Visit us on the web at www.gracelutheranroyersford.com
Email: [email protected]
Church Office: 610.948.3684; Fax: 610.948.3304
Office Hours: Monday-Friday; 8:30am-noon & 12:30– 2:30pm
DEADLINE FOR THE
DECEMBER 2014 ISSUE OF
GRACEFUL GREETINGS
IS Fri., Nov. 14th
Growing Together Through God’s Grace
November 2014
Graceful
Greetings
Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church
The Reverend Paul H. Neff &
The Reverend Janelle L. Krais, Pastors
Located at 6th Avenue & Main Street
594 Church Street - 1stFl. (Office & Mailing)
Royersford, PA 19468
November 2014 Issue
Graceful Greetings
Worship Times: Sundays — 8:00 AM Traditional Service
9:00 AM Faith Full Families Service (in Social Hall)
& 10:45 AM Contemporary Service
Welcome new members! We give thanks to God for
the blessing of new members who will be received
into Grace on November 23rd at the 10:45 service.
Please introduce yourself at the noon reception in the
Welcome Center, and welcome the following people
into our church home: Phil & Mindy Coath and
children Hannah, Emma, Lily & Abby; Kimberly
Fretz & son Ryan; Sandra Goldsmith; Kelsey Hlavac;
and Stefanie Miller.
Welcome Our New Director of Traditional Music
The Church Council & Mutual Ministry are
happy to announce the hiring of Matthew Valent, as
our new Director of Music. Matt brings nearly 30
years of experience in church music, from a variety
of area Congregations. He is also a music teacher in the Perkiomen
Valley School District.
Matt will assume his duties at Grace on Nov. 16th. In
preparation for his start, look for Thursday night choir rehearsals to
begin Nov. 6th.
Thank you to Darrell Lewis the chairman of the search
committee. He and his volunteers were busy and filled this position
very quickly.
We need your HELP. Matthew is new to the congregation. To help
get him off to a fast start we are asking all former choir members and
all those who like to sing to prayerfully consider joining our current
choir members for the Christmas season.
Please support our parking lot resurfacing project;
which cost $36,000. To date, we have thankfully raised
$12,875.17 towards this project. Any amount will be
welcomed. Make checks payable to Grace Lutheran
Church & memo “Parking Lot”; envelopes are available in
the pews or go to our website at www.gracelutheranroyersford.com and
click the “Donate Now” button. Thank you; we hope you enjoy the
new parking lot.
Children are welcome in all of our worship services at Grace!
The Tot Spot, lovingly & skillfully supervised by Mrs. Ellen Jones, will
be open on Sunday mornings during both services, for parents who are
worshipping with us. Volunteers are still needed to provide
support for our childcare center. If you would like to help,
please contact Laurie Fodor at [email protected].
What a wonderful way to serve the Lord and our little ones!
Children’s Church is offered to children in kindergarten 2nd grade during the 10:45 worship service. Children’s Church is run
by volunteers who do stories and games & crafts during the lessons and
sermon time. Interested children should go with the volunteer waiting
in the narthex, immediately following the children’s sermon and will be
returned to parents in the sanctuary during the prayers. Parents –
please make sure your child is in the age-appropriate place!
We need you to fill our Sponsorship Openings!! They
are a great way of remembering a loved one or honoring
a special person or date in your life. They appear in the
Ledger and renew each year, on the closest Sunday to
your original date, unless you inform the office otherwise.
We have several sponsorships open for the 4th quarter of the year,
including Flowers, Bulletins and others throughout the year, call
the office (610-948-3684) to find out more.
