The LORD is my light and my salvation whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life of whom shall I be afraid?

Transcription

1 T H E J A N U A R Y L I G H T G R A C E L U T H E R A N The LORD is my light and my salvation whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1 NIV C H U R C H INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Slade Performs in Rome Pages 4-5. Men s Corner Page 6. See Caroling pictures Pages 8-9. Photo by Stan Long Special services photos Pages See additional seasonal photos on Pages 8-11 It s a salutation we often give but what does it really mean?. Of course, a new year is a time to re-establish our goals, to take on new learning opportunities, to embrace the changes we would like to make. For some it s a time to rest and catch up on that stack of books beside your chair or binge-watch a favorite tv show. And, it s a good time to let family and friends know how much they are appreciated. As I begin my fourth year of providing this newsletter, I want to thank you for your support the ones who write their columns every month and the ones who share their photographs of events we can t all get to, and for being a good sport when we ask for help. Thanks to you who have read and edited stories; to those who allow us to photograph you and write about you; thanks for being a good sport about funny things that happen and for sharing your recipes and book reviews. Thanks for finding the hidden items in our contest, for the thank you notes, and all the other things that make this a newsletter worth reading. With all we have going on, it takes everyone pulling together to make things happen. I appreciate your nice comments but let me know if something doesn t work, as well. Let s all resolve to give more money, more time, and more praise to God for all our blessings! Let s all show the community that Grace is a wonderful church home, not just in 2019, but for years to come! -Pat

2 P A G E 2 J A N U A R Y NOTES from Slade Trammel Thanks for Another Exciting Musical Year! Thanks to all who have supported us in another exciting calendar year of musical experiences at Grace! As of this writing, the choir is fresh from singing perhaps their best cantata ever. We so appreciate all who came to hear Heather Sorenson s Little Lion, Little Lamb. We also enjoyed offering more of Ms. Sorenson s music at the Christmas Eve 9 p.m. service. man carol, Joseph Dearest, Joseph Mine. Their dedication and commitment to excellence are an inspiration to many. Last but not least, First Harmony and Noel Puchel never cease to amaze. Members of the group offered EXTRAORDINARY celebrations of Jesus s birth at the early Christmas Eve service. Ringspiration most recently shared their wonderful gifts with arrangements of the Ukrainian Carol of the Bells, and the Ger- What Makes Grace Great? The time is never better than right now to join us as we begin a new year of worshiping in music! All of our groups are welcome to all! Have you walked down the hallway beside the nursery lately? Go. Take a look at the young artists drawings of Jesus. Just one more thing that makes Grace Great!!!

