The 2019 picnic is this Sunday, May 19. We will hold our 8:15 AM service as usual. The 10:45 AM service will be moved to 10:00 AM, with the picnic to follow.
Delicious chicken and beverages will be provided. Parishioners are asked to bring a dish to share according to the assignment below based on the first letter of your last name. We rotate the categories every year and appreciate people bringing a dish for the category assigned so that we end up with a tasty variety of food with plenty for everyone. We have serving utensils at Grace, so there is no need to bring your own.
We will need volunteers before (setting up), during (serving drinks, supervising activities) and after (cleaning up). If you are available and willing to help, please pitch in. We appreciate you!
Our annual parish picnic is a wonderful opportunity to gather for fellowship, fun activities, and good food. Join us to celebrate spring and the end of another academic year of ministry and mission at Grace Church!
Our next Gathering will be Sunday, May 19, at 5:00 PM at Linwood Nature Preserve. (The GPS address for the entrance to Linwood Nature Preserve is 170 Springview Drive, Gainesville.) We are continuing to read Richard Rohr’s Universal Christ, and we are laying it alongside Barbara Brown Taylor’s Holy Envy. Bring your conversation partners.
Fr. Stuart will introduce you to Fred Bahnson, a professor at Wake Forest Divinity School and a writer at Harper’s Magazine. Fred was with us on Palm Sunday, working on an upcoming article on “the contemplative turn” that will run in the Fall. He shared an article, “The Priest in the Trees”, that you may find meaningful as we look toward our time together on May 19.
Mark your calendars for the June 23 Gathering, to be held at Main Street Market on the Gainesville square at 5:00 PM.
We are taking a hiatus from the regularly scheduled Spanish service in the chapel on Sunday mornings. Edgar, our Seminarian, is working with the families and diocesan staff to cultivate an even broader community in the local area as we discern what is truly needed in terms of a Spanish-speaking Eucharist. Over the summer, Edgar will have time away to visit with family, and we will work to have two key Sunday evening opportunities for community building and worship. These summer gatherings will also help us discern what is needed as we look toward starting again in the fall.
Congratulations to Grace Church’s Godspellers – Nancy Richardson, Rob Harris, and Trevor Hooper. The team outlasted their amazing opponents, spelled the final word (otiose) correctly, and won the Alliance for Literacy spelling bee!
Reminder to our yoga class participants that our last class of this season will be Monday, May 20. We will start back in August. Have a wonderful fun-filled summer! Namaste!
May 20 is the deadline to register for the Internal Family Systems Therapy Group led by Tara Goetz, LPC at 360 Therapy. The group will meet at Grace Church on Tuesdays (except June 25 & July 2) from 9:15 – 10:45 AM beginning June 4. “Parenting from the Inside Out” will examine how to overcome your barriers to calm and confident parenting, tap into your clarity for more effective and balanced parenting, and connect with your child.
Cost is $75 per person per 1.5 hour session. If you are interested in joining the group, or have further questions, please contact Cheryl Kelley at 770-536-0126 or ckelley@gracechurchgainesville.org.
VBS registration will continue until all spaces are filled! Kids in rising PreK-5th grade are invited to join us for Who Is My Neighbor?, June 24-28 from 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM. Who Is My Neighbor? invites children to discover God’s love as they learn about neighbors near and far.
We will host Family Promise guests from May 19-26. Please visit the volunteer board in the connector corridor to see ways you can help with this outreach effort.
Our regular Wednesday evenings together have ended for this academic year. Watch for the return of dinners and programs this fall!
Children of Grace Preschool held its 2019 Graduation May 14 and wrapped up their academic year with an Ice Cream Social the very next day. Please keep our PreK students and their families in your prayers as they embark on a new journey of educational growth, knowing they will always have a home here at COG and at Grace Church. We wish all the COG staff and students a wonderful summer break!
After six years in a particular Episcopal parish, each full-time priest is allowed a three-month sabbatical break. Traditionally, this is a focused point of study as well as time to rest and breathe. Rather than taking a three-month block of time, Fr. Stuart has decided to take a month off for the next three years. His 2019 sabbatical time will begin Monday, May 20 and he will return mid-June.
His plan is to read, write, rest, and finish editing a book that will be published by Crossroad Publishing Company on September 1: Contemplation and Community: A Gathering of Fresh Voices for a Living Tradition. Fr. Stuart is also working on another book that is a collection of essays and letters to our daughter focusing on simplicity, the practice of faith, and compassion. He is grateful for this time to rest and looks forward to being “even more present to you when I return.”
This post highlights some events and news pertinent to the upcoming week. Follow the links below to learn more about what’s happening at Grace Church.