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With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.” (Acts 4:33)
Dear People of Grace,
I know that all of you that participated in our Holy Week and Easter services
were as awed as I was by the majesty and goodness of God that was so obviously
present with us. This year we added the Great Vigil of Easter service on
Saturday night to our usual group of services, and it was spectacular. The
service began with the Exsultet being sung by Vincent Uher. Then the readings
from the Old Testament reminded us of our roots and connection to those that
have gone before us. The four baptisms (3 infants and 1 adult) brought the
future of our church into the present time. And finally, our participation in
the Easter Eucharist celebrated our relationship with the risen Lord. More than
100 were in attendance; special thanks go to our choir and lay ministers and all
that helped provide this additional Easter service. Our Sunday morning services
were equally glorious, as our freshly cleaned church sparkled in the sunlight
and flowers filled the chancel. I pray that all of you were as blessed as I was
by the beauty of our worship space and our liturgy. Easter is the defining event
of our faith, because it is through Christ’s resurrection that eternal life is
made available to all of us. That gift of eternal life, made possible by
Christ’s victory over death, gives us hope in the face of whatever adversity we
may face in life.
The above verse from Acts reminds us that the Christian church began and spread
through the testimony of the apostles about the resurrection. It was through
their testimony, or their evangelism of others, that great grace came upon them.
Therefore, great grace also comes upon us when we testify to the resurrection of
the Lord Jesus.
At Grace Church, we testify to the resurrection in many ways. Our testimony is
seen through our many outreach programs such as the upcoming Spring BBQ, our
annual Thanksgiving dinner, our Christmas dinners for ADA House and for our
neighbors, and your contributions of time and treasures to the Silk Purse. Our
testimony is heard when we invite our neighbors to church or share our faith
experiences with others. Our testimony is felt when we comfort the sick, the
homebound or the grieving, and extend the love of Christ in their times of need.
Another important way that we testify to the resurrection is by providing
Christian discipleship and training. In addition to our regular Christian
Education classes, Grace hosts a “Discovery Weekend” each year. Discovery
Weekend is put on by a team of Grace parishioners, and it explores and examines
the basics of the Christian faith, the history of the Church, our Episcopal form
and style of worship, etc. The weekend also serves as preparation for all who
desire to be confirmed or received into the Episcopal Church. The dates for the
2008 Discovery Weekend are Friday night, May 16 and Saturday, May 17. Please
invite someone to attend and/or come along yourself to a fun and educational
time with your friends at Grace.
God bless you and may great grace be upon you, now and for ever.
Fr. Paul+