Grace Church and Me

Written by Carol Lyon.

In 1972 my husband and I began searching for a church in our community. A block from our house was Grace Episcopal Church. One Sunday morning we decided to check it out. As we opened the front wooden door, I was surprised the light level was low even though the lights were on and some light came through the stained glass windows that surrounded the nave. Straight ahead was a wooden reredos over the altar featuring symbols of the four Gospels from the New Testament. Ken and I walked to a back pew. We knelt down. In that moment I felt the Mystery or Presence of God in that place.

We both felt drawn to this church. Not only was the building beautiful but the liturgy captivated us. It allowed us time to reflect as well as address core issues of living.

We were impressed with the theological freedom. As one poster advertising for the Episcopal Church says: “He died to take away your sin, not your mind.” We weren’t given cheap easy answers to great theological questions, such as why do bad things happen to good people, how can someone dying on a cross 2000 years ago take away my sin, and who is Jesus really? Rather we were given opportunities to seek these answers ourselves. We learned from theologians past and present through retreats, study courses and the Bible. This isn’t to say the Episcopal Church doesn’t espouse beliefs--it does. But it not only allows but encourages people to search these beliefs and come to our own conclusions.

Grace church accepted me as I am not just in an intellectual way. She has put up with my faults, not the least of which is being controlling and opinionated. She used my gifts, organizing and getting things done. She has become my second family. And like most families we have had our quarrels and ups and downs but through it all I have felt God's love through Grace church members.

And perhaps this acceptance, not just of me, but all who come through our door, is why we now have such a diversity of parishioners. We have immigrants and native born Americans, gay and straight people, white and black and young and old. We all know and care for each other. I believe we become an example of God’s Kingdom on earth.

While we may be a smaller congregation than in the 50’s as my friend says “we’re better now."

I am baffled why every one doesn’t belong to Grace church. We offer a spiritual home where all are welcome and a healing space in a broken world.

Grace Church as Leaven

Sometimes we think we are too small to do much. But it's surprising how one thing leads to another and the impact is multiplied beyond our wildest dreams. Such a story is Grace Church's involvement with the homeless shelter, Interfaith Hospitality Network (soon to be called Family Promise, as it is now called nationally).
Grace began hosting homeless families back in the 90's. We hosted the program for about 15 years with Christ Church Glendale helping out with dinner and overnight hosts. But their participation eventually shrank to only one person. Then in 2005, events led to our having to give up the hosting because of lack of enough volunteers in our own congregation. At this time, The Rev. Deacon Laura Chace, who had been a coordinator for the program, convinced Christ Church Glendale to take on the hosting. We, along with several of our former support congregations, agreed to continue overnight volunteering.
It might have been easier and financially possible to have catered dinners, but IHN is about hands on, face to face, service and interaction with guests who have suffered the loss of their home. Hosts are reminded to treat every guest as they would a guest in their own home with comfort food, first names, encouraging words, and a safe environment.
CCG's program, over time, evolved into one of the best hosting congregations in the city. They have made many innovations that have been copied by others and have always been rated highly by departing guests.
Most importantly, however, through sitting down and talking with their guests, they began to realize the many needs that people face that had not been apparent to them in their own everyday lives. With this realization and their extraordinary skills, Christ Church Glendale members began volunteering elsewhere, with agencies that build and repair homes, with food pantries, and very recently with other churches in helping Hispanic immigrants learn English so that they can interact with co-workers, improve their school work and function more efficiently and productively in an English speaking society.
So what Grace Church may have at first perceived as a failure on its part to continue to host has actually turned into many multiples of blessings to those we serve and to those who volunteer.
A final chapter (to date) to this story is that the Grace Church volunteers are now returning to College Hill to participate in a start-up network of six College Hill churches who will host IHN four times a year in our own neighborhood. They will start in January at First United Church of Christ on Belmont, just up the street.

Let's see how the blessings can multiply in College Hill! Contact Mary McLain, Grace Staples or the church office (513-541-2415, office@gracecollegehill.org) for details.

Thanks to Grace Staples for this great perspective!

