Sunday, May 12, 2024

Easter VII

Worship Service 

with Holy Eucharist 

in person at 

8 am, 9:15 am, and 11 am

Service Bulletin

Livestream and Audio Update

Due to equipment failure, Grace Church is working on repairs and upgrades to our audio and livestream systems. Unfortunately, therefore, we will not be able to livestream Sunday services until further notice. Thank you for your patience while these systems are offline. We will make an announcement as soon as our livestream capabilities have been restored.

Mother’s Day at Grace Church

 Sunday, May 12th is Mother’s Day, a day to honor our mothers, caregivers, and guardians. At Grace Church, we celebrate all women with flowers. Fresh carnations in assorted colors will be available in the back of the church; please take one or two to share with someone, maybe a sick or shut-in church member. 

Pictured above, left to right: Theresa Seabaugh, Taylor Allen, Denise Farrell, Elizabeth Martin.



Red Hook Farms

We will be volunteering at the Farm this Saturday from 10 am-1 pm.

Please join us!

As part of our mission to ensure that our neighbors have access to healthy food, Grace Church volunteers monthly. Last year, these Brooklyn farms produced over 30,000 lbs of organic produce for our Red Hook neighbors. This is a wonderful opportunity to be outside, get your hands dirty, and spend time with our fellow New Yorkers in a wonderful spirit of community. 

Mark your calendars- Our farm dates are: May 11, June 8, July 13, August 10, September 14, October 12 and November 9. Please contact Theresa Seabaugh at taseabaugh@gmail.com with your questions. Farm volunteers must be 14 years or older. 

If you would like to volunteer on May 11, please sign up here.

20s/30s Group at Red Hook Farms

The 20s/30s Group will join our next date at Red Hook Farms. Please join us May 11th for fellowship and community service. Please contact Theresa Seabaugh and Thomas Baldwin if you are interested in joining us!

Pictured: Bill Fuchsman

GRADUATION NEWS?

Whether you or your child is graduating from kindergarten, high school, or college/graduate school, please share the news with us. Your Grace Church family wants to acknowledge and celebrate their hard work and achievement. 

Please submit their name, school, degree, any plans for the future, and a photo of your graduate via this form.

Grace Courtyard Gardening

On Saturday April 27th, volunteers worked on the continued maintenance and enhancement of the courtyard garden.The crew included Robin Ketcham, Susan Bluhm, Elder Maxwell, James Newton, Andrew Kager and Pat Magnuson. Plantings included red coral bells, autumn joy sedum. astilbe and ground covers including cranesbill geranium, periwinkle, and gold sedum. The group also planted remaining lilies, daffodil and tulip bulbs, and hydrangeas from our Easter services, and did a tremendous amount of weeding! Thanks to all!

Future plans include more plantings, soil enhancement and mulching in both the courtyard garden and tree pits on Hicks and Grace Court. Anyone interested in being notified for future gardening days contact Pat at  pattymag518@gmail.com.

Imagining a Way Forward on Mental Health Care 

All Grace parishioners and friends are invited to attend an action on improving mental health in New York City on Wednesday, May 29th from 7 to 8 pm at the Town and Village Synagogue, 334 East 14th Street, in Manhattan.  

Hosted by Manhattan Together, EBC's Manhattan affiliate and Grace's partner in advocating for better mental health care, the evening will be an opportunity to hear from leaders across the city and experts in the field, including Steve Micchio, the founder and operator of the state's first Crisis Stabilization Center. The theme of the evening will be that it's possible to improve mental health care in the city.

For further information contact Mark McIntyre at markmcint@gmail.com. 

To register, click on the link in the flyer, and and also send an email confirmation to Mark McIntyre at  markmcint@gmail.com.

Dodge YMCA Annual Fundraiser:

Join us on May 22!

Tickets are now available HERE for the Dodge YMCA's Annual Fundraiser on Wednesday May 22nd at 6:30 pm at 501 Union!! Please join Dodge Y Board Members Steve Dietz, Barbara Lowe, Amy Rowland, and Rev. Allen Robinson at this fun and festive event in support of a very important Brooklyn institution.  

For almost 20 years, the Dodge Y has supported Brooklyn families with after-school, youth, and teen programs. The timing of this Fundraiser is especially important: with the school year ending soon, many NYC kids will need a safe place to go while their caregivers work. The Dodge Y runs wonderful day camps for kids, and we are hoping to raise enough money to help make camp accessible to every kid who needs a spot.  

To purchase tickets or make a donation to support the Dodge YMCA, please click HERE. It would be wonderful to have many Grace parishioners in attendance!!! Please reach out to Amy Rowland with any questions at amyerowland@gmail.com.  

