Grace Notesgraceepiscopalchurch.org/.../September-Grace-Notes-2013.pdf · 2013-08-29 · Grace...

Grace Notes

Grace Episcopal Church 1607 Grace Church Road Silver Spring, Maryland 20910

Brief notes for the members, families and friends of Grace Episcopal Church

A monthly

publication

from the

Grace Church

Communications

Committee

New Program Year Begins September 2013

Adult Forums

Capital Campaign

News

2

Welcome Back to

Sunday School

3

Music Ministry

Calling All Youth

4

A Very Special

Birthday

5

Daughters of the

King

6

Homeless Ministry

Transitions

7

Pennyworth News

Scenes from the Pig

Roast

8

Grace Episcopal

Day School

9

Fiscal Report 10

Inside this issue:

Special points of

interest:

Calling All Youth

A Very Special

Birthday

Why I Am A Daughter

Homeless Ministry

Updates

September brings the start of another

program year at Grace Church with an

increase in activities and opportuni-

ties for everyone to deepen their rela-

tionships with God and each other.

The program year begins with Ministry Sunday on

Sunday, September 8. Ministry Sunday is a great

day to connect with old friends, meet new ones, and

learn about everything happening at Grace. After

both services, our various ministries will have tables

with information available. Stop by each table to

learn what our ministries do and ways in which you

can participate. We hope everybody will get involved

in some ministry this year! Lunch will be available

after the 10:30 service (please bring a salad or side

dish) and there will be activities for children, includ-

ing the ever-popular moon bounce.

Sunday School and Youth Group pro-

grams resume the following Sunday,

September 15. Rev. Amanda, our new

Assistant Rector, is looking forward to

meeting so many of our children, youth

and families. Rev. Amanda and Becky Breeden, our

Sunday School Coordinator, have been working very

hard this August to prepare for the upcoming year.

Children and youth bring so much energy and vitality

to our community that we cannot wait for them to

return. And, if you have not yet met Rev. Amanda,

please do introduce yourself!

We will also have a number of programs and clas-

ses for adults who want to explore their faith even

further. On Sunday mornings, we have regular

Adult Forums between the services, beginning at

9:30. Each week, a different speaker will lead us

as we delve into topics of particular interest. Dur-

ing the fall, we will be hearing about the implemen-

tation of Obamacare, current events in the Middle

East, one mother’s commitment to pursuing more

reasonable gun control, and the work of Action in

Montgomery County, just to name

a few topics. It should be a fasci-

nating year of Adult Forums, so

please be keep an eye out for top-

ics that interest you and be sure to

join us.

Early this fall, we will also be having our Questions

of Faith class which will answer the most basic

questions about God, Christianity, and the Church.

If you have some basic questions about faith, this

might just be what you are looking for. During the

winter, the Foundations in Faith class will take

place. This class will explore issues of faith in

more detail and can serve as preparation for any-

one who would like to be confirmed or received

into the Episcopal Church. Both classes will take

(cont. on page 3)

Welcome Reverend Amanda

At the beginning of August, we welcomed the Reverend Amanda Akes, our new Assistant

Rector and her partner Sarah Cardwell to Grace Church. Amanda and Sarah come to us

from Connecticut where they lived for the past two years. Before her ministry at Grace,

Amanda was Assistant Rector at St. James’ Episcopal Church in Glastonbury, CT, where she

focused on youth and adult formation.

As our Assistant Rector, Amanda’s ministry will primarily focus on

children, youth and their families, and young adults. She is passion-

ate about young people, collaborative ministry, and creative ways to

participate in God’s mission. Amanda wants to meet you! Please

introduce yourself and say “hi” when you have a chance. And once

again, welcome Amanda and Sarah, to Grace Church!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Acciaccatura_notation.png

