2016 Annual Report
153rd Annual Meeting of Grace Church Parish
February 5, 2017
Grace Episcopal Church
Amherst, Massachusetts
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2016 Annual Report
Grace Church Parish
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I.
Order of Business
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II.
Membership
5
III.
Minutes from the 152nd Annual Meeting
11
IV.
Rector’s Report
14
V. Vestry and Committee Reports
18
Senior Warden
18
Junior Warden
20
VI. Commission Reports
21
Liturgical Commisstion
21
Christian Formation and Education
22
Parish Life Commission
24
Pastoral Care Commission
28
Outreach Commission
29
Stewardship Commission
35
VII. Treasurer's Report
36
VIII. Membership Information
37
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153rd Annual Meeting of Grace Episcopal Church
Amherst, Massachusetts
5 February 2017
I.
Order of Business
Celebration of the Holy Eucharist
9:30 AM in the Church
Brunch prepared by the Brother Lawrence Guild
Call to Order
11:00 AM in the Parish Hall
Marion Rosenau, Clerk of the Vestry
Acceptance of Roll of Membership
Reception of Minutes of the 152nd Annual Meeting, February 7, 2016
Recognition of Retiring Vestry Members
Christopher Freitag, Senior Warden
Report of Nominating Committee and the Election of
New Vestry Members and Delegates to Convention
Report from the Stewardship Committee
Tom Dougherty, Chair
Reception of Reports from Officers and Commissions
Treasurer's Remarks
Bruce Stebbins, Treasurer
Planned Giving
Doug Adler, Chair
St. Michael's Fellowship
Doug Adler, Chair
Remarks of Wardens and Rector
Christopher Freitag, Senior Warden
Jeffrey DeSantis, Junior Warden
The Rev. Thomas Synan, Rector
Other Business
Closing Hymn and Prayer
O God our Creator, make the door of our parish church wide enough to receive all who
need human love, fellowship, and care, and narrow enough to shut out all envy, pride,
and rancor. Here may the tempted find succor, and the sorrowing receive comfort; here
may the careless be awakened to repentance, and the penitent be assured of thy mercy;
and here may all thy children renew their strength in three and go on their way
rejoicing; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
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II.
Membership 2016
Hannah
Abbott
Elihu
Ayers
Bill
Berenson
Erik
Abdow
Jim
Ayers
Kay
Berenson
Jessie
Abdow
Emma
Ayres
Angelica M.
Bernal
Luke
Abdow
Andrea
Baird
Beatrice
Blain
Steve
Abdow
Cameron
Baird
Beaty
Blain
Sue
Abdow
Ian
Baird
Rachel
Blain
Doug
Adler
John
Baird
Myrtle
Blanchard
Barrett
Allison
Mackenzie
Baird
Maria Jose
Botelho
Benjamin
Allison
Chris
Baker
Sarah
Boy
Caroline
Allison
Elizabeth
Baker
Clare
Boyd
Donald
Allison
Joey
Baker
Walker
Boyd
Edith
Allison
Kate
Baker
Paul
Bracciotti
James
Allison
Lynne
Baker
Dee
Brace
Gordon
Anderson
Nancy
Baker
Emily
Breon
Gordon
"Gordy"
Samantha
Baker
Shirley
Brodigan
Anderson
Tom
Baker
Beth
Brown
Lydia
Anderson
Jeanne
Balcom
Beth
Brown
Jess
Andrews
Rev. John
Balcom
Catherine
Brown
Patricia
Appelbaum
Jacob
Balderston
Georgianna
Brown
Sanjay
Arwade
Toby
Barnes
Gregory
Brown
Chandler
Atkinson
Bodhi
Barnes-Bernal
Kerry
Brown
Hillary
Atkinson
William
Barnett
Liam
Brown
Katherine
"Kate"
Atkinson
Emelyn
Bashour
Malcolm "Max" Brown
Richard
Atkinson
Gabriel
Bashour
Nate
Brown
Rollin
Atkinson
Andy
Beall
Karen
Bryant
Stephen
Atkinson
Charles
Beall
Cecelia
Buckley
David
Averill
Eileen
Beall
Kerry
Buckley
Julianna
Averill
Jane
Beebe
Matthew
Buckley
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Nathaniel
Buckley
Carolyn
Collette
Carol
Dick
Jane
Buckloh
Amy
Correia
Charlie
Dickinson
Don
Buckloh
Dennis
Costa
Emma
Dickinson
Mary
Bull
Brendan
Coughlin
Will
Dickinson
Beverly
Bullock
Kevin
Coughlin
Daniel
Dineen
Michael A.
Bullock
Lauren
Coughlin
Denise
Dineen
Lynne
Byler
Marie
Coughlin
John
Dineen
Patricia
Callard
Al
Cram
Matthew
Dineen
Tim
Callard
Diane
Cram
Patrick
Dineen
Melvin
Carlson
Patricia
Creaser
Anne
Ditzler
Wendryn
Case
Cecil
Currin
Nancy
Dole
Kathleen
Casey
Lou
Currin
Jackie
Dougherty
Harry
Chadwick
Duane
Dale
Kellen
Dougherty
Sarah
Chadwick
Beth
Damon
Kitty
Dougherty
Veronica
Chapman
Dick
Damon
Stewart
Dougherty
Matthew
Charity
Jaime
Davila
Tom
Dougherty
Andrew
Chase
Gabriel
Davila-Bustamante
Elizabeth
Duda
Calla
Chase
Brenda
Davis
Gillian
Duda
Lucy
Chase
Elizabeth
Davis
Jessica
Duda
Samuel
Chase
Fletcher
Davis
Jim
Duda
Mary
Clancy
Maria
Dye
Margaret
Clardy
Eva
Dominique de Beauvais-Fairchild
Joseph
Eckerle
Christophe
Enhstrom
Jeanette
Erard
Michael
Erard
Casey
Clark
David
Clegg
Joe
Clegg
Liam
Clegg
Sally Anne
Clegg
Emily
Coleman
Jack
Coleman
Jeremy
Coleman
Juliet
Coleman
Angelique
Dieudonne deBeauvais-Fairchild
Harry
DeCuir
Juanita
DeCuir
Lucas
Denit
Lyle
Denit
Jeffrey
DeSantis
Karen
DeSantis
Donna
Devine
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Annie Lokangu Etinde
Floribert
Etinde
David
Eve
Kira
Eve
Max
Eve
Tomi
Eve
Suzannah
Fabing
Matthew
Gregory
James
Honig
Kent
Faerber
Susan
Haff
Jefferson
Hunter
Scottie
Faerber
Andrew
Haight
Pamela
Hunter
Martha
Favre
Charles
Haight
Caleb
Ireland
Danielle
Federa
Susan
Haight
Emily
Ireland
Prunella
Fiddian-Green
Amy
Hampson
Michael
Ireland
MJ
Fowler
Carter
Hampson
Ruthie
Ireland
The Rev. Heidi Frantz-Dale
Liza
Hampson
Valerie
Ivy
Ellie
Fraser
Quinn
Hampson
Adam
Jacobson
Christopher
Freitag
Tim
Hampson
Adrienne
Jacobson
Ingeborg
Freitag
Sarsh
Hanke
Deborah
Jacque
Ingeborg
Freitag
Loy
Harris
Ronald
Jacque
Melanie
Freitag
Charlotte
Hathaway
John
Jenkins
Melissa
Freitag
Bob
Hawley
Miriam
Jenkins
Rebecca
Freitag
Bennett
Hazlip
Tony
Jewell
Elizabeth
French
Dorothy
Hertzfeld
Cheryl
Johnston
Barb
Fukushima
Carlton
Ho
Kimberly
Jones
June
Gaeke
Jonathan
Ho
Nathan
Jurosky
Sophia
Gergely
Linda
Ho
Charlotte
Kelly
Anna
Gilsdorf
Marissa
Ho
Janine
Kelly
Benjamin
Gilsdorf
Mary
Hocken
Patrick
Kelly
Sean
Gilsdorf
Anne
Hoffmann
Robert
Kelly
Kathy
Glime
Chris
Hoffmann
L. Finley
Keneally
Andrew
Gnatek
Sarah
Hoffmann
Brown
Kennedy
Dan
Gnatek
Willy
Hoffmann
Gabriel
Kennedy Costa
Gail
Gnatek
Margaret (Meg) Holladay
Michael
Kennedy Costa
Jack
Goodell
William
Holladay
Margaret
King
George
Goodwin
Ann
Holland
Benjamin
Klock
Lewis
Goodwin
Anne
Homme
Laura
Klock
Mary
Goodwin
Adam
Honig
Lynn
Klock
Alice
Goodwin-Brown
Charlotte
Honig
Suzanne
Klock
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Elizabeth
Klug
Ann S.
