FLOWERS FLOWERS. Second Annual Flower Fest. See additional photos on Pages 5, Center Photo by Stan Long Other Photos by Pat Hope M A Y

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1 T H E L I G H T G R A C E L U T H E R A N C H U R C H I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E : M U S I C N O T E S 2 S T E P H E N M I N I S T R Y 2 P A S T O R S P A G E 3 M E N S G R O U P 4 P E T F E S T 4 FLOWERS B U C K E T S O F B L O O M S 5 V I E W F R O M T H E P E W 6 L I B B O O K R E V I E W 7 B I R T H D A Y S 7 FLOWERS B O O K R E V I E W 8 V I A D E C R I S T O 8 A L Z H E I M E R S W A L K 8 F A V O R I T E R E C I P E 9 W H A T M A K E S G R A C E G R E A T 10 M A Y H A P P E N I N G S 11 T H A N K Y O U S 11 M E N T A L H E A L T H 12 P H O T O C L A S S 13 S P R E A D I N G G R A C E 13 G R A C E S F A C E S 14 S P E C I A L V I S I T 15 F L O W E R F E S T M U S I C F L O W E R F E S T Second Annual Flower Fest See additional photos on Pages 5, Center Photo by Stan Long Other Photos by Pat Hope B R A N D O S 20 B L A N K E T W O R K S H O P 21 A N N U A L P I C N I C 22 S E M I N A R I A N S 23 A L P H A C L A S S 23 F U N D R A I S E R 24 C O N D O L E N C E S C O R N E R 24

2 P A G E 2 MUSIC MEMO NOTES from Slade by Trammel Slade TrammelL Gracious Spirit, Heavenly Dove to Round Out May Music Thank you to all of those who supported the Flower Festival Concert with your attendance last month! We hope that the program gave you an unforgettable musical experience within a very worshipful environment. This month, Chancel Choir and Ringspiration prepare to round out the month in glorious musical conclusions before embarking upon summer vacation. A newly arrived work, Gracious Spirit, Heavenly Dove by local composer John Purifoy will be heard at the 11:15 service on May 27th to celebrate this point in our musical season. Though our ensembles will be taking a rest, the musical opportunities at Grace will not! The summertime is a golden opportunity to employ our endless musical resources found in you, our congregation. As always, I call upon all with songs in their hearts be they instrumental or vocal to get involved and share your talents in the services. There is a place for you! May 20 Designated as Stephen Ministry Sunday Sunday, May 20 (Pentecost) has been designated as Stephen Ministry Sunday. You will see our Stephen Ministry team in action as we lead the worship service. We will commission our two new leaders, Paul and Donna Gurecki, and our new ministers Stacey Garrick, Pastor Larry Boudon, and Paul Gurecki. The congregation will be given an update on those we have served and are currently serving since we started this ministry. Please join us for worship as we celebrate this ministry to the congregation. We will have a celebration dinner for everyone in the fellowship hall following the service. Please RSVP to the church office or Donna Gurecki by Wednesday, May 16. As a Stephen Ministry congregation, we re part of more than 10,000 Stephen Ministry congregations from more than 150 denominations worldwide. More than a half-million laypeople have been trained as Stephen Ministers. Stephen Ministry was developed in 1975 by Dr. Kenneth Haugk, a pastor and clinical psychologist, who saw that he alone as pastor could not provide for all the caring ministry needs in his congregation. So he began training lay people, Stephen Ministers, to help provide high-quality Christian care. The ministry was so successful that other churches became interested, and Dr. Haugk founded the not-for-profit Stephen Ministries organization. It was named after Stephen, one of the first laypersons, who was commissioned to go out and care for those in the Christian community. Check out Acts 6:1-6.

