Poem and Prayer – Over Zoom on Mondays, 12:15 p.m., Through Summer Season Start off your week with a poem by a contemporary poet and an invitation into prayer! Each week will feature a different poem that invites us into meditation together. Megan will offer a short reflection on the poem and spiritual questions it might open for us, before ushering us into a time of silent prayer and then shared conversation on the poem. This will be a 15-20 minute spiritual practice to add to your week over the summer months, from wherever you might be spending them! Zoom link will be sent out by email. Please email Megan at mmcdermott@gracechurchamherst.org with any questions. If you cannot make this time but would like recordings of the poems and reflections, please let her know.
Collecting diaper donations for youth service trip On Saturday August 20th, youth from Grace will be joining youth from St. James and St. Andrew’s in Greenfield for a service and activity day to Worcester. In the morning, we’ll be assisting at Marie’s Mission, a diaper distribution program located at St. Michael’s-on-the-Heights. Free diaper distribution is especially important for parents facing financial challenges, since government assistance typically does not cover diapers. We hope to bring with us donations of diapers, pull-ups, and wipes! The ministry is particularly in need of diapers in larger sizes. Leading up to the trip, you can drop your donations off in a box marked DIAPERS at the back of the church. Thank you!
July Community Conversation Board: Rest & Restoration All of our summer schedules look different, but for many of us, it’s a time we try to carve out opportunities for rest and restoration! This month’s community conversation board, located in The Connector, invites you to share your thoughts on rest and restoration. How does your faith provide rest or restoration? What kinds of things help you feel rested and restored – especially over the summer months? And what are the challenges to accessing rest? Stop by the conversation board to provide your own answers or see the insights of fellow parishioners!
Haiti Ministry: Honey for Haiti: Beautiful homegrown honey will be available for purchase on August 7, after the service, to benefit L’Ecole St. Matthieu. Lisa and Tilman Lukas are generously donating honey from their own beehives. A 12-ounce honey bear will be $6; two for $10. All proceeds will go to the school. Enjoy your morning tea as you remember our partners. Outfit a child for school: The uniform and school supply campaign continues. So far $4,880.74 of our $15,000 goal has been raised. This means that 65 of the 250 students are set to start the school year. Thank you! Donations of $50 cover the cost of a uniform, $25 provides a child’s school supplies, and $100 will support one child and provide a bit more. Whatever you can give – in any amount – would be a blessing. Please make checks payable to “Grace Church” and write “Haiti School Uniforms” on the memo line, or give via the church website: click the “Give” button and select “Haiti Ministry” in the “To” drop down box. Visit our Facebook page: Haiti Ministry at Grace Episcopal Church, Amherst, MA. We’d appreciate your “likes”!
Over60s Gathering will be meeting only once a month through the summer. For information and dates, please contact Rev. Adrian Stair (revadrian@comcast.net).
Evensong Services will be held in the Chapel downstairs through the summer. It is much cooler there.
Tuesday morning prayer group forming – meet us in August, Tuesdays at 8 a.m. in the Garth, starting August 2nd. Throughout the month of August, you are invited to join in for 20-30 minutes of in-person prayer in the Garth/church courtyard (the Chapel in case of inclement weather) on Tuesday mornings at 8 a.m. You can enter through the Connector door or the Spring Street door. Prayer sessions will use morning prayer liturgies from sources like Daily Prayer for All Seasons, an Episcopal resource emphasizing inclusive and expansive language, and will incorporate simple movement meditation to help embody prayer. Music will also occasionally be offered. Additionally, it will be a chance to connect personally with a small group! We hope this month of morning prayer will be the start of a regular offering on Tuesday mornings. If you have questions or would like more information, please be in touch with Kell Julliard at kelljulliard@me.com.
St. Nicholas Bazaar Are you interested in antiques and/or collectibles? We need you to help with sorting and pricing bazaar donations. Some knowledge of antiques and collectibles desired. Contact Joan (jobrien82@gmail.com) with any questions or to volunteer. Donations are being accepted for the bazaar. Please remember that items should be in good condition and clean. We accept many kinds of items, but please no textbooks, binders, VCR tapes, cassettes, clothing, or mildewed items. Thank you!