For IPNC upThe IPNC continues its work and meets weekly. This past week, they contacted three candidates who have expressed interest in the position for initial conversations. Rev. Debbie Garber, our Presbytery liaison, met with the team last week to discuss interview tips. Please continue to pray for the team as they seek to discern the candidate that will serve us well during this time.
Adult Sunday School in September
You’re invited to join us for the adult Sunday school class in September, Exploring Our Spiritual Gifts. Spiritual gifts are not our talents or skills. They are the grace of God at work within us, given to build and strengthen community and to meet the needs of those around us. You have been gifted. You have been given a purpose. Explore those possibilities in the body of Christ. Discover your gifts. Talk about your gifts with others. Strive together to understand your gifts and how you can use them to serve God, your neighbor, and the world. Join us in the Parlor at 10:00 am.
IPNC Update August 23
The committee has been matched with five Personal Discernment Profiles (PDPs) to date. They extended an invitation to apply to all five. Three have declined the invitation to apply. The process is slow, and PCUSA is working through a platform transition that could be affecting the number of matches we are receiving. To expand the pool, the committee has also shared the call with seminaries located in the Midwest and the South, including Dubuque, Union, McCormick, and Austin. Members of the committee have also been working on personal contacts they have, with several additional names being provided. If members of the congregation have leads for the committee to follow, please contact Anne Burris at (316) 260-3498.
Help the Nominating Committee
The Nominating Committee is back at work and is seeking nominations for the various Officer positions that serve Grace! We’re looking for people to be Elders, Deacons, Trustees, and Jacob’s Learning Ladder Board Members. Church Officers generally have one meeting a month with the occasional Called Meeting in addition to the regular stated meeting.
We also seek people to serve on the Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC). The PNC will very likely have weekly meetings, at least initially.
There is a box on the kiosk outside of the Sanctuary for you to drop in your own name or that of someone you believe would be an excellent member of any of these open positions. Please indicate which positions you might be interested in.
Questions can be directed to Charlene Randle at cmlr1224@gmail.com.
Yellow Bag Donations for September
Grace has an opportunity to be a blessing to the people of Romania, as well as displaced refugees from Ukraine. Pastor Sorin Voica from Sibiu, Romania, Director of the Union of Churches for Sibiu, needs hygiene supplies to give to the refugees as well as provide items to poverty areas near the Ukraine border. There is a group of people from Wichita leaving on October 10 for seven days to assist Pastor Voica in ministry and outreach. The hygiene items needed are travel size only and no aerosol items. They distribute the items in individual zip-lock bags after a worship service.
Travel-sized items needed include the following:
-
- Shampoo
- Toothpaste
- Conditioner
- Toothbrush
- Bath Soap
- Tissue Packets
- Deodorant
- Chapstick (non-tinted)
- Hand Lotion
- Gum
- Hand Sanitizer
- Mints (no chocolate)
(NOTE: One of each of the items above is placed in each bag. No aerosol sprays, please).
If you would like to donate money instead, the funds are used to pay for shipping the supply tubs to Romania three weeks prior to the mission trip. The deadline for bringing items or cash donations is Friday, September 29. Thank you for helping to meet this need! For more information, contact Teresa Stange at (316) 684-5215) in the church office.