Getting Involved

gRace happenS hERe!

A Guide to Our Ministries

Welcome to Grace!

 

We are a vibrant and joyful community that is constantly on the move and we warmly invite you to get involved. 

We are trying to make it as easy as possible to jump right in, and below you will find descriptions of our ministries, and in many cases, exactly what we are looking for from potential volunteers.

We have ministries in the areas of…

 

 

If you have any questions, please look up the contact person in our directory or reach out to our office at adminassist@gracetc.org or by calling (231) 947-2330 and we will make sure you are connected with the community leaders who can answer your questions and help you aboard!

 

Worship and Formation – Vestry Liaisons: Tony Nelson and Dan Bruining

Acolytes serve by adding layers of symbolic and historical context and enhancing the beauty of our worship experience by assisting the clergy at various points in our services, and by caring for and displaying holy objects during worship.

 How to get involved

 Contact Father Jim and arrange a time to be trained (45 minutes or so.) You will be added to our roster and scheduled at regular intervals with plenty of advance notice.

 Contact Person: Father Jim Perra

 St. Anne’s Altar Guild works as a team to prepare the Altar for weekly services and special services such as funerals, weddings, and baptisms. The Altar Guild also cares for our holy objects (sacramental vessels, oil, candles, etc.) and keeps our sacristy organized.  

How to get involved

 

 Set up the altar for service on Saturdays and Sundays.  Reset, clear and clean after service.  Work is usually scheduled once or twice a month with special work days for Easter and Christmas Service set up when the group works together. Altar Guild meetings are about once a quarter on Saturday mornings.

 Contact Person: Brenda Lau and Kate Wood

A fellowship built around mindful prayer, silence, and thoughtful reflection on scripture that stokes the holy imagination. 

How to get involved

We meet every Wednesday @ 11 am in the meditation room sitting in silence + lectio divina. Join us!

Contact Person: Marilyn Dressel

Our Chancel Choir leads music at the 10am Sunday morning service. They sing a wide range of choral offerings ranging from hymnal favorites, contemporary pieces from around the world, and deep dives into the Anglican Choral Tradition. Our Choir is led by Interlochen educators and frequently enhanced by section leaders to support our singers and keep us sounding amazing! The choir is off during the Summers, and we invite choir members to offer solos and combos for the offertory, as well as invite special musical guests.

How to get involved

We happily accept singers of all ages and skill levels to help us make a joyful and beautiful noise. Weekly rehearsals are currently before the service at 8:30am but are occasionally moved around to fit the schedules of those involved as best we can.

Contact Person: Jason Hallowbard or Karin Willman (Summer)

Eucharistic Ministers serve at the altar and assist the clergy in leading worship. They carry the cross in procession, help direct the acolytes, read the psalm and prayers of the people, distribute communion, receive the gifts and donations at the altar, and generally act as another set of hands to make worship go smoothly.

How to get involved

Contact Father Jim and arrange a time to be trained (45 minutes or so.) You will be added to our roster and scheduled at regular intervals with plenty of advance notice.

Contact Person: Father Jim

So much more than flowers! Our Flower Guild creates beautiful designs that celebrate the seasons, festivals, and high holy days of the church. 

How to get involved

If you enjoy working creatively with flowers and foliage, help us to plan, purchase, prepare and personally create the feast day floral arrangements for major church year celebrations.  Organize for the delivery of weekly altar flower bouquets from our local florist.

Contact Person: Linda Schubert

Grace Harmony leads the music at our Saturday evening services, offering both traditional and alternative music styles. Including music from the Hymnal, Wonder Love and Praise supplemental hymnal, contemporary and meditational Taize style music.   

How to get involved

We need singers and instrumentalists who want to share their love of music to help our congregation praise God! We welcome all levels of musical skills and are committed to sharing faith as well as fun. We rehearse at 5 pm Monday evenings.

Contact Person: Kathryn Christian

Greeters greet people as they arrive for worship at the entrance to the church. In addition to a warm welcome they provide orientation for newcomers, directing families regarding children’s programs and inviting them to fill out the guest book and join us for coffee hour / hospitality.

How to get involved

Contact the office. We are re-introducing Greeters this program year and won’t add them until we have enough to make it a once-a-month-at-most job. You will be added to our roster and, once the greeters are up and running, scheduled at regular intervals with plenty of advance notice. We will have a brief orientation session before or after a service to set all our greeters up for success and confidence in welcoming and assisting newcomers and members alike.

