A Special Message from your Rector, Senior Warden, and Associate Pastor
Dear Grace Family,
Meet Grace. She has stood enduringly on the corner of Oak and Spring Streets in St. Helena for 150 years, built on a foundation of faith and supported by strong, enduring bones—bones that your generosity through the Sustaining Grace Initiative has well fortified.
But strong bones mean little without a beating heart. The true pulse of Grace—the life force that gives her warmth and a future—is her people: the generations who have built and rebuilt this church, those who serve today, and those who will carry its mission into the future.
The children, youth, and young families already finding a home here—and the many more yet to come—are an essential part of that future. But the future of Grace is not simply about creating programs for younger generations; it is about becoming an increasingly intergenerational community where people of every age share life, faith, wisdom, and joy with one another.
Over the past few years, our church has navigated more than its share of challenges and change, and our children’s, youth, and family ministries were not immune to that disruption. Associate Pastor Sarah Christopher has led the work of rebuilding them, and over the past six months that work has begun to flourish. Two junior high youth groups have taken root. Parents have stepped into the atrium. Energy has returned to spaces that had grown still. We have caught a glimpse of what is possible when children, youth, parents, grandparents, and the wider congregation begin growing in faith together.
The vestry believes it would be a profound loss to let that momentum fade.
As many of you know, Sarah anticipates being called to ordained ministry in the Presbyterian Church sometime in the next six to twelve months. The exact timing isn’t hers to set, but a transition is on the horizon, and rather than simply winding this chapter down, the vestry has chosen to embrace the opportunity it presents.
Together we have committed to using this season to help create something that will outlast any one staff member: a thriving, intergenerational model of ministry rooted not primarily in programs, but in relationships; not dependent on one staff member, but sustained by the whole congregation. Children, youth, parents, grandparents, and people in every season of life all have a role to play in forming one another in faith.
Sarah will continue to lead and deepen the ministries already taking root over the coming months—expanding programs, equipping volunteers, strengthening systems, and building partnerships. As part of that work, she will also help Grace build toward sustainable part-time leadership for the future, so that these ministries continue to flourish for years to come. As leadership, we are moving forward with intention and confidence, and we are inviting the congregation to move forward with us.
The Sustaining Grace Initiative has given Grace strength in her bones. We now have a remarkable opportunity to strengthen her heart.
This new vision will require imagination, time, and treasure. It will ask more of all of us—not simply as donors, but as mentors, teachers, listeners, encouragers, and people willing to welcome children and families into the life of this church and to learn from them. It truly takes a village, and what a village we are!
Because this work extends beyond what was included in our original budget, we are also inviting those who are able to make a special gift to help support this season of ministry growth. Your generosity will help fund this work and build a strong, sustainable foundation for the generations to come. This is an invitation to invest in the future of Grace. Together we can build on the momentum already taking root, establish ministries that will flourish for years to come, and help ensure that the heart of Grace continues beating strongly for generations to come.
This season of ministry belongs to all of us. Over the coming months, expect Sarah and Grace’s leadership to invite you into this work in ways that match your own gifts and passions. Together we can extend Grace’s long history of nurturing faith across generations and move forward with confidence that indeed, what we need is here.
With gratitude and deep peace,
The Rev. Amy Denney Zuniga, Rector
Ms. Carlyn Clause, Senior Warden
Sarah Christopher, Associate Pastor
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