Bulletin Board
November 3, 2024
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. Following the fellowship time we will have the adult Bible Class; we will be talking about Minor Prophets.
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 momis 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.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED Grace has 4 dedicated 2 person teams of counters (officially financial secretaries). They alternate counting each Sunday after church. We can always use more teams. If this is something of interest to you please contact Randy Eichelberger or the church office.
SURVEY Your congregation, along with others in The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, has been invited to participate in a national study of church attendance in the United States. You have an important role in ensuring that confessional Lutheranism is represented as part of the broader context of religion in America. This study is being conducted by an outside entity as part of the Exploring the Pandemic Impact on Congregations (EPIC) and Faith Communities Today (FACT). The LCMS has actively participated in other FACT and EPIC studies over the last twenty years and benefited from the insights their research has produced. Here is the link https://covidreligionstudy.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9GYI89a3NMOwuFw?congregation=19003
Please, if you can fill out this survey. It will be helpful in understanding where everyone is in their church and how to get more to participate.
LUTHERAN FAMILY SERVICES The Annual Meeting of Lutheran Family Service will take place on Monday, December 9th at the Lutheran Family Service Ministry Center in Fort Dodge, 230 9th Avenue North, Fort Dodge, IA 50501 beginning at 1:00 p.m. As part of the official business of the annual meeting, there will be a review of the ministry plan. We will also be electing LFS board members who will begin their term January 1, 2025. Your participation in the election is extremely helpful to our process. You can vote online through Survey Monkey by clicking on this link or by copying and pasting this link into your internet browser: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/7S5Z6HM Voting ends Friday, December 6th.
BLACKHAWK HOCKEY TEAM has some nights that are called Faith nights. Churches, youth groups, and other groups in the church are encouraged to come those nights for $10 if we get a group of 10 people wanting to go. There are dates in December, January, March and April. Let me know if you are interested and maybe we can get a group together.
DELEGATE MEETING AT VALLEY LUTHERAN SCHOOL Next Sunday November 10th at 2 pm. Anyone can attend that is interested is seeing what is taking place at the school.
A LIFE QUOTE “In the fullness of time, our Lord was born for our sake. In the fullness of time, He will bring all the faithful into eternal fellowship with Him. In the fullness of time, He will dry every tear and fulfill His will for all mankind, as John the Evangelist witnessed in the Revelation God granted him.” Deaconess Bethany Stoever, Director-at-Large, LFL of Kansas – 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 The first snowfall of the year - welcomed or not - always makes a significant impact on the landscape. The brightest of white color covers all and everything is – for a brief time until the plows and cows come through – clean and beautiful. Take time to notice the new fallen snow when it comes. Let it remind you to reflect on the amazing gift of grace that is yours through Jesus: “…though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.” Isaiah 1:18 Lutheran Family Service www.LutheranFamilyService.org. (515.573.3138 and LFSiowa.org)
MEMORY VERSE CHALLENGE - This week the verse is:
1 Corinthians 15:22
For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
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 57; Year 2 is page 116; Year 3 is page 175;
GRACE FOOD PANTRY
Anyone wishing to donate to the Grace Food Pantry, these are the top items needed:
Top Needs shampoo/conditioner, dish soap, razors-especially ladies, 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 the church office. Anyone interested in helping with the food pantry please contact the office.
VALLEY LUTHERAN UPDATE
Valley Lutheran School Invites You!
"Growing Generations" is the name of Valley Lutheran School's effort to respond to God's calling to be More Than A School and the increasing enrollment God is blessing us with. Come Thursday, November 7, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. to see our beginning renovations to enhance building security, functionality of our gymnasium and the addition of classroom spaces for the sake of sharing God's truth and grace. It will be a fun night to tour our renovations and hear more about our "Growing Generations” campaign. Join us!
The Iowa Lutheran School Tuition Organization
exists to assist families who are Iowa residents who desire a K-12 Lutheran education in Iowa for their children. ILSTO would love to award more financial assistance but we need your help to do so. We are currently at 10% of our
goal so please consider a donation at this time. There certainly is a great need in our LCMS schools so families can continue to send their children to an Iowa Lutheran Elementary/Secondary School even with the passage of the Student First Act (ESA).
As you begin thoughts of end of year giving, RMD distributions, and other tax planning, please consider a donation to the Iowa Lutheran School Tuition Organization. Your donation can be cash, RMD, appreciated stock, or even grain. In addition, the benefit to you is a great tax
credit of 75% on your Iowa state taxes. The 75% Iowa tax credit is the largest tax credit in Iowa and there are also added tax benefits to C-Corporations if that includes you or someone you know. All donations help whether it’s $500,
$1000 or $10,000 that you would normally pay in state tax.
For more information about ILSTO go
online to www.iowalutheransto.com or call Dewey Torkelson at 712-260-2991.
Also, a reminder ILSTO Sunday will be Nov. 10.
“With angels, archangels, and with all the company of heaven ...” When we gather around the altar of the Lord in His house, we pray and praise God “with all the company of heaven.” Those we have lost in the Lord are not truly lost to us — they have simply entered their rest with the Lord. As we gather to worship our Lord, we gather along with them. On the Last Day, everything that God has given into the care of our stewardship will fade away — everything except our brothers and sisters in Christ. Caring for one another in love and grace is our highest calling.
The Schedule this Week:
The following events have been planned for this week.
TODAY:
9:00 a.m. Worship Sanctuary
9:30 a.m. Voter’s Meeting 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 Circle Rm 17
5:00 a.m. Confirmation Kitchen
5:15 p.m. Chancel Choir meets Music Room
THURSDAY:
9:30 a.m. Ladies Bible Study Hillmer Center
6:00 p.m. Exercise Library
SATURDAY:
8:00 a.m. Men’s Breakfast/Bible Study Kitchen
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
Youth News
Check the next Grace Greetings for the next adventure.
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.