Stewardship Campaign Thank You Letter
The Stewardship Team met one more time on Tuesday to process Thank You letters for those who returned Intent Cards during our recent "Live Generously" campaign. The letter thanked members for their generous response, and reminded them that "every gift and every giver strengthens our shared ministries to nurture faith, care for our community, and share God’s Good News throughout the world." So far, we have received 99 intent cards with a total of $222, 838. pledged for 2022. The generosity of Grace members is inspiring! Thank you all!! And special thanks to our Stewardship Team -- Tanya, Henry, Kathy, Kent, and Maureen!
Blue Christmas at St. John's
There is much on many people's minds as they prepare for Christmas. Especially those who have recently lost loved ones through death or experienced some other significant loss. So why do we try to cover our pain and grief with Yuletide cheer?
Many churches have begun to recognize that Festivals of Carols, celebrations of Christmas, and children’s pageants do not meet everyone’s needs. To fill this gap churches offer what is called a Blue Christmas service. People who are not having a very merry Christmas and friends who support them are invited to come and sit with one another in a service that speaks of the love of God for the grieving.
St. John's is offering a Blue Christmas Service on Sunday, December 19th, at 4:00pm. The service will also be posted afterward on the St. John's website. For those desiring more fellowship, hors d’oeuvres will be served in the auditorium following the worship service.
Advent Midweek Worship Begins
The first of three midweek Advent Worship services was held Wednesday during our traditionall Spirit time. Supper begins serving at 5:00 pm, and by about 5:15 we begin a brief worship while still seated around the tables. Heather found some nice Advent hymns complete with music and with Karaoke style highlights of the the lyrics as the hymn is played. We are using a devotional booklet that highlights the ministry of ELCA World Hunger Program, and our open plate offering will be given to this amazing ELCA ministry, that has receive and dispursed millions of dollars over many years bringing the fight agains thunger to many places in the world. There will be two more services in this series, on December 8 and 15. Come join us!
Keeping Grace's Organ in Tune and in Shape
Congregations that have pipe organs face a usually higher cost for keeping that instrument in tune and in tip-top shape as opposed to those who use an electronic equivalent. I can't say that I know too much about pipe organs, but my 34 months at St. John's in Bellevue gave me a few insights. St. John's is blessed with a member who knows all the ins and outs of the instrument in that church, which has a few more ranks than Grace's.
That member, Paul Lieber, a retired high school teacher, considers himself the "curator" of the organ, and works with the organ maintenance professionals who tune and otherwise maintain that instrument on a regular basis of twice a year. In recent years Paul has has contracted with a young organist/technician , Glenn Tallar, who has started his own LLC call GT Organ Associates. I had a chance to meet Glenn several times during my time at St. John's.
A recent four-figure organ service bill inspired me to call Paul and ask about Glenn and how much he charges. Paul informed me that Glenn was going to be doing service on the St. John's organ the week after Thanksgiving. I called Paul on Tuesday of this week, and as it turned out Glenn was there. Glenn and Paul dropped what they were doing and came over to Grace, where Glenn took a detailed look at the Grace organ, even climbing up the ladder and through the tiny hole into the pulpit side pipe chamber. Glenn said that he would provide us with a quote for servicing the organ, which is normally done twice a year.
One of the reasons Glenn may be able to provide Grace with a lower cost estimate is that he usually works alone. At St. John's, Paul donates his time to work with Glenn while tuning, pressing the console keys while Glenn is up in the pipe chamber making adjustments. Other service professionals will send two technicians to do tunings, which, obviously, increases costs. Tom would be able to do this at Grace. Another way to decrease costs is to get on a regular schedule in which your technician can tune your instrument while tuning others in the area and minimizing travel costs. In addition to St. John's Bellevue, Glenn services St. Paul's Clyde and Zion Sandusky.
Glenn has recently moved from his home base in Illinois to Mesa, Arizona, and now splits his time between north and south. In Mesa, Glenn landed a dream job, one of the organists at Organ Stop Pizza, a destination restaurant for 50 years that features a world-class theater Wurlitzer organ. As Tom and Glenn shared stories of people in the organ world that they both knew, I learned that Organ Stop Pizza has been a destination for Grace members Mark and Christine S.
When Glenn landed the job at Organ Stop Pizza, it became a news story for some of the local outlets. You can view one of those stories HERE.
Preschool Addition and Fundraiser
Noah's Ark recently added another preschooler to their 4's program, bringing the total to, I think, 13 (don't quote me on that, or correct me if I'm wrong.) The 3's program is more of a concern, still with only four enrolled. The Beef Stick fundraiser is still underway, and the office has some available for purchase there for $1 each. I tasted the hot pepper stick, and it is hot, but very good!
LIFT Notes
You can read the lates issue of LIFT Notes HERE.
Dr. Osterholm's Take on Omicron
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 Thursday, December 2, and entitled "The Emergence of Omicron," Dr. Osterholm explains what we know and don't know about the omicron variant, how we will learn more, and what it could mean for the future of the pandemic. Dr. Osterholm also emphasizes the importance of boosters and the potential for a post-Thanksgiving surge in cases. You can listen to or download this episode HERE.
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