Grace Notes Weekly Update

GRACE NOTES

January 5 - 12, 2020

Dear Grace Family,

We are so grateful for the ways you have shown your love this Christmas season. Your gifts of time, treats, and treasure surely helped to make the season as festive as it could be. We are touched that you thought of us in this time. Know that you remain on our minds and hearts always. We give thanks for the opportunity to serve Christ with you in this new year, whatever it may bring!

Peace in Christ, Pastors and Staff of Grace

Grace continues offering in-person worship opportunities, including two worship services in the Sanctuary, while online worship services continue.

We appreciate your patience as we continue to discern a faithful, safe approach to in-person worship!

We are excited to share new opportunities for Holy Communion in the coming weeks.

For those who attend the in-person worship services, Communion will now be offered outside on the porch as everyone departs.

For those who are not yet attending worship in-person, Grace's pastors will be offering dedicated times to visit and provide the sacrament (outdoors only). Click on the following links to schedule some time for a pastor to visit you.

Click here for the weekly options, offered at 11am on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the coming months.

Click here for the 'flex' time slots, and a pastor will be in contact with you to schedule a time that works for everyone.

Click here to signup for in-person worship on JANUARY 10 at 8:30.

Click here to signup for in-person worship on JANUARY 10 at 11:00.

Second Sunday of Christmas - Jan. 3, 2021

Click the video image for

the Second Sunday of Christmas Worship Service Video from January 3.

Click here for the worship guide.

Click the video image for the Children's Sermon

Children's Sermon for the Second Sunday of Christmas - January 3, 2021

We invite you to "like", comment on, and share these videos!

Each Sunday we continue to worship together online. These services are posted on the Grace Facebook page and on our website.

Sundays with Grace

Our Sunday morning worship and fellowship opportunities are going strong!

Facebook Premiere worship begins at 11am

Facebook Live Coffee Hour starts at noon

We look forward to being with you online this Sunday!

WORSHIP ASSISTANT VIDEOS CONTINUE

We have been blessed to see one another in worship through our online worship assistants! Thanks to make quick responders who volunteered to lead us on Christmas Eve and December 3rd!

We still need help for the first Sunday of 2021! If you are interested in providing a worship assistant video, please click here to sign up for Sunday, January 10, and Pr. Gregg will contact you with the details you'll need.

Thanks to all who have helped lead us in worship so far and all those who will be leading us in the weeks to come!

This year, the Outreach Committee is launching our updated grant program, the Outreach Partnership Grant. Grace has long supported giving to the needs of the community, as well as connecting with our neighbors, because we believe we are called to serve our neighbors, following the example of Jesus.

This Partnership Grant program will enable us to do just that, as well as to have a greater and more intentional impact on and with our community. Through this program, we intend to partner financially and experientially with local non-profit organizations which serve to assist those in need in greater Rock Hill and York County area.

Each year, Grace will make Partnership Grants to local non-profit aid organizations. As part of this partnership, a member of Grace’s Outreach Committee will work with each recipient organization to facilitate a partnership plan for that year, centering on ways that Grace can learn about, connect with, pray for, support, and work alongside the organization, its staff, and its clients. It is our hope that through this partnership, we will all grow in community.

WE NEED YOUR HELP TO MAKE THIS A SUCCESS!

There will be many ways to be a partner with these organizations throughout the year, but first, we have to find our partners. The Outreach Committee invites you to submit the names of local non-profit aid organizations that might benefit from our partnership and funding, especially at this time. We will be collecting names through January, and in February, we will begin contacting organizations to invite them to apply for a Partnership Grants.

To submit an organization's name, please click HERE.

For more information, please contact Pr. Rachel or any member of the Outreach Committee.

Thank you for helping us begin this Partnership Program!

Your Gifts at Work in the Community

Grace has long been committed to fighting hunger in our community. One of our biggest Outreach ministries in recent years has been the Hunger Outreach Program, which involves preparing and delivering meals in the community. During the pandemic, our ability to do this work has been limited, but the need has continued to grow.

The Outreach Committee decided to redirect the remaining Hunger Outreach Funds from 2020 to local hunger relief programs.

In December, we were able to donate $1,961.35 each to The Manna House Pantry and Hope of Rock Hill.

Pr. Rachel was able to deliver these checks personally and hear a bit about the work being done by these organizations. You can read about them below, and click on the images to visit their websites.

Thank you for your continued generosity, which helps Grace share the love and care of God with our neighbors!

Hope of Rock Hill is just a block from Grace, serving our closest neighbors. Hope has been able to stay open during the entire pandemic, which is a blessing, as the need for food has grown.

Gordon Bell, the Director of Operations, told Pr. Rachel that in the last month, Hope has served 1,800 people. He thanks Grace for our ongoing generosity and support.

