***We are currently reassessing the future of the English Language Learners program at Grace, and we will provide more updates soon.***
English Classes – English Language Learners
The Latest News from Grace
Pandemic Drives Demand for Calgary Food Bank Hampers
Grace Satellite Food Bank makes 20 hampers (up from 15) to support Beltline neighbours In October 2020, Grace became a satellite depot for the Calgary Food Bank, supplying 15 hampers per week to residents of the Beltline neighbourhood, where the church is found. There is high need in the area - 3% of the demand from the Calgary Food Bank comes from the Beltline (only the neighbourhood of Forrest Lawn has a higher need at 4%). Offering hampers at Grace saves users a trip to the main Calgary Food Bank, which is 7 inconvenient kilometers away, taking over an hour to access by public...
Welcome to Worship: South Sudanese Congregation
Welcome to the South Sudanese Congregation Worship page with Rev. Sabino Diok! Location: Grace Presbyterian Church , Entrance through the North Door (See map below) Time: 12:30 pm Dates: Starting Sunday, December 12 Parking: There is free parking in the North Parking Lot. Registration Process: Please sign up by 8:00 a.m. on FridaysThe sign up list will be printed and shared with Welcomers volunteers who will check people inIf you do not sign up and come to the doors, please be advised that there are capacity restrictions and you will be admitted if there is space. Bring your your proof of...
Trunk or Treat in the News
Trunk or Treat was a hit this year - thank you to donors, volunteers, and families! Overall, 50 families (200 people) signed up for 6 trick or treating time slots, and came through the parking lot, in batches. CTV Calgary covered the event. Find the story here: Inner-city church helps Calgary children celebrate Halloween with Trunk-or-Treat. Thank you to the Children and Youth Committee, donors, volunteers - and Rev. Maren for making the event a neighbourhood Halloween highlight again this...
The Satellite Food Bank Turns 1!
Following the summer of 2020, when Grace provided fresh produce, gift cards, and nutritious lunches to Connaught School families in the Grace parking lot every Thursday, members of the Engagement & Service Committee met with representatives form the Calgary Food Bank with a view to beginning a Satellite Food Bank at Grace Church. A formal Partnership Agreement with the Calgary Food Bank were developed and approved by Session in September, 2020. On October 1, 2020, Grace Presbyterian Church and the Calgary Food Bank entered a satellite location partnership. The partnership allows...
The Food Bank Project at Grace
One Month In: Grace as a Beltline Food Bank Satellite Location The vision and mission of Grace are well known: Vision: Transforming lives through God`s grace Mission: Inspired by the Holy Spirit, we grow disciples of Jesus Christ to love our neighbours and effect social change The Calgary Food Bank is one way Grace is living out the vision and mission. Calgary Food Bank Vision: A hunger-free community Mission: Together, we fight hunger and its root causes so that no one goes hungry As we at Grace embrace being a missional church, we understand the need to partner with agencies in the...
Service: Reducing Food Insecurity in Calgary with I Can for Kids
In 2015, Bobbi Turko and her 11-year old daughter Sutton were watching a story on Good Morning America about kids who relied on school breakfast and lunch programs for food. The kids were going hungry over the summer. “It was something we never thought about. Sutton wondered if Calgary kids were hungry over the holidays – and if they were, what could be done about it,” Bobbi says. Food Insecurity a Hidden Problem for Kids in the Summer The mother daughter duo soon discovered that summer food insecurity was very much a Calgary issue. To help, they launched I Can for Kids, and distributed...
Join Rev. Maren on a Virtual Easter Egg Hunt at Grace!
Join Rev. Maren on a virtual Easter egg hunt through Grace Church! For the young and young-at-heart.
Pancakes, Play & Delight: How Rev. Maren McLean Persaud Deliberately Builds Community
At 5:00 pm on Tuesday, February 25, Rev. Maren McLean Persaud stood alone in the Grace gym, arranging pylons for pancake races, placing fresh pancakes in the pancake flip station, and adding brightly coloured tablecloths of green, red, yellow and blue on tables to invigorate the space. The pancake party would begin at 5:30 p.m. Invitations had gone out to Grace members, Connaught School, Grace Manor seniors, Calgarians - even the media. But would they come? Creating Opportunities for Inter-generational Connection Maren felt they would. The pancake party was her fourth community gathering,...
A Readiness to Learn: How Connaught Empowers All Students to Shine
Connaught School has a special place in the heart of Grace – Engagement and Service Committee programs help supply the school with food for lunches, snacks and the pantry – a place kids who don’t have enough food can stock up. The school partners with some 25 plus community partners to help ensure kids have what they need to learn. Meeting Basic Needs Being ready to learn means having “basic needs – food, winter clothes like boots and socks – met,” says Connaught School Principal Nicole Bezugley. “You’re not available to learn when you’re worried about food.” To help students feel at...