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Grace Episcopal Church
Walking in the Way of Love
Parish News
For the Week of August 30, 2020
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Sunday, August 30
13th Sunday After Pentecost
(Please register if you are attending at 10:30 in person here)
We will regather for worship this Sunday. Please see this message from Fr. Tuck for more details. In-person attendance is limited to 41 households or individuals. Masks and social distancing required. Communion will be distributed in bread only. Our services will also be offered online on Facebook Live at 8 & 10:30
Family Morning Prayer 9:15 am (ZOOM)
Join us this fall on the 2nd, 4th and 5th Sundays at 9:15 am for a 25 minute service as we journey with Moses, from his birth to the leading of the people of God to the Promised Land. We will practice Walking in the Way of Love by prayerful gathering, hearing and responding to God's Word and praying for the Church and the World.
This fall we are offering additional services to support and engage our families. Any member of our parish and community are invited and welcomed to participate. Please invite a friend !We are asking that families to take an active role in planning and actively participate in each of these new services.
Our family service schedule beginning August 30
1st Sunday Holy Eucharist 10:30 am (Nave)
Shortened Inter-generational service with Fellowship lunch afterwards (After COVID)
2nd, 4th and 5th Sundays Family Morning Prayer 9:15 am (Nave)
We will practice prayerful gathering, hearing and responding to God's Word and praying for the Church and the World.
3rd Sunday Family Holy Eucharist 5 pm (Brooke Family Room / Undercroft)
followed by a meal (After COVID)
These devotions for all ages invite you to engage in the discipleship practice of Reading, Reflecting, and Responding to Scripture in the context of community.
Each devotion is written for a particular age group pairing, so you can have conversations with everyone, no matter where they're at in life. The Adult and Small Child pairing is designed for preschool students and younger; the Adult and Elementary pairing is for children in elementary (or grade) school; the Adult and Youth pairing is for youth in middle and high school; and the Adult and Adults pairing is for use with young adults and adults.
Music Ministry
Making Front Porch Music is enjoying a surge these days. Uke Group-our ukulele choir will begin fall practices on Wednesday, Sept. 9. We have been meeting at 4pm. If you are 10 or many multiples of 10 years old, join us. We're playing and singing "Amazing Grace," "Come to the Table," and other songs for worship, as well as front porch favorites. We have room for beginners and welcome advanced players! Bring the family. And, if there's a better time, or if you are a beginner who wants one-on-one time, let me know! Uke Group: led by Martha Burford and Judy Schram
In the Book of Proverbs we are advised: "Trust in God with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding." This fall will be different for the choir, as we continue to sing, praise God, learn, and support each other. Our songs will be mostly recorded. Our virtual rehearsals (for the time being) will focus on skills: vocal technique, theory, sight reading, ear training, and will also offer some music history and theological delving into hymnody. Zoomtime will open at 7 on Thursdays with "checking in," followed by some focused work. Focused time will end around 8:00 and the zoom room will remain open for a while for those who wish to talk.Thursday, September 10 is fall start up for rehearsals.
October 10 Fundraiser for the Boys Home of Virginia:
Virtual Concert for the Boys Home of Virginia! #BoysHomeofVirginiaMusiciansWhoCare Tickets will soon go on sale for the concert, which will premiere on Oct. 10 and be available for some time after. Over 25 musicians from Rockbridge to Alexandria to Richmond to Seattle to San Francisco to Jackson, Mississippi, to Los Angeles will offer music in this amazing concert! Names to be announced soon. Ticket prices will be tiered. ALL DONATIONS will benefit the Boys Home of Virginia. Stay tuned for more details. And, yes, we would love more musicians, so keep 'em coming!
Treasure Hunt for Hidden Talents: A second part to Oct. 10's Boys Home Fundraiser! #BoysHomeofVirginiaTHHT What Hidden Talents do you have? Juggling? Making beautiful flower arrangements? Tying a cherry stem in a knot with your tongue? Playing "Twinkle-Twinkle Little Star" on a saw or on water goblets? Practice up! More details next week!
Organ: You may notice on Sundays some new, not so wonderful sounds from the organ. Praise God for the years of service it has given for the glory of God. And, thanks be to God for its chance, soon, to retire, as we welcome a new Casavant!
Morning Prayer, Monday - Friday, 8:30 am
Compline, Monday - Thursday, 8:30 pm
If you are interested in leading a night of Compline please let Sharon or Martha know.
Sacred Ground begins September 23
Sacred Ground is a race dialogue series developed by the Episcopal Church and is framed as a spiritual journey, grounded in the Christian faith - in the example of Jesus Christ and the power of scripture, prayer, God's grace, and the Holy Spirit to help us step closer to the dream of beloved community. The focus of the materials is the history of race and racism in the US.
The 10 part series is built around a powerful online curriculum of documentary films and readings that focus on Indigenous, Black, Latinx, and Asian/Pacific American histories as they intersect with European American histories. This is a race dialogue series designed for these times. It is an attempt to be responsive to the profound challenges that currently exist in our society. It is focused on the challenges that swirl around issues of race and racism, as well as the difficult but respectful and transformative dialogue we need to have with each other about them. It invites participants to walk back through history in order to peel away the layers that brought us to today, and to do so in a personal way, reflecting on family histories and stories, as well as important narratives that shape the collective American story.