3 J A N U A R Y Pastor Larry Boudon s Page P A G E 3 First Year Reflections Bring Hope for 2019 Discoveries As 2018 draws to a close, I am reflecting on my first year as pastor here at Grace Lutheran Church. The year has flown by. It seems like just yesterday that I drove a truck up from Miami and unloaded its contents at Tara Hills. And there s a photograph in my office to remind me of the installation on my birthday at the beginning of February. One comment I can make is that the impressions of Grace that I got during the call process have proven to be true. This is, indeed, a warm, welcoming, caring congregation. You all made me feel welcome right from the start and you have been equally welcoming to Laura and Lucas. By extension, I have witnessed this same attitude applied to those people who are new or relatively new to Grace. Whereas some churches are cool to newcomers, Grace is just the opposite. Consequently, I am confident that the church family will continue to grow in coming years, although maybe not at the rapid pace some of us would prefer. I have seen statistics suggesting that 10 percent of a church s congregation does 90 percent of the work. This statistic held true for my internship church and my first two calls, so I expected the same at Grace. What I have found, however, is that a much larger percentage of the congregation is active, volunteering time for various ministries and programs, and showing up for fellowship events. I am continually amazed that a church of this size can do so much. And we are looking for ways to do even more! That said, I have had to scale back some of my plans to create additional programs and ministries. While I went ahead and launched Holy Hikes, I heeded the advice of several council members and did not move forward with the Green Faith initiative. Instead, we will be transitioning to a greener church in conjunction with the Southeastern Synod s Green Team, doing so in a gradual manner. Related to the high level of participation by Grace members is my ongoing discovery of the incredible wealth of talent here. Our music ministry benefits from the many musical abilities present, allowing us to have four different ensembles. At some point in the near future I hope to tap into some of this talent to offer monthly Taizé-style worship services. In addition, Grace has people gifted in areas such as sewing/knitting, flower arranging/gardening, languages, teaching, photography, writing/ editing, cooking, engineering, and much more, all of which contributes to a vibrant community. My hope for 2019 is to continue discovering new gifts and talents and find ways to put them to work in our church and our broader community. One valuable piece of advice I received in seminary was to avoid making major changes in one s first year of ministry. For the most part, I have followed that advice. I now have observed and participated in a full 12-month cycle of church activities, defaulting to established practices in most instances. As I begin my second year, I will not be making any radical changes, but I will be looking to enhance things that work well, improve areas that are stagnant, and possibly phase out or significantly alter programs/ activities that are struggling. We will be holding a congregational meeting early in the coming year to gather ideas and feedback in that regard. Overall, though, I am extremely pleased with Grace, its members, and its programs/ activities. We are a valuable part of our greater community and would be sorely missed if we were to disappear. Our task is to stay abreast of new trends in Oak Ridge and do our best to meet the needs that arise. So as my first year concludes, let me just say that I am delighted to be here and I want to thank you all for calling me as your pastor. Grace is a special church, clearly blessed by God, and called to do his work in the world. I pray that God will continue guiding us on our journey of faith, and grant me the strength, wisdom, and courage to be your shepherd.

4 P A G E 4 J A N U A R Y International Competition Win Brings Trip and Performance in Rome! Slade Trammell spent December in Rome! He was first prize winner in the Grand Prize Virtuoso International Competition, and therefore was invited to perform at the Teatro Studio at Parco Della Musica, a modern concert hall complex built in 2002 in Rome. He was accompanied to Rome by his mom Shelley and brother Damon. Of the pieces with which he competed (including Debussy, Chopin and Wild) they selected Chopin s Nocturne in F Major, Op. 15, No. 1 for him to perform. Before and after Slade s performance to a full house, the trio See Slade, Page 5 Above, Slade wears his first prize ribbon in the Grand Prize Virtuoso International Competition in Rome. At right, an exhibit he visited (Italy's first exhibition dedicated exclusively to Picasso sculpture.)

5 J A N U A R Y P A G E 5 Slade, continued from Page 4 found time to admire Caravaggio frescoes in the Church Santa Maria del Popolo, as well as to take in a massive Picasso exhibit at the Villa Borghese, itself a tremendous work of art already filled with hundreds of years worth of paintings and sculptures by Michelangelo, Rubens, and Bernini. Slade said, Beautiful visual art can inspire a musician as much as anything. While there, he fulfilled a lifelong dream by attending a performance of Verdi s Rigoletto at the Teattro dell Opera di Roma, starring soprano Claudia Pavone as Gilda. Rigoletto is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. Above, Slade pauses beside the Trevi fountain with mom Shelley and brother Damon. The whole congregation is proud of our very talented Director of Music!! Bravo! Modo di andare, Slade!

