Interim Grace Notes for August 27, 2021

Update on Pastor Jim

I've been able to visit Pastor Jim several times at Firelands Hospital, and to speak at length with Linda on the phone. Pastor Jim is still at Firelands, and will be there at least through the weekend. His medical situation remains quite complicated, and Linda still needs to make important decisions regarding his care. Keep them all in your prayers.

Help Build Hope - a Homebuilding Ministry

On Friday I dropped off some contributions to the Firelands Habitat for Humanity (FHFH) ReStore, the retail store that raises money by receiving and reselling donated items to help FHFH fund their ministry of building new homes for partner families.

While there, I stopped in to vist Mike McCall, FHFH Executive Director. I know MIke well as he was hired as ED during my tenure on the FHFH Board from 2009-2014. Mike told me about a new ministry that FHFH has partnered with, Help Build Hope (HBH). HBH is a ministry that provides organization for a morning workshop in a church or other parking lot where volunteers assemble walls for a home. The walls are then shipped to the site where they will be assembled into a new home.

Mike said that FHFH will soon send a truck to Delaware, Ohio, where a group of church volunteers has constructed walls for a FHFH house. The walls will then be shipped to Huron County and assembled on a FHFH Build Site, and then finished by FHFH volunteers.

Could this one morning event be a possibility for a LIFT ministry? Churches or ministries that are supplying the parking lot and the volunteers also provide the cost for the materials, or these costs could be shared with another non profit, even perhaps the Sandusky County HFH affiliate. For all the details on what an HBH Agreement looks like, you can go HERE.

Stewardship Team Ready to Go

I've reported in previous Grace Notes on a fall stewardship campaign using resources from GSB Fundraising, and Council approved the cost for contracting with GSB at our August meeting. The program is called "Building a Culture of Generosity" (BCG) and includes six Zoom meetings with a GSB consultant, as well as prepared content for the campaign. You can view more information about this program in a two-page flyer that you can view HERE. Joining Council member Tanya on our stewardship team are:

• Kathy Burmeister
• Kent Watkins
• Henry Seibert

Our first BCG Zoom consult is scheduled for 11:30 on Tuesday, September 7.

Congregational Vitality Survey

I've had info about this in the last couple Grace Notes, but here's another reminder:

How Vital is Our Congregation?
The ELCA Research and Evaluation Department has developed a simple, statistically reliable and valid survey that helps congregations better understand themselves so that specific areas of ministry can be addressed. This can be especially helpful when going through the call process. We invite you to take this 15 question survey; we promise, it only takes a few minutes to complete! You can access the survey at the link below. If you prefer to print out the survey form, you may mail or drop off your completed form to the church office or bring with you to worship and place in the marked box at the Baker Street or State Street entrances. PLEASE NOTE: This survey will only be open until September 10.

Congregational Vitality Survey

Covid-19 Tracker

All counties in Ohio with the exception of Ashtabula, are reporting a HIgh level of community transmission. I've copied and pasted the 7 day rates and changes below:

7-day Rate
Community Transmission High
Cases 119
% Positivity 9.6%
Deaths 0
% Eligible Population Fully Vaccinated 51.6%
New Hospital Admissions 12

7-day Percent Change
Community Transmission High
Cases -17.36%
% Positivity 1.39%
Deaths N/A
% Eligible Population Fully Vaccinated N/A
New Hospital Admissions 100%

Latest Osterholm Podcast

Dr. Michael Osterholm, founder and Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, continues to deliver solid scientific analysis of the Covid-19 pandemic in his weekly podcasts. In this week's episode, Dr. Osterholm and host Chris Dall discuss the news of FDA granting full approval to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, updates on booster doses and the rationale being considered, and the need for updated guidance as schools reopen. You can listen to or download this episode HERE.

