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!
Save the Date! “God’s work. Our hands” – Sunday, September 8, 2019
This day is an opportunity to celebrate who we are as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America – one church, freed in Christ to serve and love our neighbor.
Service activities offer an opportunity for us to explore one of our most basic convictions as Lutherans: that all of life in Jesus Christ – every act of service, in every daily calling, in every corner of life – flows freely from a living, daring confidence in God’s grace. We work every day to make your community a better place. Let us continue doing this work together in 2019!
Grace Neighborhood Cook-Out
Our Sixth Annual Neighborhood Cookout in our parking lot, September 8th beginning at 12 noon.
We need everybody to pitch in and share God’s love with our neighbors and each other! How can you help?
There are so many ways…donate food or drinks, help with games, volunteer at a table, or just come to hang out and be sociable. God calls us to action and this is one way we can respond. Sign-ups are in the Narthex and by the Chapel or call the church office at 717-397-2748.
What else is happening that day? Rally Day!!!
Rally day is the Sunday we “rally” everyone back to our fall education schedule. We begin another school year of excellent Children and Youth Christian Education Programs from 9:00 – 10:15 AM.
Adult Christian Education
Stories Jesus Told by Greg Carey begins Sunday, September 15, 2019 We love stories. That’s why we go to movies, read books, and listen to friends recount an experience. That’s also why teachers use the technique of storytelling to make a difficult concept easier for us to process. Jesus told stories, or parables, for that very reason—and to help us understand how God wants us to live life. Sometimes, however, stories like the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son can be interpreted in more than one way. Even Bible scholars are divided on their meanings. In Stories Jesus Told, you’ll explore six of Jesus’ parables to learn how to read, interpret, and live them in your daily life.
Greg Carey has taught at Lancaster Seminary since 1999, having previously taught at Rhodes College and Winthrop University. His publications include numerous studies on the Book of Revelation and ancient apocalyptic literature, rhetorical analysis of the New Testament, and investigations of early Christian self-definition. He is the author of five books, including The Gospel According to Luke: All Flesh Shall See God’s Salvation and Sinners: Jesus and His Earliest Followers.
Copies of the book can be purchased through the church office for $15. If you would like a book please contact Angie Smith, 717-397-2748 or graceelcaapd@gmail.com. Please order books by September 1, 2019.
Deborah/Elizabeth Circle Meeting August 20th
At the August meeting of the Deborah/Elizabeth Circle, we will continue the Bible study “For Just Such a Time as This”, based on the Book of Esther. This month’s session, entitled: “Using Our Voices”, inspires us to find and use our voices as we serve our neighbors.
We will gather at 10:30 AM in the Round in the Muhlenberg Building on the Luther Acres campus in Lititz. Please join us for a time of reflection and conversation. At about 11:30 we conclude with lunch together. For further information please contact Joyce Saeger or Carol Main.
Do you knit or crochet?
Do you knit and/or crochet? If you answered yes, we have a great outreach project for you to participate in. We have partnered with Thrivent a second time to make gifts for the Centering Pregnancy Program at the Lancaster Health Center. The gifts are given to the parents upon completion of the class. This project is a great way for us to meet the needs of the community. Items that have been made in the past include blankets, sweaters, hats, and booties. If you have any questions or need yarn, please contact our Assistant Program Director, Angie Smith at 7183972748 or graceelcaapd@gmail.com.
Lutheran World Relief
It’s not too early to start collecting items for our Lutheran World Relief Ingathering, which will take place October 5/6. Loose items and the specified-size bath towel will be collected from now until the Ingathering. See the list below. In the fall we will have towels and school bags available for you to fill. We give this list to you now to take advantage of school supplies sales in early summer. You can put your items in the Narthex or at the closet in Fellowship Hall or bring them to the office.
What’s needed in each Personal Care Kit:
● One light-weight bath-size towel (20” x 40” to 52” x 27”), dark color recommended
● Two or three bath-size bars of soap equaling 8 to 9 oz, any brand, in original wrapping; no mini or hotel size bars
● One adult-size toothbrush in its original packaging
● One sturdy comb (no picks or fine-toothed combs), remove packaging
● One metal nail clippers (attached file optional), remove packaging
What’s needed in each School Kit:
● Four 70-sheet notebooks (280-300 sheets total) of wide-or college-ruled paper approximately 8” X 10½”; no loose-leaf paper
● One 30-centimeter ruler, or a ruler with centimeters on one side and inches on the other
● One pencil sharpener
● One pair of blunt scissors (safety scissors with embedded steel blades work well)
● Five unsharpened #2 pencils with erasers; secure together with a rubber band
● Five black or blue ballpoint pens (no gel ink); secure together with a rubber band
● One box of 16 or 24 crayons
● One 2½” eraser
We also continue to work on fleece blankets. We have a workday set for Thursday, June 27, at 1pm in Fellowship Hall. New people are needed! Thank you for the monetary donations to purchase fleece for this and for our Project Linus blankets for local toddlers.
If you care to donate instead of bringing items, checks can be written to the church and marked “Grace Church Lutheran World Relief Ingathering.” We thank Duane Weiss for remembering us with $300 from the sale of grocery cards.
Barbara Slotter 342-2654 or Linda Fackler 717-449-5574
Mission Trip to Puerto Rico
There is still time to donate to the fund for our mission trip to Puerto Rico.
You can donate via our GoFundMe or send a check to the church office—memo Puerto Rico.
Mark your calendars for the October Sunday Social!
Sunday October 6 at our Sunday Social there will be a brief presentation and a delicious lunch featuring Puerto Rican fare! A free will offering will be taken to help offset the cost of the trip.We hope you will join us and support this worthwhile cause! Pastor, Kath, & Vicki
Volunteer Opportunity at Clipper Stadium – 2019 Back to School Giveaway
This FREE event is brought to School District of Lancaster area students by a team of community partners dedicated to ensuring students have the supplies needed for a successful school year.
We will be working on Sunday, August 25th to distribute backpacks, uniforms, shoes, haircuts, books and MORE to kids in grades K-8 from the School District of Lancaster. Volunteers can register to help with our Easy Online Registration, or they can reach out to me, Audrey Lilley, at lilley@uwlanc.org
Stewardship Snippets
August 18, 2019 (Time after Pentecost—Lectionary 20, Proper 15, Year C) Hebrews 12:1 –
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us. The insatiable desire for more clouds our vision and impedes faithful and fruitful living. Who has modeled faithful resource management in your life? May the witness of others provide hope and encouragement for you to “stay the course” and say NO to “the lie of more.”
gracelutheranchurch.com 