AMHERST — Grace Episcopal Church is concluding its year-long sesquicentennial events with a “salute to founders” procession, a world music performance and a visit by Bishop Doug Fisher on Sunday.

The marking of the 150th anniversary of the founding of Grace Church has already featured numerous events highlighting its prominent place in the community, says Stephen McKelvey, a member of the anniversary committee.

“It’s been a great celebration,” McKelvey said.

On Sunday, an opening procession, prior to the 9:30 a.m. Pentecost service at the Boltwood Avenue church, will start at 9 a.m. in front of the former home of Mary Jones at the corner of Amity Street and Lincoln Avenue. It was at her residence where a small group met in September 1864 to organize the parish.

From there, the procession will move along Amity Street to the Amherst Cinema parking lot, the site of the former Amherst Academy, and to Hastings on South Pleasant Street. Both locations were previous sites for Episcopal church services before the current church opened in 1866.

The procession will feature four new banners created for this 150th birthday celebration, as well as puppets representing some of the early worshippers at Grace. A team of drummers will escort the procession.

After the church service, which will feature world music and confirmation, there will be a birthday celebration picnic and dedication of a new painting of the church.

McKelvey said one of the highlights of the year-long celebration has been the nuggets of information uncovered by Kenneth Samonds, who has been tabbed as the church’s unofficial historian.

This included identifying the historical sites associated with the church prior to a walking tour held in October, studying the background of the stained glass windows, made by William Gibson, the country’s “father of painted glass,” and learning that the church pews were rented by members in the early days.

Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.

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