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!
God’s Work Our Hands
“God’s work. Our hands” – Sunday, Sept. 8, 2019 Please Join Us For Our Sixth Annual Neighborhood Cookout in our parking lot, beginning at 12 noon.
We need everybody to pitch in and share God’s love with our neighbors and each other! God calls us to action and this is one way we can respond.
Rally Day Sunday, September 8, 2019
Rally day is the Sunday we “rally” everyone back to our fall education schedule. We begin another school year of excellent Children and Youth (pre-school – grade 12) Christian Education Programs from 9:00 – 10:15 a.m. Parents please come to your child’s classroom to meet their teachers and to fill out emergency contact forms.Children will be singing at the 10:30 service that morning. Bring your backpack for a blessing!We hope all our Sunday School families will join us in the parking lot for our 6th Annual Neighborhood Cook-out immediately following the late service.
Stories Jesus Told
Join Angie Smith and Doug Halter, beginning on September 15 in the Fellowship Hall to learn how to read, interpret, and understand the parables of Jesus.
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.
Copies of the book can be purchased through the church office for $15. Please let Angie know ASAP if you need a book. Books must be ordered by Monday September 9, 2019 to guarantee arrival by 9/15.
Class to be offered for CPR Certification
Are you interested in becoming certified in CPR. If you are, please contact the church office at 717-397-2748. We will contact interested folks when a class time is secured. Information on location and cost will follow.
Hymn Sing – September 15th
Everyone is invited to a hymn-sing (When did you last have that opportunity?) at Trinity Lutheran Church, 47 West Main Street, Mount Joy, on Sunday, Sept. 15 at 6:30 pm. This is presented by the Lancaster Chapter of the American Guild of Organists.
Two Grace members, Dr. Karl Moyer and Murray Foreman, will accompany some of the hymns. Hymns are ones you know and love, found in the (green) LBW and WOV.
Stewardship Snippets
September 8, 2010 (Proper 18 (23), 13thSunday after Pentecost)
Psalm 1:1-2 – Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers; but their delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law they meditate day and night.
Who doesn’t want to be happy and successful? While there are no guarantees for any of us that life will be smooth sailing, the Psalmist reminds us that learning to delight in God’s ways and meditating on scripture daily will keep us focused and moving in the right direction.
Stewardship At Grace
Dear Members of Grace,
I’m writing this week about our stewardship of time…my time, your time. Maybe your talents, as we like to say in church, but in English the word ‘talent” has come to mean something more like “natural abilities in sports, art and music.” While your church can certainly use some of those talents if you have them to offer, what we really need is your time and commitment to strengthen our ministry by doing some things that almost anyone can do, or learn to do without a huge amount of talent! Here is a current list of ways that you might think and pray about serving:
- Bus Diver for ESL students – No, it doesn’t take a special license to drive our Grace bus, just an hour to watch the safety video, and a good regular driving record. *Tuesday and Thursday mornings.
- Youth Group Volunteers – We need mentors to encourage our youth and help facilitate their monthly meetings and longer range projects, as well as provide good listening ears and Christian friendship. *Once a month
- Communion Assistants – It is a meaningful experience to serve at the Lord’s Table. The ability to speak the words “the blood of Christ, shed for you,” and to pour or share a sip of wine is all that is needed! Oh yes, and you get to wear the white robe!! *Needed at all three services
- Communion Set-Up and Clean Up-Volunteers – at our house, everybody helps with the family chores. We should all make ourselves available to take a turn. *15 minutes after each service.
- Sunday morning opener / coffee set up – Denny has some Sundays off, and this would be a big help to the Pastor and other staff to have someone take a few laps around the campus to open the doors, put up the signs, turn on the lights and set up for coffee and tea. *A few Sundays a year.
- Sunday morning closer – see above, except in reverse!
- Property Team volunteers – Caring for our facilities involves getting jobs and projects done that could easily be accomplished by anyone with some basic “do-it-yourself” skills, (and/or the ability to learn from YouTube videos). *Clean up/work days, or at your convenience.
- Photographer for a new directory – instead of hiring a company to come in and take all of our pictures in one or two days, it would be great to have a volunteer effort. Can you operate a camera and work with our staff to enter the information into our software! We are long overdue for a pictorial directory that will help us get to know and recognize one another, especially for new members!
- Wednesday Night Community Meal helpers – It takes a number of different hands to prepare, set up and serve the Community Meal each week. We could use a few more hands each week with set-up, but the priority for us is “our” week to cook – the fourth Wednesday of each month.
- Fishbowl Volunteers – Help encourage and corral our young children, and get their activity done during the sermon, hymns and prayers. *Each week during the 10:30 a.m. service.
These are not “optional” activities or needs; each of them is special and important in some way to our identity and our mission. My prayer is for this note to be a vehicle of the Holy Spirit to speak to you all in some way – and especially to those who are not already very busy around here! Have you had a life transition like retirement, or less responsibility for kids or parents, at home or at work? What a great time to listen for God’s call to serve through the work of Grace! In advance, thank you for considering one of these ways of helping with our common life.
God bless and keep you!
Pastor Verkouw
Our Grace Family
Christian Sympathy
Dear Members of Grace,
We give thanks for the life and witness of Thomas Hammer, father of Jean Hammer, who died Saturday, August 31st. We extend our heartfelt sympathy to Jean and her family and friends. A memorial service at DeBord Snyder Funeral Home, 114 E. Orange St. is planned for Saturday, September 7th with visitation at 10:00 a.m. and service at 11:00 a.m. Please keep Jean’s family in your prayers.
gracelutheranchurch.com 