GRACE NOTES
February 7 - 14, 2023
For Worship services please visit our YouTube channel.
What's Going On At Grace

+Sun , Feb 5 - Fri, Feb 17 - Strategic Planning Survey

+Tues, Feb 21 - Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper & Palm Burning, 6:30pm

+Wed, Feb 22 - Ash Wednesday Services - 12pm and 6:30pm

+Sun, Feb 26 - Sun, Mar 5 - Family Promise

+Wed, Mar 1 - Lenten Soup Suppers, Program, and Worship begin

Many of these events have more details in other sections. This section is updated each week, so keep checking in. You can also see the full church calendar HERE.
Take Grace's
Strategic Planning Survey!

As we discern who God is calling Grace to be, we invite you to take part in our Strategic Planning Survey!

In the next several months, our congregation will be working through a strategic planning process. As part of this process, we will utilize a customized survey from our consultant to gain insight into our congregational engagement and priorities.

This survey is brief - it should only take 6-10 minutes to complete.

Your voice and participation matter! We are asking every member to take this survey; members in the same household are each encouraged to complete their own individual survey. More voices make for better discernment! We are off to a great start, with over 50 people completing the survey already! Thank you!

Please click HERE to complete the survey.

In case you missed it, you can click HERE for the special enews we sent on Friday with information about our strategic planning process.

Thank you in advance for being part of this process!

If you have any trouble accessing the survey, please contact the church office for assistance.
"The Ski Trip is a great time to connect with each other and get to know each other better. My favorite parts of the ski trip are doing Sunday worship with everyone and also doing snow activities with friends." - Mary V

Last weekend, our Youth went to Winterplace Ski Resort for our Ski Retreat! We had a fantastic time trying out snow sports, spending time together, and enjoying God's creation.

Thank you for supporting for our Youth Ministry,
providing for trips like these!

We especially thank Stephanie Beer, Lori Brown, and Sean & Heather Litzinger for serving as our adult leaders with Pr. Rachel on this trip!

To see photos of this great weekend, click HERE!
As we celebrate our 100th year of ministry at Grace, we give thanks that we have been called to be in this community for 100 years. We know our community and we are known here. Still, there are more connections to be made. As we begin Moving Forward in Grace, we are diving into our goal of making 100 new community connections in 2023.

We'll be keeping track of our connections and sharing them with each other. To do so, please click HERE to share your connection!

To read the previous enews about our 100 Connections, click HERE.
This year, we're inviting the whole congregation to take part in preparing our Grace Family Dinners! Rather than assigning committees to dates, we are asking that everyone consider how they might help with our dinners and sign up for dates that work for you.

If you have a favorite soup, we hope you'll share it! If you're not as much of a cook, but can provide bread or drinks, that's great! We'll also need assistance with setup and cleanup.

Just like in a household, many hands will make light work!
Click HERE to sign up to help with a Grace Family Dinner.
It's time to register for Summer Camp at our NovusWay Lutheran Camps! If you're interested in going to one of our 4 regional camps, click HERE for info about their programs!

We know camp can be expensive, and we don't want cost to be a barrier to anyone's faith formation. If you'd like to apply for a Grace scholarship for a NovusWay camp, please click HERE or speak to Pr. Rachel for more information.

Feb 26 - Mar 5, 2023!

We need YOUR help to make this a success! 

Your time and effort given to host Family Promise make a concrete difference in the lives of our guests. Creating a safe and welcoming home for a week is a blessing, and we are grateful for your participation. 
You can sign up to help by clicking HERE.
 
Volunteer opportunities include:
 
-Sunday, Feb 26, 11 am - four volunteers are needed for about an hour to transform Sunday School rooms into bedrooms for families for the week; tasks include moving tables & chairs, inflating mattresses, making beds, putting down rugs, etc.
 
-At 6 pm every night (except Tuesday) dinner is needed for up to 15 people and Grace guests; volunteers plan, prepare and serve the meal, cooking offsite or in Grace’s kitchen. Volunteers and their families are encouraged to eat with our guests. Beverages and ice cream along with serving/eating utensils, plates, cups, napkins, etc. are furnished by the church.
 
-From 6-8 pm each night (except Tuesday) one or two volunteers are needed as evening hosts to eat dinner with the families and stay to visit, play games, walk around the block, watch TV, etc.

-Each night, two volunteers (one female and one male) are needed to stay overnight at the church from 8 p.m. until 7 a.m. the next morning. Air mattresses are supplied, and volunteers are housed in separate classrooms.

-Sunday Mar 5 at 7:30 am, three people are needed to prepare classrooms for Sunday School.
 
-Following Mar 5, one or two volunteers are needed to launder church-owned bed linens for use the next time we host Family Promise.
 
Thank you for your support of this ministry!
 