6 P A G E 6 J A N U A R Y The Men s Corner by Phil Stumbo No Men s Breakfast in January The Men's Group met on December 8. Our Speaker was Terry Domm who took us on trip to "Machu Picchu and the Galapagos Islands" which was very informative and entertaining. We had 20 attendees which is a recent record for us. The visit to Machu Picchu started in Lima, Peru which was founded for the Spanish by Pizzaro. We saw numerous government buildings, cathedrals and squares of Spanish colonial design. We then traveled to Cusco, the capitol of the Inca empire which is located at 11,000 feet altitude and is the oldest inhabited city in South America. We saw many examples of Inca architecture and building skill. They were able to cut and fit stones together without mortar to form a perfect fit. A lot of Spanish churches were built on the foundations of Inca temples that were destroyed. Although Cusco is at 11,000 feet, it is near the equator and near the Amazon basin which allows the people to grow numerous tropical plants and flowers. From Cusco, the tour continued to Quito, Ecuador where we visited additional churches and beautiful gardens. Ecuador has 120 species of hummingbirds. From Ecuador, the tour flew to the Galapagos Islands. The tour group stayed in a hotel on Santa Cruz Island and traveled from there to see the sites. They visited four islands and saw iguanas (both land and sea), many types of birds, sea lions, crabs and tortoises which can get up to 500 pounds and live 200 years. The program was excellent! Thanks Terry. In addition to the program we had an excellent breakfast of three different casseroles and cheese grits prepared by Steve Johnson and Pat McMillan along with fresh fruit, pastry, juice, milk and coffee. Thanks guys! Also, thanks to those who helped set up the FH, wash dishes and put things away. It was a team effort. We will not have a Men's Group meeting in January. Our next meeting will be on February 16, 2019 which will be our annual Valentine's breakfast. The Men's Group will provide breakfast and everyone is invited. More detailed info will be provided in the January bulletins and the February Light. T H E L I G H T

7 J A N U A R Y P A G E 7 Winter 2019 Alpha Course will start on Sunday afternoon, January 13 at 4 p.m. if there s enough interest. Whether you want to be able to invite someone to church or a Grace activity more comfortably, learn more about the faith, get to know more Grace folks better, Alpha may be the thing for you. Alpha is built around sharing a meal, watching a video, and having a discussion in your small dinner group. We are shortening the number of weeks by doing two videos each session, so the last session will be on Sunday, March 3. Child care will be provided. Our fall course was very well received so if you re possibly interested, ask anyone who has attended an Alpha and consider giving it a try. Team members have included Laura Boudon, Pastor Larry, Sharon Boudreaux, Margaret and Riley Cumberland, Christy Gipson, Pat Hope, Judy and Ron Goans, Paul Gurecki, Nancy Munro, Paula Pope, Sharon Riley, Alicia Rudat, Sandy Tarr, Diane Weaver, and Josh Williamson. Others haven taken the course include Victoria Medaglia, Judy Joy, Valerie Hansen, Jackie Rylander, Nancybeth King, Sylvia Countess, Diana Posman, Sammie Harris, Donna Gurecki, and others. Signup sheets are in the narthex and the back entrance; we d love to share Alpha with you or just chat if you want to learn more about it. We received this note from one of the clients receiving food baskets and Angel Tree gifts for herself and her child. Notes like this mean so much to us and show us that our giving is appreciated," says Katherine Smith, Holiday Basket Committee member. Visioning: What s Ahead? What would you like to see Grace doing in 2019 and 2020? You will be invited soon to participate in a survey to see what goals you d like to see Grace pursue this year and next. Then we ll have a meeting to which everyone will be invited to consider the possibilities you ve identified. You ll have a chance to vote and then to sign your name by the goal(s) you re interested in working on. These could be ideas that have already been brought up or completely new things. They could be very specific projects or broad ones for the entire congregation. They could be extensions of goals identified in our 2015 Vision Report or the 2018 Vision Addendum (these are on the Grace website under About Us/Vision Plans). Keep in mind, our commissions have identified their goals for 2019 and they were presented at the September semiannual congregational meeting. You are invited to go beyond those. Current members of the Vision for Tomorrow Team include Stan Long, Nancy Munro (chair), Diane Weaver, Josh Williamson, and Pastor Larry Boudon. If you have ideas or suggestions for the Team or would like to serve on it, please contact anyone on the Vision Team. January Birthdays Priscilla Lingle 01/05 Holly Niehaus 01/05 Shenodoah Weber 01/07 Crista Froeling 01/08 David Joy 01/08 Corrine Sparks 01/10 Rachel Lorenz 01/12 Heidi Moehl 01/12 Diane White 01/15 Edward Bailey 01/15 Donna Gurecki 01/21 Christy Gipson 01/22 Vicky Marrow 01/27 Phil Stumbo 01/29 Barbara Walker 01/31

