Interim Grace Notes for August 19, 2022

Pastor Paul Preaching This Weekend

Pastor Paul is the preacher at our weekend services on Saturday and Sunday. Maureen to covering for Pr. Paul at St. Mark on Sunday.

An Excellent Afternoon of Kayaking

Last Sunday a group of 16 youth and adults gathered at the Fremont Reservoir for an afternoon session of kayaking. Led and equipped by the local company Ghoulrunnings, participants were fitted with life jackets, a paddle and a kayak and helped by staff to get launched and paddling. Many thanks to Heather who put it all together. We hope to do it again some day! You can view several pics of the event HERE.

ELCA Churchwide Assembly Summary

Now that the ELCA Churchwide Assembly is history, we are learning of the decisions and actions taken by the voting members, including Graces' own Heather Hawn. Perhaps the most significant action was a vote which directed the ELCA Church Council to "establish a Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church to reconsider the statements of purpose for each expression of this church, the principles of organizational structure and our shared commitment to dismantle racism, with findings to be reported to the 2025 Churchwide Assembly in preparation for a possible reconstituting convention."

What this means is that after almost 35 years of our ELCA's existence, it's time to retool and rethink many things. You can read a more detailed summary of the Assembly HERE.

Deacon Sherry Krieger Notice of Sabbatical

Received from the Synod office. I don't see this as upsetting the call process at Grace in any significant way.:

From August 1 through October 31 of this year, Deacon Sherry Krieger will be on sabbatical for a time of rest, renewal, and learning. She will be focusing her time on Lutheran missiology and how our synod may develop a meaningful missional practice.

During this time, we have arranged for additional temporary staff to provide vital support for congregations and leaders in the Call Process and in Transition of Leadership.

Mary Satterfield, who has served our synod as the Chair of the Call Facilitators since 2015, will serve as the Call Process Coordinator, overseeing the call process and coordinating the work of our Call Facilitators as they interview potential Rostered Ministers and work with Call Committees throughout our synod. We encourage congregations and leaders in the call process to continue to be in contact with their Call Facilitator with any concerns or questions.

Pastor Doris Mars, who serves as pastor of St John’s in Findlay, will serve as the Transition Facilitation Team Leader, working with ministers and leaders of congregations in transition and supporting these congregations with leadership and resources.

For additional questions related to the Call Process / Transitions please contact Jennifer Prueter, Executive Administrative Assistant to the Bishop at 419-423-3664.

Any questions or concerns about congregational conflict or ministerial misconduct should be referred to Jacob Henry, Synod Administrator at jacob.henry@nwos-elca.org, or 419-340-2820, or 419-423-3664.

ELCA Worship Notes

You can read the August issue of ELCA Worship Notes HERE.

Lift Notes

This week's issue of Lift Notes, which you can read HERE, includes

• A message from Pastor Paul
• Sweet Treat Day
• Confirmation
• Blessing of the Animals
• Backpack Buddies Update
• Bridge of Hope Update
• Great Hymns of Faith update

Osterholm Update

Dr. Michael Osterholm, founder and Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, has said numerous times in his podcasts that people are done with Covid-19, but Covid-19 is not done with us. Attendees of the ELCA Churchwide Assembly were required to take a Covid test before coming, and masks in the general areas of the assembly were required. Still, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton tested positive for Covid-19 during the assembly, and had to join the final day of the assembly remotely.

Dr. Osterholm continues to deliver solid scientific analysis of the Covid-19 pandemic in his bi-weekly podcasts. In the episode entitled "A High Plain Plateau, posted on August 18, Dr. Osterholm and Chris Dall discuss the trajectory of the BA.5 wave in the US and around the world, the updated CDC COVID guidelines, and the latest data on long COVID. Dr. Osterholm also provides an update on the monkeypox outbreak and answers a query about polio. You can listen to or download this episode HERE.

