March 6, 2022 Newsletter

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

                                                               ~Matthew 6:21 

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, believe means “to consider to be true” while trust means “assured reliance on the character of someone or something.” Now, two questions come to mind:

Is it enough just to believe in God, or in Jesus, or in the Holy Spirit—that is, “consider to be true” without “assured reliance?”

Why does the Apostles’ Creed stop with believe? Perhaps the following might be more appropriate:

I believe and trust in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

I believe and trust in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe and trust in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.

Amen.

Be a hand that reaches out.

Be a smile for those who have no reason to smile.

Be a light for those who live in darkness.

Lent at Grace

by the Worship and Music Committee

The theme for Lent at Grace is hands, how God’s hands and Jesus’ hands were used in the Bible.

Services on Wednesdays will be held in the Chapel at both 12 noon and 7 p.m.  At the 7 p.m. service the Holden Evening Prayer will be sung.

On Ash Wednesday we learned how God’s hands are writing: “Behold, I have graven you on the palms of my hands”, Isaiah 49:16. The word graven here means etched, written.

The topics for the remainder of Lent through Maundy Thursday include:

March 9:   Guiding hands
March 16:  Giving hands
March 23:  Lifting hands
March 30: Washing hands
April 6:  Saving hands

April 14, Maundy Thursday:  Taking, Breaking, Giving hands

Please consider attending these special Lenten services to prepare for the celebration of Easter!

A big thank you to all my church family in remembering me with cards

and song and cake and lunch for my birthday 2022.

I am blessed and humbled.           ~Connie Thomas

My Jesus, my Savior

Lord there is none like you

All of my days, I want to praise

The wonders of your mighty love

Love one another.

Behind the scenes at Grace…. By Gretchen

1. No feedback on fermented crab apples and does it cause tipsy birds but it sure is interesting trying to watch them balance on the peaked part of the Chapel.
2. Mailboxes on the move! If you had a mailbox in the copy room, they have now been moved to the Giving Grace Room. The copy room is locked when the office is closed, and some mail has been collecting. The Giving Grace Room is always open so it will be easy to see if you have mail and can pick it up.
3. Cardboard—can’t live without it and can’t live with it (at least lots of it). We are in a transition since Joe has retired. To limit the number of cans we must haul out to the curb early on Monday morning we are trying to take care of recycling without using the recycling can. To be an equal opportunity recycler you will occasionally see a stack of cardboard and /or bag of plastic bottles located by the Sanctuary, Fellowship Hall and /or the office. If everyone would pick up and recycle just one box or bag it would be of tremendous help!!!
4. WOW! Our Blanket Collection has been awesome! Last week we gave out 2 blankets to people in need. Even though the blanket chest has gone back to Gretchen’s office we are still collecting. As warm weather is coming (in spite of that crazy woodchuck) and you are washing and putting blankets away – if there are some you do not want we will still collect throughout the year.
5. Broken, not working, needs refilling, burned out lightbulbs! Please let the office know—email, note in mailbox on the door, or phone call. The sooner we know the faster it can be checked out!
6. Check out the map of Blood on the Move !
7. Remember Grace is not the building but the people of Grace….

RED!!

Red is never boring!

When in doubt – wear red (Bill Blass)

Nothing attracts more attention than a red dress (it could also be a red shirt) (Laura Bush)

The color red means life, health, energy, courage, love, action. It has some negative meanings too but for this article we are talking positive!!

We have the “Wear Red for Women” in observance of women’s heart health in February and on Reformation Sunday!

Did you know we have another day to wear red?

Yes, it is wear red on April Fool’s Day this year.

Wear that red dress, shirt, top, blouse, red leggings, red scarf, or red earring s when you come to give blood at the Grace Blood Drive on Friday April 1!

We want to be the site with the most appropriately red dressed people. There are also T-shirts being given out by the Red Cross that day (as long as they last ) .

The need is still great and every drop counts – each unit of blood can help as many as 3 people.

You may sign up on the Red Cross site or contact Gretchen and she can work on getting you scheduled. 419-944-5166 or email gretchensue1205@gmail.com

Watch for the giant red blood drop!

THE SEASON FINALE of “GRACE ANTOMY” is here! (The last night of eating popcorn !)

Theater Room – Room 14

This is way … down the hallway towards the expressway. It actually has theater seating like in a movie theater. There is also a big screen TV. It is a great meeting room too!

Rooms 15 and 16 Youth Room (also known as Luther League Room)

These are the last rooms on the south end of the building. Currently these rooms are also housing items for the Hugemongous Rummage Sale the Youth are having the end of April. This is where the youth meet.

The Back Hall

This is between the Theatre Room and the Youth Room. There is an exit here that faces the furniture store and can be used in an Emergency.

The Producer of the show has a few “outtakes” that need to be included.

1. The bathrooms by Brenner Hall are safe places to go in Severe Weather /Tornado Shelter.
2. The Storage room is also a shelter site.
3. There is another Prayer Chapel! It is the outside Prayer Chapel in the parking lot.

Quiz Time: Next week a written quiz will be available on the credenza (desk) outside the office. Please return to Gretchen’s mailbox in Giving Grace Room by Monday March 28^th. A prize will be awarded for most correct answers. No cheating allowed which includes conference time with Mr. Bob Haaf .

This is the day the Lord has made.

Let us rejoice and be glad in it!

~Psalm 118:24