Step into Grace
Where strangers become friends
We are an Open and Affirming church. Every one of every age, race, ethnicity, culture, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical or mental ability, or economic status is invited to join us as together we live out the Gospel message of love, forgiveness, service, and justice. No matter where you are in your spiritual journey- you are welcome here.
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Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist
September 19
10:00 AM
All Sunday services in August
will be at Crissey Farm, both
in-person and live-streamed.
Please visit our website:
for up-to-date information and a link to the digital service booklet.
Celebrant and Officiant:
The Rev. Tina Rathbone
Welcome Team......Sieber/Doelman
Lector.................. ..Dindy Anderson
Intercessor.............Kathy Clausen
Altar Guild.............Kirchoff/Haywood
Coffee Hour...........Kirchoff/Grammer
Counters................M. Layton
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ZOOM INVITATIONS
FOR GRACE CHURCH
Seventeenth Sunday
After Pentecost
Holy Eucharist
September 19, at 10:00 AM
in person and on ZOOM
For Zoom
or call 646 558 8656
US (New York)
(Meeting ID): 177 160 858
(Password): 917937
Centering Prayer
Thursdays, at 5:00 PM
Now in person and on ZOOM
To join the Zoom meeting,
(Meeting ID): 203 314 800
(Password): 578877
646 558 8656 US (New York)
Grace Church Men's Group
Future dates to be announced here
Movie Nite
Thursday
October 7, at 6:30 PM
More information in the article below.
To join this Zoom meeting,
(Meeting ID): 370 191 823
(Password): 385337
or call 646 558 8656 US
(New York)
Books and Bread,
Wednesday , October 13
in person at 6:00 PM
On Zoom at 7:00 PM
To join this Zoom meeting,
(Meeting ID): 370 191 823
(Password): 385337
or call 646 558 8656
US (New York)
Third Sunday Supper
(Every Third Sunday)
September 19, at 6:00 PM
Will be in person at
Koi Restaurant, 300 State St.,
in Great Barrington
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Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost |
Mark 9:30-37
Jesus and his disciples passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know it; for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again.” But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him.
Then they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another who was the greatest. He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.”
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Ye watchers and ye holy ones
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For the most up to date information:
please visit the
Berkshire Vaccine Collaborative website,
They will post notice of appointment openings 6-12 hours in advance. You can find answers to your vaccination questions including information about the new Johnson & Johnson vaccine on their FAQ page.
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Covid-19 vaccination
booster shots
are now available for those with certain big-risk medical conditions at Walgreens and Fairview Hospital on a walk-in basis. If you think you might have a qualifying condition, we urge you to go to one of these locations for a booster shot.
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Every day since I first arrived in South County, I’ve wrapped up each day with a walk. The road my house sits on winds its way through a valley of green, edged with ash-blue hills on three sides. A river meanders through the middle of the valley – and sometimes floods. As I walk, I think about the people I have met, and the conversations I have shared in that day. Sometimes I also think about the news I’ve heard on the radio, and about friends and family members. I’ve long known this is a good way to get at least some of the words and thoughts and stories out of my head and into my heart, but I’m not sure I ever thought of it as prayer until I came upon a poem by Naomi Shihab Nye last week named: Prayer In My Boot.
A prayer in a boot? I was thunderstruck. What better way could there be to bring the world in close, I thought, than to literally press against it, step after step, after step? Now I’m planning on writing my own. It won’t be a poem, because I am not a poet. Instead it will be a list, written on a corner of paper torn from a yellow pad most likely, or the back of an envelope. But I will fold it reverently, nonetheless, like the sacred thing that it is, and then tuck it carefully between my sock and the soul of my sneaker before heading out into the healing green of God’s creation. What do you think? Might you try this too?
Here’s Naomi Shihab Nye’s original version to perhaps get you on you on your way.
Prayer in My Boot
For the wind no one expected
For the boy who does not know the answer
For the graceful handle I found in a field
attached to nothing
pray it is universally applicable
For our tracks which disappear
the moment we leave them
For the face peering through the cafe window
as we sip our soup
For cheerful American classrooms sparkling
with crisp colored alphabets
happy cat posters
the cage of the guinea pig
the dog with division flying out of his tail
and the classrooms of our cousins
on the other side of the earth
how solemn they are
how gray or green or plain
how there is nothing dangling
nothing striped or polka-dotted or cheery
no self-portraits or visions of cupids
and in these rooms the students raise their hands
and learn the stories of the world
For library books in alphabetical order
and family businesses that failed
and the house with the boarded windows
and the gap in the middle of a sentence
and the envelope we keep mailing ourselves
For every hopeful morning given and given
and every future rough edge
and every afternoon
turning over in its sleep.
