GRACE NOTES December 27, 2022 - January 3, 2023

For Worship services please visit our YouTube channel.

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 have been part of making our season bright. We are touched that you thought of us in this time. We give thanks for each of you and the opportunity to serve Christ with you in the coming year!  Peace in Christ, Pastors and Staff of Grace

Jackie Wille 1939 - 2022 Members and friends, we are sad to inform you of the death of our sister, Jackie Wille.   We have no further details at this time, but more information will be forthcoming.   We hold close in prayer her daughter, Debbie and all those who mourn this loss. We trust in the eternal promise of the resurrection and entrust Jackie to the heavenly care of Jesus Christ.

"For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38-39

Grace Choral Christmas Program Click HERE to watch the video of this year's Christmas concert.

What's Going On At Grace +Sun, Jan 1 - Lessons & Carols Services at 8:30 and 11am +Sun, Jan 8 - Tour of Grace at 10am (for anyone who'd like to know the building better!) +Sun, Jan 15 - Sunday School & Coffee Hour resume Many of these events have more details in other sections. This section is updated each week, so keep checking in. You can also see the full church calendar HERE.

END OF YEAR GIVING As the year comes to a close, we look back on the wonderful ministry we have done together in 2022, and we give thanks for the financial gifts that were given to make this ministry happen. Your continued faithful support of our ministry will enable us to finish this year’s work strong and position us well to begin next year’s ministry in January. At our Annual Meeting, we announced our intentions for offerings received over and above our Missional Spending Plan expenses in 2022. These funds, up to $10,000, will be designated as follows: 10% as a tithe to the SC Synod 90% toward our 100th Anniversary Celebrations in 2023 Thank you in advance for you gifts which support these two endeavors!  Please remember that for financial donations to be counted towards 2022 tax deductions, they must be received in 2022. Grace will make its final 2022 deposit on Friday, Dec. 30, so please have your giving to the Church Office by 5pm on Thursday, December 29 if you would like to make it count for this fiscal year. Thank you!

The Grace Craft Group delivered handmade hats and scarves to our in-house Outreach Partner, Palmetto Community Health Care, earlier this month! Our Craft Group donated more than 26 hats and scarves to our neighbors. We give thanks for this group, which focuses on fellowship and generosity! If you'd like to connect with the Craft Group, please contact Sabrina Blanks.

From the Craft Group: Join us on the first Tuesday of the month (January 3) from 11am to 1pm in room 107! This group is for crafters of any skill level and any craft, with the group’s purpose to craft items that will be donated to different organizations in need of those items.

The New Year is about to arrive, and with it comes opportunities to sponsor our Sanctuary Candle and Altar Flowers! We invite you to take part in providing these beautiful signs of faith and our life as church together.

2023 Sanctuary Candle Grace continues to keep our Sanctuary Candle burning every week, a sign of the continuing presence of Jesus Christ in our lives. Members are able to sponsor the candle in memory or honor of someone. The cost of the candle is $25.   Click HERE to sign up. It has been a long-standing tradition at Grace for members to sponsor the weekly flowers, often in honor or memory of a special person or event. The cost is $45.00 for one (1) or $90.00 for both (2) vases. Please click HERE to sign up.

OUTREACH UPDATES AND OPPORTUNITIES

Our Grace Outreach Partnership 9-Month Update went out last Thursday. If you missed it, please click HERE for a beautiful story about connecting with one of our partners, along with the updates.

Grace is hosting Family Promise guests next week, Jan. 1-8, 2023! Your time and effort given to host Family Promise make a concrete difference in the lives of our guests. Creating a safe and welcoming home for a week is a blessing, and we are grateful for your participation. Our remaining needed volunteer roles are: 3 Overnight Hosts: Sunday Jan 1, Tuesday Jan 3, Saturday Jan 7 (8pm-7am) 1 Meal Host: Saturday Jan 7 (6pm) 2 Evening Hosts: Friday Jan 6, Saturday Jan 7 (6-8pm) You can sign up to help by clicking HERE.   Thank you for your support of this ministry!

Biggest needs at HOPE: Peanut Butter, Jelly, Pull-ups (3T-4T, 4T-5T, 5T-6T), Diapers (4, 5, 6), Laundry Detergent, All Purpose Cleaners, Feminine Hygiene Products You can drop items off in the bin located outside the church offices when you're in the building, and a volunteer will take them over to HOPE. Please only place non-perishable items in the bin!

Opportunity to Support our Scout Troop: Zachary Zimba's Eagle Project Zachary Zimba is a member of Troop 31, and is in the process of earning his Eagle Scout Award. For his project, Zachary is planning and constructing a 20’x15’ shelter for the Winthrop University Human Nutrition Department, inside the Rock Hill Educational Community Gardens. Click HERE to learn more about Zachary's project. Zachary's project will cost $850 to complete (this is in addition to discounts and donations made by material suppliers). If you'd like to contribute toward this project, please contact the church office for donating information.

Congregation Connections

Click here for our current Prayer List Click here for our December Birthdays

Click here for our Memorials & Honor Gifts Click here for our January Birthdays

The Sanctuary candle for the month of December is given by Pat and Bill Yoos in honor of Bill's 80th birthday and in memory of our parents. The Sanctuary candle for the month of January is given by Amy and Chris Cassidy in memory of Amy's father, Donald William Ellison. The Altar Flowers for January 1 are available to sponsor. Click HERE to sign up.

Worship Assistant Schedule Click HERE for the Worship Assistant Schedule. Don't see your name? Want to be part of leading worship? Email the church office today!

Offering envelopes for 2023 are now available and may be picked up in the Fellowship Hall. At this point we have prepared sets only for those we expect to be using them. Therefore, those of you that have been giving electronically or are having your financial institution send checks directly to Grace will not find a set with your name. However, we do have extra sets and will happily provide them to anyone that asks. Just let us know (either contact the church office or Financial Secretary Bob Stonebraker or 803-980-1834) and we’ll get a set for you.

Offering Our Gifts to God Your gifts to Grace allow our ministry to happen! You can give in several ways: Give via the offering plate in worship Give online by clicking HERE (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!

Click HERE for the November Treasurer's Report

If you are in need of help (of any kind), or simply want to connect, please reach out to the pastors. We want to walk with you. Please call or email us.

Stay connected! Click on the links below!

GRACE LUTHERAN CHURCH 426 Oakland Avenue Rock Hill, SC 29730 803.324.5295 www.gracerockhill.com [email protected]  (740) 312-5774 (Pastor Gregg’s cell) (864) 230-3816 (Pastor Rachel’s cell) Office Hours: Monday - Thursday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm