Grace Episcopal Church 
Weekly Update
August 4, 2020
AN INVITATION FROM THE DIOCESE FOR LABOR DAY WEEKEND
On Sunday, September 6 (Labor Day Weekend), we will gather online, as the Diocese of Virginia, for a worship service led by your bishops. Bishop Goff will preach and Bishops Brooke-Davidson and Taylor will be there, too.
We want to gather with you – and we want to give your devoted priests and pastors a break. As you know so well, your clergy have been working heroically since early March with online and outdoor worship, pastoral care, and formation, all in a strange new world of electronic connection. We honor their commitment and we hope that you will be as eager as we are to create a tiny sliver of real Sabbath time for them. 
Details will be coming shortly on the technical questions – we expect to offer this service in multiple modalities that will be accessible to as many folks as possible. Please mark your calendars for this worship service with the 60,000+ members of the Diocese of Virginia, and many friends, families, saints, and seekers. Can’t wait to see you there! (copied from the Diocese E-communique dated July 31, 2020).
Register Now for the First-Ever LGBTQ+ Diocesan Retreat
Saturday, August 22 | 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. via zoom
Join us for a virtual retreat and deepen your walk with Christ in a spiritual space designed by our community, for our community, sponsored by the Diocese of Virginia. Yes, we are having a virtual retreat following the need to care for the most vulnerable among us. Our keynote speaker will be the Rev. Elizabeth Edman, Episcopal priest and author of Queer Virtue: What LGBTQ People Know About Life and Love and How It Can Revitalize Christianity. Edman will focus on an introduction to Queer Theology. Our program of prayer, conversation and reflection will be from 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m., with a chance for virtual lunch and sharing until about 2:00 p.m. Come and share your whole self with God and the Church without pretenses, start new friendships with people across our Diocese, deepen existing relationships, be at peace in the presence of God and your fellow siblings.
Click here to register. Don’t wait – registration ends on Thursday, August 20, as we will need your email information for the virtual invitation. Questions? Contact lgbtqministrydiova@gmail.com. (copied from the Diocese E-communique dated July 31, 2020).
Sermon
Click here to see Emily's August 2nd Sermon or the Sunday Worship Facebook Live Service.
Readers for Worship - We are looking for readers to assist with worship at the 10 am outside service as well as the 11 am Facebook Live service. Let us know if you are interested in serving for one or both services. If you have a good connection at home and would like to participate only virtually at 11 am, email Cindy at gracechurch2955@gmail.com so she can give you instructions. Either way, we hope you can help out!

Becoming Beloved Community for August - Our racial reconciliation work will continue this month. Hopefully, you received the Becoming Beloved Community Enews distributed yesterday with new resources to explore. If not, click here to see what we will be discussing.

Community Prayer Service - Join us this Friday, August 7th at Noon on Facebook Live for our monthly Community Prayer Service.

Local Food Trucks - If you don't feel like cooking, the Essex Bank in Goochland (Sandy Hook Road) is having a food truck in their parking lot every Friday for lunch or dinner. We will start highlighting which truck will be serving and at what times. This week is a Thai Truck for dinner.

Women's Group - Please join the Grace Church Women's Group this week as we talk about future goals and structure. We will meet tomorrow, August 5th at 5:30 pm. Link information is below:

Join Zoom Meeting from your computer:
Meeting ID: 813 6755 2835
Passcode: 034052
This Sunday at a Glance

We will gather together outside on Sunday at 10 am.

We will also be sending the printed sermon to you via email on Sunday morning as well as hosting a Facebook Live Session at 11 am.

Lectionary Readings for August 9, 2020
Matthew 14:22-33
1 Kings 19:9-18
Psalm 85:8-13
Romans 10:5-15