Large enough to serve, Small enough to care Files/February Graceline.pdf · shirts if you have one....
8
Hope Alliance Landscape Maintenance (weather permitting) or an indoor project Sign-up for each of the above projects on the Narthex bulletin board. 12:00 noon - Lunch and Fellowship in the TEC We pray for God's guid- ance as we as a congrega- tion consider what it means to give joyfully to God— overflowing with generosity and thanks for all of the blessings God has poured into our lives. In what ways is God calling our congrega- tion to be generous with the blessings He has given us? Stewardship Committee On Sunday, February 2 nd , we will kick-off our 2014 Stewardship Program, God's Work. Our Hands. This will be our focus, not only over the next few weeks but throughout the coming year. We are reminded that Stewardship is year-round as our ministries are year- round. As a congregation and as individuals, we can see evidence of how God can take little things, things that seem relatively insignificant and multiply their impact beyond what we could have ever imagined. We are richly blessed by God. As stewards of all God's blessings, we are first receivers of what God has already done. Then in trust and faith, we accompany the active work of God in the world through our gen- erosity. Stewardship is about how we as a congregation together can do God's work. It's about how we can to- gether live out God's call to love God and our neighbors. On February 23 rd , as part of our Consecration Sunday celebration, we will join to- gether our hands to do God's work and to love our neighbors. Please join us and don't forget to wear your God's Work. Our Hands t- shirts if you have one. Below is the schedule of events for February 23 rd : 9:15a.m. - special early Worship Service 10:00 a.m.—12:00 noon - God's Work. Our Hands. Community Service Projects "Buddy Blankets" for Round Rock Volunteer Center (sponsored by Thrivent Financial) Singing at Trinity Care Center Treats for Firefighters Deep Wood1st Grade Teacher Aids meal. Please join our youth and youth around the country as they demonstrate God's love by loving their neighbors through the Na- tional Souper Bowl of Caring. You are invited to drop $1 (or more) in the Broncos or Seahawks soup pot as you leave worship on February 2nd to show support for your team and support the Round Large enough to serve, Small enough to care February 2014 Volume 2, Issue 2 Mark your calendar: God’s Work. Our Hands. Sunday February 23 rd Inside this issue: February Events 2 Living Life Intentionally 3 God’s Work. Our Hands. Service Projects 4 Council Updates 5 ELCA Updates 6 Prayer Concerns 7 Everyday Heroes at LSS 8 On Sunday, February 2nd, 160 million Americans will tune in to the Super Bowl football game to see whether the Denver Broncos or the Seattle Seahawks will take home the NFL SuperBowl XLVII Champion Title! At the same time, there will be people worrying about staying warm, finding shelter and a warm National Souper Bowl of Caring - God's Work. Our Hands. Rock Area Serving Center. Our January food collection of canned soup is also part of our Souper Bowl of Caring project. God's Work. Our Hands. 2014 Stewardship Program
Transcript of Large enough to serve, Small enough to care Files/February Graceline.pdf · shirts if you have one....
Hope Alliance Landscape Maintenance (weather
permitting) or an indoor project
Sign-up for each of the above projects on the
Narthex bulletin board.
12:00 noon - Lunch and Fellowship in the TEC
We pray for God's guid-ance as we as a congrega-
tion consider what it means to give joyfully to God—
overflowing with generosity and thanks for all of the
blessings God has poured into our lives. In what ways
is God calling our congrega-tion to be generous with
the blessings He has given us?
Stewardship Committee
On Sunday, February 2nd,
we will kick-off our 2014 Stewardship Program,
God's Work. Our Hands. This will be our
focus, not only over the next few weeks but
throughout the coming year. We are reminded that Stewardship is year-round
as our ministries are year-round.
As a congregation and as individuals, we can see
evidence of how God can take little things, things that
seem relatively insignificant and multiply their impact
beyond what we could have ever imagined.
We are richly blessed by God. As stewards of all
God's blessings, we are first receivers of what God has
already done. Then in trust and faith, we accompany the active work of God in
the world through our gen-erosity.
