Post on 06-Mar-2018
March 2017
Grace Notes
March 2017 GRACE NOTES
Grace United Methodist Church
601 N. 4th St . Pekin, IL. 61554
www.pekingrace.org
309-347-7131
Grace Café
February 25, 2017
(Always last Saturday of
the month.)
11AM-12:30 PM
Food Pantry:
March 16, 2017
4-5 PM
Pastor’s Note 2
Radical 3
Christian Education 4
UMW 5
News & Announcements
6,7,8
Bible Readings 9
Prayer Concerns &
Thank Yous 10
Birthday Calendar 11
General Calendar 12,13
Inside this issue: (Page #s Listed)
Printed
February 21, 2017
Ash Wednesday and
The Season of Lent
Lent begins on ‘Ash Wednesday’,
March 1, 2017. Each year we plan a
special worship service at 6:30 pm to
begin our Lenten discipline together as
a congregation. At this service, we are
reminded of our human mortality by
the imposition of ashes, either on the
forehead or on the back of the hand, in
the sign of the cross.
Pancake & Sausage Dinner
Prepared by: Jamtime
By donation, proceeds will benefit our Snack Pack Ministry
Ash Wednesday: March 1, 2017
5:00pm—6:15pm
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March 2017
Grace Notes
Journeys With Joel
Years ago I was fishing in a river. The water was up to my mid-thighs, and my feet struggled for traction on the wet and muddy bottom as I landed a nice bass. At the time I was using a plastic tackle box that I wore around my waist in the front. I bent over to unhook my quarry. When I tried to stand up, I realized I had closed the lid on a hook which was now deeply embedded in my belly. When I bent over I also bent my knees to lower my center of gravity. Now picture this. I am standing up to my waist in fast-flowing water on slippery rocks. My knees and back are both bent with my face not much more than a foot above the river. I have a hook in my belly that digs in deeper every time I move, and I still have a very live fish splashing around on the end of my short line.
Have you ever been stuck, feeling like you only have bad options? No matter what you do, the chances are it is going to hurt and you might even experience major bodily harm or even death. My situation was not that bad but at the time it seemed like it. Sometimes our emotional traumas leave us feeling like we are bound.
When we invite Christ into our lives, He sets us free from slavery to the enemy, but almost al-ways there are some chains that we don’t allow to get cut or that we pick up again. Once we have tasted true freedom in Christ those chains hurt more than before.
Lent starts the very first day of March. This year I want us to think and pray about the chains that still bind us. It will take time, honest introspection and courage. Sometimes our chains give us short-term pleasure.. Sometimes we are so used to them that it is hard for us to realize they are there and even harder to cut them. They are a part of us, and getting rid them can be painful.
Starting at a very special Ash Wednesday service, we will all receive a piece of chain to remind us to pray and work on getting free from at least one of those chains forever as we journey towards Easter. Sermons will go along with this theme. We can’t do it alone; we need each other. Please come and join in the Ash Wednesday Service 6:30 March 1
st. (I need some volunteers to help cut the
chains.).
Oh, I didn’t make it out of the river. Could you please tell the guy who stole my identity to quit it? My wife and kids haven’t noticed yet.
Seriously, I was eventually able to to release the fish, fling my rod up on the bank and waddle into shallower water. The hook was a treble hook (it had three prongs instead of one). So, not only was it hooked into my tummy, but it also was hooked into the lid of the tackle box making it nearly im-possible to open. With great pain I was able to force the box open enough to get out my forceps. I usually used them to unhook the fish. Now it was my turn! My back and legs were cramping, and it was getting more difficult to stand up. The thought of falling into the water in this condition was sober-ing because, for the first time, I realized this could end in me drowning. I gathered my courage and clamped the forceps on the one free prong of the treble hook and yanked. I don’t remember the pain, but I do remember the freedom.
God wants you to be totally free. That is what this Lenten Season is about. I am so very blessed to be the pastor of such an amazing and wonderful congregation. Join me in the journey to God’s Freedom!
Blessings to you, Pastor Joel
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March 2017
Grace Notes
Trent Moberly
Coordinator of Youth Ministries Grace United Methodist Church tmoberly@pekingrace.org (309) 347-7131
Current Events
The Sunday of "The Big Game" is always a busy day for us! Our students work a sub-shop assembly line to churn out many sandwiches for you! Thanks to everyone who supported our Super Subs fundraiser again this year; we are getting ever closer to our goal for the mission trip! The Moberlys also hosted a party that night at their house for Radical students to get together and watch the game. Another thing we do together each year is gather at the Civic Center with thousands of other believers from all over to worship together and en-joy hearing our favorite Christian artists. This event is called WinterJam, and it is something we always look forward to! It's a powerful experience hearing thousands of God's people praising His name together in one place. Truly an impactful experience for anyone who is a part of it - even if it can be loud at times!