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About Jean Chapin,
Grace Church Administrator
Growing up in the middle of her parents’ Christmas tree farm along the Housatonic River deeply rooted Jean to Sheffield, where her family settled in 1727. After graduating from Mt. Everett, her adventurous nature lured her away to do her student teaching in England, learn to SCUBA dive in the Red Sea, take up sky diving, spend decades teaching in elementary classrooms from as far away as the Hejaz Mountains of Saudi Arabia, the Mississippi Delta in Arkansas, and the Appalachian foothills of southeastern Ohio.
After raising two wonderful daughters, Jean returned home and now lives in the center of Sheffield. She spends as much time a she can with her amazing five-year-old grandson, Arthur.
During the past nineteen months she has been deeply committed to a Christ Trinity Church initiative that provides meals to vulnerable elders. Originally called Feeding Sheffield, the service project has expanded in several directions and has joined with other local organizations to create a program called Feeding Friends South Berkshire.
Jean is very excited to be called to this shared parish administrator position and looks forward to meeting you and to serving all three churches.
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About Ryan LaBoy,
Grace Church Music Director
Ryan LaBoy is a collaborative and creative singer and conductor, and is excited to begin work as Music Director
at Grace Church this fall. Having only recently moved to
the Berkshires from Minneapolis with his husband, Pastor Joel Bergeland of Zion Lutheran Church of Pittsfield,
Ryan has quickly found himself in demand as a conductor and educator, additionally serving as Artistic Director of
the Berkshire Children's Chorus and Choir Director at
Bard College at Simon's Rock.
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We supply this list so you may contact members of our congregation who are at home or in a nursing facility. Please hold in your prayers and reach out as you can.
ANDREWS, Anne
659 South Egremont Road
P.O. Box 714
Great Barrington, MA 01230
(413) 528-2766
BLAKELY, Rosemarie
21 Crossway, #108
Lee MA 01238
413-243-0485
BOWENS, Marina
c/o Maryella Satinover
11908 Windward Ave.
Mar Vista, CA 90066
310-398-2484
(310) 749-9424 (cell)
BREASTED, John
Fairview Commons
151 Christian Hill Road
Great Barrington MA 01230
413-429-8123
Cell (413) 854-3977
BROOKS, Jane
165 George Street
Lee MA 01230
413-243-3367
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FRYE, Vonnie
PineHill Assisted Living
at Kimball Farms
235 Walker St. Apt #32
Lenox, Ma. 01240
413-637-7432
GORE, Barbara
50 Stockbridge Road
Lee MA 01238
413-243-4261
HAIDER, Meredith
5 Fox Hollow Road
#409
Lenox, MA 01240
413-551-7319
(814)308-4865
KEENE, Sara
The Egremont Village Inn
17 Main Street
P. O. Box 275
South Egremont, MA 01258
413-528-4152
McCURDY, Deborah
Skilled Nursing Center
Loomis Lakeside at Reed's Landing
807 Wilbraham Road
Springfield, MA 01109
413-507-2832
TURNER, Barbara
Fairview Commons
151 Christian Hill Road
Great Barrington, MA 01230
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Announcement from the Communications Office
Pastoral word from Presiding Bishop Michael Curry on...
Remembering 9/11:
Resources for Payer and Reflection
As followers of Jesus, and with our siblings in other faith traditions, we place great value on the act of remembrance. As we reflect on the solemn anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001, we remember many loved ones lost and first responders who put their ...
www.episcopalchurch.org
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Help needed for a fun and exciting ministry
Another great year of Church School is starting this fall and we are looking for a fourth person to assist with this wonderful ministry! No experience needed except for an enjoyment of children. It would involve participating in Church School during the first part of the service (rejoining the service at the peace) for two Sundays a month. If you want to try it once we would love to have you join us. Please let Dindy ([email protected]), Andrea ([email protected]), or Margaret ([email protected]) know if you might be interested. Thank you.
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WE ARE RESUMING FLOWER DEDICATIONS !
There will be a sign up form
at Sunday service.
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If you would like to receive healing prayers please contact:
The Rev. Ted Cobden 413-528-2247
Pennie Curry 413-429-7093
Sue Gore 413-243-2273
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PRAYERS REQUESTED
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
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GRACE
CHURCH
Please include
in your daily prayers this week:
Members of the Parish Family:
Doreen Hutchinson, Anne Andrews, Pennie Curry, Mark Anderson, Stacey, Claire and Mark Thomas, Meredith Haider, Linda White, Rosemarie Blakely, Marina Bowens, John Breasted, Jane Brooks, Vonnie Frye, Barbara Gore, Sara Keene, Barbara Turner.