Stewardship is about how we as a congregation
together can do God's work.
It's about how we can to-gether live out God's call to
love God and our neighbors. On February 23rd, as part
of our Consecration Sunday celebration, we will join to-
gether our hands to do God's work and to love our neighbors. Please join us and
don't forget to wear your God's Work. Our Hands t-
shirts if you have one. Below is the schedule of events for
February 23rd:
9:15a.m. - special early
Worship Service
10:00 a.m.—12:00 noon -
God's Work. Our Hands. Community Service
Projects
"Buddy Blankets" for Round Rock Volunteer Center (sponsored by Thrivent
Financial)
Singing at Trinity Care Center
Treats for Firefighters
Deep Wood1st Grade
Teacher Aids
meal. Please join our youth and
youth around the country as they
demonstrate God's love by loving
their neighbors through the Na-
tional Souper Bowl of Caring.
You are invited to drop $1 (or
more) in the Broncos or Seahawks
soup pot as you leave worship on
February 2nd to show support for
your team and support the Round
Large enough
to serve,
Small enough
to care
February 2014 Volume 2, Issue 2
Mark your
calendar:
God’s Work. Our Hands. Sunday
February 23rd
Inside this issue:
February Events 2
Living Life
Intentionally
3
God’s Work.
Our Hands.
Service Projects
4
Council Updates 5
ELCA Updates 6
Prayer Concerns 7
Everyday Heroes
at LSS
8
On Sunday, February 2nd, 160
million Americans will tune in to
the Super Bowl football game to
see whether the Denver Broncos
or the Seattle Seahawks will take
home the NFL SuperBowl XLVII
Champion Title!
At the same time, there will
be people worrying about staying
warm, finding shelter and a warm
National Souper Bowl of Caring - God's Work. Our Hands.
Rock Area Serving Center. Our
January food collection of canned
soup is also part of our Souper Bowl
of Caring project.
God's Work. Our Hands. 2014 Stewardship Program
February 23—CHANGE OF WORSHIP TIME
Mark your calendars for this special Sunday!
Worship at 9:15
Service Projects begin at 10:00
Lunch is served at 12:00!
“God’s Work. Our Hands” isn’t just a catchy phrase;
it is what stewardship is all about.
God’s Work. Our Hands.
Page 2
GENEROSITY—COMMITMENT—SHARE
Adult Sunday Studies in February
9:25-10 a.m. in the Grace House “Blue Room”
February 2 — When has another person given you a gift of grace?
When have you received a gift that you could not
have earned or deserved?
February 9 — Have you ever been inspired to give by someone
else’s generosity?
February 16 — Have you ever faced a challenge that required your
full commitment?
Use these conversations on Sunday morning
to strengthen and support your faith.
GOD’S WORK, OUR HANDS SERVICE PROJECTS
The five projects planned are:
“Buddy Blankets” for Round Rock Volunteer Center
(Sponsored by Thrivent Financial)
Treats for Deep Wood Firefighters
Singing at Trinity Care Center
1st Grade Teacher Aids for Deep Wood Elementary
Landscape Maintenance for Hope Alliance Shelter
(weather permitting) or an indoor project
Sign-up for service projects in the narthex, online at www.graceline.org
or contact the church office at Tel: 512-255-6001
Save the Date:
God’s Work.
Our Hands.
Sunday,
February 23
See page 4
for details
have taken the time to consid-
er what our actions mean to us
and others. We are not react-
ing to whatever is in front of us
at the moment because we
have prepared ourselves for
this moment.
I’m intentional about my offer-
ing to Grace. It has taken me many years of intentional
growth to be able to give 14%
in offerings to Grace. I’m not
telling you this to make you
feel guilty or righteous. I’m
telling you this because I am a
leader in this congregation and
like other leaders I know com-
mitment is part of intentional
living. Growth in giving doesn’t
happen as a reaction, it re-
quires a plan, a commitment. It
took years of small steps for
me to give 10% and years more
to step beyond that.
You know this from life les-
sons. At work a boss runs out
of patience if you can’t commit
to a plan and follow through.
