Worship Service Sunday 10:30 am Sunday School and Bible Class 9am Upcoming: 1/6 Epiphany party 4pm 1/28 Congregation Meeting
Sacred doing in the New Year Most of us have made New Year s resolutions in the past. Some of you are better at keeping them than the rest of us, but most of us make resolutions that are earthly in some way: eat better, exercise, fix up the house, get a promotion etc. Have you ever considered making a resolution of dedication to sacred doing? Teresa of Avila offers us a helpful prayer to start us on our way: Chris has no body now on earth but yours, No hands but yours No feet but yours Yours are the eyes through which to look out Christ s compassion to the world Yours are the feet with which to go about doing good; St. Augustine adds: Yours are the hands with which to bless now. What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of humanity. That is what love looks like. Children of God are identified in 3 ways: 1) Provide others with simple acts of goodness: a) drink of water, b) food, c) clothes, d) visit 2) Use eyes open resources - whereas others try and excuse themselves having no opportunity to show their compassion. Jesus said, when we cared for the least of these we cared for Him. The failure to do good is just as much a sin as doing the wrong thing. God blesses us so that we may be a blessing to others. All of us have been given something we can share with others. How do we show our thankfulness to God? Simply by sharing our blessings with others. It is not complicated! It has been said, You will find as you look back on life that the moments that stand out are the moments when you have done things for others." There is no time like the present to create a memory that will last a lifetime. 3) Goodness from the heart no agenda the surprise of the righteous makes it impossible to think they did acts for the purpose of being accepted. They did not show love to gain heaven. It is simply from the heart! This is what it means to be awake. This is what it means to invest your talents. This is Jesus last sermon in Matthew. Throughout Matthew, Jesus has inferred time and again what it means to be righteous in God s eyes: a. Go and be reconciled with your brother or sister before you bring your gift to the altar. b. Do not seek revenge love your enemies and pray for those who seek to do you harm. c. Accept that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Jesus makes it simple. He spells out what he expects us to do. He gives clear insight into sacred doing: feed the hungry, quench thirst, welcome strangers, care for the sick, clothe the needy. There is no mystery. Provide basic acts of caring. May your New Year be filled with blessings from God and may those blessings flow over from you to those around you! The peace of Christ to you! Pastor
Mrs. Clause (aka Jacquie Robbins) read a story and delivered gifts to the Preschool children, with Pastor Elf. Current Grant $25,000 Tanzanian Sewing Center In Southeastern Tanzania, many young women from villages do not attend school or have jobs, and so seek unskilled jobs in larger towns, often ending up involved in prostitution. Some end up with AIDS or unexpected pregnancies, with no means of supporting themselves. The Evangelical Lutheran Church Tanzanian (ELCT) has established the Bishop Makala Sewing Center to teach young women sewing, life skills, and the Gospel. The ELCT goal is to build classrooms with a 50 student capacity, along with a dormitory. Within one year of training, their sewing skills enable women to have pocket money, purchase a sewing machine, and buy materials to create sewn items to sell for income. Please take the time to read more about it on the bulletin board in the Fellowship Hall. Ladies Bible Study Beginning January 8th we ll look at a video series on Psalms in preparation for the Lenten Season. Time to be determined. Sunday Mornings at 9:00am with Pastor or John. Men s Bible Study Jan. 13 & 27 at 8:00am. Spiritual Discipline Jan. 8 & 22 at 5:00pm. Come join us on a path to Spiritual Growth. THANK YOU! From Interfaith Coalition At a recent Kids Need Books distribution, a fouryear-old girl sprinted across the room when she spotted the tables covered with kids books, and began grabbing picture and board books by the handfuls. Her mother a single mom came and apologized. I m sorry if she was a little greedy, but we just got into an apartment after being homeless for months. We don t have much, but now we have books. She went on to explain, Last night I was in our bathroom and noticed that water was leaking down from the apartment above. I watched the water drip and began to laugh, thinking, I have a roof over my head. I have running water. My little girl has her own bed. And I laughed until I was crying. Your congregation participation with Interfaith Coalition makes so much possible! Eleven homes to help families like this one, bringing Family Promise to Whatcom County to help even more families, providing children s books that mean more than just a good story, winter coats, warm hats and scarves, food, and basic toiletries for those living on the streets, and the dignity and hope that powers all of us through the hard times. Thank you and blessings to you ll.
