Jesus calls his followers to love God without reserve. In the same way, he calls us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Showing that love for our neighbors is an important part of the life of this congregation, and is done in a variety of ways.

We get our hands dirty. In other words, we give of our time and effort to show others the love of God and our love for them. These are just a few of our current projects:

• Habitat for Humanity: Grace was (along with Trinity Lutheran Church) one of the major sponsors of Habitat’s latest build in Elmore providing both funds and manpower for the project. We continue to support the group financially and are looking forward to swinging our hammers again on the next build.
• The “Piecemakers” are what we call the group of women in the congregation who create warm blankets from scrap material…over a hundred such items every winter. These are shared through Lutheran World Relief and several helping agencies.
• Operation Oreo began in 2002 as a means of extending support and encouragement to U.S. troops in Afghanistan. It has grown to include deployed personnel around the globe, primarily in combat areas. They receive monthly mailings including letters, cards, and boxes with the goodies they miss from home.
• Salem Lutheran Church, in the Vistula neighborhood of north Toledo, is our mission partner. We regularly cooperate with them in ministry to that area…serving breakfast, providing food and dollars to support their programs, and worshipping/working/serving alongside them.

You could add to this list our work at Toledo’s Lutheran Home, the missionaries we’ve sent to our sister parish in Dodoma, Tanzania, the local food pantry which we house, manage and help staff, and the many ministries we support by collecting and distributing items for their support.

We open our wallets. Being in service also means providing financial support through the ELCA, the Northwestern Ohio Synod, and directly to a number of local and regional ministries. 11.5% of all undesignated offerings are set aside for this purpose, as well as thousands of dollars each year in special gifts.

We stay attentive to the need. Mission learning is an important part of the church’s educational ministry at every level. Adult classes routinely include opportunities to explore and discuss not just what the church is doing, but what we as individuals are called to do. 7th and 8th grade students are assigned mentors who, among other duties, help them develop and complete service projects in the community. Even the younger children have an opportunity to serve their elders in the community through programs like Heart Harvest and the annual Sunday School mission project…this past year benefiting Heifer Project International and their on-going efforts to provide the livestock and training that yield sustainable livelihoods for poor families around the globe.

Service is an important part of what it means to live our lives as followers of Jesus. If you’re looking for that kind of purpose and meaning, we invite you to join us in caring for our neighbors and the world.