Grace notes February 2014

Diocesan Convention, 2012

OUR TEAM

Stan McKinnon RECTOR

stan@gracesiloam.org

Lora Walsh CURATE, DIRECTOR OF CHRISTIAN FORMATION

& YOUTH MINISTRIES lora@gracesiloam.org

OFFICE OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR

Bay GreenHill COMMUNICATIONS ADMINISTRATOR

Hope Johnstone FINANCIAL ADMINISTRATOR

Anne Jones

CHILDREN 9 A.M. CHILDREN’S CHAPEL COORDINATOR

Ben Bergstrom GODLY PLAY DIRECTOR Meredith Bergstrom

KITCHEN AND NURSERY COORDINATOR Angie Chaney

11 A.M. CHILDREN’S CHAPEL COORDINATOR Travis Chaney

MUSIC ASSISTANT CHOIRMASTER

Liesl Dromi DIRECTOR OF MUSIC & ORGANIST

Dr. Jan Wubbena CHILDREN’S CHOIR SCHOOL DIRECTOR

Terri Wubbena

MINISTRIES Altar Guild Outreach

Episcopal Peace Fellowship / G.A.P.P. Meals on Wheels

Prayer Chain

VESTRY Meredith Bergstrom

Andy Bossler Grace Davis

Ben Hill Rob Lambert

Amanda Orcutt Debi Selby

Curtis Smith Robert Smith

Mike Moss, Treasurer Hope Johnstone, Clerk

COMMITTEES Building & Grounds Christian Formation

Community Life Finance

Outreach Worship

WORSHIP SCHEDULE SUN Holy Eucharist, 9:00 A.M. Christian Formation (all ages), 10:00 A.M. Holy Eucharist, 11:00 A.M. WED Holy Eucharist & Healing, 12:10 P.M. MON-FRI Yoga Morning Prayer at Studio, 7:00 A.M.

CHURCH OFFICE HOURS Monday – Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

RECTOR’S ANNUAL MEETING REPORT It has been said that when planning for the future we anticipate more than we can

accomplish in the short term and less than we are able in the long. I am amazed every year

at what God has enabled us to do together and looking at these 2013 reports it has indeed

been another blessed year.

Our parish continues to grow in number, character, and depth. I’m proud to hear that

guests who come to Grace find a welcome and hospitable community that extend God’s

peace in Jesus Christ to all and that Grace Church members can be found in all walks of life

serving our surrounding community through their business, education, healthcare, and

volunteer efforts.

This year marked several milestones for us. Our part-time curate, the Reverend Dr. Lora

Walsh, joined us in March and has made an immediate impact leading in worship and

Christian Formation classes for adults and youth. She has also assisted in pastoral care,

Grace on Tap, and planning programming for the church.

At the Bishop’s annual visit this Fall we added 29 new members through confirmation,

reception and baptism – our previous high was 12.

For the sixth year in a row our average Sunday attendance increased by at least 10% to 158

putting us into the top 10 most attended Episcopal churches in Arkansas.

Also for the sixth year in a row our pledges and giving increased both in number of pledges

made and in total dollars given.

We acquired two adjacent properties, one purchased through refinancing our existing

mortgages into one with an overall cost saving to the church because of the new rental

revenue, and the other by a generous gift of Mary and George Benjamin. This second house

is now being used for children and youth formation on Sundays because of the need for

more nusery and office space.

Many other highlights could be mentioned, from the innovative “No Kid Hungry” program

in the park to the addition of an Alcoholics Anonymous group using the parish hall for

weekly meetings, but what stands out most to me is the desire of our Grace Church

community to worship the triune God with our lives loving each other as we reach out to

those who need God’s love. Keep up the good work you are doing!

Peace,

Rector’s Reflections

WHY DO WE SING HYMNS? by Jan Wubbena On this past Second Sunday of Advent a long-time parishioner stopped by the organ bench after

the service. He does this quite frequently, often to share a flash of insight he has had when singing

one of the hymns. A phrase of hymn text captures his attention, appeals to his imagination,

resonates in a profound way – and he wants to share this with me.

