Christmas Offerings
As is the tradition at Grace Church, offerings from all the Christmas services will go outside our walls to provide for our neighbors in need. The offerings will be divided between two recipients, one local and the other working throughout the world.
The recipients of the Christmas Offering will be Catholic Charities’ Afghan Humanitarian Support and Craig’s Doors – A Home Association.
Catholic Charities: Afghan Humanitarian Support – Over the next few months Catholic Charities in Springfield expects to receive 50 – 60 Afghan evacuees and SIV’s (Special Immigrant Visa holders). These are people who, because of their affiliation with the US and/or their opposition to the Taliban, are at the greatest risk of arrest, torture, and execution. They are actively working with our partners to meet the immediate needs of the evacuees and planning for the longer term assistance that will be necessary.
Craig’s Doors – A Home Association is the organization which has helped the local homeless for over a decade. In addition to running an emergency overnight shelter November to April, they provide a weekly breakfast. Their partner agencies also send representatives to the shelter, including caseworkers, Veterans services, youth services, and caseworkers specializing in domestic violence.
Please consider a generous gift for those in need of housing and medical care at home and around the world.
Episcopal Relief & Development – Responding to Tornadoes in Kentucky ERD’s US Disaster Program staff continue to coordinate with affected Episcopal dioceses as they assess the impact of the intense tornadoes that hit the central US last weekend. If you would like to help, please consider a donation to ERD’s US Disaster Fund, which can be found on their website: www.episcopalrelief.org
Rethink Christmas and contribute to our Community Board in the Connector!
Throughout the month of December, you will find a bulletin board in the Connector around the theme of reimaging Christmas. You are invited to add to and reflect on it before or after the service. The board will have questions related to Christmas, Creation Care, and Consumerism. You are welcome to answer its questions with the provided index cards or bring in a photo or picture that speaks to these important issues. (Please only bring a print-out or a copy of a photo you have – something you’d feel comfortable not having returned.) We plan to have other themed, interactive bulletin boards in the future to provide a unique way of coming together as a community; we thank Patty Appelbaum for the bulletin board idea!
Important Year-End Note: If you would like your end-of-year donations to count as a 2021 tax deduction, checks must be dated 2021 and received no later than Monday, January 3, 2022. Anything received after that date will count towards your 2022 deductions. However, pledges for 2021 may still be paid after this date; they will just be recorded as being received in 2022. Jaana Cutson, Bookkeeper
The Grace Church Stewardship campaign for 2022 To date 125 pledges have come in totaling $404,638. We still have a ways to go but are off to a good start. To those who have pledged God Bless, to those who have yet to pledge please pray and pledge so our Vestry can budget for 2022. If you need a pledge card, they are available as you enter the church or you can contact the office (413) 256-6754 or Bruce Stebbins at (413) 549-5933.
Calendar Donations Please bring extra 2022 calendars to the food basket for the Survival Center.
Remember the Children in Haiti—As you make your year-end charitable contributions, please remember St. Matthew’s, the school that Grace supports in Bayonnais, Haiti. Checks should be made payable to Grace Church, with “Haiti School” on the memo line. Our school is open and in full swing despite the disruptions in the country, but because of the unrest our kids are needier than ever. Please give as generously as you can. Contributions are tax-deductible, and 100% of the money goes to Haiti. Thank you!
2022 Pledge Envelopes: If you requested envelopes, you may pick them up from the box on the table in the back of the church beginning this Sunday. They will (hopefully) be in alphabetical order. Note: if this is the first year that you have requested pledge envelopes, your pledge number may have changed.
SAVE THE DATE
Volunteer Bakers Needed: Dine In, Help Haiti Out, the Haiti Ministry’s annual soup supper, has been scheduled for Saturday, January 22, 2022. This effort continues to support the St. Matthieu’s School in Bayonnais, Haiti. More information will be coming in the weeks ahead, but for now we are seeking volunteers to bake 2-4 dozen cookies which will be used for the dessert. To volunteer, please email Sarah Chadwick at snchadwick@verizon.net.
Grace Church Annual Meeting will be held on Sunday, February 6th following a single service at 9:30am. All commission and committee reports should be sent to the Parish Administrator no later than Wednesday, January 12th.