Lowell
Stephanie
Mattrey
Stephanie
Klug
Elizabeth
Lowell
Amory
Maxey
Caseem
Knight
Bridget
Lowry
Henry
Maxey
Kelley
Knight
Fiona
Lowry
Libby
Maxey
Alan
Konieczny
Janet
Lowry
Trent
Maxey
Jo-Ann
Konieczny
Nancy
Lowry
Mary
McCarthy
Joe
Konieczny
Samuel
Lowry
David
McFerrin
Maria
Konieczny
Susannah
Lowry
Catherine
McGraw
Will
Konieczny
Lisa
Lukas
Bridget
McKelvey
Erik
LaMotte
Tillman
Lukas
Ciara
McKelvey
Kirsten
LaMotte
Kristen
Luschen
Diane
McKelvey
Betty
Lange
Mary (Polly) S. Lyman
Stephen
McKelvey
Jennifer
Lapis
Sheila
Mammen
Margo
McMahon
Isaac
Lavine
Fiona
Mangan
Amelia
Mead
Louise
Lavine
Arlene
Manning
Jim
Mead
Michael
Lavine
Bill
Manning
Kimberly
Mead
Noah
Lavine
Kevin
Marino
Cathy
Melhorn
Joan
Leavitt
Sharon
Marino
Karen
Merrill
Diana
Lemly
Elizabeth
Markovits
Katherine
Messina
John
Lemly
Joseph
Markovits
Audrey
Miller
Deborah
Leonard
Mark
Marshall
Georgann
Mirick
Andrew
Leonas
Erin
Martineau
Peter
Mishkin
Mark
Leonas
Mary
Martini
Glenn
Miskovsky
Helen
Leung
Betsy
Mathews
Martha
Mitchell
Ann
Lewin
Cindy
Mathews
Jessica
Mix Barrington
Sandra
Lillydahl
James
Mathews
Douglas
Moore
Elija
Lillydahl-Schroeder
Philip
Mathews
Janet
Moore
Hosanna
Lillydahl-Schroeder
Mary
Matthews
Bette
Moriarty
Catherine
Linberg
Gianna
Mattrey
David
Moriarty
Richard
Lovelace
Jack
Mattrey
Dorothy
Morse
Susan
Lowance
Jada
Mattrey
Tony
Morse
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Castor
Moss
Evan
Perry
Stephen
Rogalski
Natalie
Moss
Fred
Perry
Nancy
Rose
Rev. Eliot
Moss
Thomas
Perry
Marion
Rosenau
Marilyn
Munn
Janice
Peterman
Mindy
Rosengarten
Sandy
Muspratt
Mark
Peterman
Peter
Rosengarten
Julie
Nelson
Carlton
Pickron
Carolyn
Samonds
Kathleen
Nelson
Antonio
Polino
Ken
Samonds
Dee Dee
Niswonger
Francesca
Polino
Gaylord
Saulsberry
Gary
Niswonger
Gemma
Polino
Janet Elias
Saulsberry
Jeffrey
O'Brien
Joseph
Polino
Anne
Scarff
Joan
O'Brien
Maria
Polino
Rev. Susan
Schaeffer
Peter
O'Brien
Jane
Price
Katie
Schendel
William
O'Brien
Catherine
Quinlan
Stephen
Schreiber
Catherine
Obbard
Victoria
Quinlan
James
Scott
Jale
Okay
Virginia
Ramos-Velazquez
Nina
Scott
Olusoji
Olankapo
Jean
Rankin
Amanda
Seaman
Erika
Olson
Larry
Rankin
Bill
Seebeck
Isolda
Ortega-Bustamante
Jennifer
Read
Harry
Seelig
Clare
Orvis
Matthew
Read
Sharon
Seelig
Curtis
Orvis
Rick
Read
Phebe
Sessions
Judy
Orvis
Melinda
Reid
Anna
Seterdahl
Lynn
Orvis
Andre
Ricard
Elsa
Seterdahl
Samuel
Orvis
Laura
Ricard
Peter
Seterdahl
Edward
Owaki
Robert
Rice
Trudie May
Seterdahl
Kenneth
Page
Chris
Riddle
Sudha
Setty
Amy
Palaia
DeAnne
Riddle
Mira
Setty-Charity
Alice Ann
Partridge
Emily
Riddle
Mohan
Setty-Charity
Douglas
Peavey
Matthew
Riddle
Mary Ellen
Shaughan
Jack
Pemberton
John
Robinson
Eugene
Sheehan
Jane
Pemberton
Lucy
Robinson
Marcia
Sheehan
Alex
Perry
Patricia
Rogalski
Peter
Sikowitz
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Bryn
Siudzinski
Jeannette
Stebbins
Justin
Treyz
Madeline
Siudzinski
Owen
Stebbins
Mary Sidney
Treyz
Megan
Siudzinski
Mary
Steigner
Peter
Treyz
Robert
Siudzinski
Sara
Stelzner
Sarah
Turgeon
Anna
Smith
Barbara
Sternau
Aidan
Van Cleef
Betsy Cannon Smith
John
Stifler
Bryce
Van Cleef
Donovan N.
Smith
Joel
Stoneham
Ann
Van Dyke
Ellie C.
Smith
Luke
Stoneham
Elizabeth
Van Dyke
Kevyn
Smith
Pete
Stoneham
Paul
Vasconcellos
Lucy A.
Smith
Brendan
Sullivan
Archie
Velazquez
Randall P
Smith
Brooke
Sullivan
James
Wald
Randall P., Jr.
Smith
Cornelia
Sullivan
Jane
Wald
Peter
Snedecor
Kyle
Sullivan
Marianne
Wald
James
Soper
Paul
Swem
Natascha
Wanninger
Jennifer
Soper
Sebastian
Wanninger
Joshua
Soper
The Rev.
Thomas
Synan
Tatjana
Wanninger
Katherine
Soper
Pat
Szumowski
Eve
Webster
Bernice
Taylor
Warren
Taylor
The Rev.
Raymond
Webster
Charles
Tebbetts
Chuck
Weeber
Walter
Tebbetts
Andrew
Wells
Janet
Teng
Nicholas
Wells
Colin
Thompson
Sharon
Wells
Zachary
Thompson
Charlotte
Westhead
Jane
Thurber
Adam
Wilburn
Kate
Thurber
Aidan
Wilburn
Patricia
Tillona
Emma
Wilburn
Zina
Tillona
Jeanette
Wilburn
David
Todd
Pam
Wilkinson
Eric
Treyz
David
Williams
Frederick
Treyz
Fox
Williams
Cynthia
Spell
Catherine
Spence
George
Spence
Jack
Spence
Rob
Spence
Caroline
Spurgin
Diana
Spurgin
Kate
Spurgin
Richard
Spurgin
Richard
Spurgin
Sarah Grace
Spurgin
Adrian, Rev.
Stair
Emily
Starkweather
Bruce
Stebbins
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Isabel
Williams
Gregory
Wobst
Arline
Wright
Kate
Williams
H Martin
Wobst
Jonathan
Wright
Keith
Williams
Judith
Wobst
Meg
Wright
Kevin
Williams
Natalia
Wobst
Helen
Zatyrka
Marion
Williams
Barbara
Wogrin
Enhua
Zhang
Owen
Williams
Conrad
Wogrin
Chris
Zobel
Sophie
Williams
Ann
Wood
Katie
Zobel
Thomas
Williams
Jeff
Wood
Noah
Zobel
Cheryl
Wilson
John
Wood
Sydney
Zobel
Reynolds
Winslow
Nancy
Wood
III.
Minutes of the 152nd Annual Meeting of Grace Church Parish, Amherst,
Massachusetts convened on February 7, 2016
On February 7, 2016, following a brunch provided by Brother Lawrence Guild, the 152nd
Annual Meeting of Grace Church Parish was called to order by the Clerk, Marion Rosenau.
The Rev. Tom Synan, Rector, opened the meeting with a prayer.
The Role of Membership 2016
Requests to add Joan O'Brien to the Role of Membership and to change Casandra Moss to
Castor Moss were received. A motion to approve the Role of Membership, as amended, was
made, seconded and the Role of Membership, as amended, was approved.
Minutes of 151st Annual Meeting
A motion to accept the minutes of the 151st Annual Meeting was made, seconded and passed.
Retiring Vestry
Senior Warden, Chris Freitag, recognized the Vestry members who have completed their terms:
Jim Duda, Janet Teng, Jane Wald and Co-Treasurer DeAnne Riddle. Chris presented each with
thanks and a gift.
Report from Nominating Committee
Jane Wald and Chris Freitag presented the report for the nominating committee; members of the
committee are the retiring Vestry members, Senior Warden, Chris Freitag, and the Rector, Tom
Synan. Jane described the process, recommended by a recent sub-committee, which included a
number of opportunities for interested parishioners to learn about the role of the Vestry. A
description of the role of Vestry was circulated to the congregation and outgoing Vestry
members presented testimonials to the congregation of their experience as Vestry members.
After conversations and discernment with interested parishioners, the nominating committee
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presented a slate of candidates to the Vestry in January. Following approval by the Vestry, the
slate of candidates was included in Sunday Bulletins.
The candidates for Vestry, Officers of the Vestry, and Delegates to Diocesan Convention are:
Vestry (each for a term of three years)
Dee Dee Niswonger
Maria Polino
Mark Peterman
Vestry Youth (a term of one year)
Castor Moss
Officers of the Vestry (each for a term of one year)
Senior Warden – Chris Freitag
Junior Warden – Jeff DeSantis
Treasurer – Bruce Stebbins
Clerk – Marion Rosenau
Lay Delegates to Convention
Anne Homme, Trent Maxey, Mary McCarthy (alternate), Castor Moss (youth).
The Rev. Tom Synan asked for nominations from the floor. No nominations were offered from
the floor.
Zina Tillona made a motion to close the nominations and to direct the Clerk to cast one vote for
the slate of candidates as presented. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously. The
candidates, as presented in the slate, were elected.
Report from Stewardship Committee
Tom Dougherty presented the report of the Stewardship Committee. As of today, pledges in the
amount of $432,000 have been received. This is short of the goal of $475,000. There are 75
families who have not yet pledged, but there is hope that many of those will still pledge to help
reach the goal.
2015 Annual Report
A motion to accept the reports printed in the 2015 Annual Report was made, seconded and
passed.
Treasurer's Report
Bruce Stebbins presented the Treasurer's Report. There is the good news that we ended the year
with a positive balance in the operating budget; a surplus of $53,461. Bruce expressed thanks to
DeAnne Riddle as Co-Treasurer, to Rich Spurgin for his valuable service in preparing the
monthly financial reports, to Jim Scott for reconciling monthly bank statements, and to the
Finance Committee, made up of Rich Spurgin, Kitty Dougherty, Bob Kelly and Mark Leonas,
for their sound advice.
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The Finance Committee recommended, and the Vestry approved, the allocation of the surplus in
the following manner:
$3,768 -Bonuses for staff and clergy
$2,000 - Rector's Discretionary Fund
$5,000 - Outreach and Mission programs
$2,500 - Building Maintenance Fund
$1,000 - Youth Ministry
$8,996 - Contingency Fund
$30,250 - Restoration Project loan.
The surplus was primarily due to salary savings in the Associate Priest position which was
unfilled for half of the year. We do not expect a similar surplus in the coming year.
Doug Adler, as a member of the Planned Giving Committee, reported for the St. Michael's
Fellowship. Other members of the Committee are Kent Faerber, and Jale Okay. St. Michael's
Fellowship is made up of those who have included Grace Church in their estate plans. New
members this year are Jean and Larry Rankin.
Senior Warden's Report
Chris Freitag referenced his report in the Annual Report and expressed thanks to the Parish and
all who give of their time and talents to Grace. He has convened a Long-Range Planning
Committee to think about where Grace ministries might focus in the coming years, what
direction the next phases in the stewardship of our buildings might take, and how the building
loan might be retired. He invited anyone interested in joining the Committee to contact him.
Junior Warden's Report
Jeff DeSantis referenced his report in the Annual Report. Some of the more significant
repairs/improvements for this year include an upgrade of the phone and computer systems –
there is now Wi-Fi across the whole campus, repairs to the chimney of the Parke House
following a lightning strike, and a new security system which has resulted in fewer late night
calls to Jeff. An important highlight has been the renovation of the kitchen which now meets all
the Town requirements for a restaurant and opens the possibility of increased use of the Parish
Hall by community groups.
The Rev. Tom Synan led a Blessing of the new kitchen.
The Rector's Report
Tom referenced his sermon printed in the Annual Report. He expressed thanks to Brother
Lawrence Guild for the brunch prepared today and for their contributions throughout the year,
and gratitude for Grace Church as a church of possibilities.
The meeting concluded with a closing hymn and a prayer.
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Castor Moss led a procession to the Columbarium for burning of palms in preparation for Ash
Wednesday which occurs this week.
Respectfully Submitted, Marion Rosenau, Clerk
IV.
Rector’s Sermon and Address
February 5, 2017
You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world.
Today, we continue with Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Can you believe a week has gone by
and Jesus is still preaching? In fact Jesus will continue preaching his Sermon on the Mount for
the rest of Epiphany, with the exception of the Last Sunday of Epiphany. It is a long and
wonderful sermon, but even over four weeks, we will not hear it all.
