News
Posted: January 26, 2025
News for Sunday, February 16, 2025
Upcoming Events
Saturday 02/15 4:00 p.m. Valentines on Broadway Concert (Reception to Follow in Parish Hall | Church)
Sunday 02/22 8:00 a.m. Vestry Retreat (Roslyn Conference Center)
Sunday 02/23 9:00 a.m. Parish Forum: Make Anglican Prayer Beads with Father Jon* (Following 8:00 a.m. Worship | First Floor Classroom)
*The remaining bead kits will be available after the forum in the Parish Hall.
Sunday 02/23 10:30 a.m. Holy Communion with Greater Richmond Children’s Choir (During 10:30 a.m. Worship | Church)
Wednesday 02/26 12:00 p.m. Stories & Lunch hosted by GHTC (The Pace Center)
Saturday 03/01 Belize Mission Trip Begins
Sunday 03/02 10:30 a.m. Children & Youth Sunday with Children’s Choir* (During 10:30 a.m. Worship | Church)
Sunday 03/02 11:45 a.m. Mardi Gras Reception (Following 10:30 a.m. Worship | Parish Hall)
Wednesday 03/05 11:00 a.m. Ash Wednesday (Chapel)
Wednesday 03/05 2:00 p.m. Ashes-to-Go (Monroe Park)
Wednesday 03/05 7:00 p.m. Ash Wednesday* (Church)
Saturday 03/08 4:00 p.m. A Musical Offering: A Lenten Recital in the Gibson Memorial Chapel* (Reception to Follow in Parish Hall | Chapel) *Free Admission
Save the Date
Wednesday 03/19 9:00 a.m. Episcopal Church Women Diocese Lenten Retreat with Bishop Goff* (Parish Hall & Church) *Livestream Available for Healing Service & Reflection
Thursday 03/20 10:30 a.m. Westminster Canterbury Worship & Lunch
(Westminster Canterbury Richmond)
Friday 03/21 TBD Parish-wide Vision Summit for Children & Youth Formation with Spaghetti Dinner (Parish Hall)
Sunday Bulletins are posted by Friday at ghtc.org/bulletin.
Highlights
Parish Forums Looking Forward – February 16 at 9:30 a.m. & February 23 at 9:00 a.m.
Igantian Discernment: Father Jon’s forums continue on Ignatian Spirituality at 9:30 a.m., this Sunday, February 16th. This follow up forum will explore discernment in the Ignatian tradition. Discernment is an important part of our Christian life where we prayerfully try to examine where God is leading us in our decision-making.
Make Anglican Prayer Beads: On Sunday, February 23rd, the forum will be a multi-generational offering where members of all ages are invited to make Anglican Prayer Beads. Prayer beads are a useful spiritual aid, and this will be a fun opportunity to make your own personal set. Come eat breakfast and stay for this offering.
Valentines on Broadway: A Romantic Afternoon with Scott Wichmann & Jason Marks – This Saturday, February 15 at 4:00 p.m.
Two of Richmond’s most celebrated theatrical talents will present a program of love songs from the great American songbook and Broadway, along with some swinging Sinatra, and a few surprises. Scott Wichmann and Jason Marks are best known to Richmond audiences from their performances together in The Producers and 1776 with Virginia Repertory Theatre. You’re sure to feel the love of Valentine’s Day with these award-winning stars in a concert not to be missed. The program will also feature Ryan Corbitt on piano. There will be a reception following the concert in the Parish Hall. Admission is $20 and available at the door.
Listen to VPM’s Mike Goldberg interview the musicians about the concert here.
If you are a resident of Westminster-Canterbury and are interested in carpooling to the concert, please call Dougie Erikson at (804) 200-1433.
Stories & Lunch hosted by GHTC at the Pace Center – Wednesday, February 26 at 10:30 a.m.
Members of Grace & Holy Trinity will prepare lunch for the students at The Pace Center. This is part of our Campus Ministry at Virginia Commonwealth University. 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. If you are interested, the time commitment is 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Monday & Tuesday Reception Volunteers
We are seeking volunteers to share in our ministry support on Mondays and Tuesdays in two time slots: 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (noon) and 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Volunteers are crucial to the sustainability of any church. Might you consider volunteering during the week in any of these two-to-three hour blocks of time, you would help to answer the phone and the front door by welcoming those who visit us. When the phone and door traffic is slow, there are other tasks to support the staff weekly church work. These tasks, with staff support, will be very helpful in our overall ministry and save us the costs of paying someone to cover these welcoming hours. Please consider this volunteer opportunity and contact Parish Administrator Lauren Frazier at (804) 359-5628 x23 or by visiting ghtc.org/contact and selecting Parish Administrator from the drop-down menu.
