Seeking and Serving Christ in all Persons

Parish News For the week of June 5, 2022

SUMMIT

Join us on Saturday, June 4, 9 am - 1 pm in the Parish Hall and discover Invite Welcome Connect at Grace Episcopal Church! Invite Welcome Connect is a ministry of transformation that equips and empowers congregations

and individuals to cultivate intentional practices of

evangelism, hospitality, and belonging.

Lunch is included!

Click here to let us know that you are coming

Rooted in the Gospel directive to "God and make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:19) the vision of Invite Welcome Connect is to change the culture of The Episcopal Church to move from maintenance to mission. 

Jenni Faires, DIOSWVA Canon of Youth and Evangelism

will be our facilitator for the day.

Come, join us in Mission!

Mission Mondays

Join us on three Mondays and one Sunday this Summer for service in our community.

Our first Monday is June 6. Grace will host the Hiker Dinner at St. John's in Glasgow. Glasgow is a popular destination for hikers on the Appalachian Trail. Shuttles are available from the trail to Glasgow. Glasgow has a shelter with a hot shower, a hostel, a post office, Dollar General, and a restaurant. The restaurant is closed on Monday so St. John's Episcopal provides dinner on Mondays for hikers from May to July. They usually have +/- 30 hikers.

St. John’s was recently interviewed by WDBJ7.

Dinner begins at 6 pm. We’ll need people there to set up at 5:30.

The menu is usually

Baked spaghetti/ baked Ziti with and without meat.

(5 large, 9x13 or larger Aluminum Pans with meat and 1 without meat, COOKED)

4 or 5 loaves of bread (Walmart sells sliced French bread for $1 each)

3 large bags of salad

Fruit (Apples, Oranges, Bananas)

Email sharon@graceepiscopallexington.org if you can help!

Other mission opportunities this Summer

June 20 - Community Closet in Buena Vista - sort donations, clean up and painting

July 11 - Campus Kitchens - pack lunches

July 24 - RARA Food Pantry - restock shelves

Prayer Vigil for Buffalo

C.A.R.E. (Rockbridge Community Anti-Racism Effort) is holding a prayer vigil for victims in Buffalo 6pm, Tuesday, June 14 at Richardson's Park. Please join in the vigil and with some of Grace's musicians who will help lead the singing and music.

From Our Minister of Music

Time to put on our Ralph Stanley! "And so my aunt had this old banjo, and my mother told me, said, which do you want, the pig or a banjo? And each one of them's $5 each. I said, I'll just take the banjo." ~Ralph Stanley

6:30, Thursday, June 30 COMMUNITY SING ON THE COURTYARD! Bring some eats and beverages. We'll sing old songs and new songs, folk songs, and camp songs. Remember "One bottle of pop, two bottles of pop"? Invite your buddies. Bring your fiddles, guitars, ukuleles, and cow bells. 

How to Tell a Story

That great storyteller, Jesus, knew the power of stories. Stories connect us and inspire us. When we share our stories, we learn of each other’s hopes, values, tribulations, and jubilations. We all have stories to share. Will you join me in some reading and later workshopping to share our stories?

The Moth Radio Hour has just published a book How to Tell a Story. Will you join me 6:30-8:00 on three Thursday evenings in July: 13th, 20th, and 27th to read excerpts and engage in playful practice? Email me at martha@graceepiscopallexington.org or marthooo@gmail.com or call or text me at 804-514-8839. I also encourage you to order the book!

Music in the Garden

Grace Episcopal Church has joined in the 2022 sponsorship of Music in the Garden at Boxerwood. The first MITG was canceled because of rain. Join your Grace family  

Friday, June 10, from 6:30 – 8 pm for the Shester, Datz, Newhall Trio. Gates open at 5:30. Pack a picnic, bring a chair and we’ll see you there!

Upcoming Events for MITG

Friday, June 24   Fatty Lumpkin and the Love Hogs

Friday, July 8   Beverly Street

Friday, July 22   Caravan of Fools

Friday, August 12   Honest Labor

Friday, August 26   The Ruckus Bluegrass Band

Summer Camp at Phoebe Needles

Coffeehouse of Rockbridge

Grace Episcopal Church is the new home of the Coffeehouse of Rockbridge. The Coffeehouse had its yearly Prom on Friday, May 20. The event brought out 30 guests and their caregivers/family members. The prom was quite a success--a pasta and salad dinner, cake, corsages and boutonnieres for all, dance music by DJ Kenny, and a surprise guest jazz vocalist. The next Coffeehouse will be held in September. 

Virginia Boys Home Cottage Sponsorship

Virginia Boys Home Cottage Sponsorship is a commitment by Grace Episcopal Church to sponsor one cottage at the home near Covington, Va. The Home has Episcopal roots and accepts boys from 5 to 18 years old. Organizations that choose to sponsor a cottage are asked to contribute $2500 each year for the upkeep and maintenance of the cottage. Grace Church has opted to go further than financial support by engaging with the boys on a personal level. We have recruited individual sponsors from the parish for each boy - to write to them and visit them occasionally. We also plan fun events for all the 9 boys, usually in the Lexington area.

Since our sponsorship started, the boys have been transferred to many different cottages. However, we have chosen to keep sponsoring the same boys regardless of their cottage. Our program currently has 7 Grace Church parishioners who are sponsoring boys. These boys have either been troubled boys or from troubled homes.

We currently need a Grace Church parishioner who will coordinate this work and sponsor a couple of boys who are currently without a sponsor. The following represents the main duties of a coordinator:

1. Boys will be graduating and what new boys we sponsor should be discussed.
2. Grace Volunteers may decide they do not want to volunteer any longer. May need to recruit new volunteers.
3. Plan with help of Grace team members occasional events such as visiting a Grace sponsor home and having a picnic, a swimming/picnic event at a lake or pool, a campout at a sponsor home.
4. Encourage Grace Volunteers to visit their boy(s) at the home and to keep writing to them.

This is a rewarding and needed program. Anyone who chooses to coordinate or be a sponsor for this program will receive more than you give. But then, that is true with most giving.

For additional information, contact David Gates at michaeldavidgates@gmail.com or 261-1410.

BY THE GRACE OF GOD

AND WITH THE CONSENT OF THE PEOPLE

THE RIGHT REVEREND MARK A. BOURLAKAS

BISHOP OF SOUTHWESTERN VIRGINIA

WILL ORDAIN

SAMSON JAMES MAMOUR

CARA ELLEN MODISETT

WILLIAM WESTWOOD YAGEL

TO THE SACRED ORDER OF DEACONS

IN CHRIST’S ONE, HOLY, CATHOLIC AND APOSTOLIC CHURCH

SATURDAY, THE EIGHTEENTH DAY OF JUNE, 2022

AT 11:00 A.M.

GRACE EPISCOPAL CHURCH

123 W. WASHINGTON STREET

LEXINGTON, VIRGINIA 24450

YOUR PRAYERS AND PRESENCE ARE REQUESTED

Hosting Ukrainians 

A local group has begun planning to host families from war-torn Ukraine.

A first meeting has taken place, with all attendees expressing an overwhelming wish to help. The community-based group, “Hosting Ukrainian Families,” welcomes others to participate, to be a partner in helping ease the humanitarian crisis that is unfolding in front of us.

If you would like to answer a call to join us, please let us know at JerryNay@jerrynay.us .You will be sent progress reports with information on how to take part.

Vestry Minutes

Vestry Minutes are available on our website under the vestry tab.

Happy Birthday

Anne Tyler McCabe (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)