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.
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