It’s about following Jesus, really.

Welcome to the GracePage.  We are a growing, energetic Episcopal church in downtown Traverse City, Michigan.  This is a little marker about who we are and what we are about.

We are a deeply liturgical people.  Episcopalians do love their liturgy (structured worship).  Our Book of Common Prayer may be the best little thing Anglicanism has given the Christian world.  It is at once guide to common worship, daily prayer, devotion, and history and catechism, homework folder, guidebook, and lifelong companion.  Our Prayer Book is not meant to be left in the pew.  We bring our own and we take them home.

If you are new or just don’t have a Book of Common Prayer, the Very Rev. Daniel Richards, otherwise known around here as “Daniel”, wants you, implores you, impels you to take one home.  I know this seems like a crazy thing to do, but we are about discipleship here, and equipping the saints, ala. Paul of Tarsus.  We want you to experience the full depth and beauty of the Episcopal tradition of Christianity, and we believe that you’ll be back for more.

So get to know us a little through the pages here, and come join us for worship, and begin a lifelong walk of faith.

Contact Us and an Email Directory

Grace Episcopal Church

• 341 Washington Street, Traverse City, Michigan 49684
• 231-947-2330
• http://www.gracetc.org
• http://blogspot.gracetc.com
• eshenk@gracetc.org

Learn more about us on Facebook and hear Sermons and get the Newsletter at Sounds Like Grace.

Clergy and Staff

• The Rt. Rev. Robert Gepert, bishop of the diocese of western michigan
• The Very Rev. Daniel P. Richards, rector and local dean, drichards@gracetc.org
• The Rev. Katheryn King, associate rector of pastoral care, kking@gracetc.org
• Dr. Rosemary Hagan, director of adult formation and grace springs foundation, rhagan@gracetc.org
• Mrs. Catherine Turnbull, director of children and youth formation, cturnbull@gracetc.org
• Mrs. Ann Hackett, parish administrator, ahackett@gracetc.org
• Mrs. Erika Shenk-Tessin, parish secretary and administrative assistant, eshenk@gracetc.org
• Mrs. Linnea Stiffler, intern
• Mrs. Margie Hunter, choir director, mhunter@gracetc.org
• Mrs. Kathy Will, joyful noise children’s choir director, kwill@gracetc.org
• Mrs. Kathryn Christian, grace harmony director, kchristian@gracetc.org
• Mr. Steven Larson, organist, slarson@gracetc.org

