Parish News For the Week of Sunday, October 30, 2022

Welcome to Grace Episcopal Church! Please click the Welcome Card link below if you are new to our church and would like to have more information about Parish life!

Welcome Card

Dear friends,

Given some of recent lessons about the incompatibility of wealth with the kingdom such as the rich man and Lazarus, or the rich young ruler, it surprised some people in Jericho to see Jesus favor Zacchaeus with a personal audience and a home visit. Jesus, however, sees Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus is one of those lost lambs he has come to redeem. And Zacchaeus sees Jesus. He recognizes the voice of his shepherd. Zacchaeus (the name means pure, innocent) exemplifies some of the core spiritual characteristics of disciples: he humbles himself before Jesus, he is penitent, he recognizes and commits to the practice of giving to the poor, he is pure in heart enough to see God's presence in Jesus.

Wealth it turns out is not itself an obstacle to seeing and serving God. Purity of heart helps Zacchaeus pass through the eye of the needle. 

Purity of heart may seem elusive. The world is constantly tempting us to harden our hearts. Take care of yourself, no one else will. And we do need to take care of ourselves, but not because no one else will, but because our souls are precious gifts from God. Zacchaeus is a wonderful example to us of the attitude of humility and gratitude that leads to abundant life.

I see the spirit of Zacchaeus and the Holy Spirit alive in this congregation and in this community. Your light is shining and it is encouraging and strengthening many. 

You are helping the refugee, the prisoner, the widow, the poor, the oppressed, and I hope you are feeling that joy that Paul expressed for the congregation in Thessalonica to whom he wrote:

"We must always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of everyone of you for one another is increasing. Therefore we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith during all your persecutions and the afflictions that you are enduring. To this end we always pray for you, asking that our God will make you worthy of his call and will fulfill by his power every good resolve and work of faith, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ."

With gratitude,

Tuck

Please note - among many good works witnessed this past week the Vestry approved $30,000 for the Walker Program for entrepreneurial grants, $20,000 for the Walker Program for a revolving loan fund, and $20,000 for Rockbridge NAACP Irma Thompson Educators of Color fund to fund part time work toward recruiting and retaining teachers of color in the local schools. The Hosting Ukrainian Families program helped bring two more families to our area from Ukraine. The STEPS program continued working faithfully to serve returning citizens. We offered emergency shelter to a homeless person. And through Paws to Connect we are bringing comfort and joy to many. 

Stewardship Update

We are pleased that 70 households have already pledged a total of $300,845 as of October 24. The members of the Stewardship Committee appreciate everyone’s prayerful consideration of a pledge to support the parish and its important missions through our relationship with God and Jesus Christ.

Haiti Pig Roast

Please join us and Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Staunton tomorrow, October 29 at 5PM for a BBQ supporting VA Haiti Collaborative in Cerca la Source, Haiti.

Bible Study

Anne Hansen and Michelle Mackie would like to offer a new Bible Study group. For those who might be interested they will offer two brief organizational meeting opportunities on Sunday, October 30 immediately following each service in the Parish Hall to introduce themselves, share some ideas for the first study topic, and discover preferences for meeting times and dates. You may also contact one of them directly to indicate your interest and ask questions. The Bible Study will start in November.

Community Youth Group

All youth grades 6-12 are invited to the first meeting at 5:30pm to 7pm Sunday, November 13 at Trinity United Methodist Church. These meetings are open to all youth regardless of faith background or affiliation. Invite your friends.

Diocese of Southwest Virginia Fall Youth Event

Registration is now open for our annual Diocese of Southwest Virginia Fall Youth Event November 12-13! All middle and high school youth are invited to join us for an overnight at Camp Bethel that will include time for outdoor fun, fellowship, and worship. The theme for FYE22 is "Expect the Unexpected," and your Youth Mission Team has an exciting event planned with some surprises in store! You don't want to miss out on this one!

Journey to Bethlehem: No Room at the Inn

As a special holiday activity this year, we are hoping to have our families at Grace participate in a shared spiritual journey. Beginning on the first day of Advent, November 28, a family can invite Mary and Joseph to spend the night at their house. The two will come with a special prayer for the family to say to bless the home that offered hospitality. You can keep a copy of the prayer to read during Advent. We would love it if you would take a picture of your family with Mary and Joseph and send it to Martha Burford, who will post your pictures on Facebook. After Mary and Joseph have spent the night, you will need to make arrangements to pass them on to the next family on the list included in their box. Hopefully, by Christmas Eve, Mary and Joseph will have visited all the families on the list. The last family (Dec. 23rd) are asked to bring Mary and Joseph to the 5:00 pm Christmas Eve service where Baby Jesus will be waiting for them.