Memorial Service on Sunday for Rev. Fred Wiechers

A memorial service for Pastor Fred Wiechers will be held this Sunday, August 29, 2:00 pm at St. Peter Evangelical Lutheran Church in Norwalk, and I plan to attend. Pastor Fred's tenure at St. Peter lasted 24 years, ending in January of 2012 with his retirement. I shared the last 16 1/2 of those years with him as his associate. Fred died on Easter Sunday of last year following a brief illness. You can read more about Pastor Fred HERE.

Interim Grace Notes for August 20, 2021

ELCA Worship News

Worship Committee, especially take note: The August issue of ELCA Worship News has arrived. You can read it HERE.

Congregational Vitality Survey

I included in last week's update information about "Congregational Vitality Survey," which you can read about HERE. If you haven't completed the survey, and want to do so now, click or tap HERE. It should only take five to ten minutes. The survey will be open until September 10, and we will receive a graphed summary of the results. Make sure your voice is a part of this survey!

Remembering and Drawing Meaning from Our History

The Transition Team met Thursday at 4:30, and following a devotion and a preview of the Healthy Churches Faithful Pastors study that I will be leading during Wednesday night Spirit session (see below), we continued our planning for our first event that will invite participation and input from the congregation. This event addresses the interim Focus Point "Heritage," in which the congregation is encouraged to review how the congregation has been shaped and formed.

The congregation’s heritage, both corporate and individual, is the foundation upon which the present rests. Paying attention to heritage means encouraging and hearing all of the stories about the congregation's past, and embracing the rich variety that makes up this particular congregation.

To address this Focus Point, the Transition Team is planning an event for Sunday, October 10, from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm in the Grace Dining Room entitled "Remembering and Drawing Meaning from Our History." Here is the information about this event that will appear in the September Grace & Truth:

The Grace Transition Team invites you to an event that will encourage us to remember and draw meaning from our congregation’s history. We will have fun remembering and recording important events in the history of Grace.

We will then ask the question “What does this mean? and develop meaning statements that will help us plan for the future.

As we look back on the sands of time, we see God’s footprints alongside ours. This reminds us that God has been with us, and being aware of God’s past presence with us and our forebears gives us confidence that God will continue with us into the future.

Your presence at this event will assist the Transition Team as they seek the congregation’s input in completing the Ministry Site Profile, the document that will describe Grace to potential pastoral candidates.

A continental breakfast will be served as a part of this event. This is one of several events being planned by the Transition Team for the coming months, seeking your input. We hope that you will put this event on your calendar and plan to attend.

Block Party Rescheduled and Reimagined

LIFT Leaders met on Wednesday at 11 am, and a primary topic of discussion and action was to reschedule the Block Party for Sunday, October 24, from 2:00-5:00. Many of the plans already made will be continued but there are some things we will be changed or eliminated. Block Party planning team will meet Wednesday September 1, 2021, at 6:00 to continue the planning for this rescheduled event. Thanks to all who have been working hard on this event.

Healthy Churches Faithful Pastors Study

I am inviting the congregation (and especially congregation leaders) to join me in some study sessions during the Spirit program, beginning September 8, from 6:00 - 7:00 pm to learn about some important ways that pastors and congregations can bridge communication gaps and set mutual goals and expectations.

To do this, I plan to use the book Healthy Churches, Faithful Pastors: Covenant Expectations for Thriving Together, by David Keck. There are ten chapters, and my plan is to focus on one chapter each week. I will present important points and content, and there are discussion “Questions for You and Your Church” at the end of each chapter to help us apply the learnings to our life together at Grace.

What it Means to be Hmong

In my sermon August 7-8 I spoke of how Sunisa Lee had won the Olympics women's gymnastics all-around gold medal, how she grew up in the Hmong community in St. Paul, Minnesota, and how Lutherans played a large role in the sponsorship and settling of the Hmong people in the United States, a large percentage of them in Minnesota. This article talks about the Hmong people in Laos, and how they came to the United States following the Vietnam war.

