Staying Connected
Can you feel it?
 
I can feel it. There is an energy going on. Maybe it is the warmer weather. Maybe it the days getting longer. Maybe I have accidently drank some caffeine. Somethings going on. There is a buzz in the air. An excitement and I like it.
 
As the pandemic is going on and is still very real here in Minnesota there are some amazing things going on right now at Grace and in our community.
 
One big thing I saw this week was worship yesterday. I've been absent from it for a few weeks due to a Covid exposure a little too close to home, but this week I was back in house for worship. It was great to hear the Voices of Grace and see so many people worshiping together in safe way. It filled my heart with joy to be a part of it. To walk around the church and still see it decorated from Easter provides a beautiful place to be to worship. Then everything the Grace family is doing to make a difference. The pile of suitcases and duffle bags that are being collected, the folks that came together to make meals for those in need (you can read more about that below), being part of the highway cleanup crew (more on that below too). There was even an awesome energy in the Church Council meeting yesterday. So much to be thankful for and praise God.
 
If we are able to do all this during a pandemic just imagine what is possible when we are through it. When we can even more easily gather in fellowship and service. The relationships that can be cultivated, the service that can be done.
 
I have said it before but I am so grateful to be part of this Grace family and to just be a part of what is going on.
 
Thank you all for what you do to make this place so special.
 
Have a great week
 
Ben
Grace Workday
Wednesday May 12
Put on your work gloves and join us Wednesday May 12 for a workday at Grace. That night we will be celebrating our last night of confirmation with a small meal outside beginning at 5:15 followed by work projects around Grace. A list of all the projects will be coming soon but we will take all the help we can get for this evening hard work and fun.
No More Trash Bags
***Update***
We have been blown away by the amount of support the "No more Trash Bags" drive has gotten, and we are only half way through April. The amount of suitcases and duffle bags already collected will make such a huge difference for kids in foster care and know there is even more on the way. We will continue to collect through the end of the month when we will deliver everything to The Reach.
 
Thank you Grace Family for the amazing support already.
The Reach Drop in Center in partnership with Lutheran Social Services are seeking donations of new or very gently used suitcases or duffle bags of all sizes for children transitioning in and out of foster care. The goal is to eliminate the use of trash bags as an acceptable form of luggage.
 
Last month we had a great food drive for ECHO food shelf and in the past, we have had a lot of success collecting quarters for Connections shelter. We continue to want to bring month opportunities for members and friends of Grace to make donations to make a difference for those in our community.
 
We will collect suitcases and duffle bags through the month of April. Donations can be dropped off in the narthex and we are excited to see the pile grow all month.
 
If there is a donation drive you think would be good to do at Grace reach out to Ben to share.
Feeding our Community
This last Sunday a group of us gathered downstairs in the fellowship hall and kitchen and were at it once again making meals for those in need. With food obtained from the South Central Minnesota Food Recovery, we turned chicken, onions and green peppers that would have ended up in the landfill or compost into meals. Chicken fajitas were on the menu this time. Some chopped peppers and onions, some pulled chicken off the bone and some made a delicious Mexican rice. Many hands made light work as we have put together over 20 dinners that will be able to feed low-income families.
 
Already there are plans to get these meals in the hands of families this week as the Teresa House and St Peter Food Shelf will be taking meals to distribute.
 
We have plenty of onions and peppers left along with access to much more chicken to make even more meals for families in the near future.
 
If this is something, you want to get more involved with or learn more about what is going on with food recovery in Mankato reach out to Ben at DSG@gracemankato.org or give him a call at 507-524-3254. You can also use the link below to sign up to get text notification and emails when we have opportunities for events like this in the future.
Adopt a Highway
Cleanup
The weather this last weekend was fantastic. Saturday 13 of us gathered to clean up the 2-mile stretch of highway 83 between Mankato and St Clair. Since 1990, Grace Members and friends have been doing their part to keep that stretch of highway clean. This year there was less snow in the ditches, so no snowball fight broke. We had a great amount of sunshine though.
 
Every year we gather once in the spring and once in the fall to clean the ditches. Thank you Sam Anderson for once again leading this effort and the fantastic homemade Cherry and Key Lime Pie after.
 
This Thursday April 22nd is Earth Day. We encourage everyone to get outside, grab a bag, go on a walk and collect some trash on the way. What a beautiful world we live in and we can all do a part of keeping it that way.
Thursday Night Zoom
Bible Study
Bible Study is back this Week
Thursday April 15th

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





Clicking on the Study will take you to a PDF copy
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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
Vine
Faith in Action
Caregiver Support Groups
Caregiving can be challenging and isolating. Gain insights and encouragement from other caregivers by joining a Caregiver Support Group facilitated by VINE Faith in Action staff.
Call Joyce at (507) 386-5583 for more information.
2021 Vacation Bible School
"King of Me"
June 7th - 11th
We are planning an in-person Vacation Bible School (VBS) this summer. We will be holding here at Grace the week after schools get out the week of June 9th. The theme for the week is "King of Me." We will explore some of the characters from the Old Testament and how God is bigger than some of the obstacles that were put in their way and how God is the kind of all those things. When we feel alone God is with us. This week will be full of fun worship, crafts and activities as well. This will be fully run by Grace so we will be looking for volunteers to help during the week. If you have time available or an older child at home that you want to get out of the house to help please let Ben know (DSG@gracemankato.org) and he'd love to have some help. He will take help during the days with programing, food, childcare before and after or even planning the VBS if you are feel very adventurous.


