Staying Connected
Greeting Everyone

I hope you all had a fantastic weekend. We were blessed with some good weather throughout it. A few sprinkles Sunday. I hope that didn't put to much of a damper on any ones weekend though.

For my family school is now fully underway. The last of the girls started up middle school last Friday and we are no in the period of time where we try and get everything figured out with our routine. The routine of when I can actually leave the house in the morning for work trusting that the kids will be able to get out the door on time. That our now high schooler won't ignore the alarm too long. The routine that the bus will make it to the bus stop on time to get our youngest to Dakota Meadows in time.

It's all adjustments we have to make this year with kids now going to different schools and with the hopes that we'll have the closest thing to a regular school year than we've had for a very long time.

We're also adjusting here at Grace. This week our Wednesday night ministries start back up. We're hopeful we will be able to keep things going this year and get back to how they were before. We have the meals lined up and some great leaders ready to go for the kids during our education time. We're excited to have folks back together for worship Wednesday night as well. Wednesday nights are such a special time to be able to come together mid week focus on God and the Work before the last half of the week.

All are welcome Wednesday night and we hope to see many people back with us for a great time at Grace. Throughout the year we'll have opportunity to learn, serve and worship together. We will have great events planned along the way that the whole family will be able to do together. If you want more information about Faith night or want to get more involved with what's going on here at Grace I encourage you to reach out to Pastor John or myself. There are opportunities for all ages here Wednesday night, it might take a little bit of time to get it all built back up to where we are envisioning though.

Have a great week everyone

Ben
Wednesday Night Schedule
September 15th 2021

5:15 - 6:00 Meal
6:00 - 6:45 Education
6:45-7:30 Worship

Menu
Pizza
Salad
Dessert
This Week's Lesson:
Building of Isaac
We will once again be holding programing for all ages this year. We are exciting to be having everyone return Wednesday nights at Grace as we gather together for a meal, education opportunities and worship. We are looking for folks that are willing to help with the evening. If you are interested in being a leader for our youth in the classroom our help prepare meals Wednesday night please reach out to Ben.

Sunday morning education time has started during our Sunday morning worship service following the Children's Message until the end of the service. If you are interested in being a leader for this and leading a lesson and craft every few weeks please let Ben know and we can get you on the rotation.
Build your own Bouquet
Sunday September 12th 2021
We were thankful the rain cleared up just enough to have a great time out at Valley Veggies and Flowers on Sunday for our 2nd annual Build Your Own Bouquet event. Just a few of us made it out but we were able to create some fantastic bouquets.

If you couldn't join us this year there are still a few weeks left of flowers to be had at the farm. They'll be around until the frost decides the season is over.

Valley Veggies is open seven days a week and let Terry know you're part of the Grace family when you go out. She does a great job helping folks out with making the bouquets.

Keep an eye out next August as we hope to continue going out and doing this together every year.
Confirmation Sunday
Sunday September 26th 2021
Join us in celebration Sunday September 26th as our 9th graders have the opportunity to affirm their faith during our worship service.
Adopt a Highway Cleanup
Saturday October 2nd 2021
1:00pm
Meet in the Grace Parking Lot
Pie and Ice Cream to follow once again
hosted by Sam Anderson
Thursday Night Zoom
Bible Study
Thursday September 16th 2021
7:00 pm

All Are Welcome!
We continue to meet every Thursday evening at 7:00 over zoom for our weekly bible study. We're always looking for more people to join. Most weeks will be lead by Ben but other weeks the study will be lead by another Grace member. The study is on Daily Faith Practices and the Bible Study material is provided by the ELCA. Each week we'll spend some time chatting and sharing some highlights and lowlights from our week as we fellowship. Following that we will spend time diving into a study each week. All the studies can be viewed ahead of time and can be found by clicking HERE. We will also have a few weeks of the studies shared in this weekly newsletter. So you can look ahead to help guide discussion. Each week we'll gather over zoom for about an hour.

We hope you will consider joining us for this time of bible study and fellowship. All are Welcome whether you've joined us in the past or not.

We hope yo see you soon
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Upcoming Studies
Mark your Calendar

September 16th

September 23rd

September 30th


Clicking on the Study will take you to a PDF copy
Clicking on the scripture will take you to the reading for the study
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Thursday Bible Study


Zoom Meeting ID 857 5766 8823
Meeting Passcode: grace


Time 7:00 pm Thursday
Every week will have the same meeting ID and Passcode
Worshiping Together
Our Facebook live stream is a great way to gather with others(although virtually)as we are all part of this assembly as we gather as the one body of Christ to chat, share a greeting of peace and worship together. A live stream of our worship is broadcasted every Sunday morning at 10:00 and is 50-60 minutes long.