Last week, we heard the beginning of this sermon, the Beatitudes, in which Jesus offered a road
map of how to live and how to get through this thing called life. With his “Blessed are”
statements, Jesus tells us that we have a choice: the way of the world, which we can choose to
pursue short-term gains for ourselves, but at the expense of our souls; and the way of God,
which is the call to live a sacrificial life, where we move ourselves out from the center of it all
and offer ourselves over for the greater good. The choice is ours.
Now we have Jesus telling his listeners that they are the salt of the earth and the light of the
world, all of which sounds very nice. Both seem to connote something good about those being
described. Looking online, I found that “salt of the earth” today is understood as referring to an
individual or group considered as representative of the best or noblest elements of society. It
can also be understood as basic, fundamental goodness; the phrase can be used to describe any
simple good person: “I like Susan: she’s reliable, trustworthy, and straightforward; she’s the salt
of the earth.
And the same holds true, I suppose, for light of the world. It too connotes a compliment. I’d
rather be called the light of the world or the salt of the earth than ‘you’re the blemish on the sun’
or ‘the thing stuck to the bottom of my sandal’. Could you imagine if Jesus said either those to
the people who came out to hear him?
But what does Jesus mean when he says these words on the mount as part of his sermon? Was
he merely throwing out a compliment or was there more to what he was saying?
Let’s start with salt. If you think about it, salt is an incredible mineral with many interesting
properties. It gives flavor to food, making many things more tasty. It also acts as a
preservative. Just recently I heard about a Norwegian delicacy involving cod fish preserved in
salt. Here, in New England, during the winter, where would we be without salt to melt our icy
roads, our sidewalks, our front porches, and our driveways? We’d be stuck in the house a lot, if
not for salt. And in antiquity, salt was also sometimes used as a form of currency. The word
“salary” is derived from the Latin for salt and relates to the practice of paying wages in the form
of salt.
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In the same way, light is also amazing, particularly when it is illuminating something else. If
you think about it, neither salt nor light exists for themselves. They only fulfill their purpose
when used, when poured out. With both, their value comes in their application on other things –
to change or transform other things, presumably for the better.
When Jesus tells the crowd they are the salt of the earth and the light of the world, he is not
simply throwing them a compliment. He is defining discipleship, particularly discipleship as
faith in action.
It’s one thing to have faith, but it’s something else to actually live it. Faith without action is an
impediment to building the Kingdom of God. Or better yet, faith without purpose – what’s the
point of that? Having a belief in God is empty if one is not also God’s agent or witness in the
world, changing or transforming it, hopefully for the better.
The Letter of James says this so eloquently:
What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can
faith save you? If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them,
“Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,” and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what
is the good of that? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.
But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from
works, and I by my works will show you my faith. (James 2:14-18)
You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world.
Faith alone is not sufficient, in the same way that salt and light on their own serve no true
purpose. It is not enough to know or to think about or to love God. We are called to live our
lives as salt and light – transformative agents that bring flavor, seasoning, zest, as well as light
to where there is darkness.
If ever there was community of faith of salty, zesty, flavorful, robust Christians, it is certainly
here at Grace Church. Who is the salt of the earth and who is the light of the world? You are.
Let’s start with our worship which says so much about who we are and our relationship with
God. Our worship is not ho-hum, run of the mill, or “oatmeal again?” Talk about flavorful.
Looking back over the year, I always have to start with Holy Week. It’s not called Holy for
nothing and it is you who put the holy in that week, as we journey together through the sacred
and holy mystery of the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Easter is late this year: April 16th. If you can, put Holy Week on your calendar now, April 9th
– 16th, and attend as many of the services as you possibly can: Palm Sunday, Holy Monday and
Tuesday, Tenebrae, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, the Great Vigil of Easter, and Easter
Sunday. Trust me, by Easter Sunday, your light will most definitely shine before others.
And then there was Pentecost Sunday, with the multitude of languages, and the global music.
And once again, we were graced with a heavenly host of angels for the Feast of St. Michael and
All Angels; and on All Saints Sunday we had – what is a collection of saints? – at Grace
Church, it’s a stampede!
Among liturgical highlights in 2016, we started off the year with Bishop Doug confirming and
receiving 8 of our finest whose collective wattage only seems to get brighter. Talk about being
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the light of the world. You who were confirmed that day – never ever put your light or let
anyone else try to put your light under a bushel basket. You are blessed and we are blessed
through you.
Then in March, we kicked off our 150th anniversary celebration with a service adapted from the
Rites of the Episcopal Church at the time of our founding. Talk about an enlightening event!
That service highlighted, I believe, the evolution of worship, and how as a people, word and
action within the context of worship have changed over time, while love of God and love of
Grace Church transcend time.
And then as a sort of bookend, we ended the year, like we began it, with our beloved bishop for
the ordination of Jane Beebe to the transitional diaconate – FINALLY! While that service was
not at Grace Church, we certainly provided seasoning and flavoring for that joyful occasion.
FYI – I had a recent conversation with the Bishop about Jane’s eventual ordination to the
priesthood, which canonically could take place as early as this coming June. I reminded the
bishop that he will be with us this June for Pentecost Sunday, when we will have a special
service concluding our 150th anniversary festivities. I told Bishop Doug, “How about you
baptize, confirm, receive, AND ordain, and for good measure I’ll throw in a couple getting
married, so that you can do all the rites of the Church in one service – under an hour and a half.”
He does talk fast. It would be one big revival meeting, Episcopal style, at Grace Church.
Bishop Doug didn’t know what to say. Why? Because he knows this is a place with a lot of
light and a lot of salt, and that we could pull something like that off. We’d all just be turning
pages in the Book of Common Prayer going from one rite to the next.
Seriously, though, I do want to thank all who make the liturgical life of this parish the
exceptional and transformative experience it truly is. To all of our dedicated acolytes: you are
the light of the world. You literally bring the light with you. Our faithful altar guild, flower
guild, greeters and ushers, lectors, and Lay Eucharistic Ministers and Visitors: you are the salt
of the earth. And when it comes to seasoning and an infusion of zest, God bless our choirs, and
the work and ministry of Beth and Dick Damon. Could you imagine what Christianity would
be if there was no music and no singing? I can’t.
Who else is the light? This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine! Yes, the light of Christ
burns so brightly in our children and youth ministries. I’ve said it before and I will continue to
say this over and over again and again and again that Grace Church, in the Town of Amherst, in
the year of Our Lord 2017, has the nicest young people I have ever met in all my years of
ordained ministry. Your presence and participation is such a witness and testimony to the faith.
Never forget that this is your church as much as it is anybody else’s and don’t ever let anyone
tell you otherwise. Many blessings to you; and praises to Sarah Dunn, to everyone who works
with our young people, to our dedicated Sunday School teachers, to parents, grandparents,
godparents, whomever, and to everyone who in whatever way helps ignite the light of Christ
among our young and restless.
Grace Church is the salt of the earth as far as the Survival Center and a host of other agencies
are concerned. In 2016, this parish provided over 1,600lbs of food to the Survival Center.
That’s a record! We hosted a Soup for Syria event in response to the horrific global refugee
crisis, and we collected boxes of toiletries and other necessities that were shipped to refugee
camps on the other side of the world. We partnered with Books Through Bars, a worthwhile
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prison ministry, and donated hundreds of books for people who are incarcerated. We supplied
school supplies and backpacks for children going back to school, as well as Christmas gifts for
40 families, resulting in 110 children waking up to a special and more happy Christmas morn.
Another record! 1000 care packages were handed out to college students at the end of the
spring and fall semesters combined. And I still say the most important thing in those packages is
the note of encouragement written by many of you, that lets stressed-out students know that the
salt of the earth Christians of Grace Church are thinking of them, praying for them, and care
about them.
We also continue to uphold the light of education with our missions in Haiti and Ramallah. We
built the school for St. Mathieu. That’s not a record, but what an accomplishment! Can I get an
Amen? May a generation of children be transformed through the power of education. And in
Ramallah, we continue to support the education of Remon Mussalam at the Episcopal
Technological and Vocational Training Center, through the monthly selling here of Palestinian
olive oil.
Everything here comes with a little salt and light. Your spare change, those coins in the bottom
of your pocket or purse continue to help infants in Ghana through the Change the Babies
program. When you throw your spare change into the jar at the back of church, you’re adding a
dash of salt to the mission and ministry of Jesus Christ. And speaking of salt as currency, last
year approximately $20,000 was distributed to worthwhile agencies near and far, and another
$3,000 went to the Rector’s Discretionary fund. That’s a lot of salt.
There is so much going on in the life and ministry of this parish. Walking through the Annual
Ministry Fair, it is incredible how much is done here and in how many ways one can get
involved for the purpose of shining one’s light in the name of discipleship: our Mutual Care
Team, Sunday morning hospitality, the St. Nicholas Bazaar, the Over 60s Gathering, the
Brother Lawrence Guild, Iconography, the Men’s Group, the Contemplative Bible Study, the
Sunday morning Bible Study, our Adult Education programs and presentation, and Tea and
Titles, to name but a few.
Many blessings to Greening Grace and our Peace Fellowship for raising awareness and bearing
a prophetic witness. Social justice is the work of God and is an integral part of shining our
lights to illumine the world. We are living in an interesting time. Now is definitely not the time
for us to be putting our lights under a bushel basket.
Many thanks also to the Stewardship Committee and to each and every one of you for your
generous outpouring of financial support for Grace Church. A church budget I believe, is a
tangible and physical manifestation of a congregation’s faith, hope, and charity. God bless you
for your generosity.
Lastly, I would like to acknowledge especially the work of the Sesquicentennial Committee for
all of the wonderful events that have taken place and are yet to come in celebration of the 150th
anniversary of our founding. In particular, I would like to thank the tireless effort of our
Archives committee for properly organizing our records and I would also like to thank Ken
Samonds, our de facto historian in residence, for all the research he has undertaken concerning
the founding of Grace Church and for his brilliant presentations and tours. The life of a parish
is most importantly about its people – past, present, and yet to come. Faithful souls brought this
church into being and it has been lovingly passed along from generation to generation by people
who were the salt of the earth and the light of the world in their day. It is now our turn to
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sustain it and strengthen this wonderful parish, here in the People’s Republic of Amherst, so
that we too can lovingly hand it on to those who will come after us.
As for me, I am so incredibly honored and humbled to be your rector. What makes Grace
Church so special is that it is a church of possibilities and a place where dreams can be dreamed
and can even become a reality. It is a church where we come together and do some amazing
things; amazing things through amazing Grace. We are a salty, well-seasoned, zesty group on a
journey together, wanting to bring Christ’s light to a world that is in such desperate need of His
light.
I could go on and on; there is so much to be grateful for here at Grace Church, but I won’t.
