Creation Care Holy Hike:
October 14, 1:00pm
In Battle Creek, Woodland Park & Recreation Area

Collaborative Choral Event with Hope Church: October 22, 3:00pm
At Hope Church
 
Trunk-or-Treat, October 26, 6:00pm
Grace parking lot
 
Diocesan Convention, October 27-28,
In Saginaw

All Souls Service, November 1, 7:00pm
In the Sanctuary 

All Saints’ Sunday & Newcomer Brunch,
November 5, 12:00pm

The Joy Huttar Memorial Organ Recital, November 5, 3:00pm
In the Sanctuary at Grace 

Novemberfest, November 12, 5:00pm

Holy Chow Fall Session (Last call for sign ups!)
Sign up NOW for Holy Chow! Don’t miss the opportunity to meet new friends and enjoy each others’ company while sharing a meal that everyone helped prepare. Sign up and we’ll make groups of 7 or 8 people that will get together about once a month this fall to get to know each other outside of our normal worship and ministry settings. A sign-up sheet is in the Commons or you can email or call the Office to let us know you’d like to participate. We offer a next round of Holy Chow in the Winter, mix up groups and invite new folks to sign up. You’ll hear from us soon with Fall groups to begin late in September.

Eagle Scout Court of Honor Ceremony for Naomi Phillips
Congratulations, Naomi! We will have a ceremony for Naomi on Saturday, October 7 at 6:30pm. There will be light refreshments following the ceremony. All of Grace is welcome! 

“How Do We Know Ourselves?” by David Myers
Grace Reads on Wednesdays at 10:30am
In the Lower Level Forum Room (zoom available)
Over the past three decades, millions of students have learned about psychology from textbooks by our friend, Dr. David G. Myers, Professor of Psychology at Hope College. “These forty essays offer fresh insight into our sometimes bewildering but ever-fascinating lives. Myers’s subjects range from why we so often fear the wrong things to how simply going for a walk with someone can increase rapport and empathy. He explores the powers and perils of our intuition, explaining why anything can seem obvious once it happens. Myers is engaging and intellectually provocative, and brings a wealth of knowledge from more than fifty years of teaching and writing about psychology to this lively and informative collection. He inspires us to ponder timeless questions, including what might be the most intriguing one of all: How do we know ourselves? “

David Myers will be joining us for one of the sessions — tbd)
September 27, Reading Chapters 22 – 31
October 4, Reading Chapter 32 – the end

Coming up……in October we will plug into the Holland BIG READ, Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi. Books will be available at Reader’s World, Hope Geneva Bookstore, Amazon.com and at your favorite bookseller.  Contact Mary Huisman at maryhuisman47@gmail.com for more information!

On-Going Events: 

 

Not getting children and youth updates? Get on Sarah’s contact list by emailing her at cymdirector@graceepiscopalholland.org 

We will be sending out a Weekly Newsletter that is called Grace to You. If you do not receive this, please email the church office at gechurch@graceepiscopalholland.org to get your email added! After we send out, we will be posting it here as well. 

Grace to you – August
8/27
8/20
8/13
8/6

Grace to you – July
7/30
7/23
7/16
7/9
7/2

Grace to you – June
6/25
6/18
6/11
6/4

Vestry

Rev. Jen Adams, Rector

Jeff Erickson, Sr. Warden

Krista Babbitt, Jr. Warden & Communications

Holly Anderson, Clerk

DuAnne Masselink, Treasurer

Pam Brown, Buildings & Grounds and Creation Care

Ned Goodman, Endowment and Buildings & Grounds

David Hawley-Lowry, Fellowship

Kris Pierce, Hispanic/Latino Ministry

Matt Schmidt, Worship & Digital Ministry

Robbie Schorle, Outreach and Social Justice & Anti-Racism

Joan Smith, Congregational Care

Laurie Van Ark, Fellowship

Kelli Van Dyke, Worship

Chris Wennersten, Worship

Dear People of Grace,

As we enter into the annual pledge drive, I’m leaning into the gospel story known as “The Feeding of the Five Thousand.”  I invite you to lean in too.

In this story a large crowd of people gathered around Jesus. They’d come seeking healing or teaching or (depending on which gospel you tap) both. As the day wore on, the disciples suggested to Jesus that he send people away to go get something to eat. Jesus, however, had something else in mind. He often does.

Jesus invited the people to sit down and then asked the disciples to gather what food there was among them. In all of the gospels, the grand total was five loaves and two fish which made the disciples wonder aloud, “But what is that among so many people?”  

Jesus responded. He blessed and broke the bread and invited everyone to share. Suddenly there was more than enough for thousands. In one of the gospels, there were even twelve baskets left over!

As Grace Church, we live this story over and over again. It’s how annual giving and every offering of time, talent, and treasure works here. We come together to heal, to pray, to teach, to learn, and to serve. We gather gifts. We bless, we break, and we share. Over the course of every year, we as Grace Church, feed thousands of people in many different ways.  And it all happens because you and many give what you have and God does something miraculous with our gifts.

