Grace Notes: Come Celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Lauren's OrdinationThis week at Grace
Grace Notes
December 12, 2025
Beloved of Grace,
Happy Advent!
This Sunday (12/14) we are celebrating the 20th anniversary of my priesthood. I am honored to get to serve with you here at Grace. Join us for a special coffee hour following worship, hosted by the Vestry.
We are raising donations to buy a beautiful new set of vestments for Grace in honor of this anniversary. Donate and learn more in this Video here.
Sunday, 12/ 21 is our Children's Christmas Pageant Play at 10 am. Details below. Following the service, we will have the greening of the church at 11 am.
Christmas Eve services will be at 4 pm and 6 pm. details below. Please send in your Christmas flower donations by Friday, Dec. 19th.
Looking for another way to get involved this season? Please support prison reform HERE.
Looking forward to seeing you throughout this holy and exciting month.
Faithfully,
Lauren
A letter from your Stewardship Chair
Dear fellow Grace parishioners, As Stewardship Chair for the 2026 year I first want to thank you for taking the time to read this, and for contributing your time, talent and treasure (financial contributions!) in past years. We are hoping people can really step up this year, and help us to continue our growth and development; we can’t do that without you. I can also promise that the rewards that you and your family will get back will greatly exceed what you put in.
We had hoped to receive by Sunday, November 30, so our Finance Committee can finalize budget numbers for 2026 (the Episcopal Church requires that we can only use the numbers for which there are submitted pledges) and a reminder that this is only your pledge and that contribution can be paid in many different convenient ways during 2026 that fits your budgetary requirements. If you have never pledged before, we are asking you to please consider doing so, at whatever level is comfortable for you. The pledge formis available on-line this year (Online link isHERE) and in an old school mailing which you will receive soon.
The Vestry is excited for the 2026 goals (summarized below), and asks you to consider an increase in your pledge if you are able from last year to support these bold goals, and again to pledge for the first time if you have not done so:
continue to a program for 5th-8th graders to engage their minds and hearts to do mission, and facilitate their desire to do social activities with their peers;
building more intergenerational mission projects for the whole parish;
adopting a balanced budget for the second year in a row!;
giving staffmuch deserved cost of living increases;
building more community activities both in our Grace Church community and in our broader Rivertowns and beyond communities.
HERE is a letter from me, your stewardship chair. HEREis a letter from Lauren.
Additionally, our Stewardship Chair, Marc Gouran is more than happy to discuss Stewardship, it’s importance to our community, what the money goes for, how it can be paid over the course of the year and any other questions you have related to our budget and how we pay for everything.
Thank you for your continued support of Grace’s ministries and programs!
Peace, Marc Gouran, Stewardship Chair
Music notes for the third Sunday in Advent
The third Sunday in Advent is set apart from the others. It is known as Rose Sunday, Gaudete Sunday or Stir-up Sunday. (Pay close attention to the collect of the day and you will see where this name comes from.) You’ll notice that this is the Sunday when we light the pink candle. We often call this Rose Sunday because it is an allusion to Mary as God’s rose. You have probably heard the text of the English Christmas carol, “There is no rose of such virtue as is the rose that bare Jesu.”
The music sung by the choir and the soloists this Sunday will reflect the Rose Sunday theme. The prelude will be a movement from Bach’s Magnificat, Quia respexit. This beautiful movement sets the text taken from Luke 1:48 – For he has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: behold, for from this time, may I be called blessed.
At the offertory, the choir will sing a beautiful and energetic setting of the Magnificat by English composer Charles Villiers Stanford. This is often one of the canticles that is sung at Evensong services in the US and England and I think you will see why it has become one of my favorites.
During communion you will hear a lovely movement from a Vivaldi Chamber Mass. The piece was written for a girl’s orphanage in Venice. The Laudamus Te text comes from an ancient Latin hymn and translates to We praise you, We bless you, We adore you, We glorify you.
Finally, the postlude this Sunday will be sung as well. Sara Heaton will sing a wonderful setting of A Stable-lamp is Lighted by San Francisco composer David Conte. This hymn text written by Connecticut poet Richard Wilbur is the wonderful way to bridge Gaudete Sunday with our Christmas pageant next week.
A stable-lamp is lighted
Whose glow shall wake the sky;
The stars shall bend their voices,
And every stone shall cry.
And every stone shall cry,
And straw like gold shall shine;
A barn shall harbor heaven,
A stall become a shrine.
Please have your flower donations in by Friday, December 19th
You can email Bea office@gracehastings.org
Save the Date for the Children's Christmas Play
Sunday, Dec. 21st
Zoom Links this week at Grace:
Sunday, December 14th, @ 9am on Zoom The bulletin is HERE.
Sunday (12/14) In-person Worship 10:00am Ushers: Ken Murphy, David Agosto Altar Guild: Ken Murphy Chalice Bearer: Lily Greenberg Lectors: Simeon Kuratko, Ken Murphy Counters: David Agosto, Marc Gouran Coffee Hour Hosts: Grace Vestry