There’s a brunch waiting to happen, our annual meeting, and yes – a certain football game later
today, which I will just leave at that. There is much to be thankful for, starting with each and
every one of you, but we also have our work cut out for us. Like today’s Gospel, we cannot
lose our flavor and we cannot put our light under a bushel basket – now more than ever.
You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world.
May your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to
your Father in heaven.
Amen.
The Rev. Tom Synan
V.
Vestry Reports
Senior Warden: I would like to begin my report by thanking the Parish for the privilege of
allowing me to serve as your Senior Warden for a second year. Time has passed quickly and
we have accomplished many things. I would like to thank Tom for his guidance and leadership,
as well as the Executive Committee, Jeffrey, Marion, and Bruce for their individual work to
keep our Parish strong and vibrant. I would like to give a special thanks to Jeffrey, our Junior
Warden, who has once again done an excellent job managing several projects and for his
dedication in keeping this wonderful place in great shape. Among other things, our kitchen
looks fantastic and knowing projects as I do, he spent a great deal of time coordinating with the
Town as well as with contractors, so thank you Jeffrey. Our Vestry also did a great job working
on key issues of the Parish and made this year a fruitful one. We started the year again with a
Vestry retreat which was combined with the annual Leadership Day, held in Springfield by the
Diocese. The Vestry spent some time getting to know each other, so that we could better serve
the parish. We discussed the need for assembling a Long Range Planning Committee to help
Grace look to its future, specifically where we are going and what is next for our campus and
facilities.
We have had a wonderful year with Sarah as our Associate Priest. The year started with her
Ordination on October 3rd, and she has done great things with our Sunday school, youth
ministries and reaching out to the local Colleges and Universities. I am sure that this new
campus ministry will grow and flourish under her leadership. Sarah has also done a splendid job
assisting Tom with running the Parish. Thank you Sarah for being with us at Grace.
After last year’s implementation of our new nominations process, we followed the process again
and had another successful time finding new leaders for Vestry and Diocesan Convention. Our
nominations process is more open and accessible to the Parish. The Nominations Committee
consisted of Jane Buckloh, Tim Hampson, and Charlie Tebbets, Tom Synan and me. Members
of the Nominations Committee gave testimonials as to why they served on Vestry as well as the
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benefits of serving. Multiple bulletin inserts requesting nominations and several after service
teas were held for the committee to meet with potential nominees, as well as asking parishioners
if they would think about service to Grace Church in this way. Potential nominees were invited
to vestry meetings to see what the Vestry does first hand and then discern if they were
interested. I am happy to say that again this process provided a good list of names and finally
three nominees who stood for vestry this year. I want to thank Jane, Tim and Charlie for their
service on Vestry and for their help on the nominations committee. I encourage everyone to
think about how you can best serve Grace. We are always looking for people with special
talents to share.
The Long-Range Planning Committee, was formed in January 2016 and met approximately biweekly during the following three months. The LPC began by analyzing the positive and less
positive aspects of Grace Church, using several techniques currently employed in strategic
planning, including a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats). We
concluded that the church has many strengths and only a few areas of weakness, but that
conscious steps should be taken to sustain the strengths as well as to address the weaknesses.
We took as our mission to outline the main areas in which steps could be taken over the coming
five years to improve Grace’s long-term prospects of success. It was our feeling that the Vestry
should make the ultimate decisions regarding the prioritizing among these areas, which to tackle
first, and whether to be selective or to attempt to address them all over the five-year period. I am
happy to say that some of these items have been discussed and steps taken to start work on
them. I am sure that future Vestries will continue to work on these items. I would like to thank
the committee for their good work.
A. Spiritual Focus
1) Maintain our spiritual quality: liturgy and variety of services; superb preaching; excellent
music program; rich adult education offerings; lively programs to engage children and youth.
2) Nurture and support our excellent clergy and staff.
B. Outreach/In reach
1) Be intentional about how we welcome and incorporate visitors, new members, families.
Broaden our concept of membership.
2) Build a database to enhance management and communication. Appoint a data entry person,
paid or volunteer.
3) Improve our communication infrastructure so that all “members” feel connected to the
church’s many ministries and comfortable in their understanding of how the place operates and
how they can become engaged. Help “members” get to know one another.
4) Be aware of the danger of volunteer burnout. Strategize to make the volunteer program
sustainable, and encourage succession planning. Assign someone to oversee volunteer and
transition management. Sustain and encourage our good people, both staff and volunteers.
5) Increase the effectiveness of Outreach (Mission) by becoming more intentional, undertaking
due diligence in exploring options, and planning. Encourage college student involvement
through our social justice initiatives.
C. Finance/Physical Plant
1) Develop a five-year plan for physical plant maintenance (life cycle plan for equipment and
annual maintenance priorities).
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2) Advertise and showcase our physical plant to attract rentals and partnerships that will both
improve the use of our space and introduce newcomers to Grace.
3) Strengthen our legacy giving program
This year has been very exciting so far as we celebrate our Sesquicentennial with wonderful,
fun activities and celebrations. If you have not taken advantage of some of these events that the
Sesquicentennial Committee has planned, I would encourage you to do so. They have truly
been informative and a great way to get to know your fellow parishioners. In closing, I would
say again that we can always use your help, so if you would like to become involved please
speak to me or any member of the Vestry.
Chris Freitag, Senior Warden
Junior Warden: The year started out with a bang--- that is a three foot long section of plaster
molding along the ceiling’s north wall near the front exit of the church fell. This was repaired by
Bill Rock of Arrowhead Construction by lag bolting the section back to the wall.
The biggest project for 2016 was the repair of the Bell Tower’s interior walls which had shrunk
in the grooves and dried out causing high levels of dust that accumulated everywhere. The dust
accumulation included the clock’s works that keep Jim Mead rather busy keeping the clock clean
and working well. The work was accomplished by Eagle Restoration (they did the exterior of the
tower also, 2 yrs earlier); they also replaced the old wood in the tower at no cost to us, because
they felt they had not done the job in a timely manner. Further, at no cost to us, they finished the
upper stucco work on the Parke House as a perk of doing business on an on-going basis with
them.
The wrought iron fencing facing Spring Street on the Columbarium was never completed when
it was originally put up. However, through a generous gift from one of our parishioners, the panel
was added on, and landscape work to finish off the project will be done in the spring of 2017.
To reduce our electric use throughout our campus, Greening Grace and the Junior Warden had
Eversource Energy Utilities do a review of our electric use and equipment. After the review, it
was noted that we could save $5,500-$6,000, a year on our electric bill. The total cost of the
project was $16,800 and our portion is $6,840 to be paid monthly over 24 months at no interest.
We had an unexpected cost this year of $2,300 to repair the glide switch on the elevator. In the
same vein, the Portico leading into the Old Rectory was sagging in the rear and also pulled out
from the foundation of the building. The repairs again were done by Bill Rock of Arrowhead
Construction who put in new piers and attachments to the foundation. Dave Ulen, our sexton,
was busy repairing the sills in the Church’s windows this fall. He needed to scrape, fill, sand and
then paint them.
As usual every year a number of pews and pew dividers need repair. They were all repaired by
following Lyle Denit’s methodology of reinforcing the underneath portion of the pews and gluing
the separated portion in addition. The pew dividers are reinforced with braces and are glued as
well.
Lastly, as always, we have had Spring and Fall work days that enabled us to clean up the church
grounds. I would like thank all the people that helped out and encourage all those that have not
helped in the past to come out this spring to pitch in.
Jeffrey DeSantis, Junior Warden
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VI.
Commission Reports
LITURGICAL COMMISSION
Altar Guild: For the last three years the Altar Guild has been encouraging more members to
take responsibility for certain functions or tasks so that the work does not depend so much on
the Altar Guild Director alone. Various teams have taken over preparation for special seasons of
the Church Year, such as Advent, Lent , Holy Week, etc. This has proved very successful.
Cindy Spell has retired from being the weekly organizer and cleaner of the Sacristy equipment
after five years of service; in this time-consuming and often onerous job, previously done by
Janet Teng for ten years. Many thanks, Cindy, for keeping us organized. Some members of the
10:30 clean-up crew have undertaken many of these tasks, and the 8am crew, others.
Georgann is still our Scheduler and also orders our supplies. Thank you, Georgann.
We welcome new members Sarah Chadwick, who has joined the Flower Guild; and Ericka
Winslow and Doug Stewart, who have joined the 10:30 clean-up crew. Meghan Siudzinski is
taking responsibility for the monthly Liturgy in the Chapel.
Thanks to all members, and especially to Gail Gnatek and Sheila Mammen who have now taken
over as co-directors of the Altar Guild.
Janet Teng
Acolytes: Acolytes assist in all aspects of the liturgical life at Grace Church; they join the ranks
as Lay Eucharistic Ministers and Lectors as they express interest in expanding their liturgical
roles. Youngsters younger than 8 participate in workdays and assist as crucifers to lead the food
basket procession to the altar at the Offertory and serve in the monthly Liturgy in the Chapel
services.
Acolytes work with Janet Teng, Veronica Chapman, Sheila Mammon and the Altar Guild in
many aspects of liturgical preparation such as helping the altar guild polish the brass before
Easter, and assisting in preparing the sanctuary for Advent and Palm Sunday. Small groups met
with Tom Synan and Sarah Syer in April and Tom in November.
Chris Freitag, Kent Faerber, Mary Hocken, Deb Leonard, Amanda Seaman, Sharon Morino, and
assorted senior servers and their families have helped shepherd acolytes on Sunday mornings.
Veronica Chapman has done wonders washing acolyte vestments, removing wine, wax, and
other assorted grime that are the badges of the trade; we start each week with a rack of
vestments carefully arranged by size and all neatly pressed.
Maggie Leonard, Henry Maxey, Max Sab, and Daniel Cho joined the acolyte crew in 2016.
Acolytes learn quickly and take their liturgical jobs seriously. They are wonderful about helping
each other out, and I am thankful to have the opportunity to work with this wonderful group of
young people.
Acolytes by grade (Current): 12: Lydia Anderson*#, Ben Gilsdorf*#, Alex Perry*, Thomas
Perry*, Archie Velasquez, Noah Zobel*#; 10: Gordy Anderson, Wade Atkinson, Mackenzie
Baird, Georgie Brown, Katie Brown*, Caleb Ireland, Emma Wilburn*, Isobel Williams, Sydney
Zobel; 9: Hillary Atkinson, Rocco Cataldi, Daniel Cho, Evan Perry, Max Sab, Walter Tebbetts,
Aidan Wilburn; 8. London Canon-Eckerle; 7: Liam Brown, Max Brown, Alpha Etinde, Quinn
Hampson, Emily Ireland, Katie Leonard, Francesca Polino, Fox Williams; 6: Anna Gilsdorf,
Lucy Smith, Catie Spence; 5: Tyler Marino, Amory Maxey, Gemma Polino; 4. Liza Hampson,
Maggie Leonard; 3. Nathan Marino,Henry Maxey
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Visiting acolytes: Mollie Jenkins (Minnesota), Andrew Wright (California), Rose Warner
(Eastern Massachusetts).
