Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
~Psalm 23:6
It has been so exciting to see so many children come forward for the Children’s Moment in worship lately! I so appreciate those who are willing to take the time to offer messages and to help nurture the faith of our young members.
I am also excited because beginning next Sunday, I will be starting First Communion Classes with 7 young people! They will learn about the Sacrament in our time together and will come to the Table for the first time on Reformation Sunday, 29 October.
Many people will say that the children are the future of the church. I prefer to think of them as the Church right now– full of energy to learn about God and the potential to grow into lifelong disciples. Adults in the congregation are responsible for nurturing their growing faith and making them feel that they are essential and vital to our ministry.
But as to the future, I have dreams for Grace. Of course, I hope that our congregation will exist for many years to come and that many more generations will have their faith nurtured here. But I have some concrete dreams that may help make that happen, by expanding opportunities for service and outreach.
What do you think?
- What if we could expand Burrito Blessings and feed our community more often?
- What if the garden some are working on helped us feed our neighborhood?
- What if we opened our building to groups who would come for a few hours once a month to assist people with writing resumes or filling out job or social services paperwork?
- What if we could improve our audio-visual system in the nave and chapel, so our online presence could be more robust and reliable?
- What if Brenner Hall once again became a place for social and youth sports?
- What if we revamped our library and filled it with books about faith and spirituality that would help shape our lives and help us learn?
These are my dreams for Grace. What are yours?
As we come to the end of 2023, my challenge to us all is to find a way to end the year financially strong through our weekly offerings. If we can do this, we can take the money that comes to us at the end of the year from the Foundation to do mission and ministry at Grace and beyond.
Will you dream with me? Will you commit to leading Grace into the future as a strong and vibrant witness to Jesus by striving to Bless the World: Be God’s Grace?
In Christ,
Pastor Brenda
In the month of October we are asking for donations of small notebooks and pads of paper. They can be dropped off in the Giving Grace Room or to the office during the week.
Thank you.
Please join us – Sunday Fellowship Time
In Fellowship Hall between services
October 15 – Gretchen Hiatt and Nancy Lockard
Meditation
By Vicar Dave
What’s going on in today’s Gospel? This whole business of a wedding feast for a king’s son, and nobody came strikes me as kind of odd. I mean, why would you turn down an invitation to the palace for a fine feast? Then, when the invitation goes out a second time, with details of what’s going to be on the menu, it’s turned down a second time. Not just that, but those the king sent to extend the invitation are killed! If I were the king in this case, I’d be getting more than a bit insulted, thinking that my people must really hate me and my son to refuse in such violent terms. This king responds in kind and sends his own troops to kill the erstwhile invitees. Finally, he sends the invitations out a third time, to whomever the servants find out in the street. Finally, people come to celebrate the wedding of the king’s son and to enjoy the feast that the king has prepared.
The king in this story is both persistent and patient. He has sent out three sets of servants/messengers to invite people into his home. To me, at least, this is an allegory for God. God has been calling us humans, inviting us back to Him since the fall of Adam and Eve. Humans throughout history have at various times accepted that invitation and rejected it. Yet God, who is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, continues to send his servants to invite us into His banquet hall. His kingdom.
Some might say that the first invited guests were the people of Israel, and the servants of God who carried the invitation to them were the Hebrew prophets. The second and third sets of servants might be thought of as Christian missionaries, although when Jesus told this story, there were no Christians, let alone missionaries. But perhaps what Jesus is doing here, through the writings of Matthew, is trying to speak to the future church, which He knows is coming and He knows the trials that they will face. If that’s the case, then the last set of guests, who are invited to the wedding banquet in the story, are us! The people of the church!
We have come to God’s table where He has laid out a spectacular feast for all to enjoy. By accepting His invitation, we open ourselves to be fed the finest of foods and to be strengthened by it so that we can go out into the world and invite even more people to the feast. We can become the Christian missionaries, the third set of servants, going out into the world, doing God’s work with our hands, so that all may be fed this wonderful food. We will invite more guests to the party by showing them our love for them, a mere reflection of the love that God has for all of his creation. It’s not just about inviting them to worship with us, though that’s a big part. It’s also about sharing how being in relationship with God has changed our lives. Telling our stories, sharing our time and our talents, and even our treasures, both material and spiritual.
Lets go out into the world and bring back enough guest to fill the banquet hall with joy and love.
