Righteousness shall go before the Lord
and shall prepare for God a pathway.
~Psalm 85:13
Sponsor a child for VBS!
Would you like to sponsor a child for VBS? It is only $5 per child!
The offering goes to offset the cost of materials and supplies used.
Please label your donation “Sponsor a VBS child” and
drop in the offering plate – or give to the office.
Thank you! Peace be with you!
Save the Date – July 18 10:30 a.m.
On Sunday, July 18, Grace will hold an Outdoor Contemporary Service at 10:30 a.m. Our own Praise Team will play at the service in what is hoped to be an annual tradition at Grace! A small tent and chairs will be provided, but feel free to bring lawn chairs and umbrellas. For those that may not want to sit outside, the service will be live streamed in Brenner Hall. After the service a short meeting will take place and lunch will be served. The Worship and Music Committee and the Praise Team are very excited for this special service at Grace.
A Tale of Two Chronologies
Bob Haaf
A Chronology from Then. Chapters 4-6 of Mark describe how Jesus calmed a windstorm, healed a demoniac, cured a woman suffering from hemorrhages, raised a girl from the dead, cured several sick people. Yet many who heard Him teach were astounded and took offense—they rejected God’s gifts. And Jesus was amazed at their unbelief.
A Chronology from Now. The entire planet was attacked by a deadly virus. Then God’s gifts—science and technology—performed miracles: vaccines which not only protected the recipient, but also protected the recipient’s neighbors. Yet many were astounded and took offense—they rejected God’s gifts. Is Jesus amazed?
Jesus Once Said “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. (John 13:34-35)”
If you cannot make it to the Grace Zoom Bible Study on Saturday afternoon, let Bob know and he can invite you to the recorded session. It is well worth watching even if you cannot join in live!
2021 VBS Mission Offering
This year as we use VBS to build our faith with the help of Jesus, we will also be giving our VBS offering to help Habitat for Humanity build homes for families in our neighborhoods right here in Toledo! Strong families make for strong communities, and Grace VBS is proud to continue our history of support for Habitat, by designating our 2021 Mission Offering to our local Maumee Valley Habitat for Humanity Chapter.
We will be taking a “Noisy Offering” during worship on Sunday July 11th, and Sunday July 18th, as well as during the Children’s Program on Thursday evening. You may also offer your gifts by writing a check to Grace Lutheran Church and prominently labeling it Habitat for Humanity and dropping in the regular offering or sending it to the office. Help us build our faith as we help build solid futures for families in our city.
VBS Co-directors, Connie and Ron
Meditation by David O’Brien
Lord, may the words that I write here be a reflection of the message You want Your people to hear and fill them with faith in You and give glory to Your Holy Name, Amen
Amos was told by the Lord to do something that I expect he would have rather not. He lived in the Southern Kingdom of Judah, where he was a simple farmer. He was told by the Lord to go to Israel, the Northern Kingdom, and deliver a message that was not going to be popular with the local leader, Jeroboam the Second. Amos was sent to prophesy about the downfall of Israel and the house of Jeroboam. What was Jeroboam’s offense against the Lord? For one thing, he had installed a golden calf in the sanctuary at Bethel. Bethel, you may recall, is where Jacob had his dream about the ladder going between heaven and earth. Additionally, Israel had begun to take its security for granted and forget about their reliance on the grace of God. The sanctuary at Bethel had also been perverted to political uses, with the high priest of the temple, Amaziah, being one of Jeroboam’s strongest defenders. The political power in Israel and the religious power had merged at Bethel. Into this place, God sends Amos. A man with no credentials and no authority of his own. He simply heard what the Lord had told him to do, and he did it.
The Gospel today is a difficult one for me to write about. John was doing what he felt he was compelled to do in condemning Herod for a host of sins which included marrying his half-brother’s wife, Herodias. Herod was usually surrounded by yes men, who would constantly flatter him over everything he did. That is a dangerous situation to go into with any criticism at all, let alone challenging the legitimacy of his marriage. John must have known that Herod would not be happy and would probably have him arrested at the least. In Mark’s telling of the story, Herod didn’t want to execute John. In fact, it almost seemed that he liked John despite his criticism. He only relents in having the man executed when he makes an open-ended promise to his step-daughter. Matthew tells it a little differently, saying the Herod wanted to kill John, but feared a popular uprising due to his reputation among the people Herod was supposed to rule. In Mark, Herod respects John as a “just and holy man” and enjoyed hearing him. My reading of Mark makes me think that Herod was tricked into having John beheaded. Whichever was the case, John’s fate was the same. This is hard for me to understand because John was doing God’s will and was executed for it. But perhaps this was a foretelling of how Jesus would die. After all, Jesus was also executed by a political leader who only did so begrudgingly. In Pilate’s case, however, he was trying to avoid an uprising among his subjects, not trying to satisfy his or his wife’s pride.