8 P A G E 8 J A N U A R Y Caroling Covers Neighborhood, Nursing Homes, And Shut-Ins See more photos on Pages 9,10,11

9 J A N U A R Y P A G E 9 Ugly Sweaters Make Perfect Apparel for Caroling! Grace went Caroling Sunday evening December 16. Two groups visited the shut-ins and the nursing facility members (shown on previous page). Two more groups (one shown at right) went caroling in the Woodland neighborhood. After caroling the groups returned to the church for a light supper. Above, ugly sweater participants include Donna Gurecki, Judy Joy, Lucas, Laura, and Pastor Boudon. Photos by Pat Hope, Donna Gurecki, and Laura Boudon See more photos on Pages 8, 10, 11

10 P AGE 10 JA N U AR Y Christmas Eve Services Early and Late and Little Lion, Little Lamb Above, First Harmony members Lucas Boudon, Lana Haese and Bella Bauman sing with group leader Noel Puchel at the Christmas Eve early service. Photo by Laura Boudon. Opposite page, Jackie Rylander is a soloist at the late candlelight service. Photo by Stan Long. Bottom photo on opposite page is the choir performing the Christmas Cantata Little Lion, Little Lamb, performed on Dec. 16 and in part at other services. Photo by Pat Hope. Continued on Page 11

11 J A N U A R Y P A G E 11

12 P A G E 12 J A N U A R Y Grace Writers News A Tribute to Carol Oen and Cleva Marrow Grace Writers has established a writing contest to be held annually in memory of two of its members lost in Carol Oen on November 3 and Cleva Marrow on September 12. The contest will consist of three awards, including the Carol Oen Memorial Fiction Prize, The Cleva Marrow Memorial Non-Fiction Prize and a Grace Writers Excellence in Poetry Prize. Both the Oen family and the Marrow family provided seed money to kick off the contest. Entrants will receive a plaque and $125 for first place, $50 for second and $25 for third. Honorable Mention certificates will be awarded at the judges discretion. All entries will be blind-judged by an independent person not associated with the contest or with Grace Writers. Decisions of the judges will be final. A writer may submit unlimited entries but a $5 fee will be assessed per entry. The Carol Oen Memorial Fiction Prize will be awarded to an UNPUBLISHED* short story, novel excerpt, or children s fiction story (2,000-word limit). The Cleva Marrow Memorial Non-Fiction Prize (1,000-word limit) will be awarded for an UNPUBLISHED* column, article, essay, or blog post. The Grace Writers Excellence in Poetry Prize will be awarded for one UNPUBLISHED* poem, any form, limit two pages or 40 lines in length. First Place winners may not enter the same category two years in a row. Deadline will be February 28. Winners will be notified by phone or and publicly announced at an Award luncheon in the spring. All rights to publication will remain with the owner of the entry. Carol Oen was always involved with her community wherever she went. After retirement from a stellar career at ORNL in 1989 she and Dean spent 14 winters and summers in Breckenridge, Colorado, then moved to Mesa, Arizona. Carol joined a writer s group in Colorado, and spent several summers writing articles for a weekly newspaper in North Dakota (where Dean goes in pursuit of wild fruit for his retirement activities--jelly and wine making). In Oak Ridge, Carol wrote poetry, freelance articles for magazines, and a senior romance novel, Songs That Remember, about Alzheimer s and caregivers. She was an active member of Poetry Pie (a monthly forum that meets at Grace where poets can read their work) and Grace Writers. Three of her poems are included in the 2017 Grace Writers anthology In God s Hand. In 2018 she participated in a poetry slam in August and in the Secret City Festival in June, where she sold copies of her book and talked to festival goers about writing. She taught memoir writing at the Oak Ridge Institute for Continued Learning (ORICL), and wrote many of her own memoirs. Carol was a faithful member of the Lutheran Church her entire life and was a member of Grace for more than 60 years. She taught Sunday School and Vacation Bible School, participated in Bible study groups, wrote profiles of church members for the church newsletter, helped edit Grace s 50-year history volume, participated in both a church-wide writers group and planned to be in a new photography group, and danced in the square dance group. Favorite activities at Grace included being a charter member of the Tuesday Group and co-chairing the Building Committee from with Nancy Munro. Cleva Marrow pursued her many other talents after her children were grown, returning to college in her mid-50s, eventually earning a bachelor s degree from the University of Tennessee in Communications and Journalism, graduating with high honors in After her graduation, she free-lanced for The Oak Ridger and The Knoxville New Sentinel. She especially enjoyed government and political meeting reporting, as she was also an active member of the AAUW, League of Women Voters, and other social justice groups such as NOW and Planned Parenthood. She held longstanding leadership roles in historic preservation with the Historic Ramsey House, Knoxville, and with the Association for the Preservation of Tennessee Antiquities. She sang with the Sweet Adelines in the s. In the visual arts, she was a longstanding leader with the Oak Ridge Art Center She was a very early member of Grace, joining in In her early years, she sang in the choir, taught Sunday School to high school students, taught Vacation Bible School, and held a term as the Lutheran Women s League President. She played a role in establishing our very own English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes and spearheaded the Mental Health Ministry outreach program. She was an active member of Grace Writers until her failing eyesight precluded her from participation. Her memoir Growing Up on the Farm is included in the 2017 Grace Writers anthology, In God s Hand. *UNPUBLISHED entries include print and online publications. Entries may have won other contest prizes but if they win first in one of this contest categories, they cannot enter that category the next year.

