This is a quick weekly reminder of what is happening at Grace
in worship and in ways to connect and serve.
|
|
“Empowered to
Share God's Love”
As we have been reading through the Gospel of Luke this year, one of the things that is evident is that after Jesus encounters someone they are never the same. Either they are healed, or enlightened, fed, or they might just end up being a disciple. Following Jesus means transformation. Being a Christian is much more than just belonging to a club or membership in God’s family. It is a way of life. A different way of life. One in which we are called, invited, dare I say empowered to live radically in order to care for others.
The values that we have studied this year in Lent, began with our Christian Identity. Our community is Christ-centered and because of that everyone is accepted, we live as compassionate and connected people, and finally we are empowered by God. Empowered to be bold in our welcome to others. Empowered to not sit at the corner of Round Lake and Bunker as a church with open doors, but live and act as people sent out in love to care for others.
In her devotion for this week, Pastor Maria shares her experience of seeing the Lion King and the powerful message of what happens when God lives in us. Ultimately, this is who are as people of faith: people who are empowered to follow Jesus in spreading his radical love, welcoming, serving, forgiving people and ultimately spreading the Gospel.
Thanks be to God!
Pastor Joanna Mitchell
|
|
Holy Week and Easter Sunday Worship |
|
Holy Week Worship
Maundy Thursday, April 1st at 1:00 pm and 7:00 pm
Good Friday, April 2nd at 1:00 pm and 7:00 pm
Saturday Vigil, April 3rd at 5:00 pm
|
|
Easter Sunday April 4th Worship |
|
7:00 am - Sunrise Worship
8:15 am - Traditional Worship
9:30 am - Contemporary Worship
11:00 am - *Parking Lot Worship *Reservations are NOT required for this worship time
|
|
Easter Worship Help Needed
We are needing help especially for 9:30 am (Communion Servers & Ushers) and 11:00 pm (Communion Servers). If you would like to volunteer for ushering, and communion serving, please call Kris Miller at 763-421-6520.
|
|
Worship
Online Worship is now being recorded at our Saturday evening service. Online Worship will not be posted until late on Saturday nights. It will be available here for you to join us online on Sunday morning.
For In-person Worship, we are asking for people to sign up for a worship service (see links below). We ask you to stay home if you are sick and to follow all of our COVID-19 protective guidelines. Thank you!
|
|
Marvin "Marv" Camerer
Grace was blessed to have had Marv Camerer as our Custodian for 10 years beginning in the mid 1990’s until 2004 when he moved back to Blooming Prairie, MN where he grew up. Marv passed away following a brief illness on March 20, 2021. Please keep Marv’s family in your prayers. Below is Marv’s obituary.
Marvin “Marv” Ronald Camerer, age 73 of Blooming Prairie, Minnesota, passed away Saturday, March 20, 2021 at home surrounded by family, following a short illness. Marv was born in Austin, Minnesota to Lloyd and Pearl (Eggestein) Camerer on March 27, 1947. He attended school in Austin and when he was in 3rd grade his family moved to Blooming Prairie. Marv was drafted into the Unites States Army in 1967 and served until his honorable discharge in 1969. In 1975, he finished his high school degree. Early in his working career, Marv worked at the Owatonna Creamery and as a custodian for Blooming Prairie Public Schools. He then attended Faribault Vo-Tech for chef’s training and worked at several SE Minnesota restaurants. Marv then traveled to California to continue his training and was a chef at a top 10 restaurant in Barrego Springs. Wanting to be closer to his family, Marv returned to Princeton, Minnesota and for several years was a chef at the Princeton Farm Supper Club. The supper club was destroyed in a fire and Marv began working at Smith Systems, manufacturing office equipment. After a while, he moved to Anoka and became the custodian at Grace Lutheran Church. A position he held for 10 years and while he was there, he developed many long-lasting friendships. In 2004, Marv returned home to Blooming Prairie and worked at Viracon in Owatonna until his retirement in 2011. He was a lifetime member of the V.F.W. Post 878 and an active member of the First Lutheran Church in Blooming Prairie, where he served two terms on the church council as a trustee and spent many Sundays welcoming others to the church. Marv loved doing many woodworking projects in his garage. Some of his favorite projects to build were knick knack shelves and picture frames. Marv was an avid collector including, beer steins and diecast metal trucks. He enjoyed his flowers and plants, listing to country music, especially Johnny Cash, and driving around Blooming Prairie on his golf cart. With a twinkle in his eye and kind spirit, Marv brought great joy to many people as “Santa.” He will be dearly missed by all who knew him.
