Two weeks ago, Al Horton came to me to ask me to do one of these Ministry Minutes. And despite having two weeks to prepare, I find myself reading from this notebook with words I scrawled this morning during Youth Formation and Children’s Church. This is not the result of procrastination. I have spent the better part of a week writing, re-writing, editing, re-structuring… But nothing was coming out right. I would start by waxing nostalgically about how Grace reminds me of the church of my youth, the same sense of family and fun that comes with belonging to this group. But then in the middle I would switch over and start to explore my dissatisfaction with the world I see around me, and at Grace I have found a kinship with people who also feel that dissatisfaction and try to work in small ways to make big changes. And then I would change train of thought again and talk of my personal journey of exploring my beliefs, not really feeling like I fit in anywhere, until finding Grace Church and its collection of wonderfully crazy characters. After a week of back and forth, the whole thing was turning into a convoluted mess that if I continued threatened to turn into a twenty minute sermon, and I know better than to get between a group of Episcopalians and their coffee. By 8:30 last night I was frustrated and ready to throw the whole thing out the window (except I did not want to do that to my laptop). My hope was that in the morning I would have an epiphany and be able to straighten the whole thing out. But as I got up to head to work at 5AM this morning, I still felt as much frustration about the whole thing as I did the night before. I was tired and uninspired. And then I heard my mother’s voice in the back of my head with one of her “Mom-isms”: K.I.S.S= Keep It Simple, Stupid Strangely, it was a revelation. I was over complicating everything, trying to say too much in too little time. This is an all too familiar pattern in my life. I pile things on and become lost in the wash. That was how I became separated from the Church in the first place. I became too busy, and never felt a pull to attend that part of my life. I never stopped feeling like an Episcopalian. If anyone asked me what religion I was, I did not hesitate to answer. But I did not have a place where I belonged. I have found that place in Grace Church. When I feel lost in the chaos that can be my life, being here at Grace somehow grounds me and can help me fee l like life is not overwhelming. Not that Grace is an uncomplicated place. It has its own complexities, but we try to come together as a family to sort it out. That’s what family is. Sticking together through all the craziness, keeping each other afloat. In the whirl that has become my life, Grace Church has become my anchor. For that I thank and love all of you. -- Ruth Bushnell, Children's Church, Prayer Shawl minister, and awesome banner maker! The Vestry and Stewardship Team ask for your prayers and pledge commitment to the mission and ministry of Grace Church for 2015. As of November 16, 2014 ...
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Ministry MinutesEach year during our Annual Giving Campaign, members of Grace Church tell their stories about why they love Grace Church and why they are involved. Each story is different in details but all reflect the love of Christ which is found in this community of faith. Archives
October 2017
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