Our potluck lunch to welcome the Nonnemaker family is this Sunday, August 6, at noon in the Parish Hall. If you missed the August 1 sign up deadline but still wish to attend, we’d love to have you. We added a few spots to the headcount we gave the caterer so we should have enough chicken. Bring your side dish and join us!
Join us in the parish hall on August 6 from 9:30 – 10:30 AM to kick off our special summer Sunday Forum series. Homelessness is a complex and perplexing issue in our community. Come hear how 3 agencies that are supported by Grace Church are seeking to help. We will hear how Family Promise, Overhead Cover and the Compass Center of United Way are seeking to ease homelessness in 3 different and unique ways!
Students, teachers, and school staff of all ages are invited to bring their backpacks/satchels to be blessed during the 10:45 AM service on Sunday, August 6.
We still have an abundance of both the incredible book commemorating our stained glass windows, as well as the Grace cookbook, recordings of organ concerts on the Cassavant organ, coffee mugs, and license plates! Beginning this Sunday, we are making these items available for anyone who wants to take one or two home with them. So look for the give-away table and take a piece of Grace home with you!
Construction for our bicentennial project renovations is currently scheduled to begin Thursday, August 10! Most of the interior of The Grace Center should remain open during construction, but will only be accessible via the connector corridor from the main campus. All exterior doors will be blocked for entry. Some parking may still be available in the lot next to the Grace Center, but you will need to walk down the sidewalk and enter the building through the St. Francis Garden.
Parish Office
The “front desk” of the parish office will move into the greeting area during some phases of Grace Center renovations. If you need to visit the office please enter the building through the St. Francis Garden. If you are stopping by to see a certain staff member we recommend calling ahead, as there may be days when the majority of the staff are working remotely. Unless otherwise noted, the front desk in the greeting area will be open Monday – Thursday from 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
To help supply food to our neighbors in need, churches in the community have been participating in directed food drives all summer. Directed drives ensure we have the most common items needed for our clients. So, one church collected peanut butter and jelly in May, another signed up to collect cereal and breakfast items in June.
Grace Church signed up to collect the following items in August:
Members of our Outreach Committee will distribute collection bags on Sundays beginning July 30 and we will be collecting items the entire month of August. Donations can be left in the lower foyer on Sundays or brought to the parish office Monday – Thursday from 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM. Thank you!
During the month of August, we will be collecting school supplies to be donated in early September to White Sulphur Elementary School. A box for donations will be in the lower greeting area near the columbarium, or you may take them to the church office.
All donations welcome, suggested items are: #2 pencils, spiral notebooks, glue sticks, blunt tip metal scissors, Crayola crayons, washable markers, wide rule filler paper, pocket folders with brads, highlighters, zip lock bags, hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes, index cards, and boxes of facial tissue.
In addition, there is a need for disposable pull-up style undergarments to fit 6-8 year old children.
This annual ministry not only serves a genuine need in our community, but offers a priceless opportunity for Grace to have a hands on connection with the administration of this school. If you are a retired educator, please consider taking on this collection ministry. For more information about what it entails, please contact Cynthia.
Many of us are getting ready to “fall back” into a routine, as some of us (or our children, or our grandchildren, or our great grandchildren!) start back to school. Have you wondered about some self care? Is it time to step up your wellness game plan to find more ways to work on balance, flexibility, and strength with yoga? Are you hearing the old adage “Move it or lose it?”
Come join us for “Fall Wellness Chair Yoga or Fall Wellness Flow Yoga” and bring a friend or loved one! In our classes we frequently use scripture, prayers, meditations, and basically pray with our bodies. We are a community of spiritual folks who want to take care of ourselves in order to thrive and live more fully into God’s Kingdom.
Chair yoga meets on Mondays at 2:45 PM or Thursdays at 10:00 AM and flow yoga meets Mondays at 3:45 PM or Thursdays at 11:00 AM. The classes are free. All levels are welcome and many modifications are offered. The links for classes can be found in the “On the Calendar” section at the bottom of every email newsletter. Just log on at your convenience.
For information contact Karen Murphy.
Grace Church is hosting Family Promise at The Homestead on McEver Road August 14-18. We will be responsible for providing dinners on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday that week, alongside spending time with the families and providing activities for the children while we are there. We will also need people to donate breakfast and lunch items. To volunteer please contact Tricia McDuff.
Save the date and plan to join us Sunday, September 10 as we kick off the new program year at Grace! Christian Education classes for children, youth, and adults will meet from 9:30 – 10:30 AM.
Look ahead to upcoming opportunities for prayer, worship, and community!
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