This is a quick weekly reminder of what is happening at Grace
in worship and in ways to connect and serve.
Change in our worship policies:
We are no longer requiring vaccinated people to wear masks.
We ask those who are not vaccinated to please continue to wear masks for the protection of our children and those who are immune-compromised.
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Dear Grace Friends,
It’s quiet at my house right now. My kids have left for two weeks of camp. After over a year of us being really closely connected and together A LOT. There is a void. I will confess that I was excited for them to go. They needed and so did Jeff and me; this time away from each other. But I know when they return, I will be so happy to hear their stories and to share my own.
Last weekend as we gathered for church it was the first time in a long time that I have seen some of your smiles. I cannot tell you what a gift that is. Yes, your smiling eyes have been a welcomed sight at first, but seriously who know how precious an actual smile is to see again and again. Slowly, life at Grace is being resurrected. Things look a little different on this side of things. Holy Communion is a different process, not as simple as it was when we came to the table each week, dipping our bread in the cup that we all shared. Many of our children haven’t been back to church yet. We miss them, their voices, their laughter, their playful squeals even their cries. It will be a process of returning for all of us. I received a text message from my former pastor who told me he has gotten used to online worship on his deck with his coffee and he wonders when he will regularly return to in-person worship. If he feels like that, that is saying something. I am hopeful that our young families will return when they feel safe and when cabin season is over. But I also know it will be a process to learn what it is like to sit in church again. It is a process of relearning the rhythm, the liturgy, the songs. I hope as you venture back to in-person worship that you can share your stories and feel the tremendous love we have for all of you. I want to hear your stories, the ups and downs and the in-betweens.
We have some exciting events coming up. This summer we will be having two Wednesday evening events that I hope that you will mark your calendars for. Food Trucks, games and more will be taking place on Wednesday July 14th and August 11th from 6-8pm. This is a great opportunity to reconnect with some of your friends at Grace, to meet new neighbors and to invite a friend to come and join in the fun. I hope you will be a part of it. We are also about to work on a congregational art project that is being put together by Kristi Larson and a team of folks with an eye for color. Keep your eyes open. I cannot wait to see how it all comes together. We also have signed up for a booth at the Andover Family Fun days on July 10th and 11th. Please let me know if you want to be a part of the planning team or come on over and say hello to us as we greet our neighbors and connect with the community.
I am thankful for all of you! I hope that summer can be a time of rest, renewal and reconnection for us all with God and with one another.
Blessings,
Pastor Joanna Mitchell
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Summer Worship Hours
5:00 pm on Saturdays*
8:30 am on Sundays
10:00 am on Sundays
(P.S. The AC has been repaired and it is cool now in the Worship Center.)
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*Outdoor Worship Our Saturday night worship will be outside in the courtyard at 5pm. Please bring your own lawn chair. All are welcome to attend. We will have chalk for kids. In case of rain or high heat indices, worship will move inside.
Fellowship is Back!!!
We are starting Fellowship after worship on Sundays. Goodies and coffee will be available in the Narthex after worship. We ask that you gather outside to gather, socialize and get to know each other.
We do not require reservations or masks for vaccinated people at in-person worship. If you feel more comfortable wearing a mask, please feel free to do so. We do ask if you are not feeling well or ill please stay home. If you are in the church during Golden Rule Day Care hours please wear a mask in the common areas that are used by the children for their protection.
We will continue to live stream worship services for those who do not feel comfortable coming to worship or those who are out of the area.
**Please note on July 3rd there will not be a 5pm Saturday worship due to the holiday weekend.**
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Family Table
Sunday, June 20th
12:30pm-1:30pm
What a joy and privilege to provide a meal for those in need! Grace will be serving another Family Table “take-out” meal on June 20th.
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June “Conversations on Race and Culture”
Focus on LGBTQ+ Pride, Language and Allyship
Wednesday, June 23rd
at 7pm on Zoom
Have you noticed a change recently in the terminology used by the LGBTQ+ community and perhaps the young people in your life? Do you know what the terms non-binary, genderfluid, and genderqueer mean, or are you afraid to ask? Do you know why some people add their preferred pronouns behind their names on Zoom, or when to refer to an individual as “they / them”? As part of our continuing “Conversations on Race and Culture,” we will be discussing these and other LGBTQ+ topics focusing on the ever-evolving language and their role in allyship. Please join us!
