Our Mission Statement:   engage. empower. expand
Although our sermon series is over, the Mission Statement remains!  Please keep it in mind as we work together to expand the Kingdom of God.

“Each time a person passes by you and you say ‘hello’, imagine that person turning into a candle. The more positivity, love and light you reflect, the more light is mirrored your way. You should start seeing hellos as small declarations of faith. Every time you say hello to a stranger, your heart acknowledges over and over again that we are all family.” – Suzy Kasem

This weekend will be an exciting one at Grace Church.  Pastor Bill’s message is entitled “Real Success” and uses Matthew 25:14-30 as a scripture reference.  Those who agreed to accept a Kingdom Assignment will receive the seed money at services this weekend, and our Sounds of Grace Orchestra will be playing at the Traditional Service.  As we work to expand the Kingdom, why not invite a friend to join you in worship this weekend.

The Food Bank In-gathering was a huge success thanks to your support!  The shelves are once again full, and while we are addressing the needs of those who call for emergency help, we’re also ready to work on the Love Basket Program.  If you wish to help with the Love Basket, the schedule for this year is as follows:

December 17  5:00 p.m. Set-up packing room/marking of boxes
December 18  9:00 a.m. Organizing of food from County Love Basket at GUMC
December 18  8:30 a.m. Organizing of Food Bank order from Groceries at GUMC
December 19  6:30 – 8:00 p.m. Packing of Love Baskets
December 20  1:00 p.m. Unloading of Turkeys/Chickens at GUMC
December 20  2:00 p.m. Distribution of Organization’s Love Baskets
December 20  2:30 – 5:30 p.m. Distribution of Love Baskets, Clean-up of Rooms

IMPORTANT NOTICE:
Special Charge Conference:  There will be a special Charge Conference on Sunday, December 09 at 10:15 am in the Fellowship Hall.  The purpose of the charge conference is to share information, and to vote on the renovation project, in the children’s wing and improvement to handicap accessibility, to our church building.  All full Grace Church members who have taken membership vows at Grace Church are eligible to vote at the charge conference.

A Christmas Tree has been placed in the Narthex with tags for the Angels’ Wings program.  Each tag on the tree represents a needy person in our community.  After selecting a tag from the tree, place an unwrapped gift (gift bags are fine) with the tag securely attached to the gift bag, under the tree by Tuesday, December 11.

Attention Grace Men!  There will be a Men’s Breakfast on Saturday, December 15th from 8:30 am -10:00 am in Fellowship Hall.   This is a great opportunity to enjoy a hearty breakfast and a time of fellowship with other men in your church.

Mark your calendars now for our Christmas season music events:  On Saturday, December 8, members of our Contemporary Worship Team will be playing on the IRMC Park stage on 7th Street, from 2:00 – 3:00 pm.

Our annual Christmas Music Sunday is December 9 at the 9:00 am Traditional Worship Service.  Please plan to attend!  Our Christmas Choir and musical groups have–as always–been working hard to prepare a meaningful worship service through music and scripture.  You are encouraged to enjoy the Music Sunday program at 9 am, and attend either the Saturday evening or the 11:00 am Sunday Contemporary service to hear the message.

Decorating the church for Christmas will take place on Wednesday, November 28 at 6:00 pm.  A big thank you to the ushers, Lesa Walker and her decorating team for the hours spent in creating the warm and welcoming atmosphere for the holiday season.

The Christmas Remembrance Request Form is attached for your convenience.  If you wish to order a poinsettia plant in honor or memory of a loved one, you may submit the form, along with a minimum donation of $10 per plant to the church office, or drop it in the offering plate at worship service.  (This form will also be in the worship folder on

______________________________________________________________________________

October Financial Update

First of all, I would like to thank our congregation for their financial faithfulness in 2018.

As of October 31st, our general budget income for the year was $760,908 and our expenses were $738,873.  Initially, it would appear that our income has exceeded our expenses by $22,035.

But that’s not the whole story.  Those expenses do not include approximately $57,000 of expenses and purchases that have been funded by bequests, withdrawals from endowment accounts at the United Methodist Foundation or accumulated income from those endowments.

Included in those expenses and purchases were things like the new church van, new equipment for the bell choir and modern worship, staff seminars, senior ministries support, and other ministries and projects that needed financial support but were not in the budget for 2018.

Our unrestricted cash total reached $93,179 at the end of October.

The Finance Committee has made a thoughtful attempt to accurately project all spending in the 2019 budget.  That budget, approved by Church Council at their October meeting, has been set at $977,425.

This figure does not include the Missions Committee budget, which is separate from the general church budget.

For 2018, the Missions Committee budget was set at $71,482.  Through October 31st, total income was $45,805.  However, total expenses were $57,563.  The $11,758 shortfall has been covered thus far by reserves.

The Missions Committee will be meeting at the end of November to establish its budget for 2019.

Thank you again for your financial support in 2018 and we ask you to prayerfully consider your support for 2019.  It promises to be an exciting year in the life and outreach of Grace Church.

Larry Catlos, Finance Committee
_____________________________________________________________________________

A few thoughts as we prepare to gather for Thanksgiving Dinners tomorrow.

“The more you practice the art of thankfulness, the more you have to be thankful for.”  – Norman Vincent Peale

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” – John F. Kennedy

“What if today, we were just grateful for everything?”  –  Charlie Brown
.
Happy Thanksgiving from your Grace Church Staff.  We are thankful for YOU!

See you in church!