August 4, 2024 Newsletter

You are near to all who call upon you,
to all who call upon you faithfully.

~Psalm 145:18

One Service only this Sunday, August 4 at 10:30 a.m.

Ragtime Rick followed by a potluck

Pastor’s Thoughts:

Last week, I wrote that at the ELCA Youth Gathering in New Orleans, we were called to be brave and authentic disciples.

We were also reminded that we are Created to be free and disruptive disciples.

Free disciples understand that we have been freed from the power of sin and death through Jesus. That freedom enables us to respond to our lives and our world by serving and loving others—- not to win God’s favor, love, or grace but out of gratitude for what has been given to us and out of love for God.

“Disruptive” is not a word we use much unless we are speaking of classrooms or other gatherings where someone disturbs the activity in a negative way.

Being disruptive disciples means we follow the footsteps of Jesus, who disrupted unjust systems and the long – held biases and prejudices of some of the people.

For us, that means disrupting systems where people are excluded, unequal, or afraid. Sometimes that means we will have to be willing to disrupt some of our own ways of thinking.

How has God called you to be free? How has God called you to be disruptive?

In Christ,

Pastor Brenda

Ragtime Rick at Grace!

This coming Sunday, August 4, Ragtime Rick and the Chefs of Dixieland will be providing the service music at our last special service of the summer.

The service will begin at 10:30 a.m. and will be followed by a potluck in Fellowship Hall. Meat will be provided for the potluck so feel free to bring a side, salad, or dessert to share.

The Worship and Music Committee hopes to see you there!

Vacation Bible School: Early Beginnings

Bob Haaf

In 1866 C.B. Eavey established a Christian Bible education program which, some believe, grew into the Vacation Bible School.

Others believe that the first VBS – predecessor was a summer church-sponsored activity held in Montreal in 1877.

In 1894 Martha Miles, wife of a Methodist minister, started a daily Bible school. The first school enrolled 40 students and lasted 4 weeks.

IN 1898 Virginia Hawes, a member of Epiphany Baptist Church, opened the Everyday Bible School for the neighborhood children – in a beer parlor – in New York City. In 1900 the pastor insisted that the School be held in the church, but after only two weeks the School was moved back to the beer hall because of low attendance at the church building.

The Presbyterian Home Mission Board adopted VBS in 1920, as did the Northern Baptists a year later.

IN 1912 Abraham Latham initiated a five-week summer Bible School at the Third Presbyterian Church in Chester, Pennsylvania.

The first printed VBS curriculum was published in 1923 by Standard Publishing, material for a five-week course for three age levels.

Bama Research reported that 81% of US churches offered VBS in 1997 – but only 68% did so in 2012.

The Readings for Sunday August 4, 2024

Exodus 16:2-4,9-15

Psalm 78:23-29

Ephesians 4:1-16

John 6:24-35

Schedule of Sunday Services August 4 – September 8

August 4 – Ragtime Rick – one service only at 10:30 a.m.

August 11 – September 8 – Traditional Service only at 9:30 a.m.

No Contemporary services at 11:30 until September 15

Jorge had it figured out. “The father thought his boy might come back home. That’s why he was called the Probable Son.”

Everyone was eager for Father John to get a new sound system, but he knew that the feedback helped keep many parishioners awake during his sermons.

Fight truth decay: study the Bible daily.

Karen’s grandfather was a minister. Her grandmother served chicken so often that her grandfather called it The Gospel Bird. One day Karen asked her grandmother why she served chicken nearly every Sunday. Her grandmother answered, “Well, when your grandfather preaches on and on, it’s the one thing that tastes better the longer it cooks.”

Feeling in the dark? Follow the Son.

From Church Chuckles

Behind the scenes at Grace …..by Gretchen

Thanks to Mike, our custodian for taking care of the long boxes by Brenner. The critter condos and trash drop -offs are gone!!!
There are things going on that are often unnoticed and one is that we greatly appreciate Grace Peterson taking the paper stuff over to recycle!!
Burrito Blessing 419 celebrated their one-year anniversary this last Saturday with a brunch! We then constructed Burritos to be passed out in front of the church and taken down to St Paul’s to be distributed.
Blood on the Move! Have you checked out the map lately? We recently had 5 people let me know where their blood donations went. Out of the 5 there were 4 new destinations including a children’s hospital! Blood has a shelf life just like milk so if there is a need our donations will go to that hospital rather than having the unit expire. Check the map out as it is interesting to see how far the blood has traveled! The map is located outside the big church.
Remember! Grace is not the building but the people carrying out God’s mission!

Meditation

by Vicar Dave

Sometimes, we really like surprises. Maybe it’s a phone call from a friend we haven’t seen since high school. Maybe an invitation to party that we didn’t know about. I remember an inmate at the prison where I worked had a surprise visit from his family that really had him worried. He was convinced that they wouldn’t show up unannounced unless something was wrong. It turned out that everything was fine and he had a good visit with them.

We can also get surprises that we don’t like. I don’t think anyone enjoys getting a bill that they didn’t expect. Or if you’re driving to work or something and find out the road that you usually take is closed for construction. I’ve seen videos of these goats that, when something surprises them, like a loud noise, they fall over as if they have fainted.

What happens to us when were caught unaware? Do we freeze up, paralyzed with fear? When life throws us a curve ball, it might be easy to feel overwhelmed and helpless. Fear is a powerful weapon that the enemy deploys against us whenever he can. But we don’t have to fall over and faint, like the goats. Instead of letting fear rule us, we can turn to Jesus. He will give us the courage to face our fears.

Healthy People! Healthy Parish!

Emergency 911!!

Did you know that you can still dial 911 in an emergency! Just because your carrier has no cell towers in the area does not mean you cannot call for help. When a 911 call is made, even if your phone shows no bars the phone sends a signal to the nearest cell tower regardless of provider. The Federal Trade Communications Commission requires all cellular phone providers to accept 911 calls no matter what phone plan. Newer I-phones also can include an emergency SOS feature to text emergency services vis satellite when off the grid.

Emergency calls can even work if you do not have a service plan. An old, deactivated phone can still connect with 911 services but be aware it probably will not give a location automatically. Just be sure that it is charged.

Word of the week

Clinomania!!!

Hmm a new insect, cinema spelled wrong,

a new type of cleaner?

See next page for what it is!

HOT! HOT! and even Hotter!

It looks like July is ending and August is fast approaching as is a really hot week!

Just a couple of reminders!

Drink fluids and not stuff with caffeine like coffee and pop with caffeine. The effects of caffeine mean more time in the bathroom and less fluid reserve. Foods like watermelon contain water and are readily available in the stores and farmers market.
For older or “seasoned” individuals their “thirst” mechanism is not always good so make sure you drink fluids on a regular basis.
Stay inside or in the shade during the hottest time of the day!
If you are a runner, bicyclist, or walker go out during the morning and evening when it is cooler.
Wear light colored clothing and stuff that breathes! Leave the sweatshirts for cooler weather.
If you do not have air conditioning, close the windows and curtains when the sun comes in and open when it moves around.
Use a fan to blow air in or reverse to suck the hot air out!
If outside wear a hat and don’t forget your sunglasses to protect your eyes!
Wear sunscreen!
Know the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke and what to do! Check out the cards on table by the coatroom across from the office.
Don’t forget your 4-legged family members – they too need the shade and the water! They also need to be protected from the hot pavement on their pads and should not be exercised during the heat of the day.