August 18, 2024 Newsletter

Turn from evil and do good;
                                   seek peace and pursue it. 

                                                                      ~Psalm 34:14

Pastor’s Thoughts:

As I write this, we are deep into a hotly contested Presidential (and other offices) election. Tensions are running high. People are taking sides and arguing about who is best suited to lead the United States. And there are deeply held convictions.

The followers of Jesus have deeply held convictions. We believe that Jesus came to teach us, to heal us, and to offer us forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life through his death and resurrection. We believe that God loves us so much that the Son came to show us that love. We believe that the grace and love of God call for a response from us. These convictions are the foundation of our lives and are what guide us and shape our interactions in the world. 

The times we are living in are especially challenging. It is easy to throw stones at those we disagree with and even to argue that an opinion different from ours reflects a lack of faith or commitment to Jesus. Our deeply held convictions about politics,  social issues, and culture often seem to crowd out our call to love as we have been loved.  While disagreements are part of being human, we sometimes seem to forget the humanity of those with whom we disagree. And tension and conflict —- sometimes under the guise of religious convictions— can overshadow love.

Loving our neighbor does not mean we have to agree. But it does mean that we take a moment to consider where they may be coming from and what is shaping their   ideas and convictions. Loving our neighbor means listening to learn and to understand rather than formulating a counterargument or even an attack. And loving our neighbor means knowing when to walk away in order not to heap pain upon pain.

This is tough. Believe me, I know. But none of us have any perfect answers to the things that divide us. What we do have is faith in Jesus, a faith that allows room for discussion and even debate, even when our thoughts don’t align with each other … about candidates, about policies, about the issues that are important to our country and our world. Loving Jesus and loving one another in Jesus’ name means remembering that we are all human, and we are all navigating our current circumstances as best we can, clinging to the hope that God is always very present with us— and with those around us, because God loves us that much. Our faith reminds us that the arc of God’s presence in the world always bends toward justice, mercy, compassion, and most especially, love.

We will make our way through these times. But we will be better able to do so by remembering who we are and whose we are, as well as how deeply we and those around us are loved.

In Christ,

Pastor Brenda

Fall Adult Class:

As we journey together as Christians and Americans toward the 5 November elections, let’s take this opportunity to talk about how we can best engage with each  other and the community around tough issues.

The Adult Class will begin a six-week study on the ELCA’s Civic Life and Faith   document on 8 September (Sunday) and 11 September (Wednesday). Each week, these two options for the class will study the same materials so that if you miss  Sunday, you can join on Wednesday.

Schedule:

8/11 September: Session 1

15/18: NO CLASS—Pastor on vacation

22/25 September: Session 2

29 Sept/2 Oct: Session 3

6/9 October: Session 4

13/16 October: Session 5

20/23 October: Session 6

The Sunday class meets at 8:15 a.m., and the Wednesday class meets at 6:00 p.m. Both sessions meet in Room 3.

The Civic Life and Faith document will be available on 25 August so that you can read Session 1 in advance.

The Readings for Sunday August 18, 2024

Proverbs 9:1-6

Psalm 34:9-14

Ephesians 5:15-20

John 6:51-58

Please join us – Sunday Fellowship Time

In Fellowship Hall

August 18th – Wendy McCall and Debbie Fallon 

Now through August 23 accepting donations of snack size Skittles for the Pride Parade. They will be passed out to the parade attendees.

Meditation

 by Vicar Dave

I’m not a fisherman, but I remember every year, for few days in spring, the fishermen would gather along the banks of the St. Clair River and “dip” for smelt. This  process involved taking a net on a pole and dipping it into the river. Then you’d pull it up and have a net full of these tasty little fish. It was really something to watch. It   reminds me of the annual salmon run, where they swim upstream to breed. Like the smelt, the salmon must swim upstream for some reason. During their annual swim upstream, there are bears and fishermen, waiting to snatch them up. You have to wonder why they haven’t developed a better way to migrate then swimming right into these traps.

Going along with a crowd can be like that. Peer pressure will sometimes cause teenagers to do things that they know they’d be better of not doing. Even as an adult, peer pressure can have a big influence on us. This world tries to pressure us to value material things. We are told that the more we have, the better we are. Some people live their lives believing that the one who dies with the most toys, wins. We want more and more material things, but these things are temporary.

Jesus tells us that we shouldn’t build up treasures that can be consumed by rust or insects. Instead, we should build up treasures in heaven, by giving up this endless search for more and by caring for our brothers and sisters in the world. This really goes against the thinking of this world, doesn’t it? In this case, we’re swimming upstream against peer pressure. Like the smelt and the salmon, there will be snares and traps along the way. But Jesus promises to be with us through it and to guide us safely to His kingdom.

neighbor to neighbor

love   learn   serve

a 2024 election year peace initiative

Have you heard about this initiative yet?  Maybe you have seen these signs…..

