January 5, 2025
WELCOME! We praise God for giving us the ability to worship in fellowship today! Please remember that if you wish to social distance there is room, if you want or need to wear a mask we will support you.
Please sign the registration books that are in the pews, please pass them to the next person. If you are worshipping from home and watching on Facebook please leave a comment (even if it is just Hi), it would be appreciated.
FELLOWSHIP TIME Please join us in the Hillmer Center following the service today and enjoy a sweet treat and coffee or juice. Bible Study will start at 10:30 am and we are studying the minor prophets.
GIDEONS PRESENTATION Drew James from the Gideons is here today for a short presentation and question and answer time. Please let him know if you have any questions about the good things the Gideons are doing. There will be a door offering for them.
ASSISTANCE IS NEEDED Grace is asking for help with transportation for a student at Valley Lutheran School. If you are willing to be an alternate or to take one of the other days, let the office know. It is our hope this will only be a short term as Janet is in the process of obtaining her driver’s license and buying a car. Also, if you know of anyone with a dependable car that is for sale for a reasonable price, please contact the Church office. Thank you.
J.O.Y. (Just Older Youth): On Tuesday, January 21st, Valley Lutheran School as a family ministry is going to host our first monthly J.O.Y. gathering from 1 to 3 p.m. in the Multi Purpose Room (MPR). This is a great opportunity for retired seniors to come out and have fun and fellowship with Just Older Youth, like themselves, and to take a little time to prayerfully support Valley Lutheran School. Executive Director, Rev. Henry Pahlkotter, will be facilitating the afternoon event with a short devotional, games, discussion of the vision of J.O.Y. and a time to lift up the students, families and staff of Valley in prayer. It is a ministry designed for senior adults. If you know of someone…Grandparents, family and friends…who would love to participate, please invite them to come and to bring a friend. They need not be directly connected to Valley to participate! Rev. Pahlkotter started a J.O.Y. group at Peace Lutheran Church in Saginaw, Michigan, which is still highly successful today! Come and have some Christ-centered JOY with us. All seniors are invited!
MARCH FOR LIFE On Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, LCMS President Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison and other Lutherans, including a leader from your district, will attend the National March for Life in Washington, D.C. As they march for life, they stand boldly together in the public square and confess our beliefs about the sanctity of life. If you are interested in participating or more information contact the office.
CONGREGATIONAL POTLUCK The fellowship board is inviting you to bring a dish to share for a potluck dinner on Sunday January 26th at 11:30 am. This time you can pick whether you want to bring a meat dish, salad or dessert. The board will provide drinks and table service.
If the weather is good and there are people interested, we might even play some games before we leave.
INVITATION FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS The college students of College Hill Lutheran Church & Brammer Student Center in Cedar Falls invite high school students to a weekend retreat with the LCMS U campus ministry near the University of Northern Iowa campus. This will be held January 25-26, Saturday starting at 1 pm to Sunday around noon. The high school students will get a taste of a collegiate life and learn what it means to be a Lutheran student on a secular campus. For more information check out the bulletin board or in the office. This sounds like a fun weekend.
WE HAVE GREAT NEWS, we will be hosting a Life Line Screening event on February 25. Life Line Screening is the premier provider of stroke and cardiovascular disease risk screenings since 1993. As the host of the event, Life Line Screening is extending a special offer to all of our members for a screening package that enables you to get peace of mind with early detection.
A LIFE QUOTE “Let the peace of Christ change how you live—clothing yourself with godly virtues reflecting a thankful heart. Carry this peace that the angels proclaimed and Simeon saw. It sets the tone for the coming year, another year you get to live as God’s child in the peace of Jesus.” Rev. Peter Sulzle, St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church, Redwood Falls, Minnesota – A Life Quote from Lutherans For Life • lutheransforlife.org “Hurting from abortion? Word of Hope can help. word-of-hope.org; 888.217.8679.”
