Non-Profit Organization

U. S. Postage

PAID

Corpus Christi, TX Permit No. 690

GRACE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH 14521 Northwest Blvd. Corpus Christi, Texas 78410-5501

Address Service Requested

Grace United Methodist Church

14521 Northwest Blvd.

Corpus Christi, TX 78410

361.933.0109

www.ccgrace.org

T h e G o o d N e w s 2 0 1 8 I can’t believe it’s already June! The annual session of the Rio Texas Conference is coming up June 6-9. At that

conference session, I will be appointed for a 4th year to serve as pastoral leader of Grace. It seems hard to believe

I’ve been here 3 years. Joan and I are grateful to continue to be among you and to serve alongside you as we seek to make new disciples of Jesus Christ and to reach toward Grace’s vision of being “A Place to Connect” – to

connect with God, to connect with each other, and to connect with the world Jesus calls us to serve. You have

been a blessing in our lives.

At the same session of the annual conference, Pastor Rebekah will be appointed for a 3rd year to serve as one of

the pastors of Grace. I am, and I know many of you are, extremely grateful for her ministry among us, and I am

grateful for her partnership in pastoral ministry with me. We are a team! But in addition to her appointment to

Grace, Pastor Rebekah will be ordained as an Elder in the United Methodist Church, and become a full clergy

member of the Rio Texas Conference. This is a momentous occasion in her journey in ministry and has been

preceded by much work and preparation. At a recent set of interviews of the Board of Ordained Ministry, she was

overwhelmingly recommended to take her place alongside all the rest of us who are Elders in Full Connection to

the Rio Texas Conference.

But this is not just a momentous occasion for Pastor Rebekah (and for the Rio Texas Conference), but also for

Grace. You have played a significant part of her journey in ministry. And since the conference session and Service

of Commissioning and Ordination happens here in Corpus Christi at the American Bank Center, you have the

unique opportunity to attend this service on Friday, June 8 at 7:00 pm. It will be wonderful to have a large

contingent of Grace folks to be there to support Pastor Rebekah. However, Rev. Michele Lott, who served for four

years as one of Grace’s pastors, will also be part of this service. She just graduated from seminary this month, and will be commissioned as a Provision Elder to begin the preparation process Pastor Rebekah has now completed. So

you will want to be there to support and celebrate with her, as well. And if you have never attended a Service of

Commissioning and Ordination, it is a powerful service that gives you an inspiring and larger picture of the United

Methodist Church of which we are all a part.

In addition, we are experiencing some transition on our church staff. Mary Anne Christian is retiring as a public

school teacher and she and Phillip will soon be moving to another part of Texas. So we will be saying goodbye to

them after years of faithful service and look forward to new persons to serve on our staff as Accompanist and

Property Manager.

I look forward to seeing you in worship as we continue to journey together this summer as disciples of Jesus.

Walking in Grace,

The Good news

April 2018 Visitors Allen DeReese Stacey Schwartz George & Robin Conde Kevin Johnson Angie Schoenher Eulalia Potter Jeremy & Lacey Baugh Sheri Kelly New Members Sharon Lubianski Shawn Freeman Nicole Wilson

Average April

Worship: 8:50 142

11:15 134

Nursery 7

Monthly Average 282

Small Groups (Sunday

School) Average 89

FINANCIAL REPORT THROUGH APR 30, 2018

APRIL

Received for Ministries - $73,886.01 Invested in Ministries - $70,378.90

YEAR TO DATE

Received for Ministries - $259,359.87 Invested in Ministries - $267,888.92

14521 Northwest Blvd TMF Loan

Balance January 1, 2018 - $1,800,654.84

Year-to-date Payments $70,461.26 Balance March 31st - $1,730,193.58

Expanding the Mission

Received Year-to-date $69,939.61 Year-to-date Payments $65,783.39

June 2018 Altar Rail Offerings

will go to support Vacation Bible School (VBS)

