Grace Lutheran Church ~ Vero Beach, Florida. Grace Messenger. October 2018

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1 Grace Lutheran Church ~ Vero Beach, Florida Grace Messenger October 2018 From the Pastor History in the Making October is always a special month in the Lutheran Church because of the Festival of Reformation. That festival, on October 31 st, marks the day when Martin Luther nailed his 95 thesis on the door of the castle church in Wittenberg and started the Reformation. The most important teaching of the Reformation was that God saves us by grace alone through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus is the only Savior of the world, as scripture says, There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12. The reason it is true that no one else can save us is that Jesus is God s Son. He is the One who has God s approval (Matthew 3:17, 17:5). God sent His son into the world to live the perfect life He demands of us and then offer that perfect life on the cross to pay for the sins we have committed. On account of Christ s work God forgives our sins. We receive forgiveness through faith in Jesus as scripture says, All the prophets testify about him that, through his name, everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins (Acts 10:43). This year we will be celebrating Reformation on Sunday, October 28, at our 9:30am service. The children from Gracie s preschool will sing at the service. The service will be followed by a brunch with activities for the children. This October we have a special celebration. The national church body with which Grace is affiliated, The Evangelical Lutheran Synod, is celebrating its 100 th anniversary. The synod was formed when a group of confessional Lutheran pastors would not go into a merger among Lutherans that compromised the teachings of Scripture. This was a heart-wrenching decision for these pastors to leave the church body in which they were serving, but they knew it was a decision that would have eternal consequences. Whenever the doctrines of the Scriptures are sacrificed, the souls of people are at stake. False teachings lead people away from God and endangers their faith. That is why the Savior encourages us to remain faithful to His word. He said, If you remain in my word, you are really my disciples. You will also know the truth, and the truth will set you free (John 8:31-32). We are grateful to be affiliated with a church body that seeks to remain faithful to the teachings of the Bible. We are going to celebrate our synod s anniversary on Sunday, October 14 th, at our 9:30 am service. We will have a special order of service with special music. After the service the ladies circle of the congregation will have their meeting in the fellowship hall. Others are invited to stay and watch a short video on the history of our synod and to review some of the history of Grace Lutheran joining the ELS. Everyone is welcome to join on these special Sundays and every Sunday.

2 Halloween Is About You. Halloween. That is a weird word! Where did it come from? What does it mean? No doubt you know what it refers to, but do you know how it came into use? Halloween is a conjunction, that is two or more words joined together. It shortened All Hallows Eve, which is the evening before All Hallows Day or All Saints Day. See, Halloween isn t about ghosts, goblins, and witches. Halloween is about Saints. Are you one? Most people would respond, I m no Saint!. They reach that conclusion because they look at the way that they have lived, the decisions that they have made and the things that they have done, and rightly see that they are far from perfect. If that was the standard for being a saint, no one would be one. However, that is not the way that the Bible speaks of saints. This is how Paul addressed the Christians in Corinth: To the church of God in Corinth those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, who are called as saints. (1 Co. 1:2) Christians are saints because they are sanctified in Christ Jesus. That means that you can be a saint too. Everyone who believes in Jesus has been washed clean of all of their sins. Everyone who believes in Jesus has been credited with Jesus perfect life. In Jesus, you can be a saint too. This year you will know what Halloween is really about. It is not about ghost goblins. It is about saints. It is about you. You have been clothed in Jesus perfect life by faith. You are a saint.

