May the God of hope fill you with all joy
And peace in believing, so that you may abound
in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
~Romans 15:13
To watch our live streamed services at 9:30 am and 11:30 am on Sunday mornings, go to gracelutherantoledo.org and scroll to the bottom of the home page. There is a link to connect you to the live services and also all previous recorded services. Join us online!
Bake Sale and RADA cutlery sale
Election Day is November 2, 2021 and Ruth Circle will be having a bake sale, also selling RADA cutlery along with craft items for Fellowship Fair. We need donations of baked goods. They can be brought to church on Sunday Oct 31 and dropped off in the Brenner Hall kitchen marked for the bake sale. They can also be brought on Monday Nov 1 until 4p. Thank you in advance for your help. Money from our sales go to purchase items like the Christ in Our Homes magazines and various outreach programs.
Youth Group Soup Sale
October 31, 2021
10:30 – 1:00
We are having a soup sale to support our trip to Minneapolis for the National Lutheran Youth Gathering in July of 2022. We will offer chicken noodle, vegetable soup and chicken chili – served with crackers and dessert.
The cost is $10 per container which includes two servings.
Please respond if you would like to pre order and pick up on October 31.
Just drive up to the doors by the parking lot at Brenner Hall
and we will bring out your soup order.
Contact Debbie Fallon, Wendy McCall or call the church office with your order.
Thank you!
Thank you to everyone who came to Jerry’s memorial service. Also, thank you to Chris for putting the luncheon together for us. We received many cards which were very nice to receive.
Blessings
The Howard family – Sherry, Anita and Steve
There will be a meeting of Women at the Well on Tuesday, October 26, at 7 p.m. in Fellowship Hall. Women at the Well is a group of women who gather monthly to do a Bible Study and for fellowship. The group has also sponsored luncheons in the past for the women of Grace. All women, Grace members and friends of Grace, are invited to attend this information sharing meeting. If you have questions please contact Mary Schneider at 419.262.0730 or by email, msschneider353@gmail.com.
How does God want us to pray?
~Written by Cathy Holewinski
Recently there was an article in the newsletter about using a different version of the Lord’s Prayer starting October 31, 2021.
It is NOT a new version. It came out before 1978 – and is in the Lutheran Book of Worship. That is our previous hymnal! If you want to check – look on page 71 in the old LBW!
I grew up with “debts” and not “trespasses” in the Presbyterian church. Does that make a difference to God? I don’t think so!
So, what does God want from us in prayer?
Romans 8:26-27:
“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”
There are so many ways of praying. Singing – crying – whispering – with words – without words – just being – spending time in nature – spending time in the sanctuary listening to the bells – playing the guitar – playing the piano – listening to music. Sometimes all we can do is tell God we don’t know how to pray – but he knows our hearts and the Spirit intercedes for us.
Help us, God, to love our sisters and brothers in Christ – even when – especially when – we do not see eye to eye. You are calling all of us to say, “Here I am, send me”. Open our Spirit to listen to your voice when you tell us to go.
Does God care what words we use when we do pray with words? I think He only cares that we pray. He wants to hear from us – however we choose to do so. He loves us. One and all.
Thank you, God.
The “new” version below – think about it as you pray it. Do we just recite the Lord’s Prayer – or do we really pray it?
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come; your will be done on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen.
Thanks be to God.
Please join us for Fellowship Hour during the months of
October and November.
Thank you to the following people for signing up to hostess!
October 24 – The Contemporary Team
October 31 – Mary Schneider and Gretchen Hiatt
November 7 – Wendy McCall and Debbie Fallon
November 14 – Cindy Wood and Mary Schneider
The Prayer ministry group is looking for others who might be interested in joining us for prayer. For Winter we are beginning to meet on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of each month beginning in November. On the first week, we will meet at 4:00 pm at church. The third week we presently meet by phone with a conference call at 7:00 pm.
If you have any ideas of new ways to encourage our congregation through prayer, please notify one of our members – Ron Hiatt, Jeanne Harmon, Ann Fleck, Steve Rife, Connie Thomas or Pam Young.