* Lay Eucharistic Minister
# Lector
Nancy Lowry
Music: 2016 was another year of joyful music-making at Grace. The Choir, as I always
mention, are some of the most dedicated volunteers at Grace, giving 5 – 8 hours per week
(depending on the liturgical season) of their time to practicing for and participating in our
services. During Advent, we’re preparing mightily for our lovely Advent Lessons & Carols
service and for Christmas Eve; in the spring, choir members give many extra hours toward
rehearsing for Holy Week and Easter services. It’s a deep honor for all of us – choir members,
Dick and myself – to participate in an important way in these beautiful liturgies, and to “make
music for the Lord to hear” (Hymn 400). It’s a pretty terrific job description!
One particular joy for the Choir this year (and, we hope, for the congregation as well) has been
the premieres of several anthems and hymn settings by Dick Damon. A big project for many
choir singers was working on a recording session of Dick’s music during the summer. The
recording is being engineered, and we’re looking forward to offering the congregation CD’s of
Dick’s compositions, and perhaps some favorite postludes, too, later this year.
Dick and I would like to thank all those who have expressed their enjoyment of Grace’s music
program – we are so grateful for the joy of making music happen at Grace, and for our loving
and supportive congregation.
Soli Deo Gloria,
Beth Damon, Director of Music
Angel Choir: The choir continued to sing the Introit at the 10:30 service about once a month
until Easter. At both Easter and Christmas the augmented choir included some teenagers who
had sung with the choir since they were 3 and 4 yrs old! Such a gift these teenagers have been
and continue to be in our midst. At Easter the choir joyfully sang a piece that Horace Boyer had
composed for the choir, Alleluia, Christ is Risen. At the 4 pm Christmas Eve service the choir
sang two pieces by Dick Damon (one new). Thank you Dick and for all the wonderful music
you have written for the choir over the years. Over the past 17 years, several members of Grace
have also composed pieces for the choir including Horace Boyer, Beth Hart, Sam Lowry and
Ann Kearns. Young string players, Alex Perry, Caleb Ireland, Emily Ireland, Archie Velasquez,
Emma Wilburn and Francesa Polino have recently accompanied the choir which has always
enriched the offerings. Janet Moore played the bells for one of the pieces at Christmas.
Heartfelt thanks to everyone and especially to Dick Damon for his endless patience and
cooperation in playing for the choir.
It has been such a pleasure and privilege to be able to make music with the children over the
past 17 years at Grace.
Mary Hocken
CHRISTIAN FORMATION & EDUCATION - ADULT
This year in adult education we have had several engaging and exciting series. For Epiphany
and Lent we had an enthusiastic fellowship group form around “Challenging Bible Passages.”
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This series was prompted by those Scripture verses that are difficult for us to read and digest as
a congregation. Another important series, “Faith & Politics,” was a timely precursor to the
recent presidential election. Not only did we hear from professors at the various five colleges,
but also leaders, both past and present, within our own Grace Church community. We also
thought to expand our formation offerings during Lent 2016, with morning prayer being offered
three days a week as well as a Lenten quiet day led by the Rev. Charlotte LaForest on “Forming
a Rule of Life.” It was an excellent year interspersed with presentations celebrating our 150th
anniversary, from sessions by Ron Story on “Jonathan Edwards,” to the “Religious History of
Amherst” by Jane Wald, and then the “History of Grace Church” by Ken Samonds.
We hope to continue with such engaging thematic offerings over the next year, while also
considering ways we can expand adult education to reach more individuals within our parish
community. We continue to discern specifically how we can reach more individuals with
children at home. One option we have brainstormed is to include an adult education offering
during the traditional Sunday school hour of 9:15-10:15am. This is still a work in progress;
however, we hope to get something of this nature off the ground this calendar year.
The Rev. Sarah Syer
CHRISTIAN FORMATION AND EDUCATION COMMISSION CHILDREN & YOUTH
Children: Our children and youth ministry continues to be vital to the health and growth of this
congregation. This begins with our nursery offering every Sunday, which now has found more
consistency with the hiring of several college students who are present during the church school
hour as well as the 10:30 service. The nursery is extremely important for the inclusion of new
families with young children.
This year we also have had an intentional renewed focus on our children’s ministry. We
continue to use our new curriculum, “Weaving God’s Promises,” for Kindergarten through 5th
grade. This is a Scripture based curriculum that also ties in our Anglican traditions. It is
extremely teacher friendly for our devoted volunteers, and we even have had a couple college
students join our team at the beginning of this academic year. We also have found a new
energy around Liturgy in the Chapel, weaving it into the Sunday school curriculum and our
intergenerational offerings on holiday weekends. The worship is engaging for our children;
however, we continue to discern how we can improve the music at this service.
This past August we also offered a “Creation Camp” for our children and youth. During this
weeklong experience we considered the beauty of God’s creation through the use of all of our
five senses. We baked bread together, made incense, created prayer flags, had a water balloon
fight, and worshiped on the top of Mount Sugarloaf. Even though it was an unbearably hot
week, the students were troopers and had such a fun time. We will be offering another camp
this summer, June 26th-30th, for grades Kindergarten and up.
The Rev. Sarah Syer
Youth: Our youth program continues to gain strength and momentum. On Sunday mornings
we have new offerings this year: a Confirmation class for 9th and 10th graders and “Cappuccino
with Christ,” an opportunity for our oldest youth members to gather together for fellowship and
conversations about the faith transition into young adulthood. Both classes are preparing our
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youth to be adult members, not only at Grace Church, but also at the parishes they hopefully
will find themselves a part of in the future.
Youth Group, which meets every other Sunday, is also an amazing opportunity for our students.
This year some highlights included: an Annual Meeting Scavenger Hunt, Junior High Heifer
Farm retreat, Youth Sunday, Joint Retreat with New Hampshire Youth, White Water Rafting
Trip, All Saints’ Day Go Kart Excursion; Joint Christmas Movie Night with All Saints’, South
Hadley, and so much more in between. The Junior High Heifer Farm retreat was a fantastic
overnight opportunity for our younger youth. During this time they learned about the disparity
between countries around the world and faced a short term reality of the hunger that many
people experience. Youth Sunday was also a success, with our youth communicating in
theatrics and homiletics their experience of God. And during the White Water Rafting Trip, a
group of our high school youth traveled to New Hampshire for team building, exciting
adventure, and worship in God’s good creation. It was an amazing way to invite the rising
Freshmen into the group and kick off what has been a fun program year thus far.
We also have some exciting future opportunities for our youth. This summer our confirmation
class will take a pilgrimage to Navajo Nation and some of our high school youth will travel to
Oklahoma City for the Episcopal Youth Event. And due to the success of the rafting trip last
summer, we will hopefully replicate this event as well. For our junior high group we will
hopefully be partnering with other church’s throughout our diocese and take an extended trip to
Heifer Farm this summer. As always, the youth program brings their own excitement and
enthusiasm to the life of this congregation
The Rev. Sarah Syer
Campus Ministry: We continue to grow in our campus ministry efforts. Our student group has
expanded in size and now meets on a weekly basis. Thanks to the efforts of a few devoted
parishioners, we are able to offer our students home cooked meals during their time of
fellowship. These same students have also become integral members of the Grace Church
community, serving as Sunday school teachers, youth ministers, lectors, choir members, etc.
We are becoming a more welcoming community for the young adults in our midst and in the
process, a more intergenerational community. Another aspect of our campus ministry efforts is
the college care package ministry. Parishioners have supported this service through
contributing food and financial donations, stuffing the packages, and writing notes of
encouragement. We were able to give out 500 care packages both semesters, reaching over
25% of the Amherst College student body with each mission opportunity.
The Rev. Sarah Syer
PARISH LIFE COMMISSION
The mission of the Parish Life Commission is to spread the joy of Christian fellowship and
hospitality throughout Grace Church and the larger community. Many committees and events
strive to maintain a strong, social connection throughout our membership. We participated in
these events of fellowship:
Our Annual Meeting, preceded by the BLG Brunch
Newcomers Brunch with the Rector
The annual Pentecost Picnic
The annual St. Nicholas Bazaar
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Our Parish Life committees continue to serve our members in many important ways. The
Hospitality Committee provides coffee hours after our services, schedules ushers, and welcomes
newcomers. The Brother Lawrence Guild provides delicious cuisine at various gatherings. The
Funeral Committee provides support in planning and executing funeral receptions. The St.
Nicolas Bazaar Committee not only provides a community event but also raises money that is
crucial for our budget. The Garden Ministry continues to maintain our gardens and to address
areas of need.
The Parish Life Commission would like to thank all these committees for their continuing
donation of their time and talents. We would also like to thank all of the members who joined
committees at the “Celebration of Grace” Ministry Fair held on Sunday, September 18, 2016.
Your dedication and support of Grace’s programs and projects is most sincerely appreciated.
Great may your reward be in heaven.
Archives Commission: The Archives Committee met on April 8, 2014 and began work on our
historical materials. The committee was approved by the Vestry as a commission in June 2015
and funds for preservation were allocated.
The Commission has continued to meet on Wednesday mornings at 10:00 am. The sorting
process continues. We have been able to supply the 150th Committee and Ken Samonds with
materials pertaining to the early history of Grace Church. These materials have aided Ken’s
research and the writing of his articles in Grace Notes. They have also supplied information for
the guided history walk through town and the church proper.
Work in 2017 will focus on the financial and building records. Additional funding to preserve
several items will be pursued. Nancy Lowry is in charge of our photo history.
Offers to help or questions can be directed to Anne Homme or Janine Kelly. project.
Janine Kelly
Funeral Reception Committee: The mission of Grace Church's Funeral Reception Committee
(FRC) is to provide hospitality as desired to those in our church who are bereaved. We work in
coordination with the rector, parish administrator and any local caterers, florists, funeral
directors, etc. with whom the bereaved family has made arrangements.
2016 saw us called to serve on April 9th on the sad occasion of the passing of Ann Kearns.
The FRC needs new volunteers. The FRC usually (but not always) operates on short notice, and
if your schedule allows you any flexibility to be available for a few hours for even just one or
two receptions per year, PLEASE consider joining our committee. It is a great group of people
to work with, and a very important part of the ministrations of our church. Please join us, we
need YOU!
Respectfully submitted,
Diana Spurgin, chair, for FRC members: Kay Berenson, Sarah Chadwick, Karen DeSantis,
Mary Hocken, Anne Lowell, Sheila Mammen, Jane Pemberton, Cathy Quinlan, Lucy Robinson,
Jeannette Stebbins, Sara Stelzner, Pam Wilkinson, and Reynolds Winslow.
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Saint Nicholas Bazaar: Once again, the St. Nicholas Bazaar was a success, both for the money
raised for the parish and the fellowship shared. Our net income was about $10,000, thanks to the
contributions of time, talent and treasure from our generous congregation.