Walker House Open House and Dedication

The Episcopal Church Women of the Diocese of Long Island, in conjunction with the Bishop's Office, cordially invite Grace Church parishioners to the Bishop Walker House commemoration. Bishop Orris J Walker served as the seventh bishop of the Diocese of Long Island from 1991 to 2009. He was the first Black Bishop to serve in this diocese. Bishop Lawrence Provezano said of him, "He was the first to ordain women in the diocese and was responsible for facilitating the full inclusion and participation of women in all aspects of diocesan life." (Episcopal News Service March 2, 2015.)

All are invited to the upcoming celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the completion of Walker House at 59 Third Street in Garden City. For most of its life, Walker House served as the intergenerational Betz family home. Cathedral members for three generations, the Betz family was the only family to have lived in the house until stewardship was transferred to the Diocese of Long Island.

Over the past five years, Walker House has been carefully and lovingly restored and updated to serve as a home for ministries of hospitality and spiritual refreshment in the heart of Garden City.

Please join the Bishop of Long Island and other ministry leaders as we celebrate the growing ministry of Walker House and dedicate the home’s newly installed meditation garden.

Open House

Wednesday, May 22nd, 2024

5–7:30 pm (5:30 pm Dedication)

Walker House

59 Third Street

Garden City

Please RSVP by May 17th to guesthouse@dioceseli.org or 631-616-5407.

ELEVATE Summer Camp at Camp DeWolfe

Introducing "Elevate 2024", a brand new program for youth ages 10-17

Ready for some summer fun? The Diocese of Long Island is excited to announce the revival of Summer Camp out at Camp DeWolfe! In partnership with the Camp DeWolfe team, we'll take campers on an exploration to ELEVATE and expand their understanding of what God has in store for all of us. Camp runs from July 25^th - 28^th.

Experience a weekend of faith, friendship, and excitement!

The registration deadline is July 1st.

Learn More!

Centering Prayer

Centering Prayer is a method of contemplative prayer in which we rest silently in the presence of God. It is a very simple method that is easy to learn. We may think of prayer as thoughts or feelings expressed in words, but this is not the only form of prayer. 

Zoom sessions are held on Tuesday evenings at 7 pm. Each session lasts approximately 50 minutes with a 20 minute period of silence. Instructions on how to participate are part of each session.

The link for Centering Prayer is: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85673451852

Yoga at Grace Church

Join certified yoga instructor Robbyn McCauley on the first Sunday of each month for a yoga class in the gym at Grace Church. Our next class will be held Sunday, June 2nd at 1 pm. 

After the June class, there will be a summer break, and classes will resume in September.

Robbyn began her yoga practice in 1998, and has been practicing off and on since then. In 2020, she earned her 95 hour certification in youth, children's and trauma-informed teens' yoga. Most recently, another opportunity came to light and Robbyn immersed herself in a weekend long retreat and earned a certification in restorative yoga. Robbyn has a love of Iyengar's teaching and always focuses on alignment, safe sequencing, and trauma-informed language during all of her classes.

Email graceyoga2023@gmail.com to register and please tell us the following: 1. Do you have any yoga experience? and 2. Do you need a mat?

Grace Church and St. Paul’s, Atlanta are pleased to announce a 2024 Pilgrimage from June 30-July 7, 2024 to highlight racial equity and social justice. Beginning in Tennessee, pilgrims will continue over eight days through Mississippi, Alabama, concluding in Georgia. Our time together will expose you to the shapers and keepers of history, including religious and civic leaders, librarians, educators and cultural curators. Traveling during an election year and this tender time in our national life, you will also engage with local and national leaders to learn from history about courage and faithful witness in uncertain times. Throughout the pilgrimage our reflections will center on the truth of two foundational questions: Who am I? and Who does God need me to be right now. For more information, please email Rev. Leandra Lambert at LLambert@gracebrooklyn.org.

Rector's Bible Study

The Rector’s Bible Study meets in the McKittrick Choir Room on Tuesdays from 10-11:30 am. This term, we are studying the Book of Isaiah.



if you cannot make it in person, participants can also join via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7186241850. 

Should you have any questions, please reach out directly to the Rector at arobinson@gracebrooklyn.org.

Sunday School & Spring Calendar

Children in grades K*-5 are invited to participate in Sunday School. Classes meet from 10:15–10:45 am in Classroom 2 (on Sundays with one 10 am service only, Sunday School meets from 9:15-9:45 am). Volunteers lead children in 30-minute sessions focusing on Bible stories, using the Storymakers curriculum.

The spring Sunday school schedule can be found here.

Please note: Snacks will be served upstairs in the Guild Hall at the end of Sunday School. Please eat in the Guild Hall and not in the classroom.

*If your child is not yet a reader but would like to attend Sunday School, they can attend with a parent to help with the activities.

The Rector's Discretionary Fund

Even the most meticulously crafted budget can’t always cover an unexpected emergency, e.g. a child’s trip to the ER; a car vandalized and needing an expensive part; an elderly parent in another city requiring help.