Interim Grace Notes for August 12, 2022

Kristen Provides Update from Call Committee

You may have already read this is as it one of the things in today's Just Three things, but I'm reproducing it here:

This past weekend, the second reading during worship resonated with me concerning the search for our next senior pastor, especially the first verse: "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1). It is so very difficult to wait and wonder and worry... and wait some more... and worry some more... and seemingly wait even longer. But we must remain confident in the Holy Spirit. We must keep the faith. Even though we do not know who this individual is, or when they will arrive, or exactly how their faith journey will overlap with ours, God knows.

Rest assured that your Call Committee is meeting regularly, communicating frequently, and working tirelessly on your behalf. We follow the same protocol with each candidate. Following a review of a candidate's Rostered Minister Profile (RMP), we meet to decide whether or not the candidate's gifts match our church family's needs. We begin with a virtual interview and a list of 10 questions. If the committee discerns (after discussion and prayer) that the candidate has potential to fulfill our call, we move on to hosting an in-person interview. To date, we have thoroughly and prayerfully reviewed each of the RMPs that Mary Satterfield (Synod Call Facilitator) has shared with us. And we will continue to pursue all potential avenues until the Holy Spirit matches us with the next successful senior pastor for Grace.

Contact any one of us with your questions. As a refresher, your Call Committee members are Nelda Bauer, Kathy Burmeister, Levi Cooper, Ike Durell, Kaitlyn Fisher, Roger Haynes, Greg Jess, AJ Mehlow, Ed Muffler and myself. Also, as you may recall, we must ensure candidate confidentiality. But we can always share generally about the process and our progress. And we still need your prayers. Pray for discernment for all pastoral candidates, for all churches actively calling a pastor, and for the dedicated committee members all working toward a positive outcome. Pray for unity, spiritual strength, wisdom, and endurance as we continue on this faith journey together.

Confident in Christ,
Kristen Lindsay, Call Committee Chair
krlindsa57@hotmail.com

LIFT Notes

This week's LIFT Notes has information regarding the following topics:

• Prayers for a New School Year - this Sunday, August 14
• Backpack Buddies - our new weekend food ministry to at risk families of school kids
• Great Hymns of Faith -- scheduled for Sunday, November 13, 4:00 pm at Grace, with rehearsal on Saturday
• For more info on these programs, you can go to the current issue of LIFT Notes HERE.

Wedding and Funeral

The pastors at Grace are conducting one funeral and one wedding this weekend. On Friday, August 12, Maureen presided at the funeral for Evelyn "Evie" White at 11:00 am. You can read the obituary HERE. On Saturday, Pastor Mark officates at the wedding of Anthony Russell and Krystina Rutter. The ceremony begins at 2:00 pm.

ELCA Churchwide Assembly

The ELCA Churchwide Assembly, now a triennial happening, was held this week from Monday evening through Friday at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. Heather Hawn was elected by our synod to attend as a lay voting member from the Eastern Conference. You can read more about the Assembly HERE.

Going Kayaking

Heather is taking youth kayaking at the Fremont Reservoir on Sunday at 12:30. I'll be bringing a change of clothes and accompanying the group on this adventure.

Interim Grace Notes for August 5, 2022

Vacation Week

I had a good week of vacation. Went kayaking on Tuesday morning at Old Woman Creek, which is protected as a State Nature Preserve and National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) because it is one of Ohio's best remaining examples of a natural estuary. Feel privileged to live so close to such a unique and beautiful kayak venue, and also to our Lake Erie and its islands. On Thursday we went on a morning trip to Middle Bass Island. The restored Lonz Winery is very scenic and interesting, with its giant wine barrels on display. One of Marcy's teaching colleagues is a part owner in the coffee shop behind the winery building, so we enjoyed a cup of joe with our packed lunch before getting on the 12:15 pm ferry back to Catawba.

Funerals This Week

Today I conducted the funeral for Donald E. Butscher. His family were members of Emmanuel, which is where he and his twin brother were baptized on Palm Sunday, April 10, 1949. Then, I understand, the family moved to Fremont and became members of Grace, which is where he, his twin brother, and Jim, his surviving younger brother were confirmed. For whatever reason, he had not been active at Grace in recent memory. You can read the obituary HERE. Brother Jim was very appreciative.

