Fellowship & Community
If you are interested in helping out or joining any of these groups, please contact Christina in the church office.
Coffee hour
Coffee Hour is a time for a cup of coffee and a bite to eat, but most importantly, it's an opportunity for conversation and community building. Coffee Hour takes place immediately after Sunday’s 10am service in Cornelia Vilas Hall. Let's catch up at Coffee Hour!
Lay Eucharistic Visitors
Lay visitors (non-clergy) take Holy Communion to members unable to attend church regularly. Contact Carol Smith or Fr. Jonathan to help with this ministry.
ECW • Episcopal Church Women
ECW includes all women of Grace Episcopal Church; no formal membership is required. The health and welfare of our beloved Grace Church is the overall ECW focus. We value the fellowship and the tasks we have shared and accomplished, building on a long tradition. From the 1840s, the women of Grace Church have been a strong force supporting the development of our church, spiritually and physically—and financially.
Pictured above are many… but not all!… ECW members of Grace Church.
As funds allow, ECW contributes to our church and to local and international nonprofits. Some projects the ECW has supported and funded include:
remodeling of the church kitchen
the new glass wall in the Cornelia Vilas Guild Hall & repositioning of the stained glass panels from the nave (during Grace’s 2015 capital campaign)
the Diocese of Newala
schools in Haiti, Liberia and beyond
the Grace Food Pantry
seasonal flowers for our homebound
welcome bag project for visitors and newcomers
financial gift for Grace's graduating high school seniors
Christmas gifts to recognize the efforts of the Grace Church staff
Our volunteer board is responsible for reviewing requests for support and planning the annual women’s luncheon and other events for women of Grace Church. Please contact one of the board members with questions or suggestions. We welcome new ideas and new energy! If you have any questions, or are interested in joining the ECW, please contact Christina in the church office.
INTERGENERATIONAL EVENTS
Throughout the year EVERYONE from the parish is invited for a variety of events, such as…
Making holiday cards and delivering them with a plant to our homebound
Special parish outings, including trips to CTM productions at the Overture Center and cheering on the Madison Mallards at Warner Park
The all-generation Christmas pageant
Pancake Dinner & Races on Shrove Tuesday, an Anglican, pre-lent tradition! (You've got to see it to believe it!)
Foyer Groups
Foyers provide an easy and comfortable way to get to know a small group of parishioners. Foyer Groups consist of six to eight men or women made up from a cross-section of the parish. Each member of the group takes a turn hosting a simple meal either in their home or at a local restaurant, for two hours or less, with casual conversation and fellowship. Not only is participation in Foyers fun, but it facilitates deeper relationships among Grace Church members. Newcomers are especially encouraged to sign up!
Grace Book Group
Open to all! Members may bring friends or visitors. Meets monthly in members’ homes for social hour and literary discussion. Books chosen by the group reflect a wide variety of themes: religious or church issues, history, the lives of those who have shaped our world, and current events. Formats include non- fiction, biographies, best sellers, classics, plays and poetry.
Rector's Guild
Meets for conviviality, getting to know each other better, and robust support of Grace Church and Episcopal Church Women projects. Meetings are held once a month in one another’s homes and consist of a brief business meeting, and interesting program, and an informal sandwich and salad lunch. While most meetings are light-hearted and fun, it is often in these meeting that the church’s most significant projects are germinated and encouraged. Men and women are encouraged to join.
Grace Gardeners
One of the most lovely spaces of Grace are our outdoor gardens. The Grace Gardeners make things bloom and grow through planting, mulching, and weeding. They also gather together to get to know other gardening fans in the church and to learn about gardening through sharing tips, challenges, and exchanging plants.
Buildings and Grounds
This group of men and women assume the responsibilities involved in caring for the routine maintenance and repair concerns of the buildings and grounds of Grace Church as well as develop and implement proposals for capital improvements. Individual members often provide skill and labor between meetings.
Grace Archivists
A small group of Grace members care for the historical records and artifacts of Grace. While much work has been done to catalog the collection, there is still work to do in discovering ways to highlight and share this fascinating record of Madison's earliest Episcopal congregation. Those with a background in archival work or museum studies are encouraged to set up a time to view the collection.
Pastoral Care Committee
The charge of this committee is to connect those in need of prayers and spiritual counseling to the resources they need throughout life's many celebrations and sorrows. Made up of both laity and clergy, the members of the Pastoral Care Circle serve as resources for a variety of life's happenings.
Compassion Circle
The Compassion Circle is designed to assist clergy and bereaved families at the time of church funerals and memorial services. They set up and serve at any requested receptions in the Grace Guild Hall, undertaking these Christian responsibilities as a "labor of love" for those who need assistance at a time of grieving and readjustment.