Fifth Sunday in Lent, April 7, 2019 Church News and Events Come to our final Taizé Lenten service this Wednesday. Join in a time of prayer, music, scripture, and reflection. The Ninth Hour Psalms will be chanted, starting at 6:15 after which the service proper will begin at 6:30. Vision Survey: Thank you to all who responded to the Vision Survey. Plan to vote on goals from the survey any time through Wednesday, April 10, if you have not already. Please get a strip of dots from the office and vote for up to three goals. Then sign by new goals or existing programs and ministries if you are interested in getting involved in them. Easter Food Baskets! We need your hearts and hands to help prepare and distribute Easter Food Baskets for 24 families on Saturday, April 13. We need people to tape boxes together, unload the trucks, sort the food, and pack the boxes. We will start setting up at 8:00 a.m. and pack boxes from 9:00-10:30 a.m. Families may pick up baskets from 10:30 a.m.- 1:00 p.m. Come early (8-10:30 a.m.) to put boxes together, unload, sort and pack boxes (biggest need) or late (10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.) to load baskets into families' vehicles. This year's Easter Egg Hunt is scheduled for Saturday April 20 at 11:00 a.m. The youth are looking forward to preparing the eggs and hiding them for the younger children. If you can, please donate wrapped candy for the Easter Egg Hunt by Saturday April 13. We look forward to the activity and hope that community children will join us for it. If you have any questions, please contact Laura Boudon or Marla Weber regarding this event. Grace Photography Group meets the third Saturday of each month at 2:00 p.m. in Room 101. However, this month s meeting will be Wednesday, April 10, at 6:30 p.m. (Directly after the Lenten worship service.) Please see the March Light or contact Stan Long for more information. May s meeting will be on the 18th, at 2:00 p.m. All meetings are in Room 101. Our annual SPRING PICNIC at Frozen Head State Park will be Sunday, April 14. You may come whenever you wish; we have reserved Shelter A for the day. The park has a variety of activities for all ages including a playground for children and streams for wading. Spring wildflowers will be in abundance and there are many excellent hiking trails of varying difficulty. Directions and maps will be available, so plan on coming early. Supper will be at 5:00 p.m. Bring plates, silverware, a beverage, meat of your choice to grill, and a covered dish to share. A hot grill and condiments will be provided. You may also want to bring a lawn chair. This month s Holy Hike will begin from Shelter A at 3:00 p.m. It will be an easy one. Ark or Piggy? The choice is yours. Our Lenten offering this year will support Heifer International. Pick up an offering box in the shape of an ark or a pink piglet and use it to collect spare change during the Season of Lent. We will collect these offerings on Easter Sunday.
A schedule for mowing is located at the back entrance. Thanks to all who kept the church property looking good last year. Please sign up to do it again this year! Living Lutheran: Please, please, please pick up an orange form (from either entrance) to indicate your interest in renewing (or not) or adding a print subscription at the group rate of $8.95/year. To order or add, include a check for that amount made out to Grace Lutheran Church and indicate Living Lutheran in the memo line. Internship: March 1, Sylvia Countess began a nine-month internship here at Grace. She will be engaged in all of our activities and ministries, including worship, teaching, and pastoral care. Sylvia will preach once a month on Sundays, will make regular visits to some of our shut-ins, and will teach various Sunday School classes. She also will take on a special project to be determined in coming weeks. In short, Sylvia will be a regular presence and a blessing to our church and its mission. Sylvia can be addressed either as vicar, or deacon. Please offer her a warm welcome! Alpha: Many thanks to all who supported our Alpha course in prayer, as a team member, or as a guest. Please continue your prayers as we lay plans for the future. If you are interested in attending the next course in the fall, sign up on the sheet in the back entrance. Are you going through a rough patch in your life? Do you need someone to talk to, to walk with you during this time? Consider a