• The Road Rally is coming up on August 21.  It’s like a scavenger hunt in your car that ends with a picnic. For more info or to sign up (no later than 8/18, please), call the church office at 419-862-3630.

• Taking care of the body is a lot of fun and really good stewardship. That’s why you’ll find eight Jazzercise classes here each week. That’s why the Yoga group gathers on Wednesday at 6:45pm (beginning September 14) to stretch and pray. That’s why the Buckeye Squares dance club kicks up their heels on two Tuesday evenings every month. There’s even a “Zumba” class at 7:00pm on Tuesday evening. You and your friends can enjoy getting and staying in shape together.

• The Elmore Golden Oldies is what the senior citizens’ group calls themselves. They’re here every Tuesday and Thursday from 10:00am to 2:00pm, with a good, hot meal served at noon. Call 419/862-3874 to make a reservation or to find out more about their many special programs and events.
  

These are just a few of the possibilities for fun and fellowship together. For a complete look at what’s coming up, check out the Events Calendar.

• 99 Ways to Raise Spiritually Healthy Children is a practical and supportive conversation for parents based on the Kathleen Bostrom book of the same name. If you’re looking for some down-to-earth ideas for being faithful parents, this is the group to be part of. Join us on Sunday mornings at 9:15am in the Adult Study Room.
  
• Light on the Lessons offers an in-depth Bible study the readings appointed for weekly worship. You’ll find leader Frank Raeske and the group in the Conference Room on Sunday mornings at 9:15am.
• Coffee with Christ is an informal discussion group meeting on Sunday mornings at 9:15am. This group is a particularly good place to meet new folks.

Current mid-week studies include…

• You Might Be a Lutheran is an opportunity to discover the history and theology of the Lutheran tradition. All that talk about Law & Gospel, grace and sola fide…come find out what it means at 6:30pm on Wednesday evenings.
• NOOMA is the title of a video/discussion series from Pr. Rob Bell. It’s also the basis for an informal gathering of high-school youth and adults beginning on Wednesday, September 15, at 6:30pm.
• Stretch and Pray is not so much a title as it is a description of what our Yoga group does each Wednesday evening at 6:45pm.
  

In addition, you’re invited to check out these offerings…

Monthly, on the first Thursday at 1:30pm, the Rachel Circle…a women’s study group… meets for Bible study and fellowship. Join them for “The Hidden Hand of God: Wisdom Stories from Ruth, Daniel, and Esther.”

Our on-line Bible study is now accessible on this site. Just click here. We encourage you to check it out. Likewise, we invite you to take a moment and let us know what other kinds of studies you’d like to pursue via our on-line classroom.

The Men’s Bible Study group meets on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of each month. We’re currently reading Luther’s Small Catechism alongside the Bible. No prior study experience is needed. This is just guys getting together to try to make sense of the Scriptures and how God is speaking to us through them. It’s been really good. The coffee and donuts are excellent, too.

Youth in grades 7 and 8 participate in a two-year program that prepares them for Affirmation of Baptism. This multi-faceted experience includes large and small group learning, retreats, camps and service projects…all with the goal of helping shape young lives after the example of Christ Jesus. The group is always open to new members and visitors; contact Pr. David for more information.

High School youth meet on Sunday mornings at 9:15am, as well as on Wednesday evening at 6:30pm for the NOOMA video/discussion series. They’ll be preparing to lead worship later this fall, and are already looking ahead to the National Youth Gathering in New Orleans in 2012.

Children from Toddler through Grade 6 meet in age-appropriate classes on Sunday morning at 9:15am. Our caring, experienced teachers help even the littlest ones grow in their knowledge of God’s great love for them. This group also gathers for special projects throughout the year, i.e. a cook-out/campfire in November, a movie night during the winter months, and Valentine’s Day “caroling” to our seniors.

Each year, the Sunday School supports a mission project which all offerings are designated to benefit. This year, that project is a person: Jaci Tiell…senior seminarian at Trinity Lutheran Seminary. We’re helping provide for her as she concludes her training and prepares to take a call as a parish pastor.

You’ll find more information about current education offerings on the calendar page on this site, or by calling or e-mailing us.

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.

Of course, Grace has classes and worship services, committees and parties and a building. More than these: Grace is a community of believers and seekers trying to be faithful…always learning, exploring, rejoicing at the ways in which God’s love is for us and works through us. We’re also a growing place that has room and a welcome for you.

You’ll find information here and on our Facebook page. We’d love to have you join us this week for worship, study, play, etc. Check out the calendar. Give us a call. Stop on in.

• Sunday School…includes groups and classes for all ages at 9:15am. Adult learners can choose between Bible study, a parenting support/encouragement group, and a free-wheeling conversation we call “Coffee with Christ.” There’s a high school group…getting ready for next summer’s trip to New Orleans. Our 7th and 8th graders are preparing to lead worship on May 20. Children from pre-school to sixth grade enjoy grade-appropriate classes. There’s even a nursery class for the very youngest among us. We encourage you to learn and grow with us.

• Our Sunday Evening Bible Study convenes at 6:30pm on Sunday, May 20. We’ll be reading in Acts 18 and 1 Corinthians. We invite you to bring your favorite Bible or borrow one of ours…and join the conversation!

• Mark your calendar: our annual Chicken BBQ is coming up on Sunday, June 3. It’s a fund-raiser for our Sunday School mission project. We’ll be providing assistance to Jaci Teill…a Lutheran seminarian and soon-to-be pastor. $8 gets you a half chicken, baked potato, green beans, roll & butter, and a home-made brownie or cookies. We’ve asked Thrivent to help with matching funds, too. Our drive-thru opens at 11:00am, and we close when the chickens are gone. Hope to see you here!

• The May issue of The Parish Reporter…Grace’s monthly newsletter…is now available here. Click and read (or download)…and then, come join us!

• Other Items of Interest include these links. We invite you to check them out.
  • The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
  • The Northwestern Ohio Synod of the ELCA
  • Grace’s Facebook page
  • Pr. David’s infrequently updated blog
  • The Lutheran magazine
  • The Cafe e-zine from Women of the ELCA.
  • “UpWords”…a weekly devotional reading from Max Lucado.
  • Follow @PrDatGrace