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 Commemoration of William Tyndale and Miles Coverdale[1]
Greetings to Everyone at Grace Church – Some time ago, before I was in seminary, I wrote a poem, based on a walk on a windy day. I was fascinated with how the branches of a tree moved in the wind: I want to write of the leaves of the tree: Of the noise of the wind rushing Sideways And the pull Back of each branch the creaks and snaps And force Of the wood Sweeping back against the sky To bring the whole tree upright. Not the best poem, perhaps, but one that expresses a longing and desire to do something. To create, make new, have a purpose, to have a direct felt experience of something bigger, to share in something memorable, to be transformed; to describe the experience in order to remember it and to communicate something of the sensation with another. This is the longing and desire that I have every Sunday. And that I have for Grace Church every day of the week. I know we’re still recovering from lobster rolls. I know how long the construction is taking and its cost. But I’m naming the aspiration of possibility so we don’t forget that we are each, separately and together, intimately connected to God and each other. Covid-19: Please be aware that cases of covid are increasing. We encourage you to take appropriate safety precautions. Please note that masks are now encouraged at all our indoor services. Masks will be available for all services and meetings at Grace Church until further notice. Sunday School will meet again this Sunday! All children are welcome and invited to join us, beginning with a 9:45 drop-off time in the Chapel. Any parent or parishioner interested in helping teach our children please see Susan Hoehn or Fr. Stephen. The Blessing of the Animals will take place this Sunday at 4pm: Weather permitting, the service will be held outside in the Spear Amphitheater and indoors in Grace Church in the event of rain. Animals of all kinds and their human companions are welcome at this service; stuffed animals of children are warmly invited. Newsletter in a new format: The weekly newsletter is now also available on our website https://www.graceepiscopalmv.org/newsletters – please visit and share the weekly newsletter on your social media platforms! MV CROP Hunger walk is on October 15th: the CROP Hunger Walk is an annual tradition for Grace Church and a fundraiser to raise money for the needs of hungry people around the world and on Martha’s Vineyard. The idea is to walk the three miles from St. Augustine’s Church to the drawbridge and back, and invite others to sponsor your walk with a donation to “Crop Walk”. To register to walk and/or make a donation, either go online to https://events.crophungerwalk.org/2023/teams?event=marthasvineyard, scroll to the bottom of the page, find “Browse Existing Teams”, and click on Grace Church’s name; OR sign up at the Board in the Parish Hall. Grace Church’s Alumni Homecoming Sunday is October 22nd! (sorry for the typo last week!). Save the date to join us. If you haven’t been to Grace Church in a while, used to come to church here, were married here, had parents who got married here, went to Grace Church Pre-School, came here for a lobster roll, or have any other connection, we invite you back for an open house so that we can show you what we’re doing. If you’re a parishioner (= anyone within the parish boundaries: i.e., on Martha’s Vineyard or, thanks to our online services, anywhere in the world), and know someone who used to go here and now doesn’t, invite them to join you on the 22nd! The schedule for the 22nd is as follows: 8:00am Said Eucharist 10:00am Choral Eucharist 11:30am-3:30pm Open House 4:00pm Evening Prayer MV Poet Laureate poetry reading and book signing October 26th: Justen Ahren, the MV Poet Laureate, will be at Grace Church for a poetry reading and book signing on Thursday, October 26th from 5-6pm. All are welcome – Please post this on your social media platforms. Refreshments will be served. Second time of asking for Halloween Candy: Every Halloween, Grace Church is visited by between 700 and 1,000 ghosts, vampires, dinosaurs, clowns, princesses; ghouls, goblins, and other creatures too terrifying to mention. If you would like to donate a bag or two of Halloween candy (bring it to church or drop it off during the week), that would be great – thank you! Construction: You will notice the scaffolding that surrounds three sides of the upper bell tower when you drive by the church. Six of the eight bell tower roofs have been re-shingled or re-surfaced – the final steps are the addition of flashing for the roofs below the louvers and the completion of the remaining two roofs, which will happen once the concrete for the walls of the stairs are poured, now scheduled for next week. Thank you all for your generosity in helping us get to this point! Stay safe, and God bless you, Stephen+ The Reverend Stephen Harding, Rector [1] http://satucket.com/lectionary/William_Tyndale.htm
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  Commemoration of St. Michael and all Angels[1]
Greetings to Everyone at Grace Church on this rainy Friday afternoon! I hope that, wherever you are, you can take a moment for a cup of tea, pause what you’re doing, exhale, simply be in the moment of a rainy, gray, cooler Friday afternoon. The week’s activity is coming to a close, the weekend beckons, and this moment of being in-between to finish tasks, put things in order, and anticipate what is to come, is a moment that doesn’t present itself all that often… Covid-19: I received emails from two clergy colleagues on the Cape this week. They wanted to let other parishes in our Deanery know that covid-19 was active in their area and saying that they have gone back to a “mask strongly encouraged” basis inside their buildings. We want to encourage all of you to remember that cases of covid are increasing and to take appropriate safety precautions. Masks will be available for all services and meetings at Grace Church until further notice. Anne Doss’ Graveside service will take