Grace Episcopal Church
Parish News

For the Week of May 24, 2020 


Sunday, May 24, Easter 7        
Holy Eucharist 8 & 10:30 
8 & 10:30 will be live streamed on  
8 am   Bulletin    10:30 am  Bulletin  
      
Children's Chapel, 9:30, Facebook Live 
 
Are you having trouble accessing Facebook live?
 
Zoom Coffee Hour 
We will have a Zoom Coffee Hour at 10 am
Grab a cup of coffee and check in with your pew buddies!   
Join Here    
 
 
 
Thy Kingdom Come
Since 2016 the Most Reverend Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, has launched an annual global prayer initiative called Thy Kingdom Come from Ascension Day to the Day of Pentecost.  This year he is offering a special edition - Thy Kingdom Come in Lockdown!
 
Archbishop Justin is asking us to pray for five specific people we know and love to become closer followers of Jesus.  It is simple. Think of five people you know and pray for them each day from Ascension to Pentecost to increase in their knowledge of Jesus. To learn more see www.thykingdomcome.global 
 
Parish Office will be closed on Memorial Day, Monday, May 25
   
No Exploring a Prayer Discipline on Monday, May 25  
Exploring a Prayer Discipline will resume Monday, June 1 at 10 am.
 
No Morning Prayer on Monday, May 25
Morning Prayer will resume Tuesday, May 26  
 
Regathering Plans and Considerations: A Message from Bishop Bourlakas  
  Click here 
 
Pentecost Sunday, May 31  
Join us for our Pentecost celebrations wearing something fiery (red) at 8 or 10:30 on Sunday, May 31 using one of these ZOOM links:  8 AM Pentecost Celebration or   10:30 AM Pentecost Celebration.   
 
Send us a picture, a word, a phrase, a slice of life from one of your cross-cultural experiences of Church. Anything we receive by May 25 we will try to include in a video montage for our May 31 Pentecost celebration. Please send them to [email protected]        
 
Did You Know? 
Did you know that you can pay your pledge or make a donation to Grace Episcopal Church online? Go to www.graceepiscopallexington.org From the list on the top right hand side click on GIVE.   
  
Study of the book of Acts, Wednesdays, 6:30 pm 
 
From Our Minister of Music, Martha Burford 
Wonder how we're making music these day? 
Check out this video about Grace's music ministry published by Virginia Theological Seminary. Their Center for Lifelong Learning is offering a series of music ministers sharing about music during Covid. You'll see familiar faces and spaces:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Irs0TbdPZuA&t=6s 
 
We are finding ways to share music and song. Many of you have noticed that the choir keeps contributing to prerecorded music for services. For now, we will  keep doing that, as we cannot gathering as singers in our liturgies. This too shall pass. In the meantime, if you play keyboard or a stringed instrument, when we start to regather, those could be played in the sanctuary. I'd love for folk to volunteer! If you sing or play a wind instrument and want to do a recording, please let me know. If you want to, but don't know how, I can help you, and we'll figure it out! 
 
Father's Day is a'comin round the mountain! The Mother's Day video got lots of feedback. Time for a Father's Day video! Send pictures of the Fathers in your lives. Young pictures, old pictures, new pictures, baby pictures. This time the slides will be numbered, and we'll have a contest to see who can name the most fathers. Prize TBA. If you don't recognize someone in a picture, call around and ask. It can be a team effort! (But don't ask the staff!!!) Send your photos to Martha at [email protected] by Friday, June 5.  
 
Beloved Hymns: Y'all, I know you have hymns that you love and that have formed you. It's a really lovely way to learn something about hymns and about each other. Click on the doc and just type. Or, if you're shy to do that, send me an email, and I'll enter your text into the document. AND make note of your hymn so we can sing it soon. Maybe we can have a zoom hymn-sing!
 
Monday is the last day for sending in your pictures and thoughts about cross cultural experiences. Send to [email protected]
 
United Thank Offering Parish Coordinator Needed 
We are grateful to Julia Littlefield for her faithful service as our Parish UTO (United Thank Offering) Coordinator, during the past sixteen year. Julia would now like to offer this rewarding opportunity to another parishioner. 
 
