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.
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.
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