Many thanks to the children of Grace for sharing the Good News with us on Christmas Eve, they worked very hard to make this year’s play a very special part of our celebration!
Mardi Gras – Pancake Breakfast
Join us on Sunday, March 3 at 12:00 noon in Fellowship Hall for our Annual Mardi Gras celebration!
Following lunch there will be a talent show for your entertainment!
If you haven’t already signed up—please call the church office at
397-2748 to RSVP by Thursday, February 28
Ash Wednesday—Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return
Ash Wednesday Services, March 6, 2019
12:00 Noon in St. Peter Chapel
7:00 p.m. in the Nave
Lenten Meditation at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church
Grace former organists Murray Foreman and Dr. Karl Moyer will be two of the organists providing quiet organ music as part of the weekly Friday 1:00 – 1:30 period of Lenten meditation at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church, East Orange and Anne Streets, Lancaster. There will be no printed program, offering, and no narrative; simply the meditative music. The organ, recently rebuilt, has many gorgeous sounds in a very lovely visual and acoustical setting. Dr. Moyer opens the series on 8 March, and Murray Foreman plays on 12 April. Among the other organists: Dr Robert Horton of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Lancaster, and Dr. Terry Heisey of St Luke’s Episcopal Church, Lebanon.
Stewardship Snippets
March 3, 2019 (Transfiguration Sunday, Year C)
2 Corinthians 3:17 – Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.God’s path is all about freedom. Steward/disciples find that freedom when we love. God with all our being and our neighbor as ourselves! Our faith aligns us with God’sabundance and power. Freedom!
Bell Tower Chimers Needed
We need bell tower chimers – especially for Sundays at 6pm. Anyone interested can call Jenny Fritsch (717-872-8979) or Donna Linton (717-575-9388).
Grace Book Group – Tuesday, March 12, at 7 PM in the Parlor.Join the Grace Book Group for this month’s discussion. Jackie’s Girl by Kathy McKeon
A rare and engrossing look at the private life of one of the most famous women of the twentieth century, Jackie’s Girl is also a moving personal story of a young woman finding her identity and footing in a new country, along with the help of the most elegant woman in America. Kim Neumar will guide the group in the discussion.
LENT 2019
Lent is one of the rhythms by which Christians mark our journeys of following Jesus, as we set apart certain things for holy purposes, we also set apart certain times for God to work with us and among us. Lent is one of those times, a period of growth, learning, prayer, and preparation before the celebration at heart of each year – Holy Week and Easter. Each individual is free to “make their own Lent” through the disciplines of prayer, fasting, and generosity. At Grace we offer a few ways that we can make a good Lent together!
Children and the Bible
Our children will be journeying through the book of Proverbs. The preschoolers will be receiving a copy of the chosen Proverbs and the elementary children will be highlighting as they go in their own bibles.
Congregational Practice
This year as a congregation we will be joining ELCA congregations across the nation in ELCA World Hunger’s 40 Days of Giving. This devotion encourages repentance, prayer and fasting, sacrificial giving, and works of love. Envelopes have been placed in the nave and outside the chapel, for you to leave your donation to World Hunger. We are providing jar wrappers so that you can collect your funds at home and bring them in on Easter Sunday. This practice is accompanied by a list of readings. Please see the tables in the narthex and outside of the chapel for devotional materials.
Lenten Retreat
Preparing To Be Dust is our Lenten Retreat this year. Please join us at the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd (750 Greenfield Road Lanc. PA 17601) from 9:30AM-3PM on Saturday, April 6, 2019. During the retreat, we will explore how we can have both a good life and a good death. Participants are encouraged to read Being Mortal by Atul Gawande, prior to the retreat. Copies of the book can be purchased through Grace Lutheran for $11, are available in e-book form, and are available at the Lancaster County Library. We will be taking time to fill out Five Wishes Forms and funeral templates for our respective congregations. A representative from Charles F. Snyder Funeral Homes & Crematory will join us in the morning to speak about the services they offer. In the afternoon we will have a presentation from Hospice & Community Care titled “Making Your Wishes Known: A Living Will is Not Enough.” A light breakfast and lunch will be provided. Cost per participant is $10. Please contact Angie to for more information and to RSVP graceelccaapd@gmail.com or 717-397-2748.
Small Group
This year we are offering a number of small group studies during Lent.
America’s Original Sin – Sunday at 9AM in the Fellowship Hall
Mark & Isaiah – Friday 6:30AM in the Parlor· Being Mortal – Thursday 10AM in the Stafford Room led by Barb Steinmetz and online at your convenience (beginning Wednesday, March 6).
Blood Brothers – Sunday at 9AM in the Fellowship Hall (beginning April 14th) led by TBA and online at your convenience (beginning Wednesday, March 6).
For information concerning the online small groups please contact Angie (graceelcaapd@gmail.com) for more information.
Dinner Church
Dinner, Faith Conversations and Communion in Fellowship Hall.March 15th in Fellowship Hall from 6-7:30 pm. Pot Luck – please bring a six-serving dish to share.
Family Movie Day
Join the Verkouw family for an afternoon movie – “an Epiphany tale with a Lenten twist” as one reviewer calls it. Snacks will be served, and time to discuss the show, kids, parents, everyone is welcome – Sunday, March 24th from 4:00—6:00 p.m. in Fellowship Hall. Please RSVP to Kathryn at verkouw@gmail.com
“Oasis” at Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd
Join Pastor Verkouw and our friends at Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd on Greenfield Road. “Oasis” is a very simple service of Holy Communion, with readings and reflection from Jesus’ teachings in Luke 6 – “The Sermon on the Plain.” Meet there, or, if you would like to ride over with Pastor V, come to the Grace Parking lot by 11:50 a.m. each Wednesday in Lent. The service begins at 12:15 and lasts 1/2 hour.
gracelutheranchurch.com 