Dear Friends,
This Palm Sunday members of local churches will again gather at Hopkins Green at 9:30 am as witnesses that we are one in the Spirit and we are one in the Lord. How much our young people and the entire community need and deserve this witness!
…
At Hopkins Green the Rev. Bill Klein will lead us in prayer and we will hear the Gospel of St. Matthew 21:1-11. Palms will be distributed and we will begin a circuit of prayer around the downton churches in honor of the One whose deepest desire is for his disciples to love one another and to live in love and charity with all our neighbors.
Our first prayer stop will be up Nelson Street at Lexington Presbyterian Church where Father Stefan Migac will pray for the people of that parish. Pastor Adam Schultz will lead prayers at and for the people of Randolph Street United Methodist Church. At Manly Memorial Baptist Church Pastor Reginald Early will lead us in prayer. I will offer a prayer for Churches throughout Rockbridge County at Nikko’s Restaurant, the heart of the local Greek Orthodox community. Pastor Skylar Daniel will lead the prayer when we arrive at Trinity United Methodist Church and Pastor Drew Ditzel will pray at First Baptist Church. It will likely be near the time for our 10:30 am service to begin when the procession reaches Grace where Pastor Anita Lucord will pray. Pastor McKinley Williams will conclude the Prayer March arch at St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church.
Join the Palm Sunday March which is unique among all marches and public assemblies in the way it ennobles and relativizes us and our several congregations. It ennobles us when our neighbors gather at our threshold and pray for and with us. It relativizes us to honor our neighbor congregations and join in prayer for and with them. And this reflects the powerful purpose of the incarnation - to bestow nobility upon each human being through Christ's gift of God's Spirit, and to humble us by the knowledge that God does not prefer one family, language, people, or nation above another, but gives the Spirit so that we might love God by loving one another as he has loved us and given himself for us.
With Gratitude,
Tuck Bowerfind, Rector, Grace Episcopal Lexington
Worship Services | Palm Sunday | Sunday, April 2
Next Sunday, please bring flowers from your yard to help flower the cross at the Easter services.
Holy Eucharist | 8 a.m.
In-Person & Zoom
Christianity and Culture | 9:15 a.m.
Parish Hall & Zoom | Renewal of Faith, Confirmation
Holy Eucharist | 10:30 a.m.
In-Person & YouTube
First Sunday Lunch to follow
Evening Prayer | 5 p.m.
In-Person
Morning Prayer | Monday–Friday 8:30 a.m.
In-Person & Zoom
Holy Week Schedule
April 6, 6 p.m. Maundy Thursday Service with Holy Eucharist
April 7, 12 p.m. and 6 p.m. Good Friday Service
April 8, 6 p.m. Easter Vigil followed by Lamb Dinner in Parish Hall
April 9, 8 a.m. & 10:30 a.m. Easter Service
Join Us for Paws to Connect
Paws to Connect is back and better than ever! Join us this week on Grace's steps from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday!
We're on Twitter!
To stay in the loop with all things Grace Episcopal, give us a follow on our new Twitter! While you're at it, check out our other socials too.
Graceful Play
Graceful Play, an after school program for early childhood and early elementary children, began last week on Tuesday, March 28, and we need volunteers to assist. Graceful Play blends curriculum elements from Godly Play and Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, and hopefully, a Vacation Bible School meets Mr. Roger's Neighborhood atmosphere.
As a volunteer you will not be expected to be present each week. There will be no meetings or training, except Safeguarding. As our parish continues the work of Becoming the Beloved Community, I ask you to prayerfully consider participating in Graceful Play.
If you would like to know more about Graceful Play, please contact Marjorie Connolly at connolly804@gmail.com (713-206-1756).
First Sunday Lunch
This Sunday, April 2nd, is a First Sunday Lunch day! Susan Lawrence will be serving up delicious food including fresh spring vegetables! Please join us after the 10:30am service for fellowship in the Parish Hall - bring your appetite and a friend!
Confirmation Preparation
Anyone interested in Confirmation, Reception, or Reaffirmation of Faith please contact Tuck or Samson. Meetings are held in the library after the 10:30 a.m. service.
An Expression of Faith Concert: Restoration
The Southern Virginia University Chamber Singers invite the Rockbridge community to attend their culminating concert of the academic year entitled, “Restoration: An Expression of Faith Concert.” The concert will be performed in the Lexington Presbyterian Church on Tuesday, April 4 from 7:30-9 p.m. Admission is free.
As the conclusion of a year-long musical exploration of identity, enduring joy, and discipleship, this concert will center on the traditions of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In two parts, the concert will convey both a traditional worship service and the daily application of making and honoring covenants unique to Latter-day Saint doctrine
Easter Flowers
Lilies and other spring flowers will be used to decorate the Nave & Chancel. 28 Memorial plants will be available: $10 donation. Please make your check payable to Grace Episcopal with Flower Guild on the memo line, or donate on line at our website, pick Flower Guild in the dropdown box on the Give page. To list a memorial in the bulletin, email Lisa by Tuesday, April 4. Weekly altar flower dedications will resume after Easter.
Ukrainian Dinner
Join us for an authentic Ukrainian Dinner to support our local Ukrainian families. April 15, 2023, 5:30–8:30 p.m. at Grace Episcopal Church. Complimentary Beer and Wine Bar, Three-course dinner prepared by Ukrainian mothers. Raffle, silent and live auction, including: A week on Cape Cod, The Red Hen dinner for two, and other high end items. Only 96 Tickets are available. $50.00 donation per dinner ticket. Each ticket includes dinner and a raffle number! To order by credit card click here or call 540-463-4981, Ext. 2107. Raffle tickets (without dinner) are available here. All proceeds from ticket sales will support the three families living here in Lexington (rent, utilities, food, clothing, transportation, school supplies, etc.) Please bring cash or check for auction items. Your presence is not required to win the raffle! Check us out at hostingukrainianfamilies.org.
