First Confirmation Session
We held our first confirmation session last Sunday at St. John's, starting out with pizza lunch at 11:45 am. Heather provided the lesson for the day -- the reasons for the Reformation, and some basics of Martin Luther's life and teachings. Then I led some songs on my guitar (youth participated enthusiastically!), and Dave Shoub closed us out with some teaching on prayer, and then leading us in prayer. All in all, I thought it went very well -- we have a very good group of youth from our LIFT Congregations. Heather had set up a Zoom connections for two youth that are under Covid Quarantine.
Our next session is October 24, and I will provide the lesson on the "First Table" of the Ten Commandments (1-3), that address our relationship with God. Our remaining sessions for 2021 will be at St. John's, and then move to Grace on January 2, and to St. Mark's on March 27. If you you'd like to view our schedule of classes and the lessons we'll be teaching this year, you can do so HERE. Kudos to Heather, who has done the organizational work for our program, including creating this schedule. The Rite of Confirmation is scheduled for Pentecost Sunday, June 5.
Pastor Paul Preaching October 9-10
LIFT Pastor Paul is scheduled to preach at Grace the weekend of October 9-10. Maureen will cover for Pastor Paul at Trinity and St. Mark's.
Blessing of Animals on Sunday
LIFT is sponsoring a Blessing of the Animals for this Sunday, October 3, 1:00 pm at St. Mark's. This practice was begun by St. Francis of Assisi over 800 years ago, and is usually scheduled on a day close to the annual Commemoration of St. Francis which is on October 4. View (and SHARE!) LIFT's Facebook page announcement of this event which you can find HERE. For some intersting background information about St. Francis and this centuries old practice, you can go HERE.
First of Small Groups Meets Wednesday
The Transition Team at Grace will host six Small Group Meetings in early October. It is my hope that everyone reading this blog post will attend one of the meetings. The purpose of these meetings is for members to share their thoughts and feelings about, and hopes for future ministry at Grace. Providing this input to the Transition Team will greatly assist them in completing the Ministry Site Profile, ensuring that, as much as possible, that profile will accurately reflect the views of Grace members to pastoral candidates, one of whom will accept Grace's call to be your next pastor.
IN-PERSON MEETINGS (No need to pre-register. We will meet in the Dining Room)
- Wednesday, October 6 - 6pm (following Spirit supper at 5pm)
- Saturday, October 9 - 5pm (following 4pm worship)
- Sunday, October 10 - 9am (following 7:45am worship)
- Sunday, October 10 - 11:15am (following 10am worship)
ZOOM MEETINGS (Please call the church office to register - 419-332-1558 or email gracefremont@yahoo.com)
- Tuesday, October 12 - 10am
- Thursday, October 14 - 7pm
Spirit Numbers Increase
We had quite a few additional participants at Spirit on Sunday night, several families with children who had not yet attended this season, so that was encouraging. Both Maureen and my Bible studies will not meet next Wednesday, as we are encouraging those who would otherwise attend to participate in the Wednesday night Small Group meeting sponsored by the Transition Team.
Fireside News from LOMO
I know that Grace is not a big participant in LOMO, primarily because of the long distance the camps are from Fremont, especially since Mowana, near Mansfield, was sold. Nevertheless, I'm sharing their most recent newsletter, called "Fireside News," which you can read HERE.
Hospital visit
John W. was admitted to Memorial Hospital on Monday of this week, and is no longer listed as a patient. I was able to visit him on Thursday. Along with other Grace snowbirds, he is hoping to return to Florida for the winter months.
Heather Elected to 2022 Churchwide assembly
Grace's very own Heather Hawn was elected as a voting member to the 2022 ELCA Churchwide Assembly in Columbus, Ohio, Aug. 8-12. For more information about what Heather will be voting on, you can go HERE for a brief summary. Next summer will be a busy one away from her family, as she will also be attending the ELCA Youth Gathering which is scheduled for July 24-28 in Minneapolis.
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 episode, posted on September 30 and entitled "Boosting the Vaccination Effort," Dr. Osterholm and Chris Dall discuss the CDC’s new booster recommendation and international booster recommendations, the struggle to protect our children from COVID in schools, and recently published studies on respiratory protection. You can listen to or download this episode HERE.
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