GraceVine. One Day, One Choice at a Time. January/February Pastor Kelly

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1 One Day, One Choice at a Time. January/February 2015 GraceVine Grace, mercy and peace be yours from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. On Monday, January 5 th, I will begin my work with you as your Interim Minister. It is both a privilege and a responsibility to serve in this capacity. As an Interim Minister it is my responsibility to serve as a temporary shepherd with two primary responsibilities. The first is to make sure ministry of Grace Lutheran Church continues throughout the interim period. The second is to guide you through the interim process and prepare the way for the pastor who will follow. I recognize that much has happened in the life of your church family over the past couple of months. After many years of faithful service Pastor Gordon Cavers announced his resignation as your pastor. You have honored his ministry and undergone the painful task of saying goodbye. I suspect that to some Pastor Cavers is the only pastor you have known at Grace. You have entered into a time of uncertainty and questioning. What will happen during this interim time? Who will be our next pastor? Will we lose members along the way? Will there be any changes in the way we do ministry at Grace? These are just some of the questions people ask during a time of pastoral transition. Change, though an inevitable part of life, is rarely easy. Yet we are not alone during times of change. At the center of everything we do is our faith in Jesus Christ. Remember the words of Jesus spoken to the disciples huddled behind a locked door at night on the day of the resurrection? Jesus says, Peace be with you. In the midst of their feelings of grief and loss Jesus comes to them and shows them that he is still in their midst. He has not abandoned them. The work of sharing the good news of the reign of God continues. Grace, mercy and peace abound. Published by Grace Lutheran Church E.L.C.A. 501 Valley Park Drive Libertyville, Illinois 847/ Fax 847/ gracelutheranil@att.net website: gracelutheranlibertyville.org My first Sunday with you will be January 11 th. On that day we will hear the story of the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist in the Jordan River. In that event, Jesus is publicly identified as God s son, his beloved. This is the start of his public ministry. We will be reminded of our identity as baptized children of God whose mission is to share the good news of Jesus Christ. I think that is an excellent place to start as we begin our work together. As we prepare for your next pastor we can explore what it means to live out our baptismal faith and what it is that God is calling this congregation to be and do as faithful followers of Jesus Christ. I look forward to meeting you and working together as brothers and sisters in Christ. Pastor Kelly

2 Staff Dennis Kelly Interim Pastor Cheryl Horgan.. Administrative Assistant Phyllis Cavers Director of Contemporary Worship Ministries Jeff McClurg Director of Family Life and Wendy Haase.. Choir Director, Organist Michele Moras......Choir Accompanist Sarah McAuliffe Preschool Director Eva Balogh......Maintenance Engineer Church Council Jon Vold President, Social Ministry Mike Marabella Vice President, Congregational Life Mike Quist Secretary, Worship Life Judy Bridges Treasurer, Financial Management Cara Doherty Growth In Faith Don Petz Building and Property Tory Ramaker Outreach Volunteer Coordinators Tom Dorow Lectors and Assistants Carole Karlenzig Greeters Craig Schander Ushers Tory Ramaker Welcome Center Grace Website Nicole Gay Nursery Grace Lutheran Church 501 Valley Park Drive Libertyville, Illinois Connect With Grace Upcoming Events THE CHURCH OFFICE WILL BE CLOSED ON NEW YEAR S EVE AND NEW YEAR S DAY CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS Volunteers are needed to help take down the Christmas decorations/tree in the Sanctuary on Saturday, January 10 at 9:00 a.m. Many hands will help make the task go faster. ANNUAL BUDGET MEETING will be held Sunday, January 25 following the 10:00 a.m. Worship Service. There will be ONE SERVICE ONLY that day at 10:00 a.m. Please mark your calendars. Coming February 7 Watch for details in upcoming Announcements GROWING WITH GRACE REGISTRATION for Registration for Grace members, current students, and alumni begins on Tuesday, January 20 8:30 a.m. in Café Grace Open Registration for the community begins Tuesday, January 27 8:30 a.m. in Café Grace Don t delay classes fill quickly! WINTER WEATHER may sometimes cause events at church to be cancelled. A phone tree has been established for you to receive the notifications of church closings.

