Fourth Sunday Offering January 28 The Outreach Commission has chosen A Better Chance Amherst as the recipient of this month’s fourth Sunday offering. ABC is a residential high school program that prepares academically talented and highly motivated African American, Latino, Asian, and Indigenous American students from educationally underserved school districts for college and future leadership roles in the broader community. Scholars live family-style in a warm supportive environment enriched by daily sessions with Amherst College tutors. Since the Amherst program began, over 120 ABC scholars have graduated from ARHS, and they have attended more than 50 colleges and universities. If you write a check please make it payable to Grace Church and add “outreach” on the memo line. Thank you for any gift you are able to give.
On Sunday January 28th, 12:00 p.m. in the Parish Hall As part of the Death and Dying series, Brown Kennedy will lead a discussion considering death in the context of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, to be held after the 10:30 service in the Parish Hall. She recommends reading or watching the play, but if you don’t get around to it, come anyway! (The Kenneth Branagh film version is a fine adaptation.)
Cantabile Vocal Ensemble Benefit Concert – postponed again and will be re-scheduled for after Easter
Grace Church Annual Meeting will be held on Sunday, February 4th following a single service at 9:30am.
Calendar Donations Please bring extra 2024 calendars to the food basket for the Survival Center.
The Grace Church Stewardship campaign for 2024 To date 132 pledges have come in totaling $ 460,287 – most encouraging, we have 2 new pledges. We 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 2024. 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) 530-3805.
2024 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.
Latest Needs from the Amherst Survival Center Please bring soup. They can’t keep it on the shelves! Hygienic items in demand: Toilet paper, Toothpaste (all sizes), Shampoo, Hand soap
Save the Date
Botany for Gardeners and Cooks Have you ever wondered why some plants turn red in the sun? How fall mums get so bushy? Why cooked beans get mushy? Then you’ll want to come to Botany for Gardeners and Cooks. The remaining sessions in the Grace Church Connector are: February 10 & 17 from 9:30-11:00 am. The course covers plant structure and function as they relate to gardening and cooking, led by John Horn, a retired botany professor and Episcopal priest.
Dine In, Help Haiti Out on Saturday, February 10 The website to order soups for the annual soup extravaganza is now open! Use the QR code below to access the website or go to https://airtable.com/appYFGXZZtOVp04Iz/pagdXh9rHbZi2ZTzs/form. Soup may also be ordered from Haiti ministry members in the Connector after church. Don’t delay! Last year many soups sold out. Orders will be taken until Wednesday, February 7. We still need volunteers to donate baked breads or rolls and cookies. Please contact Gail Gnatek to help. Please contact Sarah Chadwick if you are able to volunteer on the day or help out in other ways. All proceeds from this event support the St. Matthew’s School in Haiti.
Joy of Living Group, 7:00-8:30 p.m., 2nd and 4th Mondays This group combines meditation, practices integrated in the flow of life, and discussion. Led by certified mindfulness instructor Kell Julliard and practice leader and licensed acupuncturist Claudia Citkovitz, it meets in the Connector. Next meeting: 12, 2024
A Series on Death and Dying, 12:00 p.m. in the Parish Hall On Sunday February 25th, Karen Miller, Clinical Nurse Manager, at Cooley Dickinson Visiting Nurse Association (VNA) and Hospice will be hosting a presentation on the importance of home caregiving at the end of life. She will discuss options for emotional, physical, and spiritual support that can help families manage challenges and provide comfort.