On Saturday Maureen will conduct the funeral for Gary Jackson at Grace. Visitation will begin at 9:30 a.m. until the time of the service at 11:00 a.m.

Sympathy to Family of Evelyn White

We extend our sympathy to the family of Evelyn White, who died yesterday (Thursday). We received word from Evelyn's daughter that she was not doing well and had been assigned hospice care at Valley View where Evelyn has been residing. I visited on Wednesday afternoon, and "Evie" was awake enough to receive words of scripture and prayer. The funeral for Evie has been scheduled for next Friday, August 12, 11:00 am at the church. Visitation will also be at the church, beginning at 9:30 am, and continuing until the time of service.

Email from Pastor Mary Carmen

We have received the following email from Pastor Mary Camenet regarding the new Bridge of Hope Coordinator, along with a request for donated items:

Hello everyone,

As you may know, we do have a new coordinator at the Bridge of Hope food pantry. Her name is Anne Garcia. During the migrant season (May to November) she is visiting the camps with welcoming baskets. For that purpose and in order to have enough to serve the community, Anne needs some items to be donated.

In the attached Excel document, you will find a list of the required items. Each church and pastor is requested, a list of 15 items, 10 are the same for all, as these are required more and 5 different for each one. As you will see, there is a label with the name of the church. Would you please print it, and include it in your sunday’s bulletin. If pick up is needed for donated items, you may contact Anne Garcia, 419-371-0463, her email address is: fremontag57@yahoo.com

Thank you in advance, may God continue to bless you all.

Yours in Christ,

Pastor Mary Carmen Padilla
Bridge of Hope supervisor and Camino de Vida’s Church Planter Pastor

List from attached Excel file:

1. small bag of grain rice
2. canned meat (spam, tuna, chicken, etc.)
3. green beans
4. canned soups (chicken noodles, vegetables)
5. tomato sauce
6. paper towels
7. shampoo
8. conditioner
9. laundry detergent
10. toilet paper
11. deodorant
12. bath soap
13. dish soap
14. tooth paste
15. adult diapers

LIFT Student/School Personnel Blessing Next Weekend

Pastor Paul has provided LIFT congregations with an order and prayers for blessing our school kids, teachers and all school personnel on Sunday, August 14. You can find a flyer with more info HERE.

Stewardship Begins Fall Campaign Planning

Stewardship met at 11 am on Wednesday. We welcomed a new addition to our team -- Bill Auxter, recently elected to a three-year term on Council. He has graciously accepted an invitation to join the Stewardship Team. Our main order of business is to begin planning for the fall stewardship campaign. We will be using the theme "Live Simply," a bit of a follow up from our last year's theme "Live Generously." As part of our campaign, we will be looking for Grace members to write persons who could write a brief paragraph or two which would be a response to one or more of these prompts:

• What was the most generous thing you ever witnessed?
• Who taught you generosity?
• Describe generosity as a component in your faith journey.

Our campaign will be very similar to last year: a combination of direct mail letters which will include brief outcome stories, inspirational pieces, and an Intent Card (Plan for Giving). The campaign will be carried out over six Sundays from October 16 through November 20. One of the possibilities we are considering is a single service in November to receive intent cards, followed by a simple lunch of "Stewardship Stew."

Worship Committee

Worship met at 1 pm on Wednesday. One of our main items of discussion was our holiday schedule. Christmas and New Year's both fall on Sunday this year, with Christmas Eve on Saturday. Our plan will be to offer one service at 9:00 am on both Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Worship on New Year's Eve will be at the regular Saturday time of 4:00 pm.

Osterholm Update

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 the episode intitled "A COVID Marathon," uploaded on Thursday, August 4, Dr. Osterholm and Chris Dall discuss Paxlovid rebound cases, vaccines for children under 5, and the impact of the BA.5 variant in the U.S. and around the world. Dr. Osterholm also provides an update on the monkeypox outbreak and shares a Celebration of Life from one of our listeners. You can listen to or download this episode HERE.

