It’s time for Operation Holiday!  Each year we partner with Humankind Ministries (formerly Interfaith Ministries) for Operation Holiday.  This outreach serves more than 15,000 people in our community providing food, coats, blankets, and gifts.

We have large Operation Holiday boxes in the halls at Grace.  Please contribute coats, hats, gloves, and blankets in the boxes.  New and used coats are both welcome.  Non-perishable food goes in the yellow bags for November and December.  Toys are handled by Toys for Tots and Teen2Teen.  Our congregation participates in Angel Tree, which you’ll hear about soon.

Return all donations to Grace by Sunday, December 8.  Contact Catherine Neelly Burton catherine@mygpc.org with any questions.

We need your help staffing our two tables at the upcoming Alternative Gift Market on Saturday, November 9, from 10 am to 4 pm, at First Presbyterian Church. It’s easy and fun. Look at the bulletin board by the coffee bar for the times we need volunteers, and support another mission project of Grace Presbyterian Church.

Speaking of the Alternative Gift Market, do you find it hard to buy a gift for a family member, friend or colleague?

The Alternative Gift Market is an excellent place to shop for that person and giving them a gift that shows you care for them and for those in need. There are two “causes” we are sponsoring this year.

• Save the Timber Elephants helps take care of elephants in Myanmar who no longer work with the timber industry.
• Our second cause is one of the local needs, our very own Bus Ticket Ministry. These are two of the over 30 causes that are being represented and supported by the market.

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 Humankind Ministries (formerly known as Interfaith Ministries).  Operation Holiday expects to serve over 15,000 people this year.

Each month Grace distributes bus tickets to people in our community.  This happens on the 15^th of the month, or if the 15^th is on a weekend we meet the Friday before.  Volunteers and those receiving tickets begin to gather around 6:30 am in the Grace Alcove. We offer a brief worship service at 7:30 am.  Guests are greeted with smiles, coffee, water, and a place to sit. Tickets are distributed at 7:45 am.

We can always use volunteers to help with set-up, clean-up, and ticket distribution.  Want to help?  Contact Kirk Anderson, kirk@mygpc.org or 684-5215.