Voting at Grace in August

,

Grace is again an early voting site.  You may early vote at Grace on Thursday, July 30 ,and Friday, July 31, from 10 am – 7 pm and on Saturday, August 1, from 9 am – 4 pm.  You may early vote at Grace even if this is not your assigned voting location.  On Tuesday, August 4, voting at Grace is held all day but is only for those assigned to this location.

If you come to vote (or come to the church for another reason), know that the only door that is open on voting days is door six by the sanctuary/Douglas parking lot.  All other doors are locked.

Masks are not required for people to vote. The Session discussed this and how to best protect our Jacob’s Learning Ladder (JLL) teachers and families.  Door 1 (the north door that JLL uses) will be locked, but JLL families and staff will have access with their badges.  JLL families have never had access to this before but because of our controlled access we can make this work for a few days.  Anyone not here for JLL will not be allowed access to Door 6 (this includes voters and you).  We are sorry for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience.

/by

Session Updates: March and April

Pre-Pandemic we regularly published Session minute summaries in Grace this Week.  Since we have not been together some of you have asked if we could publish them online.  What follows are summaries of the minutes from March and April 2020.  May and June are in another post, and we’ll continue to share this way.  Full copies of the minutes are always available upon request.

Session Summary: March 16, 2020

  • The session met via Zoom and began with prayer.
  • Steve Hooper was elected as the clerk of Session (and secretary of the corporation).
  • Catherine gave an update on the Next Church Conference she attended in early March.
  • Sunday, March 15, worship was online only, and the Session voted to continue this through the month of March.
  • Jacob’s Learning Ladder remains open.
  • A discussion as held about how long we could guarantee to pay Grace staff (Jacob’s Learning Ladder (JLL) included). Session voted to continue to pay staff through the April Session meeting (regardless as to giving or JLL tuition) and to work with the trustees to evaluate things before then.
  • The Parlor is ready to be painted as part of the Deep Roots campaign, and the BOT approved ordering the furniture selected by the Parlor team.
  • Financial reports were approved and received.
  • The staff is working to communicate with the congregation through calls, Facebook, emails, and texts.
  • The meeting was closed with joys, concerns, and prayer.

Session Summary: March 30, 2020 (called meeting)

  • The meeting was held via Zoom and opened with prayer.
  • The Session voted to continue online only worship through April.
  • Martin Burch gave an update on the church financial status.
  • Jacob’s is currently at about half of its pre-mid-March enrollment. We expect the same or lower enrollment in April.  The Food Ministry will lose money in this time.
  • Martin took a webinar on the Payroll Protection Loans and will continue to investigate them. He is working with our local Citizen’s Bank on this as well as the Board of Trustees.
  • Catherine shared that the PCUSA has changed its stance on virtual communion and is now permitting it.
  • Catherine led a discussion about how we could have a baptism on Easter.
  • The meeting was closed with prayer.

Session Summary: April 20, 2020

  • The meeting was held via Zoom and opened with prayer.
  • A report was given on Deep Roots updates. The painting in the Parlor is done, and the carpet and furniture are ordered.
  • A discussion was held about how online worship is going, what’s working and what could be better. Catherine noted that we will continue online worship long after people can return to the building.
  • A discussion was held about when to return to in person worship. The Session voted to stay online only through May 17 and to revisit this at the May 18 Session meeting.
  • The financial report was given then received and approved.
    • Martin noted (previously emailed) that we received the Paycheck Protection Program loan, and that it will most likely become a grant.
    • Jacob’s Learning Ladder numbers were discussed.
  • Sean Foster has resigned and will enroll in graduate school.
  • It was noted that many Grace teams continue to meet virtually. The Grace zoom account is very active.
  • The session voted to rescind our invitation to host presbytery on May 12. (Catherine said it was all but certain that the meeting would be either virtual or cancelled.)  In the event that it is virtual, Dave McIntire and Darcy Eads were elected as commissioners.
  • April was to be the month to meet with the confirmation class. That will happen in May, either via Zoom or in person.  Confirmation Sunday is set to be May 31.
  • The staff and others continue to cultivate online community building opportunities.
  • Our church, with the presbytery, applied for a grant from the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance to benefit the Wichita International Rescue Committee. We received $5,000 for IRC.
  • A called Session meeting is set for April 27 to elect a search team for the Director of Music Ministry position.
  • The meeting was closed with joys, concerns, and prayer.

Session Summary: April 27, 2020 (called meeting)

  • The meeting was held via Zoom and was opened with prayer.
  • There were two items on the agenda:
    • To elect a search team for the Director of Music Ministry position
    • To determine steps for worship
  • The Session approved the search team: Pam Head, Janet Rhoads, Charlene Randle, Dave McIntire, and Bill Vavra
  • The Session voted for worship to remain online through May.
  • Because a Grace staff member tested positive for the coronavirus, worship this week is pre-recorded from the homes of staff members.
  • The building is currently closed, including JLL.
/by

Grace Saturday Update: July 25

Dear Grace Community,

Last Sunday we offered a blessing to Sean Foster in worship.  Sean’s last official Sunday with us is August 9.  This spring when Sean announced that he was leaving, the Session formed a search team to find a new Director of Music Ministry.

