Life With Grace | August 7
- Grace Episcopal Church
- 9 hours ago
- 8 min read
Dear Friends,
Storms of controversy and doubt sometimes threaten us more than actual thunderstorms. Whether the storm is political or personal or natural, when things are in turmoil, we may doubt God's presence or ability to help.
In this Sunday's gospel the disciples find themselves separated from Jesus for the first time. And they are unable to make any progress against the winds that blow against them all night.
Toward morning Jesus returns to them, walking on water, and announces himself, I am. But Peter testing him says, Lord, if it is you, command me to come out on the water.
Like Peter, in times of trouble, we sometimes lapse into testing God - if you are with me, if you are for me, then prove yourself - heal me, resolve my debt, make me happy, help me win.
But Jesus hasn't come to give us supernatural power. He has come to show us that God does not abhor being human. After Peter is done testing Jesus, Jesus gets into the boat with all of the disciples and with him they reach their destination.
We always have the ability to work through the controversies and doubts that threaten to undo us if we face them together in companionship with God whose will for us is love in action, justice and peace.
With Gratitude,
Tuck Bowerfind (he/him)
Rector | Grace Episcopal Church
Worship Services | Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost | August 9
Holy Eucharist Rt I | 8 a.m. | Zoom and In-Person
Christianity and Culture | 9:15 a.m. | Zoom and In-Person
August 9: Renewing Grace Phase 2. We will update you on the plans for Phase 2 and get your input into remaining decisions about windows and toilet rooms.
Upcoming Christianity and Culture Classes
August 16: Renewing Grace - We will present the costs of the project to date, the budget and finance plan for the work ahead.
August 23: Meet our new College Ministry Assistant, Amy Pollan, and new members of the VMI Class of 2030. This will be a mostly informal gathering to meet students, begin finding Adopt a Rat matches, and give them access to cell phones so they can call home. College Ministry Assistant Amy Pollan will introduce herself.
Holy Eucharist Rt II | 10:30 a.m. | YouTube and In-Person
The nursery is available during our services.
Adults and older youth trained in Safe Church are needed to assist in the nursery from 9 a.m.–noon. We can pay $15/hour. Volunteers are also welcome. Please contact James Keane for more information and to offer assistance.
No Celtic Service this Sunday
We will resume our evening Celtic Services on October 11.
Morning Prayer | Monday – Friday | 8:30 a.m.
Zoom and In-Person
The Mission and Outreach Committee of the Gadsden Trust
Third quarter grant requests must be received by noon on September 1, 2026. The online Gadsden Trust Grant Application can be completed by going to the Grace Episcopal Church website at www.gracelexva.org. Once on the Grace website, click on the “Grants” tab and then the Gadsden Grants tab. The completed application will automatically be sent to the Gadsden Committee.
Gadsden Committee meetings are open to members of the parish.
Renewing Grace Meetings
As we approach the Phase 2 construction of new accessible toilet rooms, HVAC, and full renovation of the Parish Hall, I invite you to take the opportunity to listen to each other with regard to small design elements.
At Christianity and Culture, 9:15 – 10:15 a.m. Sunday, August 9, there will be an additional opportunity to listen to comments about the remaining leaded glass windows and the gender designations of the toilet rooms. Sunday, August 16, 9:15 – 10:15 a.m. there will be a presentation on the financing of Phase 2 and the program continuity plan during the Parish House closure September 18, 2026 – March 21, 2027.
Windows (August 9)
The Renewing Grace plan calls for preserving the current appearance of the building facade by rebuilding the street-facing leaded glass windows of the Parish House. Since the Marvin Ultimate windows have been installed, many people have expressed an interest in changing the plan and replacing the remaining leaded glass windows with the Marvin windows.
Toilet Room Gender Designation (August 9)
The Renewing Grace plan assumes that the toilet rooms will be designated male and female in order to provide for two users in each room at the same time. Some people have expressed a preference for single-use, lockable, gender-neutral toilet rooms.
On August 9 we will listen to comments about the merits of the options for the windows and the toilet rooms. The Vestry will make final decisions about these items at the August 22 meeting.
Note: On August 16 at Christianity and Culture we will have a report on the financing of Phase 2 and describe the plan for ensuring continuity of programming once the Parish House closes in mid-September.
As we have these conversations it is important to remember that Renewing Grace is a process for increasing the accessibility, dependability, and beauty of the Parish House for the sake of the work God is calling us to do. We each deserve to be respected and heard during the process. But we also have to take into account the needs of many who we will never hear from - people who are not yet members of Grace, the community we serve and which relies on our buildings for programming support, and future generations. And finally, we always have to remember that our relationships, how we listen to and respect each other, are generally far more important than the outcome of any decision.
Trumpet Recital at Grace
Sammy Eastwood will be performing a trumpet recital on Wednesday, August 26 at 7 p.m. in the sanctuary of Grace Church. We hope that you will be able to join Sammy and his family and friends for this very special event.
Sammy is the son of Jon Eastwood and Maria Nava and is the trumpet student of Peter Del Vecchio, having studying privately with him for the past 3 1/2 years. Piano accompanist for the recital is Lisa Knudson of Buena Vista.
The pieces that Sammy will perform are the Haydn Trumpet Concerto (2nd movement), a fun and exhilarating arrangement of the William Tell Overture (featuring Sammy‘s band as accompanists), a beautiful and complex French étude, a fun selection by Sammy and his band, and two works by Del Vecchio (a duet for two trumpets, and a sonatina for trumpet and piano).
