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200 W Lang St, Alvin, TX 77511-2396 I 281-331-5657 I 281-331-1355 I www.gracechurchalvin.com
O ne Go d — O ne Fami ly — O ne T ab le
The Outpost
May 2019
Catch us on Facebook Grace Episcopal Church Alvin
ertson and Jo Phillips were baptized and welcomed into the family of God on Easter morning. Each of
them received a handmade baby lamb to commemo-rate their baptism.
No Easter service would be complete without an Egg hunt afterwards! It delighted my heart to see the
grounds of Grace covered in bright eggs with chil-dren milling about looking for them. The weather was perfect and the joy of Easter was palpable!
I’m so grateful to all of you who gave of yourselves
by decorating, cooking, serving in worship, greeting visitors and expressing how meaningful this time has been. Thank you also to the staff of Grace church
who gave of their time and patiently walked through the planning and implementation of Holy Week and Easter activities. I’m so grateful my first Holy Week and Easter as a priest was spent with Grace Church.
May you know that my prayers remain with each of you during this blessed Easter season.
Faithfully, Suzanne+
In this Edition
From the Priest-in-Charge Page 1
Who to Contact Page 2
Lay Ministry Schedule Page 3
The Life of Grace Page 4
Spiritual Formation and Parish Life Page 5
May Calendar Page 6
Parish Prayer List Page 7
Cover Page Page 8
Dear Grace Church,
Alleluia, Christ is risen! The Lord is risen, indeed. Alleluia! Easter season greetings to you as we begin this new season in the church year. Easter is
more than a one-day event. The Easter season is a seven-week celebration of the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The Easter season
continues through Ascension Sunday, June 2nd, and one week later, we celebrate the Church’s birthday on Pentecost which is June 9th. After an extended Lent, I’m thankful that Alleluias will now
be a regular part of our worship experience again!
The Holy Week services were beautiful. The altar guild worked tirelessly throughout Holy Week leading up to Easter. A big thank you to Janice Bell
for her competent and graceful leadership of the altar guild! Their preparation of the sanctuary al-lowed each of us to walk the road of Christ’s suf-
fering and thankfully be able to celebrate His resur-rection! Starting with bright red on Palm Sunday and Maundy Thursday, and then moving to the
starkness of the empty sanctuary and black hang-ings for Good Friday. The visual representations helped to create a very moving and memorable Ho-
ly Week.
My heart skipped a beat when I entered the sanctu-ary on Easter morning and the church was glori-ous! How beautiful Grace was on Easter morning. I
was so moved when nearly every person present at Grace church brought their flower offerings to help flower the cross. I’ve been in a lot of Episcopal
churches and this by far was the most beautiful I’ve ever been a part of or seen! The cross was wheeled out after the service for picture taking and for our
neighborhood to enjoy.
God was glorified by our worship and celebration of holy baptism. Joseph Reid, Luke and Gage Rob-
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Mailing Address
112 W. Lang
Alvin, TX 77511
Hours
Monday-Friday
9:00 am to 1:00 pm
Priest in Charge
The Reverend Suzanne Smith
Organist & Music Director
Paul Humphrey
Parish Administrator
Laura Tate
Children’s Minister
Aubrey Smith
Nursery Attendant
Claudia Pouncey
281-840-3547
Jim and Jana Callan (5-17)
Ron and Margaret Hall (5-23)
Karlis and Maedell Ercums (5-31)
Robert and Tamra Evans (5-31)
Happy Birthday Joyce Bergmann (5-24)
Rusty Beasley (5-6)
Cynthia Cobb (5-23)
Karlis Ercums (5-20)
Ron Hall (5-17)
Fay King (5-8)
Adelaide Lyons (5-14)
Richard Oliver (5-9)
Mary Smith (5-10)
Randy Smith (5-18)
The Office
The Staff
Grace Episcopal Church
One God One Family One Table
Vision Grace Episcopal Church seeks to deepen relationships with God, bring individuals together into a family that builds up one another in love and support, and actively serve our neighbors and community.
