Save the Dates
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Book Group: Sundays, August 4, 11, 25; September 8 and 15; at 6:00
Vestry Meeting: Sunday, August 11, after refreshments
Parish Picnic:
Sunday, August 11, in the evening
Pride in the Park: Sunday, August 18, 12:00--5:00
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Sunday, August 4, at Grace
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Eucharist, refreshments
We celebrate the Eucharist at 10:00.
After the Eucharist, we gather for refreshments.
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Parish Picnic | |  Plan on having fun!
The Denton-Borhaugs have offered their house and yard (and pool and croquet court!) for a parish picnic again this summer, on August 11. There was a great turnout last year--we enjoyed the pool, the food, the socializing, the kids and adults together, etc. This is a social event with no other agenda than enjoying each other's company and the summer. Our hosts will grill some meats, and the rest of us can sign up to bring side dishes, drinks, and desserts.
Sign-up sheets are in the back of church and in the hallway leading to the gathering space.
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Book Group
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The next topic is pilgrimage
Some parishioners have been gathering in the summer for at least eight years to enjoy reading a book together and talking about it, and eating and drinking while we do those things. Anybody and everybody is welcome to participate. The atmosphere is easy and comfortable. We meet in each others' homes, usually on Sunday evenings. The host provides beverages and other participants bring appetizers and snacks. Pilgrim Stories: On and Off the Road to Santiago, by Nancy Louise Frey, is the next book we will read together. (This week the gathering is at the Brosses' house in Bethlehem.) Parishioner and professor Kelly Denton-Borhaug has just spent a month on the ancient pilgrimage route to Santiago (in northwest Spain); she also recently taught a course at Moravian College about pilgrimage. With the book and Kelly's experience, the group will have great resources to explore the many dimensions of pilgrimage. This week, Kelly will bring her pictures! Here are some questions to get us thinking: what's the difference between a pilgrim and a traveler or tourist? What is it like to walk for a month with your gear? What has drawn people to this experience for centuries? What happens when you reach your destination? Do we think of our lives with each other and God as a journey or a pilgrimage? What's it like to be on the pilgrim path with other pilgrims we don't know? We will meet on August 4 and 25, and September 8 and 15. For more information, contact Mary Louise B.
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Pride in the Park
| |  It's August 18 this year
Grace has participated in the Pride in the Park festival for many years, and this year we will again join with other Episcopal parishes to sponsor and staff a booth there. The festival is Sunday, August 18, at Cedar Beach.
Showing up every year is a consistent witness to our Christian commitment to treat each person as our neighbor, especially people who have been discriminated against and demeaned or worse.
If you would like to volunteer for a shift in the booth (12:00-2:00), please be in touch with Beth Reed. Volunteers greet festival goers, engage them in conversation as they are willing, and distribute literature. We try to embody what the banner over the booth proclaims: The Episcopal Church Welcomes You!
Other parishioners (especially David M, Will K) will be active at the festival as part of the FACT (Fighting AIDS Continuously Together) organization, an effort they have helped lead for more than twenty years.
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Finances at Grace | |
Pledge statements, audit in progress
Within the next week or so, statements that summarize second-quarter financial support of Grace Church will be ready for all who have pledged. Please look carefully at the statement when you receive it. Note if you are ahead or behind on your pledge. If you are ahead, wonderful! If you are behind, please do all you can to become current on your pledge. If you want to discuss your pledge in private, The Rev. Beth Reed or Treasurer Tony Voros would be happy to have such a conversation with you. If you have not pledged, please consider doing so. A pledge is a commitment: it commits us to a practice of generosity with our financial resources.  Also, a small group of parishioners has begun work on the parish's annual financial audit. They follow a process outlined in the Episcopal Church's Manual of Business Methods in Church Affairs. To review the Manual, click here.
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