Grace is Going Solar!
Grace is installing solar panels on the new roof in the Fall of this year. Local, and well known, contractor Sugar Hollow will complete the installation and Grace Church will receive a $15,000 rebate form Duke Energy after the installation is complete and will also qualify for metering credits going forward. The panels will be installed on the side of the parish and kitchen hall. A panel will be on display in August in the Parish Hall. 
A mix of contributions, pledges, and borrowing from the Church capital reserve (to be paid back from the Duke rebate) is making this project possible. However, $8,000 is still needed. Please contribute whatever you can!

Greeters Needed
Grace is bringing back an active greeters ministry to help welcome parishioners old and new, and we would love for you to join us! If you love people, have been a greeter at Grace or at another parish, have always wanted to be a greeter, or just want to learn more about this ministry, please join us in the parish hall after church for about 45 minutes this Sunday, August 7th. We had a productive meeting after church last Sunday and are looking for more people to join us in this fun and important ministry. For more information, please contact Diane Wilkey at thewilkeys@gmail.com.

Caregiver Support Group:
Rosalyn Carter reminds us that caregiving provides us with challenges and opportunities. Participating in a caregiver support group will help you turn challenges into blessings. It will also help you avoid burnout. The group will be a place to lessen stress and to be uplifted by compassionate hearts in a confidential setting. The group will meet at 10:30 on the first and third Thursdays of each month.
Patrick Mahon, a caregiver for five years, will facilitate the group. If you need further information, call him at 404.375.4737. He will also be available in the coffee area after Sunday Eucharists.

The 150th Anniversary of the Founding of St. John's Episcopal Church , will St. John's Episcopal Church of Asheville is celebrating it's 150th anniversary by inviting current and former members, clergy, neighbors, and the community to join the festivities. Come experience some of the typical social activities of the Haw Creek Valley and worship traditions of the Episcopal Church from the 1800s. Activities, including a rededication of the church, will be held Saturday and Sunday, August 27-28.

Medical Advocacy Ministry

A Medical Advocacy Ministry is being formed at Grace Church to provide resources and
education to assist parishioners with later life/ end of life issues and in navigating the healthcare system. We would like to assess your needs as well as interest in supporting this ministry.
Our initial efforts will be focused on our older population which is likely in greater need but we
hope to offer support to other ages in the future. We are hoping to build on the excellent past
medical ministry efforts of Kathleen Griffin.
In order to enable this effort, we ask that you consider your possible need of some of the
offerings listed below:
1. Aging in place— how to make your home safe for living in your later years.
2. End of life issues—Death/Dying, Palliative and Hospice Care, Advanced Directives,
Healthcare power of attorney
3. Senior support—Home healthcare, Caregiver Resources (including caring for the caregiver)
4. Healthcare provider and facility navigation guidance—locating a physician, questions to ask
your physician/ other providers, insurance questions, using online resources.
A phone survey of a sample group of parishioners will be done to assess the priority interest in
the above.
Please also let us know if you would like to participate as a supporter in building this Grace
Church community Ministry.
Thank you.
The Grace Church Medical Advocacy Ministry Team
Dodie King, Ginny Moser, Jeff Russell, Jennifer Witt
For information, please contact Dodie King (dodiesking@gmail.com) or Jeff Russell
(jeffkr46@gmail.com)

OUTREACH

Looking for Cool Ways to Help Those in Need This Summer?
 
ABCCM serves our neighbors, including single moms and veterans, with a broad range of crisis ministries which provide assistance year-round for Cooling and Heating, Homelessness, Meals, Transportation, Utilities, Medical Needs, Eviction Prevention, and Financial Support. Now, as we all swelter in the heat of summer, ABCCM needs your support more than ever. Visit https://www.abccm.org/crisis today and help our neighbors in need. 

CONNECTING & OFFERING SUPPORT

If you are not a member of Grace Church and are interested in joining, please reply with your interest, or let Rev. Milly know by calling or texting her at 828.772.1429. Once you're a member, you'll have access to our directory.

Information About Your SimpleChurch App!  Not only do you have access to the parish directory, but you can also easily change your profile picture, confidentially check the status of your pledge, and give to your favorite ministry through online giving. Sign on to find ways to reach out to and connect with other members of the church. And if you don’t know your log in information or need more instructions, contact Valerie at the office. A link will be sent to you that will make it easy for you to get into SimpleChurch.

Look for the green tree symbol to download the SimpleChurch app from your app store onto your computer or phone. The domain name when requested in the app is graceepiscopalasheville. For your computer you put in the domain name.  https://graceepiscopalasheville.simplechurchcrm.com.

