The Harvest Dinner is a much-anticipated event each fall at Grace Church. Typically, the undercroft is filled with tables and good food, fellowship and dancing. While we have been able to return to many of the things we could do before the pandemic, we aren’t quite there yet in terms of having dinner together inside the church building. Good news, though, is that there will be an opportunity to gather, have dinner, and enjoy fellowship outside.
Date: Saturday, October 23
Time: 6:00 – 8:30 pm
Location: Playground next to Parish Hall (Auburn School). We will gather around Fire Pits, in place of tables in the Undercroft
Dinner: Food Trucks in the Church Parking Lot – Provided by Grace Church
Dessert: S’Mores, of course! Make your own around your Fire Pit
Drinks: Your Fire Pit Host will contact you to coordinate drinks for your group
Childcare: While we cannot safely offer Childcare, as usual, during dinner, Grace Church will be happy to reimburse you for any childcare costs, so that everyone may attend the Harvest Dinner, free of charge.
Just a reminder that according to Diocesan guidelines, children under the age of 18 are not permitted to attend church sponsored events where alcohol is served, and so we cannot accommodate children under that age at the Harvest Dinner Fire Pit Celebration.
RSVP: Ready for a fun, safe, outdoor Harvest Dinner? Please let us know,
using any of these methods:
Complete the form and return to church during any Sunday service
Complete the form on the website – www.graceepiscopalchurch.org
Email Linda Baily at: labaily411@gmail.com
Mail your RSVP to Linda Baily at 411 Lexington Drive, S.S. MD. 20901
Questions: If you have any questions, please contact Linda Baily at labaily411@gmail.com
Those who RSVP will hear from their Fire Pit Host the week of October 17.
…for we walk by faith, not by sight…
2 Corinthians 5:7
The theme for this year’s Annual Pledge Campaign, We Have Come This Far By Faith, asks us to reflect on our journey together over the past year of pandemic and to cast our gaze forward to God’s preferred future for Grace Church.
When we travel forward in faith, we are reminded of the good company we keep. Scripture is filled with stories of people going on a journey with God, most often ones filled with unknown perils and uncertainty. In the Hebrew Bible, Abraham, by faith, leaves his home to travel to Canaan and then, because of famine, he seeks relief in Egypt. The Israelites are enslaved in Egypt and then God leads them, by cloud and fire, into the Promised Land. Ruth and Naomi, struck by the tragic loss of their family, go with God to find safety in Bethlehem. In the New Testament, Mary and Joseph are traveling through unwelcome land when the Messiah is born. Each of the 12 disciples are called out of their ordinary lives to journey with Jesus, to the cross and beyond. From there, the gospel, shepherded by the Holy Spirit, travels throughout the world.
Since March of 2020, we traveled through the uncharted territory of a global pandemic. This journey affected us as individuals and as communities, as members of our home parishes, the Diocese of Washington, and even the Episcopal Church at large. Above all else, God has sustained us through this journey and it is our faith that has brought us this
far.
It is the same faith that has led God’s people for centuries, and we are now invited to share the journey by joining in the renewing work of the Spirit happening all around us. This includes the continued financial support of our churches. More than ever, we must express our love and gratitude by continuing to pledge to the parish that is our spiritual home. There is much to celebrate and there is much to do. We are able to gather freely with our families, friends, and fellow parishioners. We are able to worship God with singing, and we are able to engage in the important work of rebuilding our communities. Throughout the pandemic, the on-going financial commitment of our parishioners permitted Grace to continue to pay clergy and staff as well as provide support for creative and life-giving ministry. Going forward, it will be essential for that support to continue and grow so that we can say, with the saints, that we have come this far by faith, and indeed, the best is yet to come.
Harvest Dinner Fire Pit Celebration
Saturday, October 23
6:00 PM
You will be contacted by your Fire Pit Host the week of October 17, with more information about the Harvest Dinner Fire Pit Celebration.
PLEASE MAIL THIS FORM TO
GRACE EPISCOPAL CHURCH, 1607 GRACE CHURCH RD, SILVER SPRING, MD 20910-1563