13 P A G E 13 JANUARY Happenings J A N U A R Y Reminder: Kern Methodist and Grace Lutheran host the Ecumenical Storehouse the last half of January. The Storehouse will be closed from December 16- January 17. Also please note the Storehouse is no longer open on Wednesdays. Our first day will be Friday, January 18. Volunteers are needed from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon on Mondays and Fridays to escort clients and to load furniture and pickup donations. Additional people are needed on Saturday mornings from 9:00 a.m. to noon for pickups only. The Flower Calendar for 2019 is now posted in the hallway ay above the mailboxes. Sign up now to have your special Sunday to honor or remember someone with altar flowers. The cost remains at $25 because of flowers that are given and donations to the flower fund. Thanks to all who have provided altar flowers this year. Blanket Workshop resumes Jan. 3. Monday Morning Bible Study will not meet on January 7. When we resume on January 14, we will conclude a study of Revelation. We meet from 10-11:30 a.m. in Room 101. We hope you will join us! ESOL Classes will resume January 8. The youth group is up and running! Our first activity in 2019 is a spaghetti dinner and trivia night on Saturday, January 12. Youth will gather in the kitchen at 4:00 p.m. to cook the meal together. Dinner will be served at 5:30 p.m.; trivia will begin at 6:15 p.m. Please RSVP to Laura or Marla so that we may know how many to expect for dinner. All are invited to please join us for a fun evening! A Psalm and a Prayer: Grace is offering an additional prayer opportunity at 7 p.m. on the first Tuesday of every month. We explore different types of prayer that focus on being open to what God is saying to us. Each session begins with a brief study of Luther s commentary on the Psalms, offers some time for reflection, and ends with a period of prayer. The sessions last about 45 minutes. They are led by Judy Goans and held in the narthex. We will not meet in January; the next session will be on February 5. January 19 Photography Group meets Saturday at 2 p.m. in Room 101. Members will get to show their recent photos of favorite things. We will talk about shooting tips for both regular and cell phone cameras. Other subjects to be addressed are tripods and their use, and requirements for a potential exhibit of flower photos at the upcoming Flower Festival. Visitors are welcome. Call Stan Long at (865) for information. Come join the Thursday evening Bible Study for a "stratified sample" of the Bible! Following the book, 3:16 Bible Texts Illuminated, written by Computer Scientist and professor Donald E. Knuth, we will look at verse 3:16 from every book of the Bible in no particular order, one book a week. The verse will be examined in detail, and it will be related to neighboring verses and the book as a whole. The class meets at 7:00 p.m. in Room 101. There will be no class on January 3. The Adult Sunday School Class meets in Room 101 at 10:10 a.m. Children and youth Sunday School: Children meet in Jacob s Ladder for singing before they go to their classrooms. Youth meet in the youth classroom at the top of the stairs. The Confirmation group meets in the classroom next to the chapel. We are finalizing our 2019 pledge and Opportunities to Serve (time and talents) information. If you have not pledged, there is still time. Turn in your information to the office or place it in the offering plates. Once all the data are in, the Budget Task Force will meet and prepare a budget to bring before the church Council in January The Council will review and comment on the budget and bring it before the congregation at the Semi- Annual Congregational meeting in January for approval. Grace Writers now taking orders for its 2019 Grace photo calendar If you would like one, please let Pat Hope know. Cost is $20 (you can pay when it is delivered). Profit from the calendars will be used to support the Grace Writers contest coming in early Grace Writers is open to anyone (member or nonmember) interested in creative writing/ publishing. The group meets the first Monday of each month, 6-8 p.m. Participants may read their work during the first hour of the meeting (about 5 minutes each). During the second hour, the group learns about markets, contests, and other topics of interest. The next meeting is Monday, January 7. For more information, contact Pat Hope, or pathope2015@outlook.com.

