'Sisters
of Grace' formed to help care
for diocesan camp and retreat center
By Jan Lewis
Calling all Episcopal women in East Tennessee: women who love to plan, plant, prune, build trails, mow and more!
Sisters of Grace is recruiting members. We are 19 women – and two men, including the vicar of Grace Point – representing four parishes. Think of us as a “landscape support” group for Grace Point Camp and Retreat Center.
The purpose of Sisters of Grace is “to come together to develop and maintain the glorious habitat of Grace Point, to assist the management with landscaping, erosion control, trail maintenance, enhancing wildlife habitat and creating special areas.”
The Sisters of Grace has its organizational roots in a conversation among a few women who were volunteering to work on the Retreat House flower beds more than a year ago, but our first official meeting was Sunday, March 6. We explored and discussed the site and shared supper together.
The group decided to meet once a month for work, supper and a brief worship.
Opportunities for work will be posted on the back porch of the Retreat House, and they will be available to individuals or small groups of Sisters and friends to work on at any time.
One group of Sisters has already decided to begin the ground work for a special area that will be a meditative walk called the Stations of Creation.
Watch this space for reports on our progress!
For more information, contact Jan Lewis at 865-376-1133.
Vicar calls on volunteers to take on tasks of maintenance
Grace Point maintenance is ongoing – but not all tasks are difficult or require great expertise, just time and diligence. Vicar Bo Lewis lists several below that volunteers may be able to accomplish in a few hours – and who wouldn’t want to spend a beautiful spring day at Grace Point? Contact Lewis at 865-567-1159 for more information and to arrange for any necessary materials and/or tools:
- Remove shrubs in front of stone wall along the drive below the Retreat House carport
- Replace the current gazebo roofing near the pool with standard fiberglass shingles
- Rehang insulation under Commons Building floor
- Clean out and replant Commons Building flowerbeds
- Paint exterior of wood shop, especially the trim
- Clean out and replant woodshop flowerbed
- Coat floor of crafts building to reduce dust and dirt accumulation
- Paint exterior of crafts building
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