Interim Grace Notes for July 22, 2022

Interim Grace Notes for July 22, 2022

LIFT Board Meeting

The next board meeting is Sunday, July 24 at 12:30 at St. John's. Business and action items listed below:

• Updates
  • Trinity Closing
  • LIFT Vision Meeting: July 25
  • VBS
  • Bridge of Hope—New coordinator Annie Garcia
  • Camino de Vida
  • Community Garden
  • Confirmation
  • Backpack Program
  • Campus Ministry
• Old Business
  • 2022 and LIFT Board officer staffing
• New Business
  • LIFT a New Leaf—Proposing a new service project as a one-day event in the autumn, similar to Love Your Neighbor Day, where teams of volunteers rake leaves at the homes of elderly/homebound folks.
  • Gun Buyback: Father Matt Walgren from St. Paul’s has invited LIFT to collaborate on a “guns into gardens” program where, in collaboration with law enforcement and a blacksmith, firearms would be purchased to get the off the streets, and then formed into garden tools like shovels.
  • Blessing of the Animals: Last year this service was at St. Mark. Would we want to try it again?
  • Family Faith Nights: After seeing kids and adults interacting together at VBS, what would it look like to regularly (maybe quarterly) try to do some sort of intergenerational time together?

LIFT Visioning Meeting

Members of all the LIFT congregations are invited to a time of visioning, planning, and togetherness as we look to plan the future of LIFT. We will gather on Monday, July 25 from 6-8 p.m. at St. John's. Leaders of the Northwestern Ohio Synod will help us in this process. We especially encourage participation from church council members, congregational leaders, and anyone with creative vision about being Church together.

Confirmation Leaders Meeting

LIFT Congregation confirmation leaders met on Tuesday to make some decisions about the confirmation ministry program for the coming program year – September 2022 through May 2023. We will have one less congregation participating, and two fewer leaders than last year. St. Mark will have no youth participating this year. Participating congregations this year will be St. John's and Grace. The two main issues that we discussed were scheduling and curriculum. With regard to scheduling, it has been difficult to find a time that works for all, including families and leaders. We agreed on a compromise to offer our learning sessions at two different times: 1st and 3rd Sundays at Grace at 9:00 am, and 2nd and 4th at St. John's at 12:00 noon. The same lesson content will be taught at each location.

With regard to curriculum, LIFT congregations have been on a two-year rotation of learning content. Year 1 is Bible, and Year 2 is Catechism. The focus for this year will be Bible. We are tentatively going to use a Bible survey course called Manna and Mercy, which is presented in 16 lessions/sessions.

Heather Preparing for Churchwide Assembly (CWA) in August

Heather recently attended a meeting of those from our synod who will be attending the 2022 ELCA Churchwide Assembly on August 8-12 in Columbus. Some of the discussion helped voting members become acquainted with some of the issues that will be voted upon. Some of those issues include “On Leave From Call” status, which affects how rostered leaders enter and leave that status. There are also issues around how to administer discipline for rostered leaders, including removal from the roster, which, if happens, makes it impossible to receive a future call. It gets very complicated, so prayers for all our CWA Voting Members who will have to make decisions about this and many other issues.

Just a reminder that our CWA voting members, elected by our synods (and some who attend “ex officio, e.g. all synod bishops), do not “represent” us. They represent only themselves. In an older model of these kinds of gatherings, voting members were called “delegates,” which suggested that they were somehow representing the views and opinions of those areas from which they were elected.

Insurance Renewal Rates Up

Linda has sent a message to Council Members regarding our insurance rates. She sat down with the Church Mutual (our current carrier) agent this past week and reviewed the updated policy, which would be for 8/1/2022 – 7/31/2023. Bottom Line: there is about a 9% increase ($2,094) Amount for 2022: $19,602Amount for 2023: $21,696 Linda reminded Council members that she will be on vacation next week, so will need to move quickly on this when she returns, and the first quarter payment is due on August 12.

