Greetings Friends!
Pastor Bill will continue his Bible In a Year Sermon Series as follows:
Our next reading assignments and messages:
July 14 – Weekly Readings: Acts 9:23 through Acts 13 and 2 Chronicles 33 through Nehemiah 3. Sermon: A Fresh Start Again from Ezra 1:1-8
July 21 – Weekly Readings: Acts 14-17 and Nehemiah 4 through Esther 6.
Sermon: How God’s People Reach Success from Esther 4:13-17 and Nehemiah 2:1-6
July 28 – Weekly Readings: Acts 18-21 and Esther 7 through Job 16
Sermon: Why Does God Allow Suffering – Part 1 from Job 1:12-22
COURAGE and Cancer Support Group will meet this Sunday, July 14 at 3 PM in the welcome center. If a cancer diagnosis has changed your life or the life of someone you love, please join us. For more information call Pastor Kathy at 724-463-8535 Ext, 130.
MISSION THURSDAY
This month’s Mission Thursday is July 18 in the Grace in Ministries Building from 4 – 7 p.m. You can be a part of this life-changing project by joining us for an hour or two to cut, or trace patterns. If you aren’t familiar with this mission project, please stop by to find out more! As always, we are collecting flannel material (sheets, pillowcases, etc.) and terry cloth (dish towels, hand and bath towels, etc.) Future Mission Thursdays will be held on August 15, September 19, October 10, November 7, and December 12.
AWAKEN
The Allegheny West Conference of the Global Methodist Church is hosting a Lay Training Event called “Awaken” on September 7th and 8th in Marysville, Ohio. This event is ideal for those looking to enhance their spiritual leadership and serves as the initial component of the Certified Lay Ministry training. Scholarships are available; please contact Pastor Bill for details. For more information, pick up a flyer in the Welcome Center. Register online at www.alleghenywestgmc.org/awaken.
YOUTH NEWS:
The Youth Group meets every Sunday evening at 6:45, with doors opening at 6:30. Bring a friend!
Upcoming Events:
- July 19-20: Yellow Creek Camp. More information will be provided soon.
- August 18: Step-Up Sunday for 5th graders moving into Junior High.
We will continue regular youth nights throughout the summer until August, except on holidays when the meetings will be rescheduled. Please check for signs in the Welcome Center and notes sent home. In August, we will take a break due to fairs, reunions, vacations, and Grace Church’s VBS, except for the August 18th Step-Up event.
We are seeking volunteers to host Youth Group evenings on September 8, 22, and 29. If you can help, please contact Abbey Sleppy at asleppy@indianagrace.org or call 724-463-8535 Ext. 150.
CHILDREN’S MINISTRY
The Preschool Reading time is on Thursdays in the Kid’s Lobby from 9 – 11:30 a.m. Parents can relax in the Welcome Center with a hot or cold beverage (and often a snack!) while your preschoolers spend time with the volunteer reader.
VBS
The most exciting week of the church year for our kids is just four weeks away! Make sure to enroll your children (Pre-school through 5th Grade) or sign up to volunteer by visiting indianagrace.org. This year’s theme is “Breaker Rock Beach,” where kids will discover God’s rock-solid truth in a world of shifting sands. The week promises to be a true highlight of the summer for our kids and their friends. Students entering 6th grade and above are encouraged to sign up as helpers online.
GRACE CHRISTIAN PRESCHOOL
Grace Church is starting a new preschool this fall called Grace Christian Preschool. For this first year, we will have sessions on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 9:00-11:30 a.m. for 3-year-olds. If you would like to know more about enrolling your child, please go to: https://www.indianagrace.org/grace-christian-preschool/
If you have questions, just leave a message in the office for the Preschool Advisory Board or Pastor Marty at 724-463-8535 ext. 260.
A generous benefactor has provided money for scholarships for this preschool program. Please help us spread the word about this wonderful opportunity for three-year-olds to attend a Christian preschool.
BIBLE COLLECTION:
We are partnering with Love Packages to provide Bibles to those who may never have the opportunity to purchase or obtain them on their own. Love Packages is a non-profit ministry that distributes the word of God to people around the world. They collect used and surplus Christian literature and deliver it to mission partners globally.
We accept any Bible—new or used, in any condition, and in any language. This includes:
- Any translation
- New Testaments or other portions
- Individual gospel booklets
- Bibles with ripped, torn, or missing pages
To learn more about Love Packages, visit LovePackages.org.
