This is a quick reminder of what is happening at Grace this week in Worship and in ways to connect and serve in the next seven days.
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A Note from Pastor Joanna
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Dear Grace Friends,
What a wonderful Special Congregational Meeting we had last week. I am so thankful that so many of you showed up! Even though we continue to not gather in person, our church is still at work in the world and equipping ourselves to share the message of God’s abundant love.
Maria Markman has been voted on and approved by Grace to be the next Associate Pastor at Grace. 105 people voted, 1 person abstained, and 104 people voted in favor of calling Maria. Thanks be to God! Maria will join our staff in this new position beginning on August 3
rd
. I hope you will join me in praying for Maria during this time of transition.
Our new Constitution passed as well. 107 votes were cast, 1 person abstained, and 106 people voted yes. The Constitution needs to be ratified at our Annual meeting in January. We are excited to have this new document to guide us as a congregation.
I am extremely thankful for the leadership of our Vision Board and our Call Committee in their faithful work. Johnna Rohmer-Hirt also did most of the work on the Constitution. I am grateful for her dedication, and for her attention to detail.
Our second, parking lot worship is this weekend. We are excited to see you and to celebrate Holy Communion together. Our plan going forward is to gather as a community outside at 9:00 am on Sundays for parking lot/outdoor worship. We are slowly moving toward more time together, while also being cautious. We want to provide connection while also being mindful of not spreading the Coronavirus.
Thank you to those of you who have filled out surveys for our Re-open Team. The survey is still open and will close at noon on Sunday July 19
th
.
Blessings to you all!
Pastor Joanna Mitchell
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HELP WANTED: Family Table Volunteers for Sunday, August 16
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, Grace has not been able to open our doors to provide a Family Table Meal for the past several months. But we’d like to try something new for August! Several churches in Anoka County who, like Grace, typically host Family Table once a month have recently offered “drive-up meals to go.” We’d like to offer this, too! It obviously won’t allow our guests to be in conversation with one another (which is what so many of them love about Family Table), but we would at least be providing a free meal and a smile!
To make this happen, we need
five
people from 3:30-6:30 PM on Sunday, August 16, to help prepare the food, package it in “to go” containers, and bring the meal out to those who come. We will be exercising caution by wearing face masks and practicing social distancing as best we can.
If you can’t commit to being here but would like to donate items for the meal (the menu is yet-to-be-determined), your contributions will be welcome! If you would like to help or have questions, please contact Debbie Jorgens via email (
debbiej@graceandover.org
) or phone (763-421-6520, ext. 109). Thank you for considering this opportunity to serve!
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Reopening Survey
Do not forget to submit your thoughts and ideas surrounding the reopening of Grace Lutheran. You have until
July 19th at noon
to participate in the Reopening Survey. We would look forward to your responses.
Also, if you responded to the survey asking for items and articles sent to you, please contact the Church Office (763) 421-6520. Due to the anonymity of the survey, we do not know the names of people who have asked for mailing items.
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!!!Fraud Alert!!!
There have been several parishioners who have received fraudulent emails from Pastor Joanna Mitchell. The fraudulent email appears to come from her church email account but the email is actually coming from another account not graceandover.org. The fraudulent emails urgently ask for gift cards to be purchased immediately and then those gift card numbers and pin numbers to be emailed back to the sender. We have gotten the Anoka County Sheriff's Office involved and are working closely with them. Please note that we at Grace Lutheran would NEVER ask for gift cards or money to be sent directly to a particular person.
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Bible Study
Join us for Thursday Morning Zoom Bible Study at 10 am with Pastor Joanna (or the Sunday preacher).
Join us on Thursday mornings at 10 am for a bible study. Bring your bibles, yourselves and your questions. If you don’t have a bible, bring your phone or your computer and we will navigate through bible gateway to help you find the scripture.
