Women of the ELCA at Faith /La Fe Lutheran Church, 801 E Camelback Road, invite you to a Spring Tea on Saturday, March 25 at 3:00 pm. It is time to rise out of the ashes of the COVID pandemic and revitalize, and reimagine the shape of the ministries of the Women of the ELCA. This invitation goes to the Capital Conference and close neighboring congregations to join us for an afternoon of scripture study, organizational conversations, and tea with accompanying goodies. There is no registration fee and there will be an offering to support WELCA. Please RSVP 602-265-3394 by Tuesday, March 21. We would like to know how many to expect from your congregation so we may adequately prepare. We look forward to seeing you!
Spring Worship & BBQ
We happily invite you to the Spring Worship and BBQ event on Saturday, April 15 at 3:00 pm in the courtyard.
We will have a brief worship followed by fellowship. This will be a great opportunity to socialize with our partners that share space at Grace. The BBQ Mission Food Truck will be preparing a delicious meal and Grace will provide drinks and dessert. We can’t wait to see you there!
Ministry Gathering
Our first Ministry Gathering, formerly called Ministry Night, will take place Sunday, April 30 following the Traditional Worship service. Going forward, this will take place every fifth Sunday of the month. The ministry teams will meet, which will include the transition team, and will likely share the process of the search for Grace’s pastor. We will provide coffee and refreshments; a sign up sheet will be in Hope Hall for additional refreshments. Thank you for your help with this!
Work Day!
As Spring begins to peek around the corner, we are thinking of projects we’d like to complete around Grace! Please join us in improving our historic and beautiful property! We will meet for a Work Day on Saturday, April 1 from 9:00 am-2:00 pm. There will be projects in the Garden of Grace, the south parking lot, and the choir room. Lunch will be provided.
Back to church Sunday!
After a short pause of our programs, we return to our normal schedule this week! There is a lot happening and we are so excited! We hope to see you in church!
Lent
February 22, begins our Lenten Journey on Ash Wednesday with imposition of ashes and introducing our Lenten Mid-week theme on Liminality. Pastor Chris Townley of Kaleo will join us.
Liminality is a state of transition between one stage and the next, especially between major stages in one's life or during a rite of passage. The Ash Wednesday Liminality is Death and Life.
Each Wednesday in Lent we will have a visiting Pastor focus on other liminalities. We will have a meal in Hope Hall at 5:30 pm then gather in the Sanctuary at 6:15 pm.
Come and end your celebration of Christ being revealed to the world and welcome to our Lenten journey of transitions.
Property Updates
The janitorial closet near the men’s room in Hope Hall has a new hot water heater thanks to Martin and Micah. They are prepping the space for a recently purchased European style washer and dryer combo. The “auto” dry mode will help ensure the loads are not forgotten in the washer. Yay! We are super excited to provide relief to those who routinely take dirty kitchen rags home to launder.
Re-roofing of Hope Hall began this week. This project consists of temporarily removing the air conditioning unit. Once the new roof is complete, a crane will lift the ac unit back in place. Interior ceilings will then get much needed attention, particularly in the North Room and kitchen. We expect a messy job-pack your patience!
A Plexiglas shield/barrier will be installed later this month around the administrative desk in the office. The upgrade will enhance needed security measures for our office staff.
Recently, we were able to give away an old beat up piano at the parsonage. Additionally, we found a home for the non-functioning patio heater that sat by the garage for years. We look to continue improvements and ready this space for a future resident.
Other projects are in the queue. Many thanks to those who help move these projects along. Your positive energy creates the needed momentum here at Grace.
Loraine
President's Corner
We had our Annual Meeting in January and covered the following items:
We elected the following officers: President - Roger Ark, Vice President - Donna Martin, Treasurer - Dana Day, Secretary - Andrea Sigala
Members of the church council: Roger & Loraine Ark, Dana Day, Marty Dusenberry, Sheila Petry, Andrea Sigala, Lori Cecil, Fran Fry, Donna Martin.
We understand and are trying to address the technological needs of the church. Marty has agreed to take this on and is requesting input from all of us regarding what we need and what we are lacking in this area.
The liaisons for the following groups are noted below. They will be the link between each group and the church council: Faith Formation - Andrea, Hospitality - Roger, Internship - Donna, Outreach - Sheila, Property - Loraine, Stewardship - Donna, Worship & Music - Fran & Lori
We are working on the Transition Team for the new pastor and will update you as we progress.
The internment of ashes on the church property will no longer be permissible. However, if a memorial plaque or other would like to be provided, this can be coordinated through the church office.
Continues renovations for the church parsonage will begin shortly. Many options for a future tenant exist as noted in the meeting. Loraine is putting together the most feasible options and will present them to the council.
Discussions with True North to build a garage and modify a lease continue under the guidance of Grace’s attorney. Things are moving in a positive direction here!