What's Right About Grace Church

 

These are urgent times at Grace Church. As we focus on meeting the challenges of the present and immediate future, we can get overly concerned about the things that we're not doing. At a recent Growth Committee meeting, we discussed the tremendous number of things that we have accomplished in the past three years and we talked about how good it would be to point this out to people so they could talk about it with their friends.
Let's change the discussion from what we are not doing to the many good things that we are doing. We have a lot to crow about. Spread the word. Then we will begin to see even more things happen.
                                                                                                Jim Edgy, September 2009

Our List of Successes at Grace Church

Worship

• We instituted Coffee Hours following Sunday Worship at least two times per month and often more.
• We held several Blessed Grills following Sunday Worship.
• Choir has grown to the largest number of people since we quit having a paid choir, singing a wide range of music from the Anglican tradition from the 15th - 21st Centuries.
• We have more Sunday volunteers than ever, serving on the Altar and Flower Guilds, and as ushers, lay readers, chalice bearers, and other functions to make our services more meaningful.
• We began the monthly African Drumming, Reiki, and traditional Healing service.
• We continued the Sunday healing service during the Eucharist.
• We began the monthly Hip Hop Service.

Programs

• We sponsored several Rainbow Band concerts
• We began holding a parish Christmas Dinner.
• We held a Spring Luncheon in honor of Mothers.
• Healing
  • We visited the sick and the shut-in and took them Communion.
  • We served those who grieved from loss of a close one or for other reasons.
• We hosted special receptions for several events.

Education:

• Sunday School has grown from 3 children to 17 children.
• We held 10 "Stir the Pot" sessions of stimulating discussions about controversial issues.
• We held several "Ask Questions" sessions where people could discuss troublesome topics about their faith.
• We continued our two Education for Ministry classes for 20 people from all over Greater Cincinnati, graduating four students last year.
• We trained 7 Lay Eucharistic Ministers to distribute elements during Worship Services.
• We trained 4 Lay Eucharistic Visitors to take Communion to shut-ins following Worship Services.
• Five people receiving training as Worship Leaders.
• We enrolled one person in the Diocese's Lay Preacher training program.
• 12 members took Safe Church training.

Outreach

• We donated regularly and generously to the Christ's Community in College Hill food bank
• We participate in Interfaith Hospitality Network with Christ Church, Glendale and are working with 5 local churches to begin one in College Hill.
• We provide mentors for several school children to assist with their studies.
• We participated in the College Hill Block Parties for the past two years.
• We participated in the College Hill Pumpkin Patch festival for the past 3 years.
• We have been active in the College Hill Ministerium and the College Hill Summit
• We continued the Christmas Giving Tree, providing 20 young people with clothing gifts last year.
• We continued the parolee project where they assist us and we support them on a personal, spiritual, and personal basis.
• We provide space for another church's services and activities.       
• We provide meeting space for several community groups on a regular basis, including
  • Narcotics Anonymous,
  • The Rainbow Band,
  • The Flag Drill team,
  • Three theatre groups,
  • A Bible study group,
  • The Uganda School, and
  • Several other groups that do one time events, including weddings and funerals for non-members.

Building and Grounds

• We repaired the plumbing in the rest rooms
• We repaired the plaster and repainted the Sanctuary
• We repaired the plaster and repainted the hallways
• We increased the lighting level in the Sanctuary
• We totally improved the heating in the 1957 wing
• We installed better furniture in the parlor
• We created and furnished a seating area in the Great Hall.
• We continued to improve the appearance of the grounds around the church
• We began the Red Door project
• We improved day to day maintenance of our building and grounds
• We replaced portions of the roof
• We installed flags over front door which has brought us several new members.
• We began renovation of the meeting room under the choir room.
• We redid the lower Belmont entrance to make it more inviting for the many groups that use our facilities

Membership

• We have baptized, confirmed and accepted new members through transfer.
• We created and distributed Grace Post Cards and a Grace Slide Show on CD and DVD.
• We maintained our attractive web site, which attracts over 100 visitors per week, and continued to publish eGraceNotes to over 100 subscribers

Finances

• We have enjoyed a generous level of support from both our parishioners and from the Diocese. Although it is still a struggle, we have finished the past 3 years with a small excess of income over expenses.     

While doing all of the above:

• We have built a committed congregation of actively involved people of all ages, colors, orientations and national origins.
• And last, WE HAVE SURVIVED, WE LOVE EACH OTHER AND WE ARE A VERY SPECIAL CHURCH THAT WE ARE PROUD TO BE PART OF.  TELL EVERYONE YOU KNOW.