Posts from 2020
Pastor’s Column – Dec 2020
O come, Desire of Nations, bind All Peoples in one heart and mind; Make envy, strife, and quarrels cease; Fill the whold world with heaven’s peace. – New Century hymnal #116, verse 7, o come, o come, emmanuel It was the day after Halloween. I was driving to the store and went through my preset radio stations to find anything that was not a commercial or talk-radio. I needed music that day. No Politics. No one trying to sell…
Advent Wreath Option for 2020
The Christian Education Board would like to offer people a way to continue the church family tradition of making Advent Wreaths. The board will put together bags containing the ring and the candles necessary to construct the Advent Wreath. Participants would need to provide their own greenery. Please note that we will offer some hand gardening clippers if you would like to trim some greenery on the church grounds. The materials will be available in the Narthex on Monday, Tuesday…
Live-streaming from our website
Given that we are once again, not worshiping in person due to the upsurge in Covid-19 cases in Fairfield County, we’ve made a slight change to our website. We now offer FOUR different ways you can watch live. Our primary platform is still [1] Facebook Live (and you do not need to have a Facebook account to watch), but you can also watch on [2] Twitter/Periscope, [3] Zoom (login info e-mailed to those on our news e-mail list), and now…
Remembering
O God of hosts, our faith renew, and grant us, in your grace, To join the songs sung by the saints in every time and place. Come, Let us Join with faithful souls, New century hymnal 383, verse 4 I’m writing this devotion from an empty sanctuary, having just arranged the candles that will be lit in remembrance of loved ones this coming Sunday for All Saints Day. Each candle is a life. Each life was not perfect or without…
Why Do Leaves Change Color?
As I write this article, Gum trees at the parsonage are only now just beginning to reveal Fall’s arrival with red tipped leaves. It is subtle and easy to miss, but preparations are underway. Trees don’t need to be told when winter is coming. Trees can feel it in their roots and know it is time to care for itself. Through Spring and Summer we sat under the shade of green leaves as chlorophyll overwhelmed the tree as a…
Sanctuary Service Procedures
Grace Church Family and Friends, As we look everyday at the numbers of positive Covid cases in our county, state and around the country, we all continue to wonder how we will return to our sanctuary services, reuniting in our sacred space. We pray that you are safe and well, but this time of separation is becoming increasingly difficult for many. We have developed a proposed plan that will allow us to return to the sanctuary, if all can agree…
Returning to worshiping in person
Grace Family and Friends This Sunday, 20 September 2020, we will be back in the sanctuary for worship (provided Fairfield County does not move back to level 3 this Thursday). It is an exciting time for Grace. It is also a time for some caution as we continue to confront the concerns related to the virus. We feel that we can make this work if we follow some guidelines. We sent those guidelines to you in the last newsletter (they’ll…
Pastor’s Column – Sep 2020
Then the Lord said, “I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed I know their sufferings.” Exodus 3:7 Since the birth of our son, Jessica and I have been hearing a lot of crying. It is Jamie’s way of alerting us to something he needs. Either he is hungry, he is cold, he is hot, he has the hiccups, he needs his diaper changed, or…
Mindful Nature Preschool
After many years, Grace UCC again is home to a preschool. The Mindful Nature Preschool is renting space for its operation. The director, Joanna Johns, has spent many hours creating a great indoor learning space. Additionally, the playground area has been entirely redesigned to provide for outdoor learning opportunities. Pictures may be found on our website and our Facebook page. We have been working with Joanna through her licensing process. The program was licensed, meets all state standards, and is…
You are a Child of God
“For in Christ Jesus you are all children, for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3: 26, 28 You are a child of God. Have you stopped to think about that recently? No matter who you are or where you are on life’s journey,…
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