It was two years ago that Sean was hired for the position.  Several of the people on that 2018 team were uniquely qualified to serve again, so we started building the team from there and added new members.  At a called meeting on April 27, the Session approved the following people to serve on the 2020 search team: Pam Head, Dave McIntire, Charlene Randle, Janet Rhoads, and Bill Vavra.  I also serve on the team.

Our team met a couple of times via Zoom and laid out a job description and timeline for our process.  Then we began to learn more about the Covid related dangers of singing.  Sean participated in multiple webinars focused on the high-risk factors and shared with us what he learned.  By late May, the Session put the search on hold.

At its July 20 meeting, the Session approved a job description for an Interim Coordinator of Music Ministry.  This is a three-month position.  Music is central to the life of the church, but without regular gatherings for ensembles, we need less of a director and more of a coordinator.  The plan is to evaluate where things stand related to singing and the virus in mid-October and either continue with an interim or re-start our search.  We receive applications for this new position through August 10.

Regarding in-person worship, the Session continues to monitor the Sedgwick County Covid dashboard here>

We know that there is no perfect metric for determining when to return.  The Session meets again on August 2 at 1 pm via Zoom to discuss this more.  We are considering many options.

You can reach out to Session members anytime, but I know it’s harder when we don’t see each other on Sundays.  I encourage you to contact Session members, and as always, you’re welcome to attend Session meetings.  Please let me know if you’d like to attend on August 2 (or anytime), and I’ll send you the Zoom info.  (Session members are Sandy Blaylock, Dennis Buteyn, Darcy Eads, Pam Head, Fred Heismeyer, Dave McIntire, Betsy Ross, Elyse Scholl, Ginny Vincent, Joe Wangombe, and Alisa Watkins.)

In Christ,
Catherine

Links

Mission Spotlight: July 2020

PCUSA General Assembly and (Catherine Neelly Burton) Part III

Grace Book Club

Emergency Food: Thank you!

Church Directory Pick-up

If you did not pick up your church directory before we shut down, you are welcome to come by and get it.  Call the church to let us know, and we’ll have it outside the volunteer office with your name on it.

IRC Backpack Drive

Thank you for your generous donations to the refugee backpack drive.  We are no longer receiving physical supplies, but financial donations are welcome.

Worship and Connection Opportunities:

Sunday, July 26 at 10 am

Worship via Facebook live at 10 am or watch our services at mygpc.org

You do not need a Facebook account to watch.  Go here:

Week 4 of our Unraveled worship series

Sermon scripture: Jeremiah 29:1-7

Catherine Neelly Burton preaches.

Hymns: #291 Spirit, Spirit of Gentleness; #803 My Shepherd Will Supply My Need

Download the Bulletin here

Monday, July 27 at 8 – 8:15 am: Morning Prayer

Start the day on Zoom with prayer with Catherine Neelly Burton.

Join by computer/tablet/smartphone: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89934835947

Join by phone: 1 346 248 7799

Meeting ID: 899 3483 5947

Monday, July 27 at 11 am: Memorial Service for Julia Carter

We gather to witness to the resurrection and give thanks to God for Julia.  You are welcome to attend the service at Grace, and if you prefer to attend at home, it will be livestreamed on the Grace Facebook page. You do not need a Facebook account to watch.  Go here: https://www.facebook.com/mygpc.org

Tuesday, July 28 at 2 pm: 4 Week Study of the Holy Spirit with Martin Burch: Week 3

What do we know of the Holy Spirit? What does the bible say about the Holy Spirit? How does the Spirit work in the history of the church and in our lives now? We’ll explore these questions and more. Bring your questions and join us for this study.

Join by computer/tablet/smartphone: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81629686558

Join by phone:  1 346 248 7799

Meeting ID: 816 2968 6558

Wednesday, July 29

If you have a youth in your family who wants to connect, contact Kirk@mygpc.org

This week the youth continue a book/Bible study using the Bible and Rob Bell’s book What Is the Bible? The book costs $6.  Contact Kirk with questions.

 

 

 

/by

Emergency Food: Thank you!

In March we invited you to give money to an emergency food fund.  Thanks to your generosity we’ve shared $8,000.  This is amazing!  Your giving made a huge impact, and we are grateful we could share these funds on your behalf.  Below is a list of where we shared.

  • Kansas Food Bank
  • Covenant Presbyterian Church Food Pantry
  • UMC Open Door Food Pantry
  • Chase Community Presbyterian Church Food Pantry
  • Good Neighbor Food Pantry (Hillside Neighborhood)
/by

Grace Book Club: September 1 at 6:30 pm

 

 

Join the Grace Book club on Tuesday, September 1, at 6:30 pm, in the Great Room.  (Wear a mask!)  The book club discusses The Four Vision Quests of Jesus by Steven Charleston.

/by