This is the last Sunday of our summer service schedule, with one service at 9:30am. The regular service schedule of 8am and 10:30am will resume next Sunday, September 12th.
First youth group event of the year – today, 2 p.m., mini golf at Western Mass. Family Golf Center Youth in grades 6-12 are invited for our kickoff event for the youth group year this afternoon, 2 p.m., at the Western Mass. Family Golf Center. Please let Megan know if you can attend or if you have any questions!
Sunday School begins next Sunday, Sept. 12th This year, one Kindergarten – 5th grade Sunday School class will be offered from 9:15-10:15 a.m. We’ll meet outside in the Garth weather permitting – inside in the Parish Hall, if not. Hope to see you there! Please be in touch with Megan to register or for more information.
Reconnecting at Grace: Small Discussion Groups Throughout the Fall
Grace is hosting a series of small group discussions on a variety of topics so people can come together, share with one another, and strengthen relationships after the isolation of this past year. For September, Tom and Megan will be leading three sessions (more to come in the months following, led by parishioners!). You must sign up in order to participate. Each group is kept small to foster deeper discussion. Please email Terrie at tkorpita@gracechurchamherst.org to register.
September Discussions:
Topic: Your Life During Coivd
Tuesday, Sept. 14th, 6:30 p.m. over Zoom OR Sunday, Sept. 19th, 12 p.m., in the Garth weather permitting/Parish Hall if not
Topic: Prayer & Poem Sharing Session
Wednesday, Sept. 29th, 4 p.m., in the Garth weather permitting/Parish Hall if not prayer or poem that has been meaningful to you to share & discuss with the group)
2021 Haiti School Uniform and Library Book Campaign – Weekly Update: Great news! We have raised the funds to cover all the uniforms for 200 students at St. Matthew’s School in Haiti. Many thanks to all who generously contributed. Our remaining goal is to fill the shelves of the school’s new library. To assist in this effort, we have received a grant that will match every dollar given. This is wonderful so if you are able to help, please kindly do so now. A donation of $25 will provide a book or two that will make a valuable contribution to the school for years to come. Your gift will help to promote education in Haiti which is a perquisite for sustained social and economic development. Donations in any amount are most welcome.
Our Goals: Our Progress:
200 Uniforms: $12,000 200
200 Library Books: $ 5,000 22 books, 178 to go
Total Campaign: $17,000 $ 12,550 Raised, $4,450 to go
To donate, please make checks payable to “Grace Church” and write “Haiti Library” 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. Subscribe to the Haiti Ministry blog at graceinhaiti.org/blog!
St. Nicholas Bazaar returns! The bazaar will be on Dec. 4 this year. We are accepting donations. We are currently in need of fine jewelry, which may be dropped off at the church office. Please note: Small donations (one or two boxes) may be dropped off in the undercroft, just inside the door from the walkway. If you have a larger donation, please contact Joan at jobrien82@gmail.com, as space is currently limited. Please remember – items should be clean and in good condition. And please, NO bedding, clothing (except scarves), textbooks, VCR tapes or players. Remember that donations to the church are eligible for tax deductions. Thank you!!
Climate Action @Grace God has charged us to be faithful stewards of the Earth. Knowing that this, our island home, faces a climate emergency, one increasingly obvious with each year, we ask how we, as people of faith, can have the greatest impact on energy use, care for the planet, and environmental awareness. Our name until now–“Greening Grace”–may give the impression that we are primarily concerned about our own campus. That stewardship is important because we have significant control over our facilities, and what we do here is a form of witness to others. But we are equally concerned with the choices that we as humans make at the state, national, and international levels. We invite all to work with us in trying to save and defend what God has entrusted to us. And we invite suggestions for a name that better conveys our mission and its extreme urgency. Should it be “Climate Action @Grace”? “Earth Matters”? “Creation Care”? Or something else? Our next meeting, in this Creation Season, is Sunday, October 10, after morning worship. All are welcome—from the enthusiastic to the just curious.
Haiti Relief On Saturday, August 14, a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck the southwest portion of Haiti. Episcopal Relief & Development and its partners are responding immediately with direct assistance to vulnerable households in the region, as partners plan long-term recovery. Your generous gift can provide assistance to help people in the wake of these disasters. To assist in these efforts, visit episcopalrelief.org/haiti-relief.