Mission
In this family of faith God brings together individuals in all stages of their spiritual life to form an inclu-sive family. As a family, we encour-age growth in relationships with God, others, ourselves, and the creation, in that we:
Practice invitation to God’s table,
Welcome and incorporate those who come,
Work together to worship the Lord in powerful liturgy,
Challenge, encourage and teach one another, and
Build one another up for ministry in and beyond the church.
Altar Guild Director
Janice Bell: [email protected]
Fellowship & Pastoral Care Council
Mary Smith: [email protected]
Liturgy & Worship Council
Janice Bell: [email protected]
Media & Communications Council
Donna Tate: [email protected]
Jo Nell Parker:
Lay Ministry Scheduler
Vicki Ennis: 281-585-4660
Sherry Campbell, Senior Warden
Anna Arendell, Junior Warden
Donna Tate
Tom Clark
Glennie Hefner
Leonel Ortiz
Jolene Guilmet
Jim Callan
Jim Thompson [email protected]
Volunteer Ministries
Your Vestry
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May
LAY MINISTRY SCHEDULE
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE!
IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO SERVE,
PLEASE SECURE A SUBSTITUTE
AND NOTIFY THE VESTRY PERSON OF THE DAY.
05/05/19 05/12/19 05/19/19 05/26/19
Altar Guild Team 3 Team 4 Team 1 Team 2
Lydia/Ivy Carol/Jackie Janice/Anna Ivy/Janice
LEV Kati Jim C. Donna Kati
WORSHIP SERVICE
8:00 AM 8:00 AM 8:00 AM 8:00 AM
Vestry Jim T. Anna Lionel Sherry
Ushers Becky Betty Anna Phyllis
Ken Carol
Lector/Intercessor Tommy Jana Gary Randy V.
Crucifer/LEM Tommy Jana Gary Randy V.
WORSHIP SERVICE
10:30 AM 10:30 AM 10:30 AM 10:30 AM
Vestry Tom Glennie Tom Jolene
Ushers Jim C. Laura Glennie
1st Lesson Randy S. Jo Nell Donna Ron
Psalm Randy S. Jo Nell Donna Ron
2nd Lesson Randy S. Jo Nell Donna Ron
Intercessor Jana Mary Kati Jana
Chalice Jana Mary Kati Jana
Crucifer Eli Makayla Kati Jana
Gospel Cora Jeremy Kati Gunner
Torch Pia Cormac
Torch Avery
Children's Chapel Aubrey Aubrey Aubrey Aubrey
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Dear People of Grace: Bishop Doyle has asked us to reflect upon the blessing we have in our dear Priest-In-Charge, Suzanne, and remember that she is a product of The Seminary of the Southwest in Austin. Other churches are in need a Deacons and Priests, and would benefit from the wonderful program at The Seminary of the Southwest. As a symbol of our gratitude and blessing for The Rev Suzanne, the vestry has committed to a donation to The Seminary of the Southwest in Suzanne’s name. To meet that commitment, we ask you to prayerfully consider a giving towards this donation. You may write a check to Grace Church and put “Seminary gift” in the memo line and drop your check in the offertory plate or send it to the church office. Our goal is $3000. Together, as a parish family, we can pay it forward for other churches in transi-tion.
Vestry Notes The Grace Vestry was hard at work this month. A quick snap-shot of activities includes:
All Vestry members will be completing the Safeguarding program to ensure Grace provides an environment free of abuse, exploitation, and harassment.
Grace Episcopal celebrates its 125th anniversary in 2021. A special fund is now available to receive contributions for proposed anniversary activities.
The Parish Hall requires a few more updates as specified by the fire marshal—install fire Exit signs, add smoke de-tectors, remove duplicate dead bolt, and other small but necessary items—before the space can be available for rentals. Work is underway to have the hall ready by May 1.
A preliminary audit of Grace financial records, inventory items, and more was completed in March. No major con-cerns were noted. The audit report included several recom-mendations to make our procedures more transparent.
