Sunday, January 1st 2023, there will be a single service of Holy Eucharist with Christmas Lessons and Carols at 9:30am
Christmas Offerings As is tradition, Grace Church divides its collections made at Christmas between a local charity and a more global charity. This year, Grace’s Outreach Commission has chosen Craig’s Doors and Episcopal Relief & Development’s efforts to aid Ukrainian refugees. We hope that you will once again give generously to help those in need. If you write a check, please make it payable to Grace Church and add “outreach” or “Christmas Offering” on the memo line. Thank you for any gift you are able to give.
Winter is especially hard on those in our community that are currently unhoused. Established in 2011, Craig’s Doors is a human services organization that provides vulnerable and unhoused members of our community with emergency shelter, food, and safety, as well as access to the resources they need to achieve physical, mental, emotional, and social well-being.
Many Ukrainians are fleeing the war in their country to take refuge in other European countries. Episcopal Relief & Development is partnering with the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe to help local congregations throughout Europe aid Ukrainian refugees. This assistance will vary depending on the needs of the specific refugee groups but will likely include food, shelter, emergency supplies and trauma counseling.
The Community Conversation board Please share your thoughts on Christmas and Peacemaking. Isaiah foretells the coming of a “Prince of Peace,” and angels declare peace to the shepherds. For you, how does the good news of Christmas connect with peace and peacemaking in our world which is filled with conflict and violence? What would it look like to embrace peace and peacemaking this Advent & Christmas season? Let us know!
The Church Office will be closed on Monday, January 2nd.
Climate Action@Grace will meet next Sunday, January 8th at 9:30am in the Fireplace Room.
Important Year-End Note: If you would like your end-of-year donations to count as a 2022 tax deduction, checks must be dated 2022 and received no later than Monday, January 2, 2022. Anything received after that date will count towards your 2023 deductions. However, pledges for 2022 may still be paid after this date; they will just be recorded as being received in 2023. Jaana Cutson, Bookkeeper
The Grace Church Stewardship campaign for 2023 To date 138 pledges have come in totaling $440,034 – most encouraging, we have 3 new pledges. We still have a ways to go but are off to a very 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 2023. 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 2023 calendars to the food basket for the Survival Center.
2023 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.
Joy: A Pipe Organ Contemplation, January 18, 6:00pm In this half hour contemplation, two organ pieces will provide the context for an exploration of the nature of joy. Supplemented by readings from poetry and scripture and moments of silent meditation, we will go more deeply than usual into each piece and what it has to say about joy. Dick Damon and Kell Julliard will each play a piece and share their impressions of its meaning.
Grace Church Annual Meeting will be held on Sunday, February 5th following a single service at 9:30am. All commission and committee reports should be sent to the Parish Administrator no later than Thursday, January 12th.
Save the Date for the annual Dine In, Help Haiti Out soup extravaganza! Mark your calendars now for Saturday, February 18. More information will be coming and we will be recruiting cookie makers, bread bakers, as well other helpers. In the meantime, if you have questions or want to help, please email Sarah Chadwick at snchadwick@verizon.net.