Pastor's Message

Home, Grief and Giving Thanks

My dad left this morning for Arizona. His house, my childhood home will go on the market sometime in the next month. Rooms have been emptied. Furniture given away. Cupboards emptied and a few items remain. Last night, I helped him pack his bags, load the car and receive instructions for what I am to do now. We did a walk-through of the house to make sure everything was as it should be, starting in our mess room. The room, where we stored everything and housed our garbage and junk throughout the years. As we stood in the room, I made the mistake of looking up to the top of the closet overhang, the place where we stored all our Christmas items through the years, and a wave of grief swept over me. There I could see my dad standing on a rickety ladder passing down boxes to my mom, sister, and me. As we moved through the house the memories overtook me, moving me to tears. I was trying to stay steady for dad who was already overwhelmed by it all, but my emotions were raw. I couldn’t help but look at the chair where my mom had sat in with my baby girls in her lap and hear echoes of the giggles or remember the squeals of delight in our solarium when my sister and I used to go out there on Christmas morning to gather our gifts. This house had been so much more than the drywalls and furnishing, it had been our home. The home my parents designed themselves. The home that had housed me on days when I was sick, and when I was sad. The home that had always welcomed and opened for me whenever I came to it.

This year has been filled with loss. Losing my mom in March, and now my childhood home being emptied and getting ready to sell. For the most part, I have been able to stay steady. Don’t get me wrong, there are times that I fall apart and drown in the sorrow. But for the most part, I have been able to keep walking. I know this will be true for this next loss too. But today, I am sad. Today, I am grieving my dad driving south for the winter and no longer a part of my weekly visits and meals. Today I am grieving that I will be the last perhaps to walk away from our home, to lock the doors, to hand over the keys to some other lucky family that will one day call it theirs. For now, though, the tears fall, and I give thanks as I remember.

Pastor Joanna Mitchell

Wednesday Night Schedule of Events:

This week- MEA No Programming

7pm-Worship-Sanctuary

Worship Times

-Sundays at 8:45am Traditional

-Sundays at 10:30am Contemporary

-Wednesdays at 7pm Contemporary

High School Youth Group!

High School Youth (9th – 12th Grade) gather for conversation, fellowship, and discussion about how YOU want see the future of the High School program. Join us on Sunday mornings on Oct. 23rd and 30th from 10:00am-10:30am and/or 11:30am-12pm. We are excited to see you! Join us!

All Saints Worship Sunday Pictures

We are looking for pictures of those who have passed this past year (Oct. 2021-Oct. 2022) to honor during the Worship for All Saints. Please send your picture via email to Marie Kolar mariek@graceandover.org along with their name by October 24th.

Feed My Starving Children

We have reserved space at FMSC on Saturday, November 5th from 9:00am-10:45am.  Please join us in this November Tradition of Grace Lutheran Church!  Click on the link below or call the office at 763-421-6520.

Advent Cantata

The Grace Choir is combining with the Lord of Life choir again this year for our Advent Cantata! We had a wonderful experience last year, and are looking forward to another great time. 

If you are interested in singing with the choir, but don’t want to make a long term commitment, this is your best opportunity!  We will be presenting it at Grace on Sunday December 11th at both the 8:45am and 10:30am services.  Sunday December 18th we will be at Lord of Life in the afternoon. 

We will begin our weekly rehearsals on Tuesday November 1st.  Rehearsals will run from 7:30pm-8:15pm on Tuesdays until November 22nd, at which point we will be joining with Lord of Life.   

Below are details about the two weeks leading up to our first performance.   

Rehearsals: 

Tuesday, November 29, 2022   6:45pm - 8:15pm at Grace Lutheran Church 13655 Round Lake Blvd Andover 

Tuesday, December 6, 2022  6:45pm-8:15pm at Lord of Life Church  14501 Nowthen Blvd Ramsey 

Saturday, December 10, 2022  9:30am - 11:30am at Dress Rehearsal at Grace Lutheran Church 

If you cannot make all the rehearsals and still wish to sing, we would love to have you.  The Saturday morning Dress Rehearsal is the important one that we would like all to attend. 

Performances: 

Sunday, December 11, 2022: 8:45am and 10:30am services.  Call time is 8:00am at Grace Lutheran Church 

Sunday December 18, 2022: 3:00pm Christmas Concert Call time is 1:30pm at Lord of Life Lutheran Church 

For more details and information, please contact David Phelps at davidp@graceandover.org or 763-421-6520

Sand Creek Snacks

Thank you so much for all you have done and are doing to support the outreach ministries, which are an important component of our identity here at Grace Lutheran.

Currently, the Sand Creek outreach committee requests your help in acquiring these snacks for Sand Creek Students: 

• Nature Valley Crunchy Granola Bars
• NutriGrain Soft Baked Breakfast Bars with Real Fruit
• Gold Fish (Individually Packed)

• Skinny Pop (Individually Packed)

• Fruit Snacks (Preferably with real fruit nutrition)

Please drop your items off in the tub in the Narthex.  Thank you so much for all you do to support our Outreach Ministries.  

AP Hopper

Coordinator of Outreach Ministries

Food Shelf Needs

The Grace Food shelf is in need of the following items. If you are able to donate please drop them off at the church office.

Mac & Cheese

Canned Soup-chunky style and condensed

Cereal

Canned Vegetables

Canned Chili/Kidney Beans

Peanut Butter

Rice

Canned Tomatoes (diced, stewed, sauce, paste)

Canned Fruit

Hamburger/Tuna Helper

Spaghetti Sauce

Boxed Potatoes

Love of Grace Bazaar Volunteers

Grace Lutheran Church is hosting our annual Love of Grace Bazaar from 9:00AM - 3:00PM on Saturday, November 12, 2022 and we need your help to make it successful. Please consider donating food or volunteering your time so we can share a little bit of grace in the heart of Andover.

The Noisy Offerings gathered from Oct. 1st to 15th will be going to Haven for Heroes. Noisy Offerings gathered from Oct. 16th to 31st will go to Sharing and Caring Hands.

There will be a black box on the Welcome table for ELCA Disaster Relief-Hurricane Relief.

Prayers of the Church 

Johnnie Tillery, Clint Trousil, Sandi Sohr, Lloyd Olds, Jeff Kintzler, Shirley Jacobson, and those in need of long-term prayers. Charlotte & Fred Montei, Marty Lukaszewski, (Luke -a zoo-ski) Lois Vadner, Diane Rosky, Shannan Gautschi, Harland Johnson, Shirley Fystrom, Kathy Beckman, Jason Beckman, Alison Husak, Juleen Klawiter, Carroll Potter, John Malecha, Stephanie and Samantha Fernandez, Julie Swedberg, Linda Christiansen, Judi Wold, and Ralph & Colleen Wernimont.

Comfort the grieving, especially Sonny & Michelle Beeskow & Family mourning the death of Sonny’s sister, Sherry; Flossie Knutson and Family mourning the death of her husband, Phil Knutson; Travis, Stacy & Danica Lenz as they mourn the death Stacy’s Uncle, Jim Bunde  

November Grace Notes Article Deadline

If you would like to have an article in the November Grace Notes (in homes the week of the 1st) please have your article in Word format into Marie Kolar at mariek@graceandover.org by 5pm, Monday, Oct. 24th.