3 P A G E 3 Pastor Larry Boudon s Page Confession and Forgiveness are Important Part of Our Faith It may have gone largely unnoticed that, during the Easter season, the corporate confession is omitted from the Sunday liturgy. We Lutherans tend to view the corporate confession as the only available form of that quasi-sacrament, and I cannot say I have ever seen a confessional booth in any Lutheran church. That said, individual or private confession is an option. In the Augsburg Confession, Article XI states that, It is taught among us that private absolution should be retained and not allowed to fall into disuse. However, in confession it is not necessary to enumerate all trespasses and sins, for this is impossible. I recall having to do just that whenever I went to confession in the Roman Catholic Church as a child and always wondered if I had mentioned everything. Thankfully, Martin Luther concluded that we do not have to account for every single wrongdoing in order to gain forgiveness. Luther felt that, aside from being impossible, having to enumerate all sins puts the focus on the human being, rather than on God, who is the one offering forgiveness. For Luther, confession consists of two parts. The first is my work and act, when I lament my sin and desire comfort and restoration for my soul. The second is a work which God does, when he absolves me of my sins through a word placed in the mouth of a man. We need only be in a general state of repentance when we participate in corporate confession during worship, although we may have specific sins in mind. It should be noted that, in response to the prayer of corporate confession, the pastor says that, God forgives us all our sins, before declaring the entire forgiveness of all your sins. The pastor is merely informing the congregation of what God already has done. For anyone who desires individual confession, the rite can be found on pages of the ELW. It can be used as part of a specific time set aside in the church, or as the structure for a more impromptu counseling session in the pastor s office. In either case, the individual rite allows the penitent the opportunity to name and discuss particular sins with the pastor, since the conversation will be held in confidence except in the case of murder or intended (announced) suicide or child abuse????. At the conclusion of any discussion, the pastor says, Cling to this promise: the word of forgiveness I speak to you comes from God. Once again, the pastor is merely the conduit of God s action, although he or she reserves the right to withhold forgiveness in keeping with John 20:23, If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained. Thankfully, Martin Luther concluded that we do not have to account for every single wrongdoing in order to gain forgiveness. While Lutherans officially recognize only two sacraments baptism and Holy Communion confession falls into a kind of limbo, with the word sacrament appearing in the Large Catechism. Luther, himself, waffled on the issue, but his eventual definition of a sacrament as not only mandated by Christ but also involving an earthly element effectively excluded it from the sacramental list. Clearly, though, confession and forgiveness are an important part of our faith, which is why we engage in corporate confession as part of our worship service (except during the Easter season), and offer it on an individual basis. As Paul wrote in his letter to the Romans (3:23): all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

