When the screams of innocents dying engulf you, how do you hear God's voice? Will God and God's people call you to life when your breath is being strangled out of you? For people of color living each day surrounded by violence, for whom survival is not a given, vocational discernment is more than "finding your purpose" - it's a matter of life and death. Patrick Reyes shares his story of how the community around him - his grandmother, robed clergy, educators, friends, and neighbors - saved him from gang life, abuse, and the economic and racial oppression that threatened to kill him before he ever reached adulthood. A story balancing the tension between pain and healing, Nobody Cries When We Die takes you to the places that make American society flinch, redefines what you are called to do with your life, and gives you strength to save lives and lead in your own community.

Preschool Arts Camp Meeting – Sunday, July 16, Noon    Volunteers will have a 30-minute meeting right after church (Noon?) in the Merritt room to discuss preschool arts camp. We will keep it as quick as possible!    

Preschool Arts Camp  July 18, 19, 20 -- 9 a.m. to Noon  

ATTENDEE Information -- Please park in the upper parking lot. Then walk up the sidewalk to the third floor/office door at 9 a.m. The room is the second room on the right. Children need to bring a marked water bottle and a change of clothes. If you can, please bring a booster (dining) chair to leave with us for camp. Parents should pick up kids by noon.    

ENROLLMENT Information -- It's not too late to enroll in Preschool Arts Camp. Toddlers who are not yet potty-trained can attend with a parent or grandparent. Ages 3 to 5 can come alone! Please email Maria at mhurt@saygrace.net or text her at 503-4531 to learn more.

Summer Choir returns this Sunday -- July 16! Regular choir members, those who would like to “try out” the choir, and those who like to sing but don’t have time during the program year – all are welcome. Interested parties should come to the organ loft at 9:45 a.m. to rehearse the music to sing at the 10:45 a.m. service. The choir will not process, and members are welcome to sit with friends and family, coming forward to sing at the Offertory. There will be one more summer choir opportunity after this one --  on August 6. Mark your calendars and warm your vocal apparatus: come sing to the Lord a new song!

Though the Food Pantry has not yet reached Mother Hubbard  status, there are some bare spots on the shelves. If you’d like to help fill these gaps, please consider bringing cans and/or packets of some of the items listed below to church on Sunday:  

Kid-friendly vegetables – corn, mixed veggies, carrots, peas

Pinto beans

Macaroni and cheese

Breakfast bars

Kid-friendly soups – ABC Vegetable, chicken noodle, chicken and rice

Packets of instant potatoes  

Please avoid bringing goods that are normally used as ingredients for home-made soups and dishes, such as chicken broth; it has few calories, and the homeless and cash-strapped people we serve often lack facilities to cook and the money to buy supplementary foods. Even cream-based soups can be trouble, since many of our clients can’t obtain milk. The most useful items can be opened without special equipment, have some calories in them and require little past heating to prepare.

Thinking about EfM? Registration has been extended until August 1. If you’re wondering what the program is and how it might be helpful, see the information below.  

What is EfM?   EfM stands for Education for Ministry.          

Education – Not education in the traditional sense of tests and grades, but in the sense of self-study and an opportunity to explore with others by discussing what amazed you or bewildered you or confused you or lifted you up.          

Ministry – Not ministry in the sense of a path to be ordained, but in the sense that all the baptized are called by God to be ministers in the world. The purpose of EfM is to help you discover where God is in your life and what ministry God is calling you to do.  

Do any of these questions or statements resonate with you? Many in EfM have found . . .  

Where is God in my confusing life?    ( Vocabulary, tools, and a safe space for their understanding of God to unfold)    

How do I integrate head and heart?      (A reflective practice which structures the connection between head and heart, leading to insight and action)    

How do I develop my ministry and my gifts?      (A renewed understanding of ministry and affirmation of their gifts)    

My life feels empty.      (A deep faith and sense of meaning -- I am seeking community and not finding it)    

Many in EfM have found a community where they can safely explore their lives, even in a tumultuous time of transition.    

Want to know more? Please visit the website http://efm.sewanee.edu and please contact Gaines Campbell (gcampbell@videousa.com, 423-715-3545) or Janet McCollough (janetmccollough@gmail.com). 

Need placemats? Hot pads? Coasters? Towels? Pillows? Come by the bookstore and prowl through some lovely items made by Grace’s Quilters and their associates. Useful items and excellent gifts! Reasonable prices!

Last Sunday afternoon and evening, the five candidates for Bishop came to Grace to meet and get a briefing from the Diocese before heading into a week of Walkabouts. Deacon Chris Harpster and the Walkabout Committee send huge thanks to Jerry Evans, who coordinated the reception; to Tom Carroll, Vivian Dodds, John Talbird and Zack Nyein, who put on their super-powered Grace Hospitality Capes and graciously welcomed everyone. The candidates were provided not only with refreshment but with a comfortable meeting space and a tour of Grace Church. When Walkabout Week began, they were nourished, rested, informed and ready! 

Family Promise has a volunteer data entry position available at the Family Day Center located at 1184 Baldwin Street, Chattanooga, TN 37403. The position is once a week. The day and hours are negotiable between 8 and 4 pm. Training will be provided. If interested, please complete a volunteer application at www.familypromisechattanooga.com or email Mary Ellen Galloway, Executive Director at meg.fpg@epbfi.com.

The Ed Johnson Project has been initiated to create a memorial which acknowledges the lynching of Ed Johnson, honors his memory and the courageous work of his attorneys and recognizes the resulting U.S. Supreme Court case, with the larger purpose of bringing reconciliation to the entire community and uniting citizens towards a better future. The fund-raising goals for the project include, along with dollars for the memorial itself ($400,000) scholarship money ($25,000) and funding for a documentary film about the project ($100,000).  

The Barking Legs Theater will host an evening of community and conversation in support of the project on Tuesday, August 9 at 5:00 p.m. at the theater. Refreshments will be served at 5:00 p.m., and the program, which includes a special documentary screening, will begin at 5:30 p.m.  

For more information about the project, please visit www.edjohnsonproject.com; Facebook at EdJohnsonProject and Instagram at edjohnsonproject. To donate, visit the webpage and click the “Donate” button. To get involved, please email edjohnsonproject@gmail.com or call (706)980-5824.