Interim Grace Notes for March 15, 2024

Interim Grace Notes for March 15, 2024

Sunday Organist Assumes Saturday Duties

In February, Grace contracted with Hyo Jung Kim to assume the duties of Saturday organist, and with Susan Barker to be our Sunday organist. Susan expressed an interest in the choir director position, so that was added to her duties. Under Susan's leadership, the Chancel Choir has resumed rehearsals, and will perform their first anthem since November at 9:00 am worship on Sunday.

While Susan commutes to Grace from her home in Bowling Green, Hwo has come a much greater distance from her home near Sylvania. Travel time has been an hour. Because of the distance to travel, and also the challenge of feeling confident on the pipe organ, an instrument that she hadn't played on a regular basis for the past 15 years, Hyo asked to be relieved of her duties as our Saturday organist.

Thankfully, Susan willingly assumed the Saturday organist duties. Grace has been fortunate to enjoy the skills and artistry of both Hyo and Susan. We wish Hyo well and thank her for time, albeit brief, on the Saturday bench. And we are grateful for the gifts, talent, skill and dedication that Susan brings to the music program at Grace.

April Hymns Chosen

The Grace Hymn Selection Team met on Tuesday, and within an hour had selected hymns for the four weekend services during the month of April. Joining the meeting on Thursday were Jan Serwin, Becky Seibert, Meg Fuchs, Organists Susan and Hyo, and Maureen and me. We are using two resources to make our selections - Sundays and Seasons, and a book called "Indexes," published by Augsburg Fortress, that has multiple selections for each Sunday and special service of the Church Year in each of the three years of the Lectionary, Series A, B and C. Thanks to all for your service!

"Let's Build Beds" Build Day Scheduled for September 2025

In our Stewardship Campaign last fall, Blessed to be a Blessing, we outlined some ministries that we could carry out through increases in giving to Grace. While the increases we had hope for didn't materialize, we still have the vision of helping to meet a need in our community, which, in our Stewardship Brochure, we described with this paragraph:

Many children in Northwest Ohio live in households at or below the poverty level, and do not have their own bed to sleep in. Studies have revealed that lack of good sleep has negative effects on children’s development. We are planning to partner with a local organization to build beds and provide bedding for area children.

The local organization is called "Let's Build Beds". We had originally hoped to schedule a build in the Grace west parking lot in early September of this year, but those dates are no longer available. We are now on the Let's Build schedule for early September of 2025. This will give us more time to plan this event, raise needed funds, find local families who have a need, and expand the scope of the project. Rather than just being a Grace event, this could likely be a LIFT event in the spirit of the ELCA day of Service, God's Work Our Hands that we participated in last fall.

An opportunity to get our feet wet with Let's Build Beds next Saturday, March 23

Daniel, the Let's Build Beds contact person who I have been communicating with, suggested that a good way for us to become more familiar with a Let's Build work day is to attend an indoor build scheduled for March 23 at the Let's Build warehouse at 1280 Conant St. in Maumee. Workers are needed, and there are two shifts available: 10:30 am to 1:00 pm, and 1:00 pm to 3:30 pm. For more information, and to sign up, go to the signupgenius page for this event HERE.

First Communion Training on Saturday

Heather and I will be leading a First Communion mini-retreat on Saturday morning. We have one second grader and one first grader signed up to attend. Kids will learn about the meaning of Holy Communion and how it was instituted by Jesus on night on which he was betrrayed. First communion for these young ones will be a week from Sunday, March 24, which is Palm Sunday.

Last Midweek Service This Wednesday

The fifth and final Lenten Midweek service will be this Wednesday at 6:30 pm. Supper begins at 5:00. Menu: Pot Roast & Gravy, Roasted Vegetables, Dinner Roll, Dessert. I will bring the message "A Change of Habit," completing our Lenten theme "Making Change."

Links for You

• Just Three Things
• Tornado Relief from Thursday Tornado and Hail Storms
• Thank You from NWOS for End of Year Gifts Funding Synod Microgrants Grace contributed $2,000 to this campaign from our Memorial Fund