Grace News March 12, 2024

Announcements

Holy Week at Grace

Grocery Cards

Easter Flowers

Easter flowers orders must be in the in the office by 4 PM on March 21. You can download the form below or pick one up at church

Easter Fountain Flowers

Opportunities to share plants and flowers for the fountain are available beginning April 7 and ending May 12.  Families may buy plants and flowers to decorate the Fountain on the Sunday they choose, delivering them to church on Saturday and following Sunday services, take their plants home. Please contact Angie with questions or to sign up.

“From Christ’s fullness we have all received grace upon grace.”  John 1:16

In 1874, the Lutheran Church of the Holy Trinity established Grace Church as a “daughter” congregation to serve the growing neighborhood on the north side of Lancaster. Now, 150 years later, as our generation plans and prays for the next generations of Grace Church, we begin by giving thanks for the strong foundation and rich heritage that earlier generations of faithful saints have passed on to us.  This April we will celebrate with a number of special events (see “save the dates,” below).  It’s also time for another “kick off” – even though football season is over for now !
Seven years ago, we finished a season of prayerful study and planning which concluded that making Grace Church more welcoming and accessible would greatly enhance our ministry. That renovation, despite the pandemic, was completed in late 2020, greatly simplifying and opening up our building.  No longer confusing, no longer full of stairs and dark hallways, our facility now allows everyone, including families with children and those with mobility issues, to experience Grace as welcoming, friendly, safe and easy to navigate.  The new addition is widely recognized as a striking addition to the historic church building, the elevator has made the building completely accessible to everyone,  and all who use the renovated basement for education, meetings and fellowship appreciate the simple beauty and functionality updated facilities.  For those new to Grace since 2020 here is a reminder of what we accomplished:

Education and Fellowship Center beneath the Nave

• New kitchens to support fellowship events                          
• Up to date, accessible bathrooms
• Expanded classrooms to enhance children’s growth and education            
• Expanded storage
• New finishes throughout                         
• Mechanical upgrades (HVAC, lighting, sprinkler system)

Addition with Accessible Entrance and Elevator     

• Elevator at ground level, serving basement, nave and balcony            
• Native Plant Gardens
• Expanded driveway with an easy drop-off point            
• Rebuilt playground for Child Care
• New stormwater retention system that keeps our runoff out of the sewer

Improvements to Balcony

• New safety railing across balcony front     
• New cork floor

150 Year Legacy Campaign—Giving With Gratitude for  Grace

As we celebrate the legacy of our 150^th anniversary next month, we will kick off our third phase of
raising money to pay off the cost of this legacy renovation.  The total cost of the renovation was $2.2 million, for which we had raised the first $800,000 in advance.  The balance of $1.4 million was
borrowed from the Mission Investment Fund of the ELCA, and in our second phase, from the pandemic year until now, we have paid down the debt to $850,000.  The goal of phase three  is to raise $1 million in pledges and gifts to pay down that debt – with the interest to carry it – in just a few more years!

This is no small task, but remember, “We have all received grace upon grace.”  The finances needed for enabling Grace to serve current and future generations are attainable through the commitment and generosity of God’s people. God’s presence and grace have been shining through our beloved Grace Church in downtown Lancaster for nearly one and one-half centuries.  It’s impossible to list all the ways in which God’s grace has been shared and experienced at Grace over these centuries…but we can imagine all the Sundays and seasons of worship and thanksgiving, all the weddings celebrated and grief consoled by the Gospel of Jesus; we can imagine the baptisms and confirmations, the prayers and choir anthems, the organ inspiring emotions, the tower chimes calling neighbors to pay attention, the songs of Christmas pageants and the triumphant beauty of the Easter brass.  We can imagine Sunday School and Vacation Bible School, pot-luck fellowship and the laughter of Mardi Gras! We can imagine Dramability classes, and ESL sessions, and the heart-to-heart ministry of personal conversations.  We are committed to continuing this legacy for generations to come, and our legacy of historic architecture with 21st century flair and finishes allows us to be hopeful and welcoming in so many ways. 

For now, join us and your fellow members and friends of Grace Church in praying for and supporting this 150th Anniversary Legacy Campaign, and ask how you are able to continue “Giving in Gratitude for Grace.

Pastor Steve Verkouw, and

Rosalyn Ward, Campaign Chair  

Save the Dates

• April 7 (Sunday after Easter) 4 p.m.  “Bach Vespers at Grace Church” – the beautiful service of Evening Prayer with one of Bach’s great choral cantatas, No. 4, based on a classic Lutheran Easter Hymn, with orchestra and the Grace Choir
• April 14 (Third Sunday of Easter) 4 p.m. “C. Emlen Urban and Grace Lutheran Church” Gregg Scott is our local expert and evangelist, getting the word out about the life and influence of architect C. Emlen Urban and his influence on the City of Lancaster. Grace Church is a notable part of Urban’s legacy of beautiful buildings in our city.  Gregg’s historical presentations are fascinating and entertaining opportunities to learn and appreciate the past and its effect on our lives today.  The public will also be invited to this special presentation.
• April 21 (Fourth Sunday of Easter) Festive Celebrations at our Sunday worship, giving thanks for 150 of worship and serving.  We will also kick off the next phase of our Capital Campaign to retire the renovation debt and enjoy a “Anniversary Homecoming” with delicious food and refreshments afterwards.
• April 21 at 4pm – Organ Concert by Dr. Daniel Aune of Christ Lutheran Church, Inner Harbor, Baltimore.  A varied concert of great organ music by a fabulous organist to celebrate our 150 legacy of music!
• As soon as possible!  – A book on the history of Grace Church by Dr. Karl E. Moyer is currently in the editing process and will be published in this anniversary year – if you are hiding any great pictures of Grace’s past somewhere in your home, please let us know!

Our Grace Family