Wichita Alternative Gift Market: November 14

Last week, Catherine talked about how God Call Us to Co-Mission. This Sunday, the message is God Calling Us to Compassion. What great messages. Timing could not have been better to help us remember about the Wichita Alternative Gift Market!

“God Calls Us” to help others (the poor, the hungry, the sick, the uneducated, our environment). Our participation in the Alternative Gift Market gives us a chance to be compassionate and help people around the world.

There is a new location for the 2015 Market:

East Heights United Methodist Church

Saturday, November 14 from 10 am. – 4 pm

Grace is again participating in the Market as one of our mission outreach activities. You can be involved in two ways:

  • VOLUNTEER for a two-hour shift on Saturday, November 14. A sign-up sheet is on the bulletin board by the coffee bar.
  • VISIT the Market and support one or more of the causes that is represented. Grace is supporting causes that “Nourish the Hungry and Homeless”.

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Mission Spotlight: Grace Knitters

Every year Grace Knitters make over 200 hats and scarves for local elementary school students. This ministry takes place primarily on an individual basis. Each knitter creates and then brings the scarves and hats to the church. Once here, a group puts tags on each creation before sharing them with students.

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INSPIRE Mission and Worship Weekend

By Kirk Anderson, Director of Student Ministries

It finally transpired…a mission, service, worship, fun weekend for our INSPIRE Middle high youth. From early Saturday morning, October 3 through Sunday, October 4, we spent the weekend in Chase, Kansas. Chase is a great small community just northwest of Hutchinson. Why Chase? It’s simple really. We have a connection with one of our members, Scott Randle, who preaches there on a monthly basis. Scott was instrumental in working with the Chase Community Presbyterian church to host our group for the weekend.

Nine middle school, high school and college youth and adult sponsors, along with their local youth and leaders, spent the weekend serving in the community. They cleaned yards and garages, picked up trash on the school grounds and in the city park, helped organize rooms at the local Baptist church, polished and cleaned the woodwork in the Community Presbyterian sanctuary and organized and moved a kindergarten class room.

Much was done in service for this community. What they gave us was even more incredible:

  • They showed great love for us and their community.
  • They hosted and spent time with us by allowing us to worship in their church on Saturday evening and sharing Sunday worship with them.
  • We spent the night in their church.
  • They showed us what a community of different denominations can do when they all work together.
  • They even provided one of the best lunch spreads I have seen in some time – all in a showing of caring for others and working together as brothers and sisters in Christ.

One of my favorite parts of this ministry is working side by side with other people and organizations. It reminds us that we are all one under God created to serve and praise Him. We get the chance on November 11 to show Chase and Caldwell our love and hospitality as we host both communities for worship and lunch.

I hope you join all of us and welcome them in the same love of community and Christ that they showed us.

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Children’s Ministry Update: October 2015

Children’s Ministry Update by Jennifer Snook

“Don’t blink,” they say. “Take a lot of photos,” they say. “It all goes so fast,” they say.

I think the only way to silence the voices of fear that tell us as parents that we are somehow missing something, is to make memories. To be sure, memories are made right along the breakfast aisle in the grocery store, and memories are made with each bedtime story we read. We make memories every single day. Some memories are good ones that we want to dip in a cup of warm cocoa. Some, we would rather just forget. Either way, I want to take a moment to champion parents who are living busy, fearless, messy lives as they race from one soccer game to a piano recital and then manage to feed their family and watch a movie together at the end of the day.

We need not fear what is meant to be, but rather embrace the eternity of the moment that we have right in front of us. This November 15, from 4:30 – 6 pm, the Children’s Ministry Team invites you to bring your family to Grace for an Advent Family Night. Each family will create a set of Jesse Tree ornaments to take home and use for years to come. The Jesse Tree ornaments retell the biblical tales that trace the family tree of Christ from the Garden of Eden to Jesus’ birth. This Advent Family night is a chance for your family to come make a memory that includes the story of your faith and your commitment to raise God-centered children. We look forward to launching into the Advent season with you.