Church Office Main: 361.933.0109 fax: 361.933.0154 Pastors: Reverend Dr. Jason Fry ext 205 revjasonfry@gmail.com Home: 361.933.0702 Cell: 830.992.0181 Reverend Rebekah Rochte ext 204 rebekah.rochte@gmail.com Cell: 540.288.7141 Director of Youth Ministry: Victoria Low ext 203 youth@ccgrace.org Director of Children’s Ministry: Debbie Shannon ext 206 children@ccgrace.org Director of Communication: Kristen Veit ext 200 communication@ccgrace.org Office Manager: Ira Besse ext 202 graceumc@ccgrace.org Financial Secretary: Cathy Chaloupka ext 221

finance@ccgrace.org Director of Music Ministries: Michael Perez michaelkrisperez@yahoo.com Wesley Counselor: Erica Garcia Cell: 361.658.9708

Dear Grace Family, Brian, Madison, Lillian, and myself want to thank you for the many prayers, the love, and the support during Brian’s sister’s battle with leukemia. It has been a difficult time (and continues to be). However, there is comfort in knowing she is no longer in pain, that she is with our Heavenly Father, and that we still have so much love, support, and prayers. We also thank you for the beautiful flowers that were sent for Lisa’s memorial service. With grateful hearts, Brian, Wendy, Madison, & Lillian Genz

Service of Commissioning and Ordination

Our very own Pastor Rebekah Rochte will be ordained as an Elder in the United Methodist Church and become a full clergy member of the Rio Texas Conference of the UMC at its upcoming session. The Service of Commissioning and Ordination will be Friday, June 8 at 7pm at the American Bank Center. All the people of Grace are invited to come witness this event. (And Pastor Michele Lott, our previous Associate Pastor will also be commissioned as a Provisional Elder!)

Adult Ministries The Young at Heart group will be collecting and recycling #5 Medicine Bottles as an outreach project. We are asking for the congregation’s help. When a large number have been

collected, they will be sent to Matthew 25: Ministries. While many bottles are accepted by this program, we will start by accepting just the #5 amber bottles. How to recycle medicine bottles

In developing countries, medicines—when actually obtainable—are often dispensed into hands, pockets, leaves or any other available container. Matthew 25: Ministries accepts donations of empty plastic pill bottles for inclusion in shipments of medical supplies and for shredding and recycling. The pill bottle program fulfills the dual needs of improving medical care in developing countries and caring for our environment. This plastic recycling program keeps thousands of bottles out of landfills each year.

Please adhere to the following guidelines: Bottles must have an all plastic lid. Sort bottles by color and type. Remove labels, leaving no glue or residue. (Try Olive or

Coconut Oil for best results) Wash bottles in very hot water and dish soap. Rinse and dry thoroughly. Replace lids on clean, dried bottles. Place clean, recapped bottles in large Ziploc bags marked

“Clean Bottles” and place in the container provided in the church entranceway.

Attention Ladies UMW Meetings

HOPE and JOY Circle have no meetings scheduled for the summer. Each will resume meetings in September. If you are interested in joining a great group of women to participate in fun, fellowship, and service, please consider joining us in September!

Summer is here!!! It’s a great time to spend time in your air-conditioned home and find treasures that you no longer need. We have a great spot for such things at the Thrift Shoppe! Small men’s clothing is especially needed for the less fortunate men in our Grace community. Students can earn “service hours” for doing volunteer work at the Thrift Shoppe. We can always find a number of things that YOU can do. Contact Joan Morgan at 361-945-2260 for more information or stop by any Thursday, Friday, or Saturday.

Missions and Outreach Update

We celebrate how hundreds of lives are being touched by our 2 Food Bank Distributions and Feed Our Friends program. If you'd like to volunteer to serve, make sandwiches, or donate, contact Pam Fordtran at psc35@aol.com and she'll get you connected! We have some exciting opportunities to be the hands and feet of Christ coming up, including working the Salvation Army canteen truck, a meal packaging event for Rise Against Hunger, continued hurricane relief, and a mission trip to Eagle Pass in October. So mark your calendars and get ready to change the world!

UMW News

The United Methodist Women

selected Pam Fordtran as the

Woman of the Year 2018. Pam

was honored at the annual Church

Women United luncheon held at

First United Methodist Church on

Shoreline on Friday, May 11, 2018.

Pam is a perfect example of a

caring, kind, giving person who

gives freely of her time and effort

to service the less fortunate. This comes from her heart

and she expects nothing in return. Congratulations, Pam!

