The Scriptures for next week are:

Matthew 16:13-23

Psalm 34:11-18

James 3:1-18



Mission Giving for January

Our missional giving for December will be given to "My Neighbor to Love", a newer bridging partner to move people from homelessness to housing in the Lakes area. We will have a speaker this Sunday to explain more, but details can be found on their site. My Neighbor to Love Coalition – Guided by the love of God, our mission is to end homelessness and lift people out of extreme poverty in central Minnesota. (mntlc.org)

Please make a note on your gift if you want it designated to the monthly missions, thank you!

Check out these recent items from the Echo Journal, link in red

--Check out the expansion details of the Lakes Area Food Shelf, a public open house to tour the facility is being held on the 25th from 3-6pm LAFS

--Congrats once again to our own Cassidy Wick! Wick

--Trial by fire. This week marks 25 years since the fire that occurred during the building of our church on this site. Fire

Please join together in prayer twice daily--7:38am and 7:38pm

Psalm 65:11

Copies of the latest Upper Room Daily Devotional are available to pick up in the Narthex. This is a wonderful daily guide, used by many for their personal prayer time.

Upcoming Blood Drives



Nisswa American Legion

Wednesday February 7th, 11-4



Call 1-800-733-2767.

Adult Bible Study

The Adult Bible Study group is putting out an invitation to anyone interested in bible study to join us. We have just started a study of the 12 minor prophets in the Old Testament are they are saying to us today.

We meet every other week in Classroom F at 4:00pm and our discussions usually end no later than 6:00pm. We each bring our favorite study bible with commentary and compare translations and what they say to us today. There are no dumb questions nor any one right answer. There is little if any lecture as we begin by reading the scripture and go immediately into discussion sharing our views as feels comfortable to each of us. All know they can join the discussion or remain quiet, but each is given an opportunity to share one's views. We will go into quite a bit of detail on each prophet, who he is, when he wrote, his audience and the time and culture he/they lived in from reading the introductory commentaries in each of our study bibles, then delve into the message, often no more than two chapters at a time in a session. We are beginning with Hosea and going thru them in the order they are presented in our bibles. If any of you have felt a desire to learn more about the minor prophets and what they tell us, come join us at 4 pm on January 17th for our next session.

There is an upcoming 28-day study within our Conference with a focus on prayer. It will run from January 14th thru February 10th. This can be done individually or as a small group. I will be participating myself, but if others are interested, I would be willing to create a small group experience with the materials. Reach out to me, Pastor Jen if you want a book ordered and/or to do something together.

See details here on the MNAC website or on the flyers at church.

" Are you ready to see what God can do in your life, your congregation, and the Minnesota Annual Conference when we come together in prayer and ask God’s Spirit to unleash in us? Bishop Lanette Plambeck invites all Dakotas and Minnesota United Methodists to join our “Dynamite Prayer Initiative” (based on a book of the same name, written by Picardo and Kibbey) from Jan. 14-Feb. 10. The book will help you incorporate a surrendered prayer practice into your daily life following Christ, and help you cultivate your capacity to discern, to notice, to respond to God’s guidance, and to live by the power of the Holy Spirit."

Mark Your Calendars!

Sunday January 21st---BINGO and soup luncheon. After worship and a brief time of fellowship, we will play BINGO at 10:30, and then enjoy lunch together at 11:30.

We offer prayers of peace and comfort to Elaine Leach and her family on the passing of her sister Darlene this past week. May her memory be a blessing to them.



Holiday office hours.

Monday January 15th--closed for Martin Luther King Day



It is time again to think of the weather when we decide to come to church for worship or activities. Please always make good personal choices for yourself. If a decision is made to cancel worship on a Sunday, we will post the information on our Facebook page, website, and an email will be sent. If you are part of a small group, please check with your group leader to see if you are meeting if there is any doubt.

www.graceumcpequotlakes.org



How to view our worship service online



1-go to our website at www.graceumcpequotlakes.org

2-Along the top of the page, you will see a tab of options.

--on the right is a tab that says "Sundays"

--choose the "Grace Church Livestream" option

--this will take you to a collection of our services by date, where you can choose the most recent service, or others that you may have missed; when you have clicked the one that you want to view, you should see an arrow to click to make it play. It may be necessary to adjust your volume, based on your own computer system.

The church office is open Monday through Thursday, 9am until noon. The building and office are closed on Fridays and Saturdays.



Church office phone: 218-568-5755

· Church office (for all general inquiries and administrative/clerical duties)

[email protected]

·      Pastor Jen Matthees – [email protected]

·      Ann Hutchings-Congregational Care Assistant- [email protected]

If you have something that should be added to this newsletter from your group or mission, please speak with Pastor Jen or email the details to her at [email protected]. The E-Grace is generally completed by noon on Thursdays, so articles need to be received by Thursday 10am at the very latest.



If you wish to connect with me directly and it is not an emergency, please know that I will respond as needed during pretty regular office hours. I am generally in the church on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, from at least 10-1, call the office to be sure, as my weeks may vary. I check my emails frequently throughout the day, and this is the best way to contact me. Friday is my day off as needs allow.

-Pastor Jen

Important note

If you are mailing something to the church, you must use our P.O. Box for the address. We do not receive mail at the church, and if you use the physical church address it will get returned and could delay your notices to us or offerings.

P.O. Box 276

Pequot Lakes, MN 56472