Manna House moved into the Pathways facility just as the pandemic was beginning, but they quickly adapted and created a streamlined, curbside process for giving out fresh produce, meats, dairy, and bakery items, along with non-perishable staples, every Saturday.

Gloria, who gave Pr. Rachel a tour of the facility, shared that on Thanksgiving weekend, they served 315 families, and 289 families the first week in December. Gloria thanked Grace for our support of Manna House and invited members to come by on a Saturday to see how this program is going.

Dear Grace Family,

We are saddened to inform you that Dave Hardendorf passed away in late December 2020.

In the sure and certain hope of the resurrection, we entrust Dave to God.

Our sympathy and prayers enfold his family, especially his son Kyle, Kyle's mother Nancy, and Dave's sister Kristen, in this time of grief.

If you would like to send Dave's family a message of condolence, please email Pr. Rachel for their contact information.

COVID-19 Concerns

As the United States struggles to contain COVID-19, concerns are growing regarding its long term impact on mental health and those individuals in long-term/assisted living care facilities.

Click on the image to continue reading the article written by Julie Elder.

Stewardship Commitments & Celebration

100 households have made their commitment for 2021,

with a total of $471,464 already committed for ministry!

THANK YOU!

------

2021 has started, and you can still make your commitment for this year of ministry! You can mail your Commitment Card to Grace,

or use the electronic form here to send it in.

Last year, we received 103 commitments. Could you help us reach - or even exceed - that number this year?

Every commitment matters.

Every offering is a vital part of fulfilling our ministry at Grace.

The generosity of our congregation is truly a blessing!

What's Happening with Hospitality?

We are so grateful to everyone who has participated in making this Hospitality goal happen.

We are getting into the final stages of these projects, and we'll have new updates soon! Because of the pandemic, we were not able to complete everything in 2020, but we WILL be completing the projects!

Your continued generosity this year has paved the way for us to complete these projects, knowing we have the financial and faith-filled support we need to make our Hospitality goal a reality! Thank you!

We rejoice with JEB Watkins and Katharine Eich, who will be united in marriage on January 9, 2021!

If you would like to share your congratulations and best wishes with the happy couple, you can send cards to:

JEB and Katharine Watkins

805 Runaway Bay Ln. Apt. J

Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464

UPDATE on Grace's Scouting Programs

Click on the image to read an update on Grace's Scouting programs.

The Stewardship Committee appreciates and recognizes people and groups within Grace that continue to Equip Grace for Today, Tomorrow, and the Next 100 Years! Click on the image to read December's Caught You Caring.

Taking Faith Home carries the previous Sunday's themes throughout the week. These devotions include daily Scripture readings, prayers, hymn suggestions, milestones, conversation starters, service opportunities, and at-home rituals.

Click here for the week of January 3

Click here for the week of January 10

Offering Our Gifts to God - Monetary Offering

Part of our worship is offering our gifts to God. While we are apart, it is still faithful to offer our gifts. You can give in several ways:

Give online by clicking here (and you have the option to offset the cost of giving online)
Set up giving though your bank
Mail your offering to the church office.

Thank you for continued faithful giving!

Men's Bible Study

Join us for a Men's Book Study on Sunday mornings at 9:30am via Zoom - note the new starting time!

We are studying "Unafraid " by Adam Hamilton. Each week we are led by a different member of our group of 'Men-in-Training' and the conversation has been meaningful. Those interested in participating should contact Pr. Gregg to get added to the Realm group where the meeting link is posted. There's always room for one more!

Paul Malina a Graduate Music degree student at Winthrop is looking for a room / apartment to rent. Please click here for more information.

Gifts & Talents Pictures

Our worship has been enhanced by your photos of projects, experiences, and joys - thank you for sharing! We would love to see more of what you're doing - please send photos to our Video Editor, Craig Allen by clicking here.

Our Daily Bread Devotionals

If you would like us to mail you a copy of the December, January, February devotional, please email the church office.

2021 Offering Envelopes

To save money we do not plan on mailing envelopes to those of you who, during this pandemic, have been using online giving and/or having your banks send checks directly to Grace rather than using your envelopes. When “normal” Sunday services return, some of you probably will want to restart using weekly envelopes. If so, just let us know and we will issue you a 2021 set. In the meantime, many thanks for your faithful giving through these difficult times.

Congregation Connections

Click the image for

our current

Grace Prayer List

Click the image for

our current

Memorials & Honor Gifts

Click the image

for our

January Birthdays

Can We Help?

This pandemic has affected each of us, but may have affected us in different ways. If you are in need of help (of any kind), please reach out to the pastors.

We can find connections to resources and/or support together.

We want to walk with you.

Please call or email us.

November Giving and Expenses

November Received $68,261

November Expenses $51,459

Budgeted to Spend $50,852

YTD Received $616,038

YTD Expenses $500,305

YTD Budgeted to Spend $559,372