Behind the scenes at Grace …..by Gretchen
- Our Fall Blood Drive was held this past Friday. A total of 21 (which can help up to 63 people) units were collected! We had 2 first time donators from Grace -Yea! Thanks to all who donated and to Mary Schneider for volunteering at the registration desk. According to our local Red Cross Rep donations have been very low and the need very high so all is appreciated. If you did not have the opportunity to donate at Grace, please call the Red Cross and get scheduled.
- SAVE THE DATE! Our next Blood Drive will be Wednesday January 12 from 1:00 pm—6:00 pm. We will let you know via the Newsletter when you can schedule.
- Don’t forget that the donation bins for Personal Needs, Christmas Child and Feed Your Neighbor have returned to their homes in the Graceful Giving Room across from Classroom 3.
- The Grace Menagerie is making themselves known now that it is getting colder. One of the rabbits has been hanging out by the office in the morning looking for some good food. Two -three Blue Jays have also been seen looking for Joe’s breakfast distribution. We have our own version of a food pantry for the menagerie!!
- Remember: Grace is not the building but the people carrying out God’s Mission in a positive way!
Active Shooter Program
Please mark your calendars for this program on Thursday November 4 from 4:30 pm—6:30 pm.
We don’t like to think that Grace could be the site of an Active Shooter situation, but should it occur we need to be prepared to save lives.
The Toledo Police Department will be presenting.
Gretchen strongly encourages all people involved with Sunday Services including ushers, groups, childrens groups/Sunday School/VBS, Personal Needs, Welca , and staff to attend.
A sign-up sheet will be placed on the Community Bulletin Board across form the office.
We would like to have an idea of the number of people attending for purposes of handouts and room space.
Covid Update
Unfortunately, we have not eliminated Covid from our everyday lives. In Ohio and Lucas County the number of cases is trending slightly down instead of up as it was a couple of weeks ago which is a good sign.
We discussed the current CDC guidelines in Congregational Council on 10/12 regarding masks. It was decided that we need to keep the Congregation updated with the current CDC recommendations. Gretchen will include the current recommendations and update them as changes occur in the Newsletter.
As of the recent update 10/15/21
Per CDC:
“To reduce the risk of becoming infected with SARS- CoV-2 (the virus that causes Covid-19) including the Delta variant, and potentially spreading it to others, CDC recommends that fully vaccinated people:
Wear a mask indoors in public if they are in an area of substantial or high transmission.
Fully vaccinated people might choose to mask regardless of the level of community transmission, particularly if they or someone in their household is immunocompromised or at increased risk for severe disease, or if someone in their house is unvaccinated.
Get tested if experiencing Covid – 19 symptoms
Get tested 5-7 days after close contact with someone with or suspected or confirmed Covid -19
Wear a mask indoors in public for 14 days after exposure or until negative test results.
Isolate if test positive for Covid -19 in the prior 10 days or experiencing Covid-19 symptoms.”
Grace Congregational Councils decision on 10/12/21:
At this time any unvaccinated person (this includes those who have not received their full vaccinations) entering the church must wear a mask.
For fully vaccinated people entering the church it is at their discretion (their choice) as to whether to wear a mask.
Please Note—this will be reviewed monthly at Council meeting and or as needed and can change based on the current Covid status.
We have all seen it, tried to park there and then realized if we do park there, we feel guilty and may even have to pay a $200.00 fine if someone catches us.
What is that blue square with the white figure painted mounted as a sign or painted on the asphalt. Everyone pretty much says it is” Handicapped Parking “but the real name for the sign is the international Symbol for Accessibility (ISA) – hmm I now know why people have shortened the name.
A little history: In 1969 the International Commission on Technology and Accessibility held a contest for someone to design a symbol that would indicate areas that were easy to access for those with a handicap. The design that one looked similar to the one we see now, a stick figure sitting in a wheelchair but the first one had no head! Not sure why no head but the thought was it could be unisex.
The Commission made some changes to include a head. They also wanted it to stand out, so they chose white for the figure on a blue background. The blue is very specific to the signs.