What are we learning?
Our Sunday school group and format look a bit different. With Trent taking part in the confirmation class and several of our regular students a part of confirmation until May, things have shaken up a bit. With the smaller group, Gloria Ranney and Michelle Moberly have been simply leading a conversation as students converse about disciplemaking, life, and faith. We hope this is a Spirit-led time where students are very engaged with each other. During Radical we have now wrapped up discussing a very insightful topic called Kavanah. If you'd like to hear more about it, talk to our students, they'd be happy to share! In this series we have explored the four elements of Kavanah that help us hit the mark in our relationships so we can better live like Jesus did as we interact with others. The challenge now is to live it out and embrace that as a new "normal" way of living!
Radical Recent and Coming Events
2/23 - Papa Murphy's Fundraiser - Bring a flyer and eat a Papa Murphy's any time this day to help our group raise money for our mission trip!
3/5 - Mission Trip meeting for trip participants as we continue preparing for Bayou la Batre
We are hoping to do a fundraiser at Kroger in March, but the date and time are to be determined. Stay tuned!
Save the Date! Grace UMC Family Feud will be Sunday, April 30th, from 6:30-8pm in the GF Family Life Cen-ter! Get your tickets starting in mid-late March!
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March 2017
Grace Notes
Christian Education
Children’s Church
We begin each week with the band leading us in song. This is a lively time with ac-
tions and dancing. Then we pray and study. We have been learning about the same
scripture lessons as the older worshippers hear in church. We also try each week to do
charades or a relay or some other game related to the lesson. When the weather coop-
erates – and when our lessons are completed – we go out to the playground for the last
few minutes of class. Please send your child’s coat with them in case we are able to
have time to enjoy God’s wonderful creation.
TLC News
Our Wednesday mornings in the nursery are busy and fun. This month we have been
learning about the planets and space, and for Valentine’s Day we did a unit on the
heart and got to listen to our hearts with a stethoscope!
JAMtime News
We have continued our unit on the early Methodist church and life in America at the
time the church was founded. A special thanks to all of the adults who have shared
their time and talent with JAMtime this year.
Sunday School
We are blessed with wonderful Sunday School students and teachers. We are using
the Cokesbury curriculum in the younger classes, and our 4th through 6th graders are
becoming puppeteers!
Lent is a time to reflect on Christ’s life and our own lives. May we see Christ’s love re-
flected in our lives – in our words and action this Lent and everyday!
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March 2017
Grace Notes
GRACE UNITED METHODIST WOMEN
United Methodist Women
Events Calendar
March 2 1:15pm Executive Meeting
March 9 12:00pm Mission Community General Meeting
Soup and Sandwiches
March 10 CWU Human Rights Celebration
March 13 9am-2pm District Mini Mission Meeting. Continental Breakfast and
potato bar lunch. March 15 12:15pm Miriam Circle, Our Inn Place and then CB Smith Reading
March 21 10:00am Book Club Pekin Estates Community Room
March 23 11:30am Rachel Sarah at Our Inn Place
March 23 9:00am Susannah Circle in Fellowship Hall
THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
Your generosity in donating both baked
goods and cash for the goodies, over-
whelmed the members of Miriam Circle.
Over three tables of baked goods netted
enough to cover 80% of the funds needed
for the books for the three kindergarten
classes at CB Smith. Our circles believes
that anything we can do to aid learning to
read will build brighter futures for the chil-
dren of Pekin. Bless you for your support.
We welcome new readers. We meet for
lunch at Our Inn Place on the 3rd Wednes-
day of each month during the school year.
Then adjourn to CB Smith for one-one time
with the kindergartners. Not all can attend
each time; we need help especially during
the winter time. If interested, call Connie
Disney or Carolyn Jackson.
Church Women United
Human Rights Celebration
Experiencing Blessings at the Table
When: Friday March 10, 2017
Time: 2:00pm
Where: St. Joseph Catholic Church
303 South 7th St. Pekin IL
Speaker: Pat Graf
Topic: Best of Africa
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March 2017
Grace Notes
Our Grace Men’s softball team will be holding their annual Chili
lunch on Sunday, February 26
Take out will be available starting at 9:30AM.
All donations will go towards supporting our Grace Softball Team
Sponsorship fee.
