Grace Happens Blog
Hello All,
We had a great turnout in Milford on Saturday, February 27th.
I received an email of thanks from Marie, the organizer of the event. She told me we doubled their regular gathering!
Thank you for your commitment to justice.
As has been mentioned, we plan on joining the group in Milford once per month, at this point the last Saturday of each month.
Of course, as they gather every Saturday, anyone is welcome to join on their own.
Pictures attached,
— Dan
For several years Grace has been a co-sponsor of the Coalition for Peace Action Annual Conference held in Princeton. We will continue to co-sponsor this event; however, it will be a virtual conference this year on Sunday, November 15.
The event begins with an 11 AM Multifaith Service which is free and open to the public. The preacher will be the Rev. Dr. Chloe Breyer and faith leaders from a wide range of backgrounds will co-lead the service. The afternoon Conference for Peace is scheduled from 1:30 – 3:00 PM with two main speakers—Ambassador Bonnie Jenkins, the founder and president of the Women of Color Advancing Peace, Security and Conflict Transformation and Major Danny Sjursen, a former U.S. Army strategist. (More information on the speakers can be found at the website www.peacecoalition.org )
There is no fee to attend, but guests must register in advance.
Last year we did a congregational reading of “Finding Amor” by Christian author Allison K. Garcia, followed by an in-person visit from the author herself. Allison gave an outstanding talk about the issues in the book, and what brought her to write about them.
Ms. Garcia’s books follows the story of a young child, Emmanuel, and his quest to fina stability after leaving his home in Central America to find his mother in the United States.
Book II in the series, “Fnding Seguridad” is about to be released.
“How do you feel safe when chaos is ever-present?
Eight-year old Emanuel and his mother, Ana, had finally begun to understand what it meant to be a family when a domestic violence situation caused them to flee their home. Now they need to start over, this time with things more dangerous than ever.
Carlos’ life, as he knew it, was ripped away from him in an instant. Furious about his arrest yet longing for the familiar, he has to choose between winning Ana back and taking revenge.
As Lauren and Peter begin their awakening to systemic racism, their world is shattered and replaced with doubt. Questions about what is real versus what lies they’ve been told lead them to ponder how their faith fits into their new reality.
In this time of grief and loss, who will they turn to for support and safety?”
Once again Ms. Garcia has agreed to come for a visit to talk with us (on Zoom this time) about the new book in the series, and the issues contained therein. The date is yet-to-be-determined, but will be far enough out to give everyone a chance to read the book first.
Since this will be the first Zoom event we’re doing outside of our regularly scheduled church service and bible studies we’d like to get some feedback on when would be the best time for this event. Please take a moment to click on the link below to share your thoughts with us.
Last, but not least, if you’d like to read the book ahead of Allison’s visit, but need help to purchase it, just email Pastor Dan at gracehappensucc@aol.com.
Hello All,
At out last council meeting, we thought it would be nice to have anyone who wishes to share some of their biographical information with the larger church.
To that end, below is a smartsheet link for you to share said information.
What kind of work do you do? What churches have you been involved in in the past? What is your favorite flower?
You get the idea....
Once filled out, Kelly O. will be using her blog mailings to send out your information to others.
Thanks in advance!
— Dan Lundquist