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The Family Promise Book Sale
Thursday, June 24th-8am to 4pm
Friday, June 25th-8am to 4pm
Saturday, June 26th-8am to 4pm
Come by and pick up your summer reading books! All proceeds go to Family Promise in Anoka. The book sale will be at Gayle Pascholl's at 451 139th Ln NW, Andover, MN 55304
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Hello OK@Play Friends!
Thanks to Vickie Mead and the Stang’s for the concert options! We’ve made our decision and Save The Date!
Thursday, June 24th
6:30 - 8:00 p.m.
Magic 70’s Sunshine Band (an ultimate tribute to the 70’s)
The Draw Park & Amphitheater
7401 Ramsey Parkway
Ramsey, MN
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This is free, no RSVP needed. Bring your own chair, maybe a beverage, and bug spray. Whatever you feel you will need.
Will I see everyone up doing the hip hop with the music?! See you there!
Questions? Contact Ann Lange, Mary Jo Trapp, or Deb Stang
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8 Weeks of Centering Prayer
Beginning July 1st
at 9am-10am
"Be Still and Know that I am God." Psalm 46:10
Many of us have hectic and hurried lives. Sometimes the cares of life can feel extremely heavy. One way of releasing the burdens and better recognizing our priorities is to be intentional about spending time with our Creator in silent prayer. Centering Prayer is a prayer practice where one chooses to quiet the mind and simply be in the presence of God. If you have been curious to learn more about Centering Prayer or might benefit from support in your practice, please consider joining us this summer. We are planning to meet in person in the worship center at 9:00am-10:00am on Thursday mornings from July 1st to August 19th. Please contact Anne Weikle at weikle3@msn.com with questions or to indicate you will be joining us. You can also call the church office. While it is not necessary to sign up, it would be helpful to know about how many people are coming. This will be a time for beginners as well as people who have been practicing for a long time.
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Women On Wednesday
2020-2021 Recap
The Women On Wednesday (WOW) year has officially come to a close. This past year we were very fortunate to have enough facilitators to have 5 groups. This meant that all of our groups were under 10 people, which seemed to be a wonderful gift for all. 41 women participated. The groups were enriched by 8 women who are members of other churches in the surrounding area. As with every other aspect of life, WOW looked totally different this year. 4 of the 5 groups met on Zoom exclusively and one group met in person at church except during the height of the spike in COVID-19 cases when the church needed to limit access. While there was much that was missed from our previous WOW seasons, (the amazing WOW treats, the hugs, the noisy laughter in the halls of Grace), the spirit of love and community that makes WOW what it is was present in full measure. All across Anoka County and beyond, computers were fired up every Wednesday morning. We all learned to struggle through the glitches of modern technology, and in spite of everything, women came together and engaged in prayer, in reading the Word of God, and in sharing life with each other. Our very homes were under the umbrella of Grace and the Presence of God. The 5 groups had very different books and subject matter, but when God invites us into a book, whatever it is, and into community, there is learning that happens. When asked what WOW has meant to them this past year, people responded in many ways. A couple of excerpts from some of the responses are as follows:
"WOW has been my guiding light through the dark days of Covid. I was lifted spiritually by our book study and spiritually supported by the wonderful women in my group." Deb S.
"(WOW is) getting to know people more in depth and becoming friends for life, and even more importantly learning and knowing God through new studies…(N)o matter the topic or the group, you learn different perspectives and insights. It’s the best time spent for 9 months out of the year with beautiful ladies!" Ann L.
In summary, we give God thanks and praise for another year of connection and learning. We are already praying for the women in our community to hear the call and feel the nudge to join us in Fall. We trust that the Spirit will continue to guide and direct us just as has been the reality for the past 20+ years of WOW at Grace.
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Family Promise in Anoka County has adopted a new mission statement!
This new mission statement acknowledges a larger breadth of homelessness and the increasing tools Family Promise in Anoka County has developed to help those experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
“Family Promise has never been just about shelter,” explains David Frei, Executive Director of Family Promise in Anoka County, “Shelter is a tool we use to help people on the path to stability. Our goal has never been to simply give people shelter—our goal has always been to get them to a point where they no longer need shelter and never will again.”
Family Promise in Anoka County’s program expansions provide additional assistance for families without homes to achieve their goal of self-sufficiency and sustainable independence. The programs include Breaking Barriers, Home for Keeps, and Bridge Housing. Housing Stabilization, a new initiative for families who have graduated from the original program into permanent housing, was launched in March 2021. This program includes a budgeting mentor and ongoing case management to help families maintain their housing.
