September 2020 Newsletter

Grace, mercy, and peace are yours because of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Dear Family of God at Grace,

September is such an exciting month. Everything begins anew at Grace, typically. Things have changed a little. Yet, we are going to get moving with the 20/21 season. Here is the plan. Wednesday, September 2nd we start with Confirmation Class, in person. We can Zoom class if needed. Our hope is to continue to meet in person.With the start of Confirmation, we would usually start having dinners and choirs and Wednesday evening worship. We are going to start with baby steps. The Wednesday services will start again with the season of Advent at the end of November. The dinners we hope to have back in the New Year, possibly in January. With the start of September, we are usually focused on the Thanksgiving Day Food Baskets. While we will not have a Thanksgiving Day dinner this year at Grace, the Food Baskets will still happen. With the suffering going on around our nation and in our community, it’s important that we continue to love and serve our neighbors. I know that Dick Bizier, if he were still with us, would expect the Thanksgiving Day Food Baskets to happen, no matter what. We will honor his memory and serve our neighbors. That means you can bring in canned goods and non-perishable food items, as well as support the baskets with your financial support. On the Sunday before Thanksgiving we will load up the baskets in the fellowship hall. While things have changed, we want to get back to the activities we expect here at Grace. Deaconess Linda and Mauro will be back next month. Pastor Kudart and Sandy will be coming back this year around the first of November. This year could be one of the busiest seasons in our community’s history because everyone up north wants to come to Florida and escape the isolation of winter. We are hearing about the possibility of record-breaking numbers of visitors coming to southwest Florida this year. We’ll have to wait and see.

September is the end of summer and the beginning of a new season. We have been blessed, even with all this craziness, that throughout the summer the epistle lessons have been from the book of Romans. While I have not preached on these readings, they have been very timely. Especially the epistle for the last Sunday in August. I have included it here with the heading from the English Standard Version.    

Romans 12:9-21 “Marks of the True Christian”9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. 17Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

           I’m not sure I need to say much about this reading. The Gospel for that Sunday was Matthew 16:21-28. Jesus was calling those who would follow Him to “cross mindedness.” That cross mindedness is what we read from Paul’s reading in Romans. Cross mindedness is about loving your neighbor even when your neighbor hates you. We could certainly use some more cross mindedness in our nation today and always! “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor” (Romans 12:10). If that’s not a tee shirt slogan for live dear sisters and brothers I don’t know what is!            The marks of the true Christian are the marks of the cross of Christ. His suffering and death mean forgiveness, healing and life for you and for all. Now, as His very own we deny ourselves, we take up our cross, and we follow our Lord in the cruciform way that He would have us go. It’s not easy, but then crosses never are. They hurt and they kill. Thankfully at the end of this cruciform life there is an empty tomb and an open door to heaven. Until then, love one another!

In His Service,Pastor Lingsch             

Sunday School Begins

Dear Grace Families,

We are so very excited to announce that we will be resuming our Sunday School classes on September 13th! We have wonderful teachers returning and ready to teach and be with their students here at Grace. We will be taking some precautions by having hand sanitizer available in every classroom and encouraging children to keep their hands to themselves. We look forward to being together again as we center around God’s Word. Look for an email about where to meet and class assignments for your children.

See you September 13th at 9:30am!

Confirmation BeginsSeptember 2nd6:00 pm

Endowment ApplicationsDue - October 22nd

Upcoming Events

Sunday School BeginsSeptember 13th

Voter's MeetingSunday, September 20thbetween services

Quilters'Tuesday's 9:30 amFellowship Hall

Weekly Events

Wednesday Dinnerand Prayer Service

On hold until a future date

Choir RehearsalsChoristersBegins 10/7 - 4:15pm

High School ChoirBegins 9/27 - noon

Adult ChoirBegins 10/7 - 7:00 pm

Altar Flowers

We may have the sign up sheet hidden but you can still sign up for altar flowers by calling Rene Hazelett or Gwyn in the office. Flowers are $45 for one bouquet and $90 for both. You can put them on the altar in memory or honor of someone, or to remember your own birthday or anniversary. Let us know when you would like to sign up.  

Youth NewsKami Jo Mogelvang

September 2nd, Confirmation 6-7:30pm

September 13th : Youth Night, 5-7pmSeptember 13th, Sunday School StartsSeptember 27th: Youth Night, 5-7pm

ENDOWMENT GRANTS2020

It's that time of year again for the Endowment Committee to solicit from the congregation members grant proposals for funds to be distributed from the general endowment fund. Depending on the returns in the next few months, around $40,000 should be available for grants. The past couple of years a number of missions, church projects and scholarships have been supported through use of these funds, and we look forward to having some excellent proposals again this year. Grant application forms are available in the church office and should be returned to the endowment committee box in the church office by October 21, 2020. The criteria the committee will use in evaluating the proposal follows: 

Grant proposal must be submitted by a member of Grace Lutheran Church. Grant should not cover yearly congregation budget items. Grant should fit with congregation vision and mission statements; with

primary emphasis on the spreading of the Gospel. Priority will be given to the (1) congregation (2) circuit (3) district and (4)

synod, in that order. Scholarships should go to students going into full-time church work.

Grace Lutheran Church | 860 Banyan Blvd, Naples, FL 34102

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