The tax appraisal for the parish rectory presented a 68% increase. Steps to lower the appraisal are being considered.
Several pests are plaguing our beloved church buildings. Bids for pest removal and related maintenance tasks are underway.
Four vestry members were elected to the Verna Browning committee. This group will meet in the next few weeks to elect leaders and review investment options.
Grace will participate in a local outreach program, “Operation Honey Badger,” for our military members—see Jolene’s article for more information.
A proposal was made to designate one Sunday in the fall as “Gratitude Sunday” to kick off the yearly stewardship pro-gram.
Check back for updates on all of these activities and more. Sherry Campbell
Hi Church Family,
As most of you know, I hold our military members near and dear to my heart. So when Shannon Ferguson, owner of Alvin CrossFit, got in touch and asked if I would like to be involved in the upcoming Operation: Honey Badger they are doing for our active service members, it was a no-brainer for me. In turn, I brought this outreach opportunity to our vestry and they so graciously allowed me to share it with you. This is a drive that consists of collecting goods that will be sent to our military members serving away from home. On May 11 at 10 am Alvin CrossFit will host a community packing party, where the goods will be boxed up and labeled for shipping. Prior to the packing party, there will be a group CrossFit workout at 9 am that will be dedicated to our fallen heroes. The workout is free and all are invited!
It was just over a decade ago, I was a service member, serving in a war zone, away from my family, friends, and all of the comforts of home myself. It seems after nearly two decades of war, it’s hard to stop and remember we still have Americans fighting and dying for our country. I will never forget those small, white, priority boxes as they arrived to our little Forward Operating Base: Abu Ghraib, Iraq. I will never forget the feel-ing that accompanied those boxes of toiletries, snacks items, handwritten cards, and heartfelt wishes. I felt thought of, I felt cared for, and I felt remembered. I felt like no matter how any-one viewed the war or why we were there, I was being support-ed. I believe it is important to continue supporting our service men and women as they continue to carry out their oaths to our country.
So I ask you to join me in bringing any toiletries (non aero-sol), hygiene items, non-perishable/easily shipped snack items, drink powders (individual serving packets), and any entertain-ment items (board games/cards) you can think of to the drop of location at the Grace Admin Building during office hours. Also, if you have a loved one serving away from home, we would love to send them a care package! You can submit their infor-mation to me directly ([email protected]) and I’ll be happy to get them on the list. If you need more specific ideas of what to bring, a flyer will be printed and available in the Nar-thex!
Thank you so much Grace Family for taking the time to read this. May God bless the women and men who have so bravely answered the call of duty!
Many Blessings, Jolene Guilmet
You might be asking, what is Cursillo? Cursillo is a spiritual retreat where those who attend are given tools to become greater witness-es for Christ through Piety, Study, and Action. At its core, Cursillo is presented as a short course in Christianity, cultivated within an inviting atmos-phere, and strives to build community.
When Does The Weekend take place and where? The upcom-ing Cursillo is June 6th through June 9th at Camp Allen’s Lakeside Meeting Center: 18800 FM 362, Navasota, TX 77868 Who Can Attend? Any baptized Episcopalians are welcome to attend the weekend. How much does it cost? Participants, known as Pilgrims, pay $175. If you have any other questions, then please speak with Michael Smith (Leader Cursillo #255) , Aubrey Smith, or Kati Garner. For further information and for registra-tion, please visit: www.episcopalcursillotexas.org
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Spiritual Formation
Children’s Classes All Ages of Children Welcome Sundays 9:30am-10:15am
Adult Classes Sundays 9:30am–10:15am Priest’s Bible Study Tuesdays 11:00am to 12:30pm Priest’s Bible Study in the Admin Bldg. Conference Rm. Wednesday Night Bible Study The Bible Study hosted by Holy Comforter Episcopal Church Parish Hall (227 Chenango, Angleton TX 77515) centers on a video series called “How to Read the Bible” led by Father Travis Smith, Father Preston Weatherly, and Reverend Suzanne. The evening begins with a meal and fellowship at 6pm and the study begins at 6:30pm.Childcare is provided. A carpool from Grace gathers in the parking lot at 5:10pm in order to leave by 5:20pm. All are welcome. Morning Prayer Join us every Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday at 9:30am in the Church for Morning Prayer!
