This is a quick weekly reminder of what is happening at Grace
in worship and in ways to connect and serve.
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The Church Office will be closed on
Friday, May 28th
and Monday, May 31st.
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Dear Grace Friends,
As we transition to summer, I am overwhelmed by how much has changed in the past year. In fact, I feel a bit exhausted from all the change and yet, I know more changes are on the horizon. Change is something that can be hard and yet it is often good. I feel the growing pains of being stretched and the excitement of not knowing what is next. I feel both anxious and exhilarated about the possibilities in front of me.
Truthfully, I believe that hope and opportunities are on the horizon for us at Grace. I heard on the news today that over 50% of people in the United States have been vaccinated. This is amazing and it moves us closer to normalcy. I also know that normal won’t be returning to the way things were, it will be different. The world has changed. We have changed and yes, even the church has changed. Where once we were used to greeting people on a Sunday morning and joining in coffee fellowship, coffee hasn’t been brewed for worship in over a year. Where we once had a staffed our welcome center and had name tags for all to wear, we now have a plastic shield, face masks and we still don’t pass the offering plates.
And yet, I think the essence of who we are, and who God calls us to be will reemerge. I think we need to be reminded. We have new people visiting Grace on Sunday morning and Saturday night. Have you met them yet? Are you seeing people you haven’t seen before? If so, please spend a moment and greet people. Grace prides itself in being a church that feels like home and a welcoming congregation. I challenge you to talk to two people on any given week that you haven’t met before. Yes, if you need to leave because of COVID-19 I understand, but if you are comfortable staying, please look around and reach out. One of our values at Grace is to deepen connections. I hope that means you will work on connecting with others and in particular those you don’t know by inviting them to events happening at the church.
I also ask that you hold our staff in prayer, and in particular Frances Fernandez, our Church Administrator, and her family. Frances’ daughter, Samantha, has been newly diagnosed with end-stage renal disease. Her CaringBridge site is here. This is a big shock to their whole family and there is a lot of uncertainty ahead for them. We also will be saying goodbye to Debbie Jorgens, our outreach director in a week (June 6th) as she will be leaving our staff. All these transitions are hard on all of us. After a long year, I know the staff has been running hard. I hope you will take the time to thank them for their work and their dedication. I have such a terrific team that shows up and is committed to the ministry here at Grace. I am so thankful for all of them!
Finally, after conversations with the Vision Board and Pastor Maria, we have decided that the best next staffing move (along with worship and music) is to hire a part-time children’s ministry director. Our congregation is committed to our children and youth and will continue to invest in them. Serving our neighbor is also very important, and so once we can hire someone in children’s ministry, Pastor Maria will be working with our outreach teams.
Please pray for us as we continue our search for permanent staff for worship and music as well as children’s ministry. I know that God is faithful and will lead us forward. Thank you for continuing to support and walk with all of us at Grace.
Blessings,
Pastor Joanna Mitchell
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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 no longer asking for people to sign up for a worship service. We do ask you to stay home if you are sick and to follow all of our COVID-19 protective guidelines, including wearing masks indoors and social distancing. Thank you!
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Summer Worship Hours
Begin This Weekend 5/29 & 5/30
5:00 pm on Saturdays
8:30 am on Sundays
10:00 am on Sundays
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Outdoor Worship
Starting on Saturday June 5th, our Saturday night worship will be outside in the courtyard at 5pm. Please bring your own lawn chair. All are welcome to attend. We will have chalk for kids. In case of rain, worship will move inside.
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Welcome to the new Vision Board Members
We are so grateful for everyone who was willing to be nominated for Vision Board and your commitment and leadership at Grace.
Our newest Vision Board Members are Bill Hentges, Anna Welle and Carl Chandler. Please pray for them as they begin this important role.
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Sunday Zoom Fellowship
The Sunday Zoom Fellowship will be starting its new meeting time this week (Sunday, May 30th) at 11:30am! Please join us for fun and fellowship!
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Men’s Ministry
6:30 pm on Tuesday, June 1st
at Buffalo Wild Wings
All Grace men are invited to Buffalo Wild Wings in Riverdale at 6:30 pm the first Tuesday of every month. This is an informal gathering for food and conversation. Please add the rest of our 2021 dates to your calendars and join us!