Others we love: Larry Cheek, John's brother; Karen La Rocque friend of Sue Gore; Rosalind Haywood, Sue Gore's mother; Deborah McCurdy.
Those who have died:
Thomas J. Fisher, father of The
Rt. Rev. Douglas Fisher; Alan Sparks, brother of Debbie Holmes; Ruth Crawford; Emily Trespas, friend of Jainee McCarroll and John Ericson; John Grammer, husband of Mary Anne; Neil Brandt, brother of Linda White; John Turner, husband of Barbara Turner; Leslie Albert, friend of Margaret Layton and Sarah Sieber.
Our world: For the people of Afghanistan, and of Haiti, who have struggled for so long under burdens seemingly too great to bear.
For all victims of violence, and for those who inflict violence on others. For people who suffer from the COVID-19 virus, those who have died and those who mourn; caregivers and those who have been affected through loss of work, income, and housing.
For all who are alone or afraid or despairing. For prisoners, unhoused people, newly arrived immigrants and all our neighbors, near and far.
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The many ministries of our local community and the Diocese of Western Massachusetts:
especially for our partners at St. Paul's, Stockbridge and the Rev. Sam Smith and the Rev. Jane Tillman; Christ Trinity, Sheffield and the Rev. Erik Karas; our Bishop, the Rt. Rev. Douglas J. Fisher; and the Mampong Babies' Home in Ghana; St. Paul's Stockbridge; Canon for Communications, The Rev. Vicki Ix;
Mass. Council of Churches; Construct, Inc., Berkshires.
The Church's wider mission: The Church of the Province of Uganda.
And we offer thanks: for all those celebrating birthdays or anniversaries this week: In memory of John Grammer, 9/14; Michael Frye, 9/16.
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Join us for
Centering Prayer
now in person and on ZOOM
every Thursday
5:00 - 6:00
Encouraging a practice of silence and stillness we focus on practices of Centering Prayer and Lectio Divina using scripture, art and music. All are welcome.
To join the Zoom meeting
Meeting ID: 203 314 800
Password: 578877
Dial by your location
+1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
To find your local number:
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WHAT ARE YOU
GRATEFUL FOR?
In this time of fear and anxiety, it can be easy to miss the daily blessings that are right in front of us. Being grateful is not just for good times. Being grateful is even more important when fear sets a place at your table and heartbreak seems to be in your every breath. Because by being grateful we become aware of all the ways God is working in us. Being grateful is a part of our healing and our deliverance. Being grateful is where our best selves reside.
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As the season shifts to fall...
We are continuing to harvest halfway into September smaller amounts of tomatoes, big beautiful leafy greens, beans, sweet peppers, and the new bounty of sweet winter squash. We continue to bring deliveries to each food pantry, about 5 deliveries per week.
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VOLUNTEERING AT GIDEON'S GARDEN
Come and help out Monday, Thursday and Friday 9am - 12pm
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We have started to clean up the field by pulling up the black plastic and irrigation lines which we laid down in June. We have a few spots where beans are delivering for a late harvest, if we avoid a frost until October 15th of course!
It's time to look around the garden and notice what thrived this year, and what struggled. I notice that even with all this rain fall our best grown crops are sweet and hot peppers, kale and our okra. The winter squash has also done very well this year, and as we start bringing in the harvest we will note how well it did based on flavor and sweetness. We will also continue to glean corn from Taft's fields for another 2 weeks!
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Mission Matters
News from the
Episcopal Diocese
of Western Massachusetts
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Help New Orleans through the Episcopal
Relief and Development's Hurricane Fund
Hurricane Ida made landfall on Sunday, August 29 — on the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina — as a dangerous Category 4 hurricane with winds of 150 mph.
Episcopal Relief & Development’s US Disaster Program team was in touch with partners over the weekend and began holding daily coordination calls with impacted dioceses on Monday morning. Disaster response teams are beginning to assess needs created by the hurricane and to determine how best to respond.
US Disaster Program staff and partners are also using the Episcopal Asset Map as a tool for connecting churches and resources for those in need. The map now has an overlay option that shows the path of Hurricane Ida, which enables users to easily find and connect with the help they need.
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Support the Resettlement of Refugees
Episcopal Migration Ministries, the refugee resettlement and migration ministry of The Episcopal Church, is currently working in partnership with the U.S. government to assist Afghan SIVs and other arrivals with resettlement and direct services through a network of 12 affiliates across the U.S.
As we continue to welcome and resettle Afghans to the U.S. through our affiliate network and engagement programs, the greatest need continues to be assistance with housing. Those who want to financially support these efforts can make a donation online here or donate by mail and send checks to:
DFMS-Protestant Episcopal Church US
P.O. Box 958983
St. Louis, MO 63195-8983
(Include Episcopal Migration Ministries and Afghan SIV’s in the memo line.)
