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Grace Episcopal Church
Parish News
For the Week of July 19, 2020
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Sunday, July 19
7th Sunday After Pentecost
8:00 am Holy Eucharist
10:30 am Holy Eucharist
(Please register if you are attending at 10:30 in person here)
We are working to address our livestreaming issues at the 10:30 service. We have increased our internet speed this week from 75 MGS to 200 MGS and will have our Mevo camera directly connected by an ethernet connection. We are also planning to record the 10:30 service and post it online after the service is finished. We appreciate your patience.
Regathering Plans for Grace Episcopal Church
The opportunity to regather is not a sign that the risk of contracting the virus has diminished. We are keeping a close watch on the doubling rates of infection in our state. We will suspend regathering if the rates reach a critical point in our community.
The best source for local information on coronavirus transmission in Virginia is the VA Department of Health website:
http://www.vdh.virginia.gov
Information is updated daily.
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.
Movie Night on ZOOM
American Creed
with discussion afterwards
Please join us
Wednesday, July 22 at 7 pm for showing of
American Creed with discussion afterwards.
In the PBS documentary, American Creed, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Pulitzer Prize-winning historian David M. Kennedy, Stanford University professors, come together from remarkably different backgrounds, life experiences and points of view to explore the idea of a unifying American creed. Their spirited inquiry frames the stories of a range of citizen-activists striving to realize their own visions of America's promise across deep divides.
The movie, American Creed, is part of the Sacred Ground series on Race and Faith. 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, Latino, and Asian/Pacific American histories as they intersect with European American histories. Grace Episcopal will offer this series this Fall. If you are interested in joining this class please email
sharon@graceepiscopallexington.org
.
From the Minister of Music
Judy Schram, Martha, and young folk invite you to join our ukulele group on Wednesdays at 4pm!They meet by ZOOM. Email martha@graceepiscopallexington.org if you are interested or even a little bit curious!
What is your hidden talent you want to share with the world? Stay tuned for opportunity! And it will raise money for the Boys Home!
Martha is attending the Hymn Society Annual Conference (at which she was to be a presenter in Atlanta) this week. Of course, she is not in Atlanta, rather at church or at home. As this is Continuing Education, she will be limited in her correspondence at Grace for the week.
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.
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.
COC and ECW Working Together
The Christian Outreach Committee (COC) and the Grace Episcopal Church Women are working together to help Yellow Brick Road Early Learning Center in Lexington. Together, they're funding the purchase of no-touch thermometers for each classroom. These rather expensive, required items are urgently needed to assure the safety of the children and staff during this time of the Covid-19 virus.
The COC funds come from the Kroger Community Rewards Program. Thanks to all parishioners for their participation in this program, the rewards from which continue to allow us to expand our outreach funding. Thanks also to those who donated spare change and supported ECW fund-raising events, such as the St. Nicholas Day Fair.
Yellow Brick Road is requesting men's large, button-down, long sleeve shirts. These shirts will help reduce staff exposure to illness. Staff will wear the shirts when in direct contact with infants and toddlers; such as when they are washing, feeding or holding these children.
If you can donate men's shirts, please take them directly to Yellow Brick Road. For further information, contact Misty Camden at 540-463-7344 or ybrearlylearningctr@gmail.com
Watering Help Needed
The Property Committee is organizing a schedule for watering the new plants in front of the Parish Hall and Church. A few people have been watering so far, but with would love some extra help.
The Parish Hall plants will need 30 seconds each daily. (The hose is next to the gas meter.) The Church plants require 30 seconds each on Monday and Friday only. (The hose is to the left of the stairs going into the church.)
You could pick a day of the week or a specific week, you could choose the Church, Parish Hall or both. You could work alone or in pairs.
Please let Elizabeth Boetsch know
(elizaboetsch@gmail.com) if you can help and she will send out a schedule. We will plan to continue this through September depending on the weather.
Thank you for considering this and for helping our new landscaping thrive during a long, hot summer.
Yard sale cancelled; funds still needed
for South Sudanese Students!