All kids are welcomed to attend. They don't have to be a member of Grace
Children ages Kindergarten - 6th Grade are invited.
Programing will run from 8:30 - 3:00 Monday - Thursday and 8:30 - noon on Friday. Early drop off and late pick up will be available to families that need it.
Meals will be provided Monday - Thursday
Suggested Donation of $35 to cover cost of food and craft supplies

Click below to sign up.
2021 Youth Summer Service Trip
North Shore MN
June 13th - 18th
Informational Meeting
Sunday April 25th @ 6:00
There still is some time to sign up to go on our 2021 service trip to Duluth. If you would like to know more about the trip you can join us for our informational meeting in the Grace sanctuary Sunday April 25th at 6:00

The summer of 2021 was supposed to be the next ELCA National Youth Gathering that happens every three year. That has been postponed to July of 2022 and will be in Minneapolis as planned. That means we will be doing a youth service trip this summer instead. With still some uncertainty of what that can look like we are planning this ourselves and will be traveling to the north shore based around Duluth. Service opportunities are still being worked out along with lodging but we are confident we will be able to offer a safe and fun trip for youth that have completed 7th - 12th Grade. You can register by clicking the link below. If you have any questions about this trip you can reach out to Ben at DSG@gracemankato.org.
Carlson's Pillow Cleaning Service
Grace Lutheran Church Women are Sponsoring a Pillow Cleaning

Monday May 10th
Drop-off from
6-8pm

Tuesday May 11th
7:30am - 3:00pm

*Cleaned *Deodorized

*Sanitized *Fluffed

Custom Made New Pillows & Down Comforters for Sale

New Ticking of your choice added. On the spot cleaning - returned same day

Crushed foam pillows can be cleaned

Polyester pillows can be recovered

You can learn more about Carlson's Pillow Cleaning Service by visiting their website Carlsonpillow.com
Feeding Connections
Grace is serving dinner at Connections Shelter the second and forth Sunday of every month. If you would like to sign up to help out for any of the next times we're serving you can find a sign up below. You can also reach out to Ben through the church office or at DSG@gracemankato.org.
There are other opportunities to be able to serve at Connections. Below is a link to their sign up to be able to be greeters at the shelter. If your family would also like to take on a meal on your own to make and serve there are opportunities to sign up and do that.
Children
While we are not yet meeting in person for children PreK - 6th Grade we do want to make weekly lessons available online. You can access the weekly lessons we would be doing by clicking the links below. There are great activities that can be done as a family together.
Confirmation
Confirmation Schedule
  • April 21st - Confirmation @ Grace 6:00
  • April 28th - Confirmation Service Night 6:00
  • May 5th - Confirmation @ Grace 6:00
  • May 12th - Last week of Confirmation. Picnic and Service Night @ Grace 5:15
High School
Keep a look out for more opportunities for fellowship and faith opportunities for High School youth. If you have ideas for events reach out to Ben at DSG@gracemankato.org or by phone at 507.524.3254
If anybody has questions about youth and family ministry opportunities or would like to help leading any activities please reach out to Ben. You can call directly any time at 507-524-3254 or send an email to DSG@gracemankato.org
Worshiping Together Virtually
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
Worship
April 18th 2021
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 are opening 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 after we return 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
Fair Trade coffee and other items are for sale here at Grace. Current selection of products on hand here at Grace are pictured below. Items available are Coffee, Tea, Hot Cocoa Powder, Chocolate bars, backing cocoa and olive oil. Items are located near the narthex and can be bought during church office hours and Sunday mornings.
All Fair Trade/Organic Coffee - $7.00/Bag

Individual Coffee packets - 60¢ each
Makes 10-12 cups

All Tea - $3.00

Hot Cocoa - $6.00

Large Chocolate Bars - $2.50

Baking Cocoa - $6.00

Olive Oil - $13.50
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.


Pray Together
Lord God

Thank you for the sunshine you shine down on us. Continue to fill us with the Holy Spirit as we go out and live and work to serve others.
Amen
Check out this Video!
Fade with our Voices by Jason Gray
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

Parish Administrator
Rich Krause - parish@gracemankato.org

Office Specialist
Joan Hertel - office@gracemankato.org

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 10:00a.m - 5:00p.m
Friday 10:00a.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.