NOVEMBER 2014 WORSHIP SERVICES
& SPECIAL EVENTS
Sun., Nov. 2—All Saints’ Sunday
8:00am Traditional Worship
9:00am Faith Full Families
9:30am Sunday School for all ages
10:45am Contemporary Worship
Noon - New Member Lunch: Social Hall
7-9pm Youth Group: Parlor
Tues., Nov. 4—Council Reports Due
Sat., Nov. 8 - Upper Elementary Youth Group: Parlor, 6PM
Sun., Nov. 9—Twenty Second Sunday After Pentecost
8:00am Traditional Worship
9:00am Faith Full Families
9:30am Sunday School for all ages
10:45am Contemporary Worship
7-9pm Youth Group: Parlor
Tues., Nov. 11—Council Meeting: Parlor
Sun., Nov. 16—Twenty Third Sunday After Pentecost
Harvest Home Sunday/Baptism Sunday
8:00am Traditional Worship
9:00am Faith Full Families
9:30am Sunday School for all ages
10:45am Contemporary Worship
Noon - New Member Lunch: Social Hall
7-9pm Youth Group: Parlor
Sat., Nov. 22—Relay for Life Vendor Bazaar: Social Hall
Sun., Nov. 23—Christ the King Sunday
8:00am Traditional Worship
9:00am Faith Full Families
9:30am Sunday School for all ages
10:45am Contemporary Worship
Noon - New Member Reception: Welcome Center
7-9pm Youth Group: Parlor
Sun., Nov. 30—First Sunday of Advent
8:00am Traditional Worship
9:00am Faith Full Families
9:30am Sunday School for all ages
10:45am Contemporary Worship
7-9pm Youth Group: Parlor
Main Street Connections - Jesus commands us to go out
into the world, so join us on Monday evenings, from
7-8 pm, at The Main Street Café, to build relationships in
the light of the gospel! November topics will include:
November “Fun Facts”, Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of
Highly Effective People, and Game Night! For more info,
please contact Charles “C” Plaugher at 610-888-2105 or
[email protected], or Pastor Krais.
Faith First: Have some prayer with your pancake! Join
us Wednesday mornings at 7 am at The Main Street Café
for devotions to jump start your day! Bring your desire to
grow in faith and bring a friend!
Holy Grounds: If you think the Bible is boring, you haven’t
come to the Thursday morning Bible Study! We meet in the
parlor (lower level of church- room 5) from 9:30-11:00 am to
pray, read scripture, and find faith connections to our lives.
All are welcome! Please see Pastor Krais for more info.
Fall adult Sunday School
Join us Sunday mornings from 9:30-10:30.
People of the Bible - Get to know these people (who may
just sound a bit more familiar than you’d think!) Come
learn and be surprised at who they are, what they did, and
how they relate to our lives. Led by Dr. Judy Stryker;
Lower level of church—room 6 (library)
PRISM - Where is God in today’s world? Where is God in your life?
Join us to discuss current headlines–from the news & your life! Led by
Mr. Richard Harshaw; Lower level of church—room 4 (choir room)
Faith Journeys - During most of November, we will continue to
explore spiritual gifts & how we can use them in the world. Beginning
November 30, we’ll start a 4 week Advent study to get our hearts ready
for Christmas! Treat yourself to an hour of PEACE (not busyness) that
Christ brings to us in this season! Led by Pastor Janelle Krais; parlor
(lower level of church 0 room 5)
Pastor’s Points by Pastor Krais
Recently I was asked a question that really took me by surprise.
I was asked, “So, what is the down-side of joining a church?” Yes, I
admit, I was not prepared for that one. Seminary did not address this
question and in my 10 years of ministry, I have never considered this
particular perspective as even a remote possibility. So, after careful
thought, here’s my answer…
1. You will be challenged and changed. Jesus challenges each one
of us to grow in faith, trust, love, and mercy. Jesus isn’t content
to let us stay where we are, even when we’re VERY comfortable there. Jesus challenges us to grow closer to him.
2. You will lose independence. In becoming part of a church, we
begin to recognize that we are just one part of the body of
Christ. We are no longer the center of our universe and the sole
focus of our efforts. Jesus calls us to work together- trusting
that each one of us is loved and needed, and trusting that none
of us can do it all.
3. You will inherit too many brothers and sisters to comfortably fit
around your dining room table. As a member of Christ’s
Church, you become part of the Christian family that includes
saints (and sinners- remember, we’re both) from all time and
places. AND, you’ll be reminded often that Jesus Christ is your
brother.
Hmmm. Maybe these aren’t so terrible. As a matter of fact, these
“down-sides” are quite beautiful and amazing! May God bless you in
your challenges and changes. May God tear down your attitude of
independence and help you find joy in your connectedness to Him and
to each other. May your brothers and sisters, here at Grace, lovingly
embrace you as a fellow member of God’s beloved family.