The recital is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served after. For more information about the recital, please contact Peter Del Vecchio at 540-460-2440, or at PHDelVecchio@aol.com
ESOL Snack Request
The English as a Second Language (ESOL) program at Rockbridge County High School needs individually wrapped snacks for ESOL students such as granola bars, protein bars, cheese crackers, peanut butter crackers, beef jerky. Any donations would be greatly appreciated. You may leave them in the Parish Office. Thank you!
Rockbridge NAACP Event
Rockbridge NAACP Members welcome Kentucky Poet Laureate & 2014 NAACP Image Award Recipient, Frank X. Walker to the Freedom Fund 2026 Fundraiser "A Peaceful Struggle for Justice" (Medgar Evers, 1963) - Honoring Tammy Dunn. Saturday, August 22, 1:30 p.m. at the Virginia Horse Center, 487 Maury River Road, Lexington. Donations can be made by check and mailed to: Rockbridge NAACP, P.O. Box 1065, Lexington, VA 24450. For more information email Susan Mead at susanvirginiamead@gmail.com. To donate online go to RockbridgeNAACP.com
Music in the Garden at Boxerwood
Join us in the Boxerwood field on select Fridays from May through September for this family-friendly concert series. For more than ten years, neighbors have gathered at Boxerwood on warm summer evenings to enjoy great local music in a relaxing atmosphere. The concerts are kid- and pet-friendly, affordable, easily accessible, and welcoming to all.
The gate opens at 5:30 p.m. so that early arrivers can meet up with friends to picnic, socialize, or get a bite to eat. Musicians take the stage at 6:30 p.m. and conclude at 8:00 p.m. as the sun goes down. A food truck is on site at each show. Admission to Music in the Garden is free for kids and current Boxerwood members and $5 per adult for non-members. There's no charge for parking. We have handicapped parking and the terrain is suitable for wheelchairs.
To view the bands and plan your visit, check out our Calendar.
RARA Food Pantry Service Projects
Every August, the Rockbridge Jewish Community partners with Blueberry Hill Farm to organize a series of service projects where participants pick blueberries to be donated to the RARA Food Pantry. This year, we are including more groups from our community, and would like to have an interfaith gleaning on August 10. Doing good together is a great way to build bridges among various faith groups!
Monday, August 10, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Blueberry Hill Farm
569 Still House Rd. (off 60 West)
Bring your own picking bucket.
Not a time for picking for personal use (farm is closed to the public).
Subject to rain cancellation.
Join us for a fun and meaningful way to spend a summer evening in a beautiful location!
Food for Pets of RARA Clients
We are collecting 8- or 10-pound bags of dry food or packages of wet dog, puppy, cat, and kitten food for pets of RARA clients.
Any brand is welcome, but please choose regular diets.
Donations may be delivered inside the RARA Neighborhood Market at 350 Spotswood Drive, Lexington, during the following drop-off times:
Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday: 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Wednesday: 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
If these times are not convenient, donations may also be dropped off at the parish office.
For questions, please email Susan Cross.
Clothes Closet at Christ Episcopal
The Clothes Closet at Christ Church, Buena Vista, needs new men's briefs and boxer shorts and women's underwear - all sizes, men's collarless tee shirts in all sizes, men's shorts, jeans, pants sizes 30 to 36, and new or gently used men's socks. They are not accepting any other items at this time as they are chock full! The Clothes Closet is open every first and third Saturday of the month from 9 a.m. until noon. You may drop your items off then. Alternately, you can bring your items to the Grace Episcopal Church office and Lisa will ensure your items are conveyed to the Clothes Closet. Thank you for your support of this valuable asset to our community.
Prayer List
Please pray for the wider Church and intercessions requested by our Congregants: Pray for Presiding Bishop The Most Rev. Sean Rowe. Pray today for the Diocese of Southwestern Virginia and our bishop, the Rt. Rev. Karin MacPhail. Pray for the people of Good Shepherd, Folly Mills. Pray for God’s blessing on the peacemaking labor of Anthony Poggo, former bishop of the South Sudanese diocese of Kajo-Kejil and now serving as Secretary General of the Anglican Communion, and Ezekiel Kondo, Archbishop of the Episcopal Church of Sudan, and Justin Badi Arama, Archbishop of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan. Pray for Brendon, Timmy, Laura Stearns, Lynda deMaria, Betty Cadden, Jeff Mason, Kent Wilson, Jerry & Ann Nay, Paula Cooper, Sharon Humphreys, Elizabeth Klein, Dot Fogo, Buddy Atkins, Dennis Coughlin, Gerry Locher, Mo Littlefield, Tena Clark, Shay Peters, Meg Moss, Steve Lawrence, Patricia Williams, Peggy Matheson, Sid, Allison Williams, Biddy & Chuck Watson, Sue Denson, Anne Hershbell, Michelle Mackie, Gary Steinmiller (cousin of Darlene Keane), Virginia Cooke, Melissa Cox, Melanie Griffis, Mike and Sue Ellen Jent, and those we hold in our hearts. Pray for the people living in war, pray for cessation of violence, and for reconciliation, and peace. Pray for those who have died, Charles Herman Aardema Sr. (grandfather of Nolan Zunk).
In Thanksgiving for August Birthdays
8/8 Greg Lemmer, Carol Dent
8/10 David Partlett
8/11 Mimi Knight, Gabi Eastwood
8/14 Gerry Locher, Kathy Kozak, David O'Connor
8/15 Uncas McThenia
8/17 Kent Wilson
8/18 Luke Camp
8/20 Marjorie Connolly
8/21 Lena Simcoe
8/26 Elaine Nelson
8/28 David Howison
8/29 Pierson Hotchkiss
8/31 Pat Gibson
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