Softball Chili Luncheon
Sunday, February 26
2017 Grace Notes Dates
Articles Due Print Date
March 15 March 21
April 19 April 25
May 17 May 23
June 21 June 27
July 19 July 25
August 16 August 22
September 20 September 26
October 18 October 24
November 15 November 21
December 13 December 19
Wanted: Volunteer Servant Leaders SUNDAY MORNING HOSPITALITY HOUR NEEDS VOLUNTEERS. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED,
PLEASE CALL CHRISTY MCDUFF AT 202-1929 OR EMAIL HER AT
CMCDUFF@CYFSOLUTIONS.ORG
PLEASE CONTACT OFFICE, WE NEED SOUND VOLUNTEERS FOR THE 8:30AM SERVICES.
THANK YOU!
Kitchen Health Department Inspection:
The Tazewell County Health Department inspected the kitchen and food pantry in
November 2016 and again last month, January 2017. Both times the score was 100%.
GOOD JOB!
Thursday, February 23 Take a flier to Papa Murphy’s any time on Thursday, February 23 and 20% of proceeds from your order
will go towards Grace UMC’s 2017 Radical Mission Trip!
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March 2017
Grace Notes
NEW YEAR ALTAR FLOWER SIGN-UP
There is a new calendar for 2017 for those who would like to sign-up to
have altar flowers purchased in memory of loved ones or for special
occasions.
A huge THANK YOU to Linda Garman for doing such a
fantastic job of coordinating with The Greenhouse to bring the church
such beautiful arrangements.
Please contact Linda Garman if you have any questions: 387-2924
FRIENDSHIP CLUB
MARCH 6TH AT NOON
Quarterly Statements Change…..Please Note!
Quarterly statements will be sent via e-mail beginning with the first quarter of 2017.
If you haven’t already, please let the office staff know your current e-mail address. This is in an
effort to strive for an environmentally friendly office.
Paper statements will only be printed for those who make a request to the office staff by
March 31, 2017. Our office number is 347-7131.
Thank you for your assistance with this.
Friendship Club will meet on Monday, March 6 at noon in the Hospitality area of the church. Following the noon potluck luncheon, we will hold an organizational business meeting as we prayerfully consider our options for the future. Please join us with ideas for our group.
If you need a ride or for more information, please call the church office at 347-7131.
Annual Leader’s Summit is rescheduled for:
Sunday, February 26 from 1-4:00pm
All elected church leaders, members of the Church Council, ministry team ar-
eas, committees, and designated groups of Grace UMC. If you do something
at Grace UMC which is some act of ministry or service, then you should plan
to be part of this inspirational and organizational gathering.
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March 2017
Grace Notes
IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM TRUSTEES:
Trustees Policy Change for equipment use.
All musical instruments or equipment property of the Pekin Grace United Methodist
Church will remain on the premises and will not be available for removal or loan unless it
is a Church sponsored event or authorized by Trustee’s Chairperson in writing.
Grace College Scholarships
It’s that time of year!
The Grace Church college scholarship forms for the 2017-2018 school year will be available
after March 15.
Any Grace United Methodist Student Member may apply annually for these awards for use
at an accredited junior college or college. Because of limited funding, the committee can no
longer support graduate work at this time.
Applications can be picked up in the church office, printed from the website, or e-mailed. The
deadline to return applications is May 1.
Late applications will not be considered.
Some Committees will be meeting every other month: Meetings Scheduled: Marketing/Technology February 23rd (Meetings set as needed.) (Randy McDaniiels & Ryan Plunkett) Education March 12th (2nd Sunday of the month) Trustees March 9th (2nd Thursday of the month, e.o.m) Church Council March 27th (4th Monday of the month, e.o.m) Finance March 22nd (Meetings set month to month.) Staff Parish April 12th (2nd Wednesday of the month, e.o.m) Endowment Meetings set as needed by Committee Chair. (Thom Matheney) Worship Meetings set as needed by Committee Chair. (Dennis Crowell) Outreach Meetings set as needed by Committee Chair. (Lynne Johnson) Scholarship Meetings set as needed by Committee Chair. (Judy Streid) Hospitality Meetings set as needed by Committee Chair. (Christie McDuff)
NEW—Fine Arts Series at Grace UMC
Sunday, March 26th 4:00pm - Tom Booth Recital
Sunday, April 30th 4:00pm - Kindred Quartet
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March 2017
Grace Notes
FROM THE UPPER ROOM:
Week of March 1
1 Corinthians 9:24-27 What new practice can help me grow closer to Christ?
Hebrews 13:7-16 One of the greatest gifts I can give to God is my time.
Joel 2:12-17 Ash Wednesday is an invitation to remember God’s grace.
Colossians 4:2-6 When we pay attention, we see many opportunities to serve God.
Week of March 5
Romans 10:8-13 Today I will share my faith with someone.
Matthew 14:22-32 With Christ I can face any problem imaginable.
Romans 8:14-17 Who has shown me God’s unconditional love?
Isaiah 55:10-13 God continues to cultivate new life in me each day.
