Our theme for Lent this year is In Life and In Death.  Lent is a time to acknowledge and name our reliance on God.  The Heidelberg Catechism begins with this question and answer:

Q. What is your only comfort, in life and in death?

A. That I belong–body and soul, in life and in death–not to myself but to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ…

As we explore scripture and prepare to walk with Jesus to the cross we know that we do so belonging to God.

There are a number of Lenten opportunities available to you this year.

• Our children’s ministry is putting together Lenten Paper Chains. Each paper chain contains a Lenten challenge for you.  Every day you add a new link to the chain and take on a new challenge.
• Our Christian Discipleship Team has two Sunday School classes planned for adults during Lent: Spiritual Gifts and Voices from South Africa.
• Each Wednesday Night at 6:30 pm during Lent you’re invited to Communion in the City – an opportunity to worship together in different places in Wichita.
• Read the Lenten devotional Grace mails to you. Reflect on Frederick Buechner’s words as we move toward the cross together.
• Participate in a social media fast. You’re encouraged to fast one day a week from Social media.  Don’t check facebook, twitter, snapchat etc for an entire 24 hours. Every time you think about logging in, instead pray for someone, open your Bible.
• Sunday Worship – Participate in our weekly Sunday morning worship.
• Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday on April 9. We also gather on April 13 for Maundy Thursday worship and April 14 for Good Friday.

There is more information about all of this throughout the e-news and Grace This Week.

Photo credit: jezobeljones via Visualhunt /  CC BY

All women, including youth, are invited to join together for a Women’s Chorus to provide music for the 11:00 worship service on April 2. We rehearse on Wednesdays at 7:30 pm for the month of March. Please come join us! Questions? Contact Donna Hetrick at donna@mygpc.org.

You’re invited to worship in the city each Wednesday during Lent.  We did this in 2014 and found it to be a positive experience personally and for our corporate faith. Each week we gather at 6:30 pm, usually in a restaurant.  You’re encouraged to buy something to eat or drink, though this is not a requirement.

Catherine leads a short worship service that includes communion. The March 15 date is a more extensive worship as it includes the youth group and ‘Elevators,’ the youth band.

Part of the motivation for this is that when we worship outside of our Sanctuary and Great Room, we experience worship differently. I guarantee that the words of institution at communion, the words that recount the last supper, sound different in the Mall Food Court than at Grace.  A new environment helps us experience worship in new ways.  It also allows us to make a quite public witness.

• Wednesday March 8                   Town East Mall Food Court
• Wednesday March 15                 Mead’s Corner, 430 E Douglas Ave
• Wednesday March 22                 Panera at Central and Hillside
• Wednesday March 29                 College Hill Park by the pool
• Wednesday April 5                      McDonalds at Edgmoor and Central

Everyone wants to retire someday.  Or perhaps you are retirement age and want some tips on making your dollars go farther.  The Planned Giving committee with Grace is here to help. Financial advisor, Jerry Juhnke, will present a seminar entitled “Planning for a Comfortable Retirement.”

Topics will include choosing the best retirement plan, getting the most from Social Security, investing for the best returns and more.  We will also include a few ideas on getting a better tax benefit from your charitable giving.  Join us Sunday March 12 at 12:15 pm in the parlor for lunch and program.  Come prepared with your questions.  RSVP to the church office by March 6 at 684-5215.

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 March we’re collecting hygiene items for the International Rescue Committee (IRC).  The IRC resettles refugees in the Wichita community.  They requested the following items in full-sized packages:

• Shampoo
• Conditioner
• Bar of soap
• Hand soap
• Deodorant
• Toothpaste
• Maxi Pads
• Shaving Cream
• Razors
• Diapers