Grace's Congregation Council met again this past Sunday, June 14, and continued the discussion surrounding when and how we might begin to resume some in-person activities.
Council has voted to add in-person worship opportunities beginning on Saturday, June 27th and Sunday, June 28th. Importantly, online worship will continue when in-person worship resumes.
Please read a letter from Pr. Gregg for more information by
clicking here
.
To continue preparing in the meantime, we ask that you familiarize yourself with the "Granting Grace to One Another" guide that outlines all of the requirements for Stages 1-4. Please pay special attention to Stage 2, which is our next stage. Click
here
for the stage-based version and
here
for the table-based version of "Granting Grace." The information is the same in both.
As we continue getting things ready, know that we are 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 in this time, 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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Signing Up for Worship
Stage 2 of "Granting Grace to One Another" requires signups for attending in-person worship, to ensure that we limit attendance in each service to 50 people, allowing for the required social distancing to take place.
If you would like to attend in-person worship, you must sign up.
We have 40 spots available at each service, which leaves 4 spots for our worship leaders and 6 spots for visitors.
To sign up for the service on Saturday, June 27th, at 7pm, click
HERE
.
To sign up for the service on Sunday, June 28th, at 9am, click
HERE.
If you have difficulty using the signup links, please contact the church office. If we find that we have more attendees than spaces, we will consider additional worship services.
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We need your help! Before we can re-open, we need several strong teams of people who are willing to lend their help so all of us are as safe as possible. Click below to volunteer:
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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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Emanuel 9 Day of Repentance
Wednesday, June 17, marks the fifth anniversary of the shooting at Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, S.C., where nine people were killed during a Bible study.
To honor this day, the 2019 ELCA Churchwide Assembly adopted a resolution to establish June 17 as
“Emanuel 9 Day of Repentance,”
commemorating the martyrdom of the Rev. Clementa C. Pinckney, Cynthia Marie Graham Hurd, Susie Jackson, Ethel Lee Lance, Depayne Middleton-Doctor, Tywanza Sanders, the Rev. Daniel L. Simmons, Sharonda Coleman-Singleton and Myra Thompson by Dylann Roof, who grew up in the ELCA. Pinckney and Simmons were graduates of Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, one of the ELCA’s seven seminaries.
The ELCA resolution calls for the commemoration to be grounded in prayer, the development of litanies and worship around repentance from racism, and for deepening conversation with the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME Church) on ways of reconciliation and repentance on the matters of racism and white supremacy.
The ELCA Prayer Service for Commemoration of the Emanuel Nine will be available online at 12:00 p.m. Eastern time on June 17.
Worship leaders include ELCA leaders, such as SC Synod Bishop Yoos and ELCA Presiding Bishop Eaton, as well as several ecumenical partners, including the senior bishop of the AME Church and the presiding bishop of the 7th Episcopal District of the AME Church.
Pr. Gregg and Pr. Rachel invite you to join them in participating in this virtual prayer service tomorrow at 12 pm by cl
icking
here.
For more information about Emanuel 9 Day of Repentance, click
here.
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Click on the video link for the latest message from ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton, who invites us to explore the beauty in darkness and how doing so connects us to God.
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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, justice, taking trips, and more. The pastors have loved getting to know you better and hope you have, too! Thanks for taking part!
Our pastors will continue to host these online
Coffee Hours
on
Sunday mornings at 11am
. If you've never been, we invite you to join us on Facebook this week! If you've joined before, we hope you'll keep coming. Bring your coffee and your comments to take part in this community gathering!
We'll also continue to launch our
worship service
on
Facebook Premiere
at
10am
on Sundays, so that those who wish can worship at the same time and even say hello. We'll continue to post the worship service on YouTube and the website at
7:30am
for those who prefer to access it that way.
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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June Remarks from
Our Pastors
In their reports to Council each month, Pastor Gregg and Pastor Rachel conclude with some personal remarks that summarize the most recent period of their leadership here at Grace.
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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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WORSHIP
Click the video image for the
2nd Sunday after Pentecost
Worship Service Video
from June 14.
Click
here
for the worship guide.
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Click the video image for
the Children's Sermon from
the 2nd Sunday after Pentecost,
June 14.
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We invite you to "like", comment on, and share these videos!
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Offering Our Gifts to God
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Bird sculpture courtesy of Coby Johnson
Gifts & Talents Pictures
Share your work and activities with us! During this time, many of us are busy with projects, using our gifts. Sharing your projects, large or small, is one way to present offerings to God at this time & we want to see what God is doing through you!
If you'd like to share what you're doing, please send pictures to
Pr. Gregg
so we can include them in our worship videos. We may also use these on social media & at church when we return.
NOTE: If you can, add a signature to your visual offering!
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Monetary Offering
When we worship together, 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
-You are also still welcome to mail your offering to the church office.
Thank you for giving!
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Grace is a congregation that prioritizes generosity!
Last week, we shared five thank-you notes Grace received from organizations we have recently supported. If you missed them, click
here
to see how your faithful giving towards the mission we share is making an impact in the world.
Thank you for your generosity!
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A Note from the Race and Reconciliation Committee
Last October, Rock Hill’s Race & Reconciliation group (which had its beginnings at Grace) had a program featuring Doug O'Neal, a man who served a quarter century in jail before being exonerated and released. The topic attracted the attention of Scott Morgan of SC Public Radio. Recently, the statewide network won a Radio Television Digital News Association regional Edward R. Murrow Award for Morgan’s story, “A Quarter Century for Murder and an Ex-Prosecutor’s Change of Heart.”
Click
here
to listen to this story.
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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 June 14
Click
here
for the week of June 21
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Click
here
for previously featured (and still available!) resources.
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Summer Children and Youth Programming at Grace
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Young Youth and Grace Youth Ministry (GYM)
Young Youth & GYM will meet via Zoom every-other week during the summer (June 14 & 28, July 12 & 26). We continue to enjoy each other's company & grow in our faith online. Please email Pr.
Rachel
with any questions. We give thanks that we can still meet in this way!
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Click the image for our
June Birthdays
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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 to read a thank you note from Dan Polito.
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Committee Meetings can be held on Zoom! If your Committee hasn't met recently and would like to, the pastors can help. If your Committee doesn't currently have business to discuss, this could still be an opportunity to check in with each other and share in fellowship. Please click
here
to email the pastors if you'd like to set up a Zoom.
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May Received $66,883
May Expenses $48,640
Budgeted to Spend $50,852
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YTD Received $277,989
YTD Expenses $234,882
YTD Budgeted to Spend $254,260
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Stay connected! Click on the links below!
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All in-person activities at
Grace Lutheran Church are suspended until further notice.
At this time, please do not come
to the church building.
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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