This is our QR code—download the QR code reader to
your smart phone or mobile devise, scan our QR code &
donate or go to: www.gracelutheranroyersfrod.com to
donate online. Now you can donate to Grace Lutheran
Church & support our ministries, wherever you are.
Thank you for your continued generosity.
Come join the Caring Crafters on Wednesdays,
9:30 - 11:30AM. We’re open for new members at
all times! If you have a Wednesday morning free
come join us for card making, prayer blanket/shawl
making, small gift making, and prayer. Join our small group, socialize
with your family at Grace! All skill levels accepted! Any questions or
concern? Sue Perry 610-495-8587 or [email protected]
Look for the Shoe Box—Recycling boxes in the
Narthex & Welcome Center. The Women’s Club of
Royersford, is collecting reusable shoes, to raise funds
for community outreach projects, like the library, Project
Outreach, the Historical Society, Meals on Wheels & others. The Club
receives money for each full box we ship to Shoe Box Recycling.
Thanks for your help.
SEPA WOMEN OF THE ELCA
Upper Montgomery Conference - First Tuesday BIBLE STUDIES
Nov. 4th, 10a.m. (Coffee & treats 9:30a.m.) at Emmanuel Lutheran
Church; Hanover & Walnut St., Pottstown
Theme: Transforming Life & Faith
Presenter: Sheila Specht—Transformation Takes Time
High school youth meets in the Parlor, every Sunday
from 7-9pm. 9-12th graders have this time to play
games, connect with each other, check-in about their
week & just relax from the craziness of life. Also, each
week there will be a discussion topic picked by the youth.
Upper Elementary Youth Group 4th –6th grade, meets every month,
on the 2nd Saturday of the month, between 6-8pm, in the Parlor. Come
join the fun!!
Grace Lutheran Evangelical Church
Grace Lutheran Youth Group
“Like” us to see recent news & events
Prayer Chain Reminder - Please contact Jan Slack
(prayer chain coordinator), 610-948-3539 or
[email protected] with your prayer concerns for the
Prayer List. The weekly Ledger prayers will be kept to the
new, more short term & immediate prayer needs of the
church & community.
Prayer Lists are available on the back windowsill in the Narthex & in
the pew racks. Please take a list home with you to enhance your daily
devotions & prayer life; also use it to help you prepare your heart for
worship with prayer. Prayer lists name our concerns & thanksgivings
and are a way to stay connected to God & to the needs of others.
Fall Clean Up!! It’s that time of year; mark
your calendars for Sat., Nov. 22nd, starting at
8:30am. Coffee & donuts will be supplied, but
we need people. Many hands make light work,
so come on out and spend a few hours sprucing up the grounds. Call or
email Ken Slack at 484-769-2944 or [email protected], if you can
help.
Holiday Bazaar
WHEN: Saturday, November 22; 10AM—3PM
WHERE: Grace Lutheran Church
DESCRIPTION: Holiday shopping event with
vendors, artists and crafters offering everything for your Holiday shopping & decorating needs. Proceeds
benefit the American Cancer Society Relay For Life.
Arts and Crafts vendors needed!!
COST: $20(if you bring your own table) - $25 (we will provide
a 6’ table) plus a donation of one of your items to include as
part of our raffle. There are a limited number of spaces with
electrical outlets.
Contact for additional information: Patty Esslinger @
610-454-4793 or [email protected]
or Diane Minanno @ 610-454-4257 or
[email protected]
NOVEMBER PRAYER FOCUS
1: special people (All Saint’s Day)
2: Look for Circles’ Day
3: homemakers (Housewife’s Day)
4: all Leaders (King Tut Day)
5: football players (AFL formed in 1960)
6: saxophone players (Saxophone Day)
7: those suffering from diabetes (Diabetes Month)
8: those with a sense of humor (“Pun”ster Day)
9: the safety of children (National Child Safety Council founded 1955)
10: all Marines (US Marine Corps Day)
11: Veterans (Veteran’s Day)
12: variety of food available to us (National Pizza with the Works
Except Anchovies Day)
13: kindness (World Kindness Day))
14: all nurses (Perioperative Nurse Week)
15: things that give us comfort {National Teddy Bear Day)
16: American Educators (American Education Week)
17: peace (World Peace Day)
18: those suffering from lung cancer (Lung Cancer Awareness Week)
19: those dying in wars (Abraham Lincoln delivers the Gettysburg
Address)
20: Children of all ages (Universal Children’s Day)
21: personal communication (World Hello Day)
22: thanking God for his Word (Bible Week)
23: all Native Americans (Native American Heritage Month)
24: family time together
25 our Grace family (Family Week)
26: all those afflicted with Alzheimer’s (Alzheimer’s Disease Month)
27: all caregivers (Caregiver’s Week)
28: All of our blessings this year (Thanksgiving Day)
29: wise spending (Black Friday)
30: safety with computers (Computer Security Day)
Do you TWITTER? You can sign up for Grace ministry
update & announcement tweets by visiting our home page at
www.gracelutheranroyersford.com.
