The parish picnic is this Sunday, May 22, immediately following the 10:45 AM service.
If the weather is nice, we’ll gather on the Brenau lawn. You may want to bring a hat if it’s sunny! In the event of rain we’ll have our picnic in the parish hall.
Delicious chicken and beverages will be provided. Please bring a dish to share according to the assignment below based on the first letter of your last name.
• A-H: Dessert
• I-N: Hot Side
• O-Z: Cold Side
Bring your dish to the parish hall kitchen the morning of the picnic. We have plenty of serving utensils at Grace, so there is no need to bring your own.
This is a wonderful opportunity to gather for fellowship, fun activities, and good food and we hope you plan to attend!
Grace Church looks forward to recognizing our graduates during the 10:45 AM service this Sunday, May 22! You can find links to the digital slideshow and recognition bulletin in our newsletter. Congratulations to our 2022 graduates!
As many of you may remember, a professional photographer visited Grace several years ago to capture images for our website redesign. It was our intention to eventually include a welcome video as well, and we are pleased to move forward with that plan. The communications team from the Diocese of Atlanta will be at Grace Church this Sunday, May 22 to shoot video footage of our 10:45 AM service, parish picnic, and campus, as well as a few interviews from clergy and laity.
Grace Church believes that photos, videos, and other media play a valuable role in creating connections within our faith community and in helping it flourish and grow. Photos and videos tell our story, provide visitors information and an idea of what to expect when they attend our worship services and events, highlight the work of those who serve, and allow us to better communicate our mission within and outside our parish. A welcome video for our website will fit in perfectly with those goals!
You can read our full Photo/Video Use Policy here.
The Men’s Ministry is planning a Skeet Shoot for Saturday, May 28, at White Sulphur Farm (the Hemmer’s home) from 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM. The event will include a BBQ lunch. For planning purposes, please submit the online form and let us know you are coming by Wednesday, May 25. A $10 donation to help defray costs would be appreciated. Additional information, including directions and possibility of ride sharing will be provided to registered attendees.
Women of Grace and St. Mary and Martha’s Episcopal Churches enjoyed reconnecting last weekend at the Montreat Retreat and Conference Center in North Carolina. Grace parishioner Julie Rossi shared the following on our Facebook page:
Just returned from the Women’s Retreat in beautiful NC…it was amazing. These experiences always exceed my expectations. Connecting after a 2 year Covid quarantine made it especially poignant. Recharged my spiritual batteries! Thank you Grace Church, Montreat Retreat center, and all who worked so hard to make this possible. Also, a debt of gratitude to Jean Parks and her generous bequest to this group– she was certainly with us in spirit, and not forgotten.
During the retreat, a $700 donation was collected for the Episcopal Relief and Development Ukraine Crisis Response Fund.
Grace Church will next host Family Promise at the Homestead May 22 – 29. We are responsible for providing dinner to the families on Monday, Wednesday and Friday nights of that week. We will also provide breakfast, lunch and snack items as needed. At the present time there are three families staying at The Homestead—four adults and eight children. Family Promise has asked that we stay to play with the children after dinner and bring our children or grandchildren to interact.
Please email Tricia McDuff if you are interested in being on a team to cook dinner or provide needed food items.
If you were at the service on Sunday, May 8, it was so wonderful to celebrate the Eucharist with families and others who had gathered on Mother’s Day. The rich themes of the readings for what is commonly known as “Good Shepherd Sunday” invited us to reflect more deeply on the images of Jesus as the Good Shepherd who cares for his flock. I loved hearing the way the readings connected to the hymns and special music (including the oboe and Aidan Voyles on the piano!), and I was, once again, so grateful for our parish choir.
Music adds so much to our prayer, not because music is any sort of background but because music, at its heart, is so deeply primal that it reminds us of what we believe the original prayers of our humanity actually were: deeply rooted in mystery, filled with chants, drums, rhythm, voices, and sound. Music is sacred and it is a powerful way to nurture our awareness of God’s presence in our lives.
In that vein, I want to take this moment to thank Lynn Swanson, our Director of Music and Organist, and the parish choir. This fantastic team pours their energy into the life of this community, and their presence encourages us all to pay attention for the ways we can be more aware of our connection with God and one another. So, to the parish choir and Lynn, I say “thank you!” Take a moment to read through their names and share your gratitude for them.
Laurie Bennett, Sue Bowron, Annette Burton, Angie Dayton, Karyl Evans, Albert Gerring, Mike Henry, Felicia Hernandez, Annette Forster, Mike Forster, James Haring, Saria Karhunen, James Marshall, Scott Mavis, Nicole Parks, Betsy Powell, Jay Scovill, Claude Tatro, Amy Thropp, Greg Whitmire
Blessings,
Stuart
We are taking the opportunity over the next few weeks/months to highlight some of Grace Church’s ministry groups and thank all the parishioners who share their gifts with our community.
Kids in rising PreK-5th grade are invited to join us June 21, 22, and 23 from 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM. A $25 donation per child ($20 for siblings) to help offset expenses would be appreciated. Register online at the link below. Participation is limited to 65 children.
The Rev. Laura Masterson and St. Mary & St. Martha Episcopal Church in Buford invite rising kindergarteners – 5th graders to their “Space to Grow” VBS June 13 – 17. Get details and register on their website.
Look ahead to upcoming opportunities for prayer, worship, and community!
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