ELCA Worship Notes

You can read the July issue of ELCA Worship Notes HERE. At the top is a message from the ELCA Executive for Worship, Deacon John Weit:

We are in the final weeks before the 2022 ELCA Churchwide Assembly, gathering in Ohio, Aug. 8-12, under the theme "Embody the Word." Worship will be central to the work of the assembly. Each day participants will gather for worship including Holy Communion on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday; a Service of Word and Prayer on Tuesday; and Morning Prayer on Thursday. The worship moves through an arc that begins in the wilderness honoring where we have been as church over these last years, then into lament and repentance, and on to mission and sending. The assembly schedule, including worship times, is available on the Churchwide Assembly website for worship in the weeks leading up to and following the assembly.

National Hot Fudge Sundae Day

You may not know, but if you do, don't forget that Monday, July 25, is National Hot Fudge Sundae Day. You can be sure that I will be celebrating the day with gusto! You are welcome to join me!

Covid Transmission Levels Up

It comes as no surprise that Covid levels are up. President Biden has tested positive, and Rep. Bennie Thompson also, addressing the January 6 hearing Thursday night remotely. I learned via Facebook that my home congregation, Christ in Hendricks, Minnesota, has canceled worship for this Sunday because their new pastor, whose first Sunday was last Sunday and followed by a potluck gathering in the fellowship hall to welcome him, tested positive for Covid. It was too late to find a replacement, so they canceled worship. I'm not suggesting any changes in what we're doing at Grace – but it never hurts to proceed with caution. I haven't listened to Dr. Osterholm's latest podcast (which are now bi-weekly instead of weekly) but will do so soon. See the paragraph below to find the link.

A Suggestion for Summer Reading

I recently read a book by Rob Bell entitled “Love Wins.” The book was a bit controversial when it was published several years ago, as Bell suggested some alternatives to some of our common conceptions of heaven and hell. ELCA retired seminary professor Dr. Timothy Wengert offers some similar thoughts in a Living Lutheran article from 2018. Bell is no stranger to Grace, as some years ago his video series “Nooma” was used for an adult Bible study class. I found both the book and the article insightful and challenging. You can find the book HERE, or at your local library. You can find the Wengert article HERE.

Marcy At Air Camp for Educators this week

This summer Marcy applied for and was accepted into, and attended the Air Camp for Educators program this week from Monday through Thursday.. Copied below are a few paragraphs from the Air Camp web site:

Air Camp is a hands-on, educational adventure in aviation and aeronautics. We inspire students at the intermediate and middle school levels, as well as teachers and educational leaders across all grades, to learn more about science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) using aviation and aerospace as our medium while promoting the values of scholarship, leadership, and citizenship.

Air Camp is the vision of Dayton-area leaders who want to help young people nationwide achieve their potential, develop critical-thinking and problem-solving skills, and pursue further education and future careers in STEM-related fields, aviation, and aeronautics

Activities included piloting a plane and a drone. She brought home a flight suit, which she can wear on days that she teaches aeronautical science lessons.

Osterholm Update

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. With cases declining, the podcast has scaled back to posting an episode every other week. The latest episode, posted on Thursday, July 21, is entitled "Rejecting the Status Quo." In this episode, Dr. Osterholm and Chris Dall discuss the BA.5 surge in cases in the U.S. and around the world, assess the risk of reinfection with BA.5, and answer a COVID query about isolation guidelines. You can listen to or download this episode HERE.

Staff Vacation Weeks

• Tom - now through July 31
• Linda - next week, July 25 - 29
• Pr. Mark - next week and weekend - July 25 - 31

Interim Grace Notes for July 15, 2022

Week of VBS Concludes Thursday

A second week of LIFT VBS concluded on Thursday evening, incorporating the Thursday evening worship at St. John's. The first week was held at St. Mark, and led by Pr. Paul and members at St. Mark. They decided to offer a VBS week this year to better serve Fremont's east side community. Pr. Paul joined leaders at Grace and St. John for LIFT VBS week 2 at St. John's with our "Compassion" based theme. Our numbers were down a bit, as we didn't have kids from Faith and Hayes as we did last year. Pr. Paul put together a nice video, and Heather posted it on the Grace FB page with an evaluative comment, which you can view HERE.

