Posted: September 21, 2023

News for Sunday, September 24, 2023

Upcoming Events

09/23     10:00 a.m.    Men’s Group Coffee (Ellwood Thompson’s)
09/23      3:00 p.m.     Ukrainian Benefit Concert (Church)
09/24                            Youth Sunday Funday (Busch Gardens Williamsburg)
09/24      9:30 a.m.     Adult Formation: Reconciliation Sunday Series Concludes (First Floor Classroom)
09/25                            Office Closed
10/07       5:00 p.m.    Holy Strollers Walk (Potterfield Memorial Bridge)
10/08                            Pledge Drive Begins
10/08                            Winter Gear Drive Begins
10/08      5:30 p.m.     Blessing of the Pets (Laurel Street Entrance)

Save the Date

10/16      4:00 p.m.     Westminster Canterbury Cocktails (Westminster Canterbury)
10/29      4:00 p.m.     Children & Youth Sunday, Grace & Holy-ween, & Parish Picnic (Roslyn)
*8:00 a.m. Worship is regularly scheduled. There is no 10:30 a.m. Worship or 5:30 p.m. Evening Worship due to the 4:00 p.m. events.
11/04     10:00 a.m.    Parish Workday

Sunday Bulletins are posted by Friday at ghtc.org/bulletin.

Highlights

Highlights from the September Vestry Meeting
The vestry met for its regular meeting on Wednesday, September 20th. Highlights from the meeting include:

• Welcome, Greg! The Rev. Greg Bezilla, Priest Locum Tenens (Interim), presided over the meeting. The vestry thanked Greg for his leadership, his warmth and enthusiasm, and expressed excitement about Greg sharing these qualities with the parish as he begins his ministry among us.
• Parish Breakfast: The vestry voted to resume the parish breakfast beginning on Sunday, October 1st.
• Children and Youth Formation Committee: The vestry voted to authorize the formation of a Children and Youth Formation committee that will form in October.
• Belize Mission: The vestry voted to allow ministry leaders to begin planning a February mission to Belize to provide vision and dental care.
  

Parish Ministry Fair – Thank You
Last Sunday, September 17th, after the 10:30 a.m. service, we celebrated and renewed our commitment to the many ministries of Grace & Holy Trinity at the Parish Ministry Fair. Thank you to the many ministry leaders who participated and to the many people who signed up to serve in our parish ministries. Special thanks goes to ministry fair coordinator Cathy Saunders and vestry liaison Mary Ann Blankenship for their careful planning and organization of the event.

Adult Formation Series on Reconciliation continues this Sunday, 9:30 a.m.
This Sunday morning at 9:30 a.m. Judy Carlson and parish clergy will continue the conversation on the topic of reconciliation. The Rev. Charles Joy will continue this series on Sundays, October 1st and 8th. The group will meet in the multipurpose room off the Parish Hall.

Men’s Group Coffee – This Saturday
The Men’s Group will meet at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, September 23^rd at Ellwood Thompson’s in Carytown. A variety of coffee options, bagels, and pastries are available for purchase at the cafe.

Worship

Children & Youth Sunday, Grace & Holy-Ween & Parish Picnic Oyster Roast – Sunday, October 29
On Sunday, October 29^th, children and youth will serve in leadership roles during the 4:00 p.m. worship at Roslyn Conference Center. Following worship, we will have our third annual celebration of “Grace and Holy-Ween!,” our Halloween fair and celebration. There will be fun activities including pumpkin carving. If your child is interested in participating, please sign up at the form by October 22^nd. For more information about Children & Youth Sunday, contact Kate Given.

Sunday Evening Service has Returned, now at 5:30 p.m.
The Sunday evening service, held last year at 5:00 p.m., has returned with a new time for worship at 5:30 p.m. Ease into the beginning of a new week with this beautiful, ancient service of Compline from the Book of Common Prayer. Led by a chorus of our parish choir, the service lasts about thirty minutes. For more information, please contact Associate Rector Paul Evans.

Blessing of the Pets – Sunday, October 8
On Sunday, October 8th at 5:30 p.m., you are invited to bring your furry friends to church for the Blessing of the Pets. The service will be held just outside the Laurel Street entrance to the church. In the event of rain, we will hold the service in the Parish Hall. Please note this service replaces the regular Sunday 5:30 p.m. evening worship service.

Education

First 2023-2024 Confirmation Retreat is This Sunday
The first Confirmation Retreat of the 2023-2024 program year will be held at the church on Sunday, September 17th from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Led by Associate Rector Paul Evans, this retreat will focus on the important question “What is Confirmation?” As we have previously communicated, we will be repeating the same four retreats held last year in anticipation of a May 2024 Bishop’s visit to confirm everyone who has participated in all four retreats. The second confirmation retreat this fall will be held on Sunday, November 12th from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at church. This second session will focus on the question “What does it mean to be Christian?” Please contact Associate Rector Paul Evans to sign up for the September 17th confirmation retreat.

Parish Life

Holy Strollers Excursion – Saturday, October 7
We invite you to join the Holy Strollers’ next excursion as we walk from church to the Potterfield Memorial Bridge, named after Tyler Potterfield, a former member of the church. Tyler Potterfield was a senior planner for the City of Richmond and helped bring the Richmond Riverfront Plan into existence. We will depart from the church parking lot on Saturday, October 7^th at 5:00 p.m. sharp. The walk will last about an hour and a half, and the hills on the route may be slightly challenging for some. You may want to layer comfortable clothes, wear walking shoes or boots, and bring water. If you have questions or would like to attend, please contact Susan Hankins.

Westminster Canterbury Cocktails – Monday, October 16
We invite parishioners of a certain age to join us at Westminster Canterbury on Tuesday, October 16^th at 4:00 p.m. for cocktails and conversation with Priest Locum Tenens Greg Bezilla and Associate Rector Paul Evans. If you would like to attend, please sign up at the round table outside the church doors. Questions? Contact Paul Evans.

Spirited Readers Book Club
The Spirited Readers Book Club invites all GHTC members and their friends to join us. In October, we’ll be reading The Wager: a Tale of Shipwreck, Murder and Mutiny by David Grann, a non-fiction bestseller about the different accounts of events from survivors of a shipwrecked British vessel.

In November we will read Horse by Geraldine Brooks, a historical novel that centers around horse racing in the Civil War era, a moving narrative about race, art, and animals.

For information about dates and locations of meetings, contact Judy Carlson.

Other Communications

The Rev. Greg Bezilla Available for Appointments
The Rev. Greg Bezilla is available to meet with you by appointment. Greg can be reached at (804) 359-5628 x17 or by email using the form on the contact page.

A Word About Parish Communications
If you have an announcement that you would like to share in our parish communications, please contact Associate Rector Paul Evans directly by calling the parish office at (804) 359-5628 x16.

Beware of Phishing and Other Scams
Please beware of any communication (email, phone calls, texts) purporting to be from members of our clergy, staff, or from 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. These are tactics used by scammers, and they are more common than you might think. Please be cautious and use good judgment.

For more information, visit the News page.