Latest CDC Covid-19 Level of Community Spread Report

For the Time Period: Fri Aug 13 2021 - Thu Aug 19 2021

No change from last week. Sandusky, Huron, Erie, Wood, Ottaway remain Red (High). Seneca remains Orange (Substantial).

You can view the report on the CDC website HERE.

Latest Osterholm Podcast

Dr. Michael Osterholm, founder and Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, continues to deliver solid scientific analysis of the Covid-19 pandemic in his weekly podcasts. The weekly format had recently gone to an every-other-week format, but with the delta surge, the schedule has returned to weekly programs. This week's episode is titled: "An Ongoing Tug of War," in which Dr. Osterholm and host Chris Dall discuss the national and international picture, the announcement of third booster doses in the US, and challenges that can be anticipated as schools reopen. You can listen to or download this episode HERE.

Bishop Daniel's Latest Email

You can read it HERE.

Interim Grace Notes for August 13, 2021

Block Party Disappointment

After months, many meetings, and untold hours of preparation and planning, it was certainly a disappointment when we canceled the Block Party on Thursday morning. A convergence of three factors led to the decision - the weather forecast was for storms mid-to-late afternoon and early evening, a Heat Index in the Extreme Caution to Danger range, and Sandusky County now being in the red (high) zone for Covid-19 community transmission.

Fortunately, our financial losses were minimal; the Kona Ice people did not charge us anything, and neither did the DJ. The Bounce House business owner did not demand full payment for the day ($400), but we did compensate him $100 which will cover labor costs to unload, unfold, and then refold and reload the two houses, which had been rolled out (but not blown up) on the floor of the auditorium. The earlier-in-the-week forecast of storms led us to move the Bounce Houses indoors. Food purchased for the event is either packaged (e.g. Doritos for walking tacos) or can be frozen for later use (groud beef, hot dogs, buns).

"Later use" might be an Oktoberfest event. Heather will coordinate the distribution of the backpacks from 9-noon on Saturday, as the parents and kids will need them long before any Oktoberfest event.

Thanks to all who worked so hard to plan this event. Most of that work will be redeemed when our alternative future event is scheduled and carried out.

Congregational Vitality Survey

At our first Transition Team meeting, I administered a "Congregational Vitality Survey." It takes just a few minutes to complete, as it has only fifteen items that ask the questions "How well do these phrases describe your congregation?" and "How well does your congregation do the following?" which are answered with a number from 1-5, with 1 meaning "Hardly at all" or "Poorly," to 5 meaning "Very well" or "Great." This survey was part of an ELCA project to give congregations a means of measuring their vitality. What is Congregational Vitality? The survey website describes it like this:

It's about relationships with God, one another and our neighbors. Vital congregations exude a certain kind of vibrancy, a friendly welcoming manner, and God's presence is tangible. Those who attend regularly have a sense of purpose. They support each other by nurturing one another's faith and helping each other identify their spiritual gifts and use those gifts in the congregation and in the world. When they disagree they do so in a respectful manner, ultimately strengthening the congregation. The people in these vital congregations understand God's mission goes beyond their walls. They intentionally connect with the wider Christian community and within their local context to share the good news in word and deed by striving to be God's hands in the world.

Having the Transition Team complete and quickly score this survey gave us some insights as to how members of the team see the vitality of Grace. I'd like to give the entire congregation a chance to respond to this survey, so my plan is to write a brief article to include in the September Grace & Truth, along with a link to the survey. We'll also

• send the link in a Mailchimp email, which will make it easier to respond to online.
• provide hard copies of the survey for members to complete, and Transition Team members will then enter the responses into the online survey.

Those of you who are reading this can respond now to the survey by clicking or tapping the following link: Congregational Vitality Survey
Transition Team members note: I know you already have completed this survey, but if you wouldn't mind doing it again, your responses will be joined and averaged with everyone else who will eventually complete the survey. It will only take about five minutes to complete, so do it now if you have a few minutes. My plan is to keep the survey open until September 10.