We have much to do this year as the church searches for a new pastor. We all need to pitch in to ensure the church continues to minister to our members and grow our community. Please pray for guidance on how to proceed with all matters of the church.
Roger
A day filled with Grace!
What a glorious day with the Nordic Choir last Sunday! Thanks to all of you whose service helped make the Nordic Choir visit a great success by: ushering, lift operating, reading, singing, cleaning, sandwich making, boxing, inviting, welcoming, photographing, communion preparation, preaching, planning, and recruiting. Shout out to Daniel, Abigail, Sylvia, Devalyn, Linda, Fran, Andrea, Lori, Larry, Solveig, Loraine, Eartha, Jim, Phil, Sarah, Tammy, Chad, Sabrina, Joey, Robert...and others who helped in other ways. A special big thank you to Evalyn Ehlen for planning, coordinating, and producing over seventy box lunches, and more. We are so thankful for your service and appreciate all you do!
Outreach Programs
We will be pausing our outreach programs between 1/30 and 2/14 due to the events taking place in Margaret T. Hance Park. Parking during this time will be extremely limited as we will not have access to the entire west parking lot.
The following programs will be paused and pick back up after the super bowl:
GLOW
Trevor’s Vision & Shower Trailer
Pancake Breakfast
Hope4Phoenix
Thank you for your understanding!
Guest Choir
On Sunday, January 29, we will host the Nordic Choir from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa at the 11:00 am Service. We will begin the Prelude at 10:45 am. This will be a great opportunity to invite a friend to church to hear this beautiful music! We are excited to host this prestigious group of talented individuals. We hope to see you there!
Virtual Worship
The Super bowl is in Arizona this coming February and there will be many events happening in Margaret T. Hance Park. Between the security protocols and the massive number of people expected to be in the park, it was decided to go back to virtual worship on 2/5 and 2/12. We will share the zoom link in the coming weeks. The traditional Sunday morning breakfast will not be served. Stay tuned for more details. Thank you for your understanding!
Offering Envelopes
Offering envelopes for 2023 have been delayed by the manufacturer. The program we use for contributions, recognizes you by name and/or envelope number. As long as we have your name on an envelope or check your offering will be correctly entered. As soon as the order arrives, they will be distributed to you.
GLOW!
Join us each Wednesday for GLOW (Grace Lutheran on Wednesday). The doors open at 5:15 pm and the meal is served at 5:30 pm. The bible study begins at 6:15 pm. If you would like to volunteer to help serve or cook, please contact Jasmine (officemanager@graceinthecity.com, 602-258-3787).
Grace Time
We are taking a short break from Grace Time and plan to resume on Sunday, January 8 at 9:45 am. Grace Time Bible Study meets each Sunday in the North Room. All adults are welcome to come and discuss, learn and grow in faith.
Annual Meeting
The annual meeting will be Sunday, January 15, 2023 at 10:30 am in Hope Hall. We will have one worship service at 9:00 am. Members of Grace, please plan to attend the annual meeting to discuss, vote on, and hear updates on the Grace property, the election of council members, and the 2023 mission plan. Non-members of Grace are welcome to participate in the meeting, but may not vote. If you haven’t already done so please submit your annual report as soon as possible to Jasmine.
Christmas Worship Services
12/24/22
Contemporary Service / 4:00 pm / Hope Hall
Traditional Service / 7:00 pm / Sanctuary
12/25/22
Traditional Service / 11:00 am / Sanctuary
No Grace Time or Sunday Spirit
A GLOW Holiday!
Join us Wednesday, December 14 for a holiday GLOW! The Phoenix Children’s Chorus will sing Christmas carols from 6:00 pm-6:45 pm. The doors open at 5:15 pm and we will be serving a holiday dinner. If you would like to volunteer to help serve or cook, please contact Jasmine (officemanager@graceinthecity.com, 602-258-3787).
PhLY
Happy December PhLY Community!
January 13-16 is our Winter Retreat at Camp ALOMA in Prescott. During the retreat we will have many opportunities to grow in community, faith, and serve. Some of the highlights include Laser Tag, Escape Room, Ropes Course, Hiking, Meditations, D&D style adventure game, and lots of dad jokes!
Registration is now open so please sign up. Pastors and Office Administrators please share the registration sign up with your high school youth and families. https://forms.gle/7cBCSxmY1LgEu3e49
If you are new to PhLY please follow us on Instagram (all the cool PhLY people call it Iggy) @phlyministry and on Facebook.com/phlyministry.
Christmas Poinsettias
Would you like to donate towards poinsettias and decorations for the altar for our Christmas season? You can help beautify our church home in honor of someone you love or make a gift of thanksgiving. All thanksgivings/memorials will be listed in our Christmas bulletins. Please contact Jasmine (officemanager@graceinthecity.com, 602-258-3787) for more details.