4 P A G E 4 The Men's Group met on Saturday, March 10. Our speaker was Leon Klatt whose presentation "Woodworking Hobby or Converting Perfectly Good Stock into Scrap" was fascinating. He started his hobby in high school and has continued through his life. His presentation included pictures of many things he has made including porch furniture, The chairside Men s chest of Corner drawers, kitchen table by Phil and Stumbo chairs, butler tray table, dressing mirror, coffee table, tea table, napkin holder, pepper mills, salt shakers, hall tree and wooden bowls. He discussed the techniques for The making Men's each Group item did including not meet the in choice April. of wood. The next He spent Men's a Group lot of time meeting discussing will the making Next Men s of solid wood bowls Instead, and we segmented focused our bowls. efforts In on addition, he be held on a Saturday, drawing and May gave 12, away As two in of the bowls he made. Again, the program was great! Thanks Leon. We had an excellent breakfast of pancakes, eggs, Breakfast providing breakfast for all the services the past, we will not have a speaker sausage, fruit and juice on Easter provided Sunday, by Sammie April 1. Harris, Thanks Mike to Lorenz, but Chuck will meet Thompson for breakfast, and myself. fellowship Thanks will guys! be May the following folks for bringing food, helping serve Pastor Larry. Weather and communion with 12! Our next scheduled meeting breakfast, will be Saturday, setting up May Room 12. Information on the meeting permitting, will be provided we will in meet April. 101 for the breakfast and out at the pavilion. Dean If you have questions or need cleaning information, up afterwards: please contact Phil Stumbo at Oen will be preparing his or pstumbo@comcast.net. We look forward to having you join us. Steve Turner, Chuck Thompson, Don wonderful pancakes with Some of the things Leon showed us: and Marla Weber, chokecherry syrup which Pastor Larry, Olaf Storaasli, are always a treat. Coffee will be ready by 7:30 Roy Cutler, Jim Hansen, Steve Johnson, Pat McMillan, a.m. with breakfast at 8 This is the first segmented bowl that Leon constructed. Leon learned this technique from Daryl Sullivan of Cedar Falls, IA in the woodshop Ken at Altes, Victoria Neal Palms Vaughan, Resort, Donna, TX. The bowl consists a.m. of All eight men layers of Grace each approximately one-half inch Leon thick Klatt, and Nancy constructed Munro, from 12 segments; six of the layers are invited. have alternating We look forward Multiple to having coats you join of a us. salad If there bowl finish pieces of Maple and Black Walnut. George The bowl and diameter Katherine is Smith, approximately Sammie 7 inches. renders the bowl food safe. Harris, Mark Mustaffa, Dick Lorenz, are questions, please contact Phil Mike Lorenz, Dave Olsen, and Betty Stumbo at or This footstool is made in the Anne Shaker Domm. style. Leon says the frame is made pstumbo@comcast.net from solid cherry; the legs are 1½" square and 16½" long. The dowels supporting the top are 1" diameter and the bracing dowels are ¾" diameter. The joinery is mortise and tenon. The top is 11" X 17" and uses one-inch-wide cotton Shaker Tape; a one inch thick polyester foam pad is between the warp and weft weaving. Leon said, The hardest part of this project was getting a smooth Pet finish. Fest Because 2018 they Set are used for on our Saturday, screened porch, October Spar varnish 6 was applied, and this finish forms a tacky surface rather quickly making it hard to obtain a uniform coat on all of the curved surfaces. We will be have planning meetings throughout the spring and summer in In addition to the many projects preparation you can for view Pet on Fest. Leon s Our website next meeting ( will be on Wednesday, here at Grace, May he 9 designed and constructed the 5:30 predella p.m. in the Room sanctuary We (Nelson had great Lingle support and Frank last Peishel year, and assisted all those in the con- at struction.) interested in helping/participating are invited to come to the planning He designed the frame for meetings. the organ pipe screens and designed and built the folding Prayer Shawl display unit in the narthex. Examples of areas where planning/help will be needed are the silent auction, art contest from Woodland school, children's activities, bake sale, rummage sale, microchipping and rabies vaccinations, Grace booth, registration, photography, publicity and donations. We welcome and need your support. If you have questions, please contact Phil Stumbo at (865) or pstumbo@comcast.net or Chris Parton at (865) or prs4chsta@aol.com.

5 P A G E 5 Buckets of Blooms Grace s Flower Guild volunteers worked long days leading up to the Flower Festival on April 21. From buckets of blooms to breathtaking centerpieces and arrangements, some of the flowers taken to shut-ins and some decorating the church weeks later. Photos by Vickie Kitts

6 P A G E 6 The Church Mice return to give us their View from the Pew One of the rewards bestowed on you worshipers at the 11:15 View from the Pew service is the visual environment, starting with the Holy Altar with its handsome cross and seasonal altar cloths, all back-dropped by the beautiful commissioned weaving. Accents of stained glass and creative flower arrangements complete the front scene while imaginative banners deck the back walls with message and beauty. Your hallowed landscape is reinforced by the audio details of choirs, soloists, cantors, instrumentalists, bells, organ, piano, and congregational singing to beat the band. Your scripture readings and thought provoking sermons are something you can take with you to ponder. Many are the times we mice have felt the presence of God in your sanctuary. Many are the times we have silently applauded the number of people active in your worship components, and many are our squeals when the imagery presented in the scripture is intensified by the imagery in the hymns and liturgy. Grace is a Veteran- Friendly Church If we were people viewing from the pew, we would be inspired enough to get out and serve the Lord. Oh, and thanks for the refreshments, especially when you serve cheese. By Anony-Mouse