Sacred Ground is a Becoming Beloved Community initiative of The Episcopal Church, a long-term commitment to racial healing, reconciliation, and justice in our personal lives, our ministries, and our society.
Grace Episcopal will offer this series starting September 23. If you are interested in joining this class please see the registration form above.
For more information about Sacred Ground please see
https://episcopalchurch.org/sacred-ground
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.
From the Sudan Mission Group
THANK YOU! WE ARE ALMOST THERE!
God is working in our parish! Many parishioners and members of the larger community, including a family from the South Sudanese community in Roanoke, responded to the virtual yard sale and made cash donations to send John, Mary and William from Tonj, South Sudan to school in Kenya next year.
Funds raised to date toward the goal of $3500:
Donations and virtual yard sale. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. $1,357.75
Christian Outreach Committee grant. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1,500.00
Remaining to reach our goal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. ...... $ 642.25
Since 2003, we have recognized annually the life and work of the Rev. Dr. Marc Nikkel, a missionary priest and teacher from this diocese, who brought us to know and care about our brothers and sisters in the Sudan of the late 20th century. Traditionally, we have had Sudanese and South Sudanese visitors here to worship and to share a meal, but this year's health crisis prevents such a celebration.
However, September 3rd is the 20th anniversary of the Rev. Nikkel's death. We can still honor him by completing our goal to further the schooling of John, Mary and William. You can make a cash donation in two ways: Send a check to Grace Episcopal Church with "South Sudanese students"in the memo line, or donate on line by selecting "Alta Fowler-Sudan Outreach"from the drop-down menu on the church website at https://www.graceepiscopallexington.org/give/. Help us get to the finish line by Sunday, September 18!
Thank you again!-
MJ Mayerchak for the Sudan Mission Group
Community Table Drive Through Dinner
Rockbridge Area Transportation System
1st Annual RATS Mystery Tour August 2020
1st Annual Mystery Tour virtual fundraiser. Participants in the fundraiser will look for clues online to solve a mystery. The mystery is a real, unique event in the history of RATS.
Several local businesses have agreed to be Mystery Tour Guides by placing clues on their websites or facebook pages. For a $25 donation to RATS, participants in the fundraiser will be given a Mystery Tour Map with the mystery and list of websites where the clues are hidden.
All detectives who correctly solve the mystery by August 31, 2020 will be entered into a drawing to win prizes. The grand prize is 3 nights at Sycamore Bend on the Cowpasture in Bath County. Other prizes are from Pumpkinseeds, Vinyl Cuts, Brew Ridge Taps, Pure Eats, Walkabout Outfitter, and Books & Co Toys Too!
RATS is a non-profit started in 1995 by Joan Manley who uses a power wheelchair as the result of being hit head on by a drunk driver. RATS provides transportation to people with and without disabilities to medical appointments, social activities, grocery stores, and more.
Habitat for Humanity is in need of Volunteers
The Rockbridge Habitat for Humanity needs volunteers to finish several important construction projects. If you or someone you know is able to dedicate a few hours a week to work with Habitat, please contact Leo Decanini, the person in charge of construction, at (571) 259-3145 (call or text).
Writers needed for the Rockbridge Memoir Project
Have you been wishing to record your personal or family history? The VMI English Department is extending an invitation to Rockbridge community residents to participate in their annual Rockbridge Memoir Project, offered as a free, 6 week course on Tuesdays, 9:30-10:45AM starting Sept 15. No experience writing your memoirs required! Participants will partner with cadet students in live, online classroom setting on Zoom to learn and share memoir craft, culminating in a live podcast of memoir readings. If you are interested or have questions, please contact Stephanie Hodde, Assistant Professor of English at hoddesl@vmi.edu or by phone, 540-460-4225 (cell).
Masks for Public School Children
Grace Episcopal is joining with the Blue Ridge Masketeers to provide face coverings for the public school children in Lexington City and Rockbridge County Schools.
We are seeking volunteers to help us meet this critical need.
Seamstresses are most welcome however we also need volunteers to:
-Help prepare mask kits
-Deliver kits
- Collect completed masks and
deliver them to central collection
- Offer monetary support to
purchase supplies
We welcome you to join with us in our effort to protect our children when they return to the classroom.
If you are interested in helping please contact Kay Lera.
540-463-3568 Klera@rockbridge.net
A Message from Rockbridge Christmas Baskets
With temperatures in the 90's, Christmas may seem far off, but the folks at
Rockbridge Christmas Baskets are already hard at work. This year poses an enormous challenge for this wonderful, community-based organization that has been delivering food and toys to families in need every Christmas for 75 years. They are getting early - but strong - indications that demand for the food and toys they deliver will be UP while the donations they so greatly rely on will be DOWN.
If you are able to give to this worthy organization, you are almost certain to land on Santa's Good List. So click on the link below and help RCB fulfill its mission to ensure that no one in our community goes without during this holiday season.
http://www.rockbridgechristmasbaskets.org/
Birthdays for the weeks of August 30 and September 6
Harrison Branner (9/2), Buster Lewis (9/3), Ella Sayre (9/3), Estella Crocker (9/3), Gail Dick (9/4), Ned Henneman (9/5), Sue Ann Huger (9/6), Susan Cross (9/7), Delea Bowerfind (9/8), Marlys Craun (9/9), Henry Eichelberger (9/9), Ham Smith (9/11), Mary Etta Randolph (9/11), John Dinkel (9/12).
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