This event involved about 65 people helping before, during and after the bazaar, not including
those who donated and all who came to shop! We were very pleased to continue to have new
parishioners in that number. Every individual’s contribution was greatly appreciated - too many
to name here. Thank you to everyone involved - the bazaar couldn’t happen without so many
doing so much.
Joan O’Brien, Chair
Garden Ministry: Despite drought and the town’s outdoor water ban, the plantings at Grace
Church survived quite well. Several members of the Garden Ministry lugged water from home
wells, ponds, and rain barrels and saved shower water to keep the new roses in good health.
We planted four new ‘Knockout’ roses on the embankment in the Garth along with three dwarf
butterfly bushes. Luckily butterfly bushes are drought-tolerant.
The Pembertons and the Erards were in charge of the planters in front of the Connector and
Maria Dye once again designed and planted annuals beneath the Parish Hall window. Mary
Hocken maintained the Goodwin Garden as well as the compost heap. Paul Bracciotti planted
hostas and other shade lovers along the border with the Town Hall parking lot.
A successful plant sale was held in May with contributions from many parishioners. We raised
enough money that we are considering taking a year off from plant sales in 2017.
The garden Rota was maintained by all the members of the Garden Ministry, watering (when it
was allowed), weeding and deadheading. A weed brigade convened monthly to add to the
maintenance.
Many thanks to all members of the Garden Ministry and parishioners who donated plants and
bought plants at the plant sale.
We were all saddened by the death of Jack Pemberton who had been a faithful member of the
Garden Ministry.
The Garden Ministry, Sherry Wilson, chairperson, Janine Kelly, Miriam Jenkins, Sherry
Johnston, Mary Hocken, Martha Favre, Michael and Jeanette Erard, Sandy Muspratt, Maria
Dye and Paul Bracciotti, Anne Scarff, Meghan Siudzinski, Jane Pemberton, Timi van Cleef
Sesquicentennial Committee:
The committee was formed in the late summer of 2015 in order to look at ways in which
to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Grace Church, Amherst, MA
Much brain storming took place in the early meetings with ideas coming both from the
committee and the congregation. Gradually the committee selected events that have been
happening throughout the year and will continue until June 4th at Pentecost 2017 which
will be the culminating event of the Sesquicentennial year.
Ken Samonds, has delved into the history of Grace Church in extraordinary detail. He has
come up with some delightful and surprising facts and has written essays every month for
Grace Notes during the year about the history from the first meeting, design, building,
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windows, and places of interest in town and area that are pertinent to Grace. These will
hopefully be printed as a book. We are all greatly indebted to Ken.
Timelines both local and world wide were created by Reynolds Winslow and Anne
Homme in cooperation with the archives’ committee. Janine Kelly has been a key link for
this project.
Lisa Lukas in collaboration with Angela Battle, designed a logo which has been in use as
the bulletin heading and for a banner which is displayed on the lawn. It will also be used
for letter head when needed.
We needed a calendar to display all the events happening so Gillian Duda painted a
beautiful rendition of the church around which are printed the dates of events. The
original has been framed and will be dedicated and hung in an appropriate place in 2017.
Four new Banners were made for the walk through the town in October. They were
designed and planned by Lisa Lukas, Hannah Abbott and Marion Rosenau. A group of
needle designers, including Hannah Abbott, Ann Lewin, Miriam Jenkins and DeeDee
Niswonger, will be meeting in January 2017 to decide how to embellish these beautiful
banners. At Pentecost they will be presented to the congregation in procession that day,
along with all the banners that Grace owns and enjoys.
June Gaeke created a beautiful stole for use by the clergy as a part of the sesquicentennial
celebration year.
The following have made up part of 2016 continuing until Pentecost 2017 when we will
bring the excitement of celebrating 150 years of Grace Church, Amherst, to a joyous
conclusion.
On March 6th, 2016 we celebrated the first history service with the first part of the service
as it would have been in 1866 and the second half of the service as we know it in 2016. At
the coffee hour we had treats with recipes from the 1800s and 2016.
On June 5th, the Altar Guild displayed a gorgeous array of treasures including fair linens,
textiles, sets of communion vessels, a very old King James Bible, chasubles, Baptismal
bowls, and aspergillum, after both services.
9 Sep 2016, Ken Samonds kicked-off the luncheon series of the Amherst Historical
Society with a talk about the founding of Grace Church.
September 11th, Ken Samonds led a wonderful talk and walk throughout the town,
starting at the West cemetery where 22 of the early worshippers are buried. Roses were
placed at each of the stones and Ken talked about two or three of the founders. From there
we stopped at Mary Jones ’s house where the first meeting was held, at the Strong house
which was the first idea for the church site, then at what was the Academy where the
parking lot is next to the Amherst Cinema where the first sermon was preached, followed
by the Baptist Church now owned by Amherst college, near Collective Copies and then to
the common and back to the church for a reception.
28 Sep, 2016 Ken Samonds gave a presentation to the Wednesday Adult Ed
Group…attended by roughly 40 parishioners and members of the public.
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14 Oct, 2016 Ken and Steve McKelvey taped a 1 hour radio broadcast at WHMP about the
founding of Grace Church.
December 4th, Ken led tours of the stained glass windows and by popular demand another
tour will happen again on March 12th, 2017
January 22nd 2017 Ken will lead a tour of the history of the inside of the church with a
display of some of the artifacts from before changes were made.
March 30th Jim Mead will talk about the restoration and lead a tour of of the tower clock.
May 27th there will be a visit to the Porter Phelps Huntington house/museum in Hadley
where we will learn more about our heritage and enjoy picnic lunches before going on to
the Hadley cemetery for more history pertaining to Grace.
From the beginning music at Grace has always being an important part of the worship.
Horace Boyer, (1935-2009) always gave to the congregation his extensive knowledge and
talents. He would lead gospel services once or twice a year until his death. A PBS video of
his life was shown in November, 2016 with gospel singing and talk by Beth and Dick
Damon.
May 21st 2017, there will be a concert by Grace Church composers and of course there will
be special music on June 4th at the Pentecost service.
Former clergy will preach once a month in 2017:
Sunday, February 12th - Hilary Bogart-Winkler
Sunday, March 19th – The Rev. Alan Kittelson
Maundy Thursday, April 13th – The Rt. Rev. A. Robert Hirschfeld
Sunday, April 30th – The Rev. Paul Twelves
Sunday, May 14th – The Margaret Bullitt-Jonas
Sunday, June 4th Pentecost and re-dedication of Grace Church - The Rt Rev Douglas Fisher
A celebratory lunch will follow the service
Superb publicity has been overseen by Steve McKelvey throughout the year and into 2017.
Many thanks to the committee and to each person who has contributed to the many events
of the Sesquicentennial year, making it a special landmark in the life of our church and the
Amherst Community.
Ben Gilsdorf, Tim Hampson, Mary Hocken (chair), Anne Homme, Janine Kelly (note taker),
Sheila Mammen, Steve McKelvey (publicity), Ken Samonds (historian), Diana Spurgin, Tom
Synan, Emma Wilburn, Reynolds Winslow.
PASTORAL CARE COMMISSION
The Pastoral Care Commission at Grace Church is a group of ministries offering support and
assistance to parishioners and their families who need some extra help during a crisis, illness,
loss or other circumstance. The Pastoral Care Commission is coordinated by Jeannette
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Stebbins. Requests for assistance may be made directly to Jeannette or through the clergy or
main office.
Jane Buckloh coordinates the Card Writing Ministry. Jane shares this role with 2 or more other
parishioners who send notes celebrating a special family event, or those suffering pain, loss or
difficulty in their lives. Jane is in contact with the Parish Administrator and clergy to receive
updates on parishioners who would appreciate a note of support or celebration.
As always, donations of cards to support this ministry are always appreciated and can be left in
the Parish office.
The Prayer Circle is coordinated by MJ Fowler. MJ receives requests for intercessory prayer on
behalf of oneself, family and friends. Requests for prayers from the Prayer Circle are held in
confidence and not shared outside the Circle. If you have permission from the person for whom
you are requesting prayers, you may call or write to MJ and she well let the Prayer Circle know.
Feel free to contact MJ if you feel called to join the Prayer Circle.
The Mutual Care Commission is guided by Jeannette Stebbins. Mutual Care members offer
assistance to parishioners and families including meals, visits, phone visits, and rides to
appointments and also to church. With the exception of rides, these services are intended to
provide a short term solution to individuals or families in need. This is an active ministry!
Requests for assistance will often come from the clergy, but Jeannette is happy to hear from
anyone with a neighborly pastoral concern about a parishioner.
Lay Eucharist Visitors, (LEV’s), take Communion and visit parishioners who are unable to
worship in Grace Church due to illness or other concerns. LEV’s visit parishioners who are
homebound, hospitalized or in nursing or rehabilitation facilities. If you or someone you know
would welcome a LEV visit or visit from the clergy, please let the clergy or Jeannette Stebbins
know.
Requests for any services provided by Mutual Care or Pastoral Care can be directed to Jeannette
Stebbins. Her phone and email are published weekly in the Church Bulletin.
The tremendous support from all parishioners in serving their Grace Church family is truly
remarkable! We serve to further the healing ministry of Jesus Christ through this ministry, and
I am so grateful to all who have shared their gifts to serve those in need.
Jeannette Stebbins, Chair
OUTREACH MINISTRIES COMMISSION
In 2016, your Outreach Offerings distributed over $19,600 to groups outside of Grace Church
and $3,187 to the Rector's Discretionary Fund. We are all grateful for the generosity of the
congregation. Your Easter Offering was $4,572, Christmas was $7,483 and the 4th Sunday
Offerings totaled $7,602. Organizations supported by the Outreach Offerings included both
local groups and global groups. The local groups included: Interfaith Cot Shelter, Craig's Doors,
Family Outreach of Amherst, Not Bread Alone, Out Now, and Amherst Committee for a Better
Chance. Global groups included: American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem,
Episcopal Technological and Vocational Training Center in Ramallah, Syrian American
Medical Society Foundation, St. Matthieu's School in Haiti, and Episcopal Relief and
Development for International Disaster Response Fund. The collection jar for the “Change the
Babies” project collected about $1,000 to help support children living at the Mampong Babies
Home in Kumasi, Ghana.
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In addition to money collected as Outreach Offerings, parishioners contributed time and
treasures to those in need in countless ways. Just a few of the many: Volunteers for “Adopt-aFamily” bought and wrapped gifts for 110 children (40 families) at Christmas and in addition
donated $132 to Family Outreach of Amherst; The “Soup for Syria” event held in April raised
over $2000 for Syrian American Medical Society Foundation; Books were collected for “Books
Through Bars” providing books for prisoners; Boxes of toiletries were collected, for the Valley
Syrian Relief Committee, to be shipped to Syrian refugees. Many parishioners donated
volunteer hours at shelters and meal programs. The children at the 10:30 service carried the
food basket each Sunday which totaled hundreds of pounds of food donated to Amherst
Survival Center.
