Words of Grace

Growing In Grace Church!

2011-10-27T16:50:00.009-04:00

In preparation of our Celebration Sunday on October 30th, we asked members of Grace Church to reflect upon why their support of Grace Church is important to them. Here's what they wrote!

“Commitment Sunday. These two words initiate a lot of discussion in the Williams household. "What did we pledge last year? What should we do this year? How are we going to do that?" I could go on, but probably shouldn't. In the end, we work to give some of the blessings that God has bestowed upon us back to support Grace Church. I hope you will consider supporting the ongoing work of Grace during this crucial time.”

- John, Alexis, Jackson, Avery, & Charlotte

“I have been a member Grace UMC for 75 years. I grew up here, was married here, and had my children christened here. My husband served the finance committee and the board of trustees for many years, while I served in teaching Sunday School and playing piano. Grace Church has always been a big part of my life. Over the years, I have seen the church expand and grow. In fact, I remember my mother cooking in a hut behind the church to help raise funds for the education building to be built. We now enjoy our Sunday School classes, children’s programs and Graceful Grounds in that building. It makes me so happy to see young people filling our church but we need to give in order to keep it growing so that these young people can continue to make their own special memories here at Grace Church just as I have over the years.”

- Sarah

“Our financial commitment to Grace UMC is always a given. As taught by the Bible, we endeavor to be our brother and sister’s keeper. Our church makes that happen. How? The latest outreach… Arise at Grace – what a beautiful “hand up” to our disadvantaged neighbors. An older outreach…Urban Ministry – what a marvelous organization – caring for countless, needy souls. By the way, Grace UMC planted the seed from which Urban Ministry grew. Your financial commitment to Grace UMC will help perpetuate the vast amount of good our church does.”

- Charles and Lito

"Our family has certainly been blessed to grow with Grace. Andrea joined the church in 1998 and over the last 13 years, we've been married, baptized our children, met many talented, loving people and forged wonderful, lifelong friendships at Grace. This church has been a place to serve and to learn, to seek answers and to discover the peace and guidance of a Christian community. It's the steady presence in our lives and in the lives of our children, a meaningful place of worship upon which we've come to depend. We're participating in the Grace stewardship campaign because we want to express our gratitude and send the message that Grace can depend on us."

- Kevin, Andrea, McKenna, & Kellen

Thank you for your pledges, Grace Church

as we continue to “Grow in Grace" together!

FUEL Retreat Brings Youth Closer to God and Each Other!

2011-10-13T23:33:00.011-04:00

This past weekend, 31 Grace youth and adults went on a retreat to discover what Jesus teaches us through Matthew 7:7… “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”

Awanita Retreat Center in SC was the location for this AMAZING weekend of spiritual growth and fun! Picture this…3 awesome sessions of music/singing, 3 powerful messages, 2 small group discussions, a fire pit and smores, hummer rides, horseback riding, mud pit, zipline, and a reflective closing session by candle light ending with youth sharing their “God moments!” Needless to say, there was such a great balance of spiritual learning and fun! We had 25 middle and high school youth who participated whole-heartedly and because of their desire to Ask, Seek, and Knock…they were able to have a weekend where they truly felt the presence of God. Throughout the weekend, the youth shared what they had learned, how they saw God working through the weekend, and how they hoped to apply Matthew 7:7 to their lives.

One of the most remarkable things that I witnessed was the relationships that were built between the middle and high school youth. It was so cool to see an 11 year old and a 16 year old have a deep conversation, hang out during free time, and have fun together. It’s safe to say that new friendships were formed, a mutual respect was shared among everyone, and the youth were PRESENT the entire weekend!

