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. Bring your own shotgun and ammo if you have it, but we will have plenty of loaner shotguns and ammo available. No gun? No problem! No prior experience required. Everyone should also bring ear protection, i.e., ear plugs or ear muffs. We will have a few available in case someone forgets.
For planning purposes, please submit the online form and let us know you are coming by Wednesday, May 26. 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.
We will need volunteers before (setting up), during (serving drinks and replenishing supplies) and after (cleaning up) the parish picnic on Sunday, May 22. If you are available and willing to help, please sign up at the link below. We appreciate you!
Prayer and Parchment, our monthly space that explores our practice of prayer and texts and resources that we have found meaningful in our lives, will take a break in May and June. We will next meet in July and hope you’ll consider participating.
Many women of Grace and St. Mary and Martha’s Episcopal Churches will enjoy a weekend of rejoicing, reflection, and renewal May 13-15 at the Montreat Retreat and Conference Center in North Carolina. Please keep them in your prayers while they are away!
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.
As you may know, each week or so I want to highlight a particular ministry of the parish as a way to both thank those who share their gifts and also increase awareness of the spaces where more folks can share the talents God has given us all. This week, I want to highlight the vergers, those spectacular souls who help coordinate the entire liturgy at Grace. Looking back on this last Sunday when Cynthia was away with family and I came down with COVID, it highlighted all the more how blessed we are to have an extraordinary verger team at Grace. I was able to reach out to the vergers on Wednesday, and, together, we made plans to support the Revs. David and Betsy Powell who were gracious to step in on very short notice to hold the service.
Over my nine years here, I have experienced vergers as a sign of the strength of this community, and I would be remiss not to mention how Dwight Hutchins captained the verger program for over twenty years at Grace. He was my first verger here, and I will be forever grateful for his leadership and support. Dwight retired as a verger, but we still find ways to make sure his presence is known in the parish!
Our current three vergers are Jason Voyles (head verger), Scarlet Pendarvis, and Tate O’Rouke. Their presence in the Sunday services, funerals, and other special services ensures that things go smoothly. I don’t have to tell you after all this time that I am known for losing track of some details—what?—and this team of extraordinary souls always make sure that the acolytes, readers, intercessors, oblation bearers, ushers, and chalice bearers all work together as we share in the Holy Eucharist. Every good rector (meaning every smart one who knows their limits, etc.) should be thankful for a verger corps that can help manage the myriad details on a Sunday morning. I am extremely thankful. Vergers help the clergy stay present on the people, and, together, on our worship of God. And that is the heart of all that we do as a community.
So, if you see a verger on Sunday or any time (sometimes they are camouflaged in the wild), take the time to tell them thanks for all that they do.
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.
I don’t know about you, but some days during the last two years found me going through our closets and cleaning stuff out. Strange things. Some things I swear I have never even seen before. It was helpful and gave us space in our home. When the staff and others came back to the office, we discovered this same need at the church. To that end, we have scheduled a week-long clean out, May 12-13 for COG and 16-20 for Grace. We are going to work to gather up old files, knick-knacks, flower guild supplies, altar guild supplies, and other things that we can purge. We hope to freshen things up so that we can then look toward a time of planning and pacing this summer—as we look toward fall!
So, if you are a ministry chair person, committee head, or parishioner who knows your group has things stored in any closet in the building, now is the time to consider if it needs to be kept. The staff have a plan to see if we have seen anything used in the past few years, and, if not, we plan on putting it in the bin. We encourage you to come up the first of next week and go through anything you know is here, with the intent that we all clean out between May 16-20.
I always remember that “purgation” is the first step on the classical framework for spiritual growth. Purgation nurtures illumination and supports a space for an awareness of union. So, see, even cleaning can be a spiritual practice!
Stuart
We’re planning a Food Truck Party this summer at Vacation Bible School! Using Matthew 6:11; “Give us this day our daily bread”, children are invited to pray as Jesus teaches. These words serve as a reminder that everything we have comes from God – and our daily needs are met by God. Through Bible stories, worship, games, crafts, and other activities we will explore the countless ways God provides, loves, and cares for us and talk about how we can join God in providing, loving, and caring for others.
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.
Grace Church typically honors high school and college graduates each spring. Our annual recognition bulletin will be provided as links to a digital slideshow and a printable .pdf document in the May 22 issue of our email newsletter. Graduates will also be recognized during the 10:45 AM service May 22.
If you will graduate (or have a child graduating) this spring/summer, please submit the online information form on or before Sunday, May 15. Information submitted after the deadline will not appear in the slideshow or printable bulletin but high school graduates would still be recognized at church.
Graduate Information FormLook ahead to upcoming opportunities for prayer, worship, and community!
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