Questions about Grace hosting Family Promise? Contact Pr. Rachel
Seniors @ Grace

Seniors@Grace will be hosting our annual visit from the Carolina Copy Cats on Thursday February 23, 2023. It is always a fun filled visit that brings many laughs and smiles. Come join us at 11:30 a.m. for good conversation followed by lunch at noon. 
The Carolina Copy Cats will perform after lunch. Lunch will be $6.00 and we will take up a free will offering to donate to the performers. Mark your calendars now for this fun afternoon. Please RSVP by February 21. If you have any questions please let Annie-Laurie Wheat know. She can be reached at (803) 517-0626 (cell) or (803) 980-1834 (home) or by email at wheatannielaurie@gmail.com
Get to know our new members!
 
Welcome
Doug Ray!

Click HERE to learn more about Doug.
February is American Heart Health Month.

Click HERE to read an article from the Health & Wellness Committee on heart health.
OUTREACH UPDATES AND OPPORTUNITIES
Outreach Partnerships in Action
 
Click HERE to read how Grace recently partnered with Bethel Men's Shelter and Oakland Avenue Presbyterian Church to ensure that our neighbors had shelter on some very cold January nights.
HOPE of Rock Hill Donations
Biggest needs this week:
Diapers sizes 4, 5 & 6, Pull-Ups all sizes, Hygiene Items, Toilet Paper, Paper Towels, Cleaning Supplies, Condiments, Cereal
HOPE has plenty of green beans and asks that you do not donate more at this time.

You can drop items off in the bin located outside the church offices and a volunteer will take them over to HOPE. Please only place non-perishable items in the bin!
Congregation Connections
The Sanctuary candle for the month of February is given by Linda Bailey in memory of Mike Bailey.

The Altar Flowers for February 12 are given by Rose and Briant Knechtel in celebration of our anniversary.

The Altar Flowers for February 12 are given by Theresa Miller in honor of Alexander's birthday.
Member Memories
One of the ways we will be celebrating the rich history of Grace this year is to hear about its impact on the lives of its members.

Following the example of Richard Denton (one of the first to be baptized at Grace, and now a member of the Church Triumphant), we hope to share these member memories throughout our 100th year. Click HERE to read Richard Denton's Remembrance of Grace "The Early Years."

These do not need to be very long - even a single paragraph would be fine. Simply share with us your perspective, the way your story and Grace's story came together, and we will publish these remembrances in these Grace Notes publications throughout the year.

Email your memories to 100years@gracerockhill.com
Sunday Morning Hospitality is a true gift in our congregation! We have the opportunity to gather around coffee and pastries while catching up, sharing news, and meeting new people!

If you'd like to be part of this ministry, please click here to sign up as a host. If you've never hosted before, we have people who can walk you through it. Your time and effort make a big difference for the congregation.

Thank you to everyone who has been part of this ministry, and who will be taking part in the months to come!
We have several opportunities available to sponsor our Sanctuary Candle and Altar Flowers! We invite you to take part in providing these beautiful signs of faith and our life as church together. Click on the links below to sign up.
2023 Sanctuary Candle
Grace continues to keep our Sanctuary Candle burning every week, a sign of the continuing presence of Jesus Christ in our lives. The month of October is still available to sponsor. The cost of the candle is $25.
 
Click HERE to sign up.
Altar Flowers
It is a long-standing tradition at Grace for members to sponsor the weekly flowers, often in honor or memory of a special person or event.

The cost is $45 for one or $90 for both vases.

The flowers are available to sponsor for Feb. 19. Click HERE to sign up.
Worship Assistant Schedule

Click HERE for the current schedule.

Don't see your name? Want to be part of leading worship? Email the church office today!
Dear Grace Family,

We are saddened to inform you that former member Sarah Marshall died on January 25, 2023. Click HERE for the obituary.
 
Our sympathy and prayers enfold her family in this time of grief.

If you would like to express your individual sympathies to Sarah's parents, Curt and Christine, the contact information is below:
 
4061 Henshaw Road
Waxhaw, NC 27173
Offering Our Gifts to God

Your gifts to Grace allow our ministry to happen! You can give in several ways:

  • Give via the offering plate in worship
  • Give online by clicking HERE (you have the option to offset the cost of giving online)
  • Set up giving though your bank
  • Mail your offering to the church office.

Thank you for continued faithful giving!
Click HERE for the January Treasurer's Report
If you are in need of help (of any kind), or simply want to connect,
please reach out to the pastors. We want to walk with you.
Please call or email us.
Stay connected! Click on the links below!
GRACE LUTHERAN CHURCH
426 Oakland Avenue
Rock Hill, SC 29730
803.324.5295 www.gracerockhill.com

(740) 312-5774 (Pastor Gregg’s cell)
(864) 230-3816 (Pastor Rachel’s cell)

Office Hours:
Monday - Thursday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm