Announcements
CLICK HERE FOR THE CHURCH CALENDAR
January 2025 Schedule–Worship Volunteers, Birthdays, & Anniversaries
In-person Book Group
Our daytime book selection for January is Ordinary Grace by William Kent Kreuger. It tells the story of a young teen and his family who are trying to understand a world that seems to suddenly be falling apart around them. It involves a small town in Minnesota in the early 1960’s, a Lutheran pastor who struggles with the problems of the day and of family, and their whole community of talented people, ordinary people and friends.
1961 was supposed to be a time of innocence and hope. It was the starting season for the Minnesota Twins, it was a summer of ice cream sodas and a country with a new young President. However it turned into a grim summer when death visited frequently and came in many forms: accident? nature? suicide? murder?
The story is told from the teen’s perspective, but 40 years later when it almost seems that it was now time to make sense of things. Ordinary Grace is an unforgettable novel about discovering the terrible price of wisdom and the enduring grace of God.
This group meets on Monday, January 26 in Nolt Auditorium at 1:00PM. Please join us for not only the book review but also the discussion that will accompany this fine story. Men and women are encouraged to attend. We hope to see you there!
Flowers and Candles
A reminder: If you would like to honor/remember your loved one(s) on significant dates, such as birthdays,
anniversaries, or date of passing, please contact: Donna Weidman @ dweidman52@gmail.com or
717-201-6180
A nominal fee of $25 for flowers and/or $5 for candles helps defray the cost of the altar flowers & candles in our budget.
Outreach
God’s Global Barnyard
How many chicks can we buy?????
That’s the question we want to answer on February 8, 2026!
It’s time for our annual Global Barnyard/ELCA Good Gifts collection! Help our Sunday School children purchase chicks. Purchasing chicks for a family in need is a great gift for that person who has everything–chicks are a great bargain at 10 chicks for $10.
Christian Formation
Lenten Small Groups
We are forming Small Groups for Lent!
Will you participate?
Benefits of small groups: Deeper connections in our community, great discussions and strengthening our Christian faith
What is the commitment?
- Each small group would commit to meeting 5 times during Lent.
- Each group would decide when and where works best for them – if rotating to different homes we have guidelines which will reduce the stress of hosting.
- A simple meal can be part of the meeting but is not a requirement.
General guidelines:
- The best size for a group is between 6-12 people.
- Schedules, geographical location, children and age might be factors in who is involved in your group.
- Grace Lutheran will provide resources to pick from but you also might have something different you want to explore with your small group.
How can I participate? Start discussing and reaching out!
This is where it gets less clear. Are you willing to lead a group? Can you recruit a group of people to participate with you? If someone else approaches you please do include them. Let’s start with this idea and see where it leads. Lent begins on February 18 and ends on Palm Sunday, March 29th.
Grace will support this adventure by offering various possibilities of discussion material but you are free to research what you might like to study instead. I have heard from many of the “younger adults” that they would like to spend time on discussing faith while avoiding the “ick” that might come along with some of the resources. This is hard to define but understandable as we look at how faith practice can go wrong. We will have a list of resources in next week’s Grace News. If you have any ideas for groups or need help forming a group please contact Kath or Angie. May God bless our efforts
Kath– verkouw@gmail.com
Angie-gracechurch517@gmail.com
Upcoming Adult Sunday School
- January 18: The Altars Where We Worship led by Lois Strause
- January 25: The Altars Where We Worship led by Lois Strause
- February 1: The Altars Where We Worship led by Lois Strause
- February 8: Prophetic vs. Apocalyptic Texts II led by Jeremy Stoltzfus
Our Grace Family
We give thanks for the birth of Brielle Ah’lynn daughter of Kyle and Marishia Kerr born on January 5. Grandparents are Dan and Lori Kerr, and great grandparents are Joe and Cindy Labezius.
gracelutheranchurch.com 