Special Request – Earbuds, Headphones Needed Grace church is helping Craig’s Door with donations for the guests at Willie Eaton House to use to listen to their devices in privacy. Can you help? Please bring donations to Grace this week! For more information, please contact Kevyn Smith at kevynsmith09@gmail.com.
Lenten Book Series: Witness at the Cross: A Beginner’s Guide to Holy Friday Sundays at 9:15am (in person) and Thursdays at 9:30am (via Zoom) Join Adult Christian Education this Lent as we explore the various witnesses who the evangelists have present at the crucifixion. We are using Amy-Jill Levine’s book Witness at the Cross as the basis for discussion. We still have a few copies of Amy-Jill Levine’s Witness at the Cross. If you would like to purchase a copy ($16.25), please contact the parish office. This week, Sunday, March 20th and Thursday, March 24th we will discuss chapter 3 and 4: The Soldiers and The Beloved Disciple.
The Cross Through Artists’ Eyes: Artistic Lenten Lunchtime Meditations Mondays at 12:15pm
Every Monday of Lent, we will gather over Zoom for a short, 15 minute service of prayer and meditation at 12:15 p.m., focusing on different artists’ interpretations of the cross either through visual art or creative writing. Artists will represent a wide spectrum of relationships to Christianity and the cross, as well as vary significantly in their depictions, but all will invite us into a deeper and more creative relationship with this essential symbol of our faith. No familiarity with the week’s artist or writer is required! This Monday, March 14th, we’ll be exploring “The Cross Through The Eyes of William H. Johnson,” an early twentieth century African-American artist whose works depicted both biblical scenes and scenes as well as contemporary life in America.
Haiti Ministry New pictures: Looking for good news? Check out the recent photos and video on www.graceinhaiti.org. What we’ve learned: Participants in the recent “conversations about Haiti” learned a lot about the successes and challenges of other small, volunteer-run programs in a challenging environment. You can read in the March and April Grace Notes. Please join us: The Haiti Ministry welcomes new members any time. If you’d like to visit and observe first, that’s fine, too. Our next meeting is Tuesday, March 22, at 5:00 in the Connector, in person and on Zoom. For the link, contact co-chairs Sandy Muspratt or Bonnie Vigeland, or any member of the ministry.
Language & Liturgy – Exploring Possibilities for Prayer: Wednesdays at 6:00pm
This Wednesday, March 16th, join us at 6pm in the Connector for an hour-long class exploring language and liturgy. Raising the Questions (a discussion group dedicated to theological conversation and inquiry) has compiled a booklet of alternative prayers that showcase varied approaches to liturgical language. This booklet is available for the whole congregation’s personal use throughout the Lenten season and will also serve as our guide for the class. Copies are available in the back of the church.
March Community Conversation Board – Lenten Preparation and Transformation
This month, our community conversation bulletin board is focused on Preparation and Transformation and how these concepts intersect with the season of Lent. We hope you will contribute your thoughts on what preparing for Easter means to you, what kind of transformation you seek in your life and the world, and what kind of spiritual practices enable you to prepare and transform. An overview of answers to February’s board will be included in the next Grace Notes. Thank you to all who contributed!
Available Lent resources at back of church
We invite you to grab a booklet of inclusive and alternative prayers compiled by the Raising the Questions discussion group for your use this Lent season; this booklet will also be discussed in our Language and Liturgy class. We are also sharing Full to the Brim, a Lenten devotional with Bible reflections, poetry, and art from an organization Sanctified Art. This devotional embraces Lent as a time “to live a more expansive and full life of faith.” These will be available at the back of church throughout the entire season.
Grace’s Closet This winter the Fireplace Room in the Parke House is a storage and distribution site for warm winter clothes for those in need. There are several ways you can help. Volunteers sort clothes, as well as deliver clothing to the Amherst Survival Center, Craig’s Doors, and Not Bread Alone as requests come in. Parishioners can also donate clean, usable coats and winter clothes for adults only by dropping off items on Sunday mornings or during regular business hours Monday – Friday. Please check the pockets of clothing you bring for used tissues. Thanks. For more information, please contact Kevyn Smith at kevynsmith09@gmail.com.
The Grace Church Stewardship campaign for 2022 To date 141 pledges have come in totaling $431,138 – most encouraging, we have 7 new pledges. 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.
Climate Change Tip Compost your vegetable waste – if you can’t make a wire compost cage at your place, there is a drop off bin at the town transfer station.
Save the Date
March 27th is the fourth Sunday of the month. The fourth Sunday offering will go to the Save the Children Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund. Save the Children has been operating in Ukraine since 2014, supporting access to education, winter clothing, hygiene, and providing cash grants to distressed families. Since the current crisis, hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians have fled their country. Many children are in danger. Save the Children is active in refugee camps in Romania and other neighboring countries. Please consider a generous gift to support this fund. 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.