Grace Presbyterian Church

Sunday Morning Schedule

9 am           Worship in the Great Room

10 am         Education and Fellowship

11 am         Worship in the Sanctuary

Worship at 9 am is in the Great Room and is led musically by our band. The style is less formal than the 11 am service. The 11 am service is in the Sanctuary and is led musically by our choirs. The style is more traditional.

On Sunday, December 18, we have our annual Christmas brunch in the Great Room from 10-11 am.  There is no Sunday School this day.

On Sunday, December 25, we have ONE worship service at 10 am in the sanctuary and no Sunday School classes.

Here’s where you will find education and fellowship opportunities at 10 am for the first two Sundays in December.

Children ages 0-Pre-K

  • A nursery is available all morning from 8:50 – 12:15 pm.  From 10 – 10:45 am, Colissa Fry leads a Sunday School lesson for these children.

Kindergarten – 2nd Grade

  • Kindergarten – 2nd grade meets in room B10 (in the basement). Merodee Grannis and Kendall Drake teach this dynamic class.

 

3rd – 5th Grades

  • 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders meet in Tower Room (on the 2nd floor). Geoff Snook, Dale Haury, and Elise Scholl teach this exciting group.

Youth

  • 6-8th graders meet in the Youth Center (downstairs)
  • 9-12th graders meet in the Youth Center (downstairs)

Adults

  • The Steamers Group is the only adult Sunday School class offered in December.  The Steamers class meets in Room 209.  They are a longstanding group but always welcome new people.
  • In January the Christian Discipleship team will offer a class for the congregation in the Great Room.
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Sunday Morning Preaching Schedule for December

December 4

This is the second Sunday of Advent.  As we continue our “Behind the Scene” series wel look at Herod and the way he and the government shaped the world in which Jesus was born. We celebrate the Lord’s Supper at both services.  Catherine Neelly Burton preaches.

December 11

On the third Sunday of Advent, we look at Mary, Jesus’ mother. She’s always front and center in the nativity scene, but there’s more to her story than what we see as she cradles baby Jesus. Catherine Neelly Burton preaches.

December 18

On this final Sunday of Advent, we welcome the Epic Brass to both worship services. As we complete our “Behind the Scene” series we’ll look at Joseph and his story. Catherine Neelly Burton preaches.

December 25

Christmas falls on Sunday this year, and so we worship!  We gather at 10 am on Christmas morning in the sanctuary.

Operation Holiday: Sharing Warm Blankets, Coats & More

Gifts are given to our neighbors who need them to be warm this winter and help Operation Holiday serve between 11,000 and 15,000 low income adults and children in our community. Most are working poor. We are collecting gifts of new or like-new:

  • Blankets
  • Gently-used coats of all sizes
  • New winter wear such as scarves, hats, mittens/gloves for children and adults

Place your gifts in the boxes at the church entrances now through December 11. There are also many volunteer opportunities directly with Operation Holiday:

  • Warehouse sorting of food and clothing during distribution December 15-17.

Planned Giving Celebration

Doris McEachern and her husband, Arnold, found a home at Grace Presbyterian Church and an extended family in the Cruisers.

Doris, who died in April at 94, grew up in a series of Kansas towns as her father, a railroad man, moved around. After high school, she went to business school in Wichita and met an “industrious young man” that she soon married: Arnold McEachern.

Soon after, with World War II under way and husband Arnold off to the Army, Doris joined the WAVES, serving in Washington, D.C., and then at the Hutchinson naval air station for the women’s reserve unit. They had two children after the war, Barry and Sharon, and Arnold founded Star Electric Supply, which remains under family leadership to this day.

The Cruisers were Doris’ “country club,” with their regular gatherings at members’ homes in addition to time at church. Doris and Arnold loved gardening, and they divided the labor on their big corner lot in Bonnie Brae: She was the flower lady; he the vegetable man. Fellow Cruisers benefited from their bounty, receiving tomatoes and other vegetables in abundance each year.

Later, Doris would put the Cruisers’ story down in writing, producing over three dozen biographies of club members whose lives she shared. In addition to Cruisers, Arnold was involved in the Grace Boy Scout troop and served as deacon and trustee.

Friends recall that when Doris was in the room, you knew it from her laugh. It was, well, “loud” and reflected her good humor, a friend said. She was interested in the world around her – current events, the theater, music and more.

Her friend, Grace member Carolyn Roby, said Doris was always up to go hear a speaker, recalling them venturing to WSU to see Geraldine Ferraro, the Democratic vice presidential candidate. Earlier this year, Doris shared with Carolyn: “Now, I want you to understand, I’m not afraid to die, but I sure want to know how this election will turn out.”

In her will, Doris left a generous gift to Grace that allows the church to replace its large cooling unit and help support future endowment projects. The bequest reflects what Grace meant to the McEacherns.

“I think she did what she and Arnold talked about doing. He was gone, and she carried it out,” Carolyn said.

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Yellow Bag Sundays December

Each month on the first Sunday you’re encouraged to take home a re-usable yellow grocery bag, put some non-perishable items in it, and bring it back the next week, or soon thereafter.  In November and December, our contributions go to Operation Holiday.  Operation Holiday is a mission of Interfaith Ministries.  Last year over 13,000 people were served through this outreach.