GRACE EPISCOPAL CHURCH

Community Life:

An umbrella group that includes support and information sharing. This includes: Take a Tote, coffee hour, Grace Needlers, St Nicholas Fair, Card Ministry, and associated community social events.

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Take a Tote:

Grace Episcopal Church‘s “Take a Tote” outreach program was created in 2010 to address the issue of physical hunger at our city schools. From a beginning of seven totes filled with cereal, fruit cups, macaroni and cheese, pasta, tuna, crackers and snack bars, we grew to deliver 60 bags each week to Mill Brook School (K-2) in the Heights area of Concord. This past year the need became so great that a food pantry was established at the school. Grace church continues to support this ministry by donating items each month to it.

 

Grace Needlers:

We continue our prayer shawl ministry with shawls for parishioners and others. We also provide scarves for the Red Scarves for former foster kits and knit hats for individuals with cancer. We have branched out to helping the Caring Hearts ministry by knitting wash cloths and other items.

 

Card Ministry:

We send birthday and anniversary greetings to our parishioners. In addition, we send encouragements to those with illness and condolences to those suffering loss.

 

Christian Education – Sunday School:

Grace Sunday School is taught by volunteers and classes meet from 9:30-10:15 am, after which the children join their families for the Eucharist.

 

Caring Hearts and Hands:

Caring Hearts and Hands (CH2) is a newer ministry begun in February, 2022. The impetus for this program was an awareness that one of the things that becomes less important to spend limited income on, but that impacts on how a person functions and feels about him/herself, are personal grooming and hygiene items. Most of the programs set up to help those with limited income focus on food, clothing and housing, and often those programs do not include items most of us consider necessities, such as toilet paper and soap, which are not often available in food banks, either. CH2 supplies basic toiletries to low-income elderly and mentally ill recipients of the Meals on Wheels program of Merrimack County. Bags of supplies are distributed to qualified recipients attending either the Suncook Senior Center or Horseshoe Pond Senior programs. The initial plan was to start small with 10 bags per month, and after discussion in 2023 with the director of Meals on Wheels, rather than increase the numbers of bags, the contents of the bags were increased instead. Basic supplies included in each bag are four individually wrapped rolls of toilet paper, a box of tissues, a toothbrush and two sample sized toothpaste (current supplies given by a local dentist), a 3oz bottle of hand sanitizer, two sample sized shampoos, a roll of paper towels, and a small bottle of lotion. Also included is a bar of soap gift wrapped in a washcloth knitted by a donor in Ohio or a member of Grace’s Needlers. Depending on the season, knitted hats, mittens, scarves, or hand towels made by the Needlers are also included. Bags are decorated with seasonal stickers and tied off with small bags of candy kisses – Gluten free and low sugar – as a treat. Additional items, such as dental floss, small soaps, etc. as donated by parish members are included. Supplies are provided through donations of items collected in a basket in the Narthex, or purchased by coins donated through the soap box “Coins for Caring” program (containers also found in the Narthex), and other monetary donations.Since the inception of this ministry it has been emphasized that we are attempting to address needs of a different group than the children for whom the Take A Tote ministry was established, and that the goal of TAT is very dear to the hearts of the initiators of the CH2 ministry. We wished to expand the types of ministry but not replace TAT, and have requested that parish members not stop support of TAT to support CH2. We have so far been very blessed with having sufficient support to do both well.

 

Little Free Library:

The Little Free Library is well established at Grace and in our neighborhood. The "leave a book, take a book" philosophy has maintained inventory and required only an occasional addition or removal. It is important to not overcrowd the library. There are plans to organize the overflow in a bookcase inside the church office. Thank you to all who donated books, especially children's books as they seem to have a higher demand. Thank you also to those who utilize the library and take a book. We have also used the library to share seeds to propagate for pollinators, ashes for those who couldn't attend the Ash Wednesday service and thank you cards to encourage us to reach out and show appreciation to others.

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