As a parole officer, I am often asked to do things that I’d rather not do. For example, I will often have to arrest someone who has a serious drug addiction and needs treatment. That addiction will sometimes lead them to do things that break other laws or rules of their supervision. I have had to arrest some individuals who have been following the law, working and being productive, but have committed a rule infraction such as leaving the state. This may seem like a minor thing to some people, but once an offender crosses the line from Ohio to say Bedford Township, Michigan, our jurisdiction over them ends. We, as agents of the State of Ohio, cannot effectively supervise someone in Michigan, even if it’s only by one foot. Since part of our job is to protect the public from any harm the offender might cause, having him outside of our jurisdiction becomes a big problem, especially for the folks in Michigan, where he is unsupervised entirely.
We at Grace are being asked to do something difficult that we would probably rather not do. Change. Change can be very painful. That is why we like to hold on to traditions so much. They remind us of how things used to be. But if we put too much emphasis on our traditions, we will find ourselves standing in one place and not moving forward. That’s not to say that we should abandon our traditions wholesale, but if we want to continue to grow, we need to be open to new ideas. As we look to calling a new pastor, we are realizing that the way we’ve always done things isn’t going to work anymore. We want our Church to be healthy and to grow, but that is not what has been happening lately. I don’t claim to have any of the answers as to what we should be doing, but I know that with a new pastor will come new ideas. I pray that we, as a congregation, will be open to these new ideas and trust in God that He will help us to grow in the way He wants us to so that we can continue to do His will.
Congregational Meeting July 18
Election of Council members for 2021 – 2022
and an update from the Call Committee.
Food for Toledo Update
For the period of June 15 – June 28 158 pounds of food was collected for the Food for Toledo Program. Though Pastor Katie at Aldersgate United Methodist Church has been reassigned, the program is still going strong. Pastor Melissa and Tamara, a lay person, is very grateful for Grace’s participation in their food pantry and would be happy to have Grace members volunteer with the program.
At this time there is need for peanut butter, jelly, dry milk, cereal, canned pasta (ravioli, beefaroni, spaghetti) and boxed macaroni and cheese. If you would have any questions regarding volunteering or the Food for Toledo program, please contact Mary Schneider. And a great big THANK YOU to everyone that is donating food to this very worthwhile program in our own neighborhood!
Connecting Kids with Meals
If you know of any child that needs breakfast or lunch food this summer, Connecting Kids with Meals has a meal program at several sites throughout Lucas County. There is no registration required for the program nor is an ID required. Go to connectingkidwithmeals.org for the list of sites and the time for food pick up. Near Grace lunch is available at Start High School Mondays – Fridays from 11 a.m. – 12 noon; the Washington Library (5560 Harvest Lane) offers breakfast and lunch Mondays – Fridays from 1 – 1:45 p.m.; and the West Toledo Library (1320 Sylvania Avenue) offers breakfast and lunch from 1 – 1:45 p.m. The program ends mid to late August depending on the location.
Don’t forget: Ragtime Rick will be at Grace at 9:30 a.m.
on Sunday, August 1 with a breakfast to follow!
Wildfires
Submitted by Grace Peterson
“Remember, only YOU can prevent forest fires.” I’m sure you all remember the iconic bear that wore a park ranger’s hat. The policy of not allowing burning on public lands has been in effect for over 50 years. This policy has resulted in massive wildfires in the hot, dry areas out West.
I just read this article in the June Reader’s Digest that brings tears to my eyes every time I think about it, so I’m going to share. This rancher’s family has been leasing land from the Federal government for 150 years, and up until the 1960’s, they had done prescribed burns on the land. They had learned this technique from the Native Americans. A prescribed burn clears the underbrush and pine needles, leaving the mature trees intact.
Dave Daley had 400 head of cows pastured in the western slope of the Sierra Nevada Mountains when a wildfire broke out in September 2020. 90,000 acres of forest were burned beyond recognition. Of his 400 cows and new-born calves, only about 100 remained alive. Some of those would eventually die due to severe burns.
This kind of loss is beyond comprehension. I know what it is like to lose one little calf! We must urge the better management of our federal lands! The no-burn policy is not working.
