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!
Dear Beautiful Volunteers,
We were all so looking forward to our day at Kirchenwald having fun. Unfortunately we must postpone VBS. Pastor Verkouw was sick last Sunday and then was tested and found positive for Covid.
This means that Vicki and I are under quarantine, therefore we have decided to postpone until the fall. We are very sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused.
We will be back in touch come September. May God bless you all with time to worship Him, appreciate each other, stay healthy and find new ways to learn and have fun. Talk to you soon.
Peace, Kathryn Verkouw
Outreach!
Lutheran World Relief Ingathering
We are not sure at this time about the 2020 Ingathering. It is currently set for October 3-4. We will let you know at a later date if it needs to be postponed.
We have decided to do only Personal Care and Fabric Kits this year and not ask members to search stores for school supplies to make School Kits.
A very generous member of Grace has donated money to buy the fabric and thread that is needed. Thank you!
You can be on the lookout for the items needed to make the Personal Care Kits and make them at home as you are able. Here is what is needed and the instructions for packaging:
· One light-weight bath size towel (between 20” x 40” and 52” x 27”), dark color
· Two or three bath-size bars of soap equaling 8 to 9 oz, any brand, in original wrapping*
· One adult-size toothbrush in its original wrapping
· One sturdy comb, remove packaging
· One metal nail clippers (attached file optional), remove packaging
Fold the towel in half width-wise. Place the rest of the items in the towel, fold and roll so nothing falls out, and secure with yarn, ribbon, string or rubber bands.
*LWR WILL NO LONGER ACCEPT BARS OF SOAP THAT ARE PACKED SEPARATELY.
WE WILL ONLY COLLECT SOAP TO PUT INTO THE KITS.
Lutheran World Relief is no longer taking fleece blankets. We have given what we made locally and have a few more to make; but we will be continuing the Linus Project blankets for local children. Right now that is on stand-by.
More than $600,000 in aid was destroyed in Lebanon in the devastating
August 4th explosion in Beirut. Three 40-foot shipping containers were filled with quilts, Baby Care Kits, school supplies, and Personal Care kits destined for refugees living in Lebanon, principally from Syria and the Palestinian
territories. LWR is committed to replacing the aid that was lost and are working on an emergency response to provide assistance as the city recovers and rebuilds. So our Personal Care Kits are really needed
ESL
Tech Help Needed!
Grace Lutheran’s ESL program met at JSMC until March, but is now online and needs volunteer tech advisors to help both students and teachers. If you have spare time and at least average technical expertise, please consider helping to:
· Recommend devices that work well on Zoom: which models of iPad, Kindle, smartphones, laptops, etc. to buy used or ask for donations.
· Help students set up devices, find wifi at home or nearby, join Zoom meetings and connect video & audio.
· Answer teachers’ questions about Zoom, screen sharing, PowerPoint and other tech.
· Scan printed materials for online use.
· Advise how to share photos of free furniture, etc. that teachers want to offer students.
· Help run the Zoom meeting and breakout rooms on Tuesday and Thursday mornings.
August 16, 2020 (Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 15)
“It is not what goes into the mouth that defies a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles.” Matthew 15:11
As we steward the church into a new future, let’s remember Jesus’ words to the disciples. It’s not so much about razor-edge adherence to law and strictures, but rather how one lives the life of faith. An authentic and faithful witness is needed for these difficult and shifting times.
Our Grace Family
Dear Grace Family,
Thank you for the prayers, phone calls and cards from our much loved Grace pastor and members as I recuperated from my recurring bouts of pancreatitis.
Many thanks, Joyce Loiseau
Congratulations to Grace Member and Pastor-to-Be, Tom Busteed!
Seminarian Thomas Busteed, a member of Grace since he “got hooked on Lutheran Christianity” during his days as a student at Lancaster Theological Seminary, has been called to serve as Pastor of Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church, Whitehall, Pa.
The congregation extended its call to Tom three weeks ago, voting at an official outdoor congregational service and meeting held on July 26.
After completing his M.Div at Lancaster Seminary in 2013, Tom has been a busy man, seeking ways to serve God through the church. He served as the Sunday organist at Muhlenberg College Chapel in Allentown, PA until venturing to Yale University to begin another round of theological studies at Yale Divinity School.
Tom is most familiar to our Saturday evening congregation in the chapel, as he has been one of our regular organists for Saturday services over the years, both before and after (and occasionally during) his time studying at Yale. He earned his Master of Arts in Liturgical studies at Yale, as well as the certificate in Lutheran Studies, graduating in 2018.
The last part of Tom’s journey to fulfill the requirements for ordained ministry in the ELCA began later in 2018, when he began his service as the vicar (intern) of St. Matthias Lutheran Church in Carlisle Springs, PA. Under the supervision of Anne-Rose Reeves, a nearby pastor, Tom’s internship required him to serve as the pastor-in-charge at St. Matthias, where he received invaluable experience in preparation for parish ministry. He extended his ministry at St. Matthias through this summer, until receiving the call from Faith Lutheran.
“Grace Lutheran Church played a pivotal role in my return to the Lutheran faith of my childhood,” says Tom. We are grateful for Tom’s relationship to Grace over these years, for his service at the organ and his faithful witness through the often uncertain and difficult process of seminary education and certification for ministry. Please offer prayers of thanksgiving on behalf of Tom and Faith Church as Tom plans his ordination/installation service and he and Faith Church begin their pastor/parish relationship! Pastor V
gracelutheranchurch.com 