GRACE NOTES
July 28 - August 4, 2020
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UPDATE: Council has voted to return to Stage One of our plan for returning to in-person ministry. This means in-person worship services will be on hold for the time being. Online worship will continue on its regular schedule.
Click
here
for the stage-based version and
here
for the table-based version of "Granting Grace to One Another"
We remain deeply grateful for the many ways that you, Grace members, have continued to be the church while we are apart. Our church has never been closed, just deployed. The Holy Spirit continues to work in and among us, and we continue to share God's grace with the world.
Stay up-to-date with the latest information by visiting our COVID-19 page:
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While we are physically apart in the coming weeks, there are still many ways for us to be church together. We invite you to connect with one another by phone and make use of the resources in this publication, too!
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WORSHIP
Click the video image for the
8th Sunday after Pentecost
Worship Service Video
from July 26.
Click
here
for the worship guide.
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Click the video image for the
Children's Sermon from
the 8th Sunday after Pentecost,
July 26.
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We invite you to "like", comment on, and share these videos!
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Each Sunday we continue to worship together online.
We will also send an email to invite you to participate.
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WORSHIP ASSISTANT VIDEOS RETURN!
We have made great strides in our recording of worship services and we are now poised to reintroduce more faces to the mix.
If you are interested in providing a worship assistant video for this coming weekend's worship, please
click here
to sign up 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!
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Coffee Hour on Facebook Live
Many of you have joined in the Sunday morning Facebook Live Coffee Hours, sharing your thoughts on the worship service, sermon & Scripture, shifting perspectives, the presence of God's charity and love in the world and much more. The pastors have loved getting to know you better and hope you have, too! Thanks for taking part!
Our pastors continue to host these online
Coffee Hours
on
Sunday mornings at 11am
. We hope you will join us; bring your coffee and your comments to take part in this community gathering!
We invite you to share the links to our services and coffee hours; though we are apart, we can still share the Good News of God through worship and fellowship.
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ELCA SC Synod Assembly - July 25, 2020
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The Thirty-Third Assembly of the South Carolina Synod and the 195th meeting of the Lutheran Church in South Carolina was held this past Saturday and history was made.
The SC Synod elected a new bishop, The Rev. Ginny Aebischer,
who is our first female bishop!
We rejoice that the Holy Spirit has moved among us and provided us with a strong and faithful leader for the next 6 years. We invite you to be in prayer for Bishop-Elect Aebischer, who will be installed in September. We pray also in thanksgiving for Bishop Yoos, who will be retiring after 12 years of faithful service as the SC Synod Bishop.
For more information about Bishop-Elect Aebischer, as well as a
summary
of the actions taken, the ministry shared, and the videos watched at Synod Assembly, please click
here
.
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NovusWay is the group of our local, beloved ELCA camps. Many of us have spent life-changing weeks at one or more of these camps, and they are a gift to all of us! This year, because of the pandemic, these camps are sustaining a significant financial loss. In order to ensure that they'll still be going strong once the pandemic restrictions are lifted, NovusWay has launched the "
Light The Fire
" campaign to raise awareness and funding. Tomorrow, Wednesday July 29th, is the "
Day of Giving
", and NovusWay hopes to receive 500 gifts as part of this designated day. As part of this day, a donor is meeting the first 500 gifts with a $200 bonus gift - so your gift goes even further tomorrow!
The Youth and Family committee invites you to join them in generosity tomorrow, Wednesday July 29th, in giving to NovusWay!
The Y&F Committee will be donating $2,063.91 of their budgeted funds to NovusWay
(money they would have used for NovusWay-related programming this year). Y&F knows that camp is a vital resource for growing in faith, and they are committed to helping sustain its ministry excellence, just as we sustain ministry excellence here at Grace. Thank you for supporting our local camps, through Grace and beyond!
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Youth and Family Programming Updates
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Young Youth and GYM have had a great time on Zoom this spring and summer! We will be taking a break during August and the first part of September, while everyone finishes off vacation time and gets ready to start school.