Pastor Paul will preach August 21

Maureen and I met with Pastor Paul this week to schedule his next preaching assignment at Grace, which will be the weekend of August 20-21. This was Maureen's weekend to preach at Grace, so she will preside and preach at St. Mark instead. She and I are rotating on who covers for Pr. Paul when he comes to Grace. Next time will be my turn!

Backpack buddies update

Pastor Paul provided the following update about our new LIFT ministry, Backpack Buddies:

LIFT will be starting a new backpack program at Lutz Elementary School in early September. This is an exciting chance to partner in the community and meet some real hunger needs—filling gaps for kids to eat on the weekends when there is no school lunch program. It involves sending a backpack home on weekends with some healthy snacks and food that kids can prepare on their own. School staff identifies students with food insecurity issues at home. We would provide backpacks and food, assemble them and deliver them to the school. School staff would distribute them to students. To help fund this project, we are seeking financial contributions and donations of kid-friendly food items in individual servings. Look a basket in the sanctuary. Grace members are specifically encouraged to bring lunch items:

• Individual mac & cheese
• Canned pasta
• Apple sauce
• Peanut butter
• Crackers in sleeves

The next gathering for planning will be at St. John’s on Tuesday, August 9 at 10 AM. For more information, contact Pastor Paul Bailie (bailiepaul@gmail.com, 440-477-3641).

LIFT Leaders Meet

LIFT leaders met for our monthly meeting on Wednesday. We use this time to find out what our individual congregations are doing, especially those ministries we don't have as much contact with, such as Emmanuel, Faith, and Camino Da Vida.

Endowment Fund Report

Al Mehlow sent the 2nd quarter financial report on the Grace Endowment Fund, and it should come as no surprise that the value of holdings is down since the beginning of the year. But the portfolio also has some dividend producing funds which help to offset the decreases in value. Ending value June 30, 2022 is $1,152,592.60

Roots of Our Faith Sessions Continue

There will be two more sessions of the class I am leading during Sunday School hour (9:00 - 9:45 am) which I'm calling "Roots of Our Faith." So far, we have been looking at the biblical story, and in the two remaining sessions, I'll be presenting some of the unique ways that Lutherans understand and approach the Biblical story. On Sunday we'll be talking about "Up versus Down Religion." It is our responsibility to climb the ladder to reach God, or does God come down to us? We'll also be covering Lutheran basics like justification by grace through faith, law and gospel, and Luther's Two Kingdoms teaching. Come and join us in the dining room!

Osterholm Update

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. With cases declining, the podcast has scaled back to posting an episode every other week. The latest episode, posted on Thursday, July 8, is entitled "Living With Covid." In this episode, Dr. Osterholm and Chris Dall discuss the state of the pandemic in the U.S. and internationally, the rise of the BA.5 subvariant, and what living with COVID currently looks like for Dr. Osterholm. You can listen to or download this episode HERE.

Pastor Paul on Innovator Leaders Academy Weekend

For the past couple years, NWOS has been partnering with Rev. Dr. Michael Adam Beck, who is the co-pastor of Wildwood UMC in Wildwood, Florida, where he leads his traditional parish and also supports the growth of small groups in the community known as fresh expressions. These groups are little new Christian communities led by people of faith that spring up in the neighborhood as “Fresh Expressions of Church.” A fresh expression is a form of church for our changing culture, established primarily for the benefit of those who are not yet part of any church. It’s a really neat model of discipleship and engaging our community beyond the walls of our church buildings. Those participating in the program attend several weekend events over the course of the year to learn about and experience this new way of approaching ministry and outreach. Heather participated last year, and Pastor Paul a member of this years cohort. This is one of their weekends, and Pr. Paul has reported from Faith Lutheran in Metamora. You can read more about Innovator Leaders Academy HERE.

Interim Grace Notes for July 8, 2022

VBS Set to Go on Monday

Our LIFT VBS is ready to go beginning Monday evening, 6:00 - 7:30 pm, and continuing every evening through Thursday, concluding with Thursday evening worship. VBS will be at St. John's this year, and we're thankful to Heather and Sue Lawrence for spending lots of time in preparation and planning. You can register a child or yourself to volunteer HERE.

