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Grace to You
Grace Episcopal Church
The Very Rev. H. Scott Kirby,
Priest-in-Charge
November, 2014
[email protected]
www.gracechurch-ricelake.org
119 W. Humbird Street
P.O.Box 477
Rice Lake, Wisconsin 54868
715-234-4226
Our vision: “Come to know and live with God at our table.”
“The mission of Grace Church is to have a church committed to God and our neighbors, sustained by
individuals dedicated to providing spiritual opportunities to enhance the feelings of family and community.
Diocesan Convention:
November 7 and 8
in Tomah.
Grace Church will be
represented by deputies,
Paul Chase and Eileen
Yeakley. Also present will be
Chancellor, Jim Pelish, and our priestin-charge, Father Kirby.
The new Diocesan web address is:
http://episcopaldioceseofeauchaire.com
This new website is very well done.
Hopefully, you will be able to find
information you may need, on this site.
You can also go on the Grace Church
website, look under HELPFUL LINKS on
our menu, and find a link to this website.
If you are on our website, be sure to read
Bishop Jay’s message about All Saints’Day
in the “Downloads” section at the bottom of
the Home page.
Former Peace Corp Worker
to speak at Grace
We are pleased to
announce that Katie Van
Es, a recent graduate of
Lawrence University, will
speak to the congregation
on Sunday, November 16th at the sermon
time. Katie has recently returned from
serving two years in the Peace Corp in
Senegal, West Africa. She was assigned to
work as a preventative health educator. Her
directives were in maternal and child health,
water and sanitation, and malaria. Won’t
you please make an effort to welcome Katie
and her parents? Her father, Ken Van Es,
will be the Deacon at the Mass.
Sunday, November 23rd, will be a time of
musical and prayerful Thanksgiving for
all of God’s blessings during our Holy
Eucharist.
In addition, on Wednesday, November 26th,
a Thanksgiving mass will be said during the
10:00 a.m. service.
Sunday, November 2nd.
Thanksgiving
Hymn Sing
The Barron Federated Music Club will again
be hosting a fundraising Thanksgiving
Hymn Sing on Sunday, November 9th at
2:00 in the afternoon at the United
Methodist Church in Barron. A mass choir,
under the direction of Dale Skerhutt, will
perform a medley of Thanksgiving songs,
accompanied by Ruth Anderson on the
piano and Lynn Emmons on the organ. The
quartet, “Highter Ground”, will be the
featured musical group.
A silent auction, refreshments, and desserts
will be offered.
Christmas on the RivThe
This window most accurately depicts the
Grace Church “Jr.Warden”.
GrECO(Grace Church Outreach) will again
be helping the Seamen’s Church Institute,
specifically the people working the barges
on the Mississippi River. Several members
of Grace are busy knitting scarves and hats
for the mariners. Ann Roeder informs us
that the store, “A Stitch in Time” (in the
Olympic Center) will give a 20% discount
on yarn for this project. Knitting projects
will be mailed to Paducah, KY, in midNovember. Christmas cards will be mailed
in early December to a point on the
Mississippi where the barges are located.
Collections of books and DVD’s are
ongoing.
We received a Child Progress Report about Elking
Orlando Martinez Henriquez from Child Fund in
Honduras. Elking is now 11years old and in the 4th
grade. He enjoys math and Spanish classes. And
his favorite fruit is mangoes. His family is made up
of mother, father, and seven siblings. You can see
his photo on our bulletin board.
Grace Church Vestry
Mary Marsh, Sr. Warden
Steve Salisbury, Jr. Warden
LaVonne Thompson, clerk
Mary Thompson, treasurer
Elected Vestry:
Jane Bender (2015)
Stacey Tubbs (2015)
David Rau (2016)
Greta Franti (2016)
Joe Burnap (2017)
Paul Chase (2017)
Prayer Chain
Please consider becoming one of us who fulfill this
Pastoral Ministry. Right now there are so many
people who need our daily prayers. This is also an
opportunity for your spiritual growth. It is a
discipline which only enhances our relationship
with our Lord and Savior.
Prayer chain requests are now received on a special
place on our website, www.gracechurchricelake.org
All other requests may be telephoned
to Mary Elbert at 715 234-7843
or emailed to Mary Marsh at
[email protected]
NOVEMBER
Happy Birthday to:
9 Mary Elbert
9 Carlton Fowler
11 Lucas Leair
13 Ray Rau
20 Clarice Hagen
21 Karl Schwartz
25 Stacey Tubbs
26 Paul Chase
29 Peggy Bradley
“Chowder & Marching”
Date: Saturday, November 1st
Time: 5:00 p.m.
Place: Paul Chase’s home-1806 18th Ave. (Look
for the two silos)
All are welcome to this time of fellowship and food.
Thank you to Paul, and to the Fowlers, for hosting!
Advent
Adult Christian Formation
to be offered!
Beginning on November 30th, the first
Sunday in Advent, a time of adult Christian
education is being planned. Led by Paul
Chase and Father Scott, this program will be
offered for the first three Sundays in Advent.
More information will follow.
