Greetings Good People of Grace,

All are invited to come to our Sanctuary to worship in-person this Sunday. We will have the Eighth Sunday after Pentecost Holy Eucharist service, on July 31st at 10:30 a.m. 

To access the Sunday Service by Live Stream on our YouTube Channel, links are found at the top of our website at graceavl.com. Click on "YouTube Services" for the service, on "Sunday Service Bulletin" for the bulletin, and on "Sunday Hymns" to sing along during the service. You will also find a link to The Book of Common Prayer under Resources. 

Lay Ministers Serving this Sunday
Acolyte: Nancy Walters Chalicist: Greg Townsend
Lector: Sally Withers; Intercessor: Kokayi Cobb
Ushers: William & Nate Potter
Vestry Member of the Day: Elaine Potter

Update Your Records With Our New Emails!

Clergy & Staff at Grace have been working behind the scenes to update the ways we connect with you! We have updated our emails to the @graceavl.com domain to increase consistency in our communication, decrease email scams, and make it easier to get in touch.
 If you forget and send an email to our old addresses it's okay! Messages are being forwarded to the new addresses. 
Please update your records with our new emails below:

Office@graceavl.com
Milly@graceavl.com
Mike@graceavl.com
PastoralCare@graceavl.com
Finance@graceavl.com
SeniorWarden@graceavl.com
JuniorWarden@graceavl.com
Tech@graceavl.com
Weddings@graceavl.com
 

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 have been a greeter at Grace or another Parish, have always wanted to be a greeter, or just want to leave more about this ministry, please join us in the Parish Hall after church for about 45 minutes either this Sunday, July 31st, or next Sunday, August 7th. For more information please contact Diane Wilkey at thewilkeys@gmail.com

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!

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.

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! 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:    Urge Congress to End Human Trafficking EPPN calls on Congress to move quickly to pass the bipartisan Abolish Human Trafficking Reauthorization Act of 2022. Speak out now! ● Ask Congress to Support Immigrant Farm Workers Reach out to your Senators to urge them to pass the bipartisan Farm Workforce Modernization Act to reform the current federal agricultural guest worker visa program known as H- 2A and provide a path to legal status for the current undocumented workforce. ● EPPN Advocacy Training Day: The Environment Join us Wednesday, August 10th from 2:00-4:30 pm EDT, as the staff of the Office of Government Relations host a network-wide virtual EPPN Advocacy Training Day to address Creation Care! During this advocacy training, EPPN will help you go deeper in your advocacy with training from Office of Government Relations staff as well as the chance to connect with other advocates. Registration is free but required. 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, 10:30a Holy Eucharist Service*  Sanctuary *YouTube* Mondays at 10:30a Monday Morning Bible Study *Zoom* Mondays, 3p Pastoral Care Team Meeting Zoom Tuesdays, 6p Taize Service Sanctuary Wednesday, August 3, 11a-12P Interment Service for Jim Black Urban Garden 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 Thursday, July 28, 6-7:30p  20s & 30s Bible Study Contact Fr.Mike   * BULLETIN AVAILABLE*LINK AT TOP OF HOME PAGE*  graceavl.com   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!