Grace Notes - September 2013

GRACE EPISCOPAL CHURCH

Grace Notes

Grace Episcopal Church

1607 Grace Church Road

Silver Spring, Maryland 20910

Telephone: 301-585-3515

Fax: 301-585-4309

Website:

www.graceepiscopalchurch.org

The Rev. Andrew Walter

Rector

The Rev. Canon

Dr. Michele Hagans

Associate Rector & Chaplain,

Grace Episcopal Day School

The Rev. Amanda Akes

Assistant Rector

Danny Catalanotto

Minister of Music

Beth Boyd

Parish Administrator

Rebecca Breedon

Sunday School Coordinator

Marnie Brown

Communications Coordinator

Gib Baily

Fiscal Officer

Wardens and Vestry

Kathryn Allen, Senior Warden

Aileen Moodie, Junior Warden

Chris Bedal, Paul Brown,

Matt Hardwick, Rebecca Lent,

John Mahler, Laura Parks,

Althea Sherman, Virgil White-

hurst, Raquel Wilson

Grace Notes

The Rev. Andrew Walter

Linda Caleb

ADULT FORUMS IN SEPTEMBER

On Sunday mornings from 9:30-10:15, the Adult Forum offers adults the

opportunity to learn and grow in their faith together. From outside

speakers to guided discussions, the format changes from week to week

as do the topics. This year’s Adult Forums will cover everything from important issues like

health care, gun control and current events in the Middle East to Christian ethics, preaching

and the Anglican Communion. Adult Forum begins on September 22.

Sunday, September 22 The Year Gone By, The Year Ahead

Join Rev. Andrew as he discusses Grace Church life. He will reflect on the past year and all

that we have accomplished, and he will talk about the year ahead. Join us to learn about

everything happening at Grace and ask Rev. Andrew any questions you may have.

Sunday, September 29 Implementing Obamacare

David Helms and Susan Maloney will be with us to discuss the implementation of the

Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare. David will review the status of implementing

Obamacare with its extensive expansion in Medicaid and a new Health Insurance Market-

place for individuals and employees of small firms becoming effective on January 1,

2014. Susan will provide an overview of resources available for consumers seeking health

insurance to learn more about options for themselves and their families. The forum will

conclude with a discussion of the challenges ahead for these major new health reforms.

David Helms directs the LMI Center for Health Reform and Susan Maloney serves is Director of Policy, Planning and Communications for the HHS Office of Adolescent Health. David and Susan have been parishioners at Grace Church for many years and are also former Day School parents.

As you may recall, back in May, the Vestry voted unani-

mously to move forward with a capital campaign, through

which we will raise the financial resources to address the

much needed work in our church building. During the past

two months, we have been working very closely with our campaign consultant, planning

and preparing, laying the groundwork for the upcoming campaign.

We have formed a Capital Campaign Committee which will oversee every aspect of the

campaign, and I happy to announce that the committee will be co-chaired by Steve Dean

and Virgil Whitehurst and include Linda Caleb, Matt Hardwick, Jennifer Porter, Amy

Miller, Aileen Moodie and Judy Whalley.

At the same time, we have been developing plans for the work which will be done to the

undercroft, kitchen and downstairs bathrooms as part of the campaign, and exactly how

much that work will cost. Dan Amundson and Laura Parks have been leading these ef-

forts, working alongside a number of parishioners, soliciting their ideas and input. As we

move through the fall, we will continue to provide updates on our progress as we move

towards launching the capital campaign sometime during this program year.


Welcome Back to Sunday School

"I am so excited to be at Grace and to begin this new year of minis-try with you! I have heard such WONDERFUL things about Sunday School and all the people who participate in it. I’m eager to pray and play with you and see what God is up to in your lives! Let the fun begin!"

Rev. Amanda

We will welcome our children into the Chalice Year of our Episco-

pal Children’s Curriculum when we gather for our first Sunday

School of the program year on Sept. 15.

We will focus our study this year on the sacrament of Christ’s

body and blood that we share during communion. In keeping

with our theme, we will host several educational events for par-

ents and children that focus on this sacred meal. We will also

continue to host Baptism training and other topics throughout

the year.

What can you expect to be the same?

Most of our teachers will be returning this year. Thank You!

We will continue to host coffee hour each Sunday for par-

ents. Yay!