Christian Outreach Committee Announcements
Please click below to see announcements from the Christian Outreach Committee in relation to 2023 grants and the needs of Christ Episcopal Church in Buena Vista.
Prayer List
Please pray for the wider Church and intercessions requested by our Congregants: The Diocese of Southwestern Virginia, and our Bishop, The Rt. Rev. Mark Bourlakas. Pray for the people of Emmanuel, Covington and their Priest-in-Charge The Rev. Katherine Kanto Doyle. Pray for Brendon (friend of the Brooke family), Michael Murphy, John Thomas, Timmy, Rick Alexander, Bradley Fairchild and Karen Junkin (friends of the Gibsons), Gloria June Perry (mother of Michael Perry), Glen Jones (friend of the Riethmillers), Darlene Travis (sister of Don Ellis), Patricia Brown Boyer (sister of Madison Brown), Dolly Shumate & Betty Gale Anderson (friends of the Lewis’), Carolyn Glenn (friend of Judy Schram), Jack Hershbell, Crystal Iosco and John Penn (granddaughter and son of Ellie & George Penn), Mary & George Kostel, Laura Stearns, Carl & Rachel Pattison, Diana Kenney, Tom Strickland, Worth & Katie Burnes (friends of the Smiths), Amelia Dull, Jan Ashworth, Barb, Stephen DeMaria, Bill Stearns, Farris Hotchkiss, and those we name aloud or in our hearts. Pray for those who have died, especially Patrick Mayerchak.
Drusie Milford is taking over the Grace Prayer email chain. Each Tuesday an email will go out with the week's information. If you would like to become a member of this group, please email Drusie Milford (drusmilford@gmail.com). Likewise, if you would like to request anyone be added to the prayer email chain, please email Drusie.
In Thanksgiving for March and April Birthdays
3/24 Rose Gordon
3/26 AP Smith
3/27 Kathryn Hill
3/31 Will Edgar
4/2 David Connolly
4/3 Dot Fogo
4/3 Alice Moore
4/3 Punky Dod
4/5 Gail Dickerson
4/6 Molly Brown, Jasper Murphy
4/7 Diana Kenney
4/8 Anne Sauder, Emily McClung, William Mackie
4/9 Lori Sadler
4/10 William McCorkle
4/13 David Passmore
4/15 Helen Head
4/16 Donald Ellis
4/18 Dennis Cross, Kevin Manning
4/19 Lisa J McGuire, Beverly Wirtz
4/20 Erika Brooke
4/22 Buddy Atkins
4/25 Genelle Gertz
4/26 Chuck Smith
4/27 Nancy Walker
4/28 Sharon Humphreys, Abby Moles, Madison Brown
4/29 David Hansen
We're so glad you're here! If you or someone you know is new to Grace and would like more information about Parish life, follow the link below.
Black in Appalachia Pilgrimage
Join the Episcopal Diocese of Southwestern Virginia April 28-30 for a pilgrimage to explore and learn about the roots of black history in the Appalachian Mountains. There is a limit of 15 spots for this trip, so please see the event details and registration button below.
Our Lenten Journey: Companions Along the Way
You're invited to Our Lenten Journey: Companions Along the Way, a six-week, online series on Tuesdays at 7PM from February 28 – April 4 sponsored by The Episcopal Diocese of Southwestern Virginia.
Episcopal Church's Public Affairs Office Email List
Subscribe to the Episcopal Church’s Public Affairs Office’s email lists to receive the latest information about The Episcopal Church. “The Episcopal Church Press Release Digest” provides up-to-the-minute information about news, events, and resources from The Episcopal Church. The “Daily Scan” is a daily list of links to news stories in the mass media that highlight The Episcopal Church, Episcopal parishes and dioceses, and Episcopalians.
Donate to The Bishop’s Dollar Fund
This year during the season of Lent, Bishop Bourlakas extends his annual invitation to reflect on our discipleship in Jesus' name. As you walk the way of the cross through the forty days of Lent, we encourage generous support of The Bishop’s Dollar Fund to continue to address a variety of initiatives and needs throughout the diocese that would not be available through our annual program budget. You may send donations via the link below or mail a check to the Diocesan Office made payable to the Episcopal Diocese of Southwestern Virginia with "Bishop's Dollar" in the memo line to: Attn: Bishop's Dollar Fund, PO Box 2279, Roanoke, VA 24009.
Rockbridge Youth Chorale Spring Concert
Tuesday, April 11, 7:30 p.m. | Lexington Presbyterian Church. Admission is a suggested minimum donation of $10/adult, $5/student or child or $25/family. For more information contact RYCLexington@gmail.com
Rockbridge Area Cleanup
Saturday, April 22, 9-12, Grace participates in the Rockbridge Area Cleanup! Place to be announced. Please email Martha about how excited you are to participate. The Creation Care Committee will have jackets and bags ready AND provide lunch after!
Hosting Ukrainian Families
A humanitarian outreach effort organized by citizens of Lexington, Buena Visa, and Rockbridge County, we aim to pave the way for sponsoring temporary re-settlement of families who qualify for entry according to the laws of the United States.
The mission of Hosting Ukrainian Families is based upon love, compassion, and humanitarian concerns for families seeking to live in peace. Accordingly, a call is issued to each person joining in this effort to set aside all political, culturally divisive viewpoints, and all differences which may hinder or defeat these goals. To donate, click the link below.