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GRACE NOTES September 2015 Pastor’s Notes: As of September 13 you’ll notice a change in the worship service. After the chil- dren’s sermon, those children grade 1 and younger will leave the service as usual, but children grade 2 and up will remain in worship, returning to sit with their folks for the rest of the service. Along the way, you’ll also find the children participating in other ways in worship; possibly helping their parents collect the offering, or possibly helping me “read” the scripture on a given Sunday This is something I’ve been pretty insistent on happening since I came to Grace (so if you’re going to complain, you need to do it to my face and not to anyone else). There is one simple reason for this; kids who do not participate in worship do not learn how to worship. If you want to understand why young people often stop attending church once they move out of their parents’ home, one good place to look is at the degree to which their participation in church was segregated in “children’s church” or “youth group” with no emphasis on being part of the larger body of Christ. Really, the only way to learn how to worship is to worship; to be present, to struggle along with the hymns and their big words, to hear scripture, to be a part of the congregation as baptized members of the body of Christ. Otherwise, if the children are not being taught and included and brought up in the faith – and also in the worship that ex- presses that faith – then there’s very little point to our being a church at all. So Sunday mornings may occasionally be a bit noisier. There may be wiggling or restlessness, there may be pencils or crayons dropped on the floor, and there may even be an unexpected noise or two. But the sanctuary may sound a little less tomb-like, the children will be taking in more than you expect, and the Holy Spirit will most assuredly be present.
Transcript of GRACE N September 2015 - gpconline.files.wordpress.com
GRACE NOTES
September 2015
Pastor’s Notes:
As of September 13 you’ll notice a change in the worship service. After the chil-dren’s sermon, those children grade 1 and younger will leave the service as usual, but children grade 2 and up will remain in worship, returning to sit with their folks for the rest of the service.
Along the way, you’ll also find the children participating in other ways in worship; possibly helping their parents collect the offering, or possibly helping me “read” the scripture on a given Sunday
This is something I’ve been pretty insistent on happening since I came to Grace (so if you’re going to complain, you need to do it to my face and not to anyone else). There is one simple reason for this; kids who do not participate in worship do not learn how to worship.
If you want to understand why young people often stop attending church once they move out of their parents’ home, one good place to look is at the degree to which their participation in church was segregated in “children’s church” or “youth group” with no emphasis on being part of the larger body of Christ. Really, the only way to learn how to worship is to worship; to be present, to struggle along with the hymns and their big words, to hear scripture, to be a part of the congregation as baptized members of the body of Christ. Otherwise, if the children are not being taught and included and brought up in the faith – and also in the worship that ex-presses that faith – then there’s very little point to our being a church at all.
So Sunday mornings may occasionally be a bit noisier. There may be wiggling or restlessness, there may be pencils or crayons dropped on the floor, and there may even be an unexpected noise or two. But the sanctuary may sound a little less tomb-like, the children will be taking in more than you expect, and the Holy Spirit will most assuredly be present.
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September Birthdays
Please call the church
office, 352-376-5654, if your
special day is NOT listed.
September
Anniversaries
Sept 1 Don Woodward
Sept 4 Bill Chesnut
Sept 8 Anette McGee
Sept 14 George Tuma
Sept 18 Wally Kirk
Sept 20 Doug Hackett
Sept 28 Franklin Morgan
Sept 28 Mike Nunnery
Elders on Call
for September
Clint Collins (352) 359-3516
Debbie Harris (352) 213-5645
Sept 4 Gale & Dorothy Nevill
Sept 8 Don & Julie Woodward
Sept 29 Wally & Pauline Kirk
Woman’s Circle
The Woman’s circle has started back this
September meeting the second Tuesday of
each month in the Fellowship hall. The Study
guide is "Come To The Waters".
Examples of lessons:
1: Birthing Waters-Creation; 2: Life-giving Wa-
ters-- Baptism; 3 Absence of Water--Thirst and
Longing, etc. The class started this morning.