In 1990 the United States signed the Americans with Disabilities Act, and this symbol was adopted in the US at that time and the symbol is now recognized all over the world.
Currently there is the thought that this symbol is really outdated as there are many other disabilities like hearing and vision loss. There is also the thought that the wheelchair does not represent all the things people with a disability are able to do -work, sports, etc.
So, it looks like that there may be a change in the sign sometime in the future but for right now please remember to not park there unless you have a handicap parking plaque or sticker. People with special needs should not be excluded from enjoying the same experiences as non-disabled people.
Remember walking is good exercise and just think of adding to your steps walked by parking further away!
Congregational Council Highlights from October 12,2021
- A brief review of current finances presented. The weekly offerings will be posted in the Newsletter starting within the next couple of weeks.
- Discussed need to maintain contact with members not attending and will bring ideas to November meeting.
- Discussed interest by an outside group in utilizing Grace as a meeting sight. More information to be provided by the organizations Executive Director at the November Council meeting.
- Executive committee to meet to review current listing of committees listed in Constitution and the need of Grace’s current ministry needs. Executive Council to meet prior to November Council meeting to review.
- CDC recommendations for masking (see previous entry).
- Work being done on policies for Safe Sanctuary, Communications and Active Shooter.
Next Congregational Council meeting is Tuesday November 9 at 6:30 pm. If you have items to bring to Council, please contact David Charvat if possible by the Thursday before Council meeting to be added to the agenda.
Please note all past Council meeting minutes are available in the Church Library.
It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.
(Confucius)
Think exercise and keep going !
(Gretchen )
Prayer is the mortar that holds our house together
(Mother Teresa)
On October 3, the Gospel spoke directly to a wonderful event in our first worship service that day, in a way that none of us planned. It took us by surprise. Mallory Moore came to the Lord’s Table for the first time, and the Gospel told of Jesus’ response to the disciples when they tried to keep children away from Jesus. The disciples were sure that they mattered a lot more than children. They didn’t want a bunch of no-account kids to distract Jesus from his Very Important Work. Jesus’ Very Important Work, of course, had to do with grown-ups. Jesus said to them, “Cut it out! Get out of their way! Let the children come to me!”
Several weeks ago, I began talking with Josh Kiefer and Lauren Brown about the baptism of their daughter, Reagan, and we looked for the best date, and we were not looking at the appointed texts for the next few Sundays, and we decided on October 17. And the Gospel for October 17 dealt with baptism.
Unhappily, Reagan was ill that day, and her baptism has been put on hold.
Chapter One of Genesis, the first of the Creation Stories, tells how God invited light to be, and dry land to appear, and seas to form, and they did. God asked the earth to bring forth vegetation, and it did. God asked the sun and the moon and the stars to be, and they sprang into being. God invited the waters to bring forth living creatures, and invited birds to be, and invited the earth to bring forth cattle and creeping things and wild animals of every kind, and they all did, and the earth and the sea were filled with light and life. The story never mentions Dumb Luck, whose more formal name is Coincidence, and I think that’s a little strange, because Dumb Luck seems to be one of God’s favorite creatures. It has visited us twice, now, this month, and has benefitted us each time.
So, am I recommending that we not worry about planning? Should we say, “God is in control,” and adopt the opposite of the Boy Scouts’ motto: “Be Unprepared”? Is it a sign of a lack of faith that I carry a band-aid or two in my wallet?
I don’t think so. Not every accident is a happy one. Suppose I stopped carrying a patch kit, and prayed every day for God to keep me from getting a flat tire, and, when I got a flat, complained to God. “Lord! What happened to “He will give his angels charge of you. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you dash your tire against a piece of glass”? (I changed the words a little.) When, Satan quoted that verse to Jesus, Jesus responded, “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.”
I AM going to look at the texts for the possible dates for Reagan’s baptism.
Accidents will happen, and some will be happy, and some will not. Thanks be to God for the happy ones! But I think part of being a responsible person is planning, so as to make the unhappy kind of accident less likely.
What do you think?
Submitted by Pastor Howard
This is the day the Lord has made.
Let us rejoice and be glad in it!
~Psalm 118:24
Recent Comments