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 (CAAG) Climate Action at Grace (caag) will meet on Sunday, July 13, at 10:45 in the Parker Room. We will get to reflect on our guest speaker last month, Kevin Young of UMass, and look ahead to Creation Season. There may be some significant shifts in our approach and we could certainly use old and new input!
Last meditation July 14th Please join us on Monday July 14th for Megan’s final summer poetry meditation. Zoom link will be sent out that morning.
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: July 14, 2025.
Mark your calendars for Megan’s last day, Sunday July 20th Megan’s last day as our Priest Associate will be Sunday July 20th. Please plan on joining us for service at 9:30 a.m. with a celebratory reception following! We look forward to these next few weeks with Megan, giving thanks for our seven years of ministry together. For more information or to help with the reception, please contact Kitty Dougherty or Sheila Mammen.
Summer Choir All are invited to join the Grace Church Summer Choir. You are welcome to simply show up and sing with us, on one or both days! Sunday, July 20, 8:30 a.m. rehearsal, 9:30 a.m. service Sunday, July 27, 8:30 a.m. rehearsal, 9:30 a.m. service The choir will not vest or robe, and singers will simply walk up at the Peace and assemble into a choir formation, then return to their pews after the anthem. Contact Music Director Noah Horn to receive music in advance or with any questions.
Support Episcopal Relief & Development in Responding to Deadly Flooding in Central Texas Episcopal Relief & Development, with partners in the Episcopal Diocese of Texas, is helping provide both immediate and long-term support to recovery efforts. You can make a donation supporting this important work at support.episcopalrelief.org/disasters or find out more at episcopalrelief.org.
Garden Ministry Friday from 7:30-9:30 the Garden Ministry invites you to join them in maintaining our gardens. Wear gloves and bring some small tools. We have shovels, rakes, wheelbarrows, etc. Contact Mary Hocken for details.
Haiti Ministry: School uniforms 60 students will now be outfitted with uniforms and supplies, thanks to donations collected thus far! We are making good progress – let’s continue to support the students at St. Matthieu as they look toward the coming school year. A $75 donation outfits one student; any amount is welcome! To donate, please see us at coffee hour, send a check (made out to Grace Church, “Haiti uniforms” on memo line), or use the church website (“Give”, then “Haiti Ministry” – note “uniforms”). For details and more stories, see graceinhaiti.org.
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.
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.
Save the Date
The Odyssey presents an in person event, Tuesday, July 22 at 7 PM, Doors Open at 6:30, Odyssey Bookshop, 9 College Street, South Hadley, MA , 413-534-7307, www.odysseybks.com Join us on Tuesday, July 22 at 7 PM as Polly Ingraham talks about her new book, Unconverted: Memoir of a Marriage. She will be joined in conversation by Katie Allan Zobel.
Fourth Sunday July 27, 2025 Grace Church’s 4th Sunday offering will go to the American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem (AFEDJ) for its support of the Ahli Arab Hospital, one of the few hospitals still operating in Gaza. On Palm Sunday missiles struck the hospital campus, destroying the two-story diagnostic laboratory and severely damaging the emergency department, pharmacy, and nearby buildings, including St. Philip’s Church. Ahli is once again serving hundreds of patients each day, regardless of religion or ethnicity, for free. Ahli Hospital has been a frequent recipient of our 4th Sunday offerings. Today it needs our support more than ever. 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.
St. Nicholas Bazaar Mark your calendars for December 6! Donations are welcome; put them on or under the tables just inside the undercroft. Antiques and fine jewelry are especially appreciated. Donations should be in good condition and clean. Many kinds of items are accepted, but not clothing (except scarves), textbooks, binders, VCR tapes or cassettes. Contact Joan with any questions. Thank you!