Libby Richardson and Karen Russ will share the
teaching. It meets in the Fellowship Hall on
the second Tuesday of the month.
All woman are encouraged to attend and share
in the study and fellowship.
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Worship and Music Committee
Dorothy Nevill
On July 2 the Worship and Music Committee met and approved the committee members’ joint
letter and the Hymnal Donation/Order form, both of which will be mailed out to the congregation
on September 8. They will also be available in the narthex and be published on our web and
Facebook pages. The new hymnal project will begin officially on September 13. All orders and
payments must be turned in by October 25.
Hannah MIcheaux will begin Mommy and Me, a free class for mothers or caregivers and their
children 3 months-5 years, using movement, singing and dancing, on Saturday, September 12
at 11 a.m. Please consider attending or inviting friends.
A second hymn sing, selected from the new Presbyterian Hymnal, Glory to God, was held on
Sunday, August 30.
Dr. Ruth Elswood was the Pulpit Supply on August 16. Since she last preached at Grace she
has graduated from Austin Theological Seminary and has been certified by Saint Augustine
Presbytery to be eligible to seek a call. In the meantime she is enjoying the company of a new
grandchild.
Meghann Pabst was the Pulpit Supply on August 23. She is a UF grad and attended Grace
while she was in Gainesville. She recently graduated from Union Theological Seminary.
Communion by intinction will be served on September 6. Carl Crane and Julia Freeman will
serve as elders.
The next meeting of the Worship and Music Committee will be held on September 20 in the
library right after worship.
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FROM THE TREASURER
The finance committee would like to keep the congregation informed as to our General Fund income and expenses and our pass through donations:
July Year to Date
Income $9,532.22 $89,641.69
Expenses $13,765.45 $93,184.93
Pass through donations:
July Year to Date
Two Cents a Meal $ 17.00 $285.97
Good Samaritan $ 64.00 $515.00
If you have any questions about our budget, please contact Lois Butler, treasurer, at 352-262-5893.
Mission Committee
Julie Woodward Thanks to all who helped prepare and serve food at the St. Francis House dinner on August 24.
We assembled and delivered 25 backpacks filled with school supplies and extra supplies to Metcalfe, Stephen Foster and Bouleware Schools.
LPG item for September is Paper Goods.
Mission Committee meeting on October 4 in the library after worship.
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FACTS ABOUT GLORY TO GOD
1. Music from churches in Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East is amply reflected in the book, as is a wide representation
of songs from Asia (especially from places like Korea and Taiwan, where the Presbyterian Church is strong). But in most
instances, the English words appear directly under the music, with words from the other languages farther down the page.
Below is a representative (but in no way exhaustive) sampling, from A to Z:
2. A number of the most respected writers of the contemporary worship movement are represented, people like Paul Baloche, Michael Joncas, Graham Kendrick, Rich Mullins, Martin Nystrom, Twila Paris, Martin Smith, Michael Smith, and Chris Tomlin.
3. Even more gospel songs and African American spirituals than in the 1990 hymnal are included, such as:
“Just a Closer Walk with Thee”
“Keep Your Lamps Trimmed and Burning”
“Lead Me, Guide Me”
“Steal Away”
“Swing Low, Sweet Chariot”
4. More than 65 percent of the blue 1990 hymnal is carrying forward, from old standards to newer favorites like “God of the Sparrow”; “Here I Am, Lord”; “I Danced in the Morning”; “Lift High the Cross”; and “Lord, You Have Come to the Lakeshore”. The majority of the hymns from the blue hymnal not chosen for use in Glory to God include pieces that had not been widely used by congregations around the country—certain settings of the Psalms, pieces of service music, late twentieth-century texts, and global songs; so different examples in each of these categories were sought.