Contact Person: The Office

We are building a team to offer Healing Prayers for those attending worship with the laying on of hands and anointing with oil at the Columbarium during the Eucharist.

How to get involved

Let us know you would like to participate and we will arrange for you to be trained (about 30 minutes.) Healing ministers will work in teams of between two and four people at each service where healing is offered. You will be added to our roster and scheduled at regular intervals with plenty of advance notice.

Contact Person: Marilyn Dressel

A gathering of men who meet weekly on Wednesday morning at 8:30 via Zoom to share Morning Prayer and bible study.

How to get involved

Contact Bill or the office for the zoom link.

Contact Person: Bill Pierce

DOK is a prayer order for women.  If you are seeking a deeper relationship with God, and are interested in intercessory prayer for others, you may be interested in becoming a Daughter. “Prayer changes me” – are you ready for a change?

How to get involved

This is a prayer ministry, not a ‘doing’ ministry, and requires a period of study and discernment to determine if it is right for you. Daughters make a vow to daily prayer, service, and evangelism. Contact Ellen Schrader or the DOK National website (doknational.org) for more information. 

Time commitment includes monthly meetings for 9 months of the year (2nd Sat. from 10a-12n, currently via Zoom, hybrid meetings planned in the fall, don’t meet in the summer); and personal time spent in prayer.

Contact Person: Ellen Schrader

Readers of scripture, sometimes called “lectors,” lead worship by reading aloud the Old and New Testament readings in a clear and engaging voice. Being a reader is kind of like the old board game Othello, “it takes a minute to learn, and a lifetime to master.”

How to get involved

Becoming a reader is as simple as reading our one-page instruction sheet, and calling the office to sign-up. You will be added to our roster and scheduled at regular intervals with plenty of advance notice. We occasionally offer optional workshops and clinics to help our readers give it their best. 

Contact Person: The Office

A film and readings based dialogue series on race, grounded in faith. Small groups are invited to walk through chapters of America’s history of race and racism, while weaving in threads of family story, economic class, political and regional identity.

Contact Person: Sarah Pfeil

We offer the vast majority of our services, and many of our larger meetings, to those wishing to join from home via live stream over the internet. We use YouTube, Facebook, and Zoom. This would not be possible without the work of our skilled and dedicated streaming team.

How to get involved

Arrive half an hour before service, set up cameras (iPod touches), launch web-based streaming platform via sanctuary laptop, add comments/banners, adjust views during service. May also assist with weekly service streaming set up.

Contact Person: Meghan Chenoweth

Ushers serve during worship by greeting attendees at the door of the sanctuary, offering them bulletins and answering any questions they may have, and helping them to available seating in the Sanctuary . Ushers collect the offering, invite participants to bring up the gifts of bread and wine, direct the flow of traffic during communion, see to it that the offering is accounted for and placed in the safe, and do a quick ‘re-set’ following the service (gathering bulletins left behind, returning books to pew racks, etc.)

How to get involved

Contact the office and “shadow” the ushers for one service. You will be added to our roster and scheduled at regular intervals with plenty of advance notice.

Contact Person: Call the Office

Children and Youth – Vestry Liaisons: Meghan Chenoweth and Elizabeth Wolterink

Offers programs and activities for children including Godly Play, Church School, Vacation Bible School, and Youth Group.

 

How to get involved

 

Join us to assist and/or teach church school classes on Sunday mornings. Age ranges include Godly Play (ages 3 or 4 – 7 or 8), Middlers (ages 8 – middle school) or Youth Group (high school). Classes are taught during Sunday worship services and return for communion. Youth Group meets after the 10am Sunday Service. You will also be asked to attend occasional Youth and Children’s council meetings that are scheduled based on participant’s availability.

 

Contact Person: Elizabeth Blondia

Outreach and Mission – Vestry Liaisons: Sonia Jacobson and Kitty Kringen

Our interdisciplinary and interfaith team of leaders who have put together an incredible array of talents and skills to provide support for recently settled Afghan refugees in the Grand Traverse community, and to lay the foundation to receive more if we are called upon to do so. 

How to get involved

Contact Pete Clapp and find out when the next meeting will be. We are always looking for new skills, ideas, and hands to help. 