We will host chapel beginning at 10 a.m. where we gather in

song and praise as families.

We will still join parents at the Peace.

We will celebrate our special events, holidays and obser-

vances in special ways designed for children. These will in-

clude Ministry Sunday, Harvest Dinner, and St. Francis

Blessing of the Animals.

What will be different?

You will see a new face! Rev. Amanda Akes will lead our

children’s programs. Welcome Amanda!

We will work to revive our Dia de los Muertos celebration

this year with special activities. We’ll be looking for volun-

teers.

We are trying to increase our cadre of teachers so that we

have more flexibility for any given teacher. If you think you

can commit to one Sunday a month, please contact Mrs.

Becky at [email protected]

We are likely to reformat Advent wreath making to encom-

pass the whole Parish. We tried combining it with a Sunday

School activity last year during “Winter Garden” and ran

into some hitches. We’ll be reaching out to some of the

folks who had excellent suggestions to help guide us.

Our Playground Committee has firmed up their recommen-

dation and will be working on the support and implementa-

tion of that plan for the coming year.

We will host several parent-focused forums through the

year designed to unite us in our common joys and chal-

lenges. We hope to have guest speakers for some of the-

se.

We look forward to seeing you in our midst and welcome your

prayers and support for our children’s programs. We embody

crowd sourcing at Grace. There is no possibility that we could

provide the programs we do for our children without you!

Thank you and welcome to the Chalice Year.

place on Sundays immediately after the 10:30 service. Best of

all, lunch will be served so you can have a bite to eat while learn-

ing and growing in faith.

September also brings a return of our highly

regarded Music Program. Our children’s pro-

gram and adult choir both resume, and don’t

forget about our Music at Grace series. The first

concert , “A Musical History of Afro Americans

Through Song and the Spirit “, will take place on Sunday, October

6 at 5:00 pm. We will welcome back the Alexander Cooper pro-

ject, featuring renowned percussionist Leon Alexander and vocal-

ist Nicole Minor.

And while you are saving dates, be sure to mark down Saturday,

October 26 as that is the night of our Harvest Dinner. The dinner

is one of the truly special events at Grace. It provides an oppor-

tunity to share a meal and to enjoy the fellowship

of this incredible community, as we give thanks

for the abundance blessings bestowed upon us

as individuals and as a parish. The band, Souler

Power, will return to provide music and dancing.

Watch your mail for more specific information

about the Harvest Dinner at the beginning of September.

This is a preview of just some of the things happening at Grace

this year. We haven’t even touched on the many ways Grace

Church reaches out to serve those in need. These ministries

can always use a few more hands. So, join us on for Ministry

Sunday on Sunday, September 8 to learn about the different

ways you can get involved. We can’t wait to see you!

New Program Year Begins, cont.

mailto:[email protected]


Calling All Youth Your friendly new Assistant Rector, Rev. Amanda here inviting you to participate in Youth Group! I’m super excited to

kick-off this new year! In the few weeks that I’ve been at Grace I’ve heard excellent things about the Youth Group. I’ve

learned that this is a group where God, friendship, fun, and curiosity matter. These aspects will continue to take top pri-

ority as we begin a new year of ministry together.

Youth group is a community where all youth, grades 6-12 are welcome! We’ll use Scripture, pop culture, art, physical

activity, fun and prayer to explore our spirituality and to build community. Youth Group takes seriously the need to deal

with what is real for young people and honors each individual’s journey. This year Youth Group seeks to:

Encourage Teens in the Christian Faith

Empower Youth to Build Community

Engage in Mission and Outreach Opportunities

Guide Teens in Discovering and Developing Their Spiritual Gifts

Empower Adults to Serve as Spiritual Companions to Young People

Registration for Youth Group begins on Sunday, Sept. 8. Youth Group will meet for the first time on Sunday, Sept. 15.

All youth, grades 6-12 are welcome and encouraged to attend! Middle School Youth Group (grades 6-8th) meets from

4:00-5:30. High School Youth Group (grades 9-12th) meets from 5:00-6:30. Any questions, comments, ideas? Contact

me, Rev. Amanda at [email protected].