YOUNG AT HEART group will be going on an outing, July 11, 2018, to Harrison’s Landing for an hour long Boat Ride ending with lunch on the water. We will meet at Grace UMC at 9:30 am. We will either car pool and/or caravan to Harrison’s Landing to take the 11:15 am boat tour. Upon completion of the ride we will have a Dutch Treat Lunch at Harrison Landing Restaurant. Cost of the boat tour will be $15.00 and payable to Sandra Bristol by June 15, to reserve your place on the boat. Bon Voyage friends and let’s have a large group and a good time for this once in a lifetime Young at Heart adventure.

Blood Drive

Update

Grace Church will host its second Blood Drive of the year on July 15, from 8:30 AM-1:00 PM. Each donor will receive a Super Hero t-shirt and a pair of Hooks tickets. Donate blood and see a ball game for free! With school out and summer vacation, the need for blood is great this summer.

Revolution Youth Uprising… Sunday morning from 10:00 – 11:00 Breakfast 10:00 – 10:20 Lesson 10:20 – 11:00 Revolution Youth Outreach for June 3… 12:30 Lunch in Youth Cave 1:00-3:15 TBA For those attending Big House Mission Trip June 21-24, there will be a parent/youth meeting on June 3 at 4:30. This is an important meeting so please make plans to attend.

May Memories…

Middle School/High School Church Camp! When: July 16th—20th 2018 (Monday through Friday) For questions, contact Victoria Low (361) 933-0109 Where: Sacramento Methodist Assembly Pick up applications in the church office! 106 Assembly Circle

Sacramento, NM 88347 (575) 687-3414

Dear Friends,

It is with great joy that I will be ordained this month as an Elder in The United Methodist Church! The long journey of discernment and preparation is at last coming to fruition, but let’s be honest… ordination is not a completion. Rather, it’s the beginning of a lifetime of set-apart service to God and humanity. I am thrilled that I get to continue to be in ministry alongside all of you, and I can’t wait to see what God has in store for this community of faith!

We also know that clergy are not the only folks charged with ministry. YOU, dear friends, are ministers, too! We believe in that every Christian is called to ministry through their baptism. Clergy are set apart for particular kinds of ministry, but really, the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) applies to everyone who believes in Jesus – we are all called to go and make disciples! That’s why we drape our youth with stoles when we celebrate their Confirmation– they are ministers of the Gospel, too! Our Book of Discipline has a whole section about “The Ministry of All Christians.” Here are some highlights for you to consider:

The heart of Christian ministry is Christ’s ministry of outreaching love. Christian ministry is an

expression of the mind and mission of Christ by a community of Christians that demonstrates a common life of gratitude and devotion, witness and service, celebration and discipleship. All Christians are called through their baptism to this ministry of servanthood in the world to the glory of God and for human fulfillment. The forms of this ministry are diverse in locale, in interest, and in denominational accent, yet always catholic in spirit and outreach. (BOD 2016 ¶126)

The witness of the laity, their Christ-like examples of everyday living as well as the sharing of

their own faith experiences of the gospel, is the primary evangelical ministry through which all people will come to know Christ and The United Methodist Church will fulfill its mission. (BOD 2016 ¶127)

Beyond the diverse forms of ministry is this ultimate concern: that all persons will be brought

into a saving relationship with God through Jesus Christ and be renewed after the image of their creator. (Colossians 3:10) This means that all Christians are called to minister wherever Christ would have them serve and witness in deeds and words that heal and free. (BOD 2016 ¶128)

Paul wrote that God has poured out spiritual gifts upon us “to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God.” (Ephesians 4:12-13). I invite you to consider how God is calling YOU into ministry in this time. What is one way you can set a faithful example for your children or your neighbors? Can you commit to serving even once as a teacher or chaperone or sandwich-maker? What resources do you have that you can offer to help get new ministries off the ground? How can you lend your voice to advocate for those in need? In what way can you uniquely change the world, even a little bit, by living out your faith in Jesus Christ? May God bless you now and always, fellow ministers! Yours in Christ,

RightNow Media It’s like “Netflix for Christians,” and it’s FREE to you! RightNow Media has a huge video library with studies, kids programming, inspirational talks, and more to help you grow as a follower of Jesus. Scan the QR code or go to w w w . r i g h t n o w m e d i a . o r g / A c c o u n t / I n v i t e /GraceUnitedMethodistChurchCorpus to set up your free account now!