- June 1st
- July 6th
- August 3rd
- September 7th
- October 5th
- November 2nd
- December 7th
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VBS Registration is LIVE!
Sunday, June 13th
6:00pm-7:30pm
Kick-off family event.
Come, worship, and play -activities for the whole family!
June 14th-17th 6:00pm-7:30pm
(June 18th: Rain Day)
Register on Realm. Cost is $10.00 for a camp T-shirt!
Our theme this year is "I Wonder." Kids are naturally curious, and when you’re curious about who God is it’s easy to grow your relationship with Jesus. That’s why, in this 4-part series for Vacation Bible School, we’re going to engage kids’ imaginations! Kids will not only get curious about science, technology, engineering, and mathematics — but also about the God who created it all! They’ll hear from early church leaders like Paul, Peter, John, and Timothy, who helped the first Jesus-followers wonder what made their stories unique, what gifts God gave them (and how they could use those gifts to serve), what they could learn from others, and how they could spend time with God.
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Hello OK@Play friends!
Thanks to Vickie Mead and the Stang’s for the concert options!
We’ve made our decision and Save The Date!
Thursday, June 24
6:30 - 8:00 p.m.
Magic 70’s Sunshine Band (an ultimate tribute to the 70’s)
The Draw Park & Amphitheater
7401 Ramsey Parkway
Ramsey, MN
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This is free, no RSVP needed. Bring your own chair, maybe a beverage, and bug spray. Whatever you feel you will need.
Will I see everyone up doing the hip hop with the music?! See you there!
Questions? Contact Ann Lange, Mary Jo Trapp, or Deb Stang
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Grace's Opportunities for Giving |
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Want to get involved at Grace?
We have the several opportunities!
- We are looking for people to help run PowerPoint and our streaming for all of our worship services. We will train you and guide you through the process. This is a perfect activity for youth and parents to do together. Please contact Pastor Joanna Mitchell if you are interested at joannam@graceandover.org
- Looking for people to help with Altar Guild for all worship services. It is a simple, behind the scene way to help with worship. You will be trained and guided. Please contact Marie Kolar if you are willing to help at mariek@graceandover.org
- Do you like to sing and be involved in Music Ministry? Then you are who we are looking for! We are looking for choir members for both traditional and contemporary choirs. If you are interested please contact David Phelps at davidp@graceandover.org
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VBS Supplies Needed
It is that time of year where we are busy preparing for Vacation Bible School. We need your help! Please check the bulletin board in the narthex for supplies we need in order to make this year's VBS successful. We are also collecting and need 5X7 frames (one per child), milk cartons, juice jugs, paper towel and toilet paper rolls, rubber bands, plastic containers, bottles, egg cartons, other recyclables for making robots, boats, and rockets! We will be collecting supplies until June 6th. If you have any questions please contact Pastor Maria Markman at mariam@graceandover.org
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Noisy Offerings
For May 16th-31st, in light of the fact that May is Mental Health Awareness month, our Noisy Offering for the last half of May will be directed to The Heart and Mind Connection in Anoka, a nonprofit organization that seeks to bring hope and help to those with mental illness and substance use challenges. Thank you for giving generously.
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Give Electronically through GraceRealm |
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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.
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Prayers of the Church
For all who call upon your healing name: Rob, Stephanie Fernandez, Samantha Fernandez, Paul Phelps, Joyce Kreun, Dean Corey, Shirley Kirkendall, Shane Larson, Lois Golie, Sonja Hawn, Justin Richards, Carroll Potter, John Malecha, Christopher Sluis, Julie Swedberg, LaDonna Lilyquist, Charlotte Montei, Lynn Zirkle, Elsie Weisenberger, Linda Christiansen, Judi Wold, and Ralph & Colleen Wernimont
For those who mourn, bring comfort and peace. We pray especially for Chad, Jen & Faith Kettering as they mourn the death of Chad’s Grandmother, Cleo Belk; Lynn Zirkle and the family of Lynn’s sister Mary Hockemeyer as they mourn Mary’s death.
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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.
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Building Task Force Update |
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Your Input is Needed!
Our architects are asking for YOUR input on where the needs are for different spaces with in our building. Please provide your input here! There are two different surveys on Grace Lutheran's web site. One survey is for those who are blessed to be leading a particular ministry group and another survey for everyone. Please take the time to fill out a survey to make your wishes heard about how we can improve Grace's building.
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