Announcements
New Office Email
Please update your contact information for the church office, the new email address is gracechurch517@gmail.com
Good Gifts/ God’s Global Barnyard
Sunday School children please return your banks ASAP!
Save the Date
Vicki’s Appreciation Party Sunday January 22, 2023
Following the 10:30 service we will gather in the Nolt Auditorium to thank Vicki Mumma for her service and dedication to our congregation.
Grace Book Update: Change in Date for February Meeting
The incorrect date for the February meeting was published in last week’s Grace News. The February meeting will be held on February 14th 2023 at 7PM on Zoom. The theme for the meeting is President’s Day. Please read either a book written by a US President or First Lady or a book about a US President or First Lady. The book can be either fiction or non-fiction. If you have any questions about book group or wish to join please contact Brenda Hayasaka
Christian Formation
Volunteers Needed to Write Devotions and Prayers For Lent
Dear members and friends of Grace, As you may have noticed in last week’s Grace news we have a new section for a weekly devotional. We would love for volunteers to write short (around 200 words) devotionals or prayers during Lent.
The first Lenten devotion or prayer would be for the February 21st Grace News. Anyone can write for this section! It would be a great activity for families and friends. If you don’t want to write an original piece you can submit something written by someone else. If you do this please provide the information needed to cite the text. If you are interested in writing please contact me at gracechurch517@gmail.com. Peace, Angie Rabbe
Sunday School Presentations Understanding Autism
Deanna (dee-na) LaMaster is an advocate and mother who dedicates her time to educating adults and children alike about Neurodiversity, specifically Autism. Her work began in a single classroom within the School District of Lancaster’s Carter & MacRae Elementary School and has been rapidly expanding ever since.
She has presented as far as Washington state (Kent School District) and is very proud to have presented in every classroom within Carter & MacRae this past year. She is slated to be a presenter for the School District of Lancaster’s Education Conferences this coming March.
Deanna will be discussing Neurodiversity: the unique ways the human brain works relating to cognition, social and learning settings, attention and mood. Her knowledge base is rooted in understanding Autism and listening to the Autistic community. Within the course of the presentation, she will discuss different ways to relate to peers with unique minds and how to better understand our own diverse brains!
Deanna will be joining Patti Hartman’s class on January 15th and the Kindergarten/Younger Children’s class on January 22nd. Sunday School is at 9 AM in the Nolt Auditorium. Hope to see you there!
Interfaith Partners for the Chesapeake Celebrates The Legacy of Martin Luther King Junior
Come celebrate the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr by joining us on this holiday special webinar. You’ll learn about the rich history of Black Farming in America and the growing push for Environmental Justice for ALL! This learning lab which takes place Monday January 16th at 7pm. You will meet esteemed guest speakers and hear how they are working tirelessly to dissolve existing barriers to create new opportunities for black farmers. Together let’s explore the legacy of black farming in America and learn how we can all play a role in creating a diverse future for farming here in the Chesapeake Bay watershed! Read more about the event and register here
FYI- Pastor Steve was recently elected to the Board of Directors for IPC after serving for several years on the Lancaster Task Force. IPC works to connect congregations and their members throughout the Chesapeake Bay Watershed with taking action for the health of the Bay. More to come…
Tapestry of Pages Update
Our discussion of The Woman They Could Not Silence begins on January 17, 2023. We will meet at 2:30 PM on Zoom. The book is the true story of Elizabeth Packard who was committed to the Illinois State Hospital by her husband because he felt threatened by her intellect and progressive religious views. If you are interested in joining our group please contact Angie Rabbe at graceelcaapd@gmail.com.
Adult Sunday School
First, our thanks to Deanna LaMaster for leading last week’s session on Neurodiversity and Autism. She is happy to follow up with anyone who might have questions more appropriate for a personal conversation about self, family member, or friend living with autism. She can be reached at Deanna.Lamaster@yahoo.com.
Second, I hope you’ll join our Adult Formation Group, meeting in Nolt Auditorium between worship services, starting as close to 9:00 a.m. as we can. This Sunday I’ll be taking us on a a journey with Jesus, literally THE journey that the gospel describe Jesus making, as his public ministry takes him from his home town of Nazareth in Galilee to Jerusalem and his confrontation there with leaders out to finish him. In between, we will stop at the Jordan River, the town of Capernaum, the mountains, the Sea of Galilee and Samaria.
Led by some short videos and a book called The Way by Pastor Adam Hamilton, these six or seven sessions before Lent will help us see the interplay between the geography of Jesus’s journey and the deeper spiritual journey into which he leads those who follow. Those who would like to read the book may easily find used copies on Amazon, but it will not be necessary to enjoy the class! I look forward to seeing you there.
Looking ahead, I hope to gather a group of Grace folks along with those who are new to our congregation since last Easter for this year’s edition of “A Time for Discovery,” as we refresh our Christian basics in the context of our ministry here at Grace Church.
– Pastor Verkouw
Creation Care
Cap Collection Continues
We are still collecting caps for the Earth Savers Club at Central York High School. If you would like to help, drop off your clean/label free caps to the church office! (Dirty caps will be discarded—please wash caps before donating) Thank you for helping to protect our planet!
Our Grace Family
Greetings From Texas!
Thelma Williams sends her greetings to our congregation all the way from Texas! Thelma is 103 years old, a WWII veteran and part of the crew who came to Grace from the old Zion Lutheran Church downtown. She would love to hear from anyone who remembers her – or anyone else for that matter!
Her address is:
Mrs. Thelma Williams, 200 S. Katy Fort Bend Road, Apt. 4303, Katy, Texas 77494
gracelutheranchurch.com 