If you do not have Facebook worship is will still be available on KTOE Sunday mornings at 10:00 and the rebroadcast on KTV Tuesday at 1:00 pm and again Wednesday at 7:15 pm. Past worships can also be found on YouTube and our Website. Our goal is that everyone will still have an opportunity to worship with us at Grace.

All the past worship services can be found by going to
September 12th 2021 Worship
In-Person Worship
We acknowledge that the risks of this pandemic are not over, and if you are unsure about being in the building, we encourage you to stay home and worship with us from a distance. If you enjoy worshipping from home, we encourage you to continue to do just that. We have opened our doors again but we encourage people to do what is best for your family right now. We want to offer the opportunity for everyone to connect with their faith in ways that are meaningful and meet you where you are. For now, we are glad you can be here with us, whether you are watching live on Facebook, listening on KTOE radio, following along on YouTube or KTV in Mankato. Even as we have returned to holding worship in our building, we will continue to provide these means of participating with us from a distance including a livestream on Facebook. 

However you participate, now and in the future, we believe you are a part of this assembly, gathered as the one body of Christ to worship and celebrate our life of faith together.
Christ in our Home
Devotional
Christ In Our Home are still available here at Grace. You can stop in and pick on up anytime during church office hours.

You can access a digital copy by clicking HERE
Fair Trade Coffee
Have you tried something from the Fair trade cart lately?
The cart in the narthex has all kinds of great things as part of our congregations involvement in the Mankato Area Fair Trade Town Inititative. MAFTTI was born in June 2009 with the objective of promoting the Fair Trade Town idea in the area. For 12 years many of the churches have helped provide easy access to items that are Fair-Trade certified.
The cart is located just outside of the Narthex upstairs, between the sanctuary and the offices. On it, you will find Coffee, Tea, Chocolate, Olive Oil, Spices, and more.
All Fair Trade Coffee is just $7.00 a bag. Large Chocolate bars are only $2.50. Tea is just $3.00. Other prices are on the cart. You can pay with Cash or check left in the payment slot right on the cart. Thanks for supporting Fair Trade at Grace!
Find more information about Mankato Fair Trade Products and their Mission by clicking the link below
Serving the Community

Echo Food Shelf - Echo is still looking for volunteers to commit to one 2-4 hour shift/week. You can email echofoodshelf@yahoo.com to get involved.

CADA House - Committee Against Domestic Abuse, Inc. (CADA) is a nonprofit victim advocacy and emergency shelter organization based in Mankato, Minnesota. CADA’s mission is to provide safety and support to victims of domestic and sexual violence through education, advocacy, and shelter.


Mark your Calendar
Chili Feed for Habitat for Humanity - October 24th 2021
ELCA National Youth Gathering - July 24th - 28th 2021

Watch for more information on all events listed above in future Staying Connected Newsletters
Check out this Video!
Unity Hymn by Mike Donehey
Amazon Smile
Many of us has been spending more time shopping online. When shopping with amazon there is an easy way to help raise a donation go to Grace. When shopping through a web browser you can follow the link below and it's easy to set up. It's also super easy to get set up on a mobile device through the Amazon App. When signed into your account in the app in settings there is a section called "Programs and Features" in that sections you can click on AmazonSmile. I that section you can select your charity. You can search Grace Lutheran Church Mankato or type 41-6006451.

When you #StartWithaSmile, Amazon donates 0.5% of the purchase price to Grace Lutheran Church. Bookmark the link   http://smile.amazon.com/ch/41-6006451  and support us every time you shop.

You still get the same prices and you can still use your Prime account, but when you start by using this link above, Amazon will donate a portion of the price back to Grace.

Thanks for supporting Grace.
Contact Us
Pastor
Rev. John Odegard - pastor@gracemankato.org

Director of Spiritual Growth

Interim Organist and Music Director
Chuck Hoogland - music@gracemankato.org

Worship and Media Technology Coordinator

Maintenance and Grounds
Jordin Johnson - grounds@gracemankato.org
Grace Lutheran Church Office Hours

Monday - Thursday 9:00a.m - 12:00p.m and 1:00p.m - 4:00p.m
Friday 9:00a.m - noon
Is there news you're wanting to have included in future staying connected newsletters? Reach out to Ben with the details and he'll be sure to included in an upcoming newsletter. New newsletters are emailed out every Monday and can also be found on Facebook or the Webpage under the At Home Resources tab.