7 P A G E 7 GRACE LIBRARY BOOK REVIEW Diane Weaver Jesus and the Disinherited by Howard Thurman Book Review: Jesus and the Disinherited by Howard Thurman (Beacon Press, Boston, 1976, first published by Abingdon Press in 1949.) Born in 1899, Howard Thurman was nurtured by his once-enslaved grandmother. During her childhood she had learned Bible stories through an oral tradition. Decades later, after becoming a theologian, Thurman echoed his grandmother's teachings in his study of Jesus' message to the disinherited. By "disinherited," Thurman meant destitute, powerless people, "people with their backs against the wall." In Jesus and the Disinherited, Thurman first examines the life of Jesus as a poor person living in an occupied land. Jesus and his followers were continually challenged by fear, deception, and hatred. Jesus' response to His environment becomes a model for Thurman, a toolkit for the disinherited of every era. The powerful use fear, violence and threats of violence to maintain power. Thurman offers examples from Jesus' time, from Nazi Germany, and from Jim Crow America. The reader cannot help but think of more recent examples. Jesus' teachings lead each believer to realize that he or she is a child of God, beloved by God. One's life matters. This is an antidote to the paralysis of fear. The powerless often use deception as one of the few tools available to escape the wrath of the powerful. Thurman examines clever deceptions from different cultures and historical eras. Deception, however, blurs moral distinctions and cheapens human dignity. Jesus calls us to replace it with genuineness and sincerity. We must be honest to our fellow humans and to God. Thurman traces the development of hatred in both the weak and the powerful. As hatred takes over, it kills the spirit. He paints vignettes from around the world, from literature, and from his own life. In response to hatred, Jesus calls us to love. Thurman presents love -- especially love of one's enemy -- as an arduous discipline. Love necessitates forgiveness, not so easy, not so simple. After struggling, we realize it is the "work of divine grace." Forgiveness and love are God's powerful and freeing gifts. In this final chapter of the book, "Love," Thurman quotes the African-American spiritual that, years later, Martin Luther King, Jr. also used: "Free at last, free at last, Thank God Almighty, I'm free at last." We are studying Jesus and the Disinherited in adult Sunday School (Room 101) on May 6, 13, and 20. You do not need to read the book to participate. Key quotes and summaries are provided. However, I encourage you to read the book. It is only 99 pages long! Please take advantage of the church s newly-reorganized-and-moved-downstairs library. When you check out a book, please sign the card in the back and put the card IN FRONT OF the small card catalog. After you read a book, consider doing a book review for this column. Everyone is invited to participate. Please send reviews to Jane Williams at janebwilliams@gmail.com or to Pat Hope at thetwohopes@aol.com or leave them in one of their church folders.

8 May Love Offering Blanket Workshop P A G E 8 Grace Team for 5-County Alzheimer s Walk will meet Saturday morning, May 5, to raise funds and awareness for Alzheimer s Tennessee. We will meet at 10:30 a.m. at the Civic Center fountain. You can register online as a member of the Grace Lutheran Team or Ridge Walkers team. It s optional to see if you can get sponsors so as to raise funds for Alzheimer s Tennessee, but every little bit helps support services for folks with dementia and their families plus research. Just come and walk (and donate a bit) whether you register in advance or not! Please let Steve Turner, Beverly Bauman, Carol Donath or Nancy Munro know if you are interested. Flyers are available in the narthex and back entrance (and above).

