Dear Friends,

My father's family came over from the British Isles and settled in Massachusetts. One of my great-great-....grandfathers is buried at Old North Church. For them, Thanksgiving was all about the landing at Plimouth Rock.

My mother's family also came from the British Isles and one branch settled in Virginia. For them, the first Thanksgiving took place at Jamestown, more than a decade before the Plymouth Landing.

For my baptized family, meaning the Body of Christ, the first Thanksgiving took place far from either spot and a very long time before. The first thanksgiving, or "Eucharist" took place in an upper room in Jerusalem before that first Good Friday. During this Thanksgiving, bread and wine were the main attraction for food. During this Thanksgiving meal, our Lord washed the feet of his followers and instituted a meal we still gather for each and every Sunday.

This Thursday, as you share your time with others, remember the importance of servanthood as well as your blessings. Remember what Jesus sacrificed for you to inherit eternal life.

In the Way of Love,

Debbie

This Sunday

Parish Prayer List

Please keep the following in your prayers:

David Stonehouse, Linda Layne, Daniel Brundige, Josh Cummings, Whitney Goodhue, Evan Wagner, Garrett Graves, Gerald Tucker, Allison Mascolo, Melissa Glassman, The Bishop-Tanquay Family, for Max Joyce, Inga and Todd and Family, Mel, Melissa Glassman, Corey MacNeil, Helen Phillips, Zan Duffy, Dianne, Sarah Colvin Duffy, Michael Towey, Jenny, Loretta and Kris, Deb Papps, Derek Fuller and Family, the LGBTQ+ community, the people of Palestine, Afghanistan, and Ukraine; the Salem Public Schools and for an end to racism, war, anti-Semitism, gun violence and oppression. If you have prayer requests, please email regathering@gracechurchsalem.org by Tuesday at noon for publication in that week's e-news. week's e-news.

Anti-Racism Advent Calendar

Week One - Hope: We have hope in God’s loving purposes as we await the fulfillment of justice. This first week, we will spend time in reflection as we acknowledge some of the ways racism impacts our lives so that we may be better prepare to receive the love of God into our hearts at Christmas.

Sunday: Concentrate on slowing down. Consider what controlled your time this week and who controlled it. What did it take you away from?

Monday: When have you stepped out of your comfort zone when addressing issues of race? What did you need to do it? How can you become less defensive in these discussions?

Tuesday: Reflect on the past week. When did your sense of “rightness” not allow an opportunity for you to offer grace instead?

Wednesday: What one thing could you do today that would be a reclamation of the hope of the end of racism? Where would you be willing to “march”?

Thursday: Consider a church tradition that you love that has been/was upended by the pandemic. Did you imagine a new way of expression?

Friday: How would your experience of the Holy Family been different if you had grown up with a BIPOC crèche?

Saturday: Today we consider how we define community and we ask, what is your first reaction when you hear someone speaking a language other than English? Why? 

Advent Outreach Project

Dear Grace Folk!

As we contemplate the meaning of this season and begin to slow down, get quiet and still, and prepare our hearts for the most wonderful gift of our Lord, we are invited to offer our own gift to some of our most marginalized people in the city. During Advent, please bring a ‘gift’ for a Lifebridge Basket which will be at the entrance of the Church. A member of Grace Church will take the week’s donations to Lifebridge after services each week. The most needed, and heartbreakingly simple things needed are: Gloves, Hats, Socks, Pocket Handwarmers, Toothpaste, Women’s Sanitary Products, and Disposable Razors.

Thank you for whatever you can provide materially, and if that is not possible for you, we thank you for directing your thoughts and prayers to this segment of our community. Look for the Lifebridge Basket as you enter the church.

Bible Study

Bible Study will resume via Zoom on November 30th at 6:00 pm. All are invited to join us as we engage with Scripture and one another.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83774667817

Christmas Memorials and Thanksgivings

This is a way for you to name those people or events that you wish to have remembered or thanked during this Christmastide. Please put your name, the amount you are donating to our Christmas Fund, and the names and occasions you wish to have printed in all the Christmastide service leaflets on this slip. Then attach your donation to the slip and put it in the plate or bring it to the office. All need to be in the office by Monday, December 19th.

Stewardship

Last week, we had our ingathering of pledge cards, those tokens of our financial commitment to Grace Church for the upcoming year. If you have not given us your card yet, please send it in, drop it off, or email us at gcis1@verizon.net with your 2023 pledge.