Contact Person: Pete Clapp

We are a chapter of the National Episcopal Peace Fellowship, an organization separate from the actual Episcopal Church.  We study, pray, and act to develop peace within ourselves and in the larger community.  We seek justice in order to build a culture of peace.

Contact Person: Betsy Davidson

Serving a weekly meal 52 weeks a year, on Fridays at noon, for our neighbors in need of food or company. 

How to get involved

Once a month, you will work with a team that cooks and serves a meal from the Grace Kitchen.  Multiple work times are available from approximately 10 am-1:15 pm. This is a great ministry for families and individuals to jump right in, we can use anybody old enough to handle a knife safely! 

Contact Person: Kate Wood

We offer food to those desiring assistance with food.  We are open on Mondays and Fridays from 11:30 am to 1::30 pm, and we specialize in offering complete meal kits for meal preparation, along with individual items.  

How to get involved

We need volunteers to assist each customer individually to choose the food for the family, based on family size.  Also, assist with set-up and take-down of the pantry on distribution days, sweep and restock shelves, and assist as needed for food deliveries.  

Contact Person: Dori Jamieson

Jubilee House provides a home environment, during daytime hours, for people to find shelter from the elements, take a shower, use a bathroom, do laundry, receive emergency clothing and toiletries, access a computer, and express their spirituality in community.

How to get involved

Jubilee House Volunteers will be in Jubilee House with a team of volunteers for either a morning or an afternoon shift (each shift is approximately 4 hours). Volunteers will greet guests and sign them in, assist guests with requests for emergency clothing and toiletries, monitor the signups for showers and laundry and help guests keep to their scheduled times, sit with guests and socialize, pray with those who seek prayer time, and generally extend a hospitable welcome to all who enter Jubilee House. Further, some light cleaning tasks will be shared by each team. Volunteer meetings will be held approximately every other month (sometimes more frequently if important events are occurring) and attendance is hoped for as much as is possible at these meetings.

Contact Person: Father Derek Quinn

Grocery pick-up for Grace Food Pantry – occurs once a month.

How to get involved

Once a month, pick up Food Pantry order from Oleson’s West and deliver it to the Food Pantry at Grace.  Stock Pantry.

Contact Person: Jamie Hackett

Take part in growing, harvesting, and delivering lettuces and onions to the Grace Church Food Pantry so that we can offer fresh produce to our clients.

How to get involved

Contact Linda to experience fun, friendship, and even grow your faith while tending the garden. 

Contact Person: Linda Schubert

We’re more than just books! We emPoWeR! kids to Play, Write, and Read! Our materials promote language, literacy, and human interaction. We are in 20 counties serving in Health Departments, Schools, Early Learners, Community facilities. Currently we are working with over 20,000 children.

How to get involved

We need helpers to sew bags, booklet makers, yarning bag tags, putting bow-ties on puppets, cutting ribbon for bag handles, putting “This book belongs to” stickers on new books, packing books for the various deliveries, driving deliveries.

Contact Person: Penny Campo-Pierce

The Safe Harbor Ministry recruits and organizes volunteers to run the Safe Harbor Emergency Homeless Shelter for Grace’s one week assignment at the shelter during the winter season.

How to get involved

The Morning Host arrives at the Safe Harbor Shelter shortly before 6:00 AM and sets out coffee, juice, cereal and other items for a light breakfast. After guests leave the shelter at 8:00, the Morning Host cleans up the dining room and leaves between 8:15 and 8:30.  This is the easiest role for first-time volunteers and working volunteers. There are seven mornings; you can do one or as many as you want.

Contact Person: Bruce Moore

Fellowship and Pastoral CareVestry Liaisons: Sonia Jacobson and Anne Kelly

Lay Eucharistic Visitors bring comfort, company, and communion to those who are ill or shut in for another reason. 

How to get involved

We offer periodic trainings to set our visitors up for success, and to feel confident and comfortable visiting vulnerable people who may be in distress. If you think you feel called to this important work contact Father Jim to sign up for the next training. Our LEVs are licsenced through the Diocese of Western Michigan.  Safe Church training is required for this ministry.

Contact Person: Father Jim Perra

We offer holy hospitality and care in times of grief by providing whatever type of meal or  reception the family would like, following the church service.

How to get involved

We need Kitchen Helpers to help set-up for the meal, plate food, make coffee and tea, clear tables when finished, wash dishes, clean up kitchen. 