At home or with friends pa-
tience wears thin when there is
no meaningful time together.
Imagine Olympic athletes with-
out focus or commitment to
their skill.
What is your commitment this
year? Maybe you will increase
the percentage of your time
given, in prayer, worship or
service. Maybe you will grow
the percentage of money that
you give. Please make it an
intentional, thought-filled com-
mitment. Let’s live intentionally,
for God and for one another.
Peace,
Pastor Cindy
Have you had days when you felt
like a ping pong ball? You never
got to what you thought you
would be doing, instead your day
was filled with reactions. Emails,
texts and phone calls popped up
that scattered your efforts rather
than being intentional. “I didn’t
get anything done today”, is the
refrain at the end of such a day. The story of one congregation in
2 Corinthians 8 can help ground
our faith. It is a congregation
that understood generosity not
as a burden or a reaction to
what had popped up in front of
them but rather an intentional
response to God’s love.
Why is it important to be inten-
tional about our giving? We
might ask why is it important to
worship, pray or study as a ma-
turing Christian. Intention
means that there is a plan. We
Page 3 Volume 2, Issue 2
Living Life Intentionally
Hope Alliance turns 30 in 2014!
30 years strong thanks to you!
Since 1984, Hope Alliance has been providing services to victims of domestic and sexual violence free of charge. Through the help of amazing people like you we have been able to assist over 15,000 vic-tims on their journeys. We cannot thank you enough for your continued support. This year we will have a 30th anniversary party, a peer-to-peer fundraising activity and several other opportunities for you to come out and stand with Hope Alliance as we let others in our community know about the need for these services.
A Prayer Service
“..But when you pray, go to your room, close the door and pray to your Father in secret.
And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.” Matt. 6:6
A new prayer service is being organized. Centering prayer is time to slow down. It is a
time to separate ourselves from the noise and schedules in our lives and sit quietly. There
are no new prayers or new music to learn. Centering prayer brings us together to “be still
and know that I am God” as Psalm 46 teaches.
Please watch for more details to come. Contact Pastor Cindy ([email protected]) with
your questions or to let her know your interest.
GOD’S WORK, OUR HANDS.
SUNDAY FEBRUARY 23RD
COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECTS
“Buddy Blankets” for Round Rock Volunteer Center
(Sponsored by Thrivent Financial) Fleece cloth will have strips to be cut along the edges, then these
strips will be tied together in knots. We will make 25 blankets.
Singing at Trinity Care Center Join us in singing to the residents at Trinity Care Center,
especially our own Gretchen Wernecke.
This may be after Chapel or at the Nurses’ Stations
— Details to follow
Treats for Deep Wood Firefighters We will be making snacks for the Fire Department located on
Deepwood Drive. These men and women serve our community
every day and they epitomize the spirit of the day. They use their
hands to do God's work for the people in our community. We will
be baking cookies and making individual bags of trail mix for the
firefighters.
Five volunteers will be needed to help bake cookies, pre-
pare the bags of trail mix, and to deliver the finished snacks to the
fire station. Sign-up sheets include supplies for these treats.
Suitable for all ages, except for driving!
1st Grade Teacher Aids for Deep Wood Elementary — Details to follow
Landscape Maintenance for Hope Alliance Shelter
(weather permitting) or an indoor project — Details to follow
Page 4
Special Invitation
Backpack Coalition Car, Truck, and Bike Show
On March 8th at the Dell Diamond parking lot in Round Rock, there will be a Car,
Truck and Motorcycle Show taking place to raise money for the Backpack Coali-
tion. The Backpack Coalition is a collaboration of various churches (including
Grace), civic and business organizations designed to meet the needs of hungry chil-
dren in the RRISD by providing them with nutritious and easy to prepare food to
take home on weekends.
Right now, there is a need for sponsors for this event. Sponsorship levels range from
$100 to $1,500 or even sponsoring a concession stand. Information is posted on the
bulletin board in the Narthex. If you or someone you know is interested in becoming
a sponsor for this event, please contact the Backpack Coalition via e-mail at
[email protected]. You may also contact Vicki Wall.