- We are in mourning for one of our chipmunks! On Sunday the beautiful but HUGE Red Tail Hawk took off with the chipmunk up and over the church to the pine trees.
- If you are doing your fall cleaning and have items for the Youth Rummage Sale, please take them down to the basement across from the office. There are shelves marked “Rummage Sale”.
- Thanks to all who are helping our Volunteer Custodian keep the church clean.
- Remember: Grace is not the building but the people of Grace carrying out God’s Mission!
Health and Safety Committee ( Security Camera)
An anonymous donor has given us a special gift to cover the cost of the additional security camera. A sincere “thank you” to the individual who has helped to keep the members, visitors and building of Grace safe.
Security Camera Committee: Rick Sharp, David Charvat, Gretchen Hiatt
Healthy People! Healthy Parish!
Flu shot reminder!
Per the CDC (Center for Disease Control) it takes approximately 2 weeks to build up antibodies to fight the flu. Reports are showing a gradual increase so please get your appointment scheduled.
Covid Booster!
The Covid Boosters are now available and per the CDC it is also taking approximately 2 weeks to build up antibodies so please get scheduled as there are cases being reported.
OH BABY IT IS COLD OUTSIDE!!!
Yep, Indian Summer is gone!
We are hopefully not talking the “s” word (Snow) yet as we want to slowly move into that season. However, there are some things to get ready for the colder, darker weather! And are you ready???
- In Ohio there is a law that if we are using our windshield wipers the headlights, NOT parking lights, are to be on.
- Have you checked that your headlights are clean – bug guts and dust make it hard to see?
- Do you have windshield wiper fluid in that won’t freeze in low temperatures and is the container full?
- Headlights need to come on at dusk, which is early now.
- Fog is also around in the fall so drive carefully with your fog lights on (if you have).
- Wet leaves are slippery and can be like ice if you put your brakes on suddenly.
- Those big Yellow Buses are out so don’t forget to watch for kids even if the bus’s yellow and red lights are not on – they are often busy talking and not paying attention.
- Have you had it checked? Carbon monoxide is odorless and can build up quickly, so it is important to have it checked by a qualified technician before you fire it up.
- Make sure the exhaust for your furnace is clear.
- Move flammable stuff like paints, cleaning supplies and cardboard away from the furnace.
Fireplace
- Did you get it cleaned this last Spring? If not do it before you start burning. Creosote can lead to a chimney fire.
- Move flammable items away from area.
- If your fireplace is gas, make sure that it is checked for leaks.
Fire and Smoke Alarms
- Are they working – have you tested them? The change in time happens on November 5th and you should be changing your batteries by then.
Yards
- Leaves are slippery watch when walking. Leaves can also hide uneven surfaces.
- Raking leaves – take it slow and easy. Back injuries are prone to happening when raking and collecting leaves, especially if you have not been doing any kind of exercise.
- Stretch: Make sure your muscles are ready for the workout.
- Standup straight: Pull from your arms and legs.
- Relax: Rake for intervals of 10-15 minutes at a time, taking breaks in between for a drink of water or just to watch the leaves fall(?)
- If you use a leaf blower wear protective eye and hearing protection as well as clothing that protects from flying sticks.
Gutters/Eve troughs
- NEVER DO IT ALONE – always have someone with you to steady the base and call for help if needed.
- There is a 4 to one rule to prevent skidding and tipping backwards. The base of the ladder should be1 foot away from the house for every 4 feet of ladder. Ex. A 12-foot ladder should be 3 feet away from the house. Avoid doing after rain or if there is frost on the ground as this increases the possibility of slipping.
- Better yet – hire someone to do it!
Walking, running and biking!
- Wear reflective clothing and have lights front and back on your bike.
- Do these activities during daylight hours.
- Take out the earbuds and headphones so that you can hear traffic or bicyclists.
BE SAFE AND ENJOY THIS WONDERFUL SEASON !
First Communion Classes will be held on 15 and 22 October at 12:30 p.m. Currently, we have 4 students. If you have a child who is ready for instruction, please speak to Pastor. These children will receive Holy Communion for the first time on Reformation Sunday, 29 October.
The Readings for Sunday October 15, 2023
Isaiah 25:1-9
Psalm 23
Philippians 4:1-9
Matthew 22:1-14
New Church Office Hours
Monday – Thursday 9:00 am – Noon
Friday 9:00 am – 11:00 am
This is the day the Lord has made.
Let us rejoice and be glad in it!
~Psalm 118:24
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