9 P A G E 9 My Favorite Recipe My Favorite Recipe My Favorite Recipe My Favorite Recipe My Favorite Recipe My My Favorite Recipe My Recipe FAMILY My Favorite Recipe Recipe My Favorite Favorite Recipe My Recipe My Favorite Recipe My Favorite My Favorite Recipe My Favorite Recipe My Favorite Recipe My Favorite Recipe My Favorite Recipe My Favorite Recipe My Favorite Recipe My Favorite Recipe My Favorite By Recipe Phil Stumbo My Favorite Recipe My Favorite Recipe My Favorite Recipe My Favorite Recipe My Favorite Recipe My Favorite Recipe My Favorite Recipe My Favorite Recipe My Favorite Recipe My Favorite Recipe My Favorite Recipe My Favorite My Aunt Montana Brooks used to make "Orange Slice Cake" at Christmas and give to family and friends. Her full name was Recipe Helena My Montana Favorite after Recipe the town. 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10 P A G E 10 What Makes Grace Great? Fundraising at Panera Bread Grace- Style On Thursday April 5, about a dozen Grace members went to Panera Bread for our special ESOL Ministry Fundraiser. We received 20% of sales between 4-8 p.m. Exact amount raised will be included in a future Light. Photos by Pat Hope

11 MAY 2018 MAY Happenings PAGE 11 All past students and anyone interested in practicing their Spanish is invited to join with Jeniffer Navarro s class on May 17th at 6 pm at Los Caballeros Mexican Restaurant (1140 OR Turnpike). Anyone interested to learn how to order in Spanish is welcome to join the class on May 3rd and 10th at 6 p.m. in Room 101. Please let Jeniffer Navarro know if you can join the outing on May 17th. Children and Youth Sunday School classes meet at 10 a.m. The children meet in Jacob s Ladder (the room beside the nursery). Youth meet upstairs in the youth room (at the top of the stairs to the right). NOTE: Last day before summer break for Children s and Youth Sunday School is May 13th. The Adult Sunday School class meets at 10:10 a.m. in Room 101. Diane Weaver is continuing the class on the discussion of Jesus and the Disinherited, a book by Howard Thurman that blends his grandmother s sayings, lyrics from spirituals, and gospel texts to explore the life of an itinerant Jewish rabbi living in occupied territory Jesus. Thurman, Dean of Boston University Chapel and former mentor of Martin Luther King, Jr., wrote the book in 1949 as a non-violent Christian response to fear, deception, and hatred. Adult Sunday School will continue through the summer. Everyone is welcome. Monday Morning Bible Study class has resumed come and bring a friend at 10 a.m. in Room 101! Currently, we are studying the Gospel of John. Prayer meeting is held on the third Thursday of each month. The informal format includes scripture, time for meditation, music, and corporate and individual prayer opportunities. The next meeting is Thursday, May 17, at 6 p.m. in the sanctuary. All are welcome bring a friend! Russian class has resumed; it meets Mondays and Fridays, from 12-1 p.m. in Room 101. All OLSE classes are free and open to anyone, Grace member or not. Grace Writers has decided to restructure its meetings to the first Monday night of the month. The approximate hour-and-a-half-long meeting will be divided by a reading time and a sharing time. Members will take turns reading their work during the first half of the meeting; then, members will each do a program (at least one per year) doing the sharing time in whatever area they like as long as it relates to writing. We will also welcome other writers in our community as well as Grace members. Our next meeting will be May 7, 6 p.m. Pat Hope will kick off our first sharing time with the topic: How to Win Assignments and Influence Editors. Whatever you write, be it poetry, short stories, essays, books, columns, or whatever you want to write, if you d like to share your stories through the medium of writing, please join us! Thank You s Dear Friends of Grace, Thank you so much for your cards, calls, and prayers. Your kindness and generosity buoy me up during a rather difficult time. I hope to be back with you soon; the next week should give a clue. Meanwhile, please keep the prayers coming. I am truly blessed to work with you. In Christ, Victoria Again, thank you very much.

