The Aspiration of possibility

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