A private family memorial service will be held on Saturday, April 10, 2021 at Worlein Blooming Prairie Funeral Home Chapel in Blooming Prairie, Minnesota. A public visitation will be held from 10:00-1:00 p.m. at the Worlein Blooming Prairie Funeral Home on Saturday, April 10. Interment will be in Grandview Cemetery, Austin, Minnesota. Military honors by the Blooming Prairie Honor Guard. Masks, social distancing, and all COVID-19 protocol will be enforced. In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to First Lutheran Church or the Blooming Prairie Serviceman’s Club. Services are prearranged and performed by Worlein Blooming Prairie Funeral Home.
|
|
Virginia "Ginny" Hutchinson
Virginia Hutchison, 82, passed away peacefully at home in her sleep with her daughters by her side on Dec. 20, 2020 after a courageous battle with Parkinson’s. Preceded in death by her husband of nearly 60 years, Robert; her parents David and Elsie Freedland and brother David Jr. She is survived by her children Richard (Cricket), Sandra (Dana) Kuhlers, Anne Madsen; grandchildren Michael, Anthony (Emily), James (Erika), Tara, Daniel, Kayla; great-grandson Kaysen. Ginny’s sparkling, cheerful and enthusiastic personality made her a beloved friend to many neighbors, those in her church community, extended family and the wonderful staff and students of the Elk River School District for which she worked in the office from 1973-2000. A Celebration of Life will be held Tuesday, March 30, 2021 at 11 a.m. with visitation one hour prior at Grace Lutheran Church, 13655 Round Lake Blvd NW, Andover. In lieu of flowers, memorials preferred to Grace Lutheran Church for the Rakai Orphans Hope Project. The service will also be live streamed at: http://www.grace-andover.org/youtube-stream-2/ Due to COVID-19 restrictions, no luncheon will be served.
|
|
MARCH IS MINNESOTA FOODSHARE MONTH!
In recognition of the many Minnesotans who are still hungry, Grace is collecting non-perishable items throughout March, to be divided between our onsite Food Shelf and the ACBC Food Shelf in Anoka. Please remember that food items need to be nonperishable only; no homemade, expired, or alcoholic items; and no glass containers. Items can be dropped off in the narthex or on the table in the hallway when you come into the KIDS Entrance doors.
Each week the Sunday School kids
are invited to bring a specific item.
This Sunday, March 28th it's Cleaning/Hygiene Products!!
|
|
Children’s Ministry Team Presents
The Easter Eggstravaganza
March 28th at 9:30 am - 10:20 am in the Fellowship Hall
Fun for the whole family: socially distanced crafts, games, prizes, and more!
|
|
OK@PLAY is proud to present via ZOOM:
SUNday FUNday On A THURSDAY!!!!!
Thursday, April 8th 6:30-8:00 pm
|
|
Zoom on in for 90 minutes of laughter, tears, and fountains of fun!
COMEDY CLUB will include jokes, riddles, funny stories, a glance at gag gifts, and a super attempt at playing Scattegories as a group! (COMEDY CLUB during COVID-19 would be more fun without the COVID-19, but we aren’t in charge of that!)
Please bring riddles, jokes (even those with a bit of Dad humor), hilarious stories (fact or fiction), funny gifts, etc. to the event. Everyone will have a chance to be a COMEDY CLUB comedian for a few minutes! See you in April!
Questions? Contact Vickie Mead 763.712.0496 or Deb Stang 763.427.3252
|
|
I am very pleased to announce because of you generosity we are able to meet the needs of our guest families during our upcoming host week. Your gifts of hospitality area blessing to the families and will make their Easter celebrations all the more enjoyable.
Pastor Cullen Tanner from our partner congregation, Roots & Branches. addresses the "bug in the code" of our society—systemic racism.
