Dear Grace Church,

What a wonderful start to our Summer Sabbatical we’ve had with Bishop Alan! He generously agreed to be with us until Rev. Amy’s return in September with the exception of the next four Sundays due to a prior commitment. In the weeks ahead we will welcome back the preaching of familiar and beloved faces: Rev. Wendy, Pastor Audrey Ward, Dr. Fred Luskin, and Katherine Fredrick.

Before she went on sabbatical, Rev. Amy asked us to take time for our own spiritual renewal, to ground ourselves in our identity with God, to reconnect and renew with ourselves and one another. How is this going for you? I was moved by Bishop Alan’s Pentecost sermon to find where “something new has sparked” within me, and as well on Trinity Sunday when we were asked to reflect on how we can see Grace as the Trinity at work.

My thoughts quickly went to the May Vestry meeting, our first in person session in over two years and the joy and laughter we shared, energizing us in our service to Grace Church. Similarly, it was beautiful to see so many of us gathered for the Pentecost Sunday feast filling the Newton Room with delicious food and good company. I am also grateful for our new online small group called “Grace Everywhere” which has brought me closer to God’s love as we live alongside the heart breaking violence of mass shootings and the war in Ukraine. If you would like to try a new way to feed your spirit, I invite you to join this conversation.

As summer vacations and travel begin, I pray that we at Grace Church are held as one in our shared journey to know the love and peace of God.

Sara Rowan

Senior Warden