Stephen Minister on a short-term basis to help you through this rough patch of life. Learning Opportunities at Grace First Holy Communion Class begins May 5, for children who are not yet communing but who would like to be. The four-session class will be taught by Vicar Sylvia on Sundays, from 10:00 11:00 a.m., beginning May 5 and concluding May 26. The children will then receive their First Holy Communion on Pentecost Sunday, June 9. If you are interested in having your child or children participate, please let Pastor Larry or Vicar Sylvia know before May 5. Adult Sunday School: How We Do Church and Why We Do It. Sylvia Countess and Diane Weaver conclude a forum on liturgy and worship today. Next week, the class will learn about Palm Sunday and the Passion. The class meets every Sunday in Room 101. It starts at 10:00 a.m. and goes for one hour. Everyone is welcome! 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 Room 210. Monday Morning Bible Study meets from 10:00-11:30 a.m. in Room 101. We are studying Surprised by Scripture, by N.T. Wright. We hope you will join us! Books are available in the office for a price of $13.00. 2
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. A Joyful Noise: All rehearsals are on Wednesdays, and all are welcome! First Harmony (for age 6 and up) rehearses from 3-4 p.m., Ringspiration handbell choir at 5:00 p.m. (during Lent), and Chancel Choir at 7:00 p.m. What Is OLSE? Other Languages for Speakers of English, an outgrowth of our ESOL program. Currently, we have two active classes. Russian class, led by Svetlana Popova meets Wednesday and Friday mornings from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. in Room 101. Beginning Spanish, taught by Ken Altes, meets Thursdays at 6:00 p.m. in Room 101. Intermediate Spanish, taught by Jeniffer Navarro, is on break at present. Starting June 3, Serge Fournier will offer a French class Mondays at 1:00 in Room 101. All OLSE classes are free and open to anyone, Grace member or not. Please invite someone! Opportunities to Serve ESOL News: Please take some ESOL and OLSE cards and hand them out as you have occasion. Our new English class is on Monday evenings from 6 to 8 p.m., in Room 210. Fellowship The Flower Festival will be Saturday, April 27. There will be an awards luncheon by Grace Writers, a music program, and a flower show by Arissa Garden Club. There also will be a Plant Exchange, so you may want to divide some perennials to bring and trade. And please return the volunteer form we need volunteers! The Men's Group will not have a meeting in April. Instead, we will focus our efforts on providing breakfast for all on Easter Sunday, April 21. We will start serving around 7:45 a.m. after the 7:00 a.m. sunrise service and continue up until the traditional service at 11:15 a.m. A signup sheet will be posted on the bulletin board outside the kitchen for men to use to indicate what they plan to bring and when. A signup sheet from last year will be attached for your information. We need hot dishes, pastries, coffee cakes, bagels, fruit, juice and milk, etc. We also need volunteers to serve after and during each service. In addition, we need help to set up the Fellowship Hall on Saturday afternoon for use on Sunday and help to clean up after breakfast on Sunday. We look forward to having you join us. If you have questions, please contact Phil Stumbo. Young Adult Group: Many of you may not know that Grace has an emerging Young Adult Group! It s still very new, but it is growing. We get together every other month to eat and get to know each other better. We include anyone out of high school to those who still feel young (usually under 50). If you are interested in joining, please contact Margaret Cumberland and you will be added to the email list. 3 (Continued on page 6)