The Sunday scriptures that we will be studying over the next couple of weeks:
July 16th: 1 Corinthians 15:1-26, 51-57
July 23rd: Ecclesiastes 1:1-3, 8:16-9:10
July 30th: Ecclesiastes 1:4-11, 3:1-11
Aug. 6th: Lamentations 1:8-22, 2:10-22
Join Zoom Meeting by clicking the link below.
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Women on Wednesday (W.O.W.) Survey
All women are invited to W.O.W. (Women on Wednesday) as we enjoy Christian fellowship, embrace growing friendships and engage in studying God’s word together! Come to connect more with God and with other women each week, in this fun-loving and encouraging environment! We are in the process of planning for the year and would like your input. Please click the link below.
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Youth Events This Summer!
After thought, prayer, and planning over the last couple of weeks we are excited to announce a few events for our young people to participate in this summer! Throughout July and August, we have events planned for High School Students (completed 9th through 12th grade) and middle school students (completed 5th grade through 8th grade).
We have missed seeing our kiddos and hope that families that are comfortable gathering in small groups will be able to join us! All events will be held outdoors with various safety precautions listed on our website and on the event registration. If you have any questions, concerns or have any special needs please contact Kristi Larson at
KristiL@graceandover.org
. Check out what we have planned below!
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Our “Conversations on Race” Continue!
Our “Conversations on Race” will continue on four Wednesday evenings from 7-8:30 pm during the months of July and August. July 15 and 29 and August 12 and 26. If you didn’t participate in any of our initial “Conversations on Race” or you missed some of the meetings, please don’t let that stop you from joining us.
Our discussions in July will be independent of our past meetings in June. In August, we will be discussing a podcast by Brene Brown with Austin Channing Brown on August 12
th
and a movie (TBD) on August 26
th
. Links to join the zoom meetings can be found on the Grace website or below.
Please contact Pastor Joanna Mitchell with any questions.
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August 10-13
We are excited to announce our partnership with Luther Crest in this Summer’s Vacation Bible School Programming. The program this summer will look different than in years past, Luther Crest is calling it:
Bold Transformational Faith Program.
Time: TBD We plan at this point to offer programming virtually with supplies for crafts and games available for pick up at church. For registered participants there is the possibility for an evening zoom with camp staff. There is also a possibility as stay safe MN loosens, we will be allowed to meet in person. In the case of this, we would meet in the evenings from 6-8 PM at Grace either inside or outside depending on the decision. We realize the nature of these plans are not set in stone and this may be challenging for your family plans, we thank you for your patience. We understand this won’t work for everyone but hope you and your family will consider committing to this free program at Grace.
Online components for all families of Grace will include daily worship, camp activities, and more. We will have several pre-recorded videos for your day camper, including worships, songfest, arts and crafts, and game ideas to play with their family. Secondly, for registered participants, there will be nightly Bible Dive interactions with Luther Crest’s summer ministry team during the week of August 10-13. You may now register your children on GraceLink.
The theme for the summer is Go! Make Disciples! We will study Matthew 28:19-20 which says, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” We are committed to leaning into this great commission given by Jesus to his disciples even if "going" looks a little different right now.
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Next Parking Lot Worship July 19th at 9:00 am
Grace Lutheran will be having our next Parking Lot Worship service on July 19th at 9:00 am. Here are a few quick highlights:
- Enter into Grace's parking lot through the stop light on Bunker Lake Blvd.
- Follow the instructions of the ushers as to where to park (they will be wearing orange safety vests).
- All vehicles MUST BE TURNED OFF. You can roll down your windows.
- Tune into the radio station 91.7 FM.
- If you walk or bike to the service, please stay 6 feet apart and remain in the designated area. You will need to bring a radio.
- If you need assistance please put your hazards on and an usher will come to your vehicle.
- Ushers will dismiss each vehicle.
- The church will be locked and no one will be allowed inside.
We will have Parking Lot Worship again on July 26th and August 2nd.
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Donations Needed
Thank you for your support of our
May All Be Fed Food Pantry at Grace
. So far this year we have helped over 40 families in need with non-perishable food items.
