Saturday December 14, 10:00 in the Connector: Sandy Muspratt will be talking about the Grace Church/St. Matthieu partnership in Haiti with the Berkshire members of the Society of the Companions of the Holy Cross. All welcome. The talk and discussion are followed by a noon Eucharist led by the chapter’s chaplain, the Rev. Ray Webster. All welcome.
Over 60s meets this Saturday, December 14, 3-5 pm. Phebe Sessions, professor at Smith College of Social Work, will lead us in a discussion of: “Elder wisdom: From Cicero to contemporary views.” In 47 B.C., Roman orator, philosopher and statesman, Marcus Tullius Cicero, wrote a treatise, “On Old Age”, which expressed profound insights into the process of growing older and acquiring wisdom over time. Fast forward 2066 years. Contemporary philosophers cite Cicero’s insights, and relate them to the current conditions and contexts in which we live, age, and become wiser. We will look at some of Cicero’s most noteworthy quotes and their usefulness to our understanding of elder wisdom now.
Palestinian olive oil will be available for sale by the Episcopal Peace Fellowship in the connector following both services Sunday Dec. 15th. It is organic, virgin, first cold press and fair trade. It makes a good gift. The proceeds from the sale enable Grace to provide a scholarship for a student at the Episcopal Technological and Vocational Training Center in Ramallah. Amir Wahhab, the student we have supported for the past two years, graduated in May in information technology. He is continuing his education in IT at a community college in Ramallah. Our new student is Bisan Freij in the Hotel Stream. She is studying hospitality and culinary arts. As she is Christian, we have sent her a Christmas card signed by many of you with good wishes!
Modified Liturgy in the Chapel this Sunday due to pageant rehearsal This Sunday December 15th, instead of having Liturgy in the Chapel in its usual time and place, we will have a Communion service at the end of pageant rehearsal. Both the rehearsal and the Communion service will take place in the parish hall. Children and youth will be gathering for the rehearsal beginning at 9:15 a.m. If you have any questions about the changes to Liturgy in the Chapel or the pageant, please reach out to Megan at mmcdermott@gracechurchamherst.org.
Pageant rehearsals beginning this Sunday! All youth & children welcome Rehearsals for Grace’s Christmas Eve pageant are scheduled as follows: -this Sunday December 15th, 9:15-10:15 a.m., in the parish hall; -December 22nd, music rehearsal from 9:15-10:15 a.m. in the parish hall and dress rehearsal in sanctuary from noon to 1 p.m; -December 24th, call time of 1:30 p.m. for dress rehearsal with animals prior to the 4:00 p.m. service. Can’t make all the rehearsals? Have young relatives coming into town closer to Christmas? All are still welcome to join us for the pageant! Please do not let the rehearsal schedule deter you – we will find a place on Christmas Eve for all interested kids and youth, regardless of how many rehearsals they were able to make. Please email Megan (mmcdermott@gracechurchamherst.org) or Kate Atkinson (katinson@doctorkate.net) for more information.
Grace Church Tree Trimming Party! Join Tom & Megan in trimming our tree and spreading the Christmas spirit on Sunday, December 15th, from 4-6 pm in the Connector. Bring an ornament and cookies to share! Or just come with your voice, and sing with us!
Potluck with Lucio Perez: Monday, December 16 at 5:30 pm. at First Church Amherst. Please bring food to share that does not require heating up at church and plan to participate in clean up! Many hands make for light work!
Advent & Christmas Hymns: A Historical Perspective, Wednesday December 18, at 7 p.m. in the Church, all are invited to join us in caroling some well-known Advent and Christmas hymns. The singing will be interwoven with a talk by Nick Grabbe about some surprising aspects of how these classic hymns came to us. Come and sing and have some fun at this joyful holiday event.
Adopt-A-Family For Christmas: Many thanks to everyone who has “adopted “ a family or contributed money to this program. 99 children will have a sunnier Christmas. As always Grace Church amazes with its generosity!
The Grace Church Stewardship campaign for 2020 To date 127 pledges have come in totaling $392,100 – most encouraging, we have 6 new pledges. 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 2020. If you need a pledge card, they are available as you enter the church or you can contact the office (413) 256-6754 or Tom Dougherty at (413) 563-7321.
Vestry Nomination Forms are available in the back of the church.
Seeking volunteers: Please consider joining us on the Altar Guild. These women and men help to make our worship service beautiful and run smoothly. Some set up the altar before the service and clean up after; some arrange flowers for the altar; some launder small linens and other items that we use at the altar. All these activities contribute to the beauty and splendor of the altar as we worship together. At this time, we desperately need volunteers to assist with altar cleanup, especially after the 10:30am Sunday service. We try to schedule altar cleanup in pairs, therefore, you will not be doing this by yourself. All are welcome. You may volunteer yourself or include your spouse or partner. If you are interested or would like more information, please contact Sheila Mammen at (413) 665-8579 or smammen@resecon.umass.edu. Thank you so much for considering this ministry.
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!
SAVE THE DATE
Young instrumentalists: 4pm Christmas Eve service. If any young person would like to accompany the pageant music and/or anthem please contact me. Thank you so much..Mary Hocken (413-537-0251) or melizhocken@gmail.com.
Christmas Services
Christmas Eve
4:00pm Holy Eucharist with Christmas Pageant
8:00pm Holy Eucharist with choral prelude at 7:30
11:00pm Holy Eucharist with choral prelude at 10:30
Christmas Day
10:00am Holy Eucharist
Sunday, December 29th
9:30am Holy Eucharist with Christmas Lessons and Carols