This Week at Grace CR = Choir Room; FH = Fellowship Hall; JL = Jacob s Ladder; N = Narthex; O = Office; S = Sanctuary; SS = Sunday School Rooms Sunday, April 7 7:45am 4th Day Reunion Rm 101 9:00am Contemporary Worship FH 10:00am Children and Youth Sunday School Various 10:00am Adult Sunday School Rm 101 11:15am Traditional Worship S Monday, April 8 9-11am ESOL Class Rm 210 10:00am Bible Study Rm 101 12:30pm Serving Rm 107 5:15pm 4th Day Reunion Chapel 5:15pm Aerobics FH 5:30pm Admin Rm 101 5:30pm Stewarding Rm 107 6:00pm Nurturing 6-8pm ESOL Class Rm 210 Tuesday, April 9 9-11am ESOL Class Rm 107 10:00am Deanery Meeting Rm 101 6-8pm ESOL Class Rm 210 7:00pm CHADD Rm 101 7:00pm Stephen Ministry Rm 107 Thursday, April 11 9-11am ESOL Class Rm 107 6:00pm Beginning Spanish Rm 101 7:00pm Bible Study Rm 101 Friday, April 12 9:00am Russian Class Rm 101 10:00am Food Pantry Saturday, April 13 8am-2pm Easter Food Baskets FH Sunday, April 14 7:45am 4th Day Reunion Rm 101 9:00am Contemporary Worship FH 10:00am Children and Youth Sunday School Various 10:00am Adult Sunday School Rm 101 11:15am Traditional Worship S 1:00pm Frozen Head Outing 3:00pm Holy Hike Shelter A 5:00pm Picnic Supper Shelter A Wednesday, April 10 9-11am ESOL Class Rm 107 9:00am Russian Class Rm 101 3:00pm First Harmony S 5:00pm Ringspiration S 6-8pm ESOL Class Rm 210 6:15pm Ninth Hour Psalms S 6:30pm Lenten Service S 7:00pm Chancel Choir S 7:00pm Grace Photographers Rm 101 Our Sunday worship schedule is: 9:00 a.m. Contemporary Worship Service (FH) 10:00-11:00 a.m. Children and Youth Sunday School 10:10-11:00 a.m. Adult Sunday School 11:15 a.m. Traditional Worship Service 10:00 a.m. Unified Service every 5 th Sunday (Next on June 30) 4
Worship Volunteer Schedule Date April 14 Palm Sunday April 21 Easter Sunday April 28 Time 9:00 11:15 9:00 11:15 9:00 11:15 Lector/ Reader Hannah Mustaffa Lorraine Huynh Paul Gurecki Judy Joy Gayla Cutler Sigrid Ludemann Readings Isaiah 50:4-9a Psalm 31:9-16 Philippians 2:5-11 Luke 22:14 23:56 Acts 10:34-43 Psalm 118 :1-2, 14-24 1 Corinthians 15:19-26 Luke 24:1-12 Acts 5:27-32 Psalm 118:14-29 Revelation 1:4-8 John 20:19-31 Liturgist Robert Stewart Judy Goans John Munro Worship Leader Janet Rawl Betty Dagley Acolyte Janie Hiserote Brener Moua Hannah Mustaffa Heston Moua Neal Vaughan Victoria Moua Chelsea Martin Donna Gurecki Gayla Cutler Ushers Stan Long/ Mack Bailey Riley & Margaret Cumberland Nelson Lingle/ George Smith Gayla Cutler Sean & Brittany Moua Lisa Sipes Nelson Lingle/ Riley Cumberland Valerie Hansen George Smith/ Carol Donath Flower Guild Vickie Kitts Alicia Rudat Ruth Smiley Offering Stewards Crista Froeling, Chris Parton Crista Froeling, Chris Parton Crista Froeling, Chris Parton Altar Guild Pam Asher, Diane Weaver Pam Asher, Diane Weaver Pam Asher, Diane Weaver OFFICE HOURS: Monday: Tuesday: Wednesday: Thursday: Friday: OFFICE CLOSED 5
(Continued from page 3) A Psalm and a Prayer: Grace is offering an additional prayer opportunity at 7:00 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. The next session will be on Tuesday, May 7, in the narthex. Prayer meeting is held on the third Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. The informal format includes scripture, time for meditation, music, and corporate and individual prayer opportunities. The next meeting is Tuesday, April 16, at 7:00 p.m., in the sanctuary. All are welcome - bring a friend! Prayer Chain Coordinators: If you have a prayer chain request or would like to be added to the list of those who provide prayer, please email or text Donna Gurecki. INFECTION CONTROL! Upper respiratory infections/colds are contagious, especially when people are crowded together. For most, a cold is just a nuisance, but for the elderly or immune compromised, the infection can develop into bronchitis or worse, even pneumonia. If you are sick, please considering wearing a mask. At the Peace, substitute fist or elbow bumps for shaking hands. PLEASE CHECK YOUR FOLDERS TO BE SURE YOU DON T MISS ANY IMPORTANT COMMUNICATIONS! More things (reminders, etc.) are being put in your folders to save on postage. (Folders are at top of ramp hallway. If you don t have one, please let the office know.) A WORD ABOUT DOORS: We have learned that the doors between the sanctuary and the narthex should be left open at all times to maximize efficiency. The two spaces are heated and cooled by the same HVAC unit and the only air return is in the sanctuary. So if you see the doors closed, feel free to open them. However, please note that the doors at either end of the narthex should be kept closed. This is a fire regulation. Fragrances Alert: Please forego personal fragrances, like perfume or scented aftershave when you prepare for church services and activities. This is a matter of hospitality to visitors as well as a health concern. Thank you! Christ in Our Homes for April-June is in the back entry and the narthex. Make this part of your spiritual formation and God time; you will be surprised by the blessings! 6
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