On this particular Sunday our closing hymn had been No. 534, “God is working his purpose out,”

and in this instance it had also served to trigger a memory – and I factored prominently in this

memory. At one point our history Grace Church and the First Presbyterian Church joined forces for

a Sunday school, the Union Sunday School. For at least a while during this period of time I met

with the youth (junior and senior high) for a bit of “hymn education” for a few minutes before their

regular classes began. It was probably during Advent that year also, and I imagine that we were

going to sing this hymn in our service. I was going through the text with the young people, stanza

by stanza, line by line, commenting on the text, explaining this, explicating that. He must have

overheard this teaching session, and I gather that he must have stayed till the end. And the

thought occurred to him, “I need to pay attention to what we sing.”

I have no memory of this specific Sunday or of him standing where he could observe me waxing

eloquent. My friend had not previously shared this memory with me, but I shall remember it

henceforth, partly because the session prompted some new understanding (as teachers are always

grateful to learn), partly because what might seem to a self-evident truth may not, in fact, be

widely understood or accepted.

“I need to pay attention to what we sing.”

Why do we sing hymns? It’s not because of the music – if it were, we could sing “la la la” and be

freed from having to read words. We sing hymns because of the text. The text serves to reinforce

The Word, and the music serves to make the text more memorable. (Have you ever struggled with

song lyrics until you started to sing the song, and then the lyrics flowed more easily?) Also, specific

hymn tunes are chosen to set with specific texts because the music and text are complementary.

We even sometimes speak of the “marriage” of hymn text with hymn tune: marriage partners must

be compatible.

In choosing the hymns for a given Sunday, I pay careful attention to the lessons appointed for the

day of the church calendar. The Old Testament reading appointed for Advent 2 in Year C is Isaiah

11:1-10, verse 9 of which passage is the source of the line which concludes each stanza of Hymn

534: “…the earth shall be filled with the glory of God as the waters cover the sea.” (Lest you

wonder, I use published “aids” which are useful in identifying hymns which are particularly

appropriate for the day’s Propers.)

“I need to pay attention to what we sing.” But we don’t always. Indeed, we would recognize the

absence of Christmas texts on Christmas Eve, and we would miss hymns with the Resurrection

message on Easter, but much of the time we, in fact, don’t pay much attention to the content of

the hymns we corporately sing.

Next month I will offer some ideas about how we might reverse that tendency. Stay tuned.

Acciaccaturas

February Gathering…

Cottage Groups will meet once a month from Feb-May and will be

led by Stan or Lora. Please sign up for your preferred night of the

week: Sunday, Tuesday, or Wednesday by visiting

www.gracesiloam.org/cottagegroups or to sign up via email,

admin@gracesiloam.org. For those who have signed up, we will be

announcing dates soon!

Winterstar Camp 2014…

Winterstar, the Episcopal Diocese of Arkansas’

annual winter retreat for Jr. and Sr. High students

(Junior high Winterstar is for 6th–8th graders;

senior high Winterstar is for 9th–12th graders.).

Winterstar will be Feb. 24–26; junior high

Winterstar, March 2–4.

Both weekends will begin on Friday evening at

8:00 p.m., and end Sunday morning at 11:00 a.m.

The weekends include games, music, worship

services, Christian education, and more. The cost

is $110, and scholarships are available. For more

information or to register, visit the Winterstar

website..

Feb. 7th-9th Jr. High Winterstar

Feb. 28th-March 2nd Sr. High WInterstar

Click here to visit a link from the previous Winterstar

camp with photos so you can see what to expect.

February 8th

at 7:00 p.m.…

The Vineyard (formerly Fine Wine Women of Grace), will meet on

Saturday, February 8th

at 7:00 p.m. at the home of Mary Ann Guinn

(115 S. College St.). This is an opportunity for the women of Grace

to meet once a month and share drinks, eats, and laughter! Please

bring a beverage and/or snack to share.

Seth Long…

Seth Long will be traveling with John Brown

University's (JBU) Cathedral Choir as part of

the JBU International Mission Program.

You are welcome to submit checks payable

to Grace Church with Seth's name in memo

line. For more information about this trip,

please click here (or request a printed copy in the church office).

Jonathan Larson…

Jon Larson will be traveling to London this

Summer to intern with World Harvest

Mission's. You are welcome to submit checks

payable to Grace Church with Jon's name in

memo line. For more information about this

trip, please click here (or request a printed

copy in the church office).