ABOUT PRAYER NOVEMBER 2014
In this age of computers and Google I searched for a list of things to thank
God for being Thanksgiving is in this month. My favorite holiday always
makes me very reflective of all the blessings I have personally. I challenge all
of us at Grace to make a list of 100 things to thank God for and on
Thanksgiving read Him this list and actually thank Him.
Perhaps J. P. Escabilla’s list will help you with your own. This was her list:
1. For giving me life; 2. My loving family; 3. Great friends who are always there
4. For the love of all the people around me; 5. Health; 6. Words
7. Books which keep me company; 8. Choice & free will; 9. Music
10. For color which makes the world beautiful; 11. Laughter
12. Smiles from complete strangers along the way and seeing them return a smile back
13. Finding myself alive and awake in the morning; 14. For the sunrise & sunset
15. For giving me my first ever pet dog; 16. Holidays; 17. Mother Nature
18. For quiet time alone; 19. Twitter; 20. My followers;
21. For a great meal everyday; 22. The Philippines; 23. For making me a Filipino
24. For Iloilo, the true Queen City of the South; 25. For Taylor Alison Swift; 26. The internet
27. For encouragement; 28. Vacation; 29. For the best teachers ever
30. Compliments by everybody; 31. Critics; 32. Discipline; 33. For growing up
34. Seeing wildlife; 35. People who go into public service to help & serve others
36. Hot chocolate drinks; 37. Independence; 38. Country music, & country music singers;
39. My blog; 40. My crooked nose; 41. For art; 42. Wonderful neighbors;
43. For great works of fiction; 44. Poetry; 45. Those of you who read my blog;
46. Rainy days; 47 For the little things; 48. For challenges; 49. Summer; 50. Confidence;
51. For experiences; 52. Jokes; 53. Clothes; 54. For the moment; 55. Wonderful memories
56. For knowing how fortunate I am; 57. Having something to look forward to;
58. For advice; 59. Safety; 60. Gifts; 61. World peace; 62. Knowledge;
63. For the kindness of everyone; 64. For accomplished goals
65. Strangers I’ve yet to make friends with; 66. For emotions; 67. For time
68. My first love; 69. Feeling pain; 70. Having a beautiful home;
71. Knowing when to quit; 72. Plans I’ve yet to make; 72. My ever loyal dog
73. For a lovely backyard; 74. Gratitude; 75. Weekends; 76. For my birthday
77. For being able to read & write; 78. Ice-cream & French fries;
79. For giving me the inspiration to live; 80. For opinions;
81. All those who’ve served the country; 82. Flowers growing around the house
83. Food on the table; 84. My alarm for telling that I woke up alive
85. Prayers answered – large or small; 86. Another good day
87. For having a peaceful quiet living; 86. Miracles; 87. The gift of faith
88. Another chance to get it right; 89. For apologies & acceptances
90. Another good week; 91. Guardian angels; 92. Receiving good news
93. Being alive, well & healthy; 94. For today – just as it is
95. For all that God has done for me. I just hope that I can do what He wants me to do.
96. Peace of mind;
97. For not even being able to begin to count the blessings that I've received;
98. For being me; 99. For Jesus Christ; 100. For my salvation
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Prayer Vigil is in the sanctuary on Saturday, Nov. 1, at 10AM-4 PM.
Come in the front door!