GRACE EPISCOPAL CHURCH
2015 PLEDGE CARD
Name __________________________________________
Address ________________________________________
Phone Number __________________________________
Email Address ___________________________________
With all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you dear Lord with
the following pledge of support for the ministries of
Grace Episcopal Church
during the year 2015:
Weekly $________ Monthly $________ Annually $________
Signature(s) ____________________________ Date ______________
Your pledge may be placed in the Sunday offering plate, or
emailed to Jon [email protected], or
mailed to Jon Olson, 2266 20 ½ St., Rice Lake, WI 54868
Thank you so much.
Faithfully,
Your Stewardship Committee
From Your Sr. Warden
I am pleased to announce that Sunday, November
9th, is being designated as Stewardship Sunday at
Grace Church. Janelle and Tyler Gruetzmacher
have been preparing an important message for us.
Tyler will share his vision of stewardship and some
of his personal experiences. Your pledge forms
will be collected on that day, also. This newsletter
contains a sermon that was read on the 19th Sunday
in Pentecost during our Morning Prayer service. I
believe it is worthy of being read or re-read by all
of us.
Your Vestry has been working on two important
matters. As you may have noticed, the house
immediately west of the church is listed for sale.
The listing agent has contacted the church on behalf
of the sellers to see if the church has any interest in
the property. I have contacted Eileen Yeakley to
represent the church in researching options to
purchase the property. Eileen has learned that the
sellers are giving the church first right to purchase
the property. It is listed for sale at $55,000,
although the fair market value for tax purposes is
$47,400. The sellers are willing to negotiate the
price and help with demolition of the property, if
that is what the church ultimately decides they
want.
The other current issue is a decision to make
regarding our seminary support.
Since both issues may affect our budget for 2015, I
have asked the Finance Committee to be present at
the November vestry meeting. Your Finance
Committee members include: Mary Thompson,
Jim Pelish, Tom Yeakley, Jon Olson, Craig & Lynn
Fowler.
Your input on these two financial matters may be
shared with either a Vestry member or a member of
the Finance Committee.
My prayer for you all at this time can be found in
the BCP, page 817.
“Almighty and everliving God, ruler of all things in
heaven and earth, hear our prayers for this parish
family. Strengthen the faithful, arouse the careless,
and restore the penitent. Grant us all things
necessary for our common life, and bring us all to
be of one heart and mind within your holy Church;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”
Faithfully, Mary Marsh
DO ALL YOU CAN
DO ALL THE GOOD YOU CAN,
BY ALL THE MEANS YOU CAN,
IN ALL THE WAYS YOU CAN,
IN ALL THE PLACES YOU CAN,
AT ALL THE TIMES YOU CAN,
TO ALL THE PEOPLE YOU CAN,
AS LONG AS EVER YOU CAN.
JOHN WESLEY
Vestry to Meet November 16
Date: Sunday, Nov. 16
Time: 8:30 a.m. Vestry
9:00 a.m. Finance Committee joins us.
Place: Grace Church Library
Agenda:
Prayer
Minutes of October 12, 2014
Treasurer’s Report
Report of the Priest in Charge
Junior Warden’s Report
Senior Warden’s Report
 Seminary support
 Sale of property next door to the church
Adjournment
Financial Report as of October 30, 2014
$23,810 General checking account balance
$ 1,590 Art in the Park checking account balance
$54,082 Total savings account balance
“Render unto God what is God’s”
A sermon written by the Rev. Canon Frank S. Logue
And read by James Pelish on 19 Pentecost, October 19, 2014
“Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s.” These words of Jesus have become a sort of proverb, and
those who know little of scripture may have heard “Render unto Caesar.” Yet, diging beneath the surface of
this short encounter helps uncover some of the deeper currents in the exchange.
First, the combination of people approaching Jesus is intriguing. Matthew tells us that the Pharisees come
together with the Herodians. The Pharisees did not want to give money to their pagan oppressors and so were
opposed to paying taxes to Rome. On the other hand, King Herod’s position of power came courtesy of the
Romans, so even though the taxes were widely considered to be oppressive, the Herodians had a vested interest
in keeping the Roman taxes paid. Therefore, the Pharisees and the Herodians each reflected one of the horns of
the dilemma.
Then came the question, “Is it lawful to pay taxes to the Emperor or not?” This reference is obviously to Jewish
Law, also called the Law of Moses. Clearly, it was lawful to pay the tax by Rome’s standards; the question was
whether it was proper for a Jew to do so.
It would seem that they have presented Jesus with no way out. He can’t speak against the tax, for that would
anger the Herodians and lead to a charge of treason against Rome. He could not speak in foavor of the tax
without alienating most of the crowds that followed him.
Jesus asks for one of the coins used in paying the tax. This is Jesus’ own trap, for it proves at least one among
the questioners to be a hypocrite. For the coin used for the tax was a silver Denarius with the image of Caesar
on one side, and on the reverse, the image of a woman named Pax or personified peace. The coins were against
Jewish Law, which prohibited graven images.
You will recall the incident when Jesus chased moneychangers from the outer courts of the Temle. These
moneychangers had a business because one was required to exchange pagan currency for Temple coins before
going to do business in the Temle. Carrying the image of Caesar into the Temple was considered sinful. But
not that when Jesus asks for a Denarius, one is quickly located and handed to Jesus.