At this time the food pantry is in need of the following items:
Cream Soups
Pancake mix
Peanut Butter
Jelly
Pasta Sauce
Baked Beans
If you can help, please drop of your items off at church marked Grace Food Pantry.
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Noisy Offerings
Noisy Offerings received
during the last two weeks of July
will benefit Jack Zirkle, who grew up in our congregation and is the son of Grace member Lynn Zirkle. Jack suffered severe injuries in August, 2019 when a drunk driver crashed into the car Jack was driving. He has had numerous surgeries in the past year, and the road ahead still requires extensive therapy. The medical bills continue to add up. If you would like to help Jack, please write a check to Grace (with “Noisy Offering” written in the memo line) OR click on the link below and select “Noisy Offering.” Thank you!
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Donation Items Needed for Minneapolis
We are continuing to bring your donated items to Holy Trinity and Urban Ventures in south Minneapolis. If you would like to donate, please bring them to church and put them on the table just inside the entry doors. Here is the list of items currently most needed:
Body Soap
Shampoo (especially for curly hair)
Hand Soap
Gatorade
Maxi Pads
Baby wipes
Diapers (All sizes, especially size 6 and pull-ups)
Cooking Oil
Laundry Detergent
Dish Soap (no dishwasher soap)
Paper Towels
Toilet Paper
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Prayers
God of healing, we ask for you to be with those who are affected by mental illness, that you would lift and ease depression and anxiety. Bring restoration to those who struggle in body, mind and spirit. Today we pray especially for Karen Swedberg, Emma Krom, Pam, Sheri, Rodney Kirkendall, Randy Wieden, Carol Alloway, Nikki Terning, Jerry Slater, Corey LaGree, Darlene Jorgenson, Shannan Gautschi, Arden Kirkendall, John Malecha, Jack Zirkle, Carroll Potter, Joe Bailey, Julie Swedberg, Christopher Sluis, Kathy Lovik, Judi Wold, and Zachary Elsenpeter. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
God of comfort, we pray for those who have recently lost loved ones, especially today we pray for Rochelle, Steve & David Poore upon the death of Rochelle’s mother, Adeline Farmes; Phyllis Hiller and family upon the death of her husband Walt; and the family of Arlen Hoffer. Surround them with your love and comfort them with the promise of the resurrection. Lord in your mercy.
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Worship
Worship will be posted by 5:00 pm on Saturday. Please join us for worship on our webpage, Youtube channel, or on our Facebook page. We invite you to take pictures of your family worshipping together and posting them in the comments, so that we can see you and imagine being together.
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Raise Us Up!
As we expand the dates of our Parking Lot Services, we are looking for someone or a company that would allow us to use a flat bed trailer to "raise us up" to be more visible during the services. If you have one or know someone who does please contact the Church Office at (763) 421-6520.
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Devotions
The staff at Grace Lutheran are providing regular devotions through our website and Facebook page.
If you would like to write a devotion to share with the community at Grace please contact Pastor Joanna Mitchell at
joannam@graceandover.org
Thank you!
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Zoom Connect Time and
Prayer Gathering
Zoom Page on our website:
We have created a page on our website with all the Zoom opportunities that are happening regularly at Grace. This site is your go-to website to join the Sunday Prayer Gathering, Thursday Morning Bible study, and much more. Click below to check it out
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Consider electronic giving on GraceLink. 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 GraceLink logo below.
If you are wondering where your giving is for the year, please log in to GraceLink. Find Giving on the tool bar. Then select My Giving History.
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To minimize the spread of COVID-19 and out of love and concern for our church family and community, all worship services, program organizations and activities are cancelled until further notice.
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Links to Grace Lutheran's YouTube Channel
and Daily Devotion Posts
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Virtual Worship will be posted online at:
www.graceandover.org
and on our Facebook page at
Grace Lutheran Church@graceandover by 5:00 pm on Saturday.
We hope that you will join us at a time that works best for you.
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