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Grace's Opportunities for Giving |
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Grace 4 Rakai
Dear friends,
As Americans, our lives have been impacted by COVID-19 in any number of ways from fighting the virus to receiving the vaccination. We’re now relieved to see our friends and families, and return to some normalcy.
This is not the scenario in most of the world, and certainly not in Rakai, Uganda where COVID-19 is on the rise, with four different variants present. In just one school, 900 of 1000 children tested positive for COVID-19, including all of the teachers. Hospitals are overwhelmed with no beds or oxygen. Richard told me today that Uganda has no vaccinations and none arriving anytime soon.
Will you make a donation today to help others survive the COVID-19 pandemic just as you did? Due to the generosity of several donors, every dollar donated will be matched up to $12,500! By providing food and masks, you’ll reassure the isolated people of Rakai that they are not alone.
Last week, the government shut down the country for the next 42 days. Orders to stay home. No markets to buy food. No transportation. Prohibited from going to gardens and farms to get produce. Stopped from going to clinics for medical care.
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African Children Today has a primary school for 1500 students in Rakai - last week we had 500 children at school, who had returned after the last COVID-19 lockdown was lifted. The school is now empty. The children begged to stay at school knowing a quality education is their hope for a better future. Instead, many return to a home where a family of four shares a small piece of sugar cane as their meal.
Our goal: provide 1,000 families with flour, rice, beans, masks and soap for the 42 day shutdown at the cost $75 per family of six. Will you make a donation at
African Children Today.org or send a check today to African Children Today P.O. Box 390123, Edina, MN, 55439. 100% of your donation will go to the purchase of these necessities - we have no administrative fees or overhead. And every dollar will be matched up to $12,500.
“Where you live should not determine whether you live, or whether you die.” - Bono
With deep gratitude,
Ann Underbrink Hill, President
AfricanChildrenToday.org
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Want to get involved at Grace?
We have the several opportunities!
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Looking for people to help with Altar Guild for all worship services. It is a simple, behind the scene way to help with worship. You will be trained and guided. Please contact Marie Kolar if you are willing to help at mariek@graceandover.org
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Do you like to sing and be involved in Music Ministry? Then you are who we are looking for! We are looking for choir members for both traditional and contemporary choirs. If you are interested please contact David Phelps at davidp@graceandover.org
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Communion Servers are needed for all worship services. We will train and guide you through the process. It just takes a few minutes during each service and is a wonderful, meaningful way to participate in worship. Please contact Kris Miller at kmiller@graceandover.org.
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Now that Fellowship is back after worship on Sundays, we are looking for people, families and groups to host Fellowship Time. This would involve set up and clean up after each worship service. Please contact Kris Miller at kmiller@graceandover.org if you would like to help out.
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Noisy Offerings
Noisy Offering for June 16th-30th will be directed to Grace 4 Rakai. Here are the photos of a typical family in Rakai. One of the boys has recently been sponsored and so their lives will improve, but for many of the children in the ACT school this is what they are returning to. I am touched by the last photo - Richard said this little girl cried when she learned the school was closing again and begged him to let her stay. He told me that she couldn't have walked more slowly as she left.
I just read that oxygen has run out in Uganda as cases increased by 2,800% in the past month, with the hardest hit age group from 30 to 39 and the second hardest hit from 20 to 29. Please keep praying! If you have given toward the purchase of basic necessities for these families, thank you! If you have not, please consider a generous donation today. (Your gift will still be matched so every dollar becomes two!) I have never seen Richard and Johnson as worried and burdened as they are right now.
Thank you for caring for the children of Rakai - I am privileged to be on this journey with you.
Ann
Thank you for your generosity!
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Give Electronically through GraceRealm |
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Consider electronic giving on GraceRealm. It’s a convenient way to give consistently throughout the year. If you have any questions, contact Frances or Marie in the Church Office or Click on the GraceRealm link below.
If you are wondering where your giving is for the year, please log in to GraceRealm. Find Giving on the tool bar. Then select My Giving History.
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Prayers of the Church
For all who call upon your healing name: John Malecha, Ron Clarstrom, John Denney, Linda Breyette, Christine, Margi Anderson, Colleen Ishee, Conner Collins, Norman Bute, Ken Howard Adam Howard, Elisha Shoars, Ralph Wernimont, Stephanie Fernandez, Samantha Fernandez, Carroll Potter, Christopher Sluis, Julie Swedberg, LaDonna Lilyquist, Charlotte Montei, Lynn Zirkle, Elsie Weisenberger, Linda Christiansen, Judi Wold, and Colleen Wernimont.
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