Transition Team Meeting Next Thursday

The Transiton Team's next meeting will be next Thursday, August 19, at 4:30 pm. We will continue our planning for our Historical Reflection Event in October.

Temporary Return to Pre-filled Communion Kits

LInda included this in today's Just Three Things email, but repeating it here: Due to an increase in positive COVID cases in our county, beginning this weekend we will return to using the pre-filled communion kits. We also are suggesting that if you have not been vaccinated yet, that you consider wearing a mask in the sanctuary.

Latest CDC Covid-19 Level of Community Spread Report

For the last two weeks I have posted a chart indicating the CDC report on the levels of community transmission in Sandusky and surrounding counties.

A county's level of transmission is based on just two metrics: new Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people and the positivity rate, both measured over the last seven days. The basic idea is that these show how much virus is spreading around us.

Specifically, a "Low" transmission is considered no more than 10 cases per 100,000 people, or a test positivity rate of less than 5%. "Moderate" transmission is 10 to 50 cases per 100,000 people, or a positivity rate between 5% and 8%. "Substantial" transmission is 50 to 100 cases per 100,000, or a positivity rate between 8% and 10%, and "high" transmission is 100 or more cases per 100,000 people or a positivity rate of 10% or higher.

Health guidance issued Tuesday recommends that fully vaccinated people wear masks indoors if they're in areas with "substantial" or "high" transmission of Covid-19. Below is the latest chart, which shows the levels of transmission for the last three weeks. Note that I have added color to the chart, which helps to graphically illustrate the changes.

	Jul 23 - July 29	Jul 29 - Aug 4	Aug 6 - Aug 12
Sandusky	Substantial	Substantial	High
Wood	Moderate	Substantial	High
Ottawa	Substantial	Substantial	High
Erie	Substantial	High	High
Huron	Substantial	Substantial	High
Seneca	Moderate	Moderate	Substantial

Latest Osterholm Podcast

Dr. Michael Osterholm, founder and Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, continues to deliver solid scientific analysis of the Covid-19 pandemic in his weekly podcasts. The weekly format had recently gone to an every-other-week format, but with the delta surge, the schedule has returned to weekly programs. This week's episode is titled: "Straight Talk," in which Dr. Osterholm and host Chris Dall discuss major topics listeners have been asking about, including vaccine effectiveness, herd immunity, masking, risks to children, and mandates. You can listen to or download this episode HERE.

Tribute to Rev. Walt Wangerin

In last week's post I announced the death of Rev. Walt Wangerin, a noted Lutheran writer, theologian, teacher, speaker and professor at Valparaiso University. Philip Yancy, a contemporary Christian author wrote a tribute to Walt in Christianity Today, which you can read HERE.

Bishop Daniel's latest email

You can read it HERE.

Interim Grace Notes for August 6, 2021

Funeral for Pastor Jody's mother

The funeral for Pastor Jody's mother, Lorraine Crawford, was held on Tuesday morning at St. John's with Pastor Matt officiating. Tom was the organist, and Heather handled the streaming from the balcony, both working with unfamiliar equipment, but performing admirably. Pastor Matt provided an inspiring message, and it was good to see Jody again. I met Jeff for the first time. There were many Grace members present to show their support for Jody, and Grace staff attending were Linda, Tricia, Maureen and I.

Worship Committee Meeting

Worship Committee adjusted their meeting to 2:00 pm Tuesday because of the funeral for Jody's mom. Commmittee members are: Cindy and Judy (Council reps), Becky (Altar Guild rep), Tom, Maureen and I.

