Summer Poetry and Prayer Series Mondays at 12:15pm via Zoom
Check your email Monday morning for a Zoom link to join us for a poem and meditation.
Tuesday Morning Prayer Tuesdays at 8:30am in the Garth Join us for morning prayer outside! Chapel in case of inclement weather.
2023 Haiti School Uniform and School Supply Campaign PLEASE HELP TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN! We are only three weeks away from the start of the school year at St. Matthew’s and have 91 sweet children still to outfit. This week we gratefully received $1,475. Thank you – so very grateful.
Our September 10 Goal Our Progress:
237 Students/Uniforms 146 Children Ready for School, 91 To Go
$17,775 Total $10,940 Donated, $6,835 To Go
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 Pastoral Care is looking to develop a list of volunteers particularly for cooking and driving. If you are interested, please see the sign up sheets at coffee hour, or email Gail Gnatek.
Newcomers The Newcomers Committee has begun meeting to think about strengthening our efforts to welcome new people. If you would like to join in the work or have any ideas to share, please reach out to Rachel Blain.
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! Coffee hour hosts are now needed for Sept. – 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.
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. If you write a check please make it payable to Grace Church and add “outreach” on the memo line.
Mind the Gap Fundraising Update The Fundraising and Communications committees have been hard at work planning and promoting events for the Mind the Gap campaign, whose proceeds go to reducing the church’s budget gap. So far, three events have brought together parishioners in fun and supportive ways and have raised $5,500 toward an overall fundraising goal of $22,000. Efforts toward this goal include proceeds of the St. Nicholas Bazaar. Please see announcements below for info on upcoming Mind the Gap events.
Episcopal Relief and Development – Support for Recent Disasters Looking for ways to help in light of the Maui wildfires or flooding in Vermont? Consider donating to Episcopal Relief and Development at https://www.episcopalrelief.org/what-you-can-do/give/donate-now/individual-donation/. You can donate directly to the Hawai’i Emergency Response Fund to focus your funds on Maui or give to the U.S. Disaster Response Fund, which helps address disaster and emergency-related needs throughout the country.
Save the Date
Mind the Gap with Mushroom Foraging Do you love wild mushrooms but are uncertain which ones to pick? If so, on Saturday, September 23, from 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m., parishioner Michael Gralenski, an experienced mushroom forager, will lead participants on a walk through the woods in Leverett. He will provide detailed instructions as to where to look, which mushrooms to collect, and the mushrooms to avoid. He will then prepare a delicious mushroom dish for the group to sample. The cost is $35 per person. Register at https://tinyurl.com/mushroom-event or sign up in the Connector and pay by check with “Mushrooms” noted in the memo line. Deadline is Friday, September 15.
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. 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.