July 25, 2021 Newsletter

All your works shall praise you, O Lord,

and your faithful ones shall bless you.

~Psalm 145:10

What a wonderful week here at Grace! VBS 2021. Concrete and Cranes! Thank you to all who helped make this possible! We are all grateful to God for you!

Be Kind to the Earth when you have a party!

With all the news about climate change and the unusual weather all over the world it is important to think about the impact of having our summer picnics and parties.

Some ideas:

– Reusable is best for serving food and drinks. Serving pieces do not have to match, use vintage or old pieces (make a trip to Goodwill and help support the community), rent serving pieces and better yet have people bring their own plates and cups (have a contest for the best or even the funkiest place setting people come with – their prize a homemade ribbon or recycle a shirt with the contest name written on it – be creative!) A cloth napkin contest would be great too!

– So, if you do not want to do dishes and don’t want people to bring their own, you can buy recyclable plates, cups and silverware but they are on the pricey side. There are also some plates made out of products like recycled sugar cane and bamboo.

– Look closely at the labels as there are some products that still need to go to a special recycler and will not break down in the backyard compost. Compost   products should be certified by the Biodegradable Products Institute and the   closer to 100% the better.

Þ Make sure that you have bins, boxes or garbage cans labeled so people know what goes in what container. Styrofoam at the last check was not recyclable in Toledo so even better to avoid plates and cups made of Styrofoam.

– Balloons are not a great thing to use due to all the problems they can cause – there are biodegradable ones available but are more expensive. Use paper pompoms and tissue paper balls and reuse if possible. A fabric banner is a great idea and can be used over and over again.

– Flowers can be composted but instead give them to the people attending to extend their enjoyment. Dried flowers can be reused.

– If you want to have a favor, use small jars of jam, honey or local products. For kids – puzzle /word game books, fancy erasers, colored markers  – items that are not quickly broken and end up in the garbage.

Pastor and friend

up north

on vacation!

Behind the scenes at Grace …. By Gretchen

1. Did you see the real road signs, barriers and extra (heavy!) orange cones for VBS! We had the real stuff thanks to Jim Holewinski (Cathy’s son) and the Sylvania Road Commission!!! It was so cool!
2. Speaking of awesome did you see the TV news spot on Jan Dustman’s son, Ed Dustman and his help with a young boy that was found sitting on a curb and thought to be lost! From talking with Jan, he has in his role as a Tarta Bus Driver been able to help other people in our community that have needed assistance. How awesome and kind!
3. We don’t have the Sound of Music yet, but the halls were alive with Joanne Vernon’s VBS groups in the Sanctuary and the kids in the hallway! How great to see the building rock!! Watch out spiders and centipedes there was no safe space this last week!
4. Have you seen the old recipe from Creque’s for Strawberry Pie – easy crust and is ohh so good! Word has it that the zucchini are coming? Do you have a favorite (healthy?) recipe for the never-ending squash that you would like to share? Add it to the collection on the Community Bulletin Board!
5. Wow! What a great program on Thursday night for VBS! The place was rocking with wonderful music. We were even able to check in with the Habitat for Humanity representative Nate at the Mudhens Game on the “Loving Monster as Pastor Abts calls it “the hugeamongous TV.One of the people who Habitat has helped spoke about her new house and how thrilled she is. This was Habitat night at the Mudhens so even though he could not be here in person we were able to see and talk with him (and he was able to see us) which was awesome!
6. And then there was the Ice Cream Social on Thursday night! We had a wonderful crowd and even had to make a run to Kroger’s for more hot dog buns! Thanks to all who baked and helped!
7. The outdoor Contemporary Service on Sunday was great. The weather cooperated and we had the tent and trees for shade. The wind was coming out of the north, so we did not get as much expressway noise either.
8. Remember: Grace is not the building but the people of Grace!

I can’t stop long enough to grow old. I’m just gonna be the best that I can be at whatever age I am

(Dolly Parton)

Imagine if cookies could bring peace. It is worth a try.

(Cookbook author Dorie Greenspan)

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.

Ongoing Gratitude! (Or ongoing “Thankful for”)

Did you know that having gratitude is important for not only our emotional and  mental health, but it also helps our physical health! Gratitude also helps us with   relationships and many people pay their gratitude forward and outward to others!

A couple of ways to express gratitude – hopefully, you can add to this list!

1. Give someone a call – not a text but a real call. Even if you don’t have something specific to thank them for, the act of calling means you are grateful for them being in your life.
2. Ok, texting or emailing is a way to show gratitude too, but the real call is even better. Face time would be the next best thing.
3. Take the time at the beginning and the end of the day to count at least 3 things you are thankful for ….
4. Pray anytime every day – for all God’s Blessings for you, others, the world, the church, and there are so many things.
5. Have a Gratitude Jar! Write down moments of gratitude -does not need to be long and /or fancy and put in a jar. On New Year’s Eve open up the notes and remind yourself of all the wonderful grateful moments you have had during the year!
6. Write a letter or just a short note to someone you are grateful for. Often this inspires that person to play if forward!
7. A Gratitude Journal is another way to express your gratitude. It can be as simple as writing down the 3 things you are thankful for each day – it can just be a single word. Thinking of things, we are thankful for before going to sleep along with our prayers is a great way to rest at night.

O God,

We thank you for the beauty of your world – for flowers – trees – birds – the animals. We thank you for family and for friends. We thank you for the life you have given us. Help us to shine your light for others to see.

In Jesus’s name. Amen

A BIG THANK YOU TO MARY SCHNEIDER

for all the hard work in shopping and setting up the wonderful meal

on Sunday for the Congregational Meeting!!!

Thanks to Ron Schneider for grilling the brats and hot dogs

as they were delicious!

This is the day the Lord has made.

Let us rejoice and be glad in it!

~Psalm 118:24