The Raiths…

We will have a Baby Shower for The Raith’s on February 9th

after the

late service. Elizabeth Lucy Raith was born on December 17th

. Join

us for a time of celebration and light refreshments. Gifts are not

required but if you feel lead, diapers and wipes are appreciated.

February 14-15, Little Rock…

Diocesan Convention will be held Feb. 14–15, 2014. Friday's events,

including Eucharist and the ordination of Sandra Curtis, will be held

at Christ Episcopal Church in downtown Little Rock. Saturday's

meetings will be held Episcopal Collegiate's Lower School. For more

information and to register, visit the convention web page.

http://episcopalarkansas.org/convention/

February Choir Camp & Music Schedule…

2/15: The Grace Children’s Choir School (GCCS) will have Choir

Camp on Saturday, Feb. 15th

from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. at Grace

Church.

2/16: GCCS will lead worship on Sunday, Feb. 16th

at the 9:00 a.m.

service. Choristers please arrive by 8:15 a.m. to warm-up and

prepare.

MINISTRY OF THE MONTH

DAVE RAMSEY FINANCIAL PEACE

Update Coming Soon...

This month, Vestry will review the Service Schedule Survey

submissions in order to determine the schedule that will

accommodate the most people. We will keep you posted.

We’re Online...

Have you seen our social media sites? You can find us on Facebook,

Twitter, Instagram, Vimeo, and email to connect with us digitally.

“Like” us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/GraceSiloam

Twitter: twitter.com/GraceSiloam

Instagram: instagram.com/gracesiloam

Vimeo (videos): vimeo.com/gracesiloam

We’d love to connect with you. If you take an image at a Grace

Event and want to tag us, use @GraceSiloam

The Episcopal Church Welcomes You...

Our sign variance was approved through the City of Siloam Springs

at a public hearing on Jan. 28th

, Meredith Bergstrom represented

Grace Episcopal Church. New sign coming soon to the NE corner of

Cheri Whitlock and Progress Ave.

Pancake Supper, March 4th

…

The Annual Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper will be held Tuesday,

March 4th

from 5-7 p.m. Adults $5, Children $3. Proceeds benefit

Genesis House. Invite your friends and join us for a great meal!

Proceeds benefit Genesis House. We encourage you to bring a can

good to donate. Shrove is derived from the word shriving which

means confessing and absolving. The Tuesday before Ash

Wednesday is commonly known as "Mardi Gras" or "Fat Tuesday"

due to the Lenten feast. In some places it was a day of celebration

and indulgence before the discipline of Lent. If you would like to

volunteer please see the sign-up sheet in the Parish Hall or email

admin@gracesiloam.org

March 5

th ...

Ash Wednesday Holy Eucharist and Imposition of Ashes | We

will have Holy Eucharist and Imposition of Ashes on Wednesday,

March 5th

at Grace:

12:10 p.m.

6:00 p.m. (with music and childcare)

Ashes to Go | If you are unable to attend an Ash Wednesday

service at Grace, please visit Fr. Stan at Pour Jon's to receive the

Imposition of Ashes (Ashes-To-Go):

8:30-9:30 a.m.

1:00-2:00 p.m.

4:00-5:00 p.m.

April 11-12, Camp Mitchell

Mark your calendars for the first ever Grace Church Parish Retreat

at Camp Mitchell on the afternoon of April 11th to Saturday

evening April 12th. Sign-up sheet available in the Parish Hall!

Additional details will be available closer to each date

Apr. 19-20, 2014 Champagne Breakfast & Easter Sunday

July 2014 Summer Potluck & BBQ

Aug. 14, 2014

Rally Day Potluck

FEBRUARY 2ND

Malachi 3:1-4

Hebrews 2:14-18 Luke 2:22-40 Psalm 84 or

Psalm 24:7-10

FEBRUARY 9TH

Isaiah 58:1-9a, (9b-12)

1 Corinthians 2:1-12, (13-16) Matthew 5:13-20

Psalm 112:1-9, (10)

FEBRUARY 16TH

Ecclesiasticus 15:15-20

or Deuteronomy 30:15-20 1 Corinthians 3:1-9 Matthew 5:21-37

Psalm 119:1-8

FEBRUARY 23RD

Leviticus 19:1-2,9-18

1 Corinthians 3:10-11,16-23 Matthew 5:38-48 Psalm 119:33-40