The nave, in spite of being considerably surprised to find itself host to both services on Sunday, is eager to offer its amenities again this Sunday at both 8 and 10;45 a.m. (it especially enjoyed the resonant voice of the organ, which it feared had moved to Cincinnati).

Though the numbers in Chattanooga are improving, we are still firmly in the era of COVID and thus a need for caution, so we are asking that all who attend either service wear masks. The 10:45 a.m. service will be streamed online for those who are unable to attend. You can access the service at Grace's Facebook page , and you can find the bulletin for that service HERE.

Even though vaccinations are not 100% effective against virus transmission, they still remain our best option for reducing illness and death. These vaccines are safe, accessible, and comprehensively tested. Regions where high numbers of individuals are vaccinated are seeing far fewer COVID-related hospitalizations and deaths. It is the best way we have to show love for our neighbors right now, and loving our neighbors is our gospel mandate. If you are eligible to receive a COVID vaccination, but have not yet done so, please do so as an act of community care. Raising the vaccination rates in Hamilton County is essential to the health of all in our community, and essential to our common life at Grace.

If you have questions or concerns about worship practices, please feel free to contact me (aberends@saygrace.net) or Senior Warden, Andy Belcher (belcherandrewr@gmail.com).

The Past is Present -- Laura Bertrand will be leading our final discussion about church history and its relevance today when she talks about the church's recent history of engagement with environmentalism. We will meet at 9:30am this Sunday Oct 24th in the backyard belonging to Grace member Pat Milburn (thanks Pat!). If walking is a hardship, or you're unsure where to go, contact David Burman at dburman@saygrace.net -- we can probably get a car or two in Pat's driveway.

Lectionary Class -- This group will meet in the courtyard at 9:30am on Sundays to look through the readings assigned for that Sunday. Scripture is a wacky and beautiful tapestry -- join us as we discuss diverse parts of it!

Online Class Queering the Scriptures will begin on Monday, October 25. Join Rev. April Berends and seminarian, Sarah Hess as we begin a class on reading scripture with an eye towards God’s care and love for LGBTQ+ people. We’ll explore a variety of ways to read scripture faithfully, take a close look at those passages of scripture that have so often been used as “clobber passages,” and delve into the stories of scripture in ways allow us to connect with our own experiences as God’s people. This class will meet at 7pm on Monday nights via Zoom. Email April at aberends@saygrace.net or Sarah at hessse0@sewanee.edu to sign up or get more information.

-- God is in the waters that flow down the Appalachian mountains near us -- what do these waters tell us as Christians and environmental stewards? Starting next Sunday (Oct. 31) we begin a new Sunday school series at 9:30am in the undercroft. We'll be watching the film Hidden Rivers of Southern Appalachia, using a new curriculum called "Wherever the River Goes," developed by a Care of Creation grant from the Episcopal Church. All are welcome to join!

New Donation Site -- Grace has ended its relationship with Tithe.ly and has moved its electronic giving to Breeze. You may use this link to get there -- should there be trouble with the link, you may use the URL below -- https://graceepiscopal.breezechms.com/give/online .

You can also access Breeze through the Grace Web Page (www.saygrace.net); you'll find it at the right-end of the horizontal menu listings near the top of the page.

New Mailing Address for Checks, Gold Ingots and Bitcoin Passwords -- Because hard economic times have brought some of our neighbors to the point of rummaging through mailboxes in search of potentially profitable documents -- such as a check to the church or the key to Fort Knox -- Grace has acquired a P.O. box to safeguard the valuables that come to it through the mail. This acquisition will do nothing to protect the goods, however, if it is not used, so we encourage you to use it! The address is:

You may send normal mail -- inquiries about flower dates, Presidents' Day cards and photos of the Loch Ness Monster -- to the Belvoir avenue address; pledges and other monetary items should come to the P.O. box.

Betsy

1. GROUNDS WORK DAY, Saturday, October 30th from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Come for all or part; shop the Farmers Market! NEEDED: volunteer to put lunch together for our workers. Grounds workers: bring gloves, hand tools.

3. Brained by Grace (B2G) Community Garden. We have at least two short beds available. Contact Lisa, lemzala@aol.com, or Kristina, jkshaneyfelt@epbfi.com. They rent for $20/year. Also, our positively mandatory season close out meeting will be Sunday, 7 November at 4 pm, in the Pavilion.

Thanks to all the steadfast Grace folks and Belvoir-ites who keep us supplied in heat and cold, rain and drought, pollen and smoke from western wildfires. You provide a lot of padding for the world's sharp corners!

We've got issues here at Grace -- but not the kind that cause feuds, gridlock, and shouting matches at school board meetings. The ones we've got are the new Forward Day by Day magazines -- much more peaceful and helpful than the other sort! You can grab one on Sunday when you come to church -- there will be some in the alcove inside the front door, in the Narthex, on the table outside the choir room and on the ledge outside the office suite.

Those whose pandemic precautions preclude church attendance can avail themselves of the scanned versions below; they are a bit lopsided here and there but are very much readable.

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

& the password is: compline 

The Church of the Good Shepherd on Lookout Mountain invites everyone to "Reflect and Remember," a program of music and worship on Tuesday, November 2, from 7:30-8:30 p.m. Through music and readings, those who attend will be encouraged to recall and reflect upon the many losses of the past 19 months and offer an opportunity for quiet contemplation as we prepare to move forward. Designed in a "drop-in" format, you are welcome to come at the beginning and remain until the end or to come and spend whatever brief time you have and depart when you will. There will be music and silences, words and time for thought, and an opportunity to light a votive calendar in someone's memory, and a litany.

The service will offer music by Frank Bridge, Richard Billingham, J.S. Bach, Dan Locklair, Tomaso Albinoni, and Samuel Barber. Readings will include selections from the Psalms , poetry by Alice Lupton Smith and reflections by The Rev. Judith Whelchel and Dr. Diana Butler Bass.

The program is open to all. Face masks are required, and socially-distanced seating will be maintained. Should you want more information, please contact John Wigal at jwigal@gslookout.com or via phone at the church (423.821.1583).

The church is located at 211 Franklin Avenue, Lookout Mountain, TN 37350; if you go up Scenic Highway, it's on the right before the road forks at the top of the mountain.

In the Anglican Cycle of Prayer: The Extra-Provincial Churches. 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.

In the Diocesan Cycle of Prayer: Pray for St. Luke, Cleveland, TN, and St. John, Browns Valley, SD.