Volume 24, No.10
October 2016
HARVEST FESTIVAL Saturday, October 22
10 am to 2 pm
Church lawn
Pumpkin heirloom varieties will be for sale – from Jack O’Lanterns to fairy tales. Make plans to meet your friends (from Grace and around town) for free apple cider, grilled hotdogs for sale, face painting and other children’s activities! This year we are partnering with the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen to make an even bigger event than in years past. Don’t miss it!
“A Life Worthy of the Calling”
The Stewardship Season this year is from October 16 - October 30. The theme is “A Life Worthy of the Calling” and our reflections together will be based on Paul’s words in Ephesians, where he writes “I beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called.” Church members can look for a stewardship mailing the week of October 16th.
Sunday, October 23rd – Stewardship Informational Meeting
This year the Finance Committee is presenting a combined, or unified budget, which pulls together all of the ministries and missional work of Grace. The budget will look a little different, and we want the congregation to have the opportunity to learn more about the budgeting process and structure. This meeting will be after worship at 11:15 a.m. in the Church Council Room.
Sunday, October 30th - Commitment Sunday.
We ask for pledges to be turned in by that date, and we will celebrate after worship with a congregational lunch and a mission project.
Special Gifts We acknowledge with gratitude the following special gifts in memory of MAMIE BRUNDIGE by Ruth Ann and Lynn Beachler Jennifer and Steven Jacobellis Our Charge Conference, a joint session with St. John’s and Grace, will be held on Saturday, October 8th at 9:00 am at Grace with our acting District Superintendent, Rev. Edwin DeLong presiding. Charge Conference is the annual meeting of the church in which we celebrate the ministries of the past year, review past and future goals, and attend to any necessary official church business. It is the time when members vote to approve the recommendations of the Lay Leadership Committee for leadership in the coming year. All church members are encouraged to attend.
October worship and preaching OCTOBER 2 World Communion Sunday Rev. Amy McCullough
Chris Schroeder, Organist, in recital Sunday, October 23 2:00 p.m. Hear the sounds of the 58 rank pipe and 50 rank digital Möller Organ played by our own Minister of Music. His program will include Sonata No. 8 by Josef Rheinberger. A reception will follow. The concert is free and open to the public; a free will offering will be taken.
School supplies distributed
OCTOBER 9 Rev. James McSavaney OCTOBER 16, 23 and 30 Rev. Amy McCullough
Rev. Amy is blessing one of the students on Sunday, August 28 during worship when we blessed backpacks, students, teachers and Sunday School leaders as they entered a new school year. In Sunday School, each student was given a small “footprint” keychain for their backpack.
Grace Church has collected supplies for different schools in our area for over a dozen years. For the last three years, we have dropped off supplies at two locations. Half go to Hampden United Methodist to be distributed to families in Hampden, Woodberry and Remington. The other half is for middle school students at Roland Park Public who come from all over Baltimore. This year we assembled 88 school kits plus some extra supplies. We are always told how much the families appreciate what we do. I would like to thank everyone who contributed this year as well as in the past. – Diane Topper
Happy Birthday greetings to those of our Grace family celebrating in October: 2 Becky Shaner, Asa Shaw 3 Elisabeth Nix, Nancy Webb 4 Zachary Graf 5 Lynn Beachler, Joseph Dandy 6 Darrell Sacks, Elizabeth Shaner 7 Richard C. Manning 9 Allison Ferguson, Michael Gullett 10 Deb Bidlack, William Fishman, David Garman 11 Claire Greenhouse 12 David Beachler, Stewart Hendry, Jamison Hodges, Susannah Landgren, Charles Plitt III, Tanner Plitt 13 Olivia Birkel, Stephen Danz, Buzz Getschel, Barbara Starkey 14 Luke McCullough 15 Jeb Cook 16 Donald A’Hern, Sue Houghton 17 Jeanette Cosper, Suzanne Stevens 19 Hollis Houston 20 John Gillan, Chloe Kick, Amanda Scott, Glenn Simmons, Ron Spedalere 21 Barbara Blair, Matias Calderon 22 Matthew Franklin, Jean Smith 23 John Madsen, Erin Millon 25 Carla Hackley, Helen Richardson 26 Evan Wm. Shebel 28 John Crow, Mike McGuire, Lily Updike 29 Becca Friedel 30 Brandon Bickham, Susan Rice, Beth Vargas 31 Susie Guth, Brent Laytham, B. A. Sewell
Grace joining Reading Partners On Sunday, August 28, Alexis Acciani (above right) spoke to the congregation inviting participation in the Reading Partners in Baltimore program to address illiteracy in the city. Last year, a few Grace folks participated and it is hoped that even more will sign up this year. Maureen Danz from Grace (above left) also spoke of her experiences last school year. The schools we will assist in are located in the Waverly area of the city, more convenient for us from Grace. Each tutor spends one hour a week with the same student, strengthening their reading and comprehension skills. Grace volunteers would then coordinate schedules so that they both carpool and teach at the same time. While we have a great group of volunteers already, there is certainly space for more. You can learn more about the program on www.readingpartners.org or by speaking with Maureen or Rev. McCullough.
