GRACE NOTES August 4 - 11, 2020

Reminder: Grace is currently in Stage One of our plan for returning to in-person ministry. We are only utilizing worship online at this time. This week we will experience a variety of worship services (more on that in the worship box below...) Click here for the stage-based version and here for the table-based version of our "Granting Grace to One Another" plan for returning to in-person ministry. Click here to read more about this update in a letter from Pr. Gregg. We remain deeply grateful for the many ways that you, Grace members, have continued to be the church while we are apart. Our church has never been closed, just deployed. The Holy Spirit continues to work in and among us, and we continue to share God's grace with the world. Stay up-to-date with the latest information by visiting our COVID-19 page: Click here for Grace's COVID-19 page

Click here to fill out the survey mentioned in Pr. Gregg's update letter

PLANNING FOR WORSHIP ON AUGUST 9th This coming Sunday, August 9th, the pastors and music staff are taking some time off and will not be producing a worship service for that day. So, this means everyone will instead get the chance to "visit" other congregations for a Sunday! One of the benefits of the gift of online worship is that we will be able to attend one or more services we would not usually experience, all from the comfort of our homes. You should feel free to visit wherever you like. The pastors have experienced worship with the following people and congregations, and provided a few links to recommended worship opportunities for this Sunday. Click either of these links for Lutheran worship services: St. John's Lutheran Church in Spartanburg, SC Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in Charleston, SC Click either of these links for Episcopal worship services: Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Columbia, SC Washington National Cathedral in Washington D.C. Click the link below for a worship service from a local neighbor: Oakland Avenue Baptist Church in Rock Hill, SC Click the link below for a worship service from our Roman Catholic friends: All Saints Roman Catholic Church in Bridgeport, WV We hope you all have a restful Sabbath and enjoy visiting and worshiping with our siblings in Christ!

While we are physically apart in the coming weeks, there are still many ways for us to be church together. We invite you to connect with one another by phone and make use of the resources in this publication, too!

WORSHIP Click the video image for the 9th Sunday after Pentecost Worship Service Video from August 2nd. Click here for the worship guide.

Click the video image for the Children's Sermon.

We invite you to "like", comment on, and share these videos!

Each Sunday we continue to worship together online. These services are posted on the Grace Facebook page and on our website. We will also send an email to invite you to participate.

Do you miss singing hymns in a group? We do!  Since we are still unable to sing corporately in our worship, the music team is in the process of putting together a virtual hymn sing program. This program will highlight some of the work we have done this summer in our music program with virtual choir anthems interspersed with several of the singers' favorite hymns. WE WANT YOU TO PARTICIPATE! Young or old, if you can carry a tune and love hymns as much as we do, send us an email (music@gracerockhill.com) so we can send you more information about how to rehearse with us and add your voice to our sound. Or, if you are not interested in sending in a recording of yourself, no worries! All are welcome to attend the rehearsal this Wednesday at 7:00 PM for the hymn sing - it will be a great opportunity to spend a little time with some of our favorite hymns and some particularly enjoyable people. (Note: During Zoom rehearsals, we won't be able to hear you sing - if you are shy about people hearing you, you are will be in good hands at our rehearsal!)

WORSHIP ASSISTANT VIDEOS CONTINUE! We have made great strides in our recording of worship services and we are now reintroducing more faces to the mix. If you are interested in providing a worship assistant video for worship, please click here to sign up for the next available Sunday (August 16) and Pr. Gregg will contact you with the details you'll need. Thanks to all who have helped lead us in worship so far and all those who will be leading us in the weeks to come!

Equipping Ourselves for Hospitality

Last year, we set three goals for 2020, each of which would Equip Grace for Today, Tomorrow, and the Next 100 Years. We had to pause some of our work on these goals while we were away from the building, but now, we are planning ways to get back to them! In August, we will resume work on our goal of "Equipping Ourselves for Hospitality." We have several projects designed to increase the warm welcome we share at Grace, by upgrading spaces throughout our building. These spaces include the Conference Room, the men's Bible study room, classrooms throughout our Sunday School hallway, and the Fellowship Hall. We will need to work in modified, socially-distant ways to accomplish these projects, and we will. Then, once we are all able to be back in the building together, these freshened and improved spaces will provide a warm welcome! We invite you to join us in accomplishing these projects! If you have a passion for conference room chairs, expertise in painting, or are simply excited about expanding the hospitality at Grace, please click here to let Pr. Rachel know. Thank you to everyone who has continued in their generosity this year. Because of your steady giving, we are able to move forward with these projects confidently, remaining faithful to the work we heard God calling us to do in 2020!

You’re invited on Tuesday, August 4th, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. The Inclusiveness Network invites all of the South Carolina Synod to watch a one-hour documentary on racial reconciliation called Unchained. This documentary produced by the American Bible Society examines the lingering generational trauma associated with the system of slavery and how men and women have broken through these emotional chains. In this film, both blacks and whites share together their experiences and the conversations that lead to racial understanding and reconciliation. There will be a 45-minute discussion afterwards led by Pastor Jackie Utley and members of the Inclusiveness Network. Last year, the South Carolina Synod Council also viewed this documentary in four 15-minute segments at their meetings and found it most helpful. Registration is required. CLICK HERE to register!

