2026 Weekly News

Date Posted: June 12, 2026

Help Us Prepare for the Snowball Mountain Challenge

Brrrr… did someone say snow in June?! That’s right—this year’s VBS is bringing a blast of winter fun to summer with our Snowball Mountain Challenge! Kids will become daring Challengers, heading into a world of frosty games, snowy surprises, and faith-filled adventures.

VBS Mission Project: Share the Warmth

Even though we’re celebrating snow and chilly adventures, we’re also thinking ahead to the real winter months—especially for those in need. As part of VBS, we’re collecting gently used coats (all sizes welcome—kids and adults!) to support local organizations. These coats will help keep our neighbors warm when the temperatures drop later this year. This is a great way for the entire parish to participate in VBS! Bring your donations to church beginning Sunday, June 14 through Sunday, June 28. Let’s fill our collection with warmth, love, and generosity.

Want Another Way to Help?

We’ve created a small (but mighty!) Amazon Wishlist with a few supplies to help make VBS extra special. If you’d like to contribute just click this link and choose an item to send. Every little bit helps us create an unforgettable experience for our Challengers.

Calling All Snack Heroes

Behind every great VBS is a team of incredible volunteers—and we want to keep them fueled and energized! We’re looking for parishioners who would be willing to provide snacks and drinks for our volunteers during the week. If you’d like to help, please contact Callie Flack so we can coordinate and make sure we have just the right amount (and not a mountain of extra cookies… although, let’s be honest, is that ever a bad thing?).

We are so excited for this year’s Snowball Mountain Challenge and all the ways our parish family can be part of it—whether through donations, supplies, snacks, or prayer. Let’s come together to make this VBS full of fun, faith, and fellowship. See you on the mountain!

A New Piano for the Nave

This Sunday we celebrate the gift of a Baldwin 6’4″ grand piano, graciously donated by the Rev. David B. Powell and the Rev. Dr. Betsy Powell. As vital members of the Grace community, they are strong supporters of our music ministry and faithfully assist with Sunday services, as well as other worship and prayer opportunities.

The baby grand piano formerly located in the nave has now been moved to replace the piano in our choir room. We are deeply grateful for this generous gift, which will enhance and strengthen our music ministry in the nave for years to come.

To help us welcome and experience our new piano, we have invited recent high school graduate Aidan Voyles to introduce it to us this Sunday. He will play All Creatures of our God and King at the prelude and Claude Debussy’s Clair de Lune, Mvt. III from Suite bergamasque during Communion.

Guest Preacher

The Rev. Beau Farr will be our guest preacher again this Sunday, June 14.

Sunday Supper

Sunday, June 14 is the requested deadline to sign up for the Sunday Supper, which helps us with food and activity planning. We want to have just the right amount of chicken tenders!

On Sunday, June 21 we’ll savor the Summer Solstice with an intergenerational activity and dinner together at 6 PM. Chicken tenders will be provided, please bring a side or dessert to share.

Sunday Supper

Women’s Book Study

The Women’s Book Study is taking a break this month! Our next meeting will be Thursday, July 16. We gather in room 115 (the youth room) of the Grace Center for fellowship at 5:30 PM and begin discussion at 6 PM.

Charis Circles

You are invited to participate in Charis Circles this summer! Join us at 10:30 AM on June 17 and July 15. Please contact Meg McPeek, Assistant for Formation and Community Life, with any questions.

Register for VBS

Kids 4 years old – rising 6th grade are invited to join the Snowball Mountain Challenge at Grace, June 22-26 from 9 AM to 12 PM. With a unique winter games theme filled with snowboards and ski lifts and solid theology at its core, this VBS delivers joy and meaning in equal measure, teaching kids that “I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13 NRSV).

Cost is $25 for the first child, $20 each additional child.

VBS at Grace

School Supply Drive

It’s that time of year again! From now until July 26 we will be collecting backpacks stuffed with school supplies for students attending Lula, Myers, and Tadmore Elementary Schools in Hall County. Our goal is to provide at least 75 backpacks for these children!

Please consider helping in any of the following ways:

Beginning this Sunday, June 7, we will have a backpack volunteer available in the parish hall ready to supply you with a backpack and a list of required elementary school supplies. We’re asking for these packs to be filled with the supplies and returned to the church the following Sunday or dropped off at the church office. There will be a volunteer at Grace each Sunday until July 26.

Pick up school supplies and drop them off at church. Items such as paper, spiral notebooks, pencils, colored pencils, pocket folders, large glue sticks, erasers, crayons, facial tissue, wet wipes, and sanitizer may be brought to the parish office or dropped off at church on Sunday.

Contribute a monetary donation by sending a check made payable to Grace Episcopal Church, with “school supplies” noted in the memo line, to the office at 422 Brenau Avenue, Gainesville, GA 30501. You may also place a check in the offering plate on Sundays. Online contributions can be made here.

Dates for Your Calendar

Look ahead to upcoming opportunities for prayer, worship, and community!

• June 17 Charis Circles
• June 21 Sunday Supper
• June 22-26 Vacation Bible School
• July 19 Sunday Supper
• August 8 Park Lecture
• September 25 & 26 Fall Retreat

The Glimpses of Grace Podcast

We invite you to explore the podcast on Spotify (or your podcast app of choice) or here on this website!