Since it was established in 2004, the Rector’s Discretionary Fund has given to parishioners in circumstances like these. The need is great, especially after the pandemic, with more on the horizon, and the sole source of funding for this important fund is the generous contributions of our congregation, helping members of our Grace community when they are facing temporary financial hardship.

Contributing to this important fund fulfills our parish goal of Serving with Compassion. If you would like to participate, you can do so by using our online payment system, Realm. If you prefer to pay by check, please make it out to Grace Church Brooklyn Heights with Rector’s Discretionary Fund on the memo line.

Thank you for your faithful generosity.

Evening Prayer

Grace Church offers Evening Worship every Tuesday - Friday at 5pm online.

To attend Evening Prayer online, please use the following Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7186241850 .

Parish Prayer Concerns & Thanksgivings

This week, we pray that God will increasingly lead us to understand that eternal life is not just a future promise, but here and now—a way of being and doing that death cannot destroy. … that our words and our actions may always bear witness to the truth of God’s love. … that God, who sends us into this complicated, combative world to testify to eternal life, will guard us from the world’s many temptations, and deliver us from the evil one. … that God will watch over all mothers and those who have shown us a mother’s love, bless them with every good gift, and fill their hearts with joy. … that Joe, our president; Kathy, our governor; Eric, our mayor; and all public officials will respond to the complex challenges before them with careful deliberation and restraint wherever possible; but will also stand firm in their pursuit of common purpose and mutual good for all people. … for the gift of peace in all places of war or lawlessness, and especially in Israel and Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, and Haiti; may God protect those in harm’s way, strengthen those who are working behind the scenes to end hostilities, and open the hearts of leaders and aggressors on all sides of conflicts to the promise of peace for their people. … for reverence for the sanctity of all lives, especially the lives of those whom we see as “others;” and for an end to gun violence. … for those whose lives and homes are threatened by tornados, flooding, and heat; may God watch over them and give them strength in the face of adversity. … for the poor, the hungry, and the homeless, those who are at a crossroads in their lives and need God’s guidance, and those for whom prayers have been requested, especially Val & family, Robbyn & family, Max, Wally, Rick, Griff & family, Willie, The Rev. Nils Blatz, Mother Joanne Izzo, Lally, Vivian H., Tom C., Ray, Roger, Bill, Mary, Jane O., Dolores, Ron & Betsy, Sohee, Jane K., Richard & Linda, Rosemarie, Andrew, Katie Lynn, Stephen, Kathy P., Chris, Kathy, Jesse, Max, Sean & Fiona & family, Judy, and Heleen. … for those who endure chronic or incurable illnesses, those who care for sick or aging loved ones, those who are near death, and those whose names and needs are known only to God. … for those who have died, and those who mourn. Alleluia, Risen Lord! Hear our prayer.

Grace Notes Submissions

Announcement submissions for Grace Notes and Sunday bulletin can be sent to Melissa Kelly, Parish Administrator. All submissions must be received no later than Thursday at 10 am in order to be included in that week's e-newsletter and bulletin. Thank you!

Sunday Services at Grace

Grace Church holds in-person services at 8 am, 9:15 am, and 11 am each Sunday unless otherwise noted. All are welcome.We have child care available for those who need it during the 9:15 am and 11 am services. 

Join us for coffee hour! Please join us for coffee and snacks after each service. 

If you have any questions about our worship schedule, please contact Melissa Kelly, Parish Administrator, at parishoffice@gracebrooklyn.org or (718) 624-1850 x 10.

The Common Cup

Holy Eucharist is offered in both kinds, bread and wine. The wine is offered from the common cup (drinking directly from the chalice). Intinction is not permitted.  At communion time, after receiving the bread, proceed to the eucharistic minister to receive the wine by drinking directly from the chalice. Those not wishing to drink from the chalice may cross their arms and reverence the cup.

Giving to Grace

We are happy to let you know that you can make a pledge or general offering donations by text! 

Please send a text to 73256 with the message "GraceBrooklyn". The first time, you will be prompted to provide your name and address, including your credit card number. If you save that information for future use, the second offering by text will be immediate. You can also make one-time pledge payments and general offering donations online here.

If you would like to set up a recurring pledge payment on Realm, please contact Melissa Kelly, parish administrator, for an invitation to join. 

In Remembrance or Gratitude...

Altar flowers are a wonderful way to express gratitude for life's blessings or to memorialize a loved one.

If you would like to contribute altar flowers, please contact Melissa Kelly in the parish office. The suggested donation, which covers the cost of the altar flowers for Sunday services, is $200. An acknowledgment will be included in the service bulletin.

Weekday Visits to Grace

When you visit, please use the Clergy Door, which is the first door on your right in the Hicks Street courtyard. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5 pm.

Public visiting hours for the church sanctuary are Monday-Friday from 3-5 pm.