Behind the scenes at Grace
..by Gretchen
- We can’t say that Grace’s Services are just seen in Ohio and Michigan! This last week’s services were viewed as far away as Florida! The service, message and music were enjoyed!
- Our Easter Lilies in the garden next to the office are blooming!
- The kitchen will be alive with the sound of banging pots and voices as well as the wonderful small of fresh brewed coffee on Sunday July 18th. Watch for letter on the “Happenings “for that Sunday.
- Bricks and mortar and cones? New building in the neighborhood? Not exactly – but we are preparing for Vacation Bible School the week of June 12 .
- Remember: Grace is not the building but the people of Grace.
Of Interest!
You are on a mission to buy the amount of fresh fruit and vegetables required each day but one of your least favorite things is to go to the grocery store. According to new Google Map data the best time to avoid crowds at the grocery store is Mondays at 8:00 am. It is the least popular time to shop. The most popular time to shop is Saturdays between 12:00 noon and 3:00 pm.
Chips may be aging us. In the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported it was found that the cells of people who ate 3 or more servings of highly processed foods (like chips) showed more signs of biological aging! So, change to fresh vegetables and fruits .
Grace Lutheran Church’s Outreach Committee is sponsoring a
Junior High/High School School Supply Drive
for our Personal Needs Clients from July 1 – August 1.
Donation suggestions:
Spiral Notebooks
Pens
Highlighters
Mechanical Pencils
Cash or Check (to purchase items above)
Donations can be placed in the tote in the hallway outside of the Church Office designated for School Supply Drive. Cash can be given to any member of the Outreach Committee: Jean Baranski, Jeanne Harmon, Ron Hiatt, Karlene Jaquillard, Sue Melchert, Nancy Omey, Mary Schneider, or Connie Thomas; or a check can be written to Grace Lutheran Church indicating the funds for the School Supply Drive.
Who is useless in the kingdom of God? Who is useless in the church? I think everyone has something to contribute. I think no one is useless.
Who is absolutely essential to the kingdom of God, to the church? Whose absence would make the whole enterprise collapse? Unless that person is a member of the Holy Trinity, I don’t think any person is absolutely essential.
On Sunday, July four, at the second service, there was no bass guitar. We went ahead with the service anyway. The music was good, too. The band sounded as if something was missing, but it still sounded good. It was a different kind of good: not the best it has ever sounded, I have to say, but good.
A few weeks ago, at the second service, there were no drums. We went ahead with the service anyway, and THAT music was good. The difference in the sound was obvious. It was clear that there was something missing, but it didn’t sound bad at all. It was a different kind of good. Also not my favorite, but good.
The point of the band is not to entertain us, of course. The point of the band is to help us worship God: to know more and more of the goodness of God, and to thank and praise God for it. I think part of the goodness of God is making us in such a way that none of us is indispensable, and all of us can contribute.
What do you think?
~Submitted by Pastor Howard
If you have something you’d like to see in the newsletter, please send it to the office no later than Monday morning by 10:00am. Thank you!
A woman is like a tea bag -you can’t tell how strong
she is until you put her in hot water
~Eleanor Roosevelt
Enjoy life -this is not a dress rehearsal ~Author Unknown
Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful! ~Joshua J. Marine
Progress!
Or is it? Does it only count as progress if we can now do something we didn’t usta could do? Or can progress be learning, now, that we can do something we used to think we couldn’t do?
I’m not on facebook, and I thought that that meant I couldn’t see the recordings of our worship services, which are posted on facebook. Some of the more technologically astute folks here have been talking about posting our services to Youtube, so that folks who are not on facebook can watch them.
Today, though, I got to them, without signing up with facebook. I went to our web page (https://gracelutherantoledo.org/), and scrolled all the way to the bottom. There’s a rectangle there, gray at the top fading to blue at the bottom, to the right of our phone number. I clicked on “Grace Lutheran Church – Toledo.” Bingo! Our facebook page came up. On the left side was a list of choices, like this:
Home
Events
Post
About
Join our Grace Notes (e…
Photos
Videos
Community
I clicked on “Videos,” and there appeared stills from 22 video recordings, the most recent ones being our most recent worship services. Clicking on a still brings up the recording.
I also got a few invitations to sign in to facebook, or to create a new account, but at the bottom of each, there was a place to click “not now,” which made the invitation go away.
I think this counts as progress.
What do you think?
~Submitted by Pastor Howard
Caption this!
This is the day the Lord has made.
Let us rejoice and be glad in it!
~Psalm 118:24
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