5. A number of old favorites from the 1955 “red hymnal” are making a comeback, including such beloved heart songs as:
“Jesus Calls Us”
“Judge Eternal, Throned In Splendor”
“Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me”
“Sometimes a Light Surprises”
Arab Christians: “Holy Lambof God”
Argentina: “This Is the Day”
Brazil: “For the Trouble and the Suffering”
Cameroon: “He Came Down”
Caribbean: “The Right Hand of God”
China: “Golden Breaks he Dawn”
Cuba: “The Lord Now Sends Us Forth”
Democratic Republic of Congo:
“Know That God Is Good”
Dominican Republic: “Alleluia! Christ IS Arisen”
Ghana: “Praise God, All You Nations”
India: “Give Us Light”
Israel: “Come and Sing the Praise of the Lords
Kenya: “Listen, God Is Calling
Korea: “Dream On, Dream On”
Liberia: “Come, Let Us Eat”
Nigeria: “Come, O Holy Spirit, Come”
Pakistan: “Blest Be God, Praised Forever”
Philippines: “In the Heavens Shone a Star”
Rwanda: “Heaven Opened to Isaiah”
Singapore: “As the Wind Song”
South Africa: “Amen, We Praise Your Name”
Swaziland: “We Will Walk with God”
Taiwan: “Let Us Come to Worship God”
Tanzania: “Christ Has Arisen, Alleluia
Zimbabwe: “Come All You People”
“Be Still, My Soul”
“I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say”
“I Love to Tell the Story”
“I Need Thee Every Hour”
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And there are also some “golden oldies: never or rarely seen before in a Presbyterian hymnal:
“His Eye Is on the Sparrow” / “Why Should I Feel Discouraged?”
“It Is Well with My Soul” / “When Peace like a River”
“Leaning on the Everlasting arms” / “What a Fellowship, What a Joy Divine”
“Shall We Gather at the River”
‘Softly and Tenderly Jesus Is Calling”
“Standing on the Promises”
Excerpted from Introducing Glory to God: A Guide For Welcoming the New Hymnal into your Congregation , ed. Mary Louise Bringle (Louisville, KY: Geneva Press, 2014).
Buildings and Grounds Committee Carl Crane
The summer heat is always a bit stifling this time of year. Two months ago, the fellowship hall had
two out of three air conditioner units out of service. All three are now up and running. This past
month the air conditioner unit at the manse house needed repair (bad bearing) and last week one of
the air conditioner units servicing the sanctuary was repaired (coolant leak). Hopefully this will be
the end of this string of problems for a while. Each repair costs approximately $250 depending on
the parts required. Replacement units would cost thirty times more each so we've been lucky that
all have been repairable so far.
A lot has been happening at the manse house this year. Hannah and her dad have painted the out-
side of the house and are upgrading the kitchen with new cabinets, counter tops, and sinks. The
kitchen cabinets were donated and the church paid for the other supplies. Hannah and her dad sup-
ply the man/woman power. The manse house has really improved over the past two years. We'll
get some pictures posted in the fellowship hall so everyone can have a look.
A new project is to repair the overhead awnings at the north and east entries to the fellowship hall.
The one on the north side is in particularly bad shape. A contractor has come out to look at them
and will be giving us a quote for their repair. Your patience is appreciated for the time it will take to
get this done, but rest assured that this is the high priority task at the moment.
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15th Sunday after Pentecost—
September 6
Proverbs 22:1–2, 8–9, 22–23
Psalm 125
James 2:1–10 (11–13) 14–17
Mark 7:24–37
16th Sunday after Pentecost—
September 13 24th
Proverbs 1:20–33
Psalm 19
James 3:1–12
Mark 8:27–38
17th Sunday after Pentecost—
September 20
Proverbs 31:10–31
Psalm 1
James 3:13–4:3, 7–8a
Mark 9:30–37
18th Sunday after Pentecost—
September 27
Esther 7:1–6, 9–10; 9:20–22
Psalm 124
James 5:13–20
Mark 9:38–50
Liturgy Passages for September
SEPTEMBER 2015
Phone: 352-376-5654 Fax: 352-376-1319
Email: [email protected]
Primary Business Address Address Line 2
Grace Presbyterian Church 3146 NW 13th St.
Gainesville, FL 32609-2175
Address Service Requested