"The work of Family Promise is so important in the ways we can join together with neighbors during a vulnerable time in their lives and offer the resources they need to thrive. It’s also a chance to see firsthand how the systems we trust every day still have so far to go before they adequately address the basic dignity of all people with equity. Maybe we aren’t reprogramming the mechanisms of society when we prepare a meal or sit to talk with those who are experiencing a different side of life than we’ve probably ever faced, but it can begin a process of re-wiring each of us to be more gracious and understanding and to become the kind of people who can hack the future to make it a more generative place for all people."
If you committed to donating hospitality items they can be dropped off at Grace Lutheran Church on Monday (3/29) and Tuesday (3/30) between 8 am and 4 pm. There will be a table with tubs in the hall inside the children’s entrance.
If you are bringing hot meals, they can be dropped off on Thursday, April 1st between 4pm and 5 pm. I will be parked by the side walk to accept and deliver our gifts of hospitality
Our next hospitality week will be Sept. 26th through Oct. 3rd. I am sure there will be other opportunities to serve those in our community who are less fortunate.
Have a blessed Easter and an enjoyable summer.
Alden Riley
|
|
Grace's Opportunities for Giving |
|
Volunteer Mowers Needed!
The snow is melting and spring is almost here. With spring comes lawn mowing. Grace has been blessed over the years to have teams who mow the church lawn each week. We are in need of several teams to volunteer to help with the lawn mowing at Grace this spring through fall. If you are willing to help, please contact Kris Miller krism@graceandover.org or call the Church Office at 763-421-6520. Hopefully we will get enough interest so that each team only has to mow a couple of times this mowing season.
|
|
Noisy Offerings
For the month of March, Noisy Offerings will be used to support our Food Shelf here at Grace and the ACBC Food Shelf in Anoka. Since March is Minnesota FoodShare month, a percentage of all donations that ACBC receives will be matched. So your gift can reach even more people! We are grateful, as always, for your compassion and generosity in caring for our neighbors!
|
|
Give Electronically through GraceRealm |
|
Consider electronic giving on GraceRealm. It’s a convenient way to give consistently throughout the year. If you have any questions, contact Frances or Marie in the Church Office or Click on the GraceRealm link below.
If you are wondering where your giving is for the year, please log in to GraceRealm. Find Giving on the tool bar. Then select My Giving History.
|
|
Prayers of the Church
We pray that those who suffer with illness might experience your healing, and that all might know the joy of being included and cared for especially Tom Boshart, Tara Kunshire, Gladys Heys, Pat Scheuer, Mary North, Jeanie Ranft, Kristin & Tony, Carroll Potter, Kathy Tillery, Mary Anderson, Alan Roettger, Ralph Wernimont, Eric & Candace Mahowald and their soon to be born twins, John Malecha, Christopher Sluis, Julie Swedberg, LaDonna Lilyquist, Charlotte Montei, Lynn Zirkle, Elsie Weisenberger, Linda Christiansen, Judi Wold, and Colleen Wernimont. We pray for all those suffering from COVID-19 throughout the world. Lord, hear our prayer.
We celebrate with Brock & Chelsea DeVries (and Great Grandma, Joan Hackleman) the birth of Emmett Todd DeVries.
We lift our prayer this day for those who have experienced the valley of the shadow of death. We pray especially for Chris Pace and the DeVries family as they mourn the death of Chris’ mother, Barb DeVries; the family of our previous long time custodian, Marv Camerer upon his death; R.D. and his family as the mourn the death of his brother Dean Arnold Nelson; Randy & Arlene Alberg & family as they mourn the death of Arlene’s mother, Cyrilla Beidleman; for the communities in Georgia and Colorado who are grieving after the recent shootings, and all who are grieving and continue to grieve.
|
|
April Grace Notes Article Deadline
March 26th at 5pm
Please have your April Grace Notes articles into Marie Kolar by 5pm on March 26th. Please have them in Word format and email them to mariek@graceandover.org.
|
|
Virtual Connections
During this time of high COVID-19 cases, we encourage you to connect with Grace and others! If you are looking for ministries and groups to connect with please visit our web site at www.graceandover.org and click on Church Online to see opportunities to connect.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