We’re geared up and ready to get started for an all new choir

season packed with new things and lots of new music makers

too.

First of all, Leon is coming back. Leon Alexander is a percus-

sionist, a master of the steel drum, and one

of the most interesting musical minds I’ve

ever met. What’s great for us is that he

views the opportunity to play here as the

chance to put together something he’s real-

ly interested in creating, something that

simply cannot find expression in the myriad of other venues and

projects that he’s involved in.

Leon says he wants to explore, “the rhythm and vibe of Brazil

(Samba), Cuba (Mambo, Danzon), the Dominican Republic

(Merengue), and New Orleans (Jazz and Second Line) added to

great Spirituals to tell the story of the Spiritual in a whole new

way in a performance setting.” Leon gives us more with all the

top players he brings than our concert series could ever com-

pensate him for, but it’s something he really wants to do, so I

hope everyone will consider coming out to hear what this fasci-

nating artist has to say.

In addition:

Our adult choir will undoubtedly sing a spectacular Rutter

Requiem this fall;

Amahl and the Night Visitors is back for it’s third year;

Grace will host a children’s choir festival for kids from all

over the area with none other than Bruce Neswick as our

clinician. Bruce was the founding director of the National

Cathedral Girl’s Choir, and his other accomplishments are

too numerous to even start to detail in a short article. This

will be a rare opportunity for our choristers to work with an

artist of his stature, and;

I’m just tickled to tell you that the Blue Sky Puppet Theatre

will be back this season with an even bigger production for

our youngest members too.

I can’t remember when we’ve had so many exciting things

planned to do. If you ever thought about being a part of the

music ministry, this would be an ideal season to join in….we’d

love to welcome you!

Danny Catalanotto

Minister of Music

Music Ministry - Anything but Standing Still!



A Very Special Birthday Offering

A long standing tradition at Grace Church has been the weekly

offering of food at the altar, where it is blessed and later distrib-

uted to a local food pantry. Grace Church has donated nearly

70,000 items of food over the last 45 years, an average of 30

items per week.

On Sunday, July 21, you may have noticed that the food offering

was brought to the altar, not by the ushers, but by a Grace fami-

ly, Kaia Lenhart and Jennifer Ray, and their children Joshua and

Jayla. There was a very special reason for this. The day before,

Joshua and Jayla celebrated their birthdays with a

party where children were asked to bring donations to

the food pantry instead of birthday presents. It was a

fun party, and Joshua and Jayla’s friends brought over

300 items of food to the party. Jen and Kaia tell how

this came about:

“Every July, we celebrate our children’s birthdays with

an outdoor barbeque and waterslide event in our yard

with family and friends. Joshua and Jayla were born

two years and two weeks apart and enjoy our tradition of having

a small, family celebration for each of them on their actual birth-

days, and a larger, shared event for the two of them. As we be-

gan planning for this summer’s party, Kaia and I looked around

the house and noted that our kids have more than enough toys

to play with, thanks in large part to generous hand-me-downs

from friends with older kids.

“As parents, we try to instill in our children a sense of gratitude

every day for the numerous blessings in our lives, a sense of

compassion and the importance of serving others, and mindful-

ness to think beyond ourselves and consider the lives of oth-

ers. We proposed an idea to Joshua and Jayla – what if this year,

instead of bringing gifts to the big birthday celebration, they

asked our guests to bring food for people and families who are

homeless and/or hungry?

“The reason: Our children have become increasingly concerned

about people they see on the street or people asking for money

on a sidewalk. They often ask us questions – how did they be-

come homeless? Where do they go for shelter and food, is there

something we could do? Could we give them some of

our money? Frequently, we do give someone a dollar or

two, telling them that we hope that helps for today…

though we tell our kids that it isn’t enough. We try to

answer their questions about homelessness and pov-

erty, and talk to Joshua and Jayla about the ways

through which we can help people even more – by giv-

ing through our church and other organizations that

help families struggling in poverty, through volunteer

work, through prayer, and by doing what we can to support sys-

tems and policies that help families overcome poverty or avoid it

all together.