Jesus then asks the question that everyone in Israel could have answered without a coin in hand. In our reading
for this morning, we used the New Revised Standard Version, which said, "Whose head is this and whose title?"
That translation misses the point of his argument. The word they translate as "head" is "icon," a Greek word better
translated as "image." The word "title" is better translated as "likeness." When they answer Jesus' question, saying
that the image and likeness are "Caesar's," Jesus replies that they are to give to Caesar what is Caesar's. Again, the
translation covers something better revealed. It could also be translated as "give back" rather than "give" or
"render." Give Caesar back those things that are Caesar's. It is his coin anyway, who cares if you give Caesar
back his coin for the tax?
Then Jesus gives the most amazing line of the short encounter when he continues by saying that we are to
"give back to God the things that are God's." It leaves everyone calculating what exactly is God's that we
are supposed to give back. And in case you were wondering, the clue was the word "icon" or "image" and
the word "likeness."
Jesus' answer came from Genesis 1:26-27, which says, "And God said, 'Let us make humankind in our
image, according to our likeness,' and goes on to state "God created humankind in his Image, in the image of
God he created them; male and female he created them."
The principle is this: Just as the coin has Caesar's icon on it, so it is Caesar's, we were made in the image
and likeness of God, so we are God's. Jesus affirmed the tax while making it all but irrelevant. Jesus
implies that, though we do owe the state, there are limits to what we owe. Yet, Jesus places no limits
regarding what we owe to God.
This text is often used to talk about stewardship in terms of what you give to the church. But this is no
passage on the tithe. For if giving 10 percent of our income is all we do, we would fall well more than 90
percent shy of the mark. Jesus says that everything you have and everything you are is God's already.
While this would certainly apply to the money you make, the formula is not that you give 100 percent of
your income to God, for God knows you need the money for the necessities of life. The teaching is that
once you have given God some of the money you earn, don't feel that you have bought off an obligation.
God wants to share in some of your time and energy, so the 100 percent formula relates to your calendar as
well as your wallet.
What God wants is nothing less than to come and abide in your heart. The point is that you have been made in
the image and likeness of God. God loves you. God keeps your picture in the divine wallet and on the heavenly
refrigerator. Jesus did not care about the tax, for his real concern was that you live into the image and likeness of
the God who lovingly created you.You begin to live into the image and likeness of God by conforming your life
to be more like Jesus' life. Giving back to God through the church does matter, but merely giving money to the
government, to this church or anywhere else is only part of the picture.To live more fully into that image and
likeness of God that is in you, give back your heart to God — for it is God's anyway. When the time comes for
communion in just a little while, I would encourage everyone, no matter what your denominational background,
to come forward to receive the bread and wine of communion. And if you have not yet been baptized, then come
forward for a blessing. For at this altar, we can meet Jesus anew every time we worship. For in answer to the
question, "What are the things that are God's which we are to give back to God?" the answer is, "You."
— The Rev. Canon Frank Logue is the Canon to the Ordinary of the Diocese of Georgia.
November 2
All Saints’ Sunday
Holy Eucharist
Father Kirby
November 9
22 Pentecost
Holy Eucharist
Father Kirby
November 16
23 Pentecost
Holy Eucharist
Father Kirby
November 23
Christ the King
Holy Eucharist
Father Kirby
Organist
Heidi Olson
Heidi Olson
Heidi Olson
Heidi Olson
Crucifer
Steven Salisbury
Jon Olson
Joe Burnap
Paul Chase
Dave Rau
Thurifer
Jon Olson
X
X
X
X
Torch
Bearers
Lector
Leair & Haynes
family
Lynn Fowler
Lynn & Craig
Fowler
Stacey Tubbs
Ty & Janelle
Gruetzmacher
Greta Franti
Nancy Pelish
Mary Marsh
Suzanne Funck
Marv & Mary
Thompson
Mary Marsh
Eucharistic
Ministers
Eucharistic
Visitor
Ushers
Nancy Pelish
Eileen Yeakley
Eileen Yeakley
Lynn & Craig
Fowler
Mary Marsh
Jon Olson
Mary Marsh
Bev Burnap
Nancy Pelish
Mary Marsh
Nancy Pelish
Marv & Mary
Thompson
Paul Chase
Bev Salisbury
Mary Marsh
Tom Yeakley
Marv Thompson
Lynn Fowler
Bev Salisbury
Ty & Janelle
Gruetzmacher
Ty Gruetzmacher
Nancy Bender
Cindy Hanson
Nancy Pelish
David & Ray
Rau
Marv Thompson
Lynn Fowler
Heidi Haynes,
Holly Pimentel,
Val Leair
Jim Pelish
Paul Chase
Mary Marsh
Marv Thompson
Mary Ellen Filkins
Mary Marsh
The Service
Counters
Coffee Hour
Hosts
Jim Pelish
Mary Ellen Filkins
Mary Thompson
Stacey Tubbs
November 30
I Advent
Holy Eucharist
Father Kirby
If you are unable to serve as scheduled, please try to find your own substitute.