3 Minutes of the Grace Women s Circle Meeting on September 9, 2018 The meeting was called to order with prayer by President, Ann Holmes. This was our first meeting on a Sunday morning following the service, and 17 members and 2 guests were present. Patty s devotion reminds us that God is always with us and ready to help us fulfill His purpose for our lives. The Minutes for the May 2018 meeting were read and approved. Treasurer, Jill Dabe, reported a balance on hand of $392.06, and the report was filed for audit. Committee Reports: Pastor: Pastor informed us that the cost of a plot in the Memorial Garden has been increased to $ The Golf Classic will be on December 1st at Sebring. As part of an outreach program, the Church has ordered 500 copies of the DVD To the Ends of the Earth, a WELS outreach film which follows the Apostle Paul s visit to Philipi as recorded in Acts. The cost will be $2.00 each. There will be a Circuit Reformation service in Winter Haven at 4:00 pm again this year on October 28th, which will include special music from our Circuit s combined vocal choirs and our bell choir. Correspondence: Joleen Wade read and circulated acknowledgments from Helping Hands and Bethany Theological Seminary for donations received. Preschool: Noelle Weston reported that school started on August 13th and all is going well. The Preschool will hold a rummage sale on September 29th. The children will sing at the Reformation service on October 28th, and a congregational brunch will follow the service with activities for the children. Old Business: Nancy Dixon reported that approximately 300 lbs. of food was collected during the July food drive and was especially appreciated by the local Food Pantry during the summer months. Vacation Bible School was successful and attendance averaged in the 80's each day. A pot luck lunch will take place every other month following the Women s Circle and Men s Voters Assembly meetings. New Business: The new membership booklets were reviewed and a few corrections and additions made. The ELWMS Fall Rally will be held at Peace Lutheran in South Lakeland on November 10th. The theme of the Rally is Proclaim the Wonders God Has Made. The guest speaker will be Allen Quist, Adjunct Professor at Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary who wrote The Reason I Believe. A House Committee is being formed to meet several times a year to oversee the maintenance of our Church property. Box tops are still being collected by Port St. Lucie School for the purchase of needed items, and can be dropped off in our Church office. Patty Prange closed the meeting with prayer. A delicious pot luck luncheon was enjoyed by those attending the meetings. Respectfully submitted, Dolly M. Thompson, Recording Secretary

4 New day & time for Grace Circle! Please join us on Sunday, October 14th at 10:45 a.m. Sunday school will be available for the children. Potluck lunch afterwards! Elder s meeting Tuesday, October 16th, Bells and Choir. No Practice on Thursday, October 11th. Circuit Golf Outing On Saturday, December 1, 2018, the annual ELS Circuit #1 Fellowship Cup Golf Outing will be held at Golf Hammock Golf Club in Sebring, Florida. The four-person scramble event will tee off at noon. All men and women are invited to participate. The cost for 18 holes w/cart, supper and prizes is $45/ person. Registration forms will be available in October. If you would like more information, please contact your pastor. Please come and join us in the celebration of Reformation Sunday, October 28, 2018, 9:30 a.m. The preschool children will sing in church with brunch and activities afterwards.