If you have Bibles to donate, please place them on the cart provided in the Missions Hall near the elevator. The books will be delivered to Love Packages on August 25.
ADULTING FOR BEGINNERS
Join Abbey Sleppy and other young adults (ages 18 – 30) on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. in Room 207.
SUMMER MUSIC: If you would like to share your musical talents during the 9 a.m. service this summer, please sign up online or in the Welcome Center or call Jon Gibbons at the church office.
LADIES TEA
All ladies of Grace Church are invited to the Tea in Fellowship event at noon on Monday, July 15. Please park in metered spaces near the church or at the Trinity Church parking lot across from the car wash at 398 Church Street. A van will shuttle attendees from the parking lot to the church between 11:15 and 11:55 a.m.
Reservations are required to ensure enough lunches are prepared. For more information, please contact Donna Overdorff at 724-464-7552.
THE ANNUAL COURTYARD CARNIVAL
Mark your calendar now for this fun-filled family event! The carnival will be in our courtyard from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on August 17th. There will be inflatables, games, carnival food, balloon animals, and much more! Make this the big hurrah before school starts the following week!
SENIOR ADULT MINISTRY (Ages 55+) UPCOMING EVENTS:
TRACKS & YAKS: On October 3rd, our senior adults are going on a Tacks & Yaks trip in Frostburg, Maryland. We will gather at 6 a.m. at the Mack Park upper parking lot to depart at 6:30. We will check in at the Frostburg Depot at 8:40 and enjoy a leisurely 15-mile railbike ride to Downtown Cumberland. The ride is mostly downhill (the last ¾ mile takes a little effort). You may bring your own snacks and a picnic lunch or grab lunch (Dutch treat) in one of the Canal Place Shops. We’ll leave Cumberland at 1 p.m. to return to Frostburg. Dinner will be Dutch Treat and we’ll be home at about 8 p.m. NOTE: We are now accepting names on the cancellation list. Plans change for folks, so please sign up if you are interested!
UNTO® LOGISTICS CENTER TRIP: October 15 -16. Do you have a desire to help improve the lives of people living in the toughest places on earth? Through humanitarian projects UNTO® provides volunteer opportunities to make a difference. When you volunteer, you make an impact on the lives of refugees, orphans, or poverty-stricken families.
We will gather at 6:30 a.m. at the Overdorff’s home at 61 Campbell Lane, Indiana PA, and depart at 7 a.m. We will arrive at UNTO® at 10:30 a.m. with lunch provided. We’ll work until 4 p.m. and then check into our hotel (double occupancy). Dinner will be Dutch Treat. The hotel has a pool, so you may want to pack a swimsuit or board games–another great way to spend the evening with friends. SNEAKERS ARE REQUIRED TO WORK IN THE CENTER.
On Wednesday, we’ll have breakfast at the hotel, check out and leave at 8 a.m. to work at UNTO® until 4 p.m. Dutch treat dinner on the way home, and return at 8:30 p.m.
Your reservation will be secured when a $75 payment is received. We have 12 seats available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Checks should be made payable to Grace Church with Seniors to UNTO on the memo line.
ARTS & CRAFTS SHOWCASE: Our annual Showcase will be on Friday, November 15 from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m. Grace Church artisans and crafters are encouraged to sign up in the Welcome Center to display or sell your amazing art or handiwork. Sorry…no businesses!
PLEASE NOTE: The Church Office will be closed all day on July 16. Your staff will be on a planning retreat for the day. Responses to phone and email messages will be handled the next day.
JUST FOR LAUGHS:
At the conclusion of Sunday services, worshippers filed out of the sanctuary and greeted the minister. A young visitor shook the preacher’s hand, thanked him for the sermon, and said, “You know, I think you must be smarter than Einstein.”
Pleasantly surprised, the minister responded, “Why, thank you!
As the week went by, the minister began to wonder why anyone would deem him ‘smarter than Einstein.’ So, he decided that if the visitor ever returned, he would ask him to explain.
A few weeks later, the minister was glad to see the man back in church. After the service, he asked, “Exactly what did you mean when you said that I must be smarter than Einstein?”
“Well Reverend,” the visitor replied, “they say that Einstein was so smart that only ten people in the entire world could understand him. But I’m not sure anyone can understand you!”