14 P A G E 14 J A N U A R Y Pet Fest XVII: $4,639 divided Between 17 Wonderful Animal Rescue Groups I sent an to the animal rescue groups that participated in our Pet Fest & Blessings XVII on October 6 th of this year. I wanted to let them know that we will soon be distributing the checks from the money that was raised through the rummage sale, the bake sale, the silent auction, and other contributions. After expenses are paid, we divide the money among all the groups in attendance at our event. This is the I sent: Hi All, I wanted to let you know that we are nearly ready to send out the checks to the participating rescue groups from the Grace Lutheran Church Pet Fest & Blessing XVII event of October 6th. In fact, I thought it would be before Christmas. I found out today that the church office has many things to complete before the end of the year and cannot issue the checks until after the holidays. The checks, therefore, will be sent out early in January. I'm sorry for the delay. I had contacted some of you today and previously to check addresses and phone numbers, and I told you to be watching out for an envelope from Grace Lutheran Church. Well, now it will be coming just a couple weeks later. I wanted to let you know, so you don't wonder what happened. FYI, the amount raised in contributions this year was $4, Dividing that up among the 17 participating groups comes to $ for each rescue group. I promise it will be arriving soon. Thanks again for all the good work you do. Thank you, too, for being part of our special day to honor and bless the animals that we all love. Best wishes and happy holidays to all, Katherine Smith for Grace Lutheran Church Pet Fest & Blessing XVII These are the responses I received almost immediately from the groups: From The Stray Connection Grace Lutheran is the hero here for organizing such a fun, spiritual event for humans and animals. We thoroughly enjoy attending every year. The donation is icing on the cake. Thanks to you and everyone at Grace Lutheran. Holly From Friends of the Oak Ridge Shelter Thank YOU for allowing us to participate! From HABIT Thank you for your note and for sharing the funds raised at your event. You provide a blessing to all of us. Ruth Sapp HABIT Program Coordinator Continued on Page 15

15 J A N U A R Y P A G E 15 Continued from Page 14 From Heartland Golden Retriever Rescue Thanks to all of you at the church - the money will be much appreciated! Happy holidays! Susie Stooksbury From German Shepherd Rescue of East TN We should be thanking you for all the church does to help the rescue community. We are grateful regardless of when we receive it. Thank you again and Merry Christmas! Amy Bryant From Knoxville Guinea Pig Rescue Thank you for your great care in the matter of checks! I've asked the Knoxville Guinea Pig Rescue (KGPR) administrator to let me know as soon as she gets it. Happy Advent and Merry Christmas! Annie I got your update, thank you! Knowing the amount is helpful for the rescue as they budget for next year. It`s ok if the check doesn`t come til later. The poor church office folks are overwhelmed this time of year, I am sure! Take care, Annie From East TN Pit Bull Rescue This is one of my favorite events. I am very thankful we are included each year! Merry Christmas and Happy New... Thank you guys for what you do for the critters in the area too! Wendy From Labrador Retriever Rescue of East TN Thank you for the update. With the Christmas mail rush, sending the checks out in January may be better. Your support is greatly appreciated and always goes to our special needs vet expenses. Thank you and Merry Christmas Linda Gilpin From SARG We always enjoy attending this event. It is most gracious of Grace Lutheran to host this and share the proceeds with the rescue groups. Thank you for sending out this update. Happy Holidays to all. SARG, INC From Helping Paws Animal Network Thank you so much! The Helping Paws Animal Network is grateful and honored to be included. Amy From Sweetwater Valley Dog Rescue No worries at all we just appreciate you all having us the past few years. This event is absolutely awesome and appreciate everything you all do to host. Steve Hamm