Our pledge goal for 2023 is $435,000, a seven percent increase over 2022. We’ve added a (part-time) clergy person, resumed nursery staff, contribute to the community beyond our doors, and remain committed to maintaining beautiful, functional buildings and grounds. Hitting this pledge goal will still leave us with a budget gap which we hope to cover with designated funds and special gifts. 

We realize that for some, an increase in giving will not be possible. Others will be able to do more and if you have never submitted a pledge to Grace, now’s the time!  EVERY gift makes a difference. We’ve set a pledge goal that we know is a stretch, but if everyone leans in and offers their loaves and fish, there will be enough. 

Pledge cards can be submitted electronically at any time by hitting the button below which will take you to the form. A description on the ways to give is also linked below. We encourage using Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT). This method of giving has helped us stabilize our giving patterns, so if you haven’t signed up yet, please consider signing on. We ask that pledges be submitted  as soon as possible to help Vestry plan for the new year.

Please prayerfully consider your annual gift to Grace and give what you can. It’s how miracles happen.

On behalf of the Stewardship Pledge Team, 
Rev. Jen 
The Rev. Jennifer Adams, Rector

Click HERE for the Online Pledge Form 

Click HERE for a description of all the ways to Give to Grace

Support for Ukraine through Episcopal Relief and Development

Episcopal Relief & Development continues to provide humanitarian assistance to people fleeing the violence in Ukraine, working with our Anglican partners in Europe and ACT Alliance (a global coalition of over 140 faith-based organizations). Follow the link below to contribute knowing that your gift will help provide cash, blankets,  hygiene supplies and other needed assistance. You can follow this link to get to ER&D’s contribution page.  You may also make a contribution to Grace with “Ukraine” in the memo and we will make the contribution to ER&D.   

Grace Refugee Co-sponsorship
This fall we are looking to co-sponsor a refugee family with St. Francis and All Saints churches.  At this time, we have been blessed with all the furniture and lamps and kitchen items we could have hoped for – a big thank you to so many who kept this ministry in mind!  We are now shifting our focus to gift cards from Meijer and Target for the purchase of towels and linens and a new set of queen size mattresses, to be purchased once we are paired with a family. Please drop off any gift card donations at the office during the week, or leave them in the offering plate during services.  Thank you!

Communities across West Michigan (including Ottawa, Kent, and Muskegon Counties) are beginning to welcome more than 280 adults and many children who are newly arrived from Afghanistan.  We’re finding ways to help now – read on and also stay tuned for more!

Contact the Church Office if you would like to be part of a “Refugee Ministry Leadership  Team.”  This is the group that will meet regularly with leads from the other congregations to coordinate efforts with each other, Bethany and Lighthouse.  We need a few more folks to help out with coordination and planning.

Lighthouse Immigrant Advocates (LIA) has a new legal clinic to serve the legal needs of the influx of newcomers to achieve safety and stability. LIA is the only nonprofit law office in Ottawa County serving immigrants and refugees regardless of income.  Financial support is needed as soon as possible for this clinic to offset significant legal fees, translation and interpreter costs, and hospitality expenses. LIA will provide over half a million dollars of legal services at no cost to refugees. The Clinic designed by the LIA Legal Team will provide every refugee with the appropriate legal services to transition from temporary humanitarian parole status into full asylum status. Applications must be made for asylum for refugees who would face persecution, torture, or worse, if they returned to their home countries. Refugees have 1 year from the date of entry into the United States to apply for asylum.  Learn more about the program by visiting the Refugee Program page on LIA’s website at https://lia-michigan.org/legal-services/refugees/ or by emailing admin@lia-michigan.org
You can make a contribution through Grace’s Beyond Grace Fund or directly to LIA.

Bethany Christian Services – Refugee Resettlement Program
Refugee resettlement is the work we have done and hope to continue with St Francis and now All Saints, Saugatuck too as we Co-Sponsor a family.  This is a six-month to one year commitment that does NOT involve providing housing.  It is a way for us to offer support before the Parish House is again available.  Bethany secures housing and a team of people (folks from each church) collectively supports a refugee family. We’ll prepare their apartment with necessities, welcome them at the airport, and provide other services such as English tutoring or cultural assistance. Follow the link above to learn more.  If you are interested in serving on a Resettlement Team contact the Church Office as we explore the possibilities.

Thank you, Grace for helping people who have lost so much, find welcome and home again.

Food Club with Community Action House
Grace has partnered with Community Action House and we are proud to say that we make up a large part of the volunteers of Food Club. They are still always looking for help and it is a great way to get connected with Grace folks & the greater Holland community. THANK YOU, Grace for feeding hungry people!  If you are already signed up to serve, Thank You!  If you’d like to serve (generally once a month) but haven’t yet signed up, contact the Church Office. 

If you’d like to learn more about Food Club and Opportunity Hub, look here.