No nursery staff this week  Unfortunately, due to nursery staff being unavailable, we cannot provide childcare until February.

Climate Action @ Grace (caag) welcomes you to our meeting: Sunday, January 11, 12:15pm in the Parker Room around the corner from the Connector.

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: January 12, 2026

Grace Church Annual Meeting will be held on Sunday, February 1st following a single service at 9:30am.  All commission and committee reports should be sent to the Parish Administrator no later than Tuesday, January 13^th.

Raising the Questions, Tuesday, January 13 at 9:30am in the Connector  Raising the Questions is a Grace Church reading and discussion group that focusses on theology and liturgy. We meet monthly on the second Tuesday at 9:30 am. Got questions? Come join us.

2026 Pledge Envelopes  If you requested envelopes, you may pick them up from the box on the table in the back of the church beginning this Sunday. They will (hopefully) be in alphabetical order. Note: if this is the first year that you have requested pledge envelopes, your pledge number may have changed.

Lawn Sign Request  Please remember to return the St. Nicholas Bazaar lawn signs for re-use next year. Thank you! (and thanks to those who have done so already!)

The Grace Church Stewardship campaign for 2026  To date 140 pledges have come in totaling $534,372 – most encouraging, we have 5 new pledges.  We are off to a good start.  To those who have pledged God bless, to those who have yet to pledge please pray and pledge so our Vestry can budget for 2026.  If you need a pledge card, they are available as you enter the church or you can contact the office (413) 256-6754.

Publicity for your Event?   Please let the Communications Committee know if you need help with your event.  Please fill out this form:  https://www.gracechurchamherst.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Request-for-Event-Publicity-Form-2023.pdf, also located on the “Outreach” page of the church website.  The committee requests at least 6 weeks notice.  Please forward questions to Patrick Kelly or Sarah Chadwick.

Coffee Hour  Coffee hour is a lovely tradition and we hope to see you there after the 10:30 service.  The hospitality committee keeps a small supply of treats on hand but this often is not enough. Won’t you please be so kind as to donate a baked good for all to enjoy?  Coffee cakes, quick breads, muffins, or bagels are always appreciated as well as other baked goods.  Thank you so much for your thoughtfulness. Please see Sarah Chadwick if you have questions or want to help out further.

You are welcome!  We want you to know that you are welcome here. If you are new to Grace Church please reach out, because we are here to invite, embrace, and welcome you into our community. Whether you are:

• New to the area
• New to our church (and perhaps new to the Episcopal faith)
• A longtime resident in search of connection and community
• Part of the LGBTQ community and are looking for a spiritual home where you are welcomed and affirmed
• A New Student, looking for a place of safety and comfort during your time studying here
• A Mom or Dad of a student and want a place that will support your child while they live and study here

We are here for you. Please fill out a blue Card, and reach out to someone wearing a WELCOME badge and come back AGAIN !

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/

Calendar Donations  Please bring extra 2026 calendars to the food basket for the Survival Center.

Save the Date

Soup Will Be On!  The Haiti Soup Supper Annual Extravaganza will be on Saturday, February 7. The full list of soups will be available for purchase online on Monday, January 26.  Although the list of soups won’t be final until then, orders will be taken in the Connector after each service on January 18 and 25 and at the Annual Meeting on February 1 for soups that have been confirmed. As in the past, delicious soups made by parishioners as well as those donated by favorite local restaurants will be available. A meal will consist of a quart of soup, homemade bread, and cookies that will be enough for two.  All proceeds benefit the St. Matthew’s School in Haiti. Please consider donating soup or volunteering and contact Sarah Chadwick.  To donate bread or cookies, please contact Gail Gnatek.

4^th Sunday Offering January 25  The Outreach Commission has selected Craig’s Doors to be the recipient of Grace’s fourth Sunday offering.. Craig’s Doors is a human services organization that serves vulnerable and unhoused members of our community. It believes that all human beings are deserving of safety, dignity, and a sense of belonging, and that access to housing, mental and physical health care, and nutritious food is a fundamental human right. It currently operates two year-round shelters and a Resource Center that is open to members of the community. 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.

Warrant Notice of Annual Meeting  The Annual Meeting of Grace Episcopal Church, Amherst, Massachusetts will take place on Sunday, February 1, 2026 for the following purposes:

1. To elect a Senior Warden, a Junior Warden, a Clerk and a Treasurer for terms of one year each;
2. To elect three members to the Vestry for terms of three years each;
3. To elect one member to the Vestry for the term of two years;
4. To elect one Youth member to the Vestry for the term of one year;
5. To elect one delegate and one alternate to the Diocesan Convention;
6. To receive the 2025 annual reports of Grace Church;
7. To transact any other business which may legally come before the meeting.

The meeting will take place the morning of Sunday, February 1, 2026 immediately following the 9:30 AM service. The meeting will be held in person in the Parish Hall. More information will follow. Stated at Amherst, Massachusetts this 8th day of January 2026. By order of the Wardens and Vestry. Elizabeth Maxey, Clerk