 |
News from Grace Episcopal Church ~ Martinez, California
|
|
|
|
| Photo by Rev. Deb |
|
Scripture of the Week
"For in hope we were saved.
Now hope that is seen is not hope.
For who hopes for what is seen?
But if we hope for what we do not see,
we wait for it with patience."
Romans 8:24-25
|
|
Eating for a good cause
Members of Grace have long-supported the Loaves and Fishes ministry, which serves food to hungry people in downtown Martinez. Loaves and Fishes has recently expanded to include a Culinary Training Program which serves individuals from the Rubicon program for former inmates of non-violent crimes, Career Opportunities, Inc., and Loaves and Fishes. These students are working hard to learn cooking skills
which will translate into full time employment.
We have been invited to join them for a free dinner in which the new chefs will be practicing their skills. Please come and show support and see what is being done in our community.
Thursday July 20 -
4:30-5:30 pm
OR
Sunday, July 23 - 10:00-11:30 am
835 Ferry Street - Corner of Green and Ferry in downtown Martinez
|
We want to hear from you!
The core of our community is our belief in and worship of God and his son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Rev. Deb and the Worship and Liturgy Ministry Team value your opinions about what you love about liturgy at Grace and what might be done better. Rev. Deb has created a short survey seeking input about several aspects of our worship. It will only take
approximately five minutes and your responses are anonymous. We would be very grateful if you will take part. The survey has been emailed to those of you on our Constant Contact list and can also be found on our website, and Facebook page. A printed version will be available in the Narthex for the next several Sundays. Thanks for your participation.
|
|
Feed the Hungry: Start at Home
The Grace Church "Casserole Patrol" is running low on meals! This ministry provides food to parishioners in times of need and right now we have several parishioners experiencing major life events (illness, new babies, for example). Please consider making a double batch of whatever you're making for dinner and dropping off the second at the church. We will keep it in our freezer at the church and one of our delivery volunteers will make sure it gets delivered. Please contact Connie Towey if you can help (connietowey@gmail.com).
|
|
St. Christopher's Guild
The next meeting of St. Christopher's Guild is July 30, between services, at 9:00 a.m. The primary topic of discussion will be finalizing plans for the Colors of Tea fundraiser on August 26 (see link to flyer below). There are plenty of ways to help and support this popular and highly anticipated event (set-up, clean-up, serving, publicity). If you're unable to attend the meeting, but would like to pitch in, please contact Pam Saw or Susan Bremmer (925.348.6309)
|
|
"Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good."
1 Corinthians 12:4-7
What is your calling?
Summer is a good time to think about the specific ministry that God has equipped you to do in the church. Just like the early Christians, we are a community of many different people with many talents and we need everyone to provide for the community. We have recently asked whether you might be called to be a
Lay Eucharistic Minister and assist the priest during the Holy Eucharist, or if you would like to help preparing the church for worship as a
member of the Altar Guild
. We are also looking for folks to help with childcare
during the first part of the 10 a.m. service on Sundays during the summer, and for parishioners and friends with musical talent to
share it during the summer months (and beyond). We also need folks to help with our
Buildings and Grounds
work and
forming a
Christian Education Ministry Team.
Not to forget,
w
e also need help in our office and help with
publicizing our events
. There is a lot of wonderful stuff going on at Grace! Please consider thoughtfully and prayerfully what you can do for the good of the church. Contact
Rev. Deb (
revdeb@gracechurchmtz.org
) with your ideas and she will direct you to the right person!
|
|
Backpack/School Supplies Drive
Our annual school supplies drive is open for business! Backpacks will be ordered soon and we are asking for donations to fill them. Between now and the end of August, donations may be left in the Narthex. Suggested items: spiral bound notebooks (no 3-ring binders or loose leaf paper needed); scotch tape; yellow highlighters; pens (black, blue, red); scissors; colored pencil sets; packages of white ruled index cards; calculators; 12" rulers with inches and centimeters; boxes of #2 pencils or mechanical pencils; handheld pencil sharpeners. No donation is too small. Any amount is greatly appreciated and brings us closer to the goal of filling backpacks for our local middle school students. Thank you for your continued generosity and enthusiasm for this longstanding local outreach ministry. Beth Ilog
eilog@comcast.net.
|
|
There's always something interesting happening at Grace!
This past
Sunday we enjoyed a visit from our special gardening team (goats!) and a successful Disaster Preparedness Seminar from Martinez Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)!
|
|
A Visit from the Archdeacon
On Sunday, August 6, The Venerable David Stickley, Archdeacon of the Diocese of California, will be preaching at both our 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. services. David graduated from School for Deacons in 2008 and from Ithaca College with a degree in business management in 1985. He currently works as Administrative Coordinator for Sojourn Chaplaincy at San Francisco General and on the faculty at the School for Deacons. He shares responsibility for the training and placement of deacons in the diocese. Please come and welcome David to Grace!
|
|
Educate yourself!
We have started a Grace Church Theological Library. It is located in the corner next to the conference table in the Sunday School wing and is a treasure trove of material for you to browse or check-out. There is room for more on the shelves, so if you have books you would like to donate to this collection, please feel free to drop them off (please attach a note with your name and phone number) or contact Les Marks at lestermarks@hotmail.com.
|
Bills don't take vacations!
Summer is here and we know that many of you will be taking some well-deserved time off. We will miss you but promise to be here when you get back. Please remember though that while you are gone the parish still needs to pay our bills. If you are able to catch up on your pledge before you go, we would very much appreciate it!
|
| Share the Good News Want to let others know about the great things happening at Grace Episcopal Church? Click on the link below to forward this E-Newsletter to family and friends! |
|
|
|
|
|