This Parish Life… April was a month of learning for Grace Episcopal parishioners. The Reverends Suzanne+ and Nan+ co-taught two “instructed” Eucharist classes during the Tuesday morning bible study session. The first session on April 9 walked the class through each part of
the Eucharist process, explaining the why of the various actions. The second session on April 16, reviewed the items used by the
priest at the altar and the significance of each. Attendees came away with a better understanding of the process and meaning of
the Eucharist.
Two final Lenten suppers with our church neighbors completed the sharing of good food and great company—the first on April 3
at First Christian Church and the second on April 10 at Breath of Life Community Church. Each church presented skits to propose how five major characters from the Bible might have responded
when interviewed on the death of Christ. We are all looking for-ward to next year’s skits.
On Palm Sunday, the Liturgy of the Palms started in the church
courtyard and then processed inside the church where the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke was read. The 10:30
Liturgy of the Palms procession began at the pavilion with singing and guitar playing and processed into the church for services.
The Maundy Thursday service began with foot washing at 6 pm
followed by the at 7:00 pm service which celebrated Jesus’ final Passover with His disciples and the Good Friday service at noon
commemorated the crucifixion and death of Christ. Easter Sunday started with a shared breakfast in the Parish Hall followed by a service to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. A special thank you
goes to Reverend Suzanne for making each service bring to life and make clear each poignant event at the end of Christ’s life on
earth.
Easter Sunday wrapped up with a HUGE Easter Egg Hunt in which approximately 30 children eagerly searched for eggs filled
with candy. As Aubrey said, “There was an explosion of eggs” on the church lawn! We had two “eggs-cited” winners: Reef Elf-
strom found the Golden Egg and Gunner Hasceck found the “money” egg. Congratulations!
On the last Sunday of April, Grace Church bid a fond farewell to
Fran Van Winkle with a cake reception between services. She will be moving to a retirement community in Atascocita in early May. Fran has been part of our church family for over 40 years. She
will be sorely missed.
Grace Episcopal Church is full of good people planning great things—please come join us.
Sherry Campbell
Life Celebrations Do you enjoy giving families a comforting experience in a new and unfamiliar situa-tion? Providing a reception for a funeral, burial, or memorial service gives an oppor-tunity for mourners to celebrate the life of a loved one through the sharing of stories and memories in a casual, relaxed space, and allows family and friends to reconnect with those they may not have seen in some time. We’re looking for creative and nurturing individuals to help plan and support funeral service receptions. These individu-als would organize food offerings, manage reception sup-plies, and coordinate the set up and decoration of tables and chairs in the Parish Hall. We typically host one or two recep-tions a year which are usually held on a weekday. If you’re interested in helping with this ministry, please contact Sher-ry Campbell at 281.482.6632 (H) or 979.557.7904 (C).
School’s Out for Summer
Children and Youth of Grace: You are invited to a pool par-ty at “Casa del Callan” in early June. Official time and date will be announced in your Sunday Grace Greetings and the weekly “Moments of Grace” e-newsletter soon!
Diaper and Wipes Shower May 12, between services
Let's celebrate baby Olivia Negrete by showering her mom, Bonnie, and dad, Michael ,with loads of diapers and wipes!! Bring a breakfast item to share & a box of diapers and/or wipes to the party. We're so excited to be welcoming new life to Grace and this is our way of celebrating and thanking God for this precious baby.
Let's show this sweet family some real Grace Love!! Ques-tions? Want to help? Call Mary Smith: 281-686-2057.
Alvin Clothing Outlet Have a few hours that you’d like to volunteer for a great cause and make a little money for Grace? The Alvin Cloth-ing Outlet has a spot for you. Please contact Margaret West at 281.585.6824 for more information.