12 P A G E 12 Encore Screening of Hear Our Voices Film to Mark Mental Health Awareness Month May Women is National invited to Mental Health Month, and Grace s Mental Health Ministry will mark the observance with the screening of the film, next HEAR Men s OUR VOICES: Transforming the Children s Breakfast Mental Health System, for the congregation 2/10 on Saturday, May 19, at 1 p.m. Hear Our Voices recounts the stories of nine children and young adults and their challenges with mental health issues. Their stories are framed with commentary by leading mental health professionals. Though Hear Our Voices was released some five years ago by award-winning filmmakers David and Patricia Earnhardt in association with the non-profit Tennessee Voices for Children; the film continues to be relevant today. Mental Health America, 4/22/18 The Mental Health America website reports in its 2017 State of Mental Health in America Youth Data that there is a significant increase in the number of depressed youth across the country over time ( issues/2017-state-mental-health-americayouth-data). And according to the Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network s 2018 status report on suicide, suicide is the second leading cause of death among children ages ( uploads/2014/01/tspn-status-of-suicide pdf). Please join us for this important event!

13 P A G E 13 Want to Learn More About Photography? Well, here s your chance to attend a BASIC PHOTOGRAPHY CLASS beginning Saturday, May 12, 2-3 p.m. in Room 107. The class will continue over a period of five Saturdays May 12, 19, 26, June 16, and 23. The first two sessions will be classroom discussion and the last three days will consist of taking pictures outside under different conditions. Students must have a digital camera, any make or model. Bring the instruction book if available. Outsmart your camera by learning to avoid the automatic mode (Well, not completely). The objective is to learn how to take better pictures with your camera and to have fun doing it. At the end we will watch a slide show of your best shots! There is a signup sheet at the back door. For information call Stan Long at Spreading Grace Campaign Underway Your help is needed to help share news of the good things going on at Grace as widely as possible around the community. We often encounter folks who haven t heard about our ministries and events such as Pet Fest, English classes, and other activities. How about wearing a Grace tee-shirt to events such as the upcoming Lavender Festival and Secret City Festival? (If you need a tee-shirt, please let a Proclaiming member know Gayla Cutler, Christy Gipson, Pat Hope, Stan Long, or Nancy Munro.) Are you willing to hand out cards as opportunities arise for the Little Free Library (LFL), for Pet Fest, for Alpha, for ESOL and our classes in Spanish, Chinese, and Russian (OLSE)? How about cards or fliers about our Mental Health Ministry events? We already have cards for Pet Fest and LFL in the narthex and back entrance and will soon have them for Alpha and ESOL/ OLSE. In the run-up to the 2019 Flower Festival those cards will again be available. If you have ideas about other ways to get the word out, please let any Proclaiming member know. Pastor Larry s message on April 29 was that God doesn t want us to be alone and that there are more and more lonely people whom we can minister to. Perhaps one of our events or ministries will be the start of making a relationship that brings some lonely person into a sense of community at Grace. Let s all be intentional at Spreading Grace widely in our area, one person at a time.

14 P A G E 14 G RACE S FACES Ida HAGAMAN By Pat Hope when the government sent him to Knoxville/ Oak Ridge. Her father was from Oketo, KS, and mother from Beatrice NE. They met at a Lutheran function. After graduating from Oak Ridge High School in 1946, Ida returned to Columbus where she attended Capital University, a Lutheran school. After college Ida worked at the college as a secretary in the music department and later as secretary of a training school, where they built private aircraft. When 89-year-old Ida Hagaman was confirmed here at Grace in 1945, Harry S. Truman was president, World War II was ending, and 50 nations signed the charter creating the United Nations. Grace services were held in the rec hall because there was no church building yet. Ida came to Oak Ridge in 1943, when her dad, a government auditor, was transferred here. Ida and her mom came late 43, when housing became available. They were living in Columbus, Ohio, where two older sisters were in school, She met her first husband Bill Dierksen while in school. After his death in 1952, she came back to Oak Ridge, where she took a job as school librarian at Glenwood Elementary for three years. In 1954, she remarried a boy she dated in high school Carl Hagaman, an electrical contractor. Carl died six years ago in 2012 after he and Ida had been married 52 years. Even though Carl was raised Baptist, Ida said he became very active at Grace. He never even considered not going to church with me, she said. At Grace, she has served two terms on council and been involved in many church groups and functions the women s groups, Grace s Greatest, and several circles. Ida says she looks around and does whatever needs doing. Presently, she serves on the library committee and is needlepointing our altar kneelers. Four of them have already been installed. Ida says the idea for doing the kneelers came after she visited a Knoxville church with her friend See Hagaman, Page 15