16 P A G E 16 Love Offerings for 2019 (Third Sunday of the month) January - YWCA Knoxville & the Tennessee Valley February - Easter Baskets March - Missionary (David Brando) April - Hospitality House May - Blanket Workshop June - Alpha July - Woodland Schools/ADFAC August - Social Ministry September - Thanksgiving Baskets October - Christmas Baskets November - Angel Tree December - Open J A N U A R Y Information about January s Love Offering: The YWCA Knoxville and the Tennessee Valley began offering domestic violence services in Oak Ridge and Anderson County in In early 2017, the YWCA Knoxville and the Tennessee Valley acquired the former YWCA of Oak Ridge building, and building renovations commenced shortly thereafter. In fall 2017, the Safer and Stronger Transitional Housing Program began. It offers scattered-site transitional housing to victims of domestic violence and their families. This program is specifically for residents of Anderson County who are fleeing a domestic violence situation. The program offers financial education, parenting education, and trauma informed care, including support groups and classes specifically for victims of domestic violence. An innovative GameChangers program encourages boys and men to prevent violence against women. Contact the YWCA at to schedule an intake with the Anderson County Transitional Housing Coordinator. Maggie McNally oversees the Women s Transitional Housing Program. The YWCA is on a mission to eliminate racism and empower women. Join in! OLSE News: Our Russian teacher, Tatiana Krasovskaya, has moved back to Moscow. The Russian class is still meeting, on Wednesday and Friday mornings from 9 to 10. Svetlana Popova is graciously teaching in Tatiana s stead. Our Thursday evening Spanish class will resume when Jeniffer Navarro returns from El Salvador, but a date is not yet definite. Stay tuned! ESOL News: We are sad to say that Sandy Tarr will not be able to teach the Thursday evening class due to health issues. That class is on hold until we can determine who could teach it and whether there s sufficient demand for it at present. Our Tuesday and Wednesday evening classes are continuing, resuming on January 8 after the holiday break, as are the morning classes. Please save the date of February 7, 2019 for our next fundraiser at the Pizza Inn. You know the drill; all tips received between 5 and 8 p.m. from either those who eat in or order carry out will go to Grace, plus 10% of gross sales. We ll need a crew of volunteers to be servers, bus tables, and seat patrons. Please let Nancy Munro know if you can help, and do plan to invite friends to come eat or order take out during those hours. There s a soup and salad bar and pasta options in addition to pizza for those who want some variety. Digital Communications project: Would you be interested in working with Proclaiming to help with updates to the TV monitor(s)? Someone with basic PowerPoint skills is needed to assist regularly with this; Stan Long can give help with learning any needed skills. Photos are supplied by Stan and Pat Hope as needed. Please let Stan or any member of Proclaiming know of your interest. Most work can be done at the church office or at home; however the new material must be put on the monitors directly via flash drive. A second TV will show the same slides; it will be mounted soon in the back entrance area.

