November 12, 2026
Dear Friends,
For 173 years Grace has been a presence in the Heart of Dartmouth. During my time here, I have seen increased engagement with the wider community that I think of as Grace Dartmouth. Some of that engagement takes part through our building as it provides space to community groups and is a home to many small businesses. Other parts of the engagement take place out in the community through our offerings of time, talent and treasure. The attached infographic shows some of the many ways we have served the community since our last anniversary. If you are interested in involvement in any of our ministries, please reach out to me and together we can explore your options.
If you are interested in seeing some pictures from our past - check out the link for a collection of videos of photos from past years.
Please join me on Sunday, November 15, 2026 at our 11am Worship Service as we celebrate the 173rd Anniversary of Grace United Church. Not only will we have a special guest speaker but the premiere of a new anthem by a local composer commissioned by the Choir
David Hewitt, Regional Minister for Bermuda Nova Scotia Regional Council, will be our guest preacher. David was commissioned by Toronto Conference in 1986 as a Diaconal Minister in The United Church of Canada. Since that time, he has served in ministry in Ontario, British Columbia, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. He has been a Presbytery youth worker, and the United Church Formation Director at Atlantic School of Theology. In 2011, David began service as Executive Secretary of Maritime Conference of The United Church of Canada and following restructuring, now serves as the Regional Minister for our region. This position is primarily responsible for supporting positive pastoral relationships for health, joy and excellence in ministry, along with general support for congregations.
On a more personal note, David and Robyn Brown-Hewitt are married and have two adult sons, and two grandchildren. A self-built retirement home is now in year four of construction, with hopes of completion within the next few months.
And we can’t forget about our ministry of music. This year on Anniversary Sunday, we will be joined once again by guest pianist, Cynthia Davies. Cynthia is an incredibly gifted and generous collaborative pianist who has played at Grace many times before, and we always look forward to her visits. She and Joel have prepared a couple piano duets, and Cynthia will accompany the choir on some special selections, including a new anthem by Adam Johnson. Many of you will know Adam as the conductor of Inclusive Choir based at Grace and the Music Director at Port Wallis United Church. This new choral work entitled "Hope of the Dawn" was made possible by a generous donation from a member of our community to the Choir and they chose to commission the multi-talented Adam to create a new hymn.
Every Sunday we are called together to celebrate God’s grace. Come join us this Sunday as we are called to celebrate Grace and its 173 years of ministry in this community and in the world.
Yours in Christ's Service,
Rev. Stephen Fram
Message from the Finance Committee
We are grateful for all the financial support Grace receives during the year. However, the local offering has decreased this year compared to last year and compared to our budget. As of September 30, 2026, local offering was approximately $132,500 compared to the budget of $155,500, resulting in a shortfall of $23,000. Fortunately our rental and fundraising income has been above budgeted amounts, but we will need an increase in local offerings so that we can end the year without being in deficit.We ask that you consider making an Anniversary local offering donation at this time to help with our financial stewardship.
Being around for 173 years means that things change. One of the changes this year is that your anniversary letter is coming to you digitally. It is responsible stewardship of paper and postage but the downside is that you no longer have a physical anniversary envelope, We are inviting you to use e-transfer (grace funds70@gmail,com and put anniversary in the message line), or put money or cheque in the collection plate at the back of the church (use an envelope to get a tax receipt) or drop by or mail it to the Office.
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Grace United Church
70 King St
Dartmouth, NS B2Y 4R3
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