Electronic Giving Made Easy! Look Grace Church receives electronic giving via our website at www.graceavl.com. There is a "Give to Grace" button on the top blue banner of our home page, in the upper right-hand corner. Additional ways to give to our "virtual collection plate" and various fundraising efforts are through the Simple Church app.    EPISCOPAL AND DIOCESE PROGRAMS:   Sign up for the WNC Diocese Newsletter here. A couple of their programs offered are below. ONGOING PROGRAMS The EPISCOPAL PUBLIC POLICY NETWORK (EPPN) is a grassroots effort of The Episcopal Church’s Office of Government Relations to educate, equip and engage individual Episcopalians in federal public policy advocacy, guided by the resolutions of the General Convention and the Executive Council. To sign up for EPPN Action alerts that come to your personal email AND to receive a unique code to listen in on the fast-paced, 30-minute Zoom call every Thursday at 1 pm (“Congress Weekly”), register here as an EPPN network member.    Here are the latest resources prepared by EPPN for your information and use:    Tell Congress to Help Stop Illegal Deforestation. Urge your representatives to cosponsor the FOREST Act of 2021 (S.2950/H.R.5508). This bipartisan legislation would improve trade transparency to help ensure our nation’s imports are not connected to illegal deforestation in other countries. A Closer Look with OGR: Religious Liberty and the Supreme Court with BJC. Leaders of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, TEC’s Office of Government Relations (OGR) and others talk about the implications of recent Supreme Court decisions on religious liberty. The discussion touched on the case of the praying football coach and taxpayer support for religious schools in Maine. See the recorded conversation on YouTube. ● EPPN Advocacy Training Day: The Environment on Wednesday, August 10th from 2:00-4:30 pm EDT. Join OGR for a network wide virtual EPPN Advocacy Training Day to address Creation Care! You will learn best practices for setting up, conducting, and following up on advocacy meetings, ideas for how to expand your advocacy meeting into longer-term relationship building among advocates, and tips for building an effective strategy for engagement.   Urge the House to Pass the Inflation Reduction  Act! Last weekend, the Senate passed the Inflation Reduction Act  which will craft a fairer tax system that shifts more of the tax  burden to high-income earners and wealthy corporations, provide  vital health care reforms including lowering the costs of  prescription drugs, and develop the most substantial   Congressional action in decades to address climate change. The  House now needs to do the same. Tell your House Representative  to pass the Inflation Reduction Act!  Take Action! Weekly Policy Network Call - Thursdays, 1:00-1:30 pm EDT - The Office of Government Relations holds a 30-minute, weekly  conversation about the policies and legislation we are advocating  for. Register here. Praying Together Rev. Milly holds open spiritual direction sessions for individuals or couples weekly by appointment Wednesdays 1-3 pm in the sanctuary. Please email Rev. Milly to schedule your time with her: Milly@graceavl.com Weekly Taizé Continues on Tuesday evenings at 6pm These ecumenical services are known for their melodic chants and prayers. Although music forms a central part of the service it is mixed with comforting periods of silence allowing for contemplation. Lighted mostly by candlelight in the sanctuary of Grace Church, the vesper light of approaching evening offers a safe and nurturing space for a well-deserved moment of peace in our hectic lives. Healing prayer is offered throughout the service for oneself or on behalf of someone else. Women Walking the Way Thursday at 8:00 am meet at the Bird Sanctuary parking lot. Women of Grace, please consider joining Rev. Milly for a weekly walk at Beaver Lake. This time together is devoted to deep listening to how we as women walk the way of Jesus, in the world and in our community of Grace. No need to register or even email her, just show up!  Monday Morning Bible Study Bible Study will continue to meet via Zoom on Mondays until further notice, at 10:30 AM, as we study the scriptures for the upcoming Sunday service. Please join us virtually or by clicking on the button at graceavl.com/. The Pastoral Care Team at Grace Our pastoral care team invites you to reach out to us with any pastoral care needs you, or your family, may have, by emailing the team at pastoralcare@graceavl.com. You can also email, text or call Fr. Mike at 860-771-1656 or Rev. Milly at 828.772.1429, Sunday through Thursday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., unless it’s a pastoral emergency.   THIS WEEK'S SERVICES AND MEETINGS SUMMARY Date and Time Service or Meeting Location Sunday, Aug 14 9:30a Adult Formation: Good Days and Bad Parish Hall Sunday, 10:30a Holy Eucharist Service*  Sanctuary *YouTube* Mondays at 10:30a Monday Morning Bible Study *Zoom* Mondays, 3p Pastoral Care Team Meeting  Zoom Monday, Aug 15 5:30-8 Vestry Meeting *Zoom* Tuesdays, 6p Taizé Service Sanctuary Wednesdays, 1-3p Praying Together with Rev. Milly - by appointment Sanctuary Wednesdays, 5:30p Centering Prayer *Zoom* Thursdays, 8a Women Walking the Way Beaver Lake Friday Aug 19, 9am-12pm Flower Guild Parish Kitchen   Check Out the SUMMER EDITION OF THE GRACE TEAM. In this edition, you'll find: Message from Rev. Milly Message from Our Wardens Two Months of "Events at a Glance" Farewell Party for Valerie Solar Panels Report on the Poor People's March in DC Budget Update, Ministry Schedule and more!  We are so glad you are with us in our Grace community!