Sadly, it does not seem safe to hold our Sudan Mission Yard Sale scheduled for July 11, so we will not be collecting any more sale items in the Parish Hall. Many thanks to those who have already donated goods! Proceeds of selling them on Facebook, starting July 1, will go to the South Sudan Student Fund.
The fundraising will go on, however, so that John, Mary and William from Tonj, South Sudan can pursue secondary education in the 2021 academic year (January-December). The goal is $3,500. The Christian Outreach Committee has already given $1,500 to this effort.
If you would like to make a cash donation to help complete the goal, you can send a check to Grace Episcopal Church with "South Sudan Students" in the memo line, or make an online donation by selecting "Community Outreach" from the drop down menu on the church website at
www.graceepiscopallexington.org/give
In spite of the global pandemic brought on by Covid-19, the students are making excellent progress under the care of their bishop, the Rt. Rev. Peter Yuol Gur. Your donation will give them the opportunity to continue their education for another year. Thank you very much!
Bridge to Hope Food Pantry
Bridge to Hope, a food pantry operating out of the Church of the Nazarene in Buena Vista, would appreciate food donations as they strive to meet that local community's needs during this time. Especially needed are staple items (such as flour, pasta, rice, oil) and condiments. Donations may be left in the bin just inside the Grace Episcopal Church Parish House door, under the bridge. Bridge to Hope is staffed completely by volunteers and they would welcome anyone who might have a couple of hours to spare. Volunteer work entails packing boxes for curbside pick-up. For further information about volunteering contact Cressia "Sam" Roberts at 540-460-9131 or
RARA Needs Boxes
RARA is in need of small to medium sized boxes to distribute food to clients. They can be brought to the RARA food pantry, 350 Spottswood Drive, Monday-Thursday, 9:00 to 4:30 p.m. or just left outside the door after hours. Now that recycling in the city is ending, all those Amazon boxes can be recycled for use at the food pantry.
Things are staying busy at RARA this summer, and they would love for you to join them in helping our community! Their volunteer opportunities are posted on
GivePulse or call 540.463.6943 or email
volunteer@raralex.org if you have any questions!
Below are several volunteer opportunities that need extra volunteers.
Drive-Thru Food Pantries
RARA distributes close to 300 tons of food each year, and that hasn't changed as we operate as a drive-thru! Volunteers are needed to check in shoppers, gather food, and take it to their cars. Spots are available on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 2-4:30pm and Saturdays from 9:30am-12pm.
Partner Pick-Up
Through our local partnerships, we reclaim over 40 tons of healthy food destined for the landfill each year. Volunteers pick up bakery, produce, meat, and deli items 6 days a week from Kroger, Food Lion, and Walmart. We are looking for regular volunteers or substitutes on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday mornings.
Color Me Healthy
Help us show kids how fun and colorful healthy eating can be! Volunteers will bag produce for our summer produce market, which distributes fresh fruit and veggies to families participating in school meal programs. Shifts are open on Mondays from 9-11am. (Tuesday shifts are currently full.)
I Can Help
The COVID-19 virus will leave some of us in Rockbridge isolated and vulnerable and others better positioned to help out. We are working together as an unofficial group of neighbors in the region who want to help match people who are experiencing hardships from COVID-19-related issues with volunteers who have offered to provide help. If you are healthy with no underlying conditions, you may want to volunteer for in-person assistance to others, such as delivering food or supplies or running errands. If you are more comfortable offering assistance from your home, there are options for that as well. We will be doing our best to direct you to up-to-date organizations that need volunteers or to match you with people who have indicated need. After you fill out the form, we will let you know where you can be most useful based on what we are hearing. THANK YOU, KIND PEOPLE.
I Can Help
Birthdays for the weeks of
July 19 and 26
Jeff Mason (7/19) Lisa Tracy (7/20) Catharine Gaylard (7/21) Trey Lewis (7/26)
Paul Robblee (7/28) Susan Minor (7/28) John Brooke (7/29) Margaret Haberman (7/31) Alexandria Brown (8/1) David Cox (8/1) Henry Porter (8/1)
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