Red alert! Red alert! The deadline for contributing to GreenGrace's school-outreach is THIS SUNDAY -- August 7! Goods needed are listed below. You may deposit your goods on top of the impressively-burgeoning pile in the Narthex.

In light of Hamilton County's high COVID transmission rate, Sunday School and Children's Chapel will take place in the Pavilion this week.

Grace will host its last worship service on the summer schedule this week with the single service at 10:00 a.m.; next week (August 14), we will return to our traditional pattern of two services, one at 8 a.m. and the other at 10:45 a.m. Those who are not able to join us in the flesh are invited to take part in either the live-stream feed or the recording of the service, both available through our Facebook page. You can find the bulletin for the service HERE.

Though the CDC has Hamilton County in the yellow zone in viral transmission -- an improvement over red but still a matter of concern -- local medical officials have noted in the Times Free Press that the virus in its BA5 incarnation is transmitting quite vigorously in the area. Hospitalizations are up, though not to the point of overload. The use of masks for indoor public gatherings is encouraged, especially for those with pre-existing conditions and immune deficiencies.

Grace is not currently requiring masks, but we want everyone to be aware of the current situation and thus be equipped to make informed decisions.

The monkey grass is blooming, and the song of the cicadas has reached roughly the volume of a 747 during take-off, and there are piles of notebooks, crayons and hand-sanitizer in the Narthex: all the omens indicate that the start of school is at hand! So therefore is the annual Blessing of the Backpacks, through which Grace sends its students and teachers of all levels and ages back to class with a special blessing for the renewed quest for education. The blessing will take place on Sunday, August 14, after the 10:45 a.m. service; because of still-lively COVID activity in our area, the ceremony will take place in the Pavilion. All involved in educational pursuits are welcome!

We are also in need of your used-but-clean plastic grocery bags. We were given a large supply of reusable fabric bags earlier this year, but, having exhausted them and facing high traffic in the pantry, we need to replenish our hoard of the faithful Walmart, Food Lion, and Food City bags.

Another collection that needs beefing up is that of travel-size toiletry items, so if any of you who soaps, shampoos, razors, deodorants and toothpaste/toothbrushes languishing unused in a drawer or cabinet, we would gladly receive them.

We heap much gratitude upon all in the church and the Belvoir community whose constancy and generosity keep us able to help the folks who come to the door. You are all great blessings in hard times!

HERE : https://us04web.zoom.us/j/780772724

& the password is: compline 

With the weather hot, school about to start, and vacation time running out, this is the ideal time to grab a bit of R and R by participating in Grace Point Day on Saturday, August 13, when all Episcopalians of the Diocese of East Tennessee are invited to Grace Point Camp to eat, play and re-create some balance as summer leisure grows more scarce.

The hours of festivity are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Throw your family, your swim pants and your sun screen into the car and head for Grace Point Camp and Retreat Center, 300 Chamberlain Cove Rd., Kingston, TN. Food will be provided. Activities will range from splashing in the pool, hiking on Grace Point’s 280 acres, kayaking to the eagle’s nest, arts and crafts in the art barn, and of course sitting around with a glass of lemonade and hobnobbing with current and future friends. Lunch and drinks will be provided. For directions and more information, visit https://dioet.org/events/grace-point-day/ .

The Diocese has replenished their supply of "God Made You Fabulous" t-shirts and are now shipping them. You can visit the diocesan homepage to find the link or head here to order. They ask a minimum donation of $20.

Alas, the keycard reader on the front door of the church is catatonic and unresponsive to key-swipes, pleas, and invective. Diagnosticians have opined that the problem is not the pad but a disabled connection; tests, scans and embarrassing examinations are doubtless in its future. Further updates to come.

Please use Grace's P.O. Box for dispatches containing money or other valuables: hard times persist for some of our neighbors, and checks have disappeared from our mailbox more than once. The address is Grace Episcopal Church,

The directory can be accessed via the church's webpage (www.saygrace.net). Find the menu item “BREEZE” at the right end of the menu options that sprawl across the screen near the top, click and log in; user name is ‘saygrace’ and the password is ‘Chattanooga.’

In the Diocesan Cycle of Prayer: Pray for the mission of the church (BCP p. 816) and for travelers (BCP p. 831).

In the Anglican Cycle of Prayer: The Church in the Province of the West Indies. The Anglican Communion has adopted a cycle of prayer called "From Aba to Zululand," praying its way alphabetically through its members on a daily basis between January 1, 2021 and September 2023. The newsletter and, in the future, the printed bulletin, will include the prayers for Sunday; if you would like to see the daily prayer requests, you can find them at ACoP.

At the 10:00 a.m. service: Lectors, Dick McGee, Allison Davis; Intercessor, Janet McCollough; Crucifer, Allison Davis; Gospeler, Ashley Birdsall; Lead Usher, Linda Wideman

Genesis 15:1-6; Psalm 33:12-22; Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16;

Luke 12:32-40