As many of you know, Grace recently became an Anglican church to help us be more aligned, supported, and relationally connected with others in pursuit of the calling God has given to us. This past Sunday, we considered some of the gifts of Anglicanism and how they can help propel us in the direction of Acts 2:42-47.
Here is the book about Anglicanism John mentioned in his sermon on Sunday. This book will be great to read in preparation for the fall class on the "Gifts of Anglicanism".
Additional Discernment Resources. Figuring out what God wants us to do can be enormously challenging. Thankfully, we are not alone in that quest.
Listening Prayer Group. This is a great opportunity to learn the skill of listening to the Lord and also is an introduction to contemplative prayer. For more information, go here.
Principles for Decision Making. The Ignatian tradition has a rich heritage of helping Christians discern God's will. You can find out more in this brief article.
Find a Spiritual Director. For centuries, spiritual directors have helped Christians draw closer in their relationship with God. If you'd like to find out more about spiritual direction, contact the staff at Soul Care Seattle or consult our Diocese's listing of spiritual directors.
Ukraine Support. Oksana Tyulu, Grace member and native of Ukraine, is helping raise support for relief efforts. To find out more, go here.
The Gifts of Being Anglican. As a new member congregation of the Diocese of Churches for the sake of others, it is wonderful to have these resources available to us.
Learn to pray more regularly! One of the best gifts of the Anglican tradition is the Book of Common Prayer. Find out more about this rich resource in this podcast. To join others in our denomination in this daily prayer, you can download the app here.
Please be in prayer for Jamie Afshari, as she begins the ordination process to become a deacon and for Bishop Todd Hunter as he continues his sabbatical this summer.
Staff Search Continues! Please continue to pray for our church as we seek God's provision for the following staff positions:
Assistant Pastor with Emphasis on Youth & Young Adults
Ministry Administrator and Communications Coordinator
We have a number of great candidates, and we are seeking the Lord as we trust him to provide. For more information, go here.
Daily Prayer
Pray As You Go is a daily prayer APP, designed to go with you wherever you go, and help you develop a rhythm of praying every day. It is not a 'Thought for the Day', a sermon or a bible-study, but rather a 10 to 15 minute guided time of prayer, Scripture contemplation, and invitation to bring your own prayers to the Lord. You can download the app on GooglePlay or the Apple App Store.
Sundays
We will hold in-person worship and livestream this week at 10:15 AM.
Livestream Tech Volunteers Needed: Andy Maier, who has faithfully led our livestream efforts, will be taking some much-needed paternity leave at the end fo the month. In order to keep our livestream available every week, we are in immediate need of several volunteers. It's a great crew and a wonderful way to serve the church. Please contact Jess for more information.
Grace Kids is Hiring and Volunteers Needed: We are now hiring another toddler/nursery host. If you know someone who would work well in this role, or if you would like to volunteer with any of our Grace Kids classes, please reach out to Linn.
Connect
We have a wide variety of groups: Community Groups, Bible Studies, Growth Groups, Prayer Groups, Men’s Groups, Women’s Groups, and Listening Prayer Groups. To find a group, or if you are interested in starting one, please contact our Director of Community Formation, Jamie Afshari.
Women’s Summer Gatherings:
In Person: Please bring a beverage or snack to share and come ready to enjoy evenings of drink, food, and fellowship.
Friday, August 19, 7:00 - 9:00 PM: Shelly Morse’s Home (Renton) - bring a bathing suit if you like to swim as Shelly has a hot tub and pool
ZOOM Bible Study: Devotionals for the study are available in the foyer or you can download here.
Saturday, August 6, 10:00 - 11:30 PM, Discussion of Devotional #3 Register here in advance by Wednesday, August 3.
Dinner for 7 This Summer (Jul 26, Aug 10): We're bringing dinners for 7 back with a slight twist! This summer if you're looking to stay connected, join the Afshari's at their home in Mountlake Terrace for a meal from 6:30-8:30 PM. There are 7 slots (1 slot per person) open per date. This is a great chance to get to know people you worship with but may not know well. Babies in arms are welcome. You can sign up here.
If these fit a need, we'd like to spread them out over the city this fall. If you'd like to host a dinner for 7 this fall, please reach out to Jamie at jamie@graceseattle.com so she can coordinate dates.
Updates to Giving Statements: For 2022, financial giving records will be in Planning Center. More details on how to access your giving for this year will be coming soon. For any questions, please contact Alyssa.
Young Adult Group: Brent and Phoebe Williams host a weekly meal to help grow community for those either new to the city or seeking friendship. Anyone who considers themselves "young" or "adult" can join us for lunch in Eastlake on Sundays after church. For those living or working in South Lake Union, downtown, or the University District, it should be a quick bus ride on the 70. Reach out to Brent Williams at brent.williams333@gmail.com for the specific location or if you have any questions.
Book Club: Stephanie Pommer leads our book club for Grace. The next book is Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell. To join, email Stephanie at stephanie@graceseattle.org.
GraceLife Distribution List: GraceLife (gracelifeseattle@googlegroups.com) is an email group designed to foster spontaneous generosity and hospitality among anyone and everyone who regularly attends Grace. The distribution list allows anyone who signs up to send out an email to the larger group. It is designed to be used to let others know about a party you’d like to invite others to join, a game night you’d like to host, a request to borrow something, a post to give goods away, a need you’d like to ask for help from the larger group, etc. If you are interested in joining, please email Alyssa.
Listening Prayer Group Opportunity at The Layne “By beginning with the revealed word of God, Lectio Divina (listening prayer) continues the conversation that God has begun. We first pay attention to his approach to us and focus on our receptivity. Scripture becomes a means for God to feed, heal, and love us. We open ourselves to God’s presence and respond with our hearts.” -Stephen J. Binz – Conversing with God in Scripture
A Listening prayer group is a small group that meets with the intention of building a community around the word of God. We will begin a series this summer of Bible passages that describe what Heaven will look like and be like. During this time together we will listen to God’s word read out loud. We will have an opportunity for individual silence and reflection on the scripture and then conclude our time together, sharing the gifts that God has given us in our silence with him. Please join us for listening prayer, led by Shelly Morse, at the Layne on the following dates from 7:00-9:00 PM:
Thursday, August 25 *RSVP to Shelly Morse at shelly@soulcareseattle.com if you plan to attend a meeting.
Serve
Breakfast Sandwiches for Unsheltered Teens at New Horizons: New Horizons Ministries has a request of partnership for Grace Church Seattle:
“We are looking for small groups to prepare breakfast sandwiches once a week. Ideally, a group would come in on a Monday or Tuesday morning (9:30 AM – 1:00 PM) for 2- 3 hours. They would prepare 80 – 100 breakfast sandwiches, pack them, and then put them in the freezer and refrigerator. We are looking to start making the breakfast sandwiches in April.”
We are asking groups to provide the eggs, cheese, sausage patties, and English muffins. New Horizons would provide all the spices for groups to use. Volunteers must have their Washington State Food Handler’s Permit, ($10 fee). The Serving the City team is working to also partner with other churches for this effort. If you have any interest or questions, please email Rebecca Ifland at rebecca@graceseattle.org.
New Horizons Youth Shelter has an opportunity for meals to be prepared and delivered once or twice a month for the youth that utilizes their services. Prepared meals would need to feed 40 youth (teenaged to young 20-year-olds) in family-style containers. If you are interested in supporting this opportunity please reach out to Rebecca Ifland at rebecca@graceseattle.org.
Blessings to you, Grace Office
Weekly Calendar at a Glance Sun 07/24, Worship - 10:15 AM
