What is God asking of Grace?
We have some answers!
During Lent, friends and members of Grace Church Prayed for Grace. We asked God to give us direction and guidance--to tell us what He wants of us. People put the answers they received in purple boxes around the church. All the answers are shown below. If you have additional answers, send them to Carol Lyon at seniorwarden@gracecollegehill.org.
All members and friends of Grace are invited to come to Grace on Saturday, May 17 from 10 am to 1 pm to help decide what is next. We look forward to hearing from you.
Here is what those praying for Grace have contributed so far:
1. To give thanks for what we have been given:
- · A committed cadre of active common ministers
- · A facility
- · The Spiritual Health partners who have been sent to us.
2. Be Joyful
3. Be Hopeful
4. Say hello to our immediate neighbors
5. One evening a week have the nave open for a “Come and Sit with the Good Lord.”
6. Be more loving
7. Be more open to new ideas
8. Build sense of worshipping community with what we have, for example “This little light of ours” and experiences that build sense of forgiveness.
9. Grace members to learn to talk about their love of Grace to others.
10. Reach out to partner groups. Make them aware of all the spirituality and healing opportunities at Grace
11. Add to our member rolls those in any of Grace’s spiritual and healing programs who can consider themselves members.
12. Let your light so shine before me that they may see your good works and glorify your father which is in heaven.
13 Be visible to others, (share) as well as each other (check on each other)
14. Evidently, the Presbyterians have claimed the line: The College Hill Church. Don’t try to compete with them but look down the Hill instead—to Northside. Diverse community, not many Protestant churches. Suggest talking with Deborah Wooden, daughter of (and caregiver to Lo Wooden), Cannon to the ordinary. Lives in Northside. John Dalzell
15. Suggest two chaplaincies that fit Grace Church ministries: 1. Chaplain to Cincinnati State and its unique contingencies 2. Chaplain to the elderly at Twin Towers. Susan (chaplain for almost 20 years) would be glad to discuss. Susan L.
16. Build up the body
17. Big Pictures of what’s happening on our bare walls.
18. Expect help. More are coming. Keep working. More are coming like Don, Anni and Candy. Have Faith.
19. Vacation Bible School
20. Tell our story
- · To all partners
- · To the diocese
- · To Greater Cincinnati
21. Everything open to all
- · “A house of prayer for all people”
- · Everything in our facility is open to all.
22. We are Grace church. We are aptly named. Grace happens here!
- · I think it would be inspiring to capture and document all the ways/places that Grace is happening here…and possibly motivate a Grace movement.
- · This was sparked by the book Grace Happens Here by Maxcado.
- · I have ideas bursting in my head about how this might work. Let me jot these down! And send them to you.
23. Light the flags at night?
- · An eternal flame outside?
- · Be the light on hill
24. Remember the opening line of the hymn "God is working His purpose out, as year succeeds to year..."
25. Grace church has changed very substantially since 2006, and the change follows the theme of the hymn quoted. With this in mind, consider the following questions:
- · Should anything new be added?
- · Do any of our current programs need strengthening?
- · Does anything need to be reduced or eliminated?
- Pray for guidance--share your answers!
26. What is the difference between us and Unitarians? We do not pay enough attention to Sunday morning--it needs to be more than a meet-up.
27. God is asking Grace to add to our member rolls those in any of our Spirituality and Healing programs who can consider themselves members.
28. God is asking Grace members to learn to talk about their love of Grace to others.
29. God is asking us to remember to thank people.
30. Church Attendance
- · See page 38 of our history book "The Parish of Grace Church"
- · Evangelism
- · The attendance at the Wed. service is actually increasing. Take roll.
- · The Boy Scouts used to be a thing. What interests do boys have these days? Smart phones and tablets.
31. You have a bad reputation in the neighborhood. Too much talking about each other. Too much arguing with each other. A member of many teams is gifted in dramatics. Her portrayal of your many team meeting fights entertains for a time. People soon get sick of hearing it. Fix it if it is broken. Shut up and be kind to each other if it’s not broken.
32. Build the spirituality and healing community.
33. Everyone here at Grace is so friendly and supportive. There never should be a reason not to be a part of it.
34. My goal is to be apart of this glorious church even when I can't be here in body. I'll always be in spirit. Just as God is with us all.
35. I was meditating for Grace, I went into a dream state. I saw Jesus. He was outside. He could not get in through windows or doors. He watched from the outside. People finished jobs, other people came and tore the work up. They redid the job differently. The first people came back. They tore the work. They put it back the way they did it before. This kept happening until a fight started. People then separated into groups. They pointed fingers at each other. They whispered about each other. Then I saw Jesus face. He was looking in the door by the bulletin boards. His face was now as big as the door. He was crying. What does this mean to you?
36. Vacation Bible School
37. Build up the core congregation.
38. Take care of each other.
39. Be patient with each other.
40. Check on each other.
41. The theme I keep sensing in prayer is that unless we have a consistent presence on Sunday mornings, Sunday morning worship will not grow and/or change. All that means is that Grace Church needs one person who is our primary face on Sunday mornings. For instance that person could preach 3 out of 4 Sundays and have an "associate" who took the fourth.