place tomorrow at 11am: Anne Doss, formerly of this Parish, will have her ashes interred tomorrow, September 30, in the Grace Church Memorial Garden, at 11am. All are invited. Sunday School has started up again! All children are welcome and invited to join us, beginning with a 9:45 drop-off time in the Chapel. Post-Communion laying-on of hands and healing will return on October 1st: Carolyn Eddy and Gloria Wong will offer the laying-on of hands after Communion at the 10am service this Sunday. Neighborhood Convention starts October 3rd: The Martha’s Vineyard Neighborhood Convention is the oldest interdenominational group on the Island, founded November 13, 1894, as a “neighborly meeting” to promote better relationships among all the congregations. First meeting is Tuesday, October 3 at the First Congregational Church in West Tisbury at 11am. The program is “Welcoming Newer Island Clergy”, and you are asked to bring your own lunch; beverages and dessert will be provided. MV CROP Hunger walk is on October 15th: the CROP Hunger Walk is an annual tradition for Grace Church and a fundraiser to raise money for the needs of hungry people around the world and on Martha’s Vineyard. The idea is to walk the three miles from St. Augustine’s Church to the drawbridge and back, and invite others to sponsor your walk with a donation to “Crop Walk”. To register to walk and/or make a donation, either go online to https://events.crophungerwalk.org/2023/teams?event=marthasvineyard, scroll to the bottom of the page, find “Browse Existing Teams”, and click on Grace Church’s name; OR sign up at the Board in the Parish Hall. Grace Church’s Alumni Homecoming Sunday is October 21st! Save the date to join us. If you haven’t been to Grace Church in a while, used to come to church here, were married here, had parents who got married here, went to Grace Church Pre-School, came here for a lobster roll, or have any other connection, we invite you back for an open house so that we can show you what we’re doing. If you’re a parishioner (= anyone within the parish boundaries: i.e., on Martha’s Vineyard or, thanks to our online services, anywhere in the world), and know someone who used to go here and now doesn’t, invite them to join you on the 21st! MV Poet Laureate book signing at Grace Church October 26th: Justen Ahren, the MV Poet Laureate, will be at Grace Church for a book signing on Thursday, October 26th from 5-6pm. All are welcome – Please post this on your social media platforms. Refreshments will be served. First time of asking for Halloween Candy: Every Halloween, Grace Church is visited by between 700 and 1,000 ghosts, vampires, dinosaurs, clowns, princesses; ghouls, goblins, and other creatures too terrifying to mention. If you would like to donate a bag or two of Halloween candy (bring it to church or drop it off during the week), that would be great – thank you! Construction: The concrete steps to the main church entrance on William Street were demolished by Island Concrete Systems (ICS) last Monday. A foundation was poured on Tuesday; today, the form for the walls of the new steps is ready for inspection. The main church doors are not in service at this time – please use the Woodlawn Avenue entrance until further notice. Work on the Bell Tower roofs has begun, and Lyn Hovey’s representative should be coming soon for final measurements for the protective glazing over the stained glass windows. Thank you all for your generosity in helping us get to this point! Stay safe, and God bless you, Stephen+ The Reverend Stephen Harding, Rector [1] http://www.satucket.com/lectionary/Michael.htm  Commemoration of Thecla[1] To Everyone at Grace Church, Greetings! We removed the protective glazing, which had become dull and opaque, from our stained glass windows. The result has been an increase in the clarity of light's brightness inside the church, which is very welcome. I am reminded of the Church of St. John in Tisbury, England, who are replacing the stained glass in their East window at the same time as we are repairing our Church, and we ask God's blessing on them and their work as well. Sunday School Re-Convenes tomorrow! Thanks to Susan Hoehn’s leadership, Sunday School will meet in the downstairs Chapel tomorrow, starting with a drop-off time beginning at 9:45am. The Curriculum is Illustrated Ministry’s MiniRevolutions, and the Children will join us for Communion when we get to that point in the service: All are invited to join the Sunday School and to be with us this Sunday! Our Organist and Music Director, Wes Nagy, is away this weekend; we will use the hymns that the Choir recorded with Wes earlier this week as the basis of our hymns at tomorrow's 10am service. Laying on of Hands and Prayers after Communion: Beginning next Sunday, October 1, Carolyn Eddy and Gloria Wong will offer the Laying on of Hands and Prayers for Healing after Communion at the 10am Service. The Laying on of Hands is an ancient Christian practice, and we are glad to extend that tradition at Grace Church. Please ask Gloria or Carolyn for more particulars. Construction Update: Our concrete steps and walkway from William Street to the Church are scheduled to be demolished and then rebuilt to code beginning this Monday, September 25th. While the end result should be wonderful, we will not be able to use the main Church entrance until the steps are rebuilt. Please use the Woodlawn Avenue entrance for the next two weeks. Major work remaining to be done on the Church:
Thank you to everyone for your generosity in making this work possible! Congratulations to Lorraine Clark's granddaughter, Sarah Strauch, and to Jonathan Doucot, who will be married at Grace Church this afternoon! Next week's readings are Exodus 17:1-7 Psalm 78:1-4, 12-16 Philippians 2:1-13 Matthew 21:23-32 It's been a full week. Remember to take the time to appreciate the moments that present themselves, and may God be with you in the week to come. God bless you, Stephen+ The Reverend Stephen Harding, Rector [1] http://satucket.com/lectionary/Thecla.html |
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