Now that I’ve laid the groundwork, I’d like to share a little more about the message. We decided that we would break Matthew 7:7 up into 3 different “talks”…Ask, Seek, and Knock. First, we focused on us ASKING God to be a part of our lives. We discussed God’s amazing grace and love for us and turned to Revelation 3:20 where God says, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” We wanted the youth to know that they are loved SO much, far beyond their comprehension, and that God is ALWAYS there waiting to have a relationship with them. Secondly, we emphasized SEEKING a relationship with God, and actually doing something to have that relationship. Whether it be through prayer, church, youth group, mission work, or meaningful friendships, we want the youth to know they have to “look through the peep hole” of the door and begin to search and do something. Finally, we KNOCK on the door. We are fully ready to have God be a part of our lives. We are ready to experience something amazing when we open that door to Christ! ASK, SEEK, KNOCK….what a powerful message and what a lucky youth leader I am to have had the opportunity to be with our youth as they discovered how to apply this to their spiritual journey!

So do you ever find yourself asking for things that leave you feeling empty? Do you ever seek out relationships and things that you know are not healthy? Are you knocking on all of the wrong doors? Jesus can point you in the right direction.

Christina McCord

Youth Director

Spiritually Inspired?

2011-09-22T18:35:00.003-04:00

Does God’s Spirit still move among and within us? That’s a pivotal question for people of faith, because it’s a foundational claim we make… that God is alive and working in our human hearts & minds & psyches. The atheist or agnostic, who claim there is no God, would deny a living God interfacing with people. Deists might say that once upon a time God stirred & moved as “spirit”, but no longer. Is God at work today, in this world, in my life, in others around me?

George Frederic Handel was a composer in 18^th century England. After being a disappointment to the throne of England which employed him, he was facing failure and bankruptcy. One night Handel was struck, quite starkly, with inspiration to compose an entire oratorio which has since inspired millions of hearers across the ages since. If you’ve ever heard “Hallelujah Chorus” performed live, is there any question of its divine nature? The tale goes that Handel worked feverishly and completed “Messiah” in 24 days, unprecedented on the scale and quality of that work. Was it a fit of insanity or musical genius? It was quite possibly God’s Spirit that possessed him!

I was recently introduced to TED talks, a concept which encourages some of the greatest creative minds of our day to sound off on ideas. Writer & author Elizabeth Gilbert spoke about being “possessed” by creativity, and the effects of that on artists & writers & musicians. If you listen to her speech you’ll be touched by how incredibly her description of “creativity” sounds like the Holy Spirit we know as God.

For those of us who rely upon imagination and creativity to fuel our work or stoke our passion, God’s spirit is an irreplaceable gift! It moves us beyond ourselves and carries us to heights we do not know. It gives us expressions of words and paint strokes and musical notes and constructs that we’ve never considered before. But it’s much more than a useful tool for creativity.

Prayer to & meditation upon the living God prepares us to listen. What better way to train ourselves to hear God speaking & moving & directing? Do you practice it? God speaks to us when we pray, far beyond the bounds of creativity to matters of ultimate importance: “What does God want me to do with my life?” “Where today can I make a difference in the world?” “Are my choice and actions congruent with God’s greater plan?” God is speaking, but are you listening? It’s a question not just for artists, musicians, and writers…but for all who desire to be touched and clasped and swept up by the great God.

Pastor Mark

Grace Church's Blog

2011-09-22T13:01:00.000-04:00

This blog spot for Grace Church is an opportunity for you to hear the conversation of our community of faith. Each week you’ll read thoughts from one person. A minister, a staff person, a team leader, a youth...really, anyone might write here with just one thing in common: they are a part of Grace Church!

Some weeks you’ll read a devotional, other weeks about an upcoming event or an issue facing the church. Reflections on a "God moment" might be shared, or a challenge to be more deeply involved could be offered. In short, our goal is to keep it fresh and invigorating for both church and faith, and to make it relevant for your life and our world.

You might be called upon to write a post! If you’ve been on a mission trip, or if you’ve recently been touched by God or others, you may be requested to write about it. But we know that God is at work in a variety of ways and on multiple levels, many of which we might not be aware. If you think you have something to blog about contact Pastor Mark. Suggestions for what topics you’d like to see shared would be helpful, too. We’ll stick to subjects that are “useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear.” (Ephesians 4:29) Overall, our prayer is that through blogging Grace Church might be more equipped to be one in Christ Jesus our Lord. Enjoy!