Contact Person: Dan Bruining and Kay Rickard

Bi-monthly get together for socializing. All ages and genders are welcome.

How to get involved

Just show up, or contact Glenda who sends out a reminder email before each meeting on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month (at 1pm in the Parish Hall).

Contact Person: Glenda Andrews

A group that gathers to hike the local trails and appreciate the beauty of creation together.

How to get involved

Our hikes are announced in the bulletin and weekly e-newsletter. We meet at the church and carpool to the hike location.  Usually we have lunch afterward at a place determined by the group. We are always looking for people to help research and determine a local hiking trail.

Contact Person: Glenda Andrews

Our team makes sure people have delicious and wholesome meals during challenging times, both of joy, like a new baby, or hardship like a critical illness or death of a love one.

How to get involved

Simply contact the office and say you are willing to be one of those called upon by PRAYERFUL CONNECTIONS to cook an easily deliverable meal when needed.

Contact Person: Contact the Office to be added to the call list

A group that makes timely calls to shut-ins who have no access to email with important church news.

How to get involved

Let the office know you are willing to participate and we’ll get you on the tree. We are currently looking for someone to manage the phone tree by keeping the list of those that need to be called and who calls them.

Contact Person: Call the office for now

Our faithful team who proclaims God’s love by keeping in touch through cards and phone calls with those experiencing difficulties who are on our prayer list, those experiencing life transitions like graduates and recent parents, and members on our annual cycle of prayer.

How to get involved

We have monthly zoom meetings (second Tuesdays at 5pm) in which we check in and assign names to call or write a card to, then follow through individually.

Contact Person: Deb McGee, Sonia Jacobson, Candice Westerfield

The Grace Stitch and Chat Circle welcomes all crafters for a morning of conversation,  community, and creativity. Join us to knit, quilt, bead, cross-stitch, needlepoint, crochet, or ply any other creative activity, and of course, come to chat and make new friends. Everyone is welcome!

How to get involved

Come join us to craft or just to chat and share ideas.

Contact Person: Kristin Moore and Candice Westerfield

Our Men’s fellowship group has a number of activities, most regularly, our monthly dinners where good men meet to have naughty food!

How to get involved

Contact Bill Pierce for more information, or just show up for a dinner as advertised in the bulletin and e-newsletter.

Contact Person: Bill Pierce

As the world becomes more techno-centric, this ministry is intended to help parishioners stay connected when they cannot attend church in person, “cutting the cord” and other simple personal computing problems.

How to get involved

We need “Technology Nerds” who will help parishioners who don’t have technology skills learn how to participate and host Zoom meetings and use other communication technology as necessary. We also plan to help parishioners “cut the cord” and modify services to reduce monthly subscription costs. We may help with other technology tasks, but connection and cost reduction are the primary purposes at this time.

Contact Person: Bruce Moore

The Women’s Book Club at Grace is an intimate group that shares a love of books with other readers. We discuss many book genres, offering insights, religious perspective, and personal stories. All women are welcome on a month to month basis per their schedule and interest in the selected book. We average about six readers a month so there is always room for someone new! We currently meet on the second Thursday of each month in the Parish Hall from 2-4pm and we take a summer hiatus in July and August. Come read with us!

Contact Person: Brenda Lau

Evangelism – Vestry Liaisons: Carolyn Purcell and Elizabeth Wolterink

Grace’s Communication Team cares for the ways in which we tell our story and make ourselves visible as a faith community. We curate what the world sees and reads about us, including digital media such as photos, videos, and content for the website and social media, to print publications and physical signage such as brochures, pamphlets, and bulletin boards. Advertising and branding fall under this large umbrella. This team also evaluates internal publications and communications such as worship bulletins, the weekly Gracevine e-newsletter, the church member directory, and other publications.

How to get involved

Do you enjoy taking photos or brief videos? Are you good at writing, telling stories? Are there aspects to publishing (graphic design, page layout) that you have experience with? We love creative folks, and are looking for individuals to help us document church events and activities to make our congregation’s story come to life. If you would love to snap a few photos or videos at the next church event, let us know so we can put you on our list of people to contact. If interviewing someone and writing up a short article is fun for you, that’s great. We may have a brief assignment for you in the near future. If you’re good at graphic design, we’d love your expertise in creating an occasional newspaper ad or Facebook post.