The Neighbor to Neighbor initiative is all about Love. Love your neighbor as yourself, even those who are different than you…. even those who vote differently than you!

This initiative was started by St. Michael’s in the Hills Episcopal Church and offers a series of four community events leading up to and beyond this year’s presidential election.

It is all about building relationships, lowering the temperature, and being good neighbors.

Pastor Brenda mentioned it is being discussed in clergy circles – as a good thing- and will offer additional information next week.

Until then, if you would like to take a look at this amazing initiative that is rolling through Toledo and surrounding towns and order your yard sign, please follow this link: www.neighbor2neighbortoledo.com

Behind the scenes at Grace …..by Gretchen

1) Wow – where did all our heat go?? The branch in the parking lot is getting more orange so the weather and the color change mean fall is not far off. Although we have not seen the menagerie stocking up yet – are they waiting for a “Fall Sales Special?”

2) Please remember not to park in the yellow striped areas in front of the church or along Fellowship Hall, the office or Brenner.  These are the Fire Lanes and need to be open at all times so that the Fire Department as well as EMS has easy access to the church building. Temporary drop off or unload are ok but please move your car after that. There is a horrible picture of a car parked in a Fire Zone that the Fire department was unable to move so had to break the passenger and drivers side window and ran the hose through the windows – we do not want to see that at Grace!!

3) Have you noticed a burned-out light bulb or a drippy faucet or something else that needs to be looked at and /or repaired? There is a form “It’s a Pickle, Muddle or Glitch!” on the table next to the office. If things need attention please complete and give to office or drop in the mail slot on office door.

4) Rally Day is approaching on September 8^th! To avoid the sneezes and watery eyes from goldenrod we love to have people bring in flowers from their garden! If anyone knows the history of the Flower Cross, please let Gretchen know!

5) We have some people in the congregation and maybe even some guests or visitors that have food allergies. Don’t forget to use the “What’s in It” form for food brought in. There are some located in both kitchens.

6) Remember: Grace is not the building but the people of Grace carrying out God’s Mission!

Healthy People! Healthy Parish!

What is Yellow, weighs a gazillion pounds,

may have a black stripe and 4 – 6 wheels?

No, it is not a newly discovered whale or shark, or airplane, or giant dump truck. It shows up on the roads in mid – August or early September. It usually has at least one blinking light on top of it. It is usually on the road early in the morning and mid afternoon!

Of course it is the big yellow school bus!!!

School buses themselves are one of the safest methods of transportation BUT getting on and off the bus can be dangerous!

In all states a car must be prepared to stop when the yellow lights are flashing.

Remember wet roads and wet even dry leaves on the road can make it slippery and harder to stop so slow down when the yellow flashers are on!

When red lights are flashing and the arm with the “stop” sign come out you must stop a minimum of 10 feet away from the bus.

If you do not stop and there is law enforcement present, you could face a $500.00 fine and license suspension.

Multilane roads or those with dividers do not require you to stop in Ohio. In these situations, the bus is required to drop the children in front of their house rather than have them try to cross over the divider. It pays to still be cautious as you never know what children will do.

Watch for kids walking in front of the bus across the road – if they are messing around, they probably are not paying attention.

Make it a safe fall for kids!

Arachibutyrophobia

 what phobia is it and can you even say it? See end of newsletter.

Walking!

So how many feet is it from Brenner Hall to the big church?

Thankful November!

November and Thanksgiving remind us to be thankful. We are thankful for many things. Have you ever been thankful that someone has given blood for you, a family member or friend?

Sometimes giving blood really isn’t a big thing until it affects you, your family or friends.

The Red Cross has been experiencing an ongoing shortage since Covid. For whatever reason people are not donating like they did before. The shortage, if it becomes significant can have an effect on delaying elective surgeries and should there be a need for a large a number of transfusions like a disaster  it can be very difficult.

The Fall Blood Drive at Grace is scheduled for Tuesday November 12^th 12 – 6:00pm

Please “Save the Date” and come and donate! One unit can go to help as many as 3 people!

The sign up for donating is open on the Red Cross web site. If you need help or have questions, please call Gretchen Hiatt 419-944-5166 and she will help with scheduling it.

We have 35 appointments and would like to fill all of them – it would result in helping 105 people!

If you are unable to donate but would like someone else to donate in your honor for your birthday, “just because” or as an early Thanksgiving blessing, we will have cards across from the office and during Fellowship hour. When the person donates have them bring the card and we will let you know that a donation was given in your honor.

This is the day the Lord has made.

Let us rejoice and be glad in it!

~Psalm 118:24