3 Noteworthy ADDRESS UPDATE To stay current with what is happening at Grace, please contact Cheryl in the church office to update your address, 847/ or 2015 OFFERING ENVELOPES are available to pick up in the Narthex. Beginning Monday, January 6, they can be picked up in the church office. CONFIRMATION CLASS resumes January 11. AFTERNOON BIBLE DISCUSSION GROUP Everything Is Possible with God The Afternoon Adult Bible Study group is beginning a new study series in January that looks at strengthening your faith. This video-based series is designed for small group study and is taught by Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church. This six-session study looks at your faith. Is it strong or weak? Is it steady or stretched? These are important questions, because there's a lot riding on your answers. More importantly, would you like your faith to be stronger? Your faith is like a muscle. It needs to be exercised and developed. God uses a predictable pattern and process to build your faith. It's what Pastor Rick calls the Six Phases of Faith. Once you understand these six phases, you can cooperate with God in the process of strengthening your faith and building your character. We meet on the second and fourth Tuesdays at 1:30 p.m. in Café Grace. Please note that this is a new location for the group. We invite all who want to grow spiritually, as well as build some new relationships, to join us for this program, and others to follow. We always have an open chair waiting. If you want additional information, please contact Verna Odom, Cal Callison, or Mike Matthies. Grace Lutheran Church Men's Group hosted the Men's/Kid's Pancake Breakfast on Saturday, December 13. The dads and kids enjoyed a delicious meal and fellowship together!

4 We Care and We Share COOL FOOD Pantry We would like to thank all of our supporters. Your generous donations are appreciated! We have received many donations to provide holiday meals for families in need along with monetary donations and food donations throughout the year. Your continued support allows us to help so many in our community. COOL Food Items of the Month January - Peanut Butter February - Breakfast Items Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Ministry collected 104 boxes along with $298 to cover the shipping costs of the boxes Giving Tree For the 2014 giving season, $ in gift cards were collected from Grace members and donated to COOL Transitional Housing. We thank everyone for their generosity! Turn Hunger Into Hope With Your Own Two Hands! We invite you to join us for Feed My Starving Children Packing Sessions in the upcoming months. Grace Lutheran Church is scheduled for the following Fridays: January 2, 6:00-7:30 p.m. Code and February 6, 6:00-7:30 p.m. Code ALL are welcome! To register, visit enter the join codes. You can also contact Jon Vold at 847/ or Jeff McClurg at jeffamcclurg@att.net to sign up or for any questions. Our Grace Family... We Congratulate Jake & Laura Govorchin and big sister Cameron on the birth of their son, Jacob Paul JP who was born November 5 Barry & Kathy Brunner on the birth of their grandson, Parker Tokheim, who was born November 21 We Welcome through Holy Baptism Michelle Hirschfeld Collier - daughter of Steve & Carol Collier Jacob Paul JP Govorchin - son of Jake & Laura Govorchin. Sponsors were Pete & Kate Govorchin We Express Our Deepest Sympathy to John and Stephanie Lipp in the death of their son Jack, who passed away Christmas Day The McClurg Family in the death of Kathryn s grandfather, Robert Hunniford who passed away Christmas Eve in Michigan Please remember these families in prayer.