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Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1 Morning Prayer 9:30am Bible Study, Holy Comforter, Angleton 6:00pm, Carpool time, 5:10pm BSA Cub Pack 400, 6:30pm Choir Practice, 7:00pm
2 Morning Prayer 9:30am
3 Morning Prayer 9:30am
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5 Holy Eucharist (I) 8:00am Sunday School 9:30am Holy Eucharist (II) 10:30am Safeguarding Classes
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7 Priest’s Bible Study, 11:00am ALANON 7:30pm
8 Morning Prayer 9:30am Bible Study, Holy Comforter, Angleton 6:00pm, Carpool time, 5:10pm BSA Cub Pack 400, 6:30pm Choir Practice, 7:00pm
9 Morning Prayer 9:30am
10 Morning Prayer 9:30am
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12 Mother’s Day Holy Eucharist (I) 8:00am Sunday School 9:30am Diaper Shower for the Negrete Family Between Services Holy Eucharist (II) 10:30am
13 14 Priest’s Bible Study, 11:00am Vestry 7:00 pm BSA Troop 400 7:00pm ALANON 7:30pm
15 Morning Prayer 9:30am Bible Study, Holy Comforter, Angleton 6:00pm, Carpool time, 5:10pm BSA Cub Pack 400, 6:30pm Choir Practice, 7:00pm
16 Morning Prayer 9:30am
Grace Guild 10:00 am
17 Morning Prayer 9:30am
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19 Holy Eucharist (I) 8:00am Sunday School 9:30am Holy Eucharist (II) 10:30am
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21 Priest’s Bible Study, 11:00am Vestry Meeting 7:00 pm BSA Troop 400 7:00pm ALANON 7:30pm
22 Morning Prayer 9:30am Bible Study, Holy Comforter, Angleton 6:00pm, Carpool time, 5:10pm BSA Cub Pack 400, 6:30pm Choir Practice, 7:00pm
23 Morning Prayer 9:30am
24 Morning Prayer 9:30am
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26 Holy Eucharist (I) 8:00am Sunday School 9:30am Holy Eucharist (II) 10:30am
27 Memorial Day Office Closed
28 Priest’s Bible Study, 11:00am
BSA Troop 400 7:00pm ALANON 7:30pm
29 Morning Prayer 9:30am Bible Study, Holy Comforter, Angleton 6:00pm, Carpool time, 5:10pm BSA Cub Pack 400, 6:30pm Choir Practice, 7:00pm
30 Morning Prayer 9:30am
31 Morning Prayer 9:30am
May
7
Let us pray
for the Church
and for the world.
Grant, Almighty God, that all who confess your name may be united in your truth, live together in your love and reveal your glory to the world.
Archbishop of Canterbury, The Most Reverend Justin Welby
Presiding Bishop, The Most Reverend Michael B. Curry
Diocesan Bishop, The Right Reverend C. Andrew Doyle
Assistant Bishop, The Right Reverend Hector Monterroso
Bishop Suffragan Elect, The Reverend Kai Ryan
Bishop Suffragan, The Right Reverend Jeff Fisher
Grace Priest In Charge, The Reverend Suzanne Smith
Grace Music Director and Organist, Paul Humphrey
Bless all whose lives are closely linked with ours and grant that we may serve Christ in them and love one an-other as he loves us. Our Parish Administrator, Altar Guild, Bible Studies, Children’s Ministries, Christian Education, Cursillo, Community Outreach, Grace Guild, KAIROS Prison Ministry, Lay Ministers, Music Ministry, Children’s and Youth Ministry, Vestry, and all others serving you.
Keep our college students safe in their journey. Ashton Arendell, Louisiana State University James Beasley, Texas A & M University Catherine Patton, North Carolina State University
Faithfully Departed: We commend to your mercy, O Lord, your servant(s), Christian Blevins, that your will for them may be fulfilled; and we pray that they may rest with all your saints in your eternal kingdom.
