Grace News January 31, 2023

Announcements

Mardi Gras Lunch and Talent Show February 19th!

Do I need to share my talent? No, bring your laughter and appreciation if you would rather just be part of the audience.

Why does Grace church have it on a Sunday instead of on Shrove Tuesday? We get our sillies out in order to acknowledge that a serious season is about to begin. We do this on Sunday because it is more convenient than on a Tuesday evening. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent.

Reducing Gun Violence?

There have been two mass shootings in California over the past few days…the latest in a long plague of gun violence. Many have become cynical about our culture’s idolatry of guns and violence. But Christians are called to do good, and surely reducing violence, even in America, is possible. Grace member Hollis Butterworth is a real expert in this field, having worked on gun safety with the US Council of Mayors, and investigating many national profile mass shootings as a consultant to the US government. Together we wish to convene a group of Grace folks who are interested in finding a way toward political and cultural changes that could actually help reduce the number of victims in a society with so many guns. 

The first exploratory meeting of this group will be: Tuesday, Feb. 7 from 6:30-8:00 p.m. in the Nolt Auditorium Contact Hollis at: patransplant44@gmailcom

Outreach

Souperbowl Sunday

The Food Hub is currently in need of:

• peanut butter
• brown rice
• whole grain pasta
• shelf stable ready to eat meals (things like SpaghettiOs)
• unsalted nuts
• low-sodium soup
• canned meat packed in water
• sugar free jello
• individual cups of unsweetened applesauce
• fruit cups in 100% juice (snack size) (NO grapefruit)
• 100% fruit juice  (NO grapefruit)
• low-sodium or salt free canned vegetables
• Cheerios or low sugar cereal

Christian Formation

Volunteers Needed to Write Devotions and Prayers For Lent

The first Lenten devotion or prayer would be for the February 21^st 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

Reading the Bible In A Year!

Please let us know if you have been participating in this year-long bible reading! You can text Kath or Angie, email Kath or Angie, or call the church office.

A very big thank you to Angie for putting in so much work to help us follow and better understand the reading and podcast materials. There will be information in next week’s Grace News on what we are doing for this upcoming Lenten season.

Here’s what your fellow Grace Members have said about our year long journey:

• “No one is more surprised than I am that I made it, but it has been great! There were many aha moments that came from reading chronologically and reading entire chapters rather than just sections here and there. At first I wasn’t sure I was going to stick with Tara Leigh, but as it turns out, I got quite a bit from her commentary and was glad for the insight. My single biggest takeaway has been that this is far too much to digest/comprehend in one reading, so I would like to start over again, perhaps with a different commentary, just for new ideas that someone else would bring.” – Patti H.
• “It became so important to keep up with the Bible reading. The discipline felt good. I’ll admit I  struggled with some of the Old Testament, but it was good to read through the history of the Bible and see how it all fit together. Finishing with the New Testament is like a breath of fresh air!    Overall, I was surprised at how many verses I recognized and how they reaffirmed my faith. I thank God for Christian parents who raised us in the church. Where would we be without our faith in God!” – Faith M.
• “This will be the first time I have read the Bible in its entirety. I haven’t used any of the resources other than the reading list printed at the beginning of each quarter. Amazed at how many times   during the year what I am reading applies specifically to a real time life experience. Good to reread the stories from Sunday School all those years ago and apply those lessons through adult lenses and with greater wisdom and discernment. The biggest unexpected result is how often I find myself   getting lost in the word or having the need to get to the Word as soon as possible to help manage the ebbs and flows of life. Never time wasted. That and being able to share what I am reading with coworkers and friends.” -Phil S.

Lent 2023

Lenten Paths: We will be offering Lenten paths for kids, teens, and adults this year!
Lent Trivia Cards: We be providing our Sunday School families with a set of trivia cards packed with questions about Lent!
Lenten Devotional Books: We have ordered copies of Water and Spirit from Augsburg Fortress. This devotional begins on Ash Wednesday and concludes on Holy Saturday.
Mindfulness Group: We have a small group of folks who are ready to explore with others the spiritual practices grouped under the heading of “mindfulness” – prayer, meditation, contemplation.  Tom Santosusso would serve as the convener of this group; let him know of your possible interest here: rymsir@aol.com
Neighborhood Cleanup: Our neighborhood could use some TLC!  Would anyone like to make a Lenten commitment to walking a block or two after church, or during the week, praying for our neighborhood and neighbors and just picking up trash and recyclables “that the wind has blown in?” 
A Time for Discovery: Primarily for those new to Grace or interested in refreshing some of the Christian Basics, I will be teaching this class at the usual Adult Education and Formation hour at 9:00 a.m. Sunday mornings in the Nolt Auditorium. 
Come Follow Me: This would be a midweek/evening course led by Pastor David Bushnell (retired from Hamilton Park UCC church) in 10 sessions, beginning in Lent and continuing through the Easter Season. This course helps us frame our identity as the Body of Christ in the midst of our call to care for the earth amid the many challenges to the environment and sustainable life: pollution of earth air and water, changing climate, the status quo of political and economic systems, the need for energy, the creation of stuff. Would bringing the resources of hope and faith to the challenges of living on and caring for the earth today interest you? Let Pastor V know!

Weekly Reflection

What good is the church or any Christian when their preaching and their example become flattery and fawning and a desire to be accepted by the world? Tasteless salt! Extinguished light! How easy it is to be accepted by the world, but how ineffective is a snuffed out lamp! What good is it? The church needs each one of us and all of us together. Every Christian must be a torch, and all Christians together must be like that city on the mountain… How beautiful life would be if each one of us were proud of our occupation and didn’t use it just to possess more—that is selfishness—but simply to be light to the world! How beautiful society would be if people’s goal was not to enrich themselves and possess more! As we’ve said here before, this is the most eloquent expression of moral underdevelopment: greed, the desire to possess, the frenzy of power,

idolatry. People shine brightest when they are the Lord’s light, when they make their work a way of serving humanity, when they are lamps that are consumed as they give out light.

From: “St Oscar Romero, 5th Sunday in  Ordinary Time (Year A), 5 February 1978,”
The Archbishop Romero Trust.
 

Our Grace Family

Christian Sympathy

Updated Contact Information

Phyllis Jackson has moved! Please contact the church office or email Angie at gracechurch517@gmail.com for the new address