youth

May 2017 Youth Schedules

If you would like to get on the Student Ministry email list for either IGNITE or INSPIRE/WYLDlife, please email your request to Kirk Anderson.

IGNITE (All High School aged youth)

  • Sunday 10 am – 10:50 am: Inter-generational Trivia in the Great Room on May 7, 14 and 21, No class on May 28.

Wednesday Events:

  • May 3 is all youth worship. We close out the school year on May 10, and then we move into Mission trip prep!
  • Chess Club (4:15 – 5:15 pm) Room 101/103 led by Ann Graham and Gary Hart
  • Fellowship
    • 6:00 pm Dinner
    • 6:30 pm Fellowship (Youth Center)

 Other Dates

  • Sunday, June 11: Mission Trip Car Wash Fundraiser
  • Mission Trip: July 7 – 16

INSPIRE (All Middle High aged youth)

  • Sunday 10 am – 10:50 am: Inter-generational Trivia in the Great Room on May 7, 14 and 21, No class on May 28.

Wednesday Events:

  • May 3 is all youth worship. We close out the school year on May 10, and then we move into Mission trip prep!
  • Chess Club (4:15 – 5:15 pm) Room 101/103 led by Ann Graham and Gary Hart
  • Fellowship
    • 6:00 pm Dinner
    • 6:30 pm Fellowship (Youth Center)
  • Save the Dates
  • Graduating 8th graders: Mission Trip July 7 – 16

YaYa’s (College aged youth)

  • We meet on Sunday evening at various homes and venues discussing God’s purpose in one’s life during the college-aged years. Call Kirk or Sean Foster for locations and more information.

 Camp Dates for Westminster Woods

Go to www.westminsterwoodscamp.com for registration, payment and details.

  • Summer Camp
    • 3rd & 4th grades: 05/30-06/2
    • 5th & 6th: 06/5-9
    • 7th & 8th: 06/12-16
We love volunteers.

Volunteer Appreciation Dinner: Tuesday, May 2 at 6 pm

It’s time to say “Thank you!” Thank you for generously giving your time at Grace.

Each spring we celebrate Grace Volunteers with a dinner.  The church provides BBQ, and we ask you to bring a side or dessert to share. Dinner is at 6 pm on Tuesday, May 2, at 6 pm. There is no formal program, but there are door prizes.

Whether you volunteer regularly or on occasion, the ministries of the church would not happen without you.  If you’ve ever volunteered at Grace (even one time) you are invited.

Women’s Ministry – April 2017

All women are invited to participate in the Women’s Ministry. This ministry encompasses different aspects of life at Grace including: a book group, fellowship events, service, and retreats.

Capri Zimmerman is working with Catherine Neelly Burton to get this started and would love to hear from you if you’re interested.  Email her at prizslp@gmail.com

Upcoming Events and Dates are:

  • May 6 at 7 am at First Presbyterian Church

First Presbyterian hosts a monthly community breakfast for anyone who needs a meal. We help serve and clean up.  It’s also an opportunity for fellowship with sisters and brothers we might not otherwise meet. Sign up by April 14 with Catherine Neelly Burton, Catherine@mygpc.org or Capri Zimmerman prizslp@gmail.com.

  • Book Group – 4th Tuesday of the Month – March through June at 7 pm at Grace

The group reads For the Love: Fighting for Grace in a World of Impossible Standards by Jen Hatmaker.  The book is broken in to four sections, and the group meets four times.  The next gathering is Tuesday, April 25, at 7pm, at Grace and we focus on the second section.

Children’s Ministry: Help Needed!

Sign up for VBS today!

It’s 9 am to Noon, June 19-23.

[button url=”http://2017.cokesburyvbs.com/mygpc/” target=”” size=”small” style=”orange” icon=”” popup=”” title=””]Sign Up[/button]

We also have several opportunities for those who would like to be involved!  See the sign-up sheets by the coffee bar for more details.  We are looking for extra help in Games and Recreation as well as Science and we are in need of a few adults to help be tent leaders.

From the Pastor's Desk

From the Pastor’s Desk – April 2017

The church is a family, a community, a flock of sheep, etc. There are a lot of metaphors to describe the church.  Metaphors are helpful, and of course, all fall short. The metaphor I use the most in talking about church is that of the body.

The Apostle Paul introduces this idea in I Corinthians 12:12, “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.”  He goes on to say things like, “The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you,’ nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you,’” in I Corinthians 12:21.

I am thinking about this idea of the body of Christ as we approach Holy Week and Easter.  On Good Friday we remember the physical death of Jesus, the day when his body was tortured and stopped breathing.  It is the day Jesus died like every other human.  On Easter we celebrate his resurrection and God’s power over death.

The physical resurrection is central to my faith.  It is not something I can explain nor try too hard to understand, but it is something I deeply believe.  I love standing with the church in all time and place to proclaim this good news.  One of my favorite Easter proclamations is from John Chrysostom, a 4th century Christian, whose Easter sermon contains these words:

Hell received a body and encountered God. It took earth and came face-to-face with heaven. It took what it saw, and was overcome by what it did not see.

With that said, I am also drawn to metaphors about the body of Christ.  The Corinthians (first century Christians) believed that the church was literally the body of Christ.  Christ, having ascended to heaven, was no longer physically present in person, but Christ was present as the church.

Because of this they took very seriously any behavior within their community that did harm to the body of Christ.  If someone in the community behaved in a way that was against the values the community held, they believed that the person was literally hurting Christ.

My sister’s church is in crisis, and I’m reminded of how quickly the body can fall apart.  As is the case with a human body, a well-functioning church is a miracle.  There are so many people, and organs, and cells that have to work together in order for the smallest things to happen, in a human body or church.  If we are not attentive to our bodies they start to break down and even the small simple things become hard.

What amazes me and makes me grateful is the way that so many of you model this kind of attentiveness.  You check in on one another.  You seek to serve.  You model Christ’s love.  You seek to glorify God.  You spend time in prayer and in scripture.  All of this strengthens this body, and it is only when this body is strong that we can reach out and share Christ’s love with those outside of our church, which is our call.

Being human, having a body, is not passive.  We have to take care of ourselves.  The same is true for being a church.  We are the body of Christ, and we need you here doing your part.

In Christ,

Catherine