April 14, Third Sunday of Easter | |
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Parking Lot Communion Distribution
Parking Lot Distribution of Holy Communion will be this week following the service.
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Adult Sunday School
The early church was not much different that the church today in one important respect: after the initial eyewitnesses of Jesus ministry, life, death, and resurrection had themselves died, the leadership of the church and its mission depended on keeping Jesus' words and promises alive and entrusted to new generations of disciples. Come join us in the Hoffmeister Room today at 11 a.m. to have a look at the Gospel readings for the Easter Season and how they work together with the first readings from Acts to build and sustain faith for those who do not have the option of “seeing and believing."
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Readings and Psalm
Acts 3:12-19: Health and forgiveness through the risen Jesus
Psalm 4: The Lord does wonders for the faithful. (Ps. 4:3)
1 John 3:1-7: The revealing of the children of God
Luke 24:36b-48: Eating with the risen Christ
The gospel for the third Sunday of Easter is always one in which the risen Christ shares food with the disciples, meals that are the Easter template for the meal we share each Sunday. In today’s gospel, Jesus both shares the disciples’ food and shows them the meaning of his suffering, death, and resurrection through the scriptures, the two main elements of our Sunday worship.
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Worship Support
Assisting Minister: Kathy Bowersox
Reader: Tina Fehrenbacher
Deacon: Lois Wilken
Ushers: Bruce and Alicia Winter
Greeters: Dennis and Allison Archer
Livestreamer: Dave Brown
Sound: Michael Miller
For the upcoming Worship Support schedule, see the spreadsheet found here on Google Drive.
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Celebrate Good Shepherd Sunday!
One way to celebrate Good Shepherd on Sunday, April 21, is by continuing to lift up the programs and services of Lutheran Social Services of Illinois (LSSI). By supporting the work of LSSI on Good Shepherd Sunday, your gift will be doubled! An anonymous donor will match all donations, up to $5,000 for each ELCA synod in Illinois, which means that your gift will have twice the impact. Please visit Make a Gift | Lutheran Social Services of Illinois (lssi.org) to make a gift online or you can send a check directly to the LSSI offices located at 1001 E. Touhy Ave, Suite 50, Des Plaines, IL 60018. Thank you for choosing to make a difference!
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Grace Book Club Announcement
Inspired by Rachel Held Evans
The next book selection for the Grace Book Club is Inspired: Slaying Giants, Walking on Water, and Loving the Bible Again by Rachel Held Evans.
Rachel has filled this book with stories from the Bible, which she has professed that she loves again. In the introduction she reminds the reader that “When you stop trying to force the Bible to be something it’s not – static, perspicacious, certain, absolute – then you’re free to revel in what it is: living, breathing, confounding, surprising, and yes, perhaps even magic.” She believes that the Bible is both inspired and inspiring.
We will be meeting to discuss this inspiring book on Friday, May 17, at 10 a.m. (check your email for the location).
Note: Inspired by Rachel Held Evans was published in 2018 by Nelson Books. This book can be purchased at any of your favorite bookstores and book sources (print and digital) including the Champaign Public Library.
We hope you will join us in reading Inspired and meeting with us in May for the discussion.
Janet Lepp and Jo Fleming
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Outdoor Workday
Members of the congregation have been busy doing outdoor projects, but there is more to do. Please come on Saturday, April 13, to help with outdoor tasks. If you have a wheelbarrow that you could bring, that would be helpful.
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New Grace Office Hours on Thursdays
The office will be open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursdays starting next week. (This is a change from the 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. hours.) Office hours for the rest of the week have not changed, so every day Monday-Friday the office will be open 9 am. to 2 p.m.
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Faith Circle
Faith Circle meets on the third Tuesday evening of the month at 7 p.m. in the narthex. All are welcome. We begin the evening with refreshments (coffee and snacks provided by the hostess) and fellowship. The lesson leader presents the Bible study, beginning at approximately 7:30 p.m.
For our April 16 meeting, Leanne Wichus is our hostess, and Nancy Reinertsen is our lesson leader. Plan to attend and invite a friend! Can’t attend in person? Join us using the GLC’s regular Zoom meeting link.
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High Point University Chamber Singers
Mark your calendars!
On Tuesday, May 7, the Chamber Singers from HPU in North Carolina will visit Grace Lutheran Church. The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the sanctuary. We hope you can be there!
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"Coffee Hour Plus" a Huge Success
Thank you so much to every individual who helped make Easter Sunday morning's ""Coffee Hour Plus" a lovely event. Fellowship Hall looked very festive, and 55-60 people participated. Many people helped pull off this gathering. Thanks to all those who helped set up tables and chairs, decorate the room, provide breakfast pastries or fresh fruit, serve, assist in tear down and clean-up, wash and dry dishes, and wash table linens. As Claire always says, "Many hands make light work!" It was definitely a team effort! Every contribution was important.
For Parish Life,
Kathy Bowersox
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Thank You from the Social Ministry Committee
The Social Ministry Committee would like to thank the generous members of Grace for their donations of gift cards and monetary gifts for the children served by LSSI. The overflowing "bouquet" was delivered to the LSSI office in Danville and the staff was overwhelmed by your gifts of love. Please know a child will benefit from a warm meal and new clothes because of you. Thank you.
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Synod-Wide In-Person Listening Gatherings
Mark your calendars today and plan to participate in one of our four upcoming in-person listening gatherings across the synod as part of our comprehensive synod-wide listening and visioning process. They will be held on April 20 and 21 at four different churches around the synod, with refreshments provided (one will be at Saint Matthew's in Urbana). Click on the link below to learn more and sign up for one of the sessions.
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9:30 a.m.: Worship Service (in-person/livestream)
11 a.m.: Easter Coffee Hour Plus (Fellowship Hall)
12 p.m.: Women's AA (Hoffmeister Room)
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6:30 p.m.: Bell Choir Rehearsal (Choir Room) | | |
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6 p.m.: Adult Children of Alcoholics (Chapel)
6:30 p.m.: Sweet Adelines (Fellowship Hall)
7 p.m.: Faith Circle (Narthex)
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7 a.m.: Food Pantry Truck Delivery (Fellowship Hall)
10 a.m.: Comrades of Art (Narthex)
7 p.m.: Choir Rehearsal (Choir Room)
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10 a.m.: Food Pantry (Fellowship Hall)
6 p.m.: Parish Life Committee (Zoom)
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9:30 a.m.: Worship Service (in-person/livestream)
11 a.m.: Adult Sunday School (Hoffmeister Room)
12 p.m.: Women's AA (Hoffmeister Room)
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Prayer Requests
We have two formal ways of praying for one another at Grace. One is in the Sunday morning worship service, where we pray for people by name in the Prayers of Intercession. They will also be listed in the emailed and printed versions of GraceNotes, but not in the web version. Please send prayer requests for the Sunday-morning prayers to office@glccu.org. You may also submit prayer requests on our website at https://glccu.org/prayer-requests/.
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Using GLC Facilities
Our facilities are available for use by members and by outside groups. If you would like to use any part of the facility, please fill out a Facilities Use Request, found on the web site, and contact Alex in the office to ensure that it is on the calendar, so that the space is ready for you and that you are aware of how to adjust the appropriate thermostat.
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