I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;

                                                 I will praise my God while I have my being.

                                                                             ~Psalm 104:33

 

 

Let Us Pray…………

As this display was being set up, folks in their cars rolled down their windows and yelled out “Thank-you for doing this”.  Even a fire truck gave a toot on the air horn as it drove by.

As you can see, there are 19 small chairs and two large chairs symbolizing the children and teachers who were taken from us in the Robb Elementary School shooting in Texas.  And yes, please offer prayers that God holds each of them tightly in His Kingdom.  Also pray for their families, school mates, and friends who are all grieving their loss, as well as for the shooter and his family.

Let Us Pray……

This banner is not just for the 19 + 2, but for our nation, our world, and YOU.  This incident is only a part of a great national loss due to mental illness, addiction, war, crime, and especially Covid.  We ask God to help us all get through our sorrow, anger, grief, feelings of helplessness, and suffering for whatever reason.  We ask you just to Pray.  Pray for whatever is on your heart.  God hears YOU, and hears all of us.  Pray for God to be with you and know that God IS with you.  And us.  And the world.  Amen!

The Grace Prayer Ministry Team

 

Pastor’s Thoughts:

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God and believe also in me.” –John 14:1

I have been a Christian—specifically a Lutheran—for my entire life. The faith and the Church have always been a part of who I am: from worship, to Sunday School, to VBS and church camp, to committee work, to my life’s vocation.

Even though I cannot remember a time when the Church was not a part of my life, I also cannot remember a time when there has been such widespread discussion of faith in the world at large. People are talking about God, faith, and religion … in many different forums.

 I feel sure that this is prompted to a large degree by the state of the world and our fear and anxiety as we encounter such situations as the war in Ukraine, terrorism, world hunger, ecological issues, as well as mass shootings in schools such as Uvalde, Texas. Humans seem to feel a strong need to ask questions and find meaning in the midst of life’s chaos, and so conversations and debates about religion and faith abound; in families, in the Church, in the political realm, and in the secular world. Many people have thoughts or opinions about God and faith, and voice them with varying degrees of passion.

As with so many things in life, there seems to be both an upside and a downside to this. On the positive side, anything that gets people thinking about God and faith can be good. When we begin to wonder about the big questions of life, we have an     opportunity to draw closer to the Creator and to appreciate the role that God has in all aspects of the world. On the downside, when there are so many diverse and  passionate opinions, there are bound to be quarrels, as people can become convinced that their understanding of God and God’s will is the only correct way to believe.

What are people of faith to do? How are we to live in the midst of fear, cynicism,   apathy, and anger? How do we respond to the questions and discussions of religion and faith that are all around us? How do we witness with integrity to what we believe to be true about our merciful and gracious God, the God who sent the Son to save us all?

Christians must start by first being grounded in the faith. It is difficult to respond to the world if we have no foundation upon which to stand. How will we answer questions about our faith if we have not first looked to the source of our belief for a foundation? Where do we start?

Over the next few weeks, I will share some of my thoughts about how we might nourish ourselves, converse with others about our faith, and engage faithfully in the congregation, Church, and world.

Perhaps the most obvious starting point is regular worship. It is here that we encounter God in the most observable ways: as bread is broken and wine is poured; as the Word is proclaimed; as prayers are offered; as fellowship is shared; as  praise is given and blessings are received. Without regular worship, without that regular corporate connection to God and each other, the foundation for any discussion and exploration of religion and faith is simply not as strong.

My encouragement to us all this week is to look at our times of worship with new eyes, and with open hearts. Why do we come? What do we hope for as we worship? How does worship shape us and our actions the rest of the week? What speaks to us in that sacred time; the Word, the Meal, the music, the prayers? How do we live out what we confess in worship each and every day?

In Christ,

Pastor Brenda

 

 

 

Fellowship Time

Thank you to all who help!

June 5 – Jan Dustman, Karlene Jaquillard

June 12 – Debbie Downs and Grace Peterson

June 19 – Donuts for Dads

Please join us for donuts honoring and remembering all the wonderful Father figures in our lives. If you would be willing to bring in a dozen assorted donuts on this day, please call or e-mail Sue Wagner at (419) 475-8972 or Suegrade@aol.com.

Thank you!

 

 

Another meaning for the color Red!

Red can be a power color, it can be your color after you sit in the sun between 10 and 4 pm, it is the color of Swedish Fish, the color of a scrumptious red      strawberries – to name a few of what the color red means!

As many as three people can also love the color red!

You ask why – because that unit of blood you donated has saved their lives!!!

Please sign up to donate blood at the Interfaith Blood Drive on Saturday June 25th form 8:30 am – 2:30 pm.

Any questions contact Gretchen 419-944-5166!

 

Behind the scenes at Grace …. by Gretchen

  1. Have you noticed?? Less foam and plastic from the furniture store next door! Yes, they have been picking up items, so they are not flying over the fence – now we just have to conquer the grocery bags!
  2. OH MY! Our menagerie of animals – specifically squirrels are on Connie Thomas’s list and not in a good way either! They have managed to dig holes in every one of the planters! If I were them I would hide when she is watering with her special fertilizer mix!
  3. Thanks to Nancy Lockard for putting out the flags and sign under our big flag for Memorial Day, reminding us to remember!
  4. Don’t forget to hold the date for Pastor Brenda’s installation! Wednesday June 15 at 6:30 pm.
  5. Don’t forget Personal Needs and our Food Pantry when you shop! The need is still great.
  6. Remember: Grace is not the building but the people carrying out God’s Mission!

 

 

This is the day the Lord has made.

Let us rejoice and be glad in it!

~Psalm 118:24