Good afternoon, COG Family!

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord.
Psalm 150:6

Lord, you are my God;
I will exalt you and praise your name,
for in perfect faithfulness
you have done wonderful things,
things planned long ago.
Isaiah 25:1

During this quieter time in the life of our church, God is still at work and still calls us to praise Him. Many of us are spending more time with God and going deeper in our relationship with God than ever before, and I challenge you to continue this work of God in and through you even as restrictions on our external lives slowly lift.

I would love to hear your personal praises and I am sure the congregation would enjoy reading them. Feel free to email me something that you are praising God for and I will include it in my next newsletter.

Here are some great examples from the staff.

"I praise God for His faithfulness yesterday, today and all my tomorrows!"
William

"I praise God for always meeting the needs of His church."
Rhonda

"I praise the Lord for sustaining my life one more day to make a change, to make a difference for His kingdom."
Anita

"I praise God for the opportunity to see my mom on her 92nd birthday. Even though we wore masks, stayed outside and socially distanced, it meant a lot to her (and us) to talk and pray together in person."
Nancy

"I praise God for A/C in the summer, Barq's root beer, and getting out to the mountains."
J

I praise God for grandson smiles.
Chris

I look forward to seeing you all online this Sunday and reading your praises this next week.
Be salt and light,

Pastor Chris
Sunday Worship Service

Invite someone to join us virtually on Sunday mornings.

Sunday services are happening via live streaming. You can watch live on Sunday mornings at 10:00 am by going to our YouTube media page. If you miss the live stream, you can always watch the sermon later. Feel free to get online a few minutes early to chat with everyone online. Give us a "like" or "thumbs up," and don't forget to subscribe to the channel.
Tithes and Offerings
Thank you, COG family, for your generosity and faithfulness during these difficult times! Here are our giving numbers for the last tw0 weeks:

Week of May 26, 2020
Giving: $12,337.50
Weekly Budget: $10,121.44
Year to Date Giving: $205,003.32
Year to Date Budget: $212,550.24

Week of May 31, 2020
Giving: $12,313.18
Weekly Budget: $10,121.44
Year to Date Giving: $217,316.50
Year to Date Budget: $222,671.68

Below are the ways that you can contribute your tithes and offerings to the church.

  • Write a check to the church. You can either mail it in to the church or stop by the church and put it in the slot of our mailbox located by the doors of the North Building (4343 S. Flanders St. Centennial, CO 80015).
  • Bill Pay through your banking institution.
  • COG website - online giving.
Community of Grace Sunday Prayer Time

The COG prayer team is gathering via Zoom each Sunday at 9:15 am - 9:45 am to pray before worship service. Please join us! Click here to download the file; then click the file to add it to your calendar. You can also click this link to join the Zoom meeting directly. The meeting ID is 598 261 804 and the password is 053343. Prayer will wrap up with enough time to join our online worship service starting at 10 am. You can click here to go to the online service.

If you have questions, email Kathleen Chandler .
COG Re-Open Update
First, thank you to everyone who took the time to complete the online survey. Your honest feedback will provide valuable input in decision making for the next steps at COG. A small group has been assembled and has already been discussing this input and will continue to do so as they work through creating a re-opening plan that is unique to COG. As plans are developed, they will be sent to the elders for review.

I appreciate the group of members who are giving up their time in this endeavor. I ask the church to be praying for wisdom and discernment for the Re-Open Team and the elders in their decision making to help COG be the best church FOR the community.

Keep an eye open for future emails for updates. The COG Re-Open Team and the elders are making decisions on what is best for everyone. Be encouraged that all decisions are made out of love for one another.

Pastor Chris
Upcoming Events
Virtual VBS
Don't miss our first ever Virtual VBS!  The theme is FOCUS on God. Kids will learn more about who God is and grow their relationship with Him. All content will be delivered online and supplies for crafts and activities will be provided. See below for more details!

What:  FOCUS on God Virtual VBS
When:  June 15-19
**Content will be emailed out each morning by 8:00am. Participate in videos, crafts, activities and challenges throughout the day on your own schedule.
Who:  Elementary (Kids who have completed kindergarten - 5th grade)  and  Preschool (ages 3-5)
Where:  From the comfort of your own home! Supplies, directions and videos are provided so that parents, older siblings, or extended family can help each child participate.
Why:  Grow your relationship with God, learn more about who God is and how to FOCUS on Him!
How:  Supply kits will be provided for each child who signs up. The first 50 elementary kids to sign up get a poster and a special notebook with 3D glasses in their supply kit! 
Cost:  FREE to sign up and all supplies provided.

Click here to sign up today!   Feel free to also share this email with your friends in our community! Email  Nancy with questions.
Celebrations
Women's Ministry Virtual Bingo
The women's ministry hosted a Zoom bingo night on Sunday, May 31st. Plenty of virtual prizes were given out, including virtual toilet paper and virtual sanitizing wipes. Snacks were eaten but unfortunately not shared. Most importantly, though, women of COG had the opportunity to connect with each other, laugh with each other, and enjoy time with each other. 

Be looking for the announcement of another relationship-building women's event later this month. Thanks to Joyce Baker for organizing bingo night!
Youth Escape Night
On Wednesday, May 27th, COG's highly-creative youth leader took our middle and high school on a virtual escape room endeavor. After gathering via Zoom, the youth split into two groups and, along with their leaders, attempted to navigate three different escape situations. Not only was this a fun evening for the students, but it also built relationships between students as they worked together to complete puzzles and analyze possibilities. The good news is that both groups made it out! Thanks to J Lloyd for putting together this night of fun and for working so hard on behalf of our students week in and week out.
Israel 2021 ! Long story short... the COG Israel trip for 2020 has been moved to June 2021. That means that if you were not able to go in 2020 and you can go in 2021, you can sign up and join us.

This trip promises to be a once-in-a lifetime experience. If you would like more information,  email  Pastor Chris.