We hope you will join us September 10-12, 2021, for our annual parish weekend at Shrine Mont, the Diocese of Virginia’s camp and conference center, in Orkney Springs, VA. Registration is now open and is easy to do any Sunday during coffee hour service or online.
Our theme for 2021 is “Jesus calls us o’er the tumult,” which is the first line of hymn #550 in the 1982 hymnal. The Cambridge English dictionary defines “tumult” as “a state of confusion, disorder, or uncertainty.” The idea of Jesus calling us over and out of such a state speaks for itself in its power to pull us back into some semblance of order.
Shrine Mont is a great way for families, couples, and singles of all ages to get away from the city and connect with other Grace folks in a casual and relaxed environment. During the weekend, you can choose to participate in scheduled activities such as worship services, arts and crafts, and social gatherings or you can take it easy by relaxing in the famous Shrine Mont rocking chairs, reading, or hiking. You can do as much or as little as you like!
Other highlights of the weekend are an outdoor worship service shared with La Gracia at the Cathedral Shrine of the Transfiguration, field games, the star-studded Grace Church Follies on Saturday night, and a quintessential southern lunch of fried chicken and mashed potatoes after Sunday morning Eucharist.
The Shrine Mont coordinators and committees are busy planning activities*, worship, meals, and more. At this time the plan is to hold an in-person gathering; however, we are planning for all contingencies. Registration and additional details will be available very soon!
* If you have any spare wine corks you’ve accumulated, please save them to donate for use in an activity to-be-named later.
If you want to attend, please sign up as soon as possible so that we can build an accurate estimate of attendance. The deadline to register is August 15.
Click here to view prices for the rooms & shirts.
If you’d like to pay online via credit card, enter your information in the registration form (available by clicking here) and click the SUBMIT button. Otherwise, you can meet us during any of the Sunday morning coffee hour for the next few weeks to fill out a paper registration form and pay by check. (Registrarse en español aquí.)
Click here for the form
Two different shirts are being sold: Unisex Crewneck and Women’s V-Neck. You do *not* have to sign up for a room to purchase a shirt. The deadline for ordering shirts is August 1.
Those wondering about how the staff and facility are handling the epidemic can check their website at https://shrinemont.com/covid-19/ for general information. That page contains a link to a second page, which describes the current guidelines in more detail, including the mealtime policies. The gist is that guests should be vaccinated or must wear masks when indoors and when closer than 6 feet to others. Of course, the medical situation can change significantly in the coming weeks, so the guidelines currently in place may change as well.
Please send any questions you might have to this year’s coordinators, David and Wendy Murphy, at ShrineMont2021@gracealex.org.