5 October is going to be a busy and fun month at Gracie s Preschool! School Photos/ Tuesday, October 2 nd & Wednesday, October 3 rd We will be having Our school photos taken by Martina Tannery of Martina s Photography. She always does an excellent job, and we are so blessed to have her returning as our school photog rapher! The VPK classes and Little Monkeys will have their individual and class photos done on Tuesday. The Tiny Owls will have their individual and class photos done on Wednesday (unless your child comes on T/Th those children will have photos on Tuesday). Order forms and payment are due the day of photos! Parents Night Out/ Friday, October 12 th Our next Parents Night Out is coming soon! The cost is $25/child or $35/family from 5-9 PM. Ms. Bruno and Mrs. Searcy will be the teachers for the evening. Dinner will be chicken nuggets, fruit and ice cream. Look for the sign-up sheets in each classroom! Pumpkin Patch Trip/ Monday, October 15 th We will take a short field trip to Pathway Church s (formerly First Church of God) pumpkin patch! There will be hayrides, story time, fall activities and games. The children will also get to pick a pumpkin to bring back to Gracie s to decorate. The cost is $5 per child which includes 1 pumpkin & admission for 1 adult. Siblings 2 years & older are also $5 each and includes a pumpkin. Many drivers & chaperones are needed for this field trip so look for the sign-up sheets. In order to cut down waiting time with a large group, we will be going over in 2 different groups. The VPK classes will leave school at 9:50 AM and return at 10:55 AM. The Tiny Owls & Little Monkeys will leave at 10:50 AM & return at 11:55 AM. Singing in church/ Sunday, October 28 th The preschool children will be singing in church on Reformation Sunday which is Sunday, October 28 th at 9:30 AM. We have been learning special new songs and actions, and memorizing Genesis 1:1 for this performance! After church, there will be a brunch, bounce house and other fun activities for the kids! Plan to join us! Coming to this performance will also give you 1 of your volunteer hours. Happy Harvest Hat Party/ Wednesday, October 31 st Gracie s will celebrate the fall season with a Happy Harvest Hat Party! Instead of costumes, we ask that children wear a Harvest Hat! This can be an old favorite hat, a silly hat made just for the occasion or a hat (headdress or mask) from their Halloween costume for this year. We ask that all hats be of a friendly nature no scary or demonic themes please. Prizes will be awarded for the most creative & the silliest hat in each classroom. The party will include games, crafts & yummy treats. The parties will take place from 10:45 12:00 p.m. with the Hat 11:30 AM. For our curriculum this month: VPK classes will study Sensational Senses and letters G, H, I and J! The themes for the 2 s and 3 s are Be Safe (police and fire safety), and Wiggly Wonders (insects). They will learn about letters D, E, and F, numbers 4,5,6, the triangle shape, and colors orange and black! In our Word of God lessons, we will learn how God took care of Moses as a baby, and then chose him to lead his people out of Egypt! God performed many miracles as he took care of his people in the desert, and he also gave them the 10 Commandments. Thank you to everyone who has volunteered at Gracie s so far, including the many people that helped to make our Rummage Sale a success!! You are a blessing to us! Dates to Remember: October 2 & 3 --School Photos October 12 --Parents Night Out (5-9 PM) October 15 --Pumpkin Patch Trip October 28 --Singing in Church (9:30 AM) October 31 --Happy Harvest Hat Party

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7 October 2018 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Choir Sunday Service 9:30 a.m. 10:45 a.m. 8 Choir No Practice for Bells and Choir Sunday Service 9:30 a.m. Evening Circle meeting 10:45 a.m. 15 Choir- 16 Elder s Meeting Choir Sunday Service 9:30 a.m. 10:45 a.m. with Pastor Ring 22 Choir Choir Sunday Service 9:30 a.m. 10:45 a.m Calendar of Events for October: 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24, & 31st, Bible study 4th, 8th, 15th, 18th, 23rd & 25th, Bells 7:30 p.m. and Choir 14th, Evening Circle 10:45 a.m. 16th, Elder s Meeting 21st, Church Service & with Pastor Ring 28th, Reformation Sunday, preschool children will sing in church and brunch and activities following service.

8 October st Avenue Vero Beach, Fl October Birthday 5 Reet Hayden 6 Malayna Thompson 7 Inge Jenkins 9 Christi LaBoda 9 Kris Ostman 12 Walt Dixon 13 Jean Weigand 15 Lisa Tippin 17 Bob Gillory 17 Jacob Lindstadt 18 Ray Pleie 21 Tyler Hayden 22 Nancy Luttman 29 Charlotte Johnson 29 Betty Larson 31 Tarra Smith Serving Grace in October Ushers: Jason Burcham, Darrell Kellor and or John Yencho Pastor Asst: Dave Pelzl and Andy Pike Finance: Dave Pelzl and Andy Pike Acolyte: Will Davis Altar: Ann Holmes Bulletin Board: Jan Pelzl Greeters: June DiLucente and Christi LaBoda October Anniversaries 3 Ray & Marleen Pleie 14 Lothar & Paulette Zeran 18 Walt & Reet Hayden 26 Mark & Carol Berggren Don t forget to visit us on our web-site: and or Facebook gracelutheranvb@bellsouth.net