15 P A G E 15 Hagaman, Continued from Page 14 Delores Pullun about 10 years ago. They had beautiful needlepoint kneelers, she said, and I thought, why can t we do that? Ida recalls that Mary Ann Damos and her mother designed them and six or eight people signed up to help. Ida admits this is the most ambitious project she has undertaken in 40-plus years of doing needlepoint. Ida has been a member of the Oak Ridge Woman s Club since She was an officer, reviewed books and worked with a sewing group. Ida says the club is closing soon because of a decline in membership. An avid reader, Ida likes fiction but says she likes anything about history. She attends the 11:15 service. Special Visit One of the original members of Grace, Jim Summer, pictured right, along with his wife Saralyn, sister Barbara Summer Green of Nashville, and his daughter Ellen Stensrud from Charlotte, NC visited Grace for the first time in decades and enjoyed a tour of the facility by Pastor Larry. They were thrilled to see the new sanctuary and all the beautiful features of our church. The Summers lived in South Carolina for more than 30 years but have now relocated to Charlotte to be near Ellen.

16 P A G E 16 Flower Fest 2018 MUSIC Above and below, the Chancel Choir sings For the Beauty of the Earth and at left, Barbara Sparks plays Lord, Let My Heart be Good Soil. Photos By Pat Hope See additional Flower Fest photos on Page 1, 5, 18, and 19

17 P A G E 17 More Flower Fest 2018 MUSIC Photos By Pat Hope Above, special guest tenor Ryan Ford sings numbers in Italian, German, French and English, accompanied by Slade. At right, Becky Ball played her own composition of a flower medley, A Rose by Any Other Name.

18 P A G E 18 Second Annual Flower Fest is in the Book Clockwise from upper left, artwork colored by the children during Flower Fest. They also helped people at the tea to identify flowers. Our Girl Scout troop display called Garden Spray, some of the flowers around the sanctuary and a plant exchange in our pavilion. Photos by Stan Long T H E L I G H T

19 P A G E 19 Flower Fest Tea, Children s Activities, Cooks in the Kitchen and Flowers in every Nook and Cranny! Photos by Pat Hope See additional Flower Fest photos on Page 1, 5, 16, and 17

20 P A G E 20

21 P A G E 21 MAY 20 IS BLANKET WORKSHOP SUNDAY By Pam Williams Members and friends of Grace entering the sanctuary on May 20 will be greeted with a large display of fabric creations in gorgeous colors and prints, as we celebrate the creativity of the Blanket Workshop ministry. Now in its 47 th year at our church, Blanket Workshop makes quilts, school kits, and baby layettes to send overseas through Lutheran World Relief. Through LWR, our work reaches people in eastern Europe, Africa, Asia, and South and Central America. Photo by Pam Williams Last year we contributed 39 quilts, 8 school kits, 49 baby care kits, and 11 pounds of soap. In addition, we collected 15 pounds of pop tops for the Ronald McDonald House and put quilts in the silent auction for Pet Fest. Eighteen participants in the ministry donated 1395 hours of their time to put together all these items. In 2017 four of our eighteen helpers were from Grace s ESOL program. Several of our members worked at home sewing quilts and baby blankets and knitting sweaters for the baby layettes, in addition to the time spent during our sessions at church. Your gifts of money and materials support this ministry. Financial contributions help pay for supplies and for the shipping costs to get our quilts and kits to LWR. We currently are seeking donations of Ivory and Dove soap bars and t-shirts in sizes from infant to 2 for this year s kits. Photo by Stan Long We also invite men and women of all ages and skill levels to join us you don t have to know how to sew to be a part of Blanket Workshop! If you can tie a knot, you can help to tie a quilt. We need people to iron fabrics, to arrange squares into attractive quilt tops, and to pack quilts and kits for delivery. Of course, we welcome those with sewing skills, too! We meet on the first, third, and fifth Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and we each bring a sack lunch and eat together at noon.

