From the Pastor’s Desk

Dear Grace Community,

This May I leave for a month-long sabbatical.  I am grateful to our session and to you the congregation for granting this time of rest.  I love serving as your pastor, and I am aware that I am tired in a way that means I’m not as effective as I’d like to be.  The blessings of 8.5 years of serving with you are many, and at the same time, I need time for restoration.

During my sabbatical there are ...

Dear Grace Community,

I look forward to Holy Week and Easter. Holy Week begins on Sunday, April 14, with Palm Sunday worship. On this day we hope to capture the excitement of Jesus’ triumphal entrance into Jerusalem and to foreshadow what is to come.

Each year on Maundy Thursday we worship in different styles.  Last year we worshiped around meals in homes.  In 2017 we experienced a drama of the Last Supper.  This year, April 18, we worship at Grace in the ...

Dear Grace Community,

We give thanks for 30 years of Jacob’s Learning Ladder.  For 30 years children and families have come to Grace for education, care, encouragement, and growth. Over 30 years ago Grace members Merodee Grannis and Nancy Morrow began to dream about Jacob’s. In time their dream became a reality, and Jacob’s has flourished under their leadership.  It has also changed significantly. What began as a part-time pre-school has grown into a full time daycare and pre-school.

We are grateful ...

Dear Grace Community,

It’s exciting to see the progress of the Deep Roots Campaign. Your giving and pledging make incredible things happen. In the week between Christmas and New Year a large hole was knocked into the wall at the bottom of the north entrance stairs. It is now covered by boards. Doors and glass are on order, and when they arrive the next round of construction begins.

On Monday of last week, two different people asked me when we would start ...

Dear Grace Community,

One of the paradoxes of church is wanting a church to grow and wanting it to stay the same. In some ways Grace is the same church it was 20, or even 10, years ago, and in some ways, it is entirely different. For starters we’re a much smaller church than we were in 1999, but we continue to add to our membership. Every time someone joins the congregation, I say the same thing, which is that the ...