Garden of Grace
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Our web site now has a BLOG! Hear words of comfort, inspiration, motivation and ministry from our church leaders - click here! Entries from the congregation are welcome, subject to review.
To improve everyone's worship experience, we encourage worship leaders to use either the stationery or lapel microphones. When your time to participate in worship leadership nears, please be at a microphone.
Announcements for the Week at Garden of Grace:
Kelley Huff is Minister of the Month for July, which entitles him to special parking privileges. Kelley is a member of our Music Team and Multi-Media Team.
Happening This week at Garden of Grace:
5:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 8, pastor-staff meeting.
6:30 p.m. Linda Renner, lgrenner@aol.com, and Loretta Cobb’s Care Circle gathers in Columbia’s Earlewood neighborhood.
9:45 a.m. Sunday, July 13, Choir practice. Andy Farmer, jandyfarmer@yahoo.com, is director.
11 a.m. Sunday, July 13, Sunday Celebration. Pastor Andy, pastorandys@msn.com, presents “Gracious Gardening!”, a message about the quest for an abundant harvest. Dan Greshel will sing, “You Walk with Me.”
12:30 p.m. Sunday, July 13, Membership Class will be taught by Pastor Andy. Lunch will be provided.
Name tags are available from Erick Snyder, esnyder8@gmail.com. He’ll remake name tags to replace those that might be worn or lost and will take special requests for special name tags. Just send instructions and any pictures to him.
Look for new ministries – an Outreach Team, an Inreach/Compassion Team, and more in 2008! Joy Smith-Dailey, fotosetc@yahoo.com, has begun refugee resettlement through Lutheran Family Services of the Carolinas for two young women from Burma. If you are interested in joining this Outreach Team, please see Joy.
Keep these dates open – Aug. 23-24! We’ll celebrate our 15th anniversary Crystal Extravaganza Team with special guest, the Rev. Michael Piazza of Dallas, founder of Hope for Peace and Justice and dean of the Cathedral of Hope UCC, the largest predominantly gay and lesbian church in the world. A leadership forum and dining and dancing at Columbia’s newest banquet facility, Hanlee Hall off St. Andrews Road near Irmo, is planned. Tickets are $30 each. Sponsorships range from $50 to $350. Please see Pastor Andy, pastorandys@msn.com, or Joe Matthews, jmatthewssc@bellsouth.net, for more information.
Never miss another Sunday service! Garden of Grace UCC is now podcasting at our Web site: http://www.gogucc.com. Now you can hear every sermon and special music online. Subscribe via iTunes or stream audio from our Web site, gogucc.com.
For many faith means having more answers than questions. For others, faith means living the questions. If you want to explore the questions that your faith has raised in you, join us for Living the Questions, a 21-week long spiritual journey into progressive Christian ideas. Sessions are held each first and third Fridays at 7 p.m. at Garden of Grace UCC. A light meal is served at each session. Donations to defray the cost of food are gladly accepted but are not mandatory. All sessions are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Rev. Candace at revcandace@gogucc.com.
Have you wanted to help on the Apron Brigade (Hospitality Team) but did not like to greet people – just a little shy? Well, now you can help. In 2008, we are asking for help with donations, such as coffee cups, lids, snacks, and much more – and you don’t have to be a member of this team! If interested, please see Joe Matthews, jmatthewssc@bellsouth.net.
Our new Youth Ministry is led by Jennifer Schneider, jenandkris2002@gmail.com, and Barbara Johnson, compmom1@yahoo.com. Summer movie outings are planned as the group explores becoming Adventure Scouts.
Please see Kevin Dove, kdove@lander.edu, or Mike Grello, mgrello@sc.rr.com, to buy fairly traded Equal Exchange coffee, tea, and other items. This goes to help UCC’s Justice and Witness Ministry to help small, independent farmers. Also, Garden of Grace’s trustees have started a food bank to help hungry people. Non-perishable food items can be brought to our Hospitality Room. Please see Joe Matthews, jmatthewssc@bellsouth.net or Richard Morris to give in this way.
Trustee Cora Davis, archival minister, rbrducky@sc.rr.com, is gathering information about Care Circles and other ministries to maintain a record of our extraordinary history. Please see her to help. Assisting her with photography are Leta Horine, 12smokey@bellsouth.net, and Pat Seymour, seymourpat@bellsouth.net.
David Withers and Grant Lorick of Something Special in Irmo provide altar flowers in exchange for donations to our building fund. If you have a special person or occasion to honor or remember, please sign the calendar on our bulletin board.
Care Circles gather twice monthly to share in prayer, devotion and fellowship. These are great places to find friends and ministries. A variety of Care Circle devotions are offered.
Dan Greshel’s Care Circle gathers on new dates to explore “Easter Moments.” The circle gathers at 6:30 p.m. 1st and 3rd Thursdays, serving Columbia’s St. Andrews neighborhood. He can be reached at DGRESHEL@sc.rr.com.
Linda Renner, lgrenner@aol.com, and Loretta Cobb’s Care Circle gathers at 6:30 p.m. second and fourth Tuesdays in Columbia’s Earlewood neighborhood. A light meal is shared.
Patty Grello’s Care Circle gathers to help with social-justice ministries, including Harvest Hope Food Bank and a clothing program for babies. She can be reached at pgrello@sc.rr.com.
Rev. Candace Chellew-Hodge’s Care Circle gathers at 7 p.m. first and third Fridays at the church. For more information contact Rev. Candace at revcandace@gogucc.com.
Men’s Night Out, led by Patrick Parker, parker557@hotmail.com, dines out at 7 p.m. July 3.
Game Night is July 24. Please see Joe Matthews, jmatthewssc@bellsouth.net.
Women’s Spiritual Group, led by Jan Hogan, janh244@yahoo.com, dines out at 7 p.m. third Wednesdays, July 16.
Our mission and core values:
We exist to share this sanctuary of love, warmth, and laughter by providing Spirit-filled worship, music, and an open communion. All who enter can experience the radically inclusive love of Christ and take with them unquestionable knowledge that God truly loves all creation.
We exist to answer God's call to go and to g row God's disciples, to u plift Christ's goodness, to c reate Spiritual community, and to c are for God's people and God's world.
We claim a faith and a future grounded in the teachings of Jesus the Christ. Our ever-growing body of faith is nurtured by the Divine, Gracious, and Peaceful Spirit that unites us in our great diversity and gathers still others to us.
We sow Divine seeds of goodness and share a harvest of incredible compassion, dynamic hope, extravagant hospitality, and radical love.
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