NOVEMBER 2014 Worship Assistants
Communion Asst.:
11/2: 8:00 Marie James, Rose Nixon, Judy Stryker, Glenn & Natalie
Peak
10:45 Janet Brown, Stephanie McMullan, Deb & Mac Fritz
11/9: 8:00 Keith Meitzler & Cindy Henson
10:45 Janet Neff, Will Moyer, Mandy & Danny Gonzalez
11/16: 8:00 Joe Curran, Debbie Mensch, Michael Walter, Jan & Ken
Slack
10:45 Sue Vukovich, Darrell Lewis, Bob Mull & John Snyder
11/23: 8:00 Kathy Horning, Katie Zielinski, Kurt Meyers, Joy
Fraunfelter & Kellie Weikel
10:45 Mary DeAlba, David Bauer, Shawn & Margie Alloway
11/30: 8:00 Jim Campbell, Richard Harshaw, Jesse James, Jackie
Perry & Kathleen Parker
10:45 First Communion/5th Grade Teachers
Acolytes, Crucifers and Torch Bearers
11/2: 8:00 Makayla Brant, Nick Harshaw
TB: Elliot Dantonio, Abby Dantonio
10:45 Kenny Butler, Jake Alloway
TB: Eric LeVan, Sam Leonard
11/9: 8:00 Kelly Thompson, Natalie Peak
10:45 Gracyn Marchesani, Caroline Thompson
11/16: 8:00 Hayley Lightcap, Nick Harshaw
10:45 Gavin Straface, Nathan McMullen
11/23: 8:00 Elliott Dantonio, Abby Dantonio
10:45 Brandon Meredith, Beneta Troiano
11/30: 8:00 Natalie Peak, Sam Leonard
TB: Gracyn Marchesani, Makayla Brant
10:45 Eric LeVan, Jake Alloway
TB: Ashley Della Guardia, Kenny Butler
Children’s Church—11/2: Stephanie Loeb 11/9: Julie Reicher
11/16: Mandy Gonzalez 11/23: Roxanne Troiano
11/30: Kate McGarry
Children’s Sermons—11/2: Judy Lukens 11/9: Brenda Johnson
11/16: Darrell Lewis 11/23: Stephanie McMullan
11/30: Teachers of First Holy Communion Class
Trustees: Glenn Peak
Altar Guild: Karen Asbert
Greeters
11/2: 8:00 Claire Nelson/Steve & Lisa Traynor
10:45 Casey & Rocco Iacullo/Debbie Armstrong & Family
11/9: 8:00 John & Elaine Snyder/Bruce & Debbie Leister
10:45 Chris & Heather Tyrrell
11/16: 8:00 John & Hilde Holms/Terry Piersol
10:45 Tim & Nancy Anspach and Family/Sue Vukovich
11/23: 8:00 Jim Campbell/Vern & Betty Keeley
10:45 Dave Thompson
11/30: 8:00 Wilma Ries/Glenn & Natalie Peak
10:45 Sheila & Emily Scheidecker/Jennifer DellaGuardia
Tot Spot: 11/2: 8:00 Abby Dantonio
11/9: 8:00 Mary Murphy
11/16: 8:00 10:45
11/23: 8:00 10:45
11/30: 8:00 10:45
10:45 Jen Miller
10:45 Dawn Beers
Ushers: 11/2: Team 7, Murray O’Cain 11/9: Team 8, R. Pennypacker
11/16: Team 1, John Fraunfelter
11/23: Team 2, Tim Anspach
11/30: Team 3, Dave Fritz
Counting Team—11/2: Team E, David Fritz
11/9: Team F, Patty Esslinger
11/16: Team G, Kurt Meyers
11/23: Team H, John Fraunfelter
11/30: Team A, Mike McGarry
Readers:
11/2: 8:00
11/9: 8:00
11/16: 8:00
11/23: 8:00
11/30: 8:00
Rose Nixon
Deb Kamertz
Marie James
Joy Fraunfelter
Jackie Perry
10:45
10:45
10:45
10:45
10:45
Patty LeBow
Bob Kerr
Kris Maersch
David Fritz
Jack Claypotch
Faithful Families: 11/2: Karen Thomson 11/9: Kelsey Hlavac
11/16: Diona Sims 11/23: Brenda Johnson 11/30: Karen Thomson