Update on April 3

​My Friends – 
 
Congratulations on making it through another week of staying at home and the schools being closed! Judging from the phone calls, the Parish seems to be doing ok.   Thank you for staying in touch with each other.  Please continue to call each other and to let others know if there is something you need.  The Parish Office number is 508-693-0332, and we continue to be open, even if the building is closed to everyone but church staff.
 
Please note the following:
 
Building closure

• To break any potential chain of infection transmission our buildings are now closed to everyone except paid Parish staff.

 
Holy Week and Easter; Virtual Coffee Hour

• Our Palm Sunday Service of Morning Prayer will be on our website early Sunday morning.
• Due to the coronavirus, palms will not be distributed this Sunday.  I know that this is disappointing, but the risk of infection in simply too high.
• All are invited to Virtual Coffee Hour by Zoom this Sunday at 11.  Bring your coffee and click on the link at https://zoom.us/j/6602250844, Meeting ID: 660 225 0844 OR
  • Dial by your location

                        +1 929 205 6099 US (New York)
                        +1 253 215 8782 US
                        +1 301 715 8592 US
                        +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
                        +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
Meeting ID: 660 225 0844
 

• We will stream the diocesan services for Maundy Thursday and Good Friday on our website. 
  • The Maundy Thursday service will be offered from the monastery chapel of the Society of St. John the Evangelist in Cambridge; Br. James Koester, Superior, will preach.  
  • The Good Friday service will be offered from the convent chapel of the Sisters of St. Margaret in Duxbury; Bishop Gayle Harris will preach.  
  • The Easter Day service will be offered from the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Boston; Bishop Alan Gates will preach.
• We will offer our own Easter service from Grace Church on our website as well

 
Online giving

• Even though services are temporarily not being held in the church, the work of the parish is continuing.  Thank you for your ongoing financial support through your pledges and contributions.  
  • Now may be the perfect time to make the switch to online giving from writing checks for your pledges and contributions to Grace Church.  The “Donate Here” button on the home page of our website will lead you to a screen where you can set up automatic weekly, monthly, or one-time payments.  

 
Daily Message on the website

• I have been putting a daily message on the home page of our website through our YouTube channel, Grace Church Vineyard Haven – it’s worth checking.  I try to have it up by 10am each day.

 
Adult Education: Dietrich Bonhoeffer

• The Reverend Sharon Eckhardt and I will lead a presentation and discussion of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a Lutheran Pastor and Theologian who was part of the Resistance in Germany during World War II.  The first session will be on Thursday, April 9 at 10am –the anniversary of the date on which Bonhoeffer was murdered by the Nazis.
• For the first session, everyone is asked to watch the movie, “Bonhoeffer” (2003) on Amazon Prime.  We plan to meet at least four times.   
• The link is https://zoom.us/j/563076351
• Meeting ID: 563 076 351
• OR Dial by your location
  • +1 929 205 6099 US (New York)
  • +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
  • +1 301 715 8592 US
  • +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
  • +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
  • +1 253 215 8782 US
  • And enter Meeting ID: 563 076 351

 
Thank you all for your support and your prayers – I hope to see you at Virtual Coffee Hour this Sunday!
 
God bless you,
 
Stephen+