There hasn’t yet been time to compile photos of last Sunday’s Celebration of New Ministry at Crissey Farm – so, for now, this image of the clergy who were with us will just have to do! (I only wish I had a photo of the people we were all looking at when it was taken, as that would be a far better representation of the day…)

And what, really, can I say about the day?

That it was spectacularly full of warmth and generosity and hospitality? That the Bishop was kind and generous as he always is, and that Rich Simpson was exuberant in his support? That the people and clergy of St Paul’s and Christ Trinity joined us with the kind of generosity that speaks of Christ in our midst? That the Word was preached with rare power and gentleness by our Brother Curtis Almquist, SSJE? That the choirs of Grace and of Christ Trinity filled us with hope and joy? That we were able to reaffirm our Baptismal vows, and be blessed with water made holy by us all under the leadership of three astonishing children in our midst? That we shared prayers for the world and the church and each other? That we blessed, broke and shared Christ’s body together in great gratitude for all he has done and is leading us into? That we missed several, beloved members of our community who were with us in spirit but not in person, or over zoom – and that we prayed healing and peace and joy upon them? That right in the middle of the liturgy, the Spirit took over and prompted us to sing Happy Birthday to a girl who turned six (Koa Hutchinson) and a woman who turned 70 (the Rev. Margaret Bullitt Jonas)? That the staff at Crissey Farm transformed the space from sanctuary to banqueting hall with effortless grace? That the food was delicious and abundant? That new friends were made over the languorous meal which wrapped things up? That old friends were moved to tears? That gifts were exchanged – and laughter, and hugs?

All of these were true. And none expresses the power, or – as one of our community members likes to say - the ‘flow’ of the day.

Perhaps it is simplest, and truest, to say that it was a day we all made together – each in our own way, offering our gifts for the benefit of the whole. These offerings -- of self, of love -- are the building blocks of community alive, and yesterday it was plain for all to see how, together, we become so much more than the sum of our parts.

Thank you, Holy Spirit, for your presence among the people of Grace. And thank you, people of Grace, for your openness to the Spirit. I am so grateful to have finally (and officially) arrived in your midst.

Please pray for me.

Tina xoxo

Praying for each other and for the needs of the world is a vital mission of Grace Church. To add a prayer request to this list, please contact the Church Office 

[email protected] or by phone 413-644-0022.

Join us beginning at 7 p.m. via Zoom as we look at Gregory Boyle’s best selling book, Tattoos on the Heart.  

For twenty years, Gregory Boyle has run Homeboy Industries, a gang-intervention program located in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles, the gang capital of the world. In Tattoos on the Heart, he distills his experience working in the ghetto into a breathtaking series of parables inspired by faith.

Learn about the Doctrine of Discovery. In 2009, the 76th General Convention of The Episcopal Church repudiates and renounces the Doctrine of Discovery as “fundamentally opposed to the gospel of Jesus Christ and our understanding of the inherent rights that individuals and peoples have received from God.” The resolution calls for the church to examine and eliminate its policies, programs and structures that contribute to the continuing colonization of Indigenous peoples and directs the Office of Government Relations to advocate for the U.S. to sign the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

'It's Been Erased: Stockbridge Mohicans Retell, Reclaim Their Story In Berkshires. Listen to the story from WBUR.

In the new documentary “My Name Is Pauli Murray,” filmmakers Betsy West and Julie Cohen paint a picture of an unsung trailblazer who remains relatively unknown despite her lasting influence on American society. Episcopalians know her as the first African American woman to be ordained a priest and as a pioneer in the struggles for racial and gender equality.

“My Name Is Pauli Murray,” premiered online in January at the Sundance Film Festival and is now playing in select theaters. Washington National Cathedral will screen the documentary for an in-person audience on Sept. 30. It will stream on

Amazon Prime beginning Oct. 1.

This week EfM started an ‘interlude’ book, which the whole group read together, instead of separately reading the Old and New Testaments. Hospitable Planet looks at the five books of Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy) and makes the case that scripture calls us care for creation. 

Genesis 1:28 says “God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” Stephen Jurovics, the author of Hospitable Planet, argues that western society’s interpretation of the word ‘dominion’ has led to our climate crisis. If, he argues, we read the rest of the Torah thoughtfully we will see that at every turn and on every issue, our ‘dominion’ is constrained by the need to care for the health of the community, the wellbeing of animals that feed us, and the environment in which we live.  Our discussion was enlivened by the attached picture of William Shatner aka ‘Captain Kirk’ in his Blue Origin space suit upon return from his recent brief flight to space.

A 66-year-old (Jack Nicholson) retires, deals with his wife's sudden death and tries to stop his daughter (Hope Davis) from marrying a salesman (Dermot Mulroney).

To join, or to find out more Click Here. To join this Zoom meeting, Click Here

(Meeting ID): 370 191 823 (Password): 385337

Revolutionary Road

Monique Kirchoff will lead our discussion

(Meeting ID): 370 191 823

(Password): 385337

or call 646 558 8656 US (New York)

You can reach the church office by email: [email protected]