When a natural disaster hits the United States, the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) responds in multiple ways. One response is with Clean Up Buckets and Hygiene Kits. After Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, it’s time to re-stock the PDA warehouse.  The Presbytery of Southern Kansas is collecting buckets and kits and will send them all to the PDA warehouse in Arkansas in November.

How can you help?  Put together a bucket or kit, and bring it to Grace by Sunday, November 12.  Please put together an entire bucket or kit, not a partial.  Feel free to get together with friends to make it happen.

Questions?  Contact Catherine Neelly Burton, Catherine@mygpc.org

Clean-Up Bucket List

  • One five-gallon bucket with resealable lid (If bucket has been used, clean well but do not use if it held chemicals of any kind.)
  • Four scouring pads
  • Seven sponges, including one large
  • One scrub brush
  • Eighteen reusable cleaning towels (e.g. Easy Wipes)
  • One 50 oz or two 25 oz bottles of liquid disinfectant dish soap
  • One 12-16 oz bottle of household cleaner that can be mixed with water (no spray bottles)
  • One package of 48-50 clothespins
  • Clothesline, two 50 ft or one 100 ft
  • Five dust masks
  • Two pairs non-surgical latex gloves
  • One pair work gloves, cotton with leather palm or all leather
  • 24-28 heavy duty or contractor type 30-45 gallon trash bags on a roll and removed from carton
  • One 6-9 oz bottle of non-aerosol insect repellent

All cleaning items must be new – all liquid items must be capped and securely tightened. Place all items into the bucket, making sure they are packed securely to avoid damage during shipment. Snap the lid on tight and seal with packing tape.

Hygiene Kits

  • One hand towel measuring approximately 15”x28” to 16”x32” (no fingertip, bath, dish towel or micro-fiber)
  • One washcloth
  • One wide-tooth comb removed from the package
  • One fingernail or toenail clipper removed from the package
  • One bath-size bar of soap in the wrapper
  • One toothbrush in the package
  • Ten standard size Band-Aids

All items need to fit inside a one-gallon plastic zipper closure bag. Remove the excess air from the bag and seal. Do NOT add any extra items or toothpaste. Extended expiration date toothpaste is added to the kit before its final journey.

  • Every two seconds someone in the United States needs blood.
  • One pint of blood (the approximate amount given in a donation) can be used to help up to three people.
  • About 1/3 of the US population is eligible to give blood.
  • Five million patients in the US need blood every year.

On November 12, we host a Red Cross Blood drive at Grace from 8 am – 1 pm. Sign up to donate by calling the office at 684-5215, emailing Catherine Neelly Burton at Catherine@mygpc.org  or by going here:

You may use the “rapid pass” and save time on the day of your donation.  Go to redcrossblood.org/RapidPass to finish the pre-donation reading and health history questionnaire online before coming to your appointment.

Children and Youth

  • Children ages 0-Pre-K

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.

  • Kindergarten – 2nd Grade

Kindergarten – 2nd grade meets in room B10 (in the basement) also known as the ‘Foundation Station.’

  • 3rd – 5th Grades

3rd, 4th, and 5th graders meet in Tower Room (on the 2nd floor).

  • Youth

6-8th graders meet in the Youth Center (downstairs)

9-12th graders meet in the Youth Center (downstairs)

Adult

Faithful Families – Meets in Room 103

This follow up class for adults who participated in the three weeks of “Faithful Families” gives us the chance to talk about how it worked to incorporate (or try to incorporate) the practices of prayer, scripture and worship at home.  Did something work well? We’d love to hear.  Was something unrealistic or a disaster?  Maybe someone else has a better solution.

Bible 101 – Meets in Room 101

Do you want to know more about the Bible but don’t know where to start?  All fall we offer a Bible 101 class.  Each small unit (4 weeks for the second unit) provides an entrance into scripture.  If you’ve studied the Bible before you’ll enjoy the refresher. 

onethousandgiftsphotobook-HiRes-255x300The book club meets the final Monday of the month on October 30 at 6:30 pm.  The book is One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp.  The October meeting is at Penny Hilton’s.  Penny lives at Country Park Residences, and the group meets in the complex Club House. Contact Penny for more information, 316-621-0390, or Capri Zimmerman at prizslp@gmail.com.

Each month Grace distributes bus tickets to people in our community.  This happens on the 15th of the month, or if the 15th is a weekend we meet the Friday before.  Volunteers and those receiving tickets begin to gather around 6:30 am in the Grace Alcove. Guests are greeted with smiles, coffee, water, and a place to sit. Tickets are distributed at 7:50 am.

We invite all guests to a brief worship service with communion in the Great Room at 7:35 am.

We can always use volunteers to help with set-up, clean-up, and ticket distribution.  Want to help?  Contact Kirk Anderson, kirk@mygpc.org or 684-5215.