LIFT Zoom to Plan for July 25 Visioning and Planning Meeting

On Wednesday, I joined a Zoom meeting with LIFT Leaders along with Deacon Sherry Krieger, Pr. Sarah Schaag, and Cala Gilson from synod staff to gather input for planning a visioning and planning meeting for LIFT on Monday, July 25, from 6:00 - 8:00 pm at St. John's. This meeeting is for anyone and everyone from all our LIFT congregations, especially Council members and staff who want to see LIFT move forward with creative vision of being church to together.

LIFT Backpack Planning Meeting on Sunday at Noon

LIFT is embarking on a new ministry called "Backpack Buddies." Pastor Paul explained the program in a May 26 email to LIFT Board and Leaders:

We were approached about a service opportunity in partnership with local schools that really falls into what we were talking about at our last meeting in terms of outreach in the community. One of the school social workers asked LIFT to provide a weekly backpack program at Lutz Elementary. Currently Victory Church partners with Croghan Elementary and the Alliance Church does the program at Otis. It involves sending a backpack home every other weekend with some healthy snacks and food that kids can prepare on their own. School staff identifies 10-15 students with food insecurity issues at home. We would provide backpacks and food, assemble them and deliver them to the school. School staff would distribute them to students.

I think this is a very doable project that folks in our congregations could rally behind. It addresses several of our Mission Priorities (Hearing the needs, Present in the community) and is something hands-on that people could get involved with. Right now, there is $700 in the LIFT Away Hunger account and $569 in undesignated Thrivent Choice funds. If we get a $250 Thrivent Action grant, that would give us a good start before asking congregation members for in-kind donations.

The ELCA has a document about starting these backpack programs that has some helpful information. I'm attaching it HERE.

After many affirmative responses from LIFT members and associates, we have forged ahead on this project, with Pastor Paul taking the lead in getting us organized. If you would like to help with the planning of this program, we will have an organizational meeting this Sunday, July 10, at 12 noon at St. Mark.

A New Picture Church Directory?

Picture church directories have long been a staple of congregational life. Most of the congregations I have served have published one or more directories during my tenure as their pastor, and also provide a literal pictorial snapshot of the congregation when created.

Problem is, they quickly become dated. The last directory created at Grace was in 2014. Even though faces have changed, it has still been a helpful tool for me to learn names and faces. Another problem, Church Directory companies are less willing to provide significant photo times without a large membership to photograph and sell portraits. I learned this at St. John's Bellevue, when a directory company was willing to come and photograph on two evenings during the week. Our solution at St. John's was to have a professional photographer who is a member of the congregation to do our photography. We were then able to put the directory online, and upload photos to our management software database.

I think that Grace is due for a new directory -- it would certainly be a gift for your new pastor in learning names and faces. Perhaps something you can discuss at Monday's council meeting.

Will Be Late for Council on Monday

I'm directly involved with leadership at VBS this year (I'm leading the Bible Story skits at the beginning), so won't be able to attend Executive, and will miss the first part of Council. I'll join you as soon as I'm done at VBS.

ELCA Global Links

You can read the latest on ELCA Global Mission activities HERE.

Interim Grace Notes for July 1, 2022

Presiding Bishop's Pastoral Letter on Abortion

Our Presiding Bishop, Rev. Elizabeth Eaton, has issued a pastoral message on the recent ruling by the Supreme Court of the United States which overturns Roe vs. Wade, and removes federal constitutional protection for safe and legal abortion and leaving decisions about abortion law largely to the states. Her message reminds us that

despite this new legal landscape, we continue to depend on our social teaching for guidance. Our social statement provides the moral framework for our church's communal discernment and ministry, holding in tension both the strong Christian presumption to preserve and protect all life as well as the complex moral situations in which pregnancy sometimes occurs. Our social teaching is complex and does not hew to clear categories or labels such as "pro-abortion" or "anti-abortion."

