Following the special session of Annual Conference on Wednesday, June 14, it is now official–we are disaffiliated from the United Methodist Church. There were three separate congregational votes to bring us to this point. Thank you to the faithful members of our congregation who prayerfully considered this and voted accordingly. We are now officially Grace Church of Indiana. Our new denominational affiliation is with the Global Methodist Church.
The Global Methodist Church is committed to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, the inspiration and authority of the Scriptures, and the work of the Holy Spirit in conveying God’s truth and grace to all people. The GMC embraces, nurtures, and proclaims evangelical Wesleyan Christianity. Their priorities include the Gospel, discipleship, and Spirit-filled personal and social holiness, including vigorous and grace-filled accountability to empower discipleship. It affirms the full roles and ministries of women–pulpit included.
So, nothing has really changed Grace. These are the same principles we have embraced in the past and will continue to follow in the future. We love and welcome ALL people to worship and fellowship with us. ALL are welcome to come and become like Christ.
As we knew at our time of voting, the disaffiliation from the United Methodist Church did not happen without financial obligation. One of the rules in the UM Book of Discipline is the “trust clause.” Essentially, it meant that we held property in trust for the UM Church. This made accountability for denomination leadership difficult because of the power the denomination had over the local church.
A special condition was provided for separation from the United Methodists which allows for disaffiliating churches to pay a certain pre-determined amount in exchange for quit-claim deeds that eliminate the trust clause from the ownership of our assets—including our church, office buildings, parsonage and endowments. As of June 14th, these all belong to this congregation. The costs to accomplish this are as follows:
12 months of Connectional Apportionment $117,474.00
Unfunded Pension Obligation share $277,609.00
Two percent (2%) of reported market value of real property $ 37,746.00
Credit for prorated Workers Compensation Premium ($ 1,868.00)
$430,961.00
Your Church Council authorized borrowing $222,961.00 with the remaining amount to come from reserve funds. This is the first time Grace has had debt in many years, and we hope to eliminate this debt in short order. Thus, the Council voted to set up the Heritage Fund with all proceeds going toward eliminating the debt.
If you would like to make a special gift, please write Heritage Fund on the memo line of your check or offering envelope. For additional information, please call the church office. Beginning in July, we will have weekly updates on our progress with this special fund.
If you use bill pay for your offering, please make the necessary changes at your financial institution to indicate the new name. (Our bank will honor all checks for offering over the next three months while we all get accustomed to the new name!). Checks should be made payable to Grace Church. PayPal contributions will remain the same for now. The financial secretary will transfer the PayPal contributions to our Grace Church account.
THIS SATURDAY!! The Courtyard Carnival returns to Grace Church on June 17 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in (where else?) the church courtyard! Enjoy carnival games and food, an inflatable obstacle course, and dunk tank! Admission is free, and the public is invited. Bring your friends! A really fun day is planned, and you don’t want to miss it!
THIS SUNDAY WORSHIP
Rev. Howard Greenfield will be sharing the morning message My Son, Be Strong. If you haven’t heard Rev. Greenfield preach…you are in for a treat! Special music will be by Dave and Megan Larko.
FAREWELL RECEPTION
Please stop by the Welcome Center between the morning services to greet Pastor Bob Penrose who will have a new church assignment beginning July 1st. A Card Basket will be available for your cards or personal well-wishes for Pastor Bob.
On July 25th at 7:00 PM, the public is invited to hear former Major League Pitcher, Dave Dravecky’s amazing story. He has an inspiring and motivating message to share with us. Help us spread the word! Please invite friends and neighbors to the 7 p.m. event.
We extend our hearty thank you to all who helped in any way with the Book Sale. With all proceeds counted, the grand total is $7,288.59. We can pay 2/3 of the price of camp for 19 children and youth. So, encourage your kids to sign up for camp! (When a family sends more than one kid to camp, we help with an additional $50 for the second…third…fourth…kids!)
