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News from Grace Episcopal Church ~ Martinez, California
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What do the Dead Sea Scrolls tell us about the Bible?
The Rev. Sidnie White Crawford, Ph.D.
Sunday, June 11, 12:30 p.m.
Many people have heard of the Dead Sea Scrolls, but few people know what they say or why they are important. This lecture will shed light on how the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls has dramatically increased our knowledge of the history and text of the Hebrew Bible.
Sidnie White Crawford is the Willa Cather Professor of Classics & Religious Studies at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. She is an internationally recognized scholar in the areas of Dead Sea Scrolls and Textual Criticism of the Hebrew Bible, and is the author of several books on the Dead Sea Scrolls. She also happens to be Rev. Deb's sister.
Free and open to the public, this presentation will be held in the Parish Hall, Grace Episcopal Church, 130 Muir Station Rd., Martinez.
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Providing "Brain Food"
We are excited about the upcoming Dead Sea Scrolls presentation being held at Grace on June 11. In order to be as hospitable as possible to our guests, we have indicated that we will be providing food for the event. Our Senior Warden, Stan Applegate, is coordinating this effort and needs your help. Please let Stan know (stally011@comcast.net) if you can contribute. Thanks in advance for your generosity!
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Happy Birthday to the Church!
This Sunday, June 4th, is Pentecost
, the day the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles in tongues of fire.
We honor this day by wearing the color of fire, so wear your "red best!"
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Supporting our service members
We will be adding a section to the weekly Prayers of the People for those serving on active duty in the U.S. military. Please send any names you would like included to Jennifer at
info@gracechurchmtz.org.
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It takes a village
If you enjoy spending time at our lovely campus
on Sunday mornings, please think about what you might do to help maintain it. The beautiful landscaping and repair work at Grace is largely done by committed parishioners. During the summer we are hoping to host a buildings and grounds work party, which will include all kinds of opportunities to contribute sweat equity to our church. We also are planning some bigger projects (new signs! more lighting! a new deck!) for which we will need all hands. If you have any special carpentry, electrical, or construction skills or are simply willing to follow orders and enjoy the camaraderie that comes with good hard work done in community, please let our Junior Warden, Les Marks
lestermarks@hotmail.com know.
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Food is Love
Our Senior Warden Stan Applegate is forming Grace Church's official "Casserole Patrol." He is looking for folks who are willing to help provide meals to members of the parish in need of assistance during busy or stressful times (such as illness or a new baby). You can help out in a variety of ways - cooking, delivering, or simply making an extra batch of something you're cooking for your family and putting it in the church freezer so that we have some meals on hand. This is an important ministry that gives joy to both team members and recipients. Please contact Stan if you are interested
stally011@comcast.net.
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Summer BBQs kick-off this Sunday after the 10:00 service
On Summer BBQ Sundays, following the 10:00 service, head on over to the Parish Hall for a great meal and fellowship. Burgers (meat and veggie), hot dogs, buns and condiments are provided. Side dishes and desserts are potluck (as you are able). No charge for the meal, and all are welcome! This coming Sunday's BBQ will include a baby shower for Nica and Shannon Kleinschmit who are expecting twin girls!
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Sunday School Recognition
This is the last week of Sunday School for this academic year. We would like to gratefully acknowledge Barbara Brooks, Marj Leeds, Chandra Damele, Connie Hodgson, Mary Canale, Sandy Taylor, Dianne Ostermiller, the Lowe Family, Sally Applegate, and Elizabeth Richards for their dedication to the Christian formation of our young people. Many, many thanks to you and enjoy the summer, young ones!
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Summer Sunday School
We need volunteers to help the children with an activity during the first part of the 10:00 service on Sundays during the summer. The goal is to keep the kids safe and give parents a break. There is a wide variety of activity supplies in the Sunday School area to use. Look for the sign-up sheet in the parish hall.
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Make a joyful noise!
We would like to invite folks who, for whatever reason, cannot make a regular commitment to our music program to share their gifts with us during the summer months. If you sing or play an instrument and are willing to help fill the gap left by the choir's absence, please let our Music Director Gary Evans
evans_alfred@yahoo.com know!
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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.
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News from Fr. Jeff!
We are happy to report that our former Interim Rector, Fr. Jeff Frost, has been called to be the Interim Rector at St. Augustine's Episcopal Church in Oakland. He reports that he is very excited and we wish him well and all good blessings in his work there.
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Altar Guild Needs You!
As with many tasks in our church community, the larger the team, the lighter the workload. The Altar Guild team is in need of new volunteers. No experience necessary and training is provided. If you are interested in learning more, Altar Guild Director Elaine Quigley would love to hear from you! Call or email Elaine at 925-787-0080 or
elaineq@sbcglobal.net
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Bills don't take vacations!
Summer is coming 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!
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