More information about the show itself will be coming soon!
Mark your Calendar:
Sat. March 8th Dell Diamond
From the Treasurer
Here are the numbers for December 2014.
December 2014
Income: $ 20,054.32 Expenses: $ 15,274.78
Net: $ 4,779.54
— Hanna Hooper, Congregational Treasurer
Page 5 Volume 2, Issue 2
Council Members 2014
Council Corner
From January 16th Meeting: Council reviewed ministry area reports submitted by each Member. No actions were required.
Council Meetings are open to all congregational members.
Upcoming meetings, 7 p.m. in the TEC: Thursday, February 20
Thursday, March 20
2014 Stewardship Program
God's Work. Our Hands.
On February 2nd, 9th, and 16th our Stewardship
Sundays will include these themes: :
Down—In—Out
When Things Change
Have You Ever?
Video clips will feature our Ministry partners:
The Backpack Coalition
VISTA Program of Round Rock ISD
Deep Wood Elementary
David Warner, President — [email protected] Ed Lippe, Vice President, Evangelism — [email protected] Shirley Shay, Secretary, Stewardship — [email protected] Hanna Hooper, Treasurer — [email protected] Carrie Brink, Property — [email protected] Bill Pfaff, Christian Education — [email protected] Gretchen Davenport, Nurture & Fellowship — [email protected] Kirtus Kolar, Worship & Music — [email protected] Cindy Wolf, Pastor — [email protected]
Thank you Grace
The Runkle family is leaving Grace to
return to their Methodist roots. Here
are a few lines from the card they sent
to Grace. (The card is on the board in
the narthex.)
“Thank you for being a part of our
lives. We appreciate all of your sup-
port, prayers and friendship. I had a lot
of fun getting to know you all. I had
such a wonderful time with all of you.
Thank you for always being so kind and
generous to us!”
Justice for women is the
focus of The Lutheran’s Feb-
ruary issue. Read “Two
women named Ida” and
think about women, justice
and what it means to be
human. “Welcoming women
as leaders” looks at living
into God’s vision in our
church, society.
Study time. The Lutheran is
a resource for study groups
and adult forums. In the
February issue, join column-
ist Peter Marty in “Sorting
out heaven and hell.” Tackle
the tough topic of predesti-
nation with an ELCA teach-
ing theologian. Reflect on
“God’s surprises.” Read
“Right or wrong” and talk
about the one way to be-
come righteous. Or discuss
10 ideas for talking about
Christ.
A free study guide accom-panies these articles at
www.thelutheran.org click on “study guides” on
the left side. Ideas for you! The Lutheran
is a resource for congrega-
tions. In the February issue,
learn how a North Carolina
congregation creatively con-
nects the dots of Scripture.
Think about rescuing pro-
duce—a Tucson, AZ, con-
gregation does and produc-
es joyful disciples and grate-
ful shoppers. Find 8 ways to
create digital evangelists in
your congregation. Try mak-
ing pancakes for Easter wor-
shipers or baking cookies for
inmates.
Read all about it:
find out why the ELCA prac-
tices accompaniment and not
child sponsorship …
see how the Lutheran Settle-
ment House in Philadelphia is
empowering domestic abuse
survivors …
travel to Colombia where
Lutherans work with margin-
alized people …
visit China to see how the
ELCA accompanies the Lisu
people … and
meet an ELCA pastor who
wears a kilt a day for charity.
Every member receives The Lutheran at home.
Extra copies are available!
Page 6
The Lutheran — February Issue
March
Cover Story: How are people
today finding new direction after losing a job?