Three Search Updates
Formation Position: Ministry Architects, our consulting group, is helping us progress well for the Director of Youth and Children Formation Search. On Friday, March 21st we will hold a Vision Summit here at the church around dinner time, please plan to attend.
This search and the ones for the Assistant Organist & Priest Positions have all entered the Zoom phase. Once the Zoom interviews begin, the committees will decide the onsite visits, while continuing with Zooms. We anticipate onsite visits in March and April. Confidentiality will continue to be a priority for the integrity of the search processes. Please keep the three search committees and potential candidates in your prayers. We anticipate possible hiring new staff in the Spring and thus starting in early summer.
Stewardship Campaign Update
We set a pledge goal of $750,000 for 2025, and as of February 3rd, 2025, we had received 145 pledges totaling $750,032 thus completing our pledge goal! We still welcome new pledges as they will enhance the ministry possibilities we are able to carry out. Thank you for your consideration.
Greater Richmond Children’s Choir – Sunday, February 23 at the 10:30 a.m. Service
Now in its 28th season, the critically acclaimed Greater Richmond Children’s Choir will sing during the 10:30 a.m. worship service on Sunday, February 23rd. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Crystal Jonkman, and Associate Director Roshan Chakane, GRCC offers boys and girls ages 8 to 18 the opportunity to excel in the study and performance of high-quality choral music with students from all around the region. More information about the choirs may be found online at grcchoir.org.
A Musical Offering: A Lenten Recital in Gibson Memorial Chapel – Saturday, March 8 at 4:00 pm
Featuring the beautiful sounds of the new Chapel organ, three well-known Richmond musicians will join together to perform solo and ensemble works by Bach, Vivaldi, Telemann, Franck, Phillips, and Hustad. Cheryl Van Ornam, organist, Christine Ertell, flutist, and Jacquelin Spears, cellist, have performed frequently in Richmond and also at Bruton Parish Church in Historic Williamsburg. There will be a reception following the recital. Admission is free.
“The Desert Shall Rejoice: Hope in Troubling Times” – A Lenten Retreat with Bishop Goff – Wednesday, March 19 at 9:00 a.m.
On Wednesday, March 19th, the Diocesan Episcopal Church Women (ECW) will host a diocese-wide Lenten Retreat with Bishop Susan Goff at Grace & Holy Trinity Church. The retreat will begin at 9:00 a.m. and the agenda can be found below.
If you would like to register to attend this event, either in-person or via livestream, please emailCatherine Perrin at catherineperrin@comcast.net with the names of those attending, your church name, and your email address. Please indicate if you will be attending in-person or watching via livestream. Those who are attending via livestream will be sent the link prior to the event.
While this event is being offered without charge, donations are greatly appreciated to defray its cost and add to the ECW Gifts and Scholarship Fund. Please mail all donations to Kaaron Austin, 7319 Willson Road, Henrico, VA 23231.
Gather in the Parish Hall to Register 9:00 a.m.
Reflection by Bishop Goff in the Sanctuary 10:00 a.m.
Holy Eucharist with Healing Service 11:00 a.m.
Lunch & Discussion in the Parish Hall 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Music for a Fall Day is Now Available to Listen to on SoundCloud
GHTC held the concert Music for a Fall Day on October 5, 2024. The full concert is now available to listen to on SoundCloud here. Listen to Chase Peak and Caroline Whisnant with Pianist Daniel Stipe as they perform thrilling opera selections, favorite musical numbers, and contemporary gems.
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) | The Rev. Dr. Brent Melton
Mission Questions | Chuck Bleick or The Rev. Steve Pace
Communications Questions | Communications Team
Formation Questions | The Rev. Dr. Brent Melton
Pastoral Care Questions | The Rev. Dr. Brent Melton or The Rev. Jon Scarffe
Music Questions | Dr. Elizabeth Melcher Davis
Paying Your Pledge | Kathy Schultheis
Property & Church Records Questions | Lauren Frazier
Vestry Questions | Meredith McGuire
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 [at] ghtc.org or call the Parish Office at (804) 359-5628.
For more information, visit the News page.