Newsletter - April 2008

Sunday Nights at Grace
Youth group will meet every other Sunday evening from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Ellen Williams will be leading this group. Scott Kester will be teaching from the book of Acts. The young people are focusing on missions, evangelism, and service to others. Fundraising activities are coming up.

Wednesdays at Grace Church
The women’s Bible study group, led by Jeanne Mehne, will continue to meet on Wednesday mornings from 9:45 a.m. till 11 a.m.  The study will be on selected Psalms. Come join us for a wonderful time of study, prayer, and fellowship.

Choir will rehearse at 7 p.m.; band will rehearse at 8 p.m.

Pastoral Office Hours
Pastor Howden will be available at the church study on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.  The office study phone number is 346-2762.  If a need arises, he may be reached at his home at 848-2821.  Pastor Howden’s email address is pastorpaul6@verizon.net.

GRECO
The GRECO committee will meet in Kidwell Hall on the first Sunday of every month at 6 p.m. Our next meeting will be May 4th. We will pray and discuss methods to carry out outreach and evangelism for our parish. Please come and participate.

Vestry & Women of the Church
Tuesday, September 11th the Women of the Church will meet at 7 p.m. This year the women will meet on the second Tuesday of the month, every other month. Meetings will be as follows:
September 11th
November 13th
January 8th
March 11th
May 13th

The Vestry will also meet at 7 p.m.

Short-Term Missions
The Board of Foreign Missions is sponsoring short-term mission teams to Germany, Paraguay, and possibly Nigeria for the summer of 2008. Please contact Pastor Howden if you are interested in participating in one of these trips. Several Grace Church people have expressed interest in participating in these trips. A trip to Brazil with Judy King is possible for 2009.

A Look Ahead: Upcoming Events
Pasta Supper
The pasta supper has been re-scheduled for Saturday, April 12th at 6 p.m.

Spring Fling
Another youth group event, the Spring Fling, will be held April 26th-27th (Saturday through Sunday) at St. John’s By-the-Sea, Ventnor, NJ. Contact Jim Kester if you would like to give a donation to help the young people attend events like this.

Episcopal Visit
The Rt. Rev. Leonard Riches will visit us this Pentecost Sunday, May 11th, to preach, officiate Holy Communion, and perform confirmations (if there are any).

Women's Tea
The Women's Tea will be held on Tuesday, May 13th. The theme is "Instruments of Thy Peace". Marge Bohn will bring the devotional message. Jeanne Mehne will share an item of interest, and Sue Crane and the Woodwind Ensemble will present the music. If you would like to attend, make reservations with Elaine Kester. Please feel free to invite friends and family members as well! This is a wonderful outreach event for ladies to enjoy.

Expedition to Church of the Atonement
Church of the Atonement is a Reformed Episcopal Church in Philadelphia that could use a hand. This June 23rd-27th, a Monday through Friday, is an opportunity for that. Workers from our parish and Bishop Cummins R.E. Church will stay in the dorms at Williamson College while helping with work projects and outreach. The projects to be worked on are the following:
- Painting, cleaning, weeding, repairs of walls, floors, rooms, playground, window frames, etc.
- Outreach would include: health fair, seminar on drug abuse, musical block party, mid-week worship service with cookout
Pray about joining us for a great endeavor. See Jim Kester for more details.

Scranton Rescue Mission
Saturday, July 5th is our next date for helping the down-and-out and needy at the Scranton Rescue Mission.

Running with Grace
Our annual 5K run, Running with Grace, is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, July 12th at 9 a.m.

General Council
The General Council of the Reformed Episcopal Church will take place from October 22nd-24th, a Wednesday through Friday, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.