“Good News – from, with, and for – the Nones”
ELCA/ELCIC Bishop’s Academy, January 2-7, 2014, Savannah, Georgia
Who are the Nones? A PEW study does not provide a clear description; e.g.
urban millennials are a world apart from rural millennials. Greg Smith, US Re-
ligion Survey, PEW, describes them in this way: They are not sworn off
disbelief, just not in any religious organization. 4 in 10 pray once a month. Re-
ligion is somewhat important; they are not uniformly secular; they are not
just searching or waiting. Perhaps most distinctive is that they don’t go to
church. There is disagreement about whether they come mostly from the
Protestants, but the Catholic Church has them, too. Often, they are people
who have never gone to church in the first place. They are simply going about
their lives, giving a big shrug to the whole issue of religion.
The Nones rebel against a rigid definition of sin. When conservatives say this
is what a religious person looks like, they simply say, “That’s not us.” Nones are skeptical that the church is into grace and forgiveness. Walt Bouman not-
ed that the Christian life is about immortality, not immorality. And that is
about belief, not actions/works. Now that you know that death is not final,
there's more to do with your life than try to preserve it.
Psychologists are telling us that those who are feeling isolated have a higher
rate in “sinful behavior.” What if the Nones knew “wondering” about the
faith is a normal part of the practice of faith, like worship and praying and
singing? Exerpted from notes taken by Bishop Ray Tiemann
My Karma
Ran Over your Dogma presented by Anna
Madsen, Director of
OMG Center for
Theological
Conversation.
Hutchins and Nicholas families upon the death of Flora Belle Nicholas
(Linda Hutchins’ mom)
Velma Rothe (Pastor Cindy’s mom) — moved to a rehab hospital with a
broken leg
Genelle Kalmbach (Karen Choate’s mom) — receiving in-home physical
therapy for a torn rotator cuff
Jackson Crippen — recovering from a cracked bone Cathy Donovan (Dick Dahlke’s niece) — recovering from a stroke
Margaret Pfaff (Member of Grace) — her arm is doing better and she is
regaining strength and range of motion through physical therapy. Thank you for the prayers and concern, Margaret
Gabe Williams (Saccone’s friend) — age 19 in college, undergoing chemo
Helen Czenkusch (Jim’s mom) — out of hospital
Thank you for your prayers, the Czenkuschs
Darlene Richards (Member of Grace) — at home
Beva Lippe (Member of Grace)
Lunch Bunch — If you’re in the area & hungry — Come join us!
The 11:30 Lunch Bunch is meeting and eating at local restaurants. Watch for
monthly locations and join this great social group. This month’s meeting will be:
February 17th (3rd Monday)
11:30 a.m. at IKEA Restaurant
Located at corner of I-35N & University Blvd. (1 IKEA Way, Round Rock, TX 78665)
See you there!
Page 7 Volume 2, Issue 2
Prayer Concerns & Updates
Prayer requests for family and friends of Grace will be included for a month.
Updates and requests may be added for the next month.
Thank Yous
THANK YOU to Shirley Bowman, Amy Eskridge, and Vicki Wall for
leading the Children's Sermons in January.
Thank you for the use of Grace House:
We had students from Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean par-
ticipate in ESL classes last fall. I look forward to partnering with Grace
Lutheran Church this quarter.
God bless you! Rey Guerrero, ESL Instructor
In conjunction with the Souper Bowl of Caring, we will collect Canned Soup
through Sunday, February 2nd.
Serving Center
Food of the Month
for February is
Baby Food
Grace Lutheran Church 708 Bluff Drive
Round Rock, TX 78681
Phone: 512-255-6001 Fax: 512-255-1024
Mission Statement
Grace Lutheran Church of Round Rock, Texas
As a called community of Christ,
empowered by the Holy Spirit,
we boldly witness the Gospel to each other,
our neighbors and the world.
At Grace we are united as a Family of Believers
who minister to the needs of the community
through worship, prayer, study,
fellowship and stewardship.
GRACE LUTHERAN
CHURCH
Large enough to serve, small enough to care
www.graceline.org
Upcoming Major Congregational Activities
Stewardship Sundays February 2, 9, & 16
God’s Work. Our Hands. Sunday February 23 9:15 - 9:50 Worship 10:00 - 12:00 Service Projects
12:00 noon Lunch in the TEC - to be provided Ash Wednesday Service March 5, 7 p.m.