Part of the Mission Statement of the Outreach Ministries Commission says the mission is “to
sustain outreach ministers through offerings of prayer, practical support, and opportunities to
share the joys and challenges of their work as God's hands in the world.” We urge parishioners
who are involved in charitable work, locally or globally, to contact us to see if we can provide
support in any way.
We thank all of you for your donations of time, talent, and treasure to our fellow brothers and
sisters in Christ outside the walls of Grace Church.
Chris Hoffmann, Marion Rosenau, Co-chairs
Haiti Ministry:
What a year it has been! St Matthieu is now a “real school,” as the priest in charge, Father
Joseph Tancrel Diegue, said after the dedication of the first purpose-built classroom building in
September. Much of the year was spent in intense fundraising for this new building, with
amazing and rapid success.
Foundations for four classrooms had been laid in 2013, during the final months of Father Max
Accime’s tenure in Bayonnais, but somehow in the transition to the next priest, Father Jean Fils
Chery, construction materials went missing and the available funds were found to be inadequate
to complete the building. Dispirited, the Haiti Ministry vowed not to resume the project until we
could be confident that this history would not be repeated.
With the arrival of Father Diegue in August 2015, we took heart. He is a seasoned administrator
who has successfully completed several building projects for the church and who has led many
schools over his long career in Haiti. He understood the importance of accurate budgeting and
ongoing fiscal accountability. He and Sandy Muspratt worked together to develop systems for
providing Grace with copies of receipts. They established ongoing transparency about
disbursements by setting up a dedicated bank account on which Grace Church has electronic
viewing privileges.
Père Diegue is committed to the success of St. Matthieu and immediately understood how
important the new classrooms would be in improving the learning environment. At the time,
four grades were meeting in the four corners of the church sanctuary, and three grades were
crammed into tiny windowless rooms in a former goat shed. Enrollment had expanded, so that
all these spaces were bursting at the seams. Grace’s Haiti Ministry, aware that priests in Haiti
are frequently relocated to new parishes without much advance warning, decided that we should
move quickly to get the building constructed while such a dedicated and experienced leader was
at the helm.
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With the Vestry’s blessing, our campaign to raise $35,000 for the building was launched at
coffee hours in February 2016. Members of the Haiti Committee and close friends of the project
made significant early pledges, and the congregation at large responded with amazing
generosity as well. Sandy Muspratt devised an informative brochure about the drive, which was
mailed with personalized appeal letters to all Grace families, “Zanmi” ( krèyol for “friends”—in
French, amis—) who had supported the Haiti school in the past, and sympathetic personal
friends and relatives of those closest to the endeavor. We called in all our chits, far and near.
Gillian Duda created a palm tree, rather than the traditional thermometer, on which the
campaign’s progress could be charted from month to month.
The drive culminated on Valley Gives Day in early May, an online “crowdfunding” day
sponsored by the Community Foundation of Western New England to encourage giving to
charitable organizations throughout the area. With coaching from veteran fundraiser Jen
Marshall and invaluable help in creating a lively Facebook presence from Libby Maxey, we
received hundreds of contributions in one 24-hour period and almost doubled that amount with
prizes earned from the Community Foundation, for a total of over $8,000. With that burst, we
made and exceeded our original goal for the building fund, wrapping up the campaign in only
three months with over$45,000 in hand!
Construction began in June and continued over the summer. Père Diegue oversaw every stage
of the work, riding on the truck to pick up sand or cement in the morning and following it to the
site to make sure every bag or board that had been loaded got delivered. He hired night
watchmen to guard the site and a day supervisor to check that all materials and tools from the
day before were still on hand when the new workday began. Not only that, but he designed a
building that is light and airy, even elegant in its lines. He decided to replace the pitched tin roof
with a flat, concrete one so that a second story can be added at some future time. He even
provided electrical wiring, against the day when a solar array or some other source of electrical
power reaches Bayonnais.
Nearly on time and within budget, the building was ready for classes in September. A
delegation from Grace Church attended the dedication ceremony, along with three choirs, nine
clergymen, children from St. Matthieu and also from La Redemption, the much larger school in
the city of Gonaives that is also under Père Diegue’s jurisdiction, and pretty much the entire
population of Bayonnais. Mark Peterman hand-carved a dedicatory plaque citing the history of
Grace Church’s involvement with St. Matthieu, individual parishioners wrote good wishes on a
giant card, and Rev. Tom Synan provided the wording and a citation from Isaiah that will go
onto a marble plaque still being prepared. Sandy Muspratt had the honor of cutting the ribbon
during the dedication ceremony. Mary Hocken, Meg Holladay, and Tahina Vatel, a HaitianAmerican who as an Amherst student had helped run the first summer arts camp and who is
working in Haiti this year, constituted the rest of the Grace delegation.
Success breeds success. Now that the building visibly signals that St. Matthieu is a going
concern with a bright future, enrollment has jumped again—from 132 pupils in June to 167 in
September 2016. Père Diegue hired a second teacher to assist with the largest grade, the
Préscolaire. Head teacher Clibert Massillon has been promoted to full-time administrative
responsibilities as principal, although he still fills in in the classroom if another teacher is
absent. The teaching staff now numbers nine, covering grades K-6.
Two new teachers have come to St. Matthieu through a relatively new NGO, Anseye pou Ayiti
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(Teach for Haiti). University trained, they had already gone through an intensive summer of
teacher training before they took up their posts at the head of the fifth and sixth grades in
September. During the current academic year they are being observed regularly in the classroom
by a coach and offered supplemental training tailored to their needs and skills. If all goes
successfully (which it appears to be doing), they will spend a second year teaching at St.
Matthieu in 2017-18. Already they have been sharing the techniques they learned with the other
teachers at the school, bringing a higher level of professionalism and excitement to the entire
teacher corps. Grace also underwrote a week-long professional training program for the
teaching staff during August 2016.
Perhaps the most exciting development that has resulted from the school’s new visibility is that
another parish, St. James’s Church in Indian Head, Maryland, has come forward to join with
Grace in supporting St. Matthieu. They had briefly sent funds to Fr. Chery when he was in
charge of the school, without their being aware of our involvement or us of theirs. They had, in
fact, supported Fr. Chery’s last four schools, but upon reflection they decided that it would be
more meaningful to their congregation to choose a single school to work with, rather than
following one priest as he moved from school to school. Scanning the Web, they came upon the
Grace in Haiti website and were impressed by what they saw. In October, five representatives of
St. James came to Amherst for a weekend to worship with us, meet the Haiti committee, and
talk about how we might partner in this endeavor. St. James’s main interest is in teacher
salaries, and they anticipate being able to cover the entire current salary budget. This frees
Grace Church to concentrate on other priorities of the school. When Père Diegue feels the time
is right, we will band together to give the teachers substantial raises. We are sharing meeting
minutes, meeting occasionally via telephone or Skype, and planning to meet face-to-face every
six months, alternately in Amherst and in Indian Head, to keep the partnership running
smoothly.
While the new building and its ramifications dominated our year, we managed to keep business
as usual moving along in parallel. Dee Dee Niswonger and John Stifler collaborated on a witty,
informative, and delightful year-end fundraising appeal in late 2015, which produced record
donations for ongoing operations.
A “Roots” supper in the Parish Hall in January, featuring root vegetables and dishes reflecting
parishioner-cooks’ ethnic roots, was great fun and raised approximately $1000. Piping in the
Haggis, undertaken by Grace youth in kilts, was quite a highlight! Thanks to Meghan Siudzinski
and Jess Andrews for heading up this imaginative venture.
In September Dee Dee and Gary Niswonger hosted a wonderful tour of their extensive fall
garden in Williamsburg, together with an ice cream social, which raised $1300. We are grateful
to Mill Valley Farm, Amherst Ice Cream and other local businesses, who contributed sundae
ingredients. The Niswongers’ stunning dahlias, sauce from their own blackberries, and their
homemade maraschino cherries were, one might say, the whipped cream on the proverbial
sundae.
The Haiti Ministry took part in the very successful Ministries Fair in the fall and had also had an
information table at the St. Nicholas Bazaar.
We decided not to offer a summer camp this year so that we could concentrate on raising the
money needed for the new school building. We were able, however, to send funding for school
uniforms and textbooks as well as for teachers’ salaries, so that children could attend school
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tuition-free. Because the interim government in office in the fall was not authorized to subsidize
the cost of textbooks, which the regular Haitian government usually does, we sent an emergency
second payment for textbooks once the school year was underway. A grant from the Global
Mission Fund of the Diocese of Western Massachusetts helped us meet this extra cost. Grace
travelers to Bayonnais in May, Tom Synan, Sandy and Suzannah Muspratt, Patty Appelbaum
and Meg Holladay, brought with them school supplies and 67 pairs of sturdy new shoes
contributed by the Amherst children’s store Monkey Business when it closed in December. The
shoes were efficiently distributed to the neediest children during their visit. The Grace travelers
to Bayonnais in September brought several additional suitcases of school supplies, generously
donated by parishioners.
At the end of the 2014-15 school year we undertook a pilot project of providing seventh-grade
tuition to graduating sixth graders, to encourage them to continue their schooling after they left
St. Matthieu. We did this after learning that none of the sixth-grade graduates in the previous
two years had gone beyond that grade. Seven graduates in 2015 took the offer, and seven
individuals from Grace sponsored them. Six of these students successfully completed seventh
grade. Analyzing the situation at this point, however, we realized that, with growing
enrollments, this program would become unmanageable both administratively and financially if
it continued to be offered to all St. Matthieu graduates throughout high school. With great regret
we abandoned the program, although we agreed to send the six seventh-grade graduates on to
eighth grade in 2016-17, with the same sponsors. At this writing, all are proceeding
successfully. We will assess the situation again at the end of the present school year.
Thanks go to this wonderful congregation that continues to support our partner school and to the
fabulous “Haiti Ministry” committee. Each person is so committed and is always willing to step
forward to do whatever is needed, whether it is to help with a reception, write notes of thanks to
donors, give parties, share ideas and then carry them out, correspond with the team in Haiti, and
of course give generously of money and time and on and on. Special thanks go to Sandy
Muspratt who keeps the books and is the main liaison with the priest and teachers at the school,
and to Suzannah Fabing who is the chief minute-taker.
What an exciting ministry this is. We are truly making a difference in the lives of these children.
If interested, please contact Sandy Muspratt or Mary Hocken (co-chairs) [email protected],
[email protected] to see how you can help. We need short-term project-based assistance
as well as longer-term commitments. We can match your availability!
Committee members: Jess Andrews, Patty Applebaum, Gillian Duda (note writer), Suzannah
Fabing, Mary Hocken (co-chair), Meg Holladay, Brown Kennedy, Laura Klock, Sheila
Mammen, Sandy Muspratt (co-chair and treasurer), DeeDee Niswonger, Joan O’Brien, Mark
Peterman, John Stifler, Timmi Van Cleef, Martin Wobst.