“And so, when we proposed this birthday idea – Joshua and Jayla

were very excited and immediately said YES. It felt good to know

that in the midst of celebrating their 6th and 4th birthdays, their

gifts would be for others. And they were so very proud to carry

their baskets to the altar on Sunday! ”

Kaia Lenhard & Jenn Ray

Ministry Sunday and Stewardship

Did you know that the Stewardship Committee is responsible

for Ministry Sunday each year? That’s because as good stew-

ards, we realize that all we have is a gift from God and that

we are called to share all our gifts, not just our treasure, with

others. By giving of ourselves and supporting the mission

and ministries of Grace Church, we increase the gifts and

blessings already bestowed upon us.

This spirit of Stewardship encourages us to live our lives as

disciples of Jesus and to share our gifts of Time, Talent and

Treasure – out of gratitude rather than obligation. We or-

ganize Ministry Sunday so that everyone can explore mean-

ingful ways in which to use their gifts and talents in service

to others, and offer this prayer as you discern where your

gifts can best be used.

The Stewardship Committee

My church is composed of people like me. I help make it what it is. It will be friendly, if I am friendly. Its pews will be filled, if I help fill them. It will do great work, if I work. It will make generous gifts to many causes, if I am a generous giver. It will bring other people into its worship and fellowship, if I invite and bring them. It will be a church of loyalty and love, of fearlessness and faith, and a church with a noble spirit, if I, who make it what it is, am filled with these same things. Therefore Lord, I ask for the strength and courage that I may dedi-cate myself to playing my part in being all the things that I want my church to be. Amen.


I'm a daughter -- obviously, right? But I'm

also a Daughter, as in a Daughter of the

King. In fact, I'm a proud member of "Neema"

Chapter (that's Swahili for "Grace'-- get

it?). No, we're not some weird Elvis fan club,

although you could be forgiven for thinking that. The Order of the

Daughters of the King -- our official name -- is a lay order of the

Episcopal Church devoted to prayer and good works.

Founded in 1885 by Margaret J. Franklin and her women's bible

study class at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in New York City,

the first Daughters sought to put prayer foremost in their work for

Christ. Over the next 128 years, that's what the Order has been

primarily known for -- putting prayer first as we discern our calls

from God and Christ.

The Order's motto sums it up:

For His Sake...

I am but one, but I am one.

I cannot do everything, but I can do something.

What I can do, I ought to do.

What I ought to do, by the grace of God I will do.

Lord, what will you have me do?

Sounds very earnest and intimidating, doesn't it? Kind of like

Dana Carvey's "Church Lady" without the humor. It's OK, I under-

stand. That's how I first viewed DOK too. I watched in awe three

years ago as the white-suited, big-hatted Sister-Daughters -- from

another church -- inducted Grace's first class into the DOK, revi-

talizing our moribund chapter. And then I pretty much forgot

about the DOK.

And then my husband got cancer.

Actually, it started a little earlier than that.

In February 2012, my phone buzzed me awake early one morn-

ing with an urgent text message from an old friend. It said, very

simply, "Pray for my kid, Trace."

Needless to say, I was alarmed. I immediately texted her back,

reassuring her that she and her family were in my prayers and

asking for details. Long story short, everything worked out, but

the incident reminded me that when the Horror descends -- as it

will, for all of us -- we all need to know we're not alone.

Jump forward to August 2012. My husband Jim came home

from a doctor's appointment one night and gave me the high sign

that he needed to talk to me outside, away from the kids. When I

got to the back porch he said, "I have cancer."

Well. I don't really remember the rest of what he said after

that. What I do remember is the utter fear, the isolation, the

panic and the sense that whatever else I did, I Had To Keep Eve-

rything Under Control, because we had to go back in the house

and tell the kids that Daddy had cancer, but that it was going to

be all right.