ELCA SC Synod Assembly - July 25, 2020

The Thirty-Third Assembly of the South Carolina Synod and the 195th meeting of the Lutheran Church in South Carolina was held this past Saturday and history was made. The SC Synod elected a new bishop, The Rev. Ginny Aebischer, who is our first female bishop! We rejoice that the Holy Spirit has moved among us and provided us with a strong and faithful leader for the next 6 years. We invite you to be in prayer for Bishop-Elect Aebischer, who will be installed in September. We pray also in thanksgiving for Bishop Yoos, who will be retiring after 12 years of faithful service as the SC Synod Bishop. For more information about Bishop-Elect Aebischer, as well as a summary of the actions taken, the ministry shared, and the videos watched at Synod Assembly, please click here.

NovusWay is the group of our four local, beloved ELCA camps. Many of us have spent life-changing weeks at one or more of these camps; they are a gift to all of us! This year, because of the pandemic, these camps are sustaining a significant financial loss. To ensure they'll still be going strong once the pandemic restrictions are lifted, NovusWay has launched the "Light The Fire" campaign to raise awareness and funding. The Youth and Family committee invites you to join them in generosity in giving to NovusWay! The Y&F Committee donated $2,063.91 of their budgeted funds to NovusWay (money they would have used for NovusWay-related programming) and helped reach the goal of 500 gifts on July 29th, resulting in an additional $100,000 challenge gift! Y&F knows that camp is a vital resource for growing in faith, and they are committed to helping sustain its ministry excellence, just as we sustain ministry excellence here at Grace. Thank you for supporting our local camps, through Grace and beyond!

Youth and Family Programming Updates

Young Youth and GYM have had a great time on Zoom this spring and summer! We will be taking a break during August and the first part of September, while everyone finishes off vacation time and gets ready to start school. We will start our new program year mid-September. This will include welcoming our rising Kindergartners to Young Youth and our rising 6th graders to GYM! More information about this upcoming year will be available later in August. Please email Pr. Rachel with any questions.

Raising kids is hard - it's even harder when your supportive community is disrupted in a pandemic! Join us and reconnect to your Grace group! The pastors are hosting 2 virtual opportunities for parents/caregivers of our Young Youth and GYM kids to connect with one another, to talk about faith, school decisions, how things are going, etc. The pastors will join in and hear how we can be supporting you, too, including the possibility of more connection options. On August 18th AND 20th, there will be a Young Youth (rising k-6th) Parent Zoom at 7pm, and a GYM (rising 6th-12th) Parent Zoom at 8pm. You can attend either or both of the dates! Pr. Rachel has sent these Zoom links DIRECTLY to you in email. If you did not get them, please email her here.

After much prayer and consideration, the ELCA has decided to postpone next summer’s ELCA Youth Gathering to 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2022 ELCA Youth Gathering will be held July 24-28, 2022.

Building on Sunday's Gospel text, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton shares with us an important message about the need to advocate for those who are hungry.

Offering Our Gifts to God - Monetary Offering Part of our worship is offering our gifts to God. While we are apart, it is still faithful to offer our gifts. You can give in several ways: Give online by clicking here (and you have the option to offset the cost of giving online) Set up giving though your bank Mail your offering to the church office. If you are attending worship in-person, we ask that you still utilize one of these three giving options, which limits the virus exposure for our offering tabulators. Thank you for continued faithful giving!

Gifts & Talents Pictures Our worship has been enhanced by your photos of projects, experiences, and joys these last few months - thank you for sharing! We would love to see more of what you're doing - please send photos to our Video Editor, Craig Allen by clicking here.

FAITH FORMATION RESOURCES

Taking Faith Home carries the previous Sunday's themes throughout the week. These devotions include daily Scripture readings, prayers, hymn suggestions, milestones, conversation starters, service opportunities, and at-home rituals. Click here for the week of August 2 Click here for the week of August 9

Congregation Connections

Click the image for our current Grace Prayer List

Click the image for Memorials and Gifts

Click the image for our August Birthdays

Billy needs a new home! Donna Wylie has shared a need: her dog, Billy, finds himself in need of a new home with a fence, where he can go on walks, share lots of love, and make some new friends. If you know of someone who might have a good home for Billy, please contact Donna Wylie directly, or call the Church Office. Click here to see a few more pictures of Billy in his current home.

Committee Meetings can be held on Zoom! If your Committee would like to use Zoom, the pastors can help. Please click here to email the pastors if you'd like to set up a Zoom meeting. June Giving and Expenses June Received $66,883 June Expenses $48,640 Budgeted to Spend $50,852 YTD Received $277,989 YTD Expenses $234,882 YTD Budgeted to Spend $254,260

Can We Help? This pandemic has affected each of us, but may have affected us in different ways. If you are in need of help (of any kind), please reach out to the pastors. We can find connections to resources and/or support together. We want to walk with you. Please call or email us.

Stay connected! Click on the links below!

Most in-person activities at Grace Lutheran Church are suspended until further notice. At this time, please do not come to the church building unless you have signed up to attend worship. We are praying for the health and well-being of our community and world.

GRACE LUTHERAN CHURCH 426 Oakland Avenue Rock Hill, SC 29730 803.324.5295 www.gracerockhill.com parishadmin@gracerockhill.com  (740) 312-5774 (Pastor Gregg’s cell) (864) 230-3816 (Pastor Rachel’s cell) Office Hours: Monday - Friday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm