Are you a Grace visitor? Come learn more about our church on Sunday, December 8, at 10 am. Enjoy coffee and refreshments in Room 103 with Pastor Catherine Neelly Burton.
We’ll talk about Grace, how you might get more involved, and what it means to join the church. Get to Know Grace takes place during the Sunday School hour. RSVPs are not required but are helpful, 684-5215, or catherine@mygpc.org.
Here we are in one of the most exciting times of the year. We are approaching Advent, and what a great time to worship God as a family and talk about the coming of the Christ-child together. Children’s ministry at Grace would like to help you do this.
On the first Sunday of advent we are offering the “praying in color” Advent calendar. We suggest that as a family you select the name of one person for each day in Advent and write their name on the space provided. Color around their name, add symbols, doodles, design or texture. Then, do the same thing the next day with a different name. By Christmas, your family will have prayed for 24 different people. Purchasing some fun new pens and wrapping them up as an “advent” gift might be a great way to generate some excitement around this activity. Please post your experiences on the Grace Facebook page. We would love to hear how you are incorporating your faith within your family this Christmas season.
Messy Church is December 8, at 4:30 pm. This is a special night full of Christmas music and a fun family activity to take home.
We kick off the holiday season at Jacob’s Learning Ladder during November by getting ready for our Feast Celebration. Children are busy preparing for the Feast in their classrooms. They bake muffins, make table decorations, create place mats for their seat at the table, and learn fun songs to sing for their families. After the program, the children sit down to enjoy a soup lunch with their families. Each child brought cans of vegetables for show and share to contribute to the soup. The teachers use these activities as a way to encourage sharing with one another and being thankful for all we have.
For anyone who has experienced loss or sadness, the holidays can be difficult, or at the least, stir up emotions. Whether it is a public loss, like a death in the family or a divorce, or a more private sadness, it can be hard to move through a season when the expectations are high energy, big smiles, and full schedules.
Recognizing that some of us need a time to pause, a quiet time and space set apart during the Advent Season, Grace hosts our annual “Silent Night” service on Monday, December 9, at 6:30 pm in the sanctuary. It is a quiet worship service that includes the Lord’s Supper.
All are invited to join us. Even if you approach Advent and Christmas with no sadness or heaviness you may appreciate a quiet evening of worship.
Messy Church happens at 4:30 pm, December 8. Invite your neighbors and friends to this fun, interactive hands on ministry. Dinner is served at 5:30 pm. This is our chance as a congregation to make a heart connection with our kids and families who may be new to our church or even new to Christian faith. Passing on our story means that every believer gets the opportunity to share the ways in which God has rescued them. Life is Messy, why should our faith be any different?