Sign-ups will be available on November 6, before and after the services.

Nativity Sets

Do you have a special nativity set that you would share with the Church for a few weeks? We will display Nativity sets in the windows of the Nave during the seasons of Advent and Christmas. Please contact the parish office if you have a set to lend us.

Kiss The Ground is a full-length documentary narrated by Woody Harrelson that sheds light on a “new, old approach” to farming called “regenerative agriculture” that has the potential to balance our climate, replenish our vast water supplies, and feed the world. You can also go to https://youtu.be/3iknWWKZOUs to see the trailer for the film.

The movie is being shown at Grace Episcopal Church in the Parish Hall on Friday, November 4^th at 7 PM. The movie is open to the public at no charge.

Tuesday Men's Breakfast Group

7 am Tuesdays, members of Grace and neighbors from throughout the local community. Fantastic breakfast, great discussion of Oswald Chambers "My Utmost for His Highest."

Paws to Connect: One of the Hottest New Experiences in Lexington!

Campus Ministry Updates

Imagine praying, singing, hearing the word, and breaking bread together with new friends and old!

On Nov. 13, we will worship God in our Taize service at 5pm, then have a potluck dinner after!

Some of the college students are already planning what to bring!

W&L’21 Grace Music Scholar, Levi Lebsack will lead the music for the Taize service along with current students, fellowship and food after!”

Bringing Life to Death Series

Join us on Monday, Nov. 7 and 14 from 7:00-8:00 p.m. for a two-week, online workshop about the preparations and practicalities that can help us (and our loved ones) prepare for the inevitable end of our earthly lives. We are a people who celebrate the Resurrection of the body each Sunday, and yet, we rarely consider our own mortality or how to orient our lives to prepare for what is a natural transition between this life and the next. The presenters are The Rev. Marisa Sifontes, Associate Rector at St. John's, Roanoke who is a trained End of Life doula and Shelby Kirillin, founder and president of A Peaceful Passing, LLC. Shelby is a former ICU nurse for over 20 years, and is now a end of life coach/doula.

Angel Tree is Coming!

Since 2007 the parish Outreach Committee has partnered with Prison Fellowship Angel Tree Christmas ministry. Angel Tree seeks to restore those affected by crime and incarceration by introducing prisoners, victims, and their families to a new hope available through Jesus Christ.

This year our church will receive the names of 50 children to serve in this important ministry. Children being served virtually reside in areas where there is not sufficient local support and we need your help.

Beginning in mid-November you will be provided with a unique code for Grace Church, enabling you to access the virtual Angel Tree site. Each tag corresponds to one child and the sponsorship amount for each is $25.

Thank you for joining with Angel Tree to be the hands and feet of Jesus as they seek to restore relationships between children and their incarcerated parents.  

All Things Podcasts

Podcasts are a great way to add prayer and reflection to your daily spiritual practice. Listen on your morning walk, evening commute, or anywhere in between! Find these podcasts anywhere you listen to podcasts, or click the links below to view their show page.

Daily Podcasts:

• Forward Day by Day: Includes each day's scripture passage, reflection, and closing prayer. An excellent 5 minute start to your day!

• A Morning at the Office: Daily Morning Prayer podcast which includes all three readings as well as bonus prayers.

• Daily Prayer: Similar to A Morning at the Office, this version includes just two readings, and follows the same text as our app and website.

• An Evening at Prayer: Daily Evening Prayer according to The Book of Common Prayer

• Scripture Day by Day: The daily readings as listed in Forward Day by Day, with lectionary readings for Sundays and Major Feasts following the Revised Common Lectionary.

Episodic and Seasonal Podcasts:

• AdventWord: Worldwide prayer community and online Advent calendar with daily reflections through the season, inspried by a single daily prompt word

• ChurchNext: discussions on a variety of topics in the Episcopal and Christian scope.

• The Good Book Club Podcast: regular church-wide readings of selected books of the Bible.

• Women and Angels of the Bible: This special series includes conversations between authors Lindsay Hardin Freeman and Kate Moorehead.

Affiliate Podcasts:

• The BCP and Me: Episcopalians exploring The Book of Common Prayer and how it teaches us to live our lives abundantly.

• The Accessible Altar: A monthly podcast exploring the intersections of faith and disability.