Dear Parishioners:
Janet is away on vacation. She will be back in the office on Tuesday, July 23. 
 
The Rev. Steve White will be with us to celebrate and preach while Janet is gone. If you have an emergency pastoral need, please contact the Rev. Steve White or Kathy Clausen. You may also call the office Tuesday through Friday morning. 
 
Bible Study and Midweek Eucharist will take a summer break.  Please join us as we regather on August 28. 
Contents
 
Bible Study
Bible Study
Tuesdays with the Word  
is back.
We are studying the Acts of the Apostles.
Call the office for more information.
413-644-0022
Grace Church Office 
67 State Rd., Great Barrington
 
GRACE CHURCH  
Please Include In Your Daily Prayers This Week
 
Members of the Parish Family: The Rev. Ted Cobden, Linda White, John Breasted, Vonnie Frye, Edna Leavenworth, George Raymond, Ed Hutchinson, Elinor Hamill, Pam & Bill Drumm, Dick Gore, Mimi and Dick Alford, Doreen Hutchinson, Barbara Turner, Rick Gore, Pennie Curry, Frank Vogel - Polizzi, Mark Anderson, Marion Andrews, Elizabeth Holland, Janet Zimmerman, Stacey, Claire and Mark Thomas, Richard and Pat Edelstein, Connie Garber, Ruth Crawford, Marcia Doelman, Dindy Anderson, Tom Murray, Paula Doyle, John Grammer, Aidan, Andrea, and the Rev. Steve White.

Others we love: Wendy Reeve, sister of Cathy Haywood, Keiron Lee, daughter of Doone Marshall; Andrew Artz, brother-in-law of the Rev. Janet Zimmerman; The Rev. Peter Elvin, Anne Peters, Leslie Albert,Debbie Losaw, daughter of Rosemarie Blakely, Ashley Gangell, Zeke Hills, brother of The Rev. Francie Hills, Joy Saville, Charles Olegar, Jane Williams, John Belizzi, Carole Chapple, Christy Yeo, Kathy O'Brien, Cooper O'Brien, Rosalind Haywood, Colonel John Tryon, nephew of Anne Andrews and all who serve our country. 

Those who have died: Stephanie Engel, friend of Steve White; Valerie Smith, Mary Dalton, mother of Dindy Anderson; Scott Crawford, son of Ruth Crawford; Dorothy Cole Hooff, sister of Marcia Doelman; Kenneth Frye ; Sey Zimmerman; Sarah Renfro, great niece of Annie Macheski; Bishop George Councell; Lillian Forrest; Arthur J. Gangel, Sr., grandfather of Kyle Gangel; Holly Raymond, sister-in-law of George Raymond.

Our world: For those vulnerable to the changing winds of politics, warfare, natural disasters, and human retribution.

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; Christ Trinity, Sheffield and the Rev. Erik Karas; and our Bishop, the Rt. Rev. Dr. Douglas J. Fisher; the Mampong Babies' Home in Ghana; St. Mark's, Leominster;  Commission on Ministry

The Church's wider mission: Faith Alive; The Episcopal Network for Stewardship (TENS)

And we offer thanks: for all those celebrating a Birthday this week. 
Please hold in your prayers
 
D indy Anderson and her family.
The family of Valerie Smith.    
Zeke Hills , brother of Frances Hills, whose wife Barbara died.
Pat and Richard Edelstein
would love to receive "Thinking of You" cards. Please send cards to them: Kimball Farms,  Pine Hill  
Assisted Living, 235 Walker Street, Lenox, MA 01240.
Vonnie Frye,  has moved to this address: 
Devonshire Estates  
329 Pittsfield Road
Apt #216
Lenox MA 01240
413.881.4055
She would appreciate cards and visits.  
Janet Zimmerman and her family; Elinor Hamill who is at Fairview Commons; Meredith Haider who is healing at home; and Barbara Turner who is healing at home.
 
Prayers for Charles Olegar and Jane Williams. Charles, organist and music director at St. James for eight years, and his wife, Jane Williams would appreciate your prayers. You can send your love to them through card and notes at 131 Belleview, Troy NY 12180.
Holy Eucharist and Healing
Wednesdays at 12pm,
Grace Church Office
67 State Road,
Great Barrington


Centering Prayer Gathering
every Thursday
5:00 - 6:00
Join us at Grace Church Chapel.
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.
 
