Prayer:

Loving God, we come this morning seeking your presence. Open our minds to your spirit of wisdom, that we may know how to live as your people. Open our hearts to your spirit of truth, that we may love all your people with a love that looks like yours. May this time of worship be authentic and pleasing to you. Amen.



Call to Worship:

L: People of God, who do you come to worship?

P: We come to worship the one true God.

L: How will you worship?

P: Not with words alone, but by living lives

of justice and love.

L: Come, you who belong to God.

L: Come, you who are foolish in the eyes of the world.

P: Come and abide in God’s tent and in God’s heart, now and forever.

You’re Blessed

 When Jesus saw his ministry drawing huge crowds, he climbed a hillside. Those who were apprenticed to him, the committed, climbed with him. Arriving at a quiet place, he sat down and taught his climbing companions. This is what he said:

 “You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.

 “You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.

“You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought.

 “You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat.

 “You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘care-full,’ you find yourselves cared for.

 “You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.

 “You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.

“You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom.

 “Not only that—count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort, and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens—give a cheer, even! —for though they don’t like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.

Matthew 5:1-12 from the Message translation

Grace United Women in Faith will begin 2023 with the year's theme, "Mosaic of Fatih, 'We are all part of God's story'".

All are invited to our first gathering of 2023, Thursday, February 2nd.

The program begins at 11am in the Sanctuary with a viewing of the documentary, "Mission Appalachia, The Story of Red Bird."

Red Bird Mission has been supported for many years by United Methodist Women around the country and from our own church as well. It will be wonderful to hear the story of this worthy mission.

Monthly Missions

In January our missional giving goes to the Lakes Area Restorative Justice Program.

There are envelopes in the pews, or you can simply put any special giving into the offering plate with a note on your gift that it is to be designated to this mission.

Grace email changes

 Pastor Jen -- jenmatt20@gmail.com

Ann--Grace office email--graceumcpequotlakes@gmail.com

Reminder--the office is open 9-12 Monday through Friday, if you are in need of assistance from Ann, please reach out or stop by during these scheduled hours.



Jan. 21--The Event-- First UMC of the St. Cloud Region (Sartell)

Youth in grades six-12 across Minnesota, came together for a half-day of serving, learning, an epic large group game, and a hip-hop concert!

At this gathering our youth helped to create "blessing bags", for youth in need in the St. Cloud area.

Thank you for your incredible support of this project!

*You might notice some unfamiliar faces in this picture. Kudos to our kids and their parents for extending invitations to friends to join us for event. May we all feel called to do likewise!

Fun couple's night on February 4th, with author and speaker Phil Gungor dealing with keeping fun and laughter in your relationship!

Tickets are available at church for pre-sale now.

If you have seen the promotions for the Gungor event on the 4th, and thought "this looks fun, but I'm single, so it's not for me"--you are wrong! If you have been married or in a relationship, the lessons and examples will resonate and entertain you. Please consider signing up with a friend (you'll save some $) and join us for this night of much-needed laughter!

Congratulations on a winning weekend of skating in Duluth to Coach Lynn Wick, daughter Cassidy, and proud grandmother Shirley Robideaux.

Sunday mornings we have returned to live streaming our Sunday services, but we realize that there are still some issues popping up many Sundays. On our website you can usually watch the recorded service after 10:30am or so. There is a link to our site at the end of this newsletter.



We continue to work on making the online experience better and appreciate both your grace and feedback as we make improvements. Soon, we will be updating our internet capabilities and are hopeful that this will fix some of the issues.

We are grateful to be able to offer our services online and appreciate any gifts received to help this ministry grow and continue.

*We are aware that we have had some streaming issues over the last few weeks, we are working on resolving the problem. We are getting closer!!!!

If you have something that should be added to this newsletter from your group or mission, please speak with Pastor Jen or email the details to her at jenmatt20@gmail.com. The E-Grace is generally completed by noon on Thursdays, so articles need to be received by Thursday 10am at the very latest.



If you wish to connect with me directly and it is not an emergency, please know that I will respond as needed during pretty regular office hours. I am in the church most weekdays from at least 10-12, call the office to be sure, as my weeks vary. Ann has my detailed schedule and can find me if needed. I check my emails frequently throughout the day, and this is the best way to contact me.

-Pastor Jen

Important note

If you are mailing something to the church, you must use our P.O. Box for the address. We do not receive mail at the church, and if you use the physical church address it will get returned and could delay your notices to us or offerings.

P.O. Box 276

Pequot Lakes, MN 56472