You can read the ELCA Statement on Abortion, adopted in 1991 by the ELCA Churchwide Assembly by a more than two-thirds vote, HERE. I encourage you to read both Bishop Eaton's message, and the above linked social statement. It is important to note that the statement emphasizes that with regard to abortion, there are no "absolutes:" "A developing life in the womb does not have an absolute right to be born, nor does a pregnant woman have an absolute right to terminate a pregnancy." The statement has five sections, as follows:

• Our Unity and Diversity in Christ
• Convictions of Our Faith
• The Church as a Community Supportive of Life
• Guidance in Making Decisions Regarding Unintended Pregnancies
• Public Policy Issues Related to Abortion

With regard to public policy, it is important to note the ELCA statement declares that

the position of this church is that, in cases where the life of the mother is threatened, where pregnancy results from rape or incest, or where the embryo or fetus has lethal abnormalities incompatible with life, abortion prior to viability should not be prohibited by law or by lack of public funding of abortions for low income women. On the other hand, this church supports legislation that prohibits abortions that are performed after the fetus is determined to be viable, except when the mother’s life is threatened or when lethal abnormalities indicate the prospective newborn will die very soon. Beyond these situations, this church neither supports nor opposes laws prohibiting abortion.

Latest post from Lanny's Sister

In previous issues of Grace Notes I have linked to posts by Diane Baima, the sister of an interim ministry colleague, Rev. Lanny Westphal, who has lived and worked in Ukraine since 2014 as a school teacher. She is married to a Ukrainian man, and lives on a farm outside of Kiev. Pastor Lanny posted the latest report from his sister, in which she describes the challenge of getting gas for her car in Ukraine. You can read Diane's post HERE.

Roots of Our Faith Class Continues

This Sunday at 9:00 am is the second of five sessions of a course I'm calling Roots of Our Faith. It is designed to be a class to prepare prospective members of Grace to be received as confirmed and voting members of the congregation. This week's session will focus on a panoramic view of the Old and New Testaments. People often read bits and pieces of the Bible, but seldom have time to put the whole story together and see the "big picture." We will be viewing a 40 minute video by Dr. Harry Wendt, author of the Crossways series of Bible Studies. In this video, Dr. Wendt leads us on a journey through the entire sweep of the biblical narrative, relating it to both history and our lives today. Would you like to get a helpful and informative overview of the message of scripture? Join us in the Dining Room on Sunday at 9:00 am.

Confirmation Leaders Plan for '22-'23

On Wednesday, I met with Heather and Pastor Paul (Pastor Matt was planning to attend, but was not available) to discuss our plans for confirmation ministry for the 2022-2023 program year. The program will be a bit different this year in that there will no youth from St. Mark participating. However, Pastor Paul will still be involved as a leader, as our confirmation program is considered an important element of our LIFT ministry. The challenge for doing confirmation ministry jointly is exponentially more challenging when the schedules of two congregations, four leaders, and a dozen or more participating youth and their families somehow need to come together. We will continue our planning at our next meeting on Tuesday, July 19, at 2:00 pm at Grace.

Osterholm Update

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. With cases declining, the podcast has scaled back to posting an episode every other week. The latest episode, posted on Thursday, June 23, is entitled "A BA.4 and BA.5 World." In this episode, Dr. Osterholm and Chris Dall discuss the state of the pandemic in the U.S. and around the world, the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants, and the recent approval of vaccines for children under 5. Dr. Osterholm also provides an update on monkeypox and shares a Celebration of Life from one of their listeners.. You can listen to or download this episode HERE.

VBS Planning Meeting

The VBS Team met for the final planning meeting this past Tuesday afternoon. Pastor Paul had his guitar and led us in singing and learning the songs that will be a part of Bible School this year. Youth were present and helped to prepare art projects, promotional posters, and decorations. Our VBS is scheduled for Monday, July 11, 2022 to Thursday, July 14, 2022, 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM at St. John's. You can register for VBS online HERE. Share this link with anyone who may be interested in registering a child or grandchild for VBS.