News & Announcements

We are excited to welcome our new Lead Pastor –      Rev. Leah Woehr-Grande!
 
 
 
 
Find Pastor Leah’s complete biography by clicking on the link below.
 
 
As we continue to prepare our hearts for the coming of our King and Savior, during this time of Advent, we want to invite you and encourage you to attend some of these exciting and important events in the life of Grace Lutheran Church.  Invite your family and friends to be a part of the new beginnings that come with this joyful season and the new beginnings at Grace.  
 
Sunday, December 15th, we welcome our new Lead Pastor – Rev. Leah Woehr-Grande, as she preaches her first official sermon, as our new Pastor.
 
Sunday, December 22nd, come and enjoy our annual Christmas Pageant during our combined service at 9:30am.  Make plans to stay after and join us in the Social Hall as we get to meet and spend time with Pastor Leah and her family, during our “Christmas Light Activities”.  We will have food, cookies, music, crafts and games along with the opportunity to get to know our new Pastor a bit.
 
Wednesday, December 24th – Christmas Eve
Join us as Pastor Leah preaches during our 2 candlelight worship services with Holy Communion at 7 & 11pm.
 
Sunday, December 29th one combined worship at 9:30am  Stay in the holiday spirit with a service filled with music and the story of  why we celebrate the season!

Hello family of Grace,

     With a mix of emotions, I write to inform you that I am resigning as your Director of Christian Education and Youth Ministry.  I have been at Grace for 10 years and am so thankful and blessed by our ministry together. I have accepted a position as the Director of Camp
Nawakwa near Gettysburg, PA.

     My last day with Grace will be Sunday, September 15th. I love the people of Grace and God’s work in this place. I plan to set-up the Christian Education and youth programs for success in my absence, with people to take-over responsibilities and partner with other local ELCA congregations. 

     Without a doubt, I am grateful for the opportunity to serve the families and youth at Grace and to be a part of such an amazing community. The time I have spent with the youth at Grace on trips, in youth groups, and confirmation have been some of the most rewarding and fulfilling of my ministry. I will always reflect on my time here with fond memories and gratitude. I am so thankful for all the support and for how God has moved this place and the people of Grace. Thank you for letting me be a part of the story.

Kelsey Tomlinson

Meet Our Missionaries –
Click the link below for their bios & info on how they serve God in Central America.
Stephen’s visit to Grace on August 20th at 6:30pm, has been indefinitely postponed, due to health issues that preclude him from international travel.  Please be in prayer for Stephen for a speedy recovery.  
 
 

Graces Good Garden – Decommissioned

Greetings,

    About this time a year ago, we planted the garden for our 11th season.  On Monday, May 13th, the garden was decommissioned!  All of the raised beds built by the boy scouts in 2013 had severely rotted.  The fence was a mess after a huge branch fell on it last year.  We would have faced a major rebuild to make the garden look good again.  The future of this space is yet to be determined, but for 11 years it served the community by providing more than a couple thousand pounds of fresh produce to Open Door for distribution.

    We have had more than 30 congregants who participated in this ministry over the years.

Look at the pictures.  In what was a fitting end today, Bill Kilcoyne, the young boy who built the garden as his Eagle Badge project, was on campus to repair an air conditioning unit.  Where he helped build the raised beds and gate as a youngster, he carried the last boards to the dumpster as a young man.

     With gratitude for your contributions to the success of this ministry.

Kurt Meyers

 
The following information comes from the PA Department of Health, regarding Human Trafficking.
 
Human Trafficking happens in cities, suburbs & rural areas.  TRAIN PA has courses open to the public to learn about combating human trafficking.  SOAR trainings equip people with skills to identify, treat & respond appropriately to human trafficking:
 
Mission Kids and the Montgomery County Anti-Human Trafficking Coalition (MCAT) websites are below; please also consider supporting this cause through your tax exempt donation to Mission Kids or MCAT.
 
The National Human Trafficking Hotline continues to operate amid the COVID19 crisis.
 
Call:  1-888-373-7888
Text:  HELP to 233733 (BEFREE)
Email:  help@humantraffickinghotline.org
Dear Brothers & Sisters In Christ;
 
   If you find your heart is hurting for those suffering from racism, or maybe you just aren’t sure that racism is even “real”, please make the commitment to learn more.  A great resource to start with is “Waking up White” by Debbie Irving.  This author shares her gradual awareness of racism by sharing the stories of her own life.

   If you love digging deep into historical facts and want to better understand why racism is so embedded in our current culture, read “When Affirmative Action was White” by Ira Katznelson.  Or you could try reading Ta-Nehisi Coates’ award-winning book “Between the World and Me.”  

   Also, you could watch the powerful & thought-provoking true story “Just Mercy” about systemic racism and the battle for justice.  You can currently watch this move for FREE on all digital networks.

   Another excellent book is White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo.   Other informative, challenging, and well-done resources include Selma  (movie),  Dear White People (movie and Netflix series), andThirteenth   (Netflix documentary).

   Ready for the next step?  Let us know that you are interested in guiding and leading Grace to see our next steps and to help us begin to make changes for the sake of God’s beautiful, diverse creation.   Contact Deacon Allison or the church office.
 

“Whatever you did for one of the least of these, you did for me…. Whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.”  – Matthew 25:40-45.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Mental Health Resources:   For you or someone you love…

NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness)  HelpLine can be reached Mon.-Fri., 10am–6pm, ET.  1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or info@nami.org

Montgomery County Mobile Crisis  Immediate support for crisis

situations available 24/7 at 1-855-634-HOPE (4673).

Mont. County Children’s Crisis Support Program  Immediate

support for crisis situations available 24/7 at 1-888-HELP-414.

Mont. County’s teen talk line  If you’re a teen feeling overwhelmed & need another teen to talk to, please call at (866) 825-5856 or text (215) 703-8411. It is available, free of charge, Mon.-Fri., 3 to 7pm.

PA Department of Drug & Alcohol Program (DDAP). To find

addiction treatment or a treatment provider, call the 24/7 toll-free

1-800-662-HELP hotline.

Laurel House  (domestic violence)  24/7 hotline: 800-642-3150,

Women’s Center of Montgomery County’s  (domestic violence)

hotline: 800-773-2424.

Alcoholics Anonymous   www.aa.org for help with a drinking problem