We are now on our summer service schedule, with one service at 9:30am. The regular service schedule will resume on Sunday, September 7th
Climate Action @ Grace Please consider dropping by the Parish Hall at 10:45 on June 15 to hear from Kevin Young, Professor of History at U Mass, bringing a bigger perspective and ways to stay focused while seeing the larger perspective about climate change and climate health.
Evensong at Christ Church Cathedral in observance of Pride Month and Juneteenth, June 19, 7 p.m. Christ Church Cathedral in Springfield
The entire diocese is invited to an Evensong celebrating God’s creation of diversity in humanity, in honor of Pride and Juneteenth, at Christ Church Cathedral in Springfield on Thursday, June 19th, at 7 p.m. All are welcome!
Join Grace at Amherst Pride on Sunday June 22nd
Amherst will be hosting a Pride event this year on Sunday June 22nd, and Grace is registered to march! Please consider joining us. We will walk over to Amherst Regional High School together following our 9:30 a.m. service. (People are also welcome to drive/carpool and meet us there.) Lining up for the parade will take place at the high school beginning at 11 a.m., and the parade will be from 12 p.m.-1 p.m. You are encouraged to bring a sign for the parade with you to church! Please contact Harold Norris or Megan for more information.
Fourth Sunday June 22, 2025 Grace Church’s 4th Sunday offering will go to Ascentria Care Alliance, earmarked for Refugee and Immigrant Services. Ascentria is organization that envisions a New England where love, belonging, well-being, hope, and communities thrive. It assists refugees, asylum seekers, and other immigrants in Central and Western Massachusetts. Among its many services it provides free and low-cost legal care for those seeking employment, asylum, and citizenship; housing support; cultural and community orientation; employment and transportation assistance; healthcare and school enrollment; and education services. It is also the only program in Massachusetts offering foster care to unaccompanied refugee and immigrant children. . 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.
Haiti Ministry News The students at St. Matthieu School have completed another successful year, despite the continued dire circumstances in Haiti. This success has been supported by the generosity of Grace Church throughout the year. Now it is time to look ahead to the coming academic year. Starting today, the Haiti Ministry will begin collecting funds for the uniforms and supplies needed by all students. All contributions are appreciated. For each student, a uniform is $50 (made in Bayonnais!) and supplies are $25. Other donations contribute to these amounts and help with potential cost increases. To donate: write a check to Grace Episcopal Church with “Haiti Ministry – uniforms” in the subject line; or go to the church website, click “give,” go to “Haiti Ministry” in the dropdown, and mention uniforms in the “note” space; or go to coffee hour on Sundays starting today, where we’ll be ready to meet you. Mèsi anpil!
Vestry Meeting Minutes Minutes of the most recent Vestry meeting are posted on the bulletin board in the Connector just to the left of the door into the Church. If you wish to see past meeting minutes, please go to our website at https://www.gracechurchamherst.org/our-church/parish-staff/
Parish Directory It’s time for a new Grace Directory! The last one was done in 2022. If you were not in the last directory, please send a photo and current contact information to the office. If you have moved or changed your information since the last directory, please send your updated address and phone number(s) to Terrie Korpita. We plan to use the same photos as the last directory; unless you wish to submit a new one.
Lay Eucharistic Ministers Needed LEMs play an integral role in our services, and we are looking for more people to participate in this aspect of worship at Grace. Every three months, the schedule is built around the availability of those who volunteer. At various points during the year, volunteers are also needed for Christmas, Holy Week, and other special services. Training as a LEM is provided. Please email Cara Crandall with any questions, or if you would like to become a LEM.
Clothing Drive Ascentria Refugee Services for New Americans has asked Grace Church to help with a clothing drive. They are looking for seasonal clothes for refugees moving into Western Massachusetts. Ascentria especially wants clothing for children, from birth to primary school age. A shopping cart will be placed in the back of the church for those who can donate. Thank you for your generosity, and if there are items you wish to donate other than what is listed or would like to become more involved, please reach out to rporter@ascentria.org.
Save the Date
Joy of Living Group, 7:00-8:30 p.m., 2nd and 4th Mondays This group combines meditation, practices integrated in the flow of life, and discussion. Next meeting, in the Connector: June 23, 2025.
An evening of poetry and spirituality with Megan at Christ Church Cathedral in Springfield, Tuesday July 1st, 6:30 p.m. Before Megan’s departure for an MFA program in poetry, join her for her last local poetry reading at our diocesan cathedral, featuring new work as well as poems from her collections Jesus Merch: A Catalog in Poems (Fernwood Press, 2023) and Woman as Communion (Game Over Books, 2022).Interspersed with the reading, Lucy Bergin, a Grace parishioner, will moderate a conversation with Megan on poetry, arts, and spirituality. Lucy Bergin is a multi-disciplinary artist, writer, musician, teacher, and Episcopalian based in Montague and Florence, Mass. Light reception to follow.