Second Sunday of Christmas, January 3, 2021 - Grace ...
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Second Sunday of Christmas, January 3, 2021
Holy Communion is offered today. We offer individual sealed cups, with wafers, to those who
want communion. We offer juice or wine. The cups are consecrated during our worship service, then
made available in our parking lot to anyone who wishes to drive in at 11:00 a.m. and get them. The next
communion will be Sunday, February 7. If you would like communion delivered, please let the office
know ASAP.
Today we welcome guest preacher Michael Jannett, assistant to the Bishop for Formation and
Communication.
2021 pledges: Many thanks to all who have turned in pledges! Please bring your pledges, by January
3, to the church office if you haven’t already done so.
Offering envelopes are available in the entryway to the church. Just take a pack and put your name
on the first one when you return it; we’ll sort out the numbering then.
Grace Writers will meet on January 4, online at 6:00 p.m.
Grace’s Greatest Coffee & Conversation will meet via Zoom. The next meeting is scheduled for
Tuesday, January 12, at 10:30 a.m. If you need an invitation to the meeting, please contact the office.
Worship Update: Since the beginning of the pandemic in March, Grace has been offering one
worship service on Sundays via Zoom and Facebook Live, alternating between the traditional and
contemporary formats. We created a task force to determine when and how the church would allow any
in-person worship opportunities. The task force takes multiple factors into consideration in making its
recommendations, which then go to the church council for approval. Those factors include guidelines
from the CDC, our synod, the TN Department of Health, and the status of other churches in Oak Ridge.
We also seek opinions from within the Grace community, either directly or via surveys. In the end, the
decisions made regarding any reopