April 15, 2020
Dear Grace Community,
Christ is Risen! In our tradition we celebrate Easter as a season of 50 days. If there were ever a year we needed to hold onto Easter, this is it. We cling to the promise of our risen Lord.
We’ve now worshiped online as a congregation for five Sundays. The Session meets next week and decides whether to continue our current status beyond April. While we aren’t physically together, we give thanks for the ways we can connect and for the technology that makes worship and meetings possible. If you aren’t receiving our email communications, please let us know by writing to info@mygpc.org.
Your elected leadership (Session, Deacons, Trustees, and Jacob’s Learning Ladder Board) each met at least once online since mid-March. Kirk Anderson and Jennifer Snook are meeting online with their respective teams as they consider what the summer may look like for the ministries they lead. Other ministry teams meet online, too. This week we distribute bus tickets in a new socially-distanced format. Jacob’s Learning Ladder (JLL) is still open with about 30% of students attending. JLL put temperature checks and extra safety measures in place in March. Life continues.
We were fortunate to apply for and receive a loan from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). This loan covers our payroll expenses for eight weeks, and most of it is forgivable if we maintain our staff. Dr. Martin Burch worked tirelessly on this with the support of staff members Leah Plush, Nancy Morrow, and Emily Stoltz. The Board of Trustees approved our application, and we applied on the first day it was possible. This ensures that we can pay our staff right now, including our Jacob’s Learning Ladder staff while enrollment is low.
We are grateful for the ways you support Grace financially and encourage you to continue to do so. We know that some of you have experienced a reduction in income, and we are grateful that the PPP loan helps us cover budget shortfalls.
I close with bittersweet news. Sean Foster, our Director of Music Ministries, will leave Grace this summer. Sean started working at Grace nearly 10 years ago when he was a student at Wichita State. He served as our accompanist, and two years ago we were blessed to call him to the Director position. While serving in this position, Sean discerned a clear call to choral direction. He starts graduate study in choral conducting at Western Illinois University in August. You’ll hear more from me as we seek to celebrate Sean’s time here and begin a search for a new Director.
Please stay in touch. Know that I and the staff pray for you.
In Christ,
Catherine
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