Living out our Baptismal Covenant …
To serve all people, Following the example of Jesus………
Call Committee Report
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
My name is Ryan Moore and I am the committee chair of the Call Committee. I wanted to give a quick update on the process for calling our next pastor. We have been meeting almost weekly since the beginning of the year mostly via Zoom gathering ideas and information from the Transition Team. We are to the point where we are taking all of this information and putting it onto the Mission Site Profile (MSP). The MSP isn’t the most efficient site to use and some of the categories and questions are fairly vague which requires time to respond correctly. We understand this seems like a snail’s pace, however, this process put in place by the ELCA is to try and match up the best candidate for our church. COVID hasn’t made the process any easier, but we will prevail. Rest assured, we are working diligently to articulate the positives, faults, and needs of this congregation as fast as we can. We want to proceed methodically to make sure we aren’t missing anything as we don’t want to end up in this position again anytime soon.
I will provide another update next month on the team’s progress. As always, if anyone wants to reach out to me directly, please feel free to. We thank you all for your support.
Kindest Regards,
Ryan Moore
Fun was had by all celebrating Miss Connie’s birthday! Thank you, Miss Connie for all you do!
Food for Toledo Update
Two hundred forty-five pounds of food was collected over a one week period from February 23 – March 1! The total food donated the past four weeks amounts to 596 pounds. The food was delivered to Aldersgate United Methodist Church on Monday along with the food collected March 2 – March 8. I am still available on Monday mornings from 9 a.m. – noon at the Brenner Hall Entrance for non-perishable, unexpired food items. Or food donations can be dropped off in the hallway outside of the church office anytime. Any questions, please contact Mary Schneider at 419.262.0730.
A Lenten Opportunity
The Outreach Committee is providing the members of Grace the opportunity to help 10 of our Personal Needs families this Lenten season. On Tuesday, March 30, our 10 families will be given a Breakfast Box! A Breakfast Box will consist of a dozen eggs, two packages of brown and serve sausages, a loaf of bread, a gallon of milk, a bottle of orange juice, butter or margarine, a box of pancake mix, a bottle of syrup, a jar of peanut butter, and a jar of jam – all of the ingredients for one or more breakfasts depending on the size of the family.
Our goal is 10 Breakfast Boxes. If you or your family wish to sponsor a Breakfast Box the cost is $20 per box. If you wish to be a partial sponsor of a box any donation will be accepted. Donations can be made by cash or check and placed in the offering box, or dropped off to the church office or on Mondays at the food donation drop-off. Please designate Breakfast Box on any amount given. We really can’t wait to see the Personal Needs families’ faces when they are presented with a box! Donations will be accepted through March 28!
FIVE QUESTIONS ABOUT RACIAL INJUSTICE
- What is the difference between the income of the average white family and the average black family?
- Who was Emmett Till and what is his importance to the Civil Rights movement?
- The Emancipation Proclamation was signed in 1875. When were African Americans given the right to vote?
- What foreign government used the Jim Crow laws to create a model for their own policies?
- Who received reparations after the Civil War for the slavery?
The answers to these questions will be in next week’s newsletter. If you would like to get the answers sooner feel free to email me at jkh401941@gmail.com or call me at 419-787-1653.
Let’s talk.
~Jeanne Harmon
If you can learn from hard knocks, you can also learn from soft touch.
(Carolyn Kenmore)
When you see someone without a smile, give them one of yours.
(Mitzie Lange)
Try to be the best human being you can be. Try to be that in your church, in your temple. Try to be that in your classroom. Do it because it is the right thing to do.
(Maya Angelou)
Behind the scenes at Grace ….
- Spring is definitely springing – 4 more hyacinth bulb tops can be seen in the flower box next to the office!
- Check out or Web page!! It is still a work in progress, but we have one! Thanks to Cathy and all her diligent hard work on it! We are moving into the 20th- – 21st century!
- A big “Thank You “to all who donated blankets to our “Wrap Your Heart “ministry for February! We collected 5 blankets. Gretchen will take those to Tent City this fall. However, if there is someone in need before then we will give to them. We will continue to take donations throughout the year – please give to office or let Gretchen know that you have some to donate.
- The “Snow Mountains “are slowly disappearing from the parking lot – another sign of warmer weather!