Clean out your garage* for a good cause!
* closets, cupboards, attics, basements, etc.  
It's almost time for our second annual SUDAN MISSION YARD SALE at Grace, scheduled for July 11, 8:30 am to 2 pm. This year, proceeds from the sale will send three South Sudanese youths, John, Mary and William, to high school for the 2021 academic year (January to December). The goal is $3,500. All kinds of resalable items are needed for the sale. Items may be dropped off in the Scout Room, downstairs in the Parish Hall. If you would like to make a monetary donation, you can send a check to Grace Episcopal Church with "South Sudan Students" in the memo line, or make an online donation by selecting "Community Outreach" from the drop down menu on the church website at

In spite of the global pandemic brought on by Covid-19, the students are making excellent progress under the care of the Rt. Rev. Peter Yuol Gur, their bishop in the Diocese of Tonj, South Sudan. Your donations of yard sale items and cash will help give them the opportunity to continue their education for another year.
Questions? Contact MJ Mayerchak by phone (540-460-3138) or email ( [email protected]).
 
Project Horizon
Project Horizon says that with the increased number of clients they are needing to put people in hotels. Gift cards to grocery stores and microwavable foods (i.e. noodles in a cup, mac n cheese) or easy to fix items (Poptarts, individual cereal) are requested.  Project Horizon can use cleaning supplies and toilet paper.  Donations may be left in the box just inside the Grace Episcopal Church Parish House door under the bridge. Gift cards may be mailed directly to Project Horizon at 120 Varner Ln, Lexington, VA 24450.
   
Christmas in May for Boys Home
Tired of waiting for Christmas and the chance to shop and buy Christmas gifts?  Boy, do we have an opportunity for you!. See the Wish List list below from Boys Home. During this particular time, nothing could be more appropriate than sending some early Christmas Joy for all of the boys!   
 
We would like to fulfill all requests by Tuesday, May 26th.  If you wish to purchase items on the list, please drop them in the "Boys Home" bin inside the side door of the Parish House.  If you prefer to make a donation toward the purchase of items, select "Community Outreach" from the drop-down menu on the church website at www.graceepiscopallexington.org/give 
 
Donations to this fund between Friday, May 15th and Sunday, May 24th will be used to purchase items remaining on the wish list.  
 
The Christian Outreach Committee thanks you for your support of the Boys Home ministry!
   
Boys Home Summer 2020 Wish List
Copier paper
Jump drives (Any Type)
Notebook paper
Composition notebooks
Pencils and pens
Desk size pencil sharpeners (need 10) (Electric)
Hand sanitizer
Disinfectant wipes
3-ring binders (1- and 2- inch)
TI-83 and TI-84 graphing calculators (need 5 to 10)
4-function calculators
Expo markers
3-ring folders
Shampoo
Body wash
Deodorant
Sunscreen
Shaving cream
Socks
Chapstick
Individual toothbrush holder tubes
  
Check out Our Mother's Day Video on Grace's YouTube Channel!  
 
Hospice Virtual Support Group 
Hospice is offering a virtual grief support group on Mondays, at 1pm. Each weekly session will cover a different topic with time to share. If you are interested in joining, please email Susan Bedell, LCSW at [email protected] to get the invitation link.
     
Digital Offerings from our Diocese during Eastertide 
During the Eastertide season the Diocese of Southwestern Virginia is offering Holy Eucharist with Bishop Bourlakas presiding at 10 am and Virtual sessions for Children and Youth on Zoom on Sundays. See   www.dioswva.org
 
Census Workers Needed in Lexington City and Rockbridge County
Jobs pay up to $17 an hour. For more information click Rockbridge Census  Lexington Census 
 
Birthdays for the weeks of May 24 and May 31 
(5/31) Ellie Mastin (5/31) Paula Cushman (6/1) Ed Dooley (6/1) Bill Stearns (6/2) Philip Brooke (6/2) Sophie Brown (6/4) Grigg Mullen (6/5) Bill Luton (6/7)   
 

 Grace Episcopal Church
123 W. Washington Street  Lexington, VA 24450
540.463.4981 [email protected]
 
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