Calendar – Week of 28 January 2012

Having trouble viewing this email? Click here

Grace Life: Grace Episcopal Church Schedule of Events 2012. What new way can you welcome, worship, study and serve in and around Grace Church? See below for new adult formation opportunities on Sunday mornings. Today   Adult Bible Study: Wed.│ January 11│6 p.m. │PH The Scripture 202 class is held on Wednesdays. Come for a meal at 6 p.m. and the study at 6:30 p.m. Visit http://www.gracefullbible.com for more details. This Week/Weekend Meals for Vanderbush/Kelly Family: On December 24, 2011, Lisa Kelly & Brooks Vanderbush and children welcomed Archer to the family. If you are able to provide a meal for this family of 5, please contact Amy Richards at 409.8615. The food restrictions are: no pork, nuts or berries. Thanks for helping with this important ministry!  Epiphany Play: The last rehearsal is Friday, January 29 at 6:30 p.m. We will dress in costume. Sunday morning, the 29th, the children will attend Sunday School as usual. I will pull them from their classes to get in their costumes on shortly before coming down to perform. The play will be after the sermon!   Join the Bread of Life classes : Sun│ Through Feb. 19 │9 a.m.│LL 1   Learn the basic little daily practices of faith in small classes and with a cup of coffee on Sunday mornings. Led by Rosemary Hagan, D. Min., director of Adult Formation, and The Very Reverend Daniel Richards, a series of adult formation classes will be held during the season of Epiphany. Childcare is available upon request; please call the office by the Thursday before.   The Story of Your Life: Writing a Spiritual Autobiography Sunday│January 29│ 9 a.m. │Jubilee House   This year during Epiphany, Linnea Stifler, our seminary intern, will lead a class. It will meet on Sunday mornings between services in Jubilee House. Materials will be provided, but pre-registration is requested. All sessions will include time dedicated to writing, as well as time for discussion and sharing (as desired). Registration is limited to 8.   Ministry of the Week-Jubilee House: “The House Next Door”, is one of Grace Church Jubilee Center’s ministries where the Gospel of Matthew 25:35 is followed each and everyday for all of God’s children. Contribution Envelopes: Envelopes for 2012 are available in the commons and in the Parish Hall. Contribution Statements: Year-end 2011 contribution statements are available to be picked up in the commons this weekend. Please save us a stamp and pick them up!  Altar Flowers Donation Schedule for 2012: A new schedule for altar flowers is on the sign-up board in the Parish Hall. All arrangements for the altar will be done by our florist. The fee is $45 (or more) to cover the florist and delivery costs. Please have your wording to the office before Wednesday. Please contact Nancy Templeton at 947.2063 or Maxcie Latimer at 947.6376 with any questions. Sanctuary Lamp Donations: The 2012 schedule is posted in the Parish Hall. The cost for the lamp is $5. Please sign up in the Parish Hall with your verbiage that will be in the bulletin! Bulletin/E.update Items: If your group will not meet, be sure to contact Erika in the office so she can adjust the calendar. We want to be sure your group/ministry is getting the exposure you want. If you have blurbs you would like in the bulletin or e.update, be sure to send those along to Erika early in the week. Group Cancellation Policy: The staff may send out a cancellation email for groups of more than 25 members, but we would like groups with less then 25 members to directly contact their ministry or groups. Thanks for your cooperation!     Looking Ahead    Staff Calendar Meeting: The office staff will be holding a calendar meeting on Tuesday, January 31. If you have any events or meetings on the horizon, we ask that you get the details to Erika in the office no later than January 27 to be put on the church calendar. Please note: If you do not submit your dates, we may not be able to provide a space for your event.   Daughters of the King:   Five Sat. in Lent(beginning Feb. 25)│9-11 a.m. DOK will sponsor a Lenten 2012 series focusing on prayer. Mark your calendars for five Saturdays in Lent (February 25, March 3, 17, 24, and 31) to learn about different ways to pray. Different presenters will provide the background and process for each topic, a chance to practice the method of prayer, and then an opportunity to clarify the practice. Look for additional information in the coming weeks. If you have questions, please contact Candice Westerfield at 947-9485.   Other Volunteer Opportunity with LOVE Inc.: Would you like to be a Love INC volunteer and help our neighbors in need in Grand Traverse County?  A special overview and orientation session will be held Thursday, Feb. 2 at the Love INC office beginning at 3 p.m.  This opportunity to serve involves gathering information through telephone conversations with clients at the Love INC clearinghouse.  Volunteers typically work from 6 to 12 hours per month.  Please call Zeke Fleet at (231) 933-0041 or email him atzeke.fleet@gmail.com for more information. Snow Day Closures  Please Note: Through the winter, we will follow NMC’s winter cancellation policy. If NMC is closed so are we! You may find out by following this link: NMC Grace: It’s Our Way of Life As Episcopal Christians we: Worship at home daily and together weekly; Serve our families, our parish, and our world in the name of Christ.  Study the Scriptures, our tradition, and what it means to be a disciple today; Everything we do is done with an ethic of Welcome because we are only here byGrace. Clergy Appointment Hours The Very Rev. Daniel P. Richards: Mon-Wed 1-4 p.m. (by Appointment) Thursday 12-3 (Rector Study Day) The Rev. Katheryn King: Friday 10-12 Weekly Readings   January 28 & 29 Deuteronomy 18:15-20 Psalm 111 1 Corinthians 8:1-13 Mark 1:21-28   February 4 & 5 Isaiah 40:21-31   Psalm 147:1-12, 21c 1 Corinthians 9:16-23  Mark 1:29-39       Service Participants       January 28 & 29 2012 Sat., Jan. 28- 5 p.m. Greg Hagan, Lay Eucharistic Minister  Kerry Nelson, Lector Vince & Kerry Nelson,Ushers   Sun., Jan. 29 – 8 a.m. Barbara Klugh, Lay Eucharistic Minister MaryLee Pakieser & Bill Fowle, Lectors MaryLee Pakieser & Bill Fowle, Ushers   Sun., Jan. 29 – 10 a.m. Connie Riopelle, Linnea Stifler & Denny Meyers,Lay Eucharistic Ministers Elizabeth Black & Steve Wade, Lectors Chris Black, Intercessor Rick & Bobbie Garner,Ushers Christ Black, Welcomer Brooks Holland & Katie Meyers, Nursery Care   February 4 & 5 2012 Sat., Feb. 4 – 5 pm Nancy Brannan, Lay Eucharistic Minister Kerry Nelson, Lector Vince & Kerry Nelson,Ushers   Sun., Feb 5 – 8 am Bill Foster, Lay Eucharistic Ministers Barbara Klugh & Charlene Allen, Lectors Maxcie Latimer, Usher   Sun., Feb. 5 – 10 am Bob Foote, Denny Meyers & Linnea Stifler,      Lay Eucharistic Ministers John & Betty Lewis,Lectors Emily Hittner & Ella Bruining, Acolytes Brad Will, Intercessor Adam Gahn & Steve Wade, Ushers John & Betty Lewis,Welcomers Karen Libby, Nursery Care   Contact Information Grace Episcopal Church 341 Washington St. Traverse City, MI 49684 Phone: 231.947.2330 Website: http://www.gracetc.org Blogspot: gracetc.blogspot.com  Scripture 202 class:      http://gracefullbible.com   Grace on Facebook

Forward email This email was sent to drichards@gracetc.org by eshenk@gracetc.org | Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe™ | Privacy Policy. Grace Episcopal Church | 341 Washington St. | Traverse City | MI | 49684