Grace Church Office and Chapel

Click here for the
Grace Church calendar

ROTA
July 21
Welcome Team
Marcia Doelman
Maureen Henry
Acolyte
Kathy Clausen
Lector
Pennie Curry
Micah Feltman-Mahan
Intercessor
Tom Doyle
Chalice
Kathy Clausen
Rick Gore
Healing Team
Pennie Curry
Peter Feltman-Mahan
Flowers
Bagnaschi
Altar Guild
Deborah Holmes
TBD
Coffee Hour
Brooke, Fishell
Counters
Rick Gore
Tom Doyle

Links
COME SING WITH US! 
 
Are You A Choral S inger?
 

 


Why Join the Choir?
It's good for your health
Studies have shown how choir can improve your health - it's fantastic brain food. Brain game exercises are all over the place with the Nintedo 3DS or sudoku. Well why not start keeping your mind healthy by making music?
Here are a few things you'll see improve with choir
  • Multi-tasking  - you've got to watch the conductor, keep an eye on the music and know when to come in
  • Memory - you've got to sing by heart sometimes
  • Focus - concentrating for an hour on a performance
  • Math - Yes, you've got to count!
Contact Chris Clark, Music Director, or Lee Cheek, chorister
 
 

Birthdays and Anniversaries Celebrated on Sundays

Following the announcements we invite up all celebrating birthdays and anniversaries so we can share in your accomplishment and joy.
John Breasted is at Fairview Commons and would enjoy having visitors. You can call at (413) 528-4560. 
Fairview Commons 
151 Christian Hill Rd, Great Barrington
Sunday Liturgy on yo ur iPad or tablet!

S wap your worship bulletin for the liturgy on your iPads or tablets? 
 
Using a tablet allows you to adjust the size and contrast of the print.  It also can help us be more responsible by saving paper.
 
If you would like to receive the emailed worship bulletin that goes out on Friday by noon, please email Janet or Maria at   graceberkshiresma@gmail.com.
Tutors needed for The Literacy Network of South Berkshire .

No prior teaching experience is necessary.
All you need are curiosity, patience, and a willingness to help your neighbors! 
Training and support for tutors is provided. 
Please contact Executive Director Jennifer Hermanski at 413-243-0471 or jhermanski@litnetsb.org. 
You can also visit us at www.litnetsb.org.

The Welcome Project Mat by 
 Thistle Farms
   
 
Thistle Farms in Nashville, TN. has come together with women refugees in Ritsonia, Greece to provide an economic platform for women and their families to escape the refugee camps. Lee and John Cheek have brought us a mat woven from materials the women took on their journey to Greece.   
 
The mat on our altar is a symbol that love is the greatest force for change in the world.
 
Every Purchase Helps a Woman Survivor Heal. Shop Now!

Support Ascentria Care Alliance
Donate or call to learn about volunteering
A scentria Care Alliance provides resettlement resources for refugees who have received extreme vetting by the U.S., are sponsored by the United Nations, and have been invited to live in our country.  
 
Ascentria  partners with the U.S. Department of State, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and a host of other volunteer organizations to do God's work in caring for the most vulnerable in our world.  
 
Donate on-line at
http://www.ascentria.org/donate-today
or call them at (413)-787-0725 to learn about volunteering.
Every Sunday!    
What are you grateful for? 

T he priest invites the congregation to take a few moments to think of one thing during the past week for which they are grateful.   
 
After some time the priest invites anyone to share their gratitude with the congregation by coming to the microphone.

Support the Berkshire Immigrant Center. You can donate on-line at www.berkshireic.org. Please consider donating $25, $50, or $100 or more to support BIC's work with our local immigrants and refugees.
 
 
Interested in helping with the 2020 Census?
With the 2020 census just a year away,  
are you available to help educate local residents and insure the Berkshires has a 
complete count?  
 
 
The Berkshires Regional Planning Commission invites you to reach out to hard-to-reach populations throughout Berkshire County. 

If you are interested please contact Mark Maloy, 413-442-1521 .