CAMPS AND CAMPERSHIPS:
Hey Kids and Teens…Want some adventure in your life? It’s time to start planning to attend one of the amazing summer church camps. We have camperships for any of our Grace Church kids and teens who wish to attend one of the conference camps. To discover which summer camp is right for your child or teen, check out these sites:
Summer Camp (campallegheny.org)
Summer Camp – Jumonville Camp & Retreat Center
Summer Camps – Wesley Woods
(Please note that all the camps will be affiliated with both the UM and Global Methodist Churches.)
It’s time to sign up for Vacation Bible School! The fun starts when they walk through the door! When the kids arrive at our Stellar VBS, they will instantly feel the love of Jesus shining through everything we’ll do to create a special event just for them! This is one of the biggest events of the year here at Grace. Children and adult & teen volunteers may sign up on-line at our website indianagrace.org. Shine Jesus’ Light!!! The closing event this year will be a FOAM PARTY! You won’t want to miss it!!!
SUMMER HANDBELL WORKSHOP
Here is a great opportunity to try the handbells or to sharpen your skills. Join us on Wednesdays at 11 a.m. for a one-hour workshop each week, beginning on June 14th in Room 202. We will be learning new skills with no pressure to join the Bell Choir in the Fall. For more information, please contact Beth Blair at betabellblair@yahoo.com
GRACE IS SPONSORING A BLOOD DRIVE
On Thursday, July 13, we are partnering with the American Red Cross to hold a blood drive at Grace Church from 12-6 PM. Schedule your appointment at RedCrossBlood.org, download the Blood Donor App, or call 1-800-RED CROSS. Each pint of blood we collect can help save up to three lives and will touch the lives of so many more. What a great way to pay it forward and make an impact on people in our community and across the country. We are very excited about the drive, and hope you are too.
MISSION OPPORTUNITIES
The Mission Committee is sponsoring a mission trip to the Lancaster UNTO Global Logistics Center for June 21-22, 2023. Volunteers can sign up in the Welcome Center. The cost is $75 a person. The Mission Committtee will provide the transportation. Volunteers will pay for their own dinners on Wednesday & Thursday. UNTO provides snacks and lunch on Thursday. Please contact Donna Overdorff if you have any questions.
Dan and Donna Overdorff are leading a Mission Trip to San Luis, Mexico from April 22-30, 2024, to help The Caring Hearts Ministry. Please sign up in the Welcome Center before August 6, 2023, and start the process to get your passport now! The team is limited to 28 people. If you have any questions, contact Donna at 724-464-7552. The Caring Hearts Ministry offers hope and empowers change by sharing the Gospel and God’s love with vulnerable people. They provide physical, emotional, and spiritual support for a boys home, girls home, rehab center, blind center, and soup kitchen, as well as ministry to shut-ins and people who live and work at the local garbage dump.
SENIOR ADULT MINISTRIES
The annual Ladies Tea will be held on Monday, July 24 in Fellowship Hall. Doors open at 11:30a.m. Wear your favorite hat and enjoy a delicious lunch with friends. Natalie Glaser is the featured speaker. Sign up in the Welcome Center before July 16th. You may park at a metered space near the church or at the Trinity Church lot across from the Trinity Church at 38 Church Street. A shuttle will be available beginning at 11:10 a.m.
Sight & Sound Theater trip will be on Thursday, September 21. The cost will be $160 and includes coach bus transportation, lunch at the Casey Jones Restaurant and the show – Moses. We will depart at 7:30 a.m. from the Mack Park upper lot. Look for a sign-up sheet in a few weeks. We are limited to 52 people on the bus. More information will be available closer to the date.
Upcoming senior events will include a Senior Adult Ministry Picnic at Yellow Creek in August, a Women’s Retreat in October and the Arts and Crafts Showcase in November. Details on each of these events will be found in the bulletin and email blast closer to each event.
Just for Laughs:
A man was driving to work when a truck ran a stop sign, hit his car broadside, and knocked him out cold. Passersby pulled him from the wreck and gave him administered first aid. He began to thrash terribly and had to be tranquilized by the medics when they arrived.
Later, when he was calm, they asked why he had struggled so. He said, “I remember the impact, then nothing. I woke up on a concrete slab in front of a huge flashing sign at the gas station. The sign said SHELL, but somebody was standing in front and blocked the S.
