Dear Friends,

As I sit in my office this morning with the window open, I have heard at least 4 groups of people speaking a variety of languages. How fortunate are we to live in a place with so many diverse cultures!

This reminded me of learning Bahasa Malaysia while living there. I learned so much about the people and environment of the country by studying the language. There were many different words for rain and a variety of nuanced terms for rice. There was no word for "alone." You can learn much from the language that we use.

So what can others learn about us in the language we use about things such as faith, inclusion, race, and God? How does singing a phrase impact its effect? When do we say, "Sing, my tongue?" When do we listen to the language of our hearts?

In the Way of Love,

Debbie

This Sunday

Parish Prayer List

Please keep the following in your prayers:

For Arthur, Jane, Marty Siegel, Laszlo Katko, Eric Wagner, Deb Young, Cindy Rhodes, Ron, Linda Layne, Daniel Brundige, Gerald Tucker, Allison Mascolo, Melissa Glassman, Max Joyce, Inga, Henry, and Lucas, Mel, Melissa Glassman, Corey MacNeil, Helen Phillips, Dianne, Michael Towey, Jenny, Loretta and Kris, Deb Papps, Derek Fuller and Family, the people of Palestine,, especially in Jenin, and Ukraine; the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Salem, the Salem Public Schools and for an end to racism, war, anti-Semitism, gun violence and oppression. If you have prayer requests, please email prayerlist@gracechurchsalem.org by Tuesday at noon for publication in that week's e-news.

Stewardship Season: Rooted in Abundance

They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream. It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit. - Jeremiah 17:8

This year’s theme considers the many ways we are rooted in God’s creation and how these roots are interdependent. A variety of plants, sharing their resources, is needed to sustain a vibrant and healthy ecosystem.

We will again hear from those of you who wish to share an “epistle” related to be rooted in abundance. These will be offered at both services from October 8th through November 12th. Please see Debbie if you’d like to offer a 2-4 minute reflection on a time of abundance.

This week's reflection from

The Episcopal Network for Stewardship

I am the daughter of the longtime stewardship chair of the church I grew up in. My home parish of St. James, Roanoke, is like a taproot for me. It’s where I went to Sunday school, youth group, and served as an acolyte. People invested in me and gave me leadership opportunities. As an Asian American queer from the south, I never thought of God as judging me. I have been watered by living waters of people who’ve nurtured me. I pledge every year to my church because I want to tend and water others.

The legacy of family roots me in abundance. I was raised on stories of woman in my (Japanese & Korean) family who were boundary crossers. My ancestors crossed oceans because they had to. My parents were married not long after the Loving v. The State of Virginia case, so that was a boundary crossing too. They taught me that love is more powerful than racism: they showed me that you do what you think is right even when it’s hard.

I’m so motivated by wanting to do right by my ancestors. Both my family, and also my chosen/ queer ancestors, some of whom died just so that I could live. Right now I work for Showing Up for Racial Justice to mobilize white communities for racial and economic justice. We don’t have to be divided by racism. Like tree roots, we can be a network of solidarity.

The prophet Jeremiah reminds me “blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream.” (Jeremiah 17:7). I am rooted in God, and in the belief in an abundant creator. I would stake my life on that.

Grace Aheron is the Communications Director, Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ), former ESC intern, and cradle

Episcopalian

St. Francis Day

Pet Treat and Pumpkin Sale 2023

This year’s St. Francis Day Pet Treat and Pumpkin Sale is October 1, 2023 from 8:00 – 11:00 AM. We will continue to sell pet treats and pumpkins to folks as they leave the morning service, following the blessing of the animals.

We need folks to bake dog or cat treats, donate pumpkins, and/or help with set-up and break down. In addition, financial donations towards start up costs or to help support the event are always appreciated. If you can donate or help in some way, please email fundraising@gracechurchsalem.org or speak with one of the following Fundraising Committee members: Peggy Carter, Melissa Barnes, or Joanne Moar. Senior Warden Ryan Patten is also a contact.

The pet treats and/or and pumpkins can be dropped off at the church in the cloister area anytime the week of September 24, but no later than Saturday, September 30 at noon. After noon on Saturday, September 30, the Fundraising Committee will be organizing the pet treats, so we need them by the noon deadline.  The Fundraising Committee will put out a green bin with a lid in the cloister area for the pet treats. The pumpkins can be left on the concrete floor in the cloister. A member of the Fundraising Committee will be stopping by each day during the week of September 24 to move the pumpkins inside.