Gospel for the Sixth Sunday After Pentecost
  

 Luke 10:38-42  
 
As Jesus and his disciples went on their way, Jesus entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to what he was saying. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me." But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her."
All Who Hunger, Gather Gladly (HOLY MANNA)
All Who Hunger, Gather Gladly (HOLY MANNA)

All who hunger, gather gladly; 
holy manna is our bread. 
Come from wilderness and wandering. 
Here, in truth, we will be fed. 
You that yearn for days of fullness, 
all around us is our food. 
Taste and see the grace eternal. 
Taste and see that God is good. 
 
All who hunger, never strangers; 
seeker, be a welcome guest. 
Come from restlessness and roaming. 
Here, in joy, we keep the feast. 
We that once were lost and scattered 
in communion's love have stood. 
Taste and see the grace eternal. 
Taste and see that God is good.
 
All who hunger, sing together; 
Jesus Christ is living bread. 
Come from loneliness and longing. 
Here, in peace, we have been led. 
Blest are those who from this table 
live their lives in gratitude. 
Taste and see the grace eternal. 
Taste and see that God is good.  


I mages from the July 12, Candlelight Vigil
on the lawn of the First Congregational Church
in Great Barrington





" Respect the dignity of every human being" (BCP).
Community members joined together on the evening of July 12 to light a candle for all who are being held in inhumane conditions at our detention centers and for children who have been separated from their parents."
Agencies that Support Immigrants on the Border

Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES) a 501(c)(3) nonprofit agency that aims to reunite families and help kids feel safe, this Texas-based nonprofit aims to "directly fund the bond necessary to get parents out of detention and reunited with their children while awaiting court proceedings" and "ensure legal representation for EVERY child in Texas' immigration .courts. "https://www.raicestexas.org

Immigrant Families Together
works quickly to post the bond of one immigrant at a time and get them out of these terrible prisons and reunited with family as fast as possible. They then partner with immigration attorneys to get the migrants legal representation; then, they provide for the migrants' needs while they await their day in court. https://immigrantfamiliestogether.com/what-we-do

American Immigration Council
This organization gets on the ground at detention centers helping families, documenting conditions of detention and bringing lawsuits to challenge them. https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org
Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project Provides "emergency legal aid to refugee families." https://asylumadvocacy.org

Diocesan Migrant and Refugee Services.
Provides "free and low cost immigration services." http://www.dmrs-ep.org

Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service.
The faith-based organization "works with refugees, children, and migrants to ensure they are protected and welcomed into local communities throughout the United States." https://www.lirs.org

South Texas Pro Bono Asylum Representation Project (ProBAR) A joint project of the American Bar Association, the State Bar of Texas and the American Immigration Lawyers Association, ProBAR "is a national effort to provide pro bono legal services to asylum seekers detained in South Texas by the United States government.
https://www.americanbar.org/groups/public_interest/immigration/projects_initiatives/south_texas_pro_bono_asylum_representation_project_probar/

Families Belong Together 
Is a group effort that "includes nearly 250 organizations representing Americans from all backgrounds who have joined together to fight family separation and promote dignity, unity, and compassion for all children and families.

Kids In Need of Defense:
According to its website, KIND "partners with major law firms, corporations, law schools, and bar associations to create a nationwide pro bono network to represent unaccompanied children through their immigration proceedings."

Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center:
States it is "dedicated to serving the legal needs of low-income immigrants, including refugees, victims of crime, and families seeking reunification." The Young Center for Immigrant Children's Rights: Provides independent Child Advocates to stand up for unaccompanied immigrant children and "champion the child's best interests".
GIDEON'S GARDEN UPDATE
 
  It was truly the week of miscellaneous tasks...
 
Priority #1....WEED
 
If you were driving by lately, you probably noticed a little overgrowth in between our rows. Well, we took care of that...  
 
 
Priority #2...The Butterfly House   
 
Our net was up, now all we needed was some butterflies! Thankfully, we've caught a few!
 
Stop by during the week from 9am-2pm to see painted ladies, American ladies, swallowtails, and a monarch!
 
 
Priority #3....Harvesting and Deliveries  
 
Okay, this is always our top priority, especially because the plants are producing! Check out our donation to CHP this week! . 
This week we harvested almost 100 pounds of zucchini and 70 heads of lettuce...!
 
Priority #4....Chickens
 
Again, chickens are always a top priority. But this week in particular the older batch of chicks got to try out their new moveable pen.  
I think they liked it! 
 