What's Happening at Grace Annual Events for 2018 Jan 6 Jan 28 Feb 3 Feb 14 Epiphany Party Annual Meeting Ladies Tea Ash Wednesday 2/14-3/21 Wednesday Lenten services and March 29 March 30 Apr 1 June 2 Jul 4 July 23-29 October October Oct 6 Nov 4 Nov 24 Dec 2 Dec 2-23 soup supper Maundy Thursday Good Friday Easter Sunday - breakfast and Egg hunt We are Grace Garden Tour VBS parade float or booth VBS & Sunday BBQ Pastor Appreciation LWML Sunday Fall Festival Stewardship Sunday Advent Decorating Ladies Christmas Party Advent A new Flower Chart for 2018 is posted in the Narthex. You are welcome to bring flowers, use a florist or share a Sunday. 15-Jan 19-Jan 18-Feb 18-Mar 15-Apr 20-May 17-Jun Nerf Extravaganza Fry-night pre-game dinner at church Lenten Activity after church Sledding at Mt.Baker Service Project Game Day Going away party for Beatrice 7/23-7/29 VBS & BBQ 19-Aug Beach Party 9/16, 9/30 Apple picking / Cider Making 6-Oct 18-Nov 16-Dec Fall Festival Pie making after church Children s program and Christmas party after church Party & De-decoration Saturday, Jan. 6 at 4:00pm Please join us as we gather to take down the Christmas decorations. Once everything is put away, we ll have a delicious chili supper.
2018 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 3 4 5 6 Music Meeting 2pm Epiphany Party 4pm 7 9:00 Bible Study & Sunday School 10:30 Worship w. Communion Council Meeting 8 Confirmation 5pm Ladies Bible Spiritual Discipline Class 5pm 9 10 11 12 13 MEN S Bible Study 8 am 14 15 MLK day 16 17 18 19 20 9:00 Bible Study & Sunday School 10:30 Worship Office Closed Youth Event Pastor Circuit Meeting Lay Ministry Meeting 7:00pm Youth Event 21 9:00 Bible Study & Sunday School 10:30 Contemporary Worship w. Communion 22 Confirmation 5pm Ladies Bible Spiritual Discipline Class 5pm 23 24 25 26 27 MEN S Bible Study 8 am 28 9:00 Bible Study & Sunday School 10:30 Worship 29 Confirmation 5pm Ladies Bible 30 31 February 3rd Congregation Meeting
1 Kristi Galbraith 3 Athena Johnson Kara Hinchey Eadweard Johnson 5 Todd Pomerening 8 Laura Nelson 10 Delray Carleton Cynthia Thompson 11 Ruth Chiko 15 Jay Pukaluk 18 Carl Chiko Don Johnson Charlene Liebert 19 Shane Thompson 21 Hunter Liebert 22 Carl Delong 23 George Holmes 24 Kelsy Berg 25 Kelley Zuch 27 Ray Walser 28 Richard Johnson Rick Thompson 31 Cheryl Persse 2 Jason & Niki Wildermuth
JANUARY SERVING SCHEDULE Servants January 7 January 14 January 21 January 28 ACOLYTES Elee Emily Bella Anna Corinne ALTAR COMMITTEE Rika & Carole Rika & Carole Rika & Carole Rika & Carole COFFEE HOUR Jim & Joan Gregory Carol Delong Pat Bucknam Jeff & Rika Kent Steve & Debbie Roe Jon & Colleen Huffman Linda Thompson Bruce & Lynne Shelton Patty Berg Jacquie Robbins GREETERS Bruce & Lynne Shelton Jonathan & Colleen Huffman Jim & Carolyn Higby Jim & Carolyn Higby SCRIPTURE READERS Dan Persse Carole Liebert Jim Higby Carl or Ruth Chiko LAY MINISTERS/ COMMUNION Carole Aguirre / Angus Pratt Lenore Onyon / Steve Roe PIANIST Cheryl Fischer Cheryl Fischer Cheryl Fischer Cheryl Fischer ORGANIST Brent Johnson Brent Johnson Musicians Brent Johnson USHERS P.J. Aguirre Ron Leach Bruce Shelton Jim Higby Angus Pratt Dan Persse Dick Johnson Andy Higby