BUILDING HEALTHY FAMILIES Depression is associated with many things, but weak faith is not one of them. Martin Luther himself struggled with depression as did many of our other church leaders. If you are feeling depressed, please don’t suffer alone. Luther had the right idea five hundred years ago when he said, “Solitude produces melancholy. When we are alone the worst and saddest things come to mind. We reflect in detail upon all sorts of evils. And if we have encountered adversity in our lives, we dwell upon it as much as possible, magnify it, think that no one is so unhappy as we are, and imagine the worse possible consequences.” Reach out and talk to someone you trust. Your pastor and your team of Lutheran Family Service counselors are here for you, regardless of where you live. Lutheran Family Service www.LutheranFamilyService.org (515.573.3138 and LFSiowa.org)
MEMORY VERSE CHALLENGE - This week the verse is:
Joel 2:32
And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls.
CATECHESIS – This week for those using the Catechism Study Guide you should be on the following page number according to what year you are doing.
Year 1 is page 10 Year 2 is page 69 Year 3 is page 128;
ONLINE GIVING We now have the option of online giving available on our website: www.gracewaterloo.org You will enter a secure site and can setup weekly or one time gifts to your regular giving or to special funds like the building repair fund. Giving can be setup with either a credit card or your bank account. You can create an account that will remember your information for future use. This is a very secure site so you can setup giving with confidence that your information will be safe.
You can also setup giving using an app on a cell phone. Just search for Vanco in your App Store. Using this you will need to create an account with your information to allow the app to communicate with Vanco.
GRACE FOOD PANTRY
Anyone wishing to donate to the Grace Food Pantry, these are the top items needed:
Top Needs
Hair conditioner, body wash, deodorant (men & women), canned veggies (no baked beans), ramen noodles, hamburger helper, Pancake mix, syrup, stick butter, spaghetti sauce and noodles, peanut butter and 32 oz. juice.
Also we are in need of empty egg cartons that are for a dozen eggs.
We can always use money too. The committee would like to thank all those who have given generously to the Grace Food Pantry!
Anyone needing assistance with the Grace Food Pantry please contact either the church office or one of the following people: Nancy McHone or Judy DePaepe. Anyone interested in helping with the food pantry please contact the office or the people listed.
VALLEY LUTHERAN UPDATE
Valley Lutheran is asking for cylinder-style containers with lids, for example, pringles, bread crumb containers. Please no nut containers! We will have our students decorate them and place their Chapel offerings in them. Thank you for all your help!
If you attended Valley Lutheran School or Immanuel Lutheran School prior to our merger, WE NEED YOU! We would like to organize a small team to help us stay connected with those who were a part of the past and to help us get the good word out about all the great things that are happening today. If you would like to be a part of this effort, please contact Shaylene Scheele, Assistant to the Executive Director, in the school office. We want to form a committee right after the first of the year. It could be fun to have an ALL YEAR REUNION Fall 2025! Let us know if you would be interested in helping us make this happen.
Matthew 2:11 – “And going into the house they saw the child with Mary His mother, and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered Him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.” Worship and the giving of gifts go together. This makes sense because God is the great Giver of every good gift, and we worship Him and desire to grow into His image. We receive His gifts in worship and then, being conformed to the likeness of His image, we imitate His generosity.
The following events have been planned for this week.
TODAY:
The Gideons presentation
9:00 a.m. Worship Sanctuary
10:15 a.m. Fellowship Hillmer Center
10:30 a.m. Bible Hour/Sunday School Hillmer Center/upper level
MONDAY:
6:00 p.m. Exercise Library
7:00 p.m. Board Meeting Hillmer Center +
WEDNESDAY:
8:30 a.m. Sewing Ladies Rm 17
5:15 p.m. Choir practice Music Room
THURSDAY:
6:00 p.m. Exercise Library
SATURDAY:
8:00 a.m. undecorating of church Sanctuary
9:00 a.m. Altar Guild Meeting Kitchen
1:00 p.m. Youth Games Youth room +
NEXT SUNDAY:
9:00 a.m. Worship w/Holy Comm. Sanctuary
10:15 a.m. Fellowship Hillmer Center
10:30 a.m. Bible Hour/Sunday School Hillmer Center/upper level
We are having games in the church on Saturday January 11th at 1 pm. Bring a friend to have fun with us. Make sure to let Denise know if you are coming.