worship on one side and our earthly world on the other.  They prepare us for the consideration of sacred things.  They help send us on our way to do the work of Christ in the world.  

For us, music in worship is never about performance, but about an offering of praise, thanksgiving, penitence, or petition to God.  While we often are often caught up in the beauty of the music or the words, the purpose is not to bring attention to the musicians or singers but to point to the Creator who makes all things beautiful and inspires creativity in us all.  For me, this is what makes offering and leading music in worship a very holy and sacred thing.  

Before each service our choirs pray together this prayer, as do I each time I don my white surplice for worship.  It helps reminds me about this holy and sacred duty.

  Bless us O Lord your servants who minister in your temple;

  Grant that what we sing on our lips, we may believe in our hearts; And what we believe in our hearts, we may show forth in our lives.Through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.  (The Choristers Prayer)

Soli Deo Gloria!"

Dr. Ben Keseley, Minister of Music

So thank you for the respect you have for ALL of worship. May you, like our choir, pray this prayer or another that turns your hearts to the Creator of all beauty.

In the Way of Love,

Debbie

This Sunday

Parish Prayer List

Please keep the following in your prayers:

For Rob Duff, Claire Smith, Heather and Prescott,, Ariana, Sheridan, Faith Aroko and Family, Jesse Hurst and Family, Angela Williams, Neal and Maureen Joyce, Arthur, Jane Thompson, Deb Young, Cindy Rhodes, Ron, Gerald Tucker, Allison Mascolo, Melissa Glassman, Max Joyce, Inga, Henry, and Lucas, those battling cancer, especially Faith’s friend and the Princess of Wales, for Mel, Corey MacNeil, Dianne, Michael Towey, Jenny, Loretta and Kris, Deb Papps, Joe Pouech, Jennifer Beal, Derek Fuller and Family, the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem and their ministries, for Ukraine and Haiti; the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Salem, the Salem Public Schools and for an end to racism, war, anti-Semitism, gun violence and oppression. In thanksgiving, we pray for our Property Committee. If you have prayer requests, please email prayelistlist@gracechurchsalem.org

by Tuesday at noon for publication in that week's e-news.

Dear Grace Church Knitters/Crocheters,

We will be cancelled the week of July 4, so there will be no gathering on Tuesday, July 2.

 For the remainder of the summer (i.e., the remainder of July and all of August), we will meet on Wednesday evenings (7:00 – 8:30 PM). Keep an eye out for emails/texts. On very hot evenings, we may move to a nearby air-conditioned location. If that happens, we would put a sign on the lobby door. 

 We will go back to Tuesday evenings on Tuesday, September 3. Feel free to email me or text if you have any questions. My text number is (978) 495-1565.

Peggy

July 14th from 10-5:

Grace Church Picnic at Winter Island

On Sunday 14 July, we will all gather at the Pavilion at Winter Island. Beginning with worship at 10:00 am, we will then have food available from 11-4.

Please bring whatever you would like to have grilled as we will have our expert grillmasters available that day

Please bring a dish to share with others

If you have a cooler and ice, please bring it along too!

There will be games to play for all ages, tables set up for conversation, and of course, Waikiki Beach.

At 4:00 we will have our Celtic Service at the Pavilion and sending prayers as we give thanks for the love shared this day.

The Social Committee would appreciate anyone who would like to come earlier to help set up and if you could stay to break down. Also, if you have a game idea to offer, please see Lisa Duffy or Melissa Barnes.

If you don't have a parks and rec sticker, don't worry, just tell them your part of the crazy Episcopalians at the Pavilion and they will let you in!