But I couldn't do that by myself. So I was all over -- and I do

mean ALL OVER -- Facebook, my social network of choice, asking

for prayers and support from all my Facebook peeps. Many of

you reading this are my Facebook peeps, and you answered my

cries heroically, so let me say, again, thank you.

Matthew 6:6 says,

But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when

thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret;

and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee open-

ly.

The verse implies that prayer should be solitary, a quiet

thing. Often, we pray the hardest when we feel weakest, when

we are most conscious of our solitary being, and for me at least,

it feels like my prayers hang in the ether. I never seem to get

that particular pony, and I have wondered...Is there really anyone

out there?

This time, I got my pony. A year later, Jim is cancer-free and has

been able -- so far -- to avoid the additional surgery, radiation and

chemo we were told to expect. Now, I can't say for sure that God

chose to answer our prayers when others go apparently unan-

swered. I can't believe that disease, murder, senseless death,

rapine and unfathomable avariciousness are "part of God's plan,"

as some would have it; but I know that knowing so many people

were praying for us, for a good outcome, buoyed me and buoyed

Jim more than we can ever say.

Such a small thing, to remember someone in a prayer. Such a

small thing to hold a family in one's heart, a short memo in the

head, a tweet to God, as it were.

I cannot do everything, but I can do something.

What I can do, I ought to do.

Last September, at Grace's annual "Ministry Sunday," where we

choose our volunteer ministries for the program year, I signed up

for Daughters of the King. Because I can pray, and nobody

should feel alone.

For His Sake,

Tracey Henley

"Neema" Chapter

The Order of the Daughters of the King

Daughters of the King - Why I Am a Daughter


Homeless Ministry - Important Changes Ahead

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.

By this all people will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another.”

John 13: 34-35 As many of your fellow parishioners will tell you, the Grace

Church Homeless Ministry is one of the greatest opportunities

you and your whole family have to show your love of others by

helping those most in need. We gather on the first Saturday of

each month to make soup and sandwiches for our homeless

brothers and sisters on the streets of Washington DC. The food,

clothing and graceful smiles are delivered by a group of dedicat-

ed volunteers in the Grace Van. This rewarding ministry is open

to people of all ages – bring the entire family! And this is also a

great way to earn Community Service Hours that are required for

high school graduation. Finally, the Homeless Ministry is a won-

derful way for newcomers and old timers of our church family to

get to know your fellow parishioners, whether over a table laden

with sandwiches or during those rides downtown in the van.

New Schedule/logistics: A few changes are being implemented

for the Fall Quarter (October, November and December).

First, as the days become shorter in the fall, we will switch our

schedule to two hours earlier so that the team going downtown

can be home before dark. Our soup maker will start cooking at

10 am, and other volunteers will start making sandwiches at 11

am. We will then load the van and head downtown around

12:30, for a return by 4 pm.

10 am – Soup maker arrives and starts soup/beverage

preparations (Note: shopping must be completed by Satur-

day morning 10 am).

11 am – Sandwich making and van loading begins

12:30 pm – Team heads downtown in the Grace Van for

food and smile distribution

3:30-4:00 pm – Van returns to Grace for unloading and

clean-up

Again, note that this new schedule starts with our first fall

Homeless Ministry on October 5th..

Logistical Changes: for the supplies each month, we will have a

few items ordered on the internet as they are no longer availa-

ble at COSTCO. I will adjust the shopping list accordingly. Also,

we will ask the Sunday School children to gather up toiletries

and clean, gently used socks once a month and bring them to

Sunday School on the last Sunday of each month.

Fall Quarter volunteers: I am happy to say we already have a

few volunteers signed up for the key activities. However, we

are looking for more volunteers for the Fall Season – can you

serve just one Saturday this year? Here are the opportunities

available for you and your family to serve:

Fall Teams:

October 5th

Shopper:

Soup/Beverage maker: Marsha O

Driver:

November 2

Shopper: Pam D

Soup/beverage maker: Marsha O

Driver:

December 7th

Shopper:

Soup/beverage maker: Marsha O

Driver:

Thanks again for your loving and generous spirit in serving

those in need. If you have any questions about the Homeless

M i n i s t r y , p l e a s e c o n t a c t R e b e c c a L e n t

([email protected], cell 301-254-8930). Look forward

to seeing you on September 8th for our Ministry Sunday Cele-

bration as well!

