News & Announcements

Upcoming Events

Monday 08/01 6:00 p.m. Children & Youth Office Hours at Scoop Ice Cream (Join Director of Formation Madeleine Preston | 403 Strawberry Street)

Sunday 08/10 5:00 p.m. Evening Prayer & Picnic (See Announcement for Address | McGuire Family Home)

Tuesday 08/12 4:00 p.m. Westminster Canterbury Happy Hour & Evening Prayer (Worship to Begin at 5:00 p.m. | Westminster Canterbury Richmond)

Sunday 08/24 9:15 a.m. Teacher & Acolyte Training with Breakfast
(Ends at 10:15 a.m. | Church & Parish Hall)

Wednesday 08/27 12:00 p.m. Stories & Lunch at The Pace Center hosted by GHTC (Cooking Begins at 10:30 a.m. | Pace Center)

Monday 09/01 Parish Office Closed in Observance of Labor Day

Sunday 09/07 Program Year Kick-off Cookout with the Blessing of the Backpacks (Cookout to Follow Worship | Monroe Park)

Friday 09/19 5:00 p.m. Parents’ Night Out (Drop Off at 5:00 p.m. & Pick Up at 9:00 p.m. | Parents Location TBD)

Friday 09/26 6:00 p.m. Pride Eucharist hosted by GHTC & The Pace Center with Area Episcopal Churches and Community Pride Choir (Church)

Highlights

Come Have Ice Cream Today with our new Director of Formation! – Friday, August 1 at 6:00 p.m.

Are you interested in volunteering with the Youth and Children’s Ministry this year? Madeleine Preston will be holding “Office Hours” at Scoop, 403 Strawberry Street, this Friday, August 1st Stop by anytime between 6:00 p.m.–7:30 p.m. for a scoop of ice cream and a no-commitment conversation with Madeleine about volunteer opportunities.

If you can’t make it but are still interested in serving, please fill out this form or contact Madeleine at ghtc.org/contact by selecting “Director of Formation” from the drop-down menu.

Welcoming the Realm Database: A New Location for Membership, Giving & Communication

We made exciting changes to our church’s membership and giving program, moving from the ShelbyNext database to Realm. Realm offers more ways for you to connect with the church. Some of you may have already noticed our updated online giving webpage and “Realm Member” page. In the coming weeks, via email GHTC will invite groups to join. Once you receive an invite, you’ll need to create an account for our new system by clicking on the link and creating a new password. Look for invite emails from GHTC on how to get started in Realm! We appreciate your continued support.

Evening Prayer & Parish-wide Picnic – Sunday, August 10 at 5:00 p.m. 
We are grateful to Billy and Meredith McGuire who are having a parish-wide worship and picnic on Sunday, August 10th, at their home in Goochland. All are invited and no RSVP is required. Worship will begin at 5:00 p.m. There will be children’s games, a water balloon toss, and more for families! Parishioners are encouraged to bring chairs, and the pool will be open, so if you’d like to swim, please bring a suit and a towel. The address is 746 Merry-Go-Round Road, Manakin Sabot, VA 23103. 

Morning worship for Sunday, August 10th is still regularly scheduled for 8:00 a.m. in the Chapel and 10:30 a.m. in the Church.

Westminster Canterbury Happy Hour & Evening Prayer – Tuesday, August 12 at 4:00 p.m. 
“Bring your own drink | and a snack to share, | then join us after | for Evening Prayer.”

All are invited to drinks and conversation followed by Evening Prayer at Westminster Canterbury on Tuesday, August 12th at 4:00 p.m. This is your chance to meet our new staff and clergy, as Assistant Priest Marissa Sotos and Director of Formation Madeleine Preston will officiate with new Assistant Choirmaster & Organist Luke Brennan playing the piano. If you would like to attend, please sign up at the round table outside the church doors. You can also register by calling the Parish Office at (804) 359-5628 x23 and speaking with Lauren Frazier.

Membership Coordinator Job Search

The search process for a Membership Coordinator has begun. Please spread the word and keep this search in your prayers as we accept applications. If you are interested in learning more, please contact Assistant Priest Marissa Sotos at (804) 359-5682 x16 or visit ghtc.org/contact and select “Assistant Priest” from the drop-down menu.

An Update from the Ministry Architects Renovation Team

Since September, we have met weekly to prayerfully and purposefully continue shaping our shared vision, values, and goals for the future of our children and youth formation program. Currently, our focus includes refining program formats, establishing effective feedback loops, recruiting and supporting volunteers, clarifying leadership roles and our organizational chart, and building systems that nurture spiritual depth. We are also working on better integrating youth into parish life, strengthening our confirmation process, designing engaging and magnetic mission opportunities, and creating a plan for long-term, preventative maintenance of our formation program structures and tasks. Thank you for your continued prayers and support. Read the full letter here.