Grace United Methodist Women Everyone is invited to the next meeting WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12 11:00 a.m. Fellowship Hall Peter Smith, a long-time counselor with Inspirit headquartered at Grace, will tell about the growth of the counseling program and the services it offers. This will be your opportunity to learn more about what goes on in the offices on the second and lower levels of our education wing. Luncheon follows the presentation. Please contact Ruth Ann Beachler to make a reservation. She is at church Wednesdays and Sundays or call her at 410-252-8906
Preschool Bazaar and Auction NEW DATE! Friday, November 18th 9 to 2 - Fellowship Hall Auction wonderful vendors bake table orders for holiday greens More details in the next issue
Photos taken at the SUMMER SPLASH PARTY on the grounds of the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen, an end-of-summer event for Grace, the Church of the Redeemer and the Cathedral August 28. Such water fun!
Charge Conference business: “Ministry to Disciples” At each Charge Conference the church evaluates its effectiveness in ministering to its members, by looking at our worship, programmatic and outreach efforts. We also review our membership records. Listed below are members of Grace Church who have been inactive for the past several years. This list was presented at last year’s Charge Conference and will be presented again at this year’s session on October 8th. We are asked by The Book of Discipline to present the list for three consecutive years before officially removing the names from our membership roles. Please review the list and be in touch with the church office if you have information about any of these members that you would want to share with the pastors. Thank you. Kendall Allen Stewart Hendry James G. Schmidt, II Verna Bazzell Bernice Hirshauer Sharli Schultz Clifford Booth Mike Holle Amanda Scott Ashley Byer Nancy Holle John Scott, III Charlene Campbell Nicole Kasson Susan Shebel Daniel Cappe Bonnie Markell Gladstone Smith Gwen Cargill Charles McCusker Susan Smith Marian Damewood Kristine McCusker Billy Stansbury Lex Davis Timothy McGill William Stevenson John Doak, Jr. Rhoda McWilliams David Taicher Tina Doak Barry Miller Gregory Taicher Laurie Fishman Bennett Moore Mary Taicher Natalie Francis Charlotte Moore Suzanne Updike Cynthia Frank Thomas Lee Moore Gregory Weber Stephen Frank, Jr. Elinor Old Sarah Weiskittel Allison Glewwe Danny Plitt Doris White Dale Glewwe Jocelyn Plitt Jim White Dottie Glewwe Joan Potter Patricia White Chris Greene Corrine Reed Kitzie Winship Beth Greenland Helen Richardson Kathy Wischhusen Henry Hanley Will Hanley
Catharine Saylor Charles Saylor
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Symphony coming to Grace
Grace Book Club
The Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra, Julien Benichou, Music Director, will be performing a program called “Tragedy, Love and Victory” at Grace on Friday, September 30 at 7:30 pm. The program that evening will include the Overture from Tannhäuser by Wagner, Organ Symphony No. 1 by Guilmant, and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4 Acclaimed organist Felix Hell will be the soloist for the Guilmant work. Felix has performed several times here at Grace, and his professional photos were taken with the Grace organ. Tickets are $22 and are available at the door, by phone (410-917-7587) or online at www.midatlanticsymphony.org.
The readers of the Grace Book Club will be enjoying The Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler as the October selection, meeting for discussion on October 10th at 7:00 pm in the Church Parlor. New folks are always welcome. This book is Goucher’s summer reading book for incoming freshmen. The November book is Ask Him Why by Catherine Ruth Hyde for the November 14 meeting.
SUNDAY OCTOBER 30
