Life With Grace | March 20
- Grace Episcopal Church
- Mar 20
- 6 min read
Updated: Mar 25
Dear Friends,
Our prayer for the Fifth Sunday of Lent is for God to give us the grace to love what God commands and desire for what God promises. (from the collect for the Fifth Sunday of Lent)
Of course we know what that is- to love God and to love our neighbors as ourselves and to desire justice and peace.
But instead of desiring what God promises we imitate each other's desire. We do not have to compete for the power to destroy the world but this is what we get drawn into.
Leadership at this moment looks like restraint, stopping, stepping back, acknowledging that imitating violence will only intensify violence. The desire we have to imitate and model is the desire to use our resources to heal, to feed, to educate, to dialog, to care.
What a relief it was a few weeks ago to follow the monks on their pilgrimage to Washington. Their desire for nothing but a right relationship, harmony, inspired hope that we can live in love and charity with our neighbors. They were imitating the same desire so powerfully revealed in Jesus. How long ago and far away that example seems. But this example is always at hand for us to imitate.
Pray that those in authority will turn their attention away from imitating each other and toward imitating what God commands and promises through Christ.
With Gratitude,
Tuck Bowerfind (he/him)
Rector | Grace Episcopal Church
Worship Services | Fifth Sunday in Lent | Sunday, March 22nd
Holy Eucharist Rt I | 8 a.m. | Zoom and In-Person
Christianity and Culture | 9:15 a.m. | Zoom and In-Person
SUNDAY, MARCH 22nd - 5th Sunday of Lent - American Church/Changing Beliefs, Practices and Affiliations - Jon Eastwood
Upcoming Christianity and Culture Session
SUNDAY, MARCH 29th - Palm Sunday - Parade of the Palms No C&C
SUNDAY, APRIL 5th - Easter - No C&C
SUNDAY, APRIL 12th - Freedom of Religion Clause in the Constitution - Ann Massie
SUNDAY, APRIL 19th - April 22nd Earth Day - Earth Day “Our Power, Our Planet” - Sustainable Agriculture - Glenn Szarzynski
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 also welcome. Please contact James Keane for more information and to offer assistance.
Easter Flowers
This year the flower guild will have 14 lilies, pots of tulips, hydrangeas and hyacinths, to decorate the Nave & Chancel for Easter. If you would like to donate a Memorial plant for $10, please make your check payable to Grace Episcopal with Flower Guild on the memo line, or donate online at our website pick Flower Fund in the dropdown box on the Give page. Please email Lisa@gracelexva.org with your memorial or thanksgiving dedication.
Lenten Programming & Easter Services
Wednesday Evenings in the Parish Hall - 6 p.m. Supper prepared and served by Anne Sauder, 6:30 p.m. presentation, Concluding prayer 7:25 p.m.
Wednesday, March 25 - Alex Brown Parables of the Kingdom Ch 25
Wednesday, April 1 - No program
Thursday, April 2 - 6:30 p.m. Maundy Thursday Eucharist
Friday, April 3 - Noon & 6:30 p.m. Good Friday Liturgy
Saturday, April 4 - 6:30 p.m. Easter Vigil followed by Lamb Supper
Sunday, April 5 - Easter Services 8 a.m. & 10:30 a.m.
Joyful Noise for Palm Sunday! Children’s Choir is Back!
Grace is celebrating the return of the inclusion of children’s voices in our music program. For Palm Sunday 2026, Children will lead the Palm Procession from the front steps of the church, through the Nave, and to the steps of the Chancel.
The procession song is "Hosanna" by Carl Tuttle and is the first 2:55 of this link: https://youtu.be/IBwT0R8l2IQ?si=wV6gGPYSNTX20jrn
To prepare our fledgling group of little singers, Graceful Play will focus on learning the anthem during our time on March 8, 15, and 22. All children are invited to join in and to join an actual Children’s Choir rehearsal after 10:30 Worship also on March 8, 15, and 22. All Grace families are invited to send us your preschoolers and older children. We will serve snacks followed by a 45-minute singing and learning time. This will be led by Melanie Griffis and Martha Burford, with assistance from a few volunteers.
