Frequently Asked Questions

How do I become a member of Grace Church?

Joining the church starts by just coming and worshipping with us on a regular basis.  The Canons say that you are a member of the church simply by being baptized in the name of the Holy Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit), and by being faithful in attending corporate worship and in praying, working, and giving for the spread of God's realm

To be a member of record and to be eligible to vote at our Parish Meetings, you need to be 16 years old and to have been a communicant (i.e. received Holy Communion) at least three times in the previous six months. (Note: we work on the honor system around here and don't take attendance, but once you're part of the community, we miss you when you're not here -- in the same way that we miss family members when they miss a family meal.) In order to be a "communicant in good standing," as the Canons say, you need to be a "giver of record," which means that you have contributed financially to our life and ministry here.  The easiest and best way to be recognized as a giver of record is to pledge -- that is, to make a promise to support the church financially during the year by answering the call of the Stewardship Commission. We are now receiving pledge commitments for the year. This year (2010) there will also be an opportunity to participate in the Capital Campaign.

If you want to become an official member of the Episcopal Church, you can be "received" by the Bishop. We offer a series of Inquirers classes for adults who are interested in being confirmed or received. "Foundations of the Faith" will begin on Wednesday, February 10, from 7-8 pm. If you are interested, please contact the Rev. Rob Hirschfeld or the Rev. Dr. Susan Schaeffer at grace at gracechurchamherst.org.

 

What time are the Services on Sunday?

Our service times on Sunday are at 8am, 10:30am (with choir), and 6pm.  That 6pm service is a contemplative service with chanting, incense and a significant span of silence.  More and more college and university students are coming to this peaceful evening service.  Once a month at 10:30am we offer a Liturgy in the Round service in the Parish Hall.  This more informal Eucharist is primarily intended for young children and their families, and runs simultaneously with the Choral Service in the Church.

 

What is the history of our building?

In the summer of 1864 a small group of Amherst Episcopalians asked the Reverend Frederic Dan Huntington, Rector of Emmanuel Church, Boston, and summer resident of his family home in nearby Hadley (now the Porter-Phelps-Huntington Museum) to hold services for them. With the backing of the Huntington family, Grace Church was quickly organized. The first rector, the Reverend Samuel P. Parker, was called in November 1864. Services were held in the Amherst Academy on Amity Street until the congregation purchased land on the eastern edge of the Town Common. They laid the cornerstone of a chapel there on July 25, 1865.

A major figure in mid-19th century Gothic Revival church design in America, English émigré Henry Dudley designed the Gothic Revival stone structure, modeling it after medieval Oxford churches. His use of gneiss from Pelham accords with his ecclesiological principle of clear and honest use of materials. On March 2, 1866 the first service was held in the church and on July 17 the building was consecrated by the Bishop of Massachusetts. The Bell Tower was added in 1868 and the adjacent colonial house was purchased in 1870, serving first as a rectory and later as offices. An apartment was added to the Old Rectory in 1982.