1 Peter 4:8-11 Regardless of my age, I can serve the Lord.
1 Corinthians 11:24-34 My Christian community can show me God’s abundant love.
Isaiah 40:27-31 Today I will ask God to be my strength.
Week of March 12
Matthew 4:1-11 Today I will rely on God instead of myself.
James 2:14-26 Along with worship and fellowship, God desires our discipleship and service.
Revelation 7:9-17 How can I embrace my heavenly family here on earth?
Leviticus 19:32-34 I can share God’s love by inviting others into my life.
Psalm 90:12-17 How can I plant seeds of God’s love today?
Mark 7:24-30 How can I be more faithful in my prayer life?
Philippians 2:12-16 Today I will search for opportunities to use my gifts in God’s service.
Week of March 19
Matthew 20:29-34 I can be honest in my prayers
1 Corinthians 15:50-57 Today I will celebrate God’s power!
Genesis 7:11-24 Lenten disciplines can help me renew my faith.
Philippians 4:10-13 God will strengthen me and lift me up.
Genesis 1:1-2:3 Where in creation do I see God’s greatness?
Matthew 25:35-40 When I show kindness to others, I show kindness to Christ.
Psalm 118:5-14 God is always ready to listen to me.
Week of March 26
Luke 5:12-16 In times of uncertainty, I will pray to God.
2 Corinthians 4:17-18 God is with me in my struggles today.
1 John 4:7-12 Today I will show God’s love to someone who is hard to love.
Acts 20:32-35 How can I use my gifts to bless others?
Luke 14:25-27 Putting my trust in God takes practice.
Psalm 25:1-10 In uncertain circumstances, God will remain steadfast.
2017
Grace Café Food Pantry
March 25 March 16
April 29 April 13
May 27 May 11
June 24 June 15
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March 2017
Grace Notes Please keep the following Grace members
and friends in your prayers:
Halle Bloom Maddie Stranz Sally Morris Ron Robinson Jan Becker Marilyn Brower June Stoner Joyce Hill Joanne Miller Howard Ferrill Jean Hill David Danner Jane Schermerhorn Helen Beard Vera Byrd Bill Gordon John Florez Dena Ackerson Dr. Buck Wright
Lord,
Direct our president’s heart toward
you. Give our president spiritual wisdom
and understanding to lead this nation ac-
cording to Your precepts and into all truth.
May the president be filled to over-
flowing with Your depth of insight into all
situations. Surround the president with god-
ly advisers. Inscribe on their hearts the
knowledge of Your will so they may know
You better. Amen
Published in DAILY GUIDEPOSTS 2015.
Dear Pastor Catlin and Members of Grace United
Methodist Church,
On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank you for
your generous, continued support to help us serve the
thousands we do.
Thank you, Deanna, Board Member
the Center for Prevention of Abuse
Dear Joel:
Thank you for partnering with YWCA
Pekin to host another successful Martin Lu-
ther King, Jr. event in our community. Alt-
hough poor weather on the morning of our
event had an impact on our attendance, we
were excited that sixty people made an extra
effort to join us! Your willingness to host the
event is greatly appreciated.
Please know that your support does
make a difference to our ability to continue our
annual celebration of Dr. King. I hope that we
will be able to continue to work together to
bring multi-cultural events to our community!
Again, Thank you for supporting our
Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration in 2017!
Melinda Figge, Executive Director
Pekin Grace UMC, Pastor Joel,
During calendar year 2016, Chaddock has
received (at least) $465 that we can attribute to your
church. This total does not reflect gifts given
through the Conference Treasurer, just hose gifts
given directly to Chaddock.
This total includes direct contributions given
to Chaddock by individuals who we are able to iden-
tify as members of your church, as well as contribu-
tions sent from your church treasurer and other
groups/committees within your church.
So please encourage all church members,
when giving to any of our Conference ministries, to
identify their local church affiliation, both so they do
not wonder why your report does not reflect their
gift, and so that your church will receive a more ac-
curate measure of your congregations’ support for all
of our conference ministries.
Thank you, and may God bless your ministry,
Rev. Jeff Rasche
Sympathy… Our thoughts and prayers are with
these families during their time of sorrow.
*********************************
Grant & Peggy Golden and extended family on the
passing of his father, Reuben
The Patten Family on the passing of their
mother, Florence Patten
Community support: A belated thank you to the Family Video, located at
1712 Broadway, for their donation of twenty frozen
turkeys to the food pantry.
Thank you also to Dollar Tree, located at 3432
Court Street, for the donation of food and toiletries.
This is greatly appreciated.
Thanks to the blanket ministry group which donated approximately 30 blankets to the food pantry. They were
recently distributed and the recipients were very happy to get such a beautiful gift.
What a wonderful way to show God’s love.