TRANSITIONS

Baptized

Logan William Kelley

Rowan Noelle Washington

Sarah Katherine Ball

Departed

Ann Weimer, August 5, 2013

Tom Wolz, August 14, 2013

Jane Moody Wood, founding headmaster for Grace Epis-

copal Day School, died on August 22, 2013. Jane began

the day school as a nursery program held in the Parish

Hall. She oversaw the expansion of the school through

the sixth grade between 1969 and 1974, as well as the

leasing of the Kensington campus in 1983. Jane retired

in 1986, after serving as head of school for 25 years.



Postcards, Pork and Pennyworth - Something in Common?

Perhaps you are a long-time reader of “Grace Notes,” or perhaps

you are reading this issue for the first time after picking up a copy

as a visitor on “Ministry Sunday.” Just what is the Pennyworth

ministry all about? And what in the world does Pennyworth have

to do with postcards and pork?

To get right to the point - the Pennyworth Thrift Store is a long-

standing ministry launched in the 1950s by church women who

distributed truckloads of gently used clothing to families in need.

Today, at 949 Bonifant Street in downtown Silver Spring, the tra-

dition continues of providing quality merchandise at a bargain

price to the community at large - with tremendous benefits to the

community, the church, and the environment!

Pennyworth is also one of several Grace ministries that operate

year-round. The shop is run by a dedicated cadre of volunteers

who maintain store hours from Tuesday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 4

p.m. - plus Friday evening hours once a month for part of the year.

Volunteers also sort, clean and price the seemingly endless bags

of donations that come in every week. A Board of Directors - elect-

ed from volunteers - meets once a month.

As summer winds down, a big pat on the back must go to store

manager Marilyn Seitz for juggling volunteers’ vacation schedules

to keep the store open for business all summer. And vacation

they did! Pennyworth volunteers have come back this summer

from trips to North Carolina, France, Texas, New

York City, England -- and many other places. More

than a few of them packed suitcases with items

found while sorting or working - and purchased

with the volunteer’s 50 percent discount!

So that explains postcards, now what about the pork?

The delicious answer was found at the fourth annual Grace

Church Pig Roast on Aug. 17. Once again, Pennyworth volun-

teers opened the doors of Grace House to set up the

“Portable Pennyworth” - with a nice selection of back-to-

school clothing and supplies as well as household items and

toys. Shoppers could feast on barbeque and bargains galore!

In the months to come, Pennyworth volunteers will begin to

gear up for the Grace Church Christmas Bazaar. We’ll also be

participating in various community events in our Bonifant

Street-Fenton Avenue “village.” We love to welcome new vol-

unteers. Take a look at our bulletin board in the Undercroft

for pictures and phone numbers, or stop by the store.

We’d like to add your postcard to our collection!

Scenes from the Annual Pig Roast

Grace Episcopal Day School



Fiscal Report

I hope that everyone has had a good summer. I am writing this

report on Sunday afternoon, August 25th. I don’t normally preface

my reports this way, but the timing of this report is unusual be-

cause August is the only month this year when the last Sunday of

the month and the deadline for my monthly report both come

before the last pay date of the month. As a result, the deficit of

<$51,174.17> seen as of this afternoon is actually approximate-

ly $10,000.00 below the actual deficit to be seen at the end of

August. The projected deficit for the end of August, approximate-

ly <$61,100.00> is $13,000.00 higher than the deficit of

<$48,100.00> projected for the end of August 2013 in the bal-

anced budget scenario approved by the Vestry for 2013. The

very high level of the deficit projected to be seen at the end of

August 2013 reflects a combination of the following two factors –

(1) the total of 18 pay dates seen through the end of August (one

more than the total of 17 pay dates that would normally be seen

during this eight-month period); and (2) the annual insurance

premiums totaling approximately $21,000.00 are invoiced during

the July/August period (August this year). So, having gotten

through this period, we project that the deficit will begin to de-

crease beginning in September. Because the decrease at the

end of August is higher than the deficit projected to be seen for

this period, it appears that a significant deficit could be seen in

the operating budget for the end of the year.