Grace Staff Positions Open Phillip and Mary Anne Christian, who have both been members of our Grace staff, are moving away in June. So we are posting the following positions. Property Manager: Responsible for oversight and management of campus facilities, grounds, and vehicles. Part-time position supervised by the Office Manager. Accompanist: Responsib le for keyboard accompaniment for congregation and choir in the Traditional style worship service. Part-time position involving primarily Wednesday evening rehearsals and Sunday worship at the later service; supervised by the Director of Music Ministry. If you are interested or know anyone who is interested in either of these positions, they may contact Pastor Jason revjasonfry@gmail.com (regarding Property Manager) or Michael Perez michaelkrisperez@yahoo.com (regarding Accompanist).

We Have an App Connect with us on your phone! Text “ccgrace app” to 77977 or download the “My Church” app by eChurch from your app store. Enter the keyword ccgrace app to link up with us. Check back for announcements, devotionals, interactive Points to Ponder, class registration, and more!

Information about Baptism for Young Children On Sunday, June 3rd, Pastor Jason will be holding an information/orientation session on baptism of infants or small children. All parents of infants or young children who are interested in the possibility of presenting their children for baptism are encouraged to attend, although anyone is welcome. It will be in the Fellowship Hall at 10:00 am between worship services. Child care will be provided (of course!). For more information, email Pastor Jason at revjasonfry@gmail.com or text him at 830-992-0181.

Wesley Nurse Grace UMC has been approved to be a Wesley Nurse site! The Wesley Nurse program is an outreach of Methodist Healthcare Ministries to offer health education and wellness resources to the local community. If you are a nurse and want to learn more about the program or apply for the position, you can view the job posting at www.mhm.org.

Justice for Our Neighbors (JFON) Corpus Christi is the newest JFON site, and we need volunteers with a heart for hospitality and concern for social justice to help us get things rolling! JFON is a non-profit ministry with UMC roots that helps immigrants legally obtain authorization to work, unite with family, and live free from violence and discrimination. Clinics provide affordable immigration legal services to eligible clients and engage in educational efforts related to the rights of immigrants. Contact Pastor Rebekah for more information, to donate, or to volunteer.

Holy Land Tour January 7-16, 2019 *Register early for discounts! Walk where Jesus walked! Join Pastor Rebekah and other churches in the Coastal Bend and El Valle Districts for this 10-day tour of the Holy Land. We’ll explore key sites like Nazareth, the Galilee, Jericho, Jerusalem, Beth lehem, and more. Register early for discounts; we’ll a l s o o r g a n i z e fundraisers to keep the trip affordable for anyone who wants to go. For more information or to register, take a brochure from the Welcome Center or contact Pastor Rebekah.

Classes available for 2-4 years old,

K-2nd Grades, 3rd–5th Grades

During the summer months all the children will be

meeting together in the 3rd – 5th grade classroom.

Mark Your Calendars…

VBS 2018

July 8 - July 12

5:30 - 8:30pm

To volunteer or pre-register children go to:

https://rrr.cokesburyvbs.com/GraceUMCVBS

Register by June 15th to get a free VBS

T-Shirt!

During VBS the children will be making manna bags to give to the homeless and are in need of several items to be donated. We will be preparing 200 manna bags but cannot do it without your help. Please help the children feed the homeless by donating some of the following items:

Bottles of water, cans of meat with self opening tops, single serving cans of fruit or dried fruit, granola bars, raisins, single serving bags of peanuts, single serving packages of peanut butter crackers, tubes of Chap Stick, Small tooth brushes and tooth paste, gallon size Ziploc bags.

Please consider donating as many items as you can so that together we can help the homeless. Just grab a tag off the wall in the mall. Items can be dropped off anytime in the big orange bucket in the children’s area or Sunday mornings at the ministry table.

Sunday, June 24th

4:30pm

Best Practices

VBS Meeting

In The Fellowship Hall All adults and youth who are helping with VBS need to

attend this meeting. Please make plans to be here as some

very important information will be discussed.

All adults will need to complete the Safe Gatherings

Training before VBS begins at: https://safegatherings.com