What to expect when you visit

The Episcopal tradition is a liturgical tradition, so we look very formal. Our priests and other people serving in the worship wear robes and traditional vestments. Our service follows a script that is based on the early church and includes quite a bit of response from the people and lots of words. We choose our words carefully, spoken and sung. It is a fun and engaging service too. People are generally happy and full of life. At the 10 a.m. service the children come pouring in for the Service of the Table, or Communion. Don’t worry about following the service perfectly. Some people kneel when others stand or vice versa. All you need is basically in the program, and what isn’t is in the Hymnal. But nobody gets it perfect. Like Daniel says, “This is jazz, not a symphony.” Come and join in. So who comes to a church like this? Rich and poor, old and young, suits, dresses, and jeans. People who like to participate but remain quiet and people who like to engage and get to know others, introverts and extraverts, poetic and prosaic, evangelical and catholic. The deep tradition allows us to reach broadly in our prayers and teaching, allowing room to question, wrestle, and even disagree because we know that God’s love isn’t limited to our ability to love, nor is God’s grace limited to what we can understand. We let God be God, and we worship and pray and study and serve, knowing that we plant and tend, but it is God who sends the rain and brings forth life. So we tend to be less argumentative about doctrine and be engaged more with serving the poor. We tend to not have aggressive doctrine, though we do have simple Christian beliefs that can be found in our Book of Common Prayer. We express our belief in prayer and service, in how we live. There is probably someone just like you here. And if not, we are waiting for someone just like you. We are not perfect, but we are welcoming. The coffee is good, and the life of the community in Christ is even better.

About Us

We are an Episcopal church in the Diocese of Western Michigan. We are Episcopal Christians, which means that we worship God known in Jesus Christ and present to us in the Holy Spirit. We are disciples of Jesus, which means that we worship and pray as his disciples did, that we try to discover what he says about God and us and how to live, and then we try to live that way. We err on the side of social justice when we can. We welcome all to the table to be a part of his disciples and in the sacraments to become a part of his Body. The sacraments don’t make that happen, but the Holy Spirit does and our participating in worship and acts of obedience reveal, seal, and make public that work. We let everyone in. That is our strength and weakness. It means that we have to grow up and live with people who are different and have varying opinions, and we have to submit ourselves to something bigger, Christ’s call to love and discipleship.

Hear This Week’s Sermon and Get Latest News

This Week’s Sermon at Sounds Like Grace

Three Feasts in Two Days and the Fall and Flood of Humanity

Well, the readings of the last two days cover the range of what we call “Salvation History” in the business.  Humanity falls, Cain murders, then Lamech, and Noah.  God is fascinating in these stories.  God tells Adam and Eve that they can’t eat of the fruit or they will die, on that day.  The serpent says, no dice.  And the serpent is right.  God curses humanity.  God curses the ground and the serpent.  But God doesn’t kill Adam or Eve.  They don’t die that day.  You could take the route that they become mortal that day, but the indication of the story is that mortality was the plan all along.  God removes the tree of life, less they eat that and become immortal.  But I think that something else is happening.

God is discovering/revealed as merciful.  Also frustrated, angry, and even inconsistent.  But God is merciful.  The promise to Noah is striking from today, For human hearts are inclined to evil, even so I will not curse the earth and destroy everything again.  The seasons and weeks and days will continue, anyway.  God is merciful, loving even to the cost of frustration, anger, and even cursing the goodness of creation.  It is interesting to see God’s temperament in the narrative as God discovers his own nature as loving beyond his anger.

Then Matthew and Acts show the cards God is holding.  God will redeem humanity through a son and his followers.  The surprise is that God loves to such a degree that he will set aside sin in a self-sacrificing act of incarnation and death, humiliation and annihilation, dying for that unfulfilled warning back at the beginning, to set us free to be what we were intended.

God made us to take care of creation and one another.  Stewards of the house of God.  And instead we Genesis ourselves.  So God indwells us in Pentecost and gives us a new heart.  What are you doing with this one?  I still have work to do.

Luckily, God speaks my language.

daniel+

The Year of the Bible begins . . .

Well, it’s true.  Today, four chapters.  Small potatoes really.  Genesis 1-2, Psalm 1, Acts 1, and half a chapter of Matthew.  A snack pack of chips really.  God creates the world in seven days and makes human being in their image.  Whose image?  And plants the righteous man beside streams of living water.  The apostles jump the gun picking a successor to Judas, who is never heard of again.  And Matthew tells us about Joseph.

A small step into the whole story in four places.

Tonight I am circling around Genesis and Psalm 1.  God really does love wildly and is wildly in love, forgiving sins and blessing with amazing gifts of life.  I am stuck up north with my in-laws at a ski resort with my wife and children and healthy food and all the amenities of modern life.  All of them. Right here.  I begin the year surrounded in blessing and the chaotic peace of families.  I feel planted by streams of water.

It is hard to be away from Grace when I can’t just drop in and check the doors and see what mail there is and who is around.  This Bible project is a life project for the parish and for me.  These words are our words as surely as they are God’s.  And they introduce us to the Word as surely as our faltering names introduce us as a person to other people.

Blessings this Feast of the Holy Name.

daniel+