August 9, 2024
Dear Church,
I hope you’ve had a chance to look over our Things Coming Up email – your pastors and staff are looking forward to all of the opportunities to learn, grow, and worship together! There are some events that require an advanced sign-up, so please keep an eye on that.
One of those events is the Sacred Sites Tour. Healing Minnesota Stories is part of the Minnesota Council of Churches, which is “an effort to create understanding and healing between Native American and non-Native people, particularly those in various faith communities.” The Sacred Sites Tour is one offering through Healing Minnesota Stories.
We will go to three different sites in St. Paul, and hear from Rev. Jim Bear Jacobs and Kelly Sherman Conroy about the significance of these sites to Native communities. I went on this tour a few years ago, and am so grateful to be going again. Whether or not you have been on a Sacred Sites Tour before, I would encourage you to consider signing up. Just like all spaces of learning and growth, reconciliation and healing is an ongoing process.
Some details: we have chartered a bus for the tour. It will leave from Grace, take us to each of the sites, and then return to Grace at the end of the afternoon. The Sacred Sites Tour takes approximately four hours and is outside the whole time. It’s recommended to bring a camp chair to sit on, water, and any food you’d like. If you have accessibility concerns, please reach out to me – the sites are all near paved trails, and those walking should expect some uneven surfaces and dirt paths. If the weather is severe the tour will be rescheduled, but in the case of light rain, bring an umbrella and rain jacket.
We have been able to subsidize the cost in collaboration with Grace’s Racial Justice Team, so the suggested donation is $30, which covers both the tour fee and the bus. Sign-ups are available in the Narthex and on our website.
In Christ,
Pastor Reed
Every Friday, we send an email to the congregation and any others who would like to learn more about the Grace community. The last four Friday emails are posted below.