This Sunday’s Gospel • Mark 1:1-8 The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, “See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way...[continue reading]. Lectionary scriptures are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible. Please join us online for virtual worship on Sunday, December 6 at ghtc.org via YouTube.

Virtual Baptism This Sunday This Sunday will be a special worship service as it includes our first virtual Baptism. The Baptism liturgy was done offsite, in advance, with only the family present, observing strict safety protocols. Those portions where the parents and godparents speak their parts were recorded and have been inserted into our Sunday worship video to make it a virtual public Baptism. Please make every effort to participate in this worship, as every GHTC member has an important part in voicing their support and prayers for the candidate Eloise Poston, her parents Kyle and Catherine, and her godparents.

Coffee Hour Continues This Sunday Join Mother Kim on Sunday, December 6, 2020, via Zoom to talk about the Revolutionary Love Project, the Advent Love Packages which went out to our Episcopal Campus Ministry students, and the work of Valarie Kaur, Film Maker, Activist, Author, Lawyer, Mother, and Sikh leader. If you are interested in finding out more about where this movement started you can watch this video before Coffee Hour on Sunday.

Have You Turned In Your Pledge Card for the 2021 Generosity Campaign? Regular, faithful pledges of parishioners support the annual operating budget of the church. If you have not turned in your pledge, it takes about two minutes to securely pledge online, or you can contact Judy Bowman to set up an automatic bank draft or monthly credit card payment. Thank you for making your commitment to GHTC early; it helps the Vestry and the Finance Committee plan for 2021. If you are interested in donating appreciated securities to the church, check out this document for brokerage information. Your generosity is appreciated!

Festival of Advent Lessons and Carols The adult choir and James River Brass will present a pre-recorded Festival of Advent Lessons and Carols, including music by Cooman, Handel, Holst, Praetorius, Rutter, and Thomas, on Sunday, December 13 on our YouTube page and website. The soloists will be Courtney Scottow, soprano; Caroline Whisnant, soprano; Victoria Williams, soprano; and Chase Peak, bass. Dr. Elizabeth Melcher Davis, Lawrence Heath and Mark Koontz will be the organists and Hope Armstrong Erb will be the pianist. The music will be conducted by Dr. Elizabeth Melcher Davis and Hope Armstrong Erb. Featured music will include “Adam Lay Ybounden” by Carson Cooman and the hymn “Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending.”

Winter Wellness 2020-2021 Thanks to Estelle Brodeur and Caroline Coffill, partnering with Mother Kim to bring us resources to connect our Bodies, Minds, and Spirits during the long, dark, lonely winter. We will offer a weekly invitation to care for our whole being. Recognizing the need to care for the Bodies, Minds, and Spirits which God has given us during this winter, in particular, may be challenging. Resources will be on our website, Facebook, and eNews beginning on 12/23, running through 3/10. We will meet as a group to check in on 1/13, 2/10, and 3/10 at 1:00 p.m. Please prepare your hearts, minds, and bodies for the season and program to come by praying this prayer daily:  Loving God, You know us in our whole being. Help us in this season to embody wholeness, health, and wellbeing. Be our companion on this journey. May we support one another, to listen to you, and to provide space for our bodies, minds, and spirits to grow day by day. Holy Trinity you have taught us how to live in community let us live like you. Even as we are physically apart from one another. Amen  Join us for an informational Zoom meeting on 12/16 at 1:00 p.m. to learn more about how you can participate, to ask questions, and to meet other folks who are interested in this seasonal support group!

Christmas Ministry We are grateful to say we have exceeded expectations in our Christmas Ministry with Dumbarton Elementary School! We now have 24 students who have been sponsored. There are currently no more children to sponsor, but we encourage everyone to donate towards Kroger gifts cards for families. Thank you for your generosity and keep in touch with Nancy Smith for more information about gift collection and distribution dates. Gifts should be picked up or delivered between Dec 7-13. Drop off in Church parking lot is Dec 13 from noon-1:00 pm. Gifts will be given to families on Dec. 14.

Christmas and New Year’s at Red Door As the virus numbers continue to climb, Red Door Ministry has pivoted again. We originally had a volunteer crew lined up to serve a meal on Christmas Day and on New Year’s Day, but we have had to change our approach with the new guidelines from the Governor. On Friday, December 18, 2020, when we distribute our bagged meals, we will also give each person a gift card for two meals. Knowing that folks will not go hungry over the holidays is essential to our continued ministry to hungry and food-insecure people in Richmond. If you are interested in donating towards these cards' purchases, please donate our online giving form by December 10, 2020. At last count, we had reached $420.00 from community members outside of GHTC, which is about halfway towards our goal. Mark your donation Red Door Christmas so that we know it goes towards this one time purchase.

Race at Grace As we continue to endeavor to respect the dignity of every human being, and love one another as Christ loves us, with God’s help. You are invited to add your own recommendations to the list of reading, watching, and listening materials on our website and to participate in the journey towards racial equity, relationship building, on your own journey. Recent additions to the resources have come from Nick Sollog and Nancy Trego. Thank you for the recommendations! Contact Mo. Kim or Bill if you’d like to add your voice to the conversation. A link and a short reflection of the material is greatly appreciated.

Next Steps Committee Your Vestry is constituting a committee to look at the next steps for us as a parish to respond to the important issues of racial equity and justice. In order to tap into your wisdom and commitment, the Vestry is seeking parishioner volunteers to be a part of this committee. If you are interested, or just want to know more, please contact Thomas Ewers or Barbara Derry.

Staying in Touch Over the past few months we have continued to stay in touch with our church family. If you’d like to join one of these fellowship groups, please contact the leader listed below or click here to learn more. Donna Campbell's group will include a weekly devotion and informal conversation with a focus on the positive. You can reach Donna at 804-389-0477. Chase Peak will be facilitating a six week faith-based personality study featuring I Said This, You Heard That conversation resources. Kathleen Thomas will explore Christian themes in art, music, poetry, and literature.