 
What are YOU looking at?


:
Food pantry item for the week of  
July 21
PET FOOD 
 

Although we usually have an "Item of the Week",
any appropriate food items are always welcome!

Thank you, Sue & Rick Gore, and George Raymond for the Lee Pantry and the People's Pantry.


Third Sunday Supper
July 21, at 6:00 P.M.  
at the 
Stockbridge Golf Club
6a, 6 Main Street, Stockbridge

  Join us! On the third Sunday of almost every month
we gather for good food, great conversation, laughter  
and blessings in one of our local restaurants.

All are enthusiastically welcomed!  
For more information contact George Raymond  
413.854.1222 cell 
Join us!
Wednesday, September 11, at 7:00 PM
BOOKS and BREAD 
 The book we will share is
 
Join us at Doone Marshall's house for dinner
Dindy Anderson will lead our discussion. 
  • 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.
  • Participants should call the Host if they plan to attend but have not signed up at Grace Church.
  • If you are a "regular" and are not planning to attend, please let the Host know.
  • Please sign up to bring appetizers or dessert items. All are welcome! For future books, please see the website http://graceberkshires.org/who-we-are/ministries/ 
  • Discussion begins at 7:45 pm regardless of whether it's a Dinner gathering or an A&D gathering.  
Meeting is over promptly at 9:00 pm
 
For our October 9th meeting we will be reading Snakebit by Sey Zimmerman. If you need a copy of this book, please contact Janet Zimmerman. Happy Reading!! For more information email Peter at PetetheK@yahoo.com
We need: 
Acolytes, choir members, lectors, hospitality leaders, healing ministers, Eucharistic visitors
 
Prayerfully consider ways you can support the work of this church community. Each of us have something to give that the world desperately needs.
Appalachian Trail Ministry  
July and August 
Every Wednesday and Saturday
from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm
We have been invited to participate in a "small corner of kindness" in providing hospitality to hikers on the Appalachian Trail. In July and August, a tent is set up with homebaked treats, hot dogs, hamburgers, and water to greet and offer a way station for those hiking. 

Contact the Rev. Erik Karas at pastorkaras@gmail.com or the Rev. Jill Graham at grahamj@firstuccsheffield.org for more information or to arrange to be a part of this ministry.
"CHANGE THE BABIES" 
  Please put your loose change in the jar that will be at the Welcome Table.
This money that is insignificant in our day-to- day life is life-giving for these babies and those who care for them.
It costs about $1500 a year to support a baby and the Diocese's goal is for one congregation to support one child for those years.  
  Everything you give will go to support babies at the Mampong Babies Home in Ghana.  
WORSHIP
Christ Icon
Worship Schedule
Eucharist & Healing Prayers  
Sunday at 10:00 am
at Crissey Farm
Children's Sunday School during the service and a special prayer for  them at the end of the service. 
 
 
 
 Eucharist and Healing Prayers    
Wednesday at 12:00 PM
  At Grace Chapel  
67 State Rd. Grace Chapel (click here for map)
 

You can now donate to Grace Church through PayPal.
For Janet's sermons click here .

On occasional weeks there will be a reflection by Janet. Click here.
 
GRACE CHURCH VESTRY  
Vestry Minutes are posted on our website
 
OFFICERS
 
MEMBERS                       
                            
Senior Warden          
Kathy Clausen                  
Class of 2019
John Cheek
Junior  
Warden
Richard Gore, Jr.        
Class of 2020
John Cheek
Dindy Anderson 
Treasurer
Sue Gore     
Class of 2021
Anne Andrews
Dutch Pinkston
Clerk
Mary Anne Grammer   
Class of 2022  
Cathy Haywood  


GRACE CHURCH
An Episcopal Community in the Southern B erkshires
 
The Rev. Dr. Janet Zimmerman,  Rector
 
The Rev. Jen Bloesch 
Gideon's Garden Program Director  




Mailing:
P.O. Box 114
Great Barrington, MA 01230
 
Maria Mayorga 
Office Assistant 
Office and Chapel67 State Rd.,
Great Barrington
To contact Grace Church, email office@graceberkshires.org


Janet's office hours: Tues.-Thurs. 9:00am-12:00pm or by appt.  413-644-0022 
jzimmerman@graceberkshires.org  
  
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