17 J A N U A R Y P A G E 17 A Look at Old Testament Stewardship One of the characteristics of people in the United States is a strong belief in the individual and the strong sense of self-reliance that is part of the culture. Many aspects of the lives of people in the U.S. are viewed and interpreted in terms of this. It influences our legal system, attitudes about social policy (housing, transportation, health care systems) and religious life (personality cults, utopian communities). A couple of months ago the Old Testament reading for the worship service was a passage from the prophet Amos. It was addressed to the Northern Kingdom of Israel under the reign of Jeroboam II during a time of relative peace and prosperity but also a time of neglect of God's laws. The message of the prophet was a warning of coming catastrophe: he prophesied the destruction of the Northern Kingdom. Bergsma, associate professor of theology at Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio, stated in a talk at the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, "If the Jewish liturgical calendar decreed the alleviation of poverty every 7 and 50 years, then the early church tackled poverty even more aggressively by taking collections and redistributing property every week. Musings Oftentimes, we can have very crass John Munro attitudes about the taking of the collection in Christian worship, Bergsma said. But it s really a sacred act. The passing of the plate and the giving of our excess for the support of the church and the alleviation of the poor has been part of our worship since apostolic times, and it s really an expression of the Jubilee. by When we think of God's laws and their neglect in the Old Testament, we think of the Ten Commandments and often overlook what else was included, such as treating the foreigner (immigrant, refugee, asylum seeker) in the community as a member of one's own family. There was a prohibition against digging a ditch across a path used by a blind person (the principle behind liability laws). Farmers were to leave grain on the margins of their fields for harvesting by the destitute so they would not starve. One of the most interesting collection of laws laid out the practice of the Jubilee. Just as with the weekly sabbath observance, there was to be a sabbath year every seven years and a "sabbath of sabbaths," the Jubilee, at the end of the sabbath year cycle (49 years) on the 50th year. On that year all land was to be returned to the family who owned it originally. For the sabbath years the land also had to rest. As John This understanding is quite different from a common emphasis in many churches based on the passage in Malachi, "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this," says the LORD of hosts, "if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows," which in our rugged individualism society is often interpreted as God's path to a life of individual prosperity. In the Old Testament the individual was not emphasized but rather the community of God's people. The prophets addressed the children of Israel as a nation when they strayed from the Law. The prophets also addressed the spiritual and political leaders when they failed to stick with the covenant God made with His People. The Old Testament view of stewardship is community oriented and lays a foundation for our life together that is quite different from many attitudes common in our cultural, commercial and political life. Social Media Team: Watch the bulletin for an announcement of a January Sunday when our Social Media Team will do tutorials after the worship services on how to use our Grace Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook accounts. Also we d love to have some backups for our team members so please let Proclaiming Commission know if you d like to jump in and be available to give a hand. Stacey Garrick is our Facebook person, Laura Boudon is honchoing Instagram, and Pam Williams manages both our Grace and Pet Fest websites and Twitter accounts. Please thank these folks as you can for the great work they are doing to help Grace become more widely known. Want to win a gift card? Find the snowflake. Find three of the snowflakes, like the one shown here, hidden in this issue. Be sure you check carefully. Please send the page numbers where you find them to Pat Hope (thetwohopes@aol.com) by January 31. Only or text messages ( ) accepted. Prize to be awarded in early Feb. If you read every story in The Light, you ll see them. The one pictured here doesn t count, and remember the cover page is Page 1. Thanks. Pat Hope-Editor Congratulations to past winners: Jenny Altes Sept. Wreaths Anne Douglas Oct. Spider web Vicki Quraishi November Turkeys December bows

18 Grace Lutheran Church 131 West Gettysburg Avenue Oak Ridge, Tennessee Phone: Website: GRACE LIBRARY BOOK REVIEW Reviewer finds Julia s Last Hope Inspiring Sandy Tarr Julia s Last Hope by Janette Oke This is the story of the death of a small lumber town in the Canadian Rockies. It also a demonstration of what can be accomplished with a lot of hard work and a deep faith in God. With the closing of the lumber mill that supported the town, Julia (with her family and friends) face many obstacles in their efforts to save the town. This is a story that happened many times in the vast timbered West. However, I found the book to be an inspiration, It is a testament to what faith in God can achieve. Even though I wished for a different ending, I was left knowing that God cares for us and guides us. Julia s Last Hope is an easy, fast read. It can be found in the Grace library.