The financial trends seen during the first seven (7) months of

2013 continued to be seen during August. Total expenses con-

tinued to remain very much under control during the first eight (8)

months of the year. As discussed previously, a total of approxi-

mately $708,500.00 is projected to be disbursed in 2013, based

on the total of $458,794.92 disbursed through today. This pro-

jected disbursement total of $708,500.00 is $10,000.00 above

the allowance of $698,500.00 provided in the balanced budget

approved by the Vestry for 2013. This increase in expenses is

essentially offset by the increase in matching gifts (corporate gifts

matching pledges and other gifts made to Grace) being received

this year, and has been approved by the Vestry. The increase in

expenses essentially reflects a combination of the following two

factors –

1) the effort made at the beginning of 2013, but after the

budget was approved, to increase all clergy compensation pack-

ages to equal Diocesan scale (including the related pension con-

tribution costs); and

2) the two-week extension granted to the former Assistant

Rector to extend her period of compensation through the second

week of July.

As outlined previously, the deficit projected to be seen in the op-

erating budget at the end of 2013 essentially projects a shortfall

projected to be seen in the three primary categories of pledge-

related income and gifts – (1) pledge income; (2) “no pledge”

income; and (3) “plate” offerings. The largest shortfall is project-

ed to be seen in the area of pledge giving. Through the end of

August (since the last Sunday in August has been included in

this calculation this total reflects total pledge income for the

first eight months of 2013), a total of $325,027.62 was re-

ceived – while this total was $6,570.65 above the comparable

pledge income total for the first eight (8) months of 2013, it

was $24,272.38 below the budget estimate for pledge income

for the first eight (8) months of this year. Putting this variance

into perspective, pledges for 2013 totaled $560,006.62, an

increase of $40,091.12 (7.7%) over the comparable total of

$519,915.50, while the eight-month total of $325,027.62 was

only $6,570.65 (2.1%) over the comparable eight-month total

of a year ago. The overall deficit projected for 2013 as it re-

lates to pledge income reflects the dependence of the church

operating budget on the receipt of pledge income. Based on

seasonally adjusted trends, a shortfall of approximately

$19,000.00 is projected to be seen in pledge income receipts

in 2013. An additional shortfall of approximately $4,000.00 is

projected in the combined total of “no pledge” contributions

(gifts made by those attending Grace regularly but not making a

pledge to the parish) and “plate” offerings (loose cash placed in

the alms basins on Sunday morning and gifts from newcomers

and others not included in our church data base). The com-

bined shortfall of approximately $23,000.00 in these three (3)

areas essentially accounts for the total shortfall of approximate-

ly $26,000.00 now projected to be seen in the church operat-

ing budget in 2013.

At this time, the Rector has instructed all ministry leaders to

monitor program spending to ensure that both that essential

program requirements are funded and that savings are

achieved in all areas that do not affect essential ministry

needs. Given the timing in the fiscal year and because of the

significant portion of the church operating budget allocated to

the cost of staff salaries and benefits, it is not possible nor real-

ly practical to make sufficient reductions in the last four (4)

months of this calendar year to offset this shortfall. As a result,

it appears that a draw-down of endowment fund principal will

be required to cover any shortfall in pledge giving seen this

year. Drawing down endowment fund principal reduces the

endowment fund earnings available to be transferred to the

operating budget in future years. Essentially, deficits in the

church operating budget in the current year result in reductions

in the church operating budgets in future years to the degree

that these reductions are not made up by additional pledge

gifts. It is hoped that an emphasis on prudent expenditures of

funds and an effort to bring pledge payment income back into

balance will result in a reduced deficit in this year.

As always, if anyone has any questions regarding the financial

reports of the church, please feel free to contact me.

Gib Baily

Fiscal Officer

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