If you are a Grandparent, Auntie, Uncle, beloved friend or otherwise attached to a young singer planning to attend/visit on Palm Sunday, please share the link above so they can join in!
It is my prayerful hope that we will bring this joyful noise experiment into our worship on a regular basis. You may contact me with questions at 540-460-9650 or mgriffis1@msn.com.
With gratitude,
Melanie Griffis
News from Christian Outreach Committee
Uniity4Kids run by Tammy Reid is putting together Easter baskets for underprivileged children in our area and are looking for help. If you would like to put together an Easter basket or two or more, give Tammy a call or text and she will supply you with a name or names and information about a child. Her phone number is mobile 540-784-2659, work 540-463-7394 and email is tammyr@spencerhomecenter.com.
If you are looking for a fun and rewarding activity, get a name and fill a basket for Unity4Kids. Thank you.
Morning Prayer | Monday–Friday 8:30 a.m.
In-Person & Zoom
Paws to Connect
Paws to Connect is back! Join us on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 11:30 a.m. on the steps of Grace. We'll see you soon!
Women’s Bible Study
Our Women's Bible Study on the Book of James meets on Tuesdays from 9:30 - 11 a.m. in the College Room. Contact Michelle Mackie for more info.
Invitation from the Sheriff
Join Sheriff Tony A. McFaddin Jr. for an afternoon of community and crime prevention at his Senior Social Luncheon. Free and open to the public 50 years and up. Wednesday, March 25, 2026. 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. at the Virginia Horse Center. Sponsors and Vendors located throughout the concourse. Catered lunch served at noon in the Mezzanine. Guest speakers presenting topics relevant to the senior population.
Protecting Our Public Lands from Coal Mining
Join us for an important conversation about the future of our public lands and the ongoing threats of coal mining in Appalachia.
On Tuesday, March 24 at 7 PM, Grace Episcopal Church will host Willie Dodson, Coal Impacts Program Manager with Appalachian Voices, for an informative and timely presentation.
In 2022, South Fork Coal Company began illegally hauling coal through the Monongahela National Forest from the Rocky Run Surface Mine in West Virginia. Thanks to grassroots advocacy, the operation was halted in 2025—at least for now. However, new efforts are underway to reopen Appalachian national forests to coal mining, reversing protections that have been in place since the 1970s.
This event will explore what’s at stake, what’s changing, and how individuals and communities can take action to defend public lands.
Prayer List
Please pray for the wider Church and intercessions requested by our Congregants: Pray for Presiding Bishop The Most Rev. Sean Rowe. Pray for the Diocese of Southwestern Virginia and our Bishop-Elect The Rev. Karin MacPhail. Pray today for the people of St. Paul’s, Salem and their rector, the Rev. Ned Morris. 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, Joe Irby, Kent Wilson, Jerry & Ann Nay, Paula Cooper, Ned Henneman, Sharon Humphreys, Elizabeth Klein, Dot Fogo, Buddy Atkins, Dennis Coughlin, Rob Fleming, Patty Irving Sensabaugh, Richard Partlett, Gerry Locher, Doug Ayer, Mo Littlefield, Becky Merchant, Betsy Carter, Tena Clark, Tom Capito (brother of Kitty Farrar), Shay Peters, and those we name aloud or 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.
In Thanksgiving for March and April Birthdays
3/23 Laura Stearns
3/24 Rose Gordon
3/26 AP Smith
3/27 Kathryn Hill
3/31 Will Edgar 4/2 David Connolly
4/3 Dot Fogo, Punky Dod
4/5 Gail Dickerson
4/8 Anne Sauder, Emily McClung, William Mackie
4/9 Lori Sadler, Aurelia Sorber
4/10 William McCorkle, Suzanne Keen, John Arpin
4/13 David Passmore
4/14 Gini Jardim
4/16 Don Ellis
4/18 Dennis Cross, Kevin Manning
4/19 Lisa McGuire, Beverly Wirtz
4/20 Erika Brooke
4/22 Buddy Atkins
4/25 Genelle Gertz
4/26 Chuck Smith
4/27 Clara Pickett
4/28 Sharon Humphreys, Clark Simcoe
4/28 Abby Moles, Madison Brown, Jeanne Glenn
4/29 David Hansen
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