July 28, 2024 Newsletter

All your works shall praise you, O Lord,
and your faithful ones shall bless you.

~Psalm 145:10

Pastor’s Thoughts

As I write this, we have just returned from New Orleans and the ELCA Youth Gathering. I am still processing the week and will be saying more, but …

What a joy to spend time with these young people! They embraced the theme of the Gathering (Created to Be) and entered fully into the experience. We were called to be brave, authentic, free, and disruptive disciples!

It was brave to travel so far away for an event like this, for starters. Even more than that, the youth came to understand that brave followers of Jesus dare to live out their faith every day. And holding on to our faith allows us to be brave in the circumstances life can toss at us. We heard stories from people who have been brave enough to try new things and take new journeys.

Being authentic means being who you are and not let anyone take that away from you. Some of the speakers reminded us that each of us is exactly who we were created to be …. and to live our lives grateful for that gift. The speakers offered us their authentic selves, and encouraged us all to share that gift with the world.

We talked a lot about these concepts in our Final 15 (evening devotion) time. It occurred to me that being brave and authentic is difficult for anyone, but even more so for young people. I hope and pray that what they learned about themselves, and their faith will help them to be brave and to be exactly whom they’re created to be.

Next week …. What does it mean to be free and disruptive disciples?

In Christ,

Pastor Brenda

Coming Soon!

Ragtime Rick at Grace!

On 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!

The Readings for Sunday July 28, 2024

2 Kings 4:42-44

Psalm 145:10-18

Ephesians 3:14-21

John 6:1-21

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

July Donation Needed

for Operation Christmas Child Ministry

For those boxes to be packed here at Grace Lutheran and sent to children around the world, we ask that you make donations of pens, pencils, and pencil sharpeners in the month of July. This program provides a shoe box of gifts and the opportunity for those children to learn of a Savior who died that they might live eternally. Thank all of you for the support made to this ministry effort.

Operation Christmas Child Ministry

Meditation

by Vicar Dave

Have you ever wondered about the Psalms? Here in the middle of the Old Testament is this book of prayers and poetry. Seems a little out of place after all these stories about God’s people and their lineage. But it’s really much more than just poems and poetry. Being part of the “Word of God”, it’s not just the author singing God’s praises, or lamenting the bad things that have happened to him, or even his requests that he’s taken before God. The Psalter is also a conversation between the author and God.

It’s also a conversation between us and God. In the Psalms, God is telling us that He is our shepherd, and that He will protect us. He is with us through our sorrows and will see us through troubled times. When we sin, the Psalms tell us that God will show us the error of our ways and beckon us back to a right path before it’s too late.

When the nation of Israel was on a wrong path, they were sent into exile. There are several psalms of lament that appear to ask God to let them come back and be His people again (as if they ever really stopped being His people). The psalms tell us how, when Israel turned from their sin and back to God, He relented and brought them back. This promise extends to us as well.

Our nation has been on a bad path of escalating political violence in recent years. But it’s really nothing new. In ancient Israel, violence was often a part of the life of a king. Saul chased David around, trying to kill him because he was Saul’s anointed successor. David’s own son tried to kill him so he could become king. David even had Uriah, a loyal soldier of his, killed to cover up the fact that he had raped Uriah’s wife, Bathsheba. David laments these events in the Psalms, repents from his sin and asks God to take Him back. God shows David, and us, His steadfast love and forgiving nature in the Psalms and throughout the Bible.

Behind the scenes at Grace …..by Gretchen

Thanks to Mike, the desk left from the Rummage Sale has made it’s exit!
We still are searching for the chicken as eggs keep reappearing in the Brenner Hall Kitchen refrigerator???
Connie Thomas has been sighted with her “magic flower juice” and the flowerpots and geraniums around the outside of the church are stunning!
Come build this Saturday – not a house, not a Jumanji, but a Burrito! It is Burrito Blessing 419. Building starts around 10:30-11:00 and we distribute form 11:00-12:00.
Remember: Grace is not the building but the people of Grace carrying out God’s Mission!

A BIG Thank You

to Susan Overman and Nancy Johnson for their very dedicated help with Personal Needs every Tuesday. They are here no matter what the weather to hand out bags of personal needs items. They also have conversations with the people who come in, sometimes prayers, and give out an assortment of other things if needed. Always with a smile on their faces, I am sure they make the day for some! And behind the scenes is Ann Fleck, always here to pack up the bags and get things ready.

Thank you, Susan, Nancy and Ann!

Thank you, Cheryl, for keeping our garden weeded!! You are appreciated!

Please join us – Sunday Fellowship Time

In Fellowship Hall

July 28 – Grace Peterson and Sherry Hammond

Healthy People! Healthy Parish!

Word of the week! Scurryfunge!!! (See below what it is)

Friends!

Did you know that friendships can have an impact on your health and well-binging?

Good friends are really good for you health. They can help you celebrate the good times and provide support during bad times. Friends also help prevent isolation and loneliness and provide companionship.

Friends can also :

Increase a sense of belonging and purpose
Boost happiness and reduce stress – who better to have a great laugh with and who appreciates your jokes!
Improves your self-confidence and worth – who better to tell you that you are doing well or not but, in a kind, supportive way
Helps you cope with trauma like a divorce, illness, loss of a job or death of a family member – who better to help by sometimes just being there and listening to making your favorite Rice Krispie treats
Encourages you to change unhealthy lifestyle habits like not such great eating habits, alcohol or drug use – who better to make a regularly scheduled time to walk

Friendships can take a back seat to things like raising kids or being a care giver. Developing and maintaining friendships is not without some effort. However, the enjoyment and comfort a friendship can provide makes the effort worthwhile.

Taking care of friendships involves some give and take. Sometimes you are the one giving support and sometimes you are the one who needs the support. It is important to let your friends know that you care about them. It is as important to be a good friend and to surround yourself with good friends!

So, what do you need to do to keep your friendships:

Be kind. One writer says to think of friendship as an emotional bank account. Every act of kindness and every expression of gratitude are deposits into the account, while criticism and negativity are a draw on the account!
Be a good listener. This is a hard one for many of us as we are thinking about what to say when the other person is still speaking. Talk about what is going on in your friends lives. Let them know you are paying attention by eye contact, body language, and making short statements like “sounds like fun”. With difficult times listen and be empathetic but don’t give advice unless asked.
Open up. Be willing to talk about personal experiences or concerns with your friend.
Show trust. Keep things confidential. Be on time and follow through on commitments you have made.
Make yourself available. Make the effort to see new friends and check in with them.

How to make new friends :

Attending community events -look for events that you are interested in. They can be found in the paper, TV and check websites.
Volunteer – there are so many different places to volunteer.
Extend or accept invitations – invite someone for coffee or if you are invited to a gathering go.
Take up a new interest – take a class, join a gym.
Join a faith community – check out all the things Grace has going on.
Take a walk – you never know who you might meet up walking.

July 30^th is the International Day of Friendship! Treasure your new and old this day and every day!!!!

Scurryfunge –

To rush around cleaning frantically

when company is on their way to your house!