5 Growing With Grace Preschool TERRIFIC TWOS, TREMENDOUS THREES, FABULOUS FOURS, & ANIMAL ADVENTURES Terrific Twos, Tremendous Threes, Fabulous Fours, & Animal Adventures Happy New Year! We look forward to a wonderful second semester. The Terrific Twos themes for January are sports and winter. We have lots of young athletes learning about different sports. The themes for February are teddy bears and Valentine's Day. The Teddy Bear Picnic/Pajama Day is always a favorite. The Tremendous Threes will kick off the new year with a unit about winter/snow. They will conduct some exciting experiments about snow and ice. Then they will move on to their nursery rhymes unit. Their second field trip is in February - they will visit the dental office of Dr. Zizic across the street. The trip is a part of their healthy habits unit. The Fabulous Fours will be busy in January preparing for the "Greatest Show on Earth"- the Fabulous Fours Circus. It is an amazing event you won't want to miss on January 29. In February and part of March they will learn about the incredible five senses God blessed us with. The Animal Adventures class will be bundling up and going on a polar adventure. They will travel to the North and the South Poles. Our Annual Growing With Grace Family Event is on Saturday, January 31. We welcome Chris Fascione - an energetic storyteller/entertainer. As always, we welcome participation from the Congregation in this ministry. Please contact me to volunteer your time and talents. The children love visitors and the teachers do too. Sarah McAuliffe, Director growingwithgracepreschool@aol.com We are trying to compile an amazing team to run Vacation Bible School 2015 which will take place in June. We are looking for individuals who are willing to help share their gifts in all areas as we are losing some long time volunteers this year. We are so grateful that they have been able to share their gifts and enrich the lives of the children for so many years. The good news is that it opens the door to volunteers willing to step up and maybe even try something new. Our church is currently in the midst of exciting changes, but we also need to make sure we are keeping our traditions and values constant during this time of self-examination. Our church has established a name for itself by creating exciting and fun learning experiences for children. Please consider offering your help to keep this vital ministry on the correct course. ATTENTION VBS LOVERS!! Leaders and assistants are needed in the areas of music, snacks, crafts, Bible stories, games, decorations, group leaders, and planning. We are seeking adults, college students, and our wonderful high school and middle school volunteers. Some duties are completed before, during, and after the week of VBS. Planning and recruitment are the first tasks to be completed. We would like to have a planning meeting in March or April to distribute materials to leaders. The community is already beginning to make their summer plans and many are already counting on Grace s Vacation Bible School being on their schedules. Please contact Cara Doherty at caralj28@gmail.com if you are interested in helping with this year s VBS. We look forward to having you on the team!

6 January 2015 at Grace Lutheran Thursday, January 1 NEW YEAR S DAY OFFICE CLOSED Friday, January 2 6:00 pm Feed My Starving Children Packing Session (#577255) Saturday, January 3 Sunday, January 4 NAME TAG SUNDAY ONE SERVICE ONLY 10:00 am Traditional Worship/ 6:30 pm JAM Night Monday, January 5 Tuesday, January 6 12:30 pm Service Workshop 5:30 pm PADS 6:30 pm Winchester Bingo Wednesday, January 7 7:00 pm Special Council Meeting (Café Grace) Thursday, January 8 5:30 pm Brownie Scouts # :00 pm CHATT 7:00 pm GABBRS Friday, January 9 Saturday, January 10 8:30 am Men s Breakfast (Lamb s Farm) 9:00 am Undecorate Sanctuary Sunday, January 11 8:30 am Traditional Worship 10:00 am Contemporary Worship R.O.C.K. (Bagels By The Book) 6:30 pm Confirmation Monday, January 12 7:00 pm Preschool Board Meeting (Café Grace) Tuesday, January 13 1:30 pm Afternoon Bible Discussion (Café Grace) Wednesday, January 14 7:00 p.m. Bookmarks Thursday, January 15 5:30 pm Daisy Scouts #40947 Friday, January 16 Saturday, January 17 Sunday, January 18 8:30 am Traditional Worship/ 10:00 am Blended Worship/ Monday, January 19 MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY 7:00 pm Council (Café Grace) Tuesday, January 20 8:30 am Preschool Registration (Café Grace-for Alumni & Church Members) 12:30 pm Service Workshop Wednesday, January 21 Thursday, January 22 Friday, January 23 6:00 pm Girl Scouts Troop #40001 Saturday, January 24 Sunday, January 25 ANNUAL BUDGET MEETING ONE SERVICE ONLY 10:00 am Blended Worship 6:30 pm Confirmation Monday, January 26 3:00 pm Girl Scouts Tuesday, January 27 8:30 am Preschool Registration (Community) 1:30 pm Afternoon Bible Discussion (Café Grace) Wednesday, January 28 Thursday, January 29 GWG Fabulous Fours Circus Friday, January 30 Saturday, January 31 10:00 am - 11:00 am GWG Preschool Family Event (Sanctuary/Café Grace) Grace Lutheran Church 501 Valley Park Drive, Libertyville IL, gracelutheranil@att.net

