It’s time for the annual potluck Christmas Brunch. The brunch is from 10-11 am in the Great Room on Sunday, December 22. Bring a dish to share. There is a bulletin board with sign-up sheets at Grace. Enjoy fellowship and food on the fourth Sunday of Advent!
Each month on the first Sunday you’re encouraged to take home a re-usable yellow grocery bag, put some non-perishable items in it, and bring it back the next week, or soon thereafter. In November and December our contributions go to Operation Holiday. Operation Holiday is a mission of Humankind Ministries (formerly known as Interfaith Ministries). Operation Holiday expects to serve over 15,000 people this year.
December 1 On this first Sunday of Advent we celebrate the Lord’s Supper at both services. We celebrate the sacrament of baptism at the 9 am service. Catherine Neelly Burton preaches from Jeremiah 33:14-18.
December 8 This is the second Sunday of Advent. Our worship team leads in both services, and the scripture for the day is Isaiah 40:1-11.
December 15 Catherine Neelly Burton preaches on this third Sunday of Advent. The scripture for the day comes from Ezra.
December 22 On this final Sunday of Advent, Catherine Neelly Burton preaches from Luke 1.
December 29 We worship at 10 am on this Sunday. Geoff Snook preaches.
Worship at 9 am is in the Great Room and is led musically by our band. The style is less formal than the 11 am service. The 11 am service is in the Sanctuary and is led musically by our choirs. The style is more traditional.
There is Sunday School on December 1, 8, and 15. There are no classes on December 22 or 29. On December 29 there is One Worship Service at 10 am in the sanctuary.
A nursery is available all morning from 8:50 – 12:15. From 10 – 10:45 Colissa Fry leads a Sunday School lesson for these children.
3 year old – 1st grade meets in room B10 (in the basement) also known as the ‘Foundation Station.’
3rd, 4th, and 5th graders meet in Room 206 (on the 2nd floor), also known as the ‘Excavation Station.’ 6th graders join this class as mentors for the younger students.
7-12th graders meet in the Youth Center (downstairs).
There is one option for adults to participate in Sunday School in December.
Join us in December for Sunday School! Melissa Buteyn leads us in a study about how hymns help us worship. We’ll learn the stories behind some popular hymns and explore their message for us today. This class meets December 1, 8, and 15.
Dear Grace Community,
While technically not a Christian Holiday, Thanksgiving has the feel of a holy day. Many times in the Psalms we hear the words, “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. God’s love endures forever.” To set aside a day for giving thanks is a gift. I hope it is that for you.
I am aware that Thanksgiving, or any holiday, can also be hard depending on life situations. We’ve had 14 deaths in our congregation this year, and many of you have experienced loss. Some of you may be spending Thanksgiving alone or without a significant person.
I hope that you have space this Thanksgiving to feel whatever it is you are feeling, be it sadness or joy. I also invite you to our annual Silent Night Worship Service on December 9, at 6:30 pm in the sanctuary. It is a quiet service that includes prayer and communion.
Around Grace we continue to give thanks for the Deep Roots campaign, and I want to update you on where we are. The planned updates to Jacob’s Learning Ladder were done earlier this fall, but we’ve discovered new projects in the process. One goal of the renovations was to license a new room and re-license current room. (Licensing is with the state.)
When we went to re-license the two upstairs rooms, so that we could adapt the ages we take in those rooms, we learned that in order to get re-licensed we would have to install a new sprinkler system. The Trustees approved this project and allocated funds from our building endowment and long-term maintenance funds. This was not a small undertaking but is now done.
The new room downstairs is also done, but we are still in a waiting pattern with the health department and fire department. We hope to get final approval and licensing soon and have children in there by the start of 2020. However, it is out of our hands, and we are getting good at being patient.
The new room downstairs and new office configuration meant that we needed a new teacher work area, so we converted B-13 (formerly the gold room and also the purple room) into a workspace. It is now up and functioning.
The extra projects (sprinklers and B-13) mean that we haven’t started on other Deep Roots projects. Next on the list is the Parlor, and we plan to start on that soon. Fell free to talk with me or Dr. Martin Burch with any questions you have about this process.
In Christ,
Catherine