We will start our new program year mid-September. This will include welcoming our rising Kindergartners to Young Youth and our rising 6th graders to GYM!
More information about this upcoming year will be available later in August. Please email
Pr. Rachel
with any questio
ns.
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We know this pandemic has shifted a lot of things for parents/caregivers, and the opportunity to hang out with other parents at church has been one of them.
We're going to be creating a virtual opportunity for parents/caregivers of our Young Youth and GYM kids to connect with one another, to talk about faith, school decisions, how things are going, etc. The pastors will join in and hear how we can be supporting you, too, including the possibility of more connection options.
Be on the lookout for more information about this in next week's enews.
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After much prayer and consideration, the ELCA has decided to postpone next summer’s ELCA Youth Gathering to 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2022 ELCA Youth Gathering will be held July 24-28, 2022.
This was a difficult choice, as it means disappointment for many rising high school seniors. However, it was the safe choice for our youth, and we give thanks for ELCA leaders who make the smart decision, even when it's not a fun decision. We invite your prayers for those who are disappointed, for those who lead, and for those whose planning will take on new dimensions with this change.
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Equipping Ourselves for Hospitality
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Last year, we set three goals for 2020, each of which would Equip Grace for Today, Tomorrow, and the Next 100 Years. We had to pause some of our work on these goals while we were away from the building, but now, we are planning ways to get back to them!
In August, we will resume work on our goal of "Equipping Ourselves for Hospitality." We have several projects aimed at upgrading spaces throughout our building, including the Conference Room, the men's Bible study room, classrooms throughout our Sunday School hallway, and the Fellowship Hall.
We will need to work in modified, socially-distant ways to accomplish these projects, and we will. Then, once we are all able to be back in the building together, these freshened and improved spaces will provide a warm welcome!
We'll need help to get these projects accomplished. If you have a passion for conference room chairs, expertise in painting, or simply are interested in helping with any of these projects, please click
here
to let Pr. Rachel know.
Thank you to everyone who has continued in their generosity this year. Because of your steady giving, we are able to move forward with these projects confidently!
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From the Pastors
Click
here
to read the Pastors' remarks
from their reports to Council for July 2020.
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This week, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton shares a message with us about how God remains our refuge and our strength, especially in times of trouble.
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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.
If you are attending worship in-person, we ask that you still utilize one of these three giving options, which limits the virus exposure for our offering tabulators.
Thank you for continued faithful giving!
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Gifts & Talents Pictures
Our worship has been enhanced by your photos of projects, experiences, and joys these last few months - 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
.
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FAITH FORMATION RESOURCES
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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 July 26
Click
here
for the week of August 2
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Click the image for
our current
Grace Prayer List
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Click the image for
Memorials and Gifts
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Click the image for our
July Birthdays
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Click the image for our
August Birthdays
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Billy needs a new home!
Donna Wylie has shared a need: her dog, Billy, finds himself in need of a new home with a fence, where he can go on walks, share lots of love, and make some new friends. If you know of someone who might have a good home for Billy, please contact Donna Wylie directly, or call the Church Office.
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Committee Meetings can be held on Zoom! If your Committee would like to use Zoom, the pastors can help. Please click
here
to email the pastors if you'd like to set up a Zoom meeting.
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June Giving and Expenses
June Received $66,883
June Expenses $48,640
Budgeted to Spend $50,852
YTD Received $277,989
YTD Expenses $234,882
YTD Budgeted to Spend $254,260
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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.
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Stay connected! Click on the links below!
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Most in-person activities at
Grace Lutheran Church are suspended until further notice.
At this time, please do not come
to the church building unless you have
signed up to attend worship.
We are praying for the health and well-being of our community and world.
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GRACE LUTHERAN CHURCH
426 Oakland Avenue
Rock Hill, SC 29730
(740) 312-5774
(Pastor Gregg’s cell)
(864) 230-3816
(Pastor Rachel’s cell)
Office Hours:
Monday - Friday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
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