7 February 2015 at Grace Lutheran Sunday, February 1 NAME TAG SUNDAY 8:30 am Traditional Worship/ 10:00 am Blended Worship/ 11:30 am JAM Day (Super Bowl Tailgate) Monday, February 2 Tuesday, February 3 12:30 p.m. Service Workshop 5:00 pm PADS 6:30 pm Winchester Bingo Wednesday, February 4 11:30 am Libertyville Women s Club (Café Grace) Thursday, February 5 (Parent Conferences) Friday, February 6 (Parent Conferences) 6:00 pm Feed My Starving Children Packing Session # :00 pm Brownie Scouts #40001 Saturday, February 7 30 HOUR FAMINE Sunday, February 8 8:30 am Traditional Worship 10:00 am Contemporary Worship R.O.C.K. (Bagels By The Book) 6:30 pm Confirmation Monday, February 9 Tuesday, February 10 1:30 pm Afternoon Bible Discussion (Café Grace) Wednesday, February 11 7:00 pm Bookmarks Thursday, February 12 5:15 pm Daisy Scouts 5:30 pm Daisy Scouts #40947 Friday, February 13 Saturday, February 14 8:30 am Men s Breakfast (Lamb s Farm) Sunday, February 15 8:30 am Traditional Worship/ 10:00 am Blended Worship/ Monday, February 16 PRESIDENT S DAY 7:00 pm Council (Café Grace) Tuesday, February 17 12:30 p.m. Service Workshop Wednesday, February 18 ASH WEDNESDAY Thursday, February 19 11:30 am OWLS (Café Grace) 7:00 pm CHATT Friday, February 20 Saturday, February 21 Sunday, February 22 8:30 am Traditional Worship 10:00 am Contemporary Worship 6:30 pm Confirmation Monday, February 23 3:00 pm Brownie Scouts Tuesday, February 24 1:30 pm Afternoon Bible Discussion (Café Grace) Wednesday, February 25 Thursday, February 26 5:30 pm Brownie Scouts #40160 Friday, February 27 Friday, February 28 Grace Lutheran Church 501 Valley Park Drive, Libertyville IL, gracelutheranil@att.net

8 501 Valley Park Drive, Libertyville, IL / Be sure to check out the new church sign! Worship Schedule for January and February 2015 FEBRUARY JANUARY 1/4 10:00 a.m. ONE SERVICE ONLY Traditional Worship with Holy, Nursery and 1/11 8:30 a.m. Traditional Worship 1/11 10:00 a.m. Contemporary Worship, Nursery and 1/18 8:30 a.m. Traditional Worship with Holy 1/18 10:00 a.m. Blended Worship with Holy, Nursery and 1/25 10:00 a.m. ONE SERVICE ONLY ANNUAL BUDGET MEETING Blended Worship Service, Nursery and 2/1 8:30 a.m. Traditional Worship with Holy 2/1 10:00 a.m. Blended Worship with Holy, Nursery and 2/8 8:30 a.m. Traditional Worship 2/8 10:00 a.m. Contemporary Worship, Nursery and 2/15 8:30 a.m. Traditional Worship with Holy 2/15 10:00 a.m. Blended Worship with Holy, Nursery and 2/22 8:30 a.m. Traditional Worship 2/22 10:00 a.m. Contemporary Worship, Nursery and