Climate Action@Grace will meet today, August 13th at 11:00am in the Parker Room.
Summer Poetry and Prayer Series Mondays at 12:15pm via Zoom
Megan is leading a Zoom meditation series on poetry, using an array of mostly contemporary writers. Join us for a poem, reflection prompts, meditation time, and optional discussion each week, Monday at 12:15 p.m. Emails with a Zoom link come out Monday morning.
Tuesday Morning Prayer Tuesdays at 8:30am in the Garth Please enter through the Connector door or the Spring Street door. In case of inclement weather, we will gather in the Chapel. Prayer sessions use morning prayer liturgies from sources like Daily Prayer for All Seasons, an Episcopal resource emphasizing inclusive and expansive language, and will sometimes include simple movement meditation and music. All are welcome! For more information, please email Megan.
2023 Haiti School Uniform and School Supply Campaign Hooray! We are just over halfway to our goal of outfitting all the students at St. Matthew’s School in Haiti for the fall! This week we gratefully received $1,600 toward this effort. Thank you! We are now just only 4 weeks away from the start of school!
Our September 10 Goal Our Progress:
237 Students/Uniforms 126 Children Ready for School, 111 To Go
$17,775 Total $9,465 Donated, $8,310 To Go
Won’t you please help? A donation of $75 will cover the cost of one child’s uniform, textbooks, and other basic school supplies. But a donation in any amount matters and is deeply appreciated. To donate, please make checks payable to “Grace Church” and write “Haiti School Uniforms” on the memo line. You may also give via the church website by clicking the “Give” button and then selecting “Haiti Ministry” in the “To” drop down box. You may also donate spare change or any amount in the basket that is provided in the Connector at coffee hour after service. Stop at the table to chat with a member of the Haiti Ministry to find out more about St. Matthews.
Pastoral Call for Volunteers Do you like to cook? Do you like to drive? Would you like to help fellow parishioners? Pastoral Care is looking to develop a list of volunteers to be contacted as needed. Most likely a request for food or a ride would occur every other month or so. And being on the volunteer list does not obligate your assistance every time a request is made. If you are interested in this ministry, please see the sign up sheets at coffee hour, or email Gail Gnatek.
Newcomers One of the goals of the Vestry is to strengthen our efforts in welcoming new people to the community here at Grace Church. The Newcomers Committee has begun meeting to think about what that might look like. If you would like to join in the work or have any ideas to share, please reach out to Rachel Blain or Cara Crandall.
Request publicity for your event! To help make Grace events as successful as possible, the Communications Committee has developed an online form for requesting event publicity. The form, which includes instructions for completing and submitting the request, can be found on the church website at https://www.gracechurchamherst.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Request-for-Event-Publicity-Form-2023.pdf. The Communications Committee is asking that forms be submitted six to eight weeks prior to the event to ensure adequate time for getting the word out and sharing information about the event.
Coffee Hour 10:30 Service Sign up Many thanks to all who generously donated their time and baking skills to host the 9:30 a.m. summer coffee hours. We are all so grateful! Given that we will be returning to the regular two service schedule on September 10, coffee hour hosts are now needed for September – June. Slots are available for weeks in odd and even months. A sign-up sheet is in the Connector. Won’t you please help? If you have questions, please email Sarah Chadwick.
Save the Date
Fourth Sunday, August 27 The Outreach Commission has chosen Hospice of the Fisher Home in Amherst as the recipient of August’s fourth Sunday collection. The mission of the Fisher Home is to provide compassionate, comprehensive, and supportive end-of-life care to patients and their loved ones in their homes or in their residence. The residence is designed to have a home-like atmosphere, with private bedrooms for each patient, as well as a shared dining room, living room, and kitchen. The building is undergoing major renovations this year so the Fisher Home is especially in need of community support right now. Please consider a generous gift. 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.
2023 Harvest Festival – Sign up Now! Planning is underway for the Harvest Festival which will be taking place on the weekend of October 21 – 22. A wonderful event of years past, it has been revived as a part of the Mind the Gap campaign. There will be concerts, dinner and dancing, a flower festival, fall decorations, and more. This event will offer many opportunities for seasonal fall fellowship and fun. Sign up sheets are now available in the Connector. We need your help to make this successful. For questions or more information, please contact Mary Hocken.
Celebrating Beth Hart Damon’s 23 Years of Music Ministry at Grace on Nov. 5th
On Sunday Nov. 5th, Grace Church will come together for one service at 9:30 a.m. with a reception to follow, to celebrate Beth Hart Damon’s 23 years of service as Grace Church music director. Please mark your calendars and plan to join us for this celebration of Beth’s ministry. Kitty Dougherty and Harold Norris are serving as chairs of the celebration committee; please be in touch with them with any questions.