- The Christmas Cactus next to the office is blooming again – this is the second time this season.
- Don’t forget to move your clocks this weekend! Spring Forward! If you forget you will have an opportunity to hang out with the Grace menagerie for a little while .
- Remember: Grace is not the building but the people!
Food!
It is wonderful to see ministries and groups starting to gather again. Please remember to take leftover food with you and/or put a name on it. Labels are located on the doors of the refrigerators and freezers in both kitchens and Brenner Hall storage area. Food that has expired will be disposed of. Beware – food with no name on it is “open territory “for anyone to eat!
Lightening, Thunder, Hail and Wind -Oh My! (submitted by the Parish Nurse)
Our time of snow is hopefully (fingers – crossed) gone – we hope! So next is our spring and summer storms.
Spring and summer storms can knock out our power for a swift moment or can be hours and even days before it comes back on. So how safe is that food in the refrigerator and freezer after an extended outage?
Starting out do you know how to keep food safe in your refrigerator and freezer?
Refrigerator:
The temperature in your refrigerator should be at 40 degrees Fahrenheit all the time to keep foods safe.
Freezer:
The temperature on your freezer should be 0 degrees Fahrenheit all the time to keep food safe.
Now the power has gone out ….
Refrigerator:
Keep the door closed
With the door closed food will stay safe for up to 4 hours.
Freezer:
Keep the door closed
If your freezer is full food will stay safe for up to 48 hours, if half full food will be safe for 24 hours.
Thinking ahead filling a milk container with water and freezing can help keep foods cold. Frozen gel packs (like those used for sore muscles) and or freezer containers you use to keep food cold for picnics also work. The key is to have these all frozen before a power outage.
Power has returned – Yea!
So, what do I need to throw out? If the temperature inside the refrigerator and freezer is above 45 degrees foods including: meat, poultry, fish, dairy, egg products, soft cheese, cooked beans, cooked rice, cooked pasta, potato salads, mayonnaise, custards and puddings need to be thrown away.
Getting sick from spoiled food can be very dangerous as well as making you feel lousy! So, a rule of thumb -if in doubt pitch it!
Make sure that your refrigerator and freezer are back up to recommended temperatures before restocking.
(Sources; CDC, Academy of Dietetics)
OH My – my power is still out, and I am hungry!
It is important to have a safe stash of food regardless of the season.
Consider the following when putting together your “stash”
- Have at least a 3-day supply of non-perishable food
- Choose food that you will eat
- Remember if someone in your family has special dietary needs – i.e.. No sugar added canned fruit vs loaded sugar canned fruit for someone who is a diabetic.
- Avoid salty foods as you may have limited drinking water
Some ideas:
- Ready to eat canned meats (tuna fish in the foil packets, fruits (dried and canned), fruit juices, vegetables (remember – this may be difficult unless you can cook on grill outside)
* Put an old – fashioned can opener in with your stash)
- Protein or fruit bars
- Dry cereal or granola
- Peanut butter and of course crackers
- Non-perishable pasteurized milk (check labels to find out if needs to be refrigerated after opening)
If we are lucky, we will not need to use our “stash “on a regular basis which means if you do not rotate the food you will need to check for expiration dates at least once a year.
Water!
So how much do you need to have in your “stash ‘?
The CDC says that a normally active person needs about ¾ of a gallon a day. Children may need more. If a medical emergency happens more may be needed. If it is hot/humid you will need more.
Do not drink carbonated beverages or caffeinated beverages instead of water as they dehydrate the body which increases the need for water.
The best way to have a supply of water is to estimate how much you need and buy commercially prepared bottled water and store it in its sealed container in a cool dark place.
***** Don’t forget to have a working flashlight available if the power goes out.
What is in demand every day by many people????
If you guessed blood you are right! There is a need for blood every day and more so now with less donor sights being available.
Don’t forget the Blood Drive scheduled at Grace on Friday April 23 from 1-6 . Please think about donating -this is a great way to give back to the community and others. Please contact Gretchen Hiatt to schedule at 419-944-5166 or gretchensue1205@gmail.com or go to Red Cross Site.
This is the day the Lord has made.
Let us rejoice and be glad in it!
~Psalm 118:24
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