Suzannah Fabing, Mary Hocken, Sandy Muspratt
Brother Lawrence Guild: Brother Lawrence was a seventeenth-century Carmelite monk who
experienced the presence of God while cleaning pots in the scullery of his monastery.
Accepting what he’d been given to do, Brother Lawrence spent his life attempting to live in
God’s presence. We hope that we, like Brother Lawrence, may practice the presence of God in
the act of preparing meals for our fellow parishioners – and newcomers – at Grace Church. We
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are grateful for this opportunity BUT always welcome those who would like to join us in this
hospitable endeavor!
Our merry band of men, women and the occasional teen helpers serve the parish by preparing
and serving food for most church events, including the planning, shopping, setting up and
cleaning up. Our mantra is "Many hands make light work!"
In 2016, the BLG served at the following events: Annual Meeting, the Pentecost and St.
Michael's picnics, the Stewardship In-Gathering Potluck, and the St. Nicholas Bazaar Cafe, our
one for-profit event.
Serving as a member of the BLG is a great way to get involved at Grace Church – we are pretty
relaxed, frequently zany and always in good taste! We recognize God’s presence among us in
serving food and promoting fellowship in the congregation. When we at Grace Church meet,
greet, and eat with each other, God is with us … and those times are joyful occurrences! Join
us!
Respectfully submitted, Diana Spurgin and Mark Leonas, for Members in Service: Steve
Atkinson, Sarah Chadwick, Jeffrey DeSantis, Tom and Kitty Dougherty, Tony Jewell, Margaret
King, Steve McKelvey, Doug Moore, Castor Moss, Jeannette Stebbins, Janet Teng, Virginia
Ramos, and Reynolds Winslow.
Greening Grace/Peace Fellowship: This year we made formal our wish to combine Greening
of Grace and the Peace Fellowship. Some of our members are the same, and we all seem
interested in each other's agendas, so it was a match made in heaven! I'll report on the climate
change issues we worked on this year, while Bob Hawley will give the Peace Fellowshiprelated movements.
Here are the major issues we explored:
We found out about Tar Sands Mining from DeAnne and Chris Riddle's riveting presentation on
their trip to the tar sands mine, and the wisdom they gleaned from it.
We continued legislative lobbying for divesting Mass. employees' pensions from fossil fuels,
which are losing money and destroying our environment.
Grace's admirably-green cleaning products were double checked. And an all-renewable energy
source will be investigated for two years hence when we have paid back the energy-saving LED
lights supplied by our current energy source.
We explored the candidacy of renewable energy proponent Solomon Goldstein-Rose for the
Mass. House of Representatives.
We celebrated Earth Sunday with information for parishioners on green transportation, home
and energy conservation, as well as awarded stickers for those who biked, walked or carpooled
to Sunday services!
On Earth Day more than 40 people stopped by Grace for a Mother's Out Front ''Light Up the
Map" gathering to garner signatures from people all across Massachusetts to urge legislators to
stop energy suppliers from charging users for new gas pipelines.
Lucy and DeAnne went to a major Fossil Fuel Action and Hearing at the State House and
brought back interesting impressions.
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Laura Ricard and Lucy are working on a green policy for Grace activities to encourage use of
recyclable, local, and energy-efficient sources for any church-related activity.
And lastly, we mourned the loss of one of our most active and enthusiastic members, Ann
Kearns. She worked with good will and tirelessly for greening issues, especially for
environmental and land conservation concerns.
Coming Up - 3 Showings of Leo DiCaprio's documentary Before the Flood on Feb. 12 at 9:15,
12:00 and 4:00 - church and the public are invited to this important exploration of Climate
Change and its effects.
We have a large email list, a core group of active members, and we welcome people who would
like to become involved, or at least just stay informed. Please contact me at
[email protected] if you would like to join us!
Respectfully submitted - Lucy Robinson
The Peace Fellowship recognizes the impending peril to life on earth due to the destructive
forces related to climate change. Following our Baptismal Covenant which call on us to “strive
for justice and peace among all people and to respect the dignity of every human being," clearly
the first order of business is to save the planet God gave us on which to do God’s work.
Beyond the Planet Rescue focus which Lucy Robinson has detailed, we continue with other
tasks, often joining with like-minded groups, such as our continuing protest of the illegally
detained prisoners in Guantanamo and our leadership in the bi-weekly Interfaith Prayer Vigil
against Weaponized Drone Warfare. We also have a long term commitment standing against
the illegal occupation of Palestinian lands and subjugation of Palestinian people, supporting the
work of the American Friends of the Dioceses of Jerusalem and funding a full scholarship for
one student at the Episcopal Technological and Vocational Training Center in Ramallah through
our monthly Palestinian Olive Oil sales. This year Remon Mussalam is studying computer
installation and repair at the Center. To celebrate the scholarship award, Giovani Anbar,
Director of the Center joined us through Skype for a lively discussion and Q and A Session
about the work at the Center.
The combined Greening of Grace/Peace Fellowship meets at noon on the second Sunday of
each month to pray, study, discuss, and plan responses to social and economic injustices locally,
nationally and in the world. Please join us at our monthly meetings.
Bob Hawley, co-Convener, Greening of Grace/Grace Church Peace Fellowship
STEWARDSHIP COMMISSION
Our 2017 Stewardship Campaign began in mid-November 2016 with a sermon from the
Reverend Tom Synan extolling the virtues of pledging, this was followed by testimonials at the
8:00 and 10:30 A.M. services from; Stephanie Mattrey, Trent Maxey and Kitty Dougherty. 125
parishioners/families presented their pledges for 2017 on Commitment Sunday also called an
“In Gathering” that was preceded and celebrated with a pot luck luncheon after the 10:30 PM
service. The In Gathering pledge amount was $378,218.00, since then as pledges have come in
we are at $450,036.00 to date, we are still hoping to hear from 64 households who have yet to
pledge.
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Our goal is to raise $470,000.00 to meet our 2017 budget.
Stewardship Commission; Jean Rankin, Mark Peterman and Tom Dougherty
Planned Giving: The Planned Giving Committee, comprised of Doug Adler, Kent Faerber, Jale
Okay and Jean Rankin, provides information to parishioners on ways to include Grace Church
in their estate plans in conjunction with advice from their legal counsel. Doug, Kent, Jale and
Jean can discuss the opportunities to support the long-term needs of Grace through a bequest,
designation in an insurance policy or retirement plan, or a life income gift, such as a charitable
gift annuity or charitable remainder trust. The St. Michael's Fellowship, established in 2004,
recognizes those who have included Grace in their estate plans and parishioners are encouraged
to alert the Rector or one of the committee members of such plans.
The members of the St. Michael’s Fellowship are Steven and Susan Abdow, Doug Adler,
Patricia Andrews, Stephen and Jeanne Armstrong, Steve and Kate Atkinson, Jane Buckloh,
Tom and Kitty Dougherty, Suzannah Fabing, Kent and Scottie Faerber, Hertha Haensel *, Bob
Hawley and Mary McCarthy, Mel Heath *, Royster and Kathryn Hedgepeth, Rob Hirschfeld
and Polly Ingraham, Mary Hocken, Ann Holland, Anne Homme, Dorothy Ives *, John Lemly
and Catherine Melhorn, Mark Leonas, Karen Lowe, Sheila Mammen, Mark Marshall and Helen
Leung, Margo McMahon, Roberta Morel *, Eliot Moss and Hannah Abbott, Marilyn Munn,
Priscilla Parke *, Larry and Jean Rankin, Nancy Rose-Weeber, Jim and Nina Scott, Phebe
Sessions, Eugene and Marcia Sheehan, Bruce and Jeannette Stebbins, Mary Steigner, Mary
Steinway *, Sara Stelzner, Zina Tillona, Charlotte Turgeon *, Timothy Van Cleef, Paul
Vasconcellos, and Reynolds Winslow.
* deceased
Doug Adler, Chair
VII.
TREASURER’S REPORT
2016 is the ninth year in a row in which we ended with a positive balance in our operating
budget. Your generous pledges and faithful fulfillment of them, along with the thoughtful
monitoring of expenses by many staff and committee chairs, have contributed to these results.
A great strength at Grace Church is the time and talent that is freely given by members of our
parish. We are blessed to have the service of Rich Spurgin, who prepared the monthly and
annual financial reports, and DeAnne Riddle, who prepared the budget for 2017.
The Finance Committee, composed of Rich and Kitty Dougherty, Bob Kelly, DeAnne Riddle
and Mark Leonas, has provided sound advice on a range of issues to aid the Vestry in making
financial decisions. Our faithful counters have scrupulously accounted for all the cash and
checks donated each Sunday. We are all thankful for Jaana Cutson, our Parish Bookkeeper,
who has done a wonderful job of keeping our complex financial system running smoothly. I
also want to recognize Jim Scott for his service in reconciling our monthly bank statements,
and, of course, Tom Dougherty and the Stewardship Committee.
Now that we’ve filled the Assistant Rector position, this year’s surplus is a bit more modest and,
in fact, too large a surplus would mean we weren’t managing our funds properly. We completed
the year with a surplus of just over $8,000, which was allocated to $3,768 in bonuses for staff
and clergy, with the balance going to the Contingency Fund.
The Trustees of the Diocese of Western Massachusetts managed our endowment funds well and
continued to make 5% distributions, providing a valuable addition to our operating budget.
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The Vestry authorized our parish audit to be conducted by the Diocesan recommended auditor
for 2015 as an additional measure to insure that our methods and procedures are strong. Bruce
Rockwell conducted a thorough review and confirmed that our financial records were accurate.
I will continue on in the role of Treasurer for 2017. I want to thank you all for honoring me
with this position. I appreciate the opportunity it has given me to meet and work with many of
you.
Bruce Stebbins, Treasurer
VIII. MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION
Baptism
Theodore Dennis Ehnstrom
Jake William Schmidt Zubak
Victoria Adams Clark
Confirmands
Lydia Byrns Anderson
Benjamin Xavier Gilsdorf
Castor Montgomery Moss
Alexander Turgeon Perry
Thomas Guilmette Perry
Nathan George Syer
Peter Frederick Treyz
Noah Allan Zobel
Requiem
Mary Beall
William Lee Holladay
William Jameson
Ann Cleary Kearns
John George Moner
John Pemberton III
Charles David Sasso-Crandall
Rose Mary Sasso-Crandall
Barbara Sweitzer
Added - New members/Reactivated
Steve and Ruth Barrett
Tanzania Cannon-Fricke
Sarah and Harry Chadwick
Tim and Trish Collard
Marie Constantine
Heidi and Dwayne Dale
Sophie Gergely
Gretchen Gerzina
Garrett Grayson
Anne Levin
Audrey Miller
Hannah Muszynski
Heidi Peltier
Patricia Peters
Transferred/Moved
John Lemly and Cathy Melhorn
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Krystal and Donovan Pollitt
Mo and Karla Reed-McNally
Peter Sitkowitz
Barbara Sternan
Doug Stewart
Meriel Toner
Erica Wilson
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