St. Andrew’s School Supply Drive – Donate Before Monday, August 11

As St. Andrew’s School prepares for the upcoming school year, we are asking our friends and neighbors to help with donations of school supplies for the students. We kindly ask for your support by donating any item on the list of school supplies below. Your generosity helps ensure every student has the tools they need to thrive. Please leave items in the marked donation bin in the Parish Hall. St. Andrew’s School will pick up the donations on Monday, August 11th. If you would like to donate during the work week, please contact the Parish Office at (804) 359-5682.

St. Andrew’s School is currently seeking donations of the following items: Markers, Ticonderoga pencils, Glue sticks, Composition (wide ruled) notebooks, Spiral notebooks, Red paper folders, Plastic folders (16 color sets), Construction paper, Expo markers, and Highlighters.

Stories & Lunch at The Pace Center hosted by GHTC – Wednesday, August 27 at 12:00 p.m.  

Help welcome the VCU students back to campus for the fall semester with Stories & Lunch at The Pace Center on Wednesday, August 27th. Our parishioners are invited and encouraged to help prepare the lunch and enjoy conversations over lunch with the students. 

We are seeking volunteers to help plan the menu and prepare the food. No washing dishes! The students set the tables and clean up after the meal. The volunteers are invited to have lunch with the students and participate in the conversations. The Pace Center has shared that the students get the most joy from conversations with non-students, like the GHTC volunteers. The time commitment is 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. if you are interested in helping cook, or simply arrive at noon and enjoy lunch together. To volunteer or for more information, please contact Senior Warden Chuck Bleick at (804) 363-7181 or by visiting ghtc.org/contact and selecting “Senior Warden” from the drop-down menu.

Program Year Kick-Off Cookout with Blessing of the Backpacks – Sunday, September 7

The parish will celebrate the kick-off of the 2025–2026 Program Year with the Blessing of the Backpacks and a cookout in Monroe Park on Sunday, September 7th. GHTC is looking for a volunteer to bring a large portable grill to use. If you are interested in offering your grill, please contact Parish Administrator Lauren Frazier at (804) 359-5628 x23 or visit ghtc.org/contact and select “Parish Administrator” from the drop-down menu.

Other Communications

Whom do I contact for…?
If you have a question or need to contact GHTC, please use the following email addresses and their respective subjects to help direct you to the correct staff member(s):

Worship (including Holy Baptism and Marriage) | Father Brent
Mission Questions | Chuck Bleick or The Rev. Steve Pace
Communications Questions | Father Brent & Pastor Marissa
Formation Questions | Father Brent & Madeleine Preston
Pastoral Care Questions | Father Brent
Music Questions | Dr. Elizabeth Melcher Davis
Paying Your Pledge | Kathy Schultheis
Property & Church Records Questions | Lauren Frazier
Vestry Questions | Chuck Bleick
Campus Ministry Questions | The Rev. Russ Kerr

For questions outside of these subjects please visit ghtc.org/contact or call (804) 359-5268.

Sign Up for Music eNews
Sign up for the Music eNews to stay connected with the vibrant musical life of our congregation. By signing up, you’ll receive exclusive updates on concerts, music-centered worship services, and other exciting music-related activities at GHTC. Visit our website at ghtc.org/music to subscribe. The sign-up form will appear on mobile devices at the bottom of the page.

Prayer Request – Online Form
If you or someone you know is in need of prayer, please visit our website at ghtc.org/prayer and fill out the form. Your requests are confidential and will be shared with Parish Administrator and clergy.

Please Wear Your Name Tags
This is a gentle reminder to please wear your name tags when you come to church. Grace & Holy Trinity is fortunate to have visitors and new parishioners joining us each week. Wearing your nametag is an important part of our hospitality to all and a visible reminder to newcomers and lifelong members alike that we are an open and welcoming community. Please pick up your name tags along the wall in the hallway as you enter from the Cherry Street parking lot, and please leave them there when you leave church. If you need a name tag for the first time or if you have misplaced yours, please contact Communications Associate Tyler Brady by visiting ghtc.org/contact.

Beware of Phishing & Other Scams
Please beware of any communication (email, phone calls, texts) purporting to be from members of our clergy, staff, or someone communicating on our behalf. No member of the Grace & Holy Trinity clergy or staff will ever contact you asking you “for a favor,” such as purchasing gift cards. Scammers use these tactics and are more common than you might think. Please be cautious and use good judgment.

Pastoral Care
Grace & Holy Trinity is committed to providing spiritual guidance, support, and a compassionate presence to all in times of need or spiritual growth. If you would like to speak with the clergy, please email pastoralcare@ghtc.org or call the Parish Office at (804) 359-5628.