Do you have questions about your contributions for this year? Do you want to know where your giving stands related to your pledge? Leah Plush, our Financial Administrative Assistant, can answer those questions for you. Leah works part-time, and it can be hard to connect with her. To help with that issue, Leah will be available to talk with you and answer your questions every Wednesday evening from 6:00 to 7:00. You can reach her at leah@mygpc.org or call the office at 316.684.5215.
On Tuesday, October 24, Mike Fetters, Danielle Brazelton, and Kirk Anderson invite you to a time of listening to ways we can make a change for Justice here in our community. Grace is part of a group of multifaith congregations currently called the Sedgwick County Justice Ministry. The goal is to seek out two injustices in our area and seek to activate a direction and solution. Maybe it’s homelessness, mental health, access to health care, recidivism, or something else. But what keeps you up at night saying we can do better? We meet in the Great Room at 6:30 pm on October 24 for an overview and then break into listening sessions. If you have questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch with any of the people mentioned above. We all have a say, and I hope you join us in seeking out what you have to say.
We’re excited to host our neighbors, Watermark Books, on Monday, October 30. At 6:00 pm, we welcome author Ann Patchett in celebration of her new book Tom Lake. This is a ticketed event through Watermark. We need greeters starting at 5:15 p.m. and a clean-up team to break down the Great Room after the event. Sign up through the church office or contact Martin Burch, at marburch@mygpc.org or 684-5215.
Enjoy this testimonial from Mitchell Probst, the guitarist in the 9 a.m. Praise Band.
I’ve been at Grace for five years, and it has truly been an honor. When I started at Grace, my faith was wavering, and I had a fairly negative attitude about churches based on bad experiences at my church while growing up. The church where I grew up always seemed to lean towards fear as a motivator. I was shamed for reading the bible too much as a child and having too many questions for my church leaders. It made me an agnostic/atheist for years and left a bitter taste in my mouth.
After being at Grace for years, I’ve witnessed a community of caring and compassion that I never saw before. I have seen that at Grace, leading comes more from a place of hope, realism, and differing perspectives during sermons. Grace is not judgmental. Grace accepts people as they are without shame and asks for joy and concern from others. This is something that I didn’t think existed. I think Grace is the kind of church that Jesus and his disciples would approve of. I have seen the people at Grace genuinely give back to the community and help others. Grace has given me hope, strengthened my faith, and been a place of great stability for me personally for years. I feel blessed playing in the band every week for the people accepting me as I am.
If Grace was unable to have a praise band where I could play, I could go elsewhere. I have been offered a job playing for another church twice, and I came close to taking the job once. However, it just didn’t sit right with me. It felt like a business decision, whereas Grace is more about the people and community interests first and foremost, just as the Bible tells us it should be. How can a church be holy when it sees money as a top priority? Grace does not do this. Grace values the mission beyond just making money. It helps me see the righteousness of what a church can be. I can express myself through the music when I am able to write my own parts, arrange music with the band, and make the songs our own. Without the support of Grace, we wouldn’t be able to express ourselves in a way that is fulfilling and fun.
Join us for a Pickleball Social on Sunday, October 22, from 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm. We meet at Chicken ‘N Pickle (Greenwich and 13th). Come for an afternoon of fun! For more information, contact Shelby Schnieders at 319-359-0336.