News for July 20: Help Stuff Backpacks, Charis Circles, New Date for CE, and more
Hands On Outreach Opportunity: Come Help Stuff Backpacks
Our school supply drive is running through July 25! If you’d like to contribute supplies or make a monetary donation, see the details in a separate article below.
Looking to get involved in a hands-on way? Come help us pack backpacks on Saturday, July 26 at 10 AM in the parish hall. Everyone is welcome to join!
The filled backpacks will be blessed on Sunday, July 27 and delivered to Lula, Myers, and Tadmore Elementary Schools ahead of the new school year.
Inaugural Park Lecture
A Voice for the Voiceless: The Spiritual Practice of Discovering Our Whole Story
We are grateful to welcome the Rev. Dr. Cynthia Park back to Grace on Saturday, August 9 to lead the School for Prayer and Spiritual Practice’s inaugural Park Lecture!
Have you ever wondered why our Sunday lectionary readings omit certain biblical passages, stories that are disturbingly violent or which raise more questions about the nature of God than they answer? What about in our own lives, which also include selected stories, constantly rehearsing key words and ideas that present a certain “edited” picture of who we are and why we do the things we do?
A verse from one of the proverbs describes the duties of a wise king, including maintaining a temperate disposition, in order to be present to those persons in the kingdom whose voices have been silenced and their needs ignored. In the same manner, our well-tempered self awareness can help us be mindful of all the persons in our own “kingdoms” whose presence and voices have been ignored, leaving us the worse for it.
Spend some time exploring the spiritual practice of giving voice to the silenced or hidden parts of your own story. This therapeutic practice can bring healing not only for us, but for our ancestors, and the blessing of a healthier legacy for our descendants.
What Park Lecture: A Voice for the Voiceless
When Saturday, August 9, 2025; 9 AM—3 PM
Where Grace Church
Cost $10/$20/$30, includes lunch
Register at the link below by Sunday, August 3
St. Benedict Icon
At Sunday services on July 13, our new icon of St. Benedict was presented to the church. St. Benedict was a sixth century abbot who wrote a rule of life that is still being practiced today, some 1500 years later. The icon will hang in the Chapel.
To learn more about St. Benedict, go to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benedict_of_Nursia
Communion
We are enjoying fresh baked bread for Communion this summer! The bread on July 20 is lovingly made by Keaton Gossett. The wine is a port from Chateau Elan, a favorite of Beth Neidenbach & Jim Bradley.
A Summer with the Psalms
Each week’s sermon in June and July focuses on the psalm appointed for the day. This is a wonderful opportunity to delve more deeply into this rich resource in our practice of faith.
Backpack Blessing
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, July 27.
School Supply Drive
Our school supply drive continues until July 25, with a goal to pack at least 50 backpacks!
Supplies 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 Monday – Thursday from 10 AM – 4 PM or to church on Sunday. full supply list
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 contribution can be made by clicking this link: Make a Contribution Select “Outreach” as the contribution type and note “school supplies” in the memo line.
Please contact Karen Takada from Grace Church Outreach Ministry with questions.
Christian Education & Spiritual Formation
Given that new rhythms generally begin with the new school year, teachers would like to try moving the start of Christian Ed a little earlier this year! So instead of September 7, we will begin classes on Sunday, August 10. This will give us time to get settled before we take Labor Day weekend off. Read the next post for more details about classes and schedules with children and youth!
Introducing Charis Circles at Grace
Our recent trip to the Charis Mandala in New Mexico introduced us to a wonderful opportunity to further develop our inter-spiritual conversations and community life at Grace. The Charis Circles are an intentional framework for shared meditation and conversation that encourage a deeper relationship between people from different spiritual traditions. While our group there was made up of Buddhists, Sufis, Catholics, Jews, shamans, Quakers, and Episcopalians, it became clear to me that the intentional community we are fostering “works” just as well with people on the same pew. While we worship alongside each other, we do not share our deeper stories and perspectives with one another very much. We may sit next to someone for years, and not really know them. Then, when we find our community in anxious times, we are surprised that we do not have a level of depth to foster a more resilient relationship.
It is our plan to bring this Charis Circle framework to Grace this fall. We are looking at both in-person and online options, to further be present to those from different communities and schedules. We want to foster as diverse a community as possible, to be reminded that it is possible to learn more about one another’s stories and spiritual practices in a way that nurtures compassion and peace. These circles show us how important it is to actually be aware of the richness of another spiritual tradition rather than relying on shorthand and catchphrases that we have picked up. Put another way, we may have an opinion, but it is clear now that our opinions need to be not only educated but grounded in an appreciation of the practice and lineage of other spiritual traditions from around the world.
Such an approach is something that the Anglican Tradition has long engaged in. Our deep appreciation of the Incarnation invites us to discern God’s presence throughout life, and our resonance with poetry, music, art, dreams, metaphor, and beauty helps us see connections with people from all the world’s traditions. In this way, we pattern our lives after Jesus himself who crossed social boundaries to meet people, hear their stories, and encourage healing and wholeness.
We will gather on Sunday morning, August 10 during the 9:30 Sunday School hour to learn more about the deep meaning and structure of the Charis Circles, so I invite any interested people to come share in that conversation. From there, we will find a time to begin this fall, and I have no doubt that our times together will be deeply meaningful.
If you have any questions, just let me know, and I look forward to seeing you.
Always,
Stuart
Dates for Your Calendar
Look ahead to upcoming opportunities for prayer, worship, and community!
- July 26 Stuff Backpacks
- July 27 Backpack Blessing
- July 31 Women’s Book Study
- August 9 Inaugural Park Lecture
- August 10 CE begins
- September 14 Parish Feast Day & Picnic
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!
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