eNews: April 18, 2019

eNews NEWS FOR OUR PARISH COMMUNITY April 18, 2019

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Inside this Issue (Download pdf here) Easter Book Study

Surprised by Hope

Consecration of 4th WTN Bishop

Take Note

MTAM Help Needed

Easter Week Hours

Holy Week and Easter

Holy Week & Easter Services

Overnight Prayer Vigil Sign-up

Easter Crafts & Egg Hunts

Upcoming Events

Third Thursday

Holy Week and Easter

The Nursery is available for all services.

Maundy Thursday Liturgy, Apr. 18, 7 p.m.

Maundy Thursday Service with optional Foot-washing, and the Stripping, Washing, and

Anointing of the Altar, 7 to 8:30 p.m. followed by an Overnight Prayer Vigil in the Chapel. Sign up in advance or after the liturgy to “watch and pray” for at least one hour. The Reserved Sacrament will be encircled by greenery to signify a garden; meditation books will be available; a host will be at the door to assist watchers arriving and leaving; a priest will end the vigil at 7:30 a.m. with by prayers for Good Friday. Vigil details below.

Good Friday, Apr. 19, Noon

Service of Music & Meditations, Noon. One-hour service includes a reading of the Passion, hymns, music for choir and organ, meditations by the Reverends Katherine M. Bush, Meredith Jane Day, Amy M. George, and Ollie V. Rencher, Communion from the Reserved Sacrament, and the Solemn Collects before a clergy-led Stations of the Cross at 1:00 p.m. beginning at the Chancel Steps.

Holy Saturday, Apr. 20, 7 p.m.

The Great Vigil of Easter with Holy Baptism Celebration of Light and the First Eucharist of Easter Easter Day, Apr. 21 Festal Holy Eucharist with Brass & Percussion at 8 & 10:30 a.m.

(No 5:30 p.m. service) Breakfast by the Crossmen at 8:45 a.m.

Children's Easter activities begin at 8:45 and the Egg Hunts begin at 9:30.

Sign Up for Overnight Prayer Vigil (Apr. 18-19) Sign up to “watch and pray” for at least one hour tonight after the Maundy Thursday service. The Reserved Sacrament will be encircled by greenery to signify a garden; meditation books will be available; a special door code will be provided to watchers to access the chapel through the parish house entrance. A priest will end the vigil at 7:30 a.m. on Good Friday by officiating a 15-minute prayer service to which all are invited. Vigil sign-up: www.tinyurl.com/OvernightVigil2019

Children’s Easter Day Celebration Craft Fun beginning at 8:45 a.m.

Egg Hunts for Toddlers – 5th graders beginning promptly at 9:30 a.m.

Take Note

Easter Week Office Hours Please note: There will be no 5:30 Eucharist on Easter Day. The church office will be closed Monday, April 22 - Wednesday, April 24. There will be no Wednesday noon Eucharist on the 24th.

More Than A Meal Help Needed HELP WANTED: Dishwasher for More Than a Meal. Hours, Sundays 3:30 to 5 p.m., for next 5 weeks while PHD (Professional Hobart Dishwasher) Earl recovers from broken foot. See Betty in kitchen for OJT. Payment: Gratitude and love.

Upcoming Events

Third Thursday (April 25) Calling all parishioners to join in this evening of fellowship and fun. Come at 6 for appetizers and beverages, enjoy dinner and hear a fabulous speaker, Dan Conaway. Dan is advertising strategist and writer. His column “Memphasis” appears weekly in The Daily Memphian and he has worn many hats here at GSL. Always entertaining. All for $15 per person.

RESERVATIONS MUST be made by Tuesday morning, April 23. The offices are closed so please email lowens@gracestlukes.org or reserve and pay online, www.gracestlukes.org/events/third-thursday.

Easter Book Study (Apr. 29 and May 6) Divine Therapy & Addiction: Centering Prayer and the Twelve Steps

by Thomas Keating The study will be held Mondays, April 29 and May 6, from 6-7:30 at Grace-St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in the Lounge). In this major work, Father Thomas Keating reflects on the wisdom and legacy of the Alcoholics Anonymous Twelve-Step Method and its connections to, and similarities with, the Christian mystical traditions of centering prayer and Lectio Divina. Hosted by the Addiction and Recovery Commission for the Episcopal Diocese of West Tennessee.

Surprised by Hope: Parish Hall Forum & Midweek Book Study Parish Hall Forum April 28, 9:30 a.m.

Easter: Surprised by Hope with the Rev. Ollie V. Rencher The Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ is the manifestation of hope in God. From The Hymnal 1982, the body of Christ sings, “All my hope on God is founded.” The Rev. Ollie V. Rencher will share stories, images, and facilitate a conversation about hope, a foundational aspect of the faith within us, and provide a brief overview of Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, The Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church (N. T. Wright).

Midweek Evenings May 1, 8 & 15, 6:30-7:30 p.m.

Book Study: “Surprised by Hope” by N. T. Wright facilitated by the Rev. Ollie V. Rencher Advanced sign-up required; limited to 30 people.

Sign-up here: tinyurl.com/SurprisedByHope2019

Books will be provided. In his book, Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, The Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church, retired Anglican bishop and New Testament scholar N. T. Wright

argues that the voice of the early Christians has not been heard in our modern thinking about matters of death and what comes after. Join the Rev. Ollie V. Rencher for a three-week probe and lively conversation about Wright’s discourse concerning the call for modern Christians to place all our hope in Jesus and to engage the kingdom-building work foundational to the Baptismal Covenant.

Public Theology (May 2) Mark your calendar for the next GSL Public Theology, Thursday, May 2, 5:30-7 p.m. at Celtic Crossing in the Cooper Young neighborhood. Join Father Ollie Rencher to discuss “Practicing Resurrection: How To Live With Hope.” Public Theology is a time of laid-back fellowship and open conversation facilitated at a public restaurant by a member of the clergy. Topics will focus on relevant issues of faith, spirituality, and current events. Both non-alcoholic and alcoholic refreshments will be available for purchase. All adults are invited to these drop-in gatherings, so bring a friend! Watch the parish news and notices for the upcoming topic for June 6. For more information, contact the Rev. Ollie V. Rencher (901-252-6320, orencher@gracestlukes.org)

The Consecration of the Fourth Bishop of West Tennessee (May 4) God willing and the People consenting, the Reverend Phoebe Alison Roaf will be ordained and consecrated a Bishop in the One, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church and Fourth Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of West Tennessee Saturday, May 4, at 11 a.m. at Hope Church, 8500 Walnut Grove Road, Memphis. Chief Consecrator: The Most Reverend Michael Bruce Curry, Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church. The Bishop and Standing Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of West Tennessee request your prayers and presence. A reception will follow.

Our Vision is to be a thriving community of hope, belonging, and healing through worship, parish life, and service, and who rejoices in the love of Jesus to transform the world.

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