This was the first meeting of Worship Committee in a while, so there was a lot to discuss. We will change liturgy setting from ELW 10 to ELW 4, which is the same as LBW (green book) Setting 2. We will still omit Kyrie and use Glory to God instead of This is the Feast. There was some discussion on the size of the bulletin - you may be aware that recently we started printing 8.5x11" booklet with 2 staples on the side. This provides a much larger and easier to read text and music to sing the hymns from. On the other hand, some have complained that the large format is too clumsy. Folded 8.5x14" format was also discussed, but this paper is more expensive. If you have strong feelings one way or the other, let the committee know.

Other discussion items included Reformation and All Saints. Since Reformation falls on October 31 this year, there was a suggestion to hold both Reformation and All Saints celebrations on the same Sunday. We'll continue this discussion next month. We have attempted to restart the home communion visitors, and sent out a letter several weeks ago. Some indicated they were willing to resume home visits, but with Covid Delta variant on the increase, we are going to hold off on that for now.

Lift Leaders Meeting

Lift Leaders met Wednesday for their 1st and 3rd Wednesday meeting. Mary Carmen joined us via Zoom from Mexico, and informed us thatshe and her husband are working to renew their visas for return to the United States to resume their ministry. We discussed the possibility of doing a "Blessing of the Animals," generally done by some congregations around October 4, which is the commemoration of St. Francis of Assissi. This could be done in the courtyard at Grace, or make it more of a community outreach by holding it at the Fremon Dog Park. Sundays and Seasons, our online Lutheran worship resource provides three options for a Blessing of the Animals service. You can view one of them HERE.

Transition Team Meeting

The Transition Team met for our second meeting on Thursday at 4:30 pm. The main agenda for this meeting was to learn more about the Interim Developmental Task of "Coming to Terms with History," also referred to as "Heritage," which means reviewing how the congregation has been shaped and formed. To address this task or focus point, we began plans for "A Time for Historical Reflection." This will be congregation event designed for remembering and recording important events in the history of Grace. We will then ask the question “What does this mean?” and develop meaning statements that will help us plan for the future. Schedule wise we are looking at early October, following 10:00 worship. October 10 seems to be the best choice, as the Browns game does not begin until 4:00 pm. The team will continue their planning for this event at their next meeting on August 19 at 4:30 pm

Death of David Preus and Walter Wangerin

Our ELCA lost two legendary leaders this past week; David Preus was Presiding Bishop of The American Lutheran Church, of which Grace was a part prior to the formation of the ELCA in 1988. Preus served as Presiding Bishop from 1973 to 1987. You can read the obituary for Bp. Preus HERE.

Also, we just learned that Rev. Walter Wangerin died follwoing a long battle with cancer. Wangerin was a noted writer, theologian, teacher and speaker. He was also a professor at Valparaiso University for a number of years. You can read morea bout Wangerin HERE.

Confirmation Leaders Meeting

Confirmation Leaders from the Lift Congregations met at Grace on Thursday to plan for the coming season of Confirmatin Ministry. We will be returning to Sunday sessions following worship twice a month. The program has a two year rotation - year 1 covers the Biblical message, and year 2 covers the Small Catechism, which is what we will be doing this school year. Heather does a super job of working up the schedule, and we as other leaders fill in the various slots for teaching, leading activities, providing lunch, and a lunch time story teller. I'm looking forward to working with this group as we carry out this very imporant ministry with our youth. We will be scheduling an organizational meeting with youth and parents in early September.

Covid-19 Spread

Last week I linked to the CDC web page that has been monitoring the spread of the SARS-Co-V2 delta variant, and included the current ratings of Sandusky and surrounding counties. You may rememember that the four classifications are Low, Moderate, Significant, and High. I've included the chart below to indicate that since last week, two counties have changed: Wood has moved from Moderate to Substantial, and Erie has moved from Substantial to High.

	Jul 23 - July 29	Jul 29 - Aug 4
Sandusky	Substantial	Substantial
Wood	Moderate	Substantial
Ottawa	Substantial	Substantial
Erie	Substantial	High
Huron	Substantial	Substantial
Seneca	Moderate	Moderate