grace church
the episcopal church in galena
this welcoming and inviting church on the hill is virtually and physically OPEN for worship!
GRACE IS A PLACE--
that seeks to welcome, include, transform;
where all may encounter God in community;
where we engage God's Word through:
scripture, tradition, and reason
with our ears, our hearts, and our minds;
where connections happen--with God
and neighbor and one another.
Our Mission is to learn, teach, and live God's Word, uniting in a growing family of faith and sacramental tradition and actively including and loving all.
Welcome
Thank you for visiting the Grace Church website. Grace is a welcoming and inclusive community of faith. Whether you are a person of steadfast faith or whether you wonder or question, you are welcome here. Come and see! Come by yourself or with a partner or spouse or your family. Come if you are young or not so young, with too much or too little to do, seeking peace or company. Travel with others on this amazing, challenging journey of our God-given and Spirit-lead life.
Stewardship Ministry Moments:
Recent Wednesdays
Sunday YouTube Links:
Sunday, 11-21-21 Holy Eucharist
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWnfZHeVOlc
Sunday 11-28-21 Morning Prayer
SEASON OF ADVENT 2021
Services & Events
Grace Church bid its rector, the
Rev. Dr.Gloria Hopewell, farewell November 15.
Gloria has guided our congregation for the past ten years. In her letter of resignation addressed to the Vestry, Gloria wrote, in part
“I shall always carry this
church and its people with me wherever I go. … It is my hope that my ministry with you has brought - and will continue to bring - blessings to the congregation as it has to me…”
As with any goodbye this will be bittersweet; separating from the many relationships, but carrying forward the memories of our work together at Grace. Gloria is looking forward to continuing ministry in our diocese, travel, and time with family!
With formal announcement of Gloria’s resignation, effective November 15th, initial steps have been taken in the process that will result in the calling of a successor rector to Grace.
ADVENT QUIET TIME
Lori Erickson, one of America’s top travel writers specializing in spiritual journeys, is the author of The Soul of the Family Tree, Near the Exit, and Holy Rover. Her articles and essays have appeared in numerous publications, She created the website Spiritual Travels featuring spiritual sites around the world. Lori lives in Iowa City, Iowa.
Lori will lead the Advent Quiet Time at Grace Episcopal Church on Saturday, December 4 from noon until 4 pm. A quiet day is a time of discussion and reflection that resembles a mini-retreat. Lori will lead us in a discussion and reflection of matters of ancestry. How do we reconcile those uncomfortable parts of our heritage, whether bloodthirsty Vikings, proponents of the Doctrine of Discovery or slave-owning institutions, with our contemporary sensibilities?
The suggested donation is $10. Register by leaving a message at (815) 777-2590 or texting (815)757-2011.
Pre-registration is appreciated, but not required!
Bulletin 12/5/21
Second Sunday in Advent
Sunday 10:30 AM
Morning Prayer in church and
on YouTube
Wednesday 7:30 AM
Eucharist or Morning Prayer
in the church and Zoom
Tuesday 8:30 PM
Compline on Zoom
Holiday and other special services as announced
Wednesday 10:30 AM
Study group in-person and on Zoom
Friday 9:00 AM
Centering Prayer on Zoom
Zoom Meeting IDs:
Go to Zoom and paste this number into Meeting ID.
Wednesday Worship:
853 2062 6039
for other meeting IDs, please
e-mail the church: gracesec@gracegalena.org
Children
At this time, our Godly Play Children's Sunday School for K-4th grade and our supervised nursery for pre-K are on recess.
Children worship with their families
and the congregation
Anytime
SEARCH COMMITTEE
The Search Committee organized Small Group input meetings which took place in November.
We gathered input on thoughts, wants, needs, skills desired in a new rector from many Grace members in these small groups.
This Small Group input coupled with the very successful CAT survey will be the foundation for the Grace Church and new rector profile that will be posted on the Chicago Diocesan web site for potential candidates to review.
OUR WORSHIP
MASKING CONTINUES
With the present surge of COVID, we have had to require masks for all indoor worship and events.
The Social Hour following worship has also been suspended for the time being.
All services at Grace are now offered
in person with open and full attendance They also continue on Zoom, and in addition, recordings are posted on Facebook. YouTube, and this website.
Sundays are services of Holy Eucharist
with congregational singing led by the Grace Choir and musicians. Communion returns to the altar rail with only the wafer offered at this time