22 P A G E 22 Above Pastor Larry at his first Spring Picnic at Frozen Head State Park in Morgan County. About a dozen people braved a cold rainy April 15 to hike and enjoy the food. At left Dean and Carol Oen wrapped up and below Neal Vaughn enjoying his picnic dinner. Photos by Betty Anne Domm

23 P A G E Seminarian Partners Ashton and Jennifer Return for 2018 Alpha Was Enthusiastically Received! What is Alpha? It is an overview of the basics of the Christian faith, not an in-depth Bible study. It is something that can give you a chance to examine questions or things that have puzzled you about the faith. It can deepen your faith and help you feel more confident about talking with others about matters of faith. It will help you get to know other folks much better and in a way that many of our other activities don t lend themselves to doing. Alpha is built around sharing a meal, watching a thought-provoking video, and then discussing it in a small group. Our fall Alpha course will start on Sunday, September 9 and end before Thanksgiving. Sessions will begin at 5:15 pm and end at 7:30 pm except for an afternoon retreat on an October Sunday and likely one other session. Newer Grace members are especially encouraged to attend. Please consider signing up and inviting a friend. New team members will be needed! Watch The Light and bulletins for more details. Questions? Ask the Alpha planning team Christy Gipson, Judy and Ron Goans, Paul Gurecki, Pat Hope, Nancy Munro, and Josh Williamson.

24 Grace Lutheran Church 131 West Gettysburg Avenue Oak Ridge, Tennessee Phone: Website: PLEASE SAVE THE DATE and plan to eat in or carry out from Pizza Inn on Thursday, May 10 from 5 to 8 p.m. to support our ESOL child care program!! Grace will get 10% of the gross receipts plus all tips during that time period. If you can help as a volunteer, please let Nancy Munro, Josh Williamson, or the office know (we need about 10 people). Volunteers need to be there by 4:45 p.m. and wear a Grace tee-shirt if possible (some will be available there). Thank you for your ongoing support of our English classes!! Please spread the word among your family, friends and colleagues. CONDOLENCES CORNER Our condolences to the families of those who have passed on to life eternal: Karla Hollenbach on the death of her mother, Dean Riggle (in Missouri) April 18. Selma Harris on the death of her father, Rolly Rogers (in Houston) April 20. John Caton on the death of his sister, Sonya Price (in Charleston, WV) April 20. Want to win a gift card? Find the roses. Find three of the red roses like the one shown here, hidden in this issue. Please send the page numbers where you find them to Pat Hope thetwohopes@aol.com) by May 31. Only or text messages ( ) accepted. Prize to be awarded in early June. 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: Lorraine Huynh July Bibles Audrey Elam August Fishes Katherine Smith September Lilies Carol Donath October Lambs Crista Duncan November Doves Ruth Smiley December Chrismons Nancy Munro January Snowflakes Sigrid Ludemann February Heart Balloons Vicki Quraishi March Shamrock Hats Susan Gunning April Eggs Claudia Lever May Lilies Alicia Rudat June silhouette Paula Pope July fireworks Linda Long August Backpacks Jenny Altes Sept. Wreaths Anne Douglas Oct. Spider web Vicki Quraishi November Turkeys Barbara Sparks December Star Olaf Storaasli January Thermometers Jen Navarro February Heart Necklace Pastor Larry March Shamrocks