Guide and protect our First Responders.
Whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, you will receive. Matthew 21:22
Protect and guide all who serve in the military.
Mickey Alcantara (USMC) Scott Barrier (USAF) Scott Bean Robert Berger (USN) Jeremiah Bruner (USA) Jason Bryan Chase Capehart Taylor Cameron (USN) Robert Carnie (USN) Ryan Cross Clayton Crouch David Dezso Glen Dockal (USA) Raymond Dugan (USN) Thomas Economidis (USN) Mitchell Goodnight Matt Heffner (USN) David Hefner (USA) Lance Henderson Nathan Hines (USN)
Keith (USN) Kurt (USMC) Ben Meyer (USCG) Adam Miller Sam Neumann (USN) Shon O’Connor Tara Parker Chad Perry (USAF) Daniel Popham (N. Guard) Ryan Popham (N. Guard) Jonathan Prater Manuel Rodriguez Josh Sager (USAF) A. J. Soto (USA) Russell Stewart (USAF) John Swanson William Thompson Ray Turner Vincent Wilson (USA)
Comfort and heal all those who suffer in body, mind, or spirit; give them courage and hope in their troubles, and bring them the joy of your salvation.
Barbara Adkison Demi Anderson Adam & Christy Arendell Carolyn Armstrong Susan Armstrong Windy Arnold Kimber Ballard Margaret Barrier Sandra & Charles Batty Derrick Beaver Louis Bell Patricia Bell Joyce Bergmann Riley Bianchi Stacey Bitner Sydney Bladon Stephanie Bradford Morris Browne Dianne Buckelew Brenda Buelow Jackie Bush Nathan Buzbee Beverly Capehart Becky Carbone Karen Carmona
Jackie Childers Wanda Craig Ed Crook Anna-Grace Duffy Lauren & Daniel Duffy Flossie Elkins Diane Ellis Paula Ellis Jay & Ruthie Fitch Luci M. Fuller Jacob Garcia Cynthia Gardner Aaron Gideon Jerrie Grantham Mildred Grear Dovie Hall Mitchell Hardee Bill Harris Geri Hawkins Phil Henry Lois Horner Roger Ivey Dalton Jacques Debra Kelinske Austin Kessinger
David Klewer Judy Klewer Carolyn Lacy & Family Bryan Lamb Danice Laevelle-Cox Kenneth Lee Ray Lindemann & Family Ben Lockett Lois Marshall Alice Megna Mildred Morris Jim Oliver Barbara Passmore Bob Peebles Joan Pelt Tom Peterson Jim & Elizabeth Reimer Curtis Resta Barbara Richardson Donald Richardson Angela Rodriquez Daniel Rodriquez Elena Rodriquez Chad Rogers Joe & Joan Rossano
Josh Sager Marilyn Sheldon Casey & Trent Smith Trinity Smith Neal Squyers The Steiner Family Brooke Stephenson Shirley Stockton Mark Streetmen Tom Streetman Joyce Stroup Mary T. Scarlett Tucker Fran Van Winkle Randy Vaughn Bonnie Weber Azra Kay Weidner Curtis Weidner Katherine Welch Christie White Tom Williams Susie Wilcox Sandra Willis Paula Wirth
200 W. Lang St. Mail & Office @ 112 W. Lang St. Alvin, TX 77511-2396
Services
Sunday Worship
8am Rite I 9:15 am Sunday School
10:30 am Rite II
Morning Prayer 9:30 am
Wednesday Thursday
Friday
Upcoming Features of Parish Life
Birthday Cake Sunday, May 5
Safeguarding, May 5
Diaper Shower, May 12
Mother’s Day, May 12
Memorial Day, May 27
Member of:
Episcopal Diocese of Texas, epicenter.org
National Episcopal Church, episcopalchurch.org
Worldwide Anglican Communion, anglicancommunion.org
Alvin-Manvel Ministerial Alliance, ministerialalliance.net
Alvin-Manvel Chamber of Commerce
One God - One Family - One Table