Contact Person: James Deaton

Our annual Christmas fundraiser, that is an opportunity to invite the community into our building. It is tons of fun!

How to get involved

Several teams of volunteer roles are available: set-up and tear-down of tables; decorate parish hall; fold & label boxes; advertising and signage; preparing platters and dishes; pricing of non-cookie items; working cookie intake morning prior to event (labeling, plating); day of event volunteers (cashiers, resuppliers, musicians, supervisors, kitchen help, clean-up).

Contact Person: Sonia Jacobson & Deb McGee

AdministrationVestry Liaisons: Mike Okma and Brenda Quick

The purpose of Bent Nails is to tend to the needs of Grace’s buildings and grounds. 

How to get involved

Join our team providing grounds and building maintenance as well as light repair and small projects. Create a welcoming appearance by keeping the grounds, sidewalks and parking lot clean. Give George Prewitt a call and be added to our roster using the skills you already have, and maybe even learn a thing or two! 

Contact Person: George Prewitt

This Ministry is a quiet, reflective, and sacred duty. 

We are looking for a person or a handful of persons to aid parishioners and families as they fulfill the wishes of their deceased loved ones, as regards cremation and interment. 

How to get involved

The Rector consults the Curator whenever there is a death in the parish that requires interment. For Memorial Garden interments, the Curator prepares the soil; for Columbarium interment, the Curator opens the assigned niche before the interment and closes it after. For both Garden and Columbarium, the Curator arranges for name and date plaques to be made and installed as soon after interment as possible. On occasion, the Curator is called upon to mingle two sets of ashes. 

If you wish to take on this ministry we’ll need about an hour to show you the ropes and it will be all yours. 

Contact Person: The Office, but it could be YOU!

Our team to review, monitor and report the monthly church financials for the congregation.

How to get involved

Have a chat with our treasurer and then attend Finance Committee meetings at 5pm on the second Tuesday of each month.

Contact Person: Catherine Collins

The volunteers of St. Fiacre’s Garden Guild strive to maintain the beauty of the gardens and the space of the Memorial Garden for the placement of cremains.

How to get involved

During the growing season volunteers work for about 2 hours together once a week on a designated day. Volunteers also work individually if they can’t garden with the group. Tools are available for volunteers to use.

Contact Person: Ann Hackett

The Foundation holds endowment funds for the benefit of Grace Church.  The foundation is managed by a board of directors who oversee the investment of the funds. 

How to get involved

We meet once a quarter to review fund performance and direct our investment advisor.

Contact Person: Ward Kuhn

Every Monday (Tuesday if Monday is a holiday), counters gather and sort checks and cash from the safe (ushers having deposited offerings into the safe over the weekend). They then count and record the cash, run an adding machine tape for the checks, and take the deposit to the bank.  Data Entry volunteers work on the computer to enter contributions into our database, run reports, and prepare the bank deposit.

How to get involved

Call the office to set up training (shadow current volunteers for a couple of Mondays). Counters work once a month for 2-3 hours on a Monday morning (Tuesday if Monday is a holiday). Data Entry volunteers work WEEKLY (or less, if we recruit more volunteers) for 2-3 hours on Monday mornings.

Contact Person: Ellen Schrader

Help us keep up with important administrative tasks by assisting our office staff with answering the phone, computer work, mailings, and special projects.

How to get involved

Assist staff with administrative work, including answering the phone, computer work (knowledge of Word and Excel a plus, but training provided), mailings (folding, stuffing envelopes, labeling and sorting for bulk mail), and special projects.

Contact Person: Ellen Schrader

The Vestry is the governing body of the church. The primary job is to equip and support all of the ministries of the church. 

How to get involved

Each year a nomination committee prayerfully selects and recruits members of the church to be offered for election at our Annual Meeting in January. It is also possible to be nominated outside of that process if desired.

The vestry meets on the third Tuesday of each month at 6pm for about two hours to discuss the life and ministry of the church, and to approve resolutions, policies, and significant expenditures. Each vestry member is also a liaison to one of our six areas of ministry and expected to assist and be in dialogue with the leaders of ministries in their area.

Contact Person: Steve Wade

WORSHIP at Grace Episcopal Church is a community effort, and there is room for every kind of person to serve at our services. 

Serving during worship is also a great way for new members to get more involved while still taking some time to decide where they want to put their time and energy. 

To quickly sign up for a role during or supporting worship at Grace use the button below…