Sept 5, 2025
Dear church,
I hope you got a chance to look through the Fall Brochure that we sent out yesterday. If not, here’s a link to it again. Every single thing in that brochure is the fruit of discussion and discernment. Before we plan anything for a new season, Pastor Reed and I, along with the staff and many different leaders, take time to ask ourselves these questions: What does our community need next? What are we longing for, hoping for? What are we being called to address and wrestle with as we seek to follow Jesus in the world today? What you see in the Fall Brochure are responses to those very questions. I hope and pray that you will join us in the learning, the growth, and the community-building this fall.
Speaking of community-building, we have two things coming up that I especially want to encourage you to be part of: the All-Congregation Retreat and the October Small Groups.
The All-Congregation Retreat will take place on Saturday, October 11 at Mount Olivet Retreat Center in Farmington – just about 25 minutes from Grace. This retreat is intentionally planned as a day to unplug, to step away from the hustle, to even step away from our normal patterns on Sunday mornings. This is a day where we will tap into rest, reflection, and nature. There will be informal, intergenerational worship, fun activities for kids and youth, and learning sessions on spirituality and scripture. There will also be plenty of time for walks in the woods, playing in the pool, sitting around a fire, or taking a nap. Everything is optional – most important is that this is a day of renewal and rest for you. All ages are welcome! Families are encouraged to do this together. Sign-ups will be posted on September 7 (paper and online); deadline to register is September 30. Cost is $56/person. Financial support available – see Lisa Wolf or Pastor Sarah for information on that.
For the four Sundays in October, we are inviting our whole community to gather in Small Groups after worship. This will be the third time we’ve gathered in small groups since I arrived at Grace, and each time, it has proven to be such a meaningful, community-building endeavor. Like last year, our hope is to have at least 100 people involved. The theme for this year is: Know Christ, Know Ourselves: Living into our Spiritual Gifts. Lutheran pastor and fellow Grace member, Rev. Dawn Alitz, has developed this series, and she will be with us in October to lead the opening sessions of small groups each week. Sign-ups for small groups will be up this weekend (paper and online). You simply sign up to participate, and then you will be assigned a group prior to the first gathering. The deadline to register is September 30. We ask that those that sign up are able to be present for 3 of the 4 Sundays because the experience is so much more beneficial with consistent participation.
**Childcare provided in the Nursery and Neighborhood during Small Group time so that parents can be part of this!
Thanks for prayerfully considering these opportunities, church. It is on all of us to make these opportunities come to life, so I hope you’ll be part of it!
Pastor Sarah
Every Friday, we send an email to the congregation and any others who would like to learn more about the Grace community. The last four Friday emails are posted below.