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SHINE YOUR LIGHT
Thank you for giving generously to support the ministry of Grace. You may continue to mail your contributions to Grace Church, P.O. Box 114, Great Barrington, MA 01230. As we begin to gather in person, you may bring your contribution to our services on Sunday, once again.
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It costs about $1500 a year to support a baby. The Diocese's goal is for one congregation
to support one child for a year.
To donate to support babies at the Mampong Babies Home in Ghana please send a check to Grace Church, PO Box 114, Great Barrington, MA 01230.
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Kids of all ages: Please join us for Sunday school on September 12, 2021. We will meet during the first part of the service and then re-join the service at the Peace. |
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Becoming Beloved Community
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“Muh-he-con-ne-ok: The People of the Waters
That Are Never Still,”
curated by Heather Bruegl, director of cultural affairs for the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians, is on display through Jan. 9, 2022.
Click here for article in Berkshire Eagle _______________________________________
Grace Church worships on the traditional land
of the Mohican people.
____________________________________
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“Reparations,” Sutton had written, “at its base means to repair that which has been broken. It is not just about monetary compensation. An act of reparation is the attempt to make whole again, and/or to restore; to offer atonement; to make amends; to reconcile for a wrong or injury. Isn’t that our work in this broken world?”
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There is no charge for this retreat which is sponsored by the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts and the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts.
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After a three-month summer break, EfM met again at Christ Trinity Church on September 7. We discussed a reading about the journey to spiritual wholeness and attended to our sense of dislocation and turmoil in the world around us. Our theological reflection jumped off from the image shown which was extracted from Twitter and led us to the phrase ‘be not afraid.’
At the end, we wrote the following collect:
Blessed are you O trustworthy Lord God, our rock
For you calm our fears and love each of us
And make us instruments of your will for peace
Through Jesus Christ Our Lord
Amen
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Attend our Men's Group
Next meeting date to be announced here.
For more information
contact George Raymond at
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MOVIE NITE
Join us for a discussion of
CODA
CODA, an acronym for children of Deaf adults, tells the story of the Rossi family, who live in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Ruby is the only hearing person in her family and at the age of 17, she wakes up at three in the morning to help her father, and older brother
as a deckhand on the family fishing boat.
But she wants to be a singer....
on October 7, at 6:30 PM
Watch at your leisure then join us on Zoom
(Meeting ID): 370 191 823 (Password): 385337
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BOOKS AND BREAD
Join us on Wednesday, October 13,
in person at 6:00 PM
on Zoom at 7:00 PM
for fellowship, and a lively discussion.
All are welcome!
The book is
The Stranger in the Woods
by Michael Finkel
George Raymond will lead our discussion
To join this Zoom meeting at 7:00 PM
(Meeting ID): 370 191 823
(Password): 385337
or call 646 558 8656 US (New York)
- Participants should contact the Hosts (the Kirchoff's) if they plan to attend but have not signed up at Grace Church (Crissey Farm Welcome Desk)
- If you are a "regular" and are not planning to attend, please let the Host know.
- Discussion begins at 7:00 pm regardless of whether it's a Dinner gathering or an A&D gathering.
- Dinner-Appetizers, wine, soft drinks, main dish, side dishes, dessert, decaf and tea. One main dish serves 8 people.
- The Host is responsible for planning the meal. Participants are encouraged to make offerings in consultation with the Host.
- Please sign up to bring appetizers or dessert items.
Meeting is over promptly at 7:00 pm. For more information email Peter at [email protected]
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THIRD SUNDAY SUPPER
Join us for lively conversation
and fellowship on
Sunday, September 19
when we will meet at 6 PM
at Koi Restaurant
300 State St.
Great Barrington.
Separate checks/All are welcome
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GRACE CHURCH
An Episcopal Community in the Southern Berkshires
Mailing:
P.O. Box 114
Great Barrington, MA 01230
You can reach the church office by email:
and by phone 413-644-0022.
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Ms. Annalise Clausen, Director of Farming for Gideon's Garden
413-644-6572
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VESTRY CONTACT INFORMATION |
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Kathy Clausen 413-329-1724
Rick Gore, Jr. 413-441-7036
Sue Gore 413-243-2273
Mary Anne Grammer 413-258-4212
John Cheek 413-446-8863
Dindy Anderson 413-274-3854
Anne Andrews 413-528-2766
Dutch Pinkston 413-274-6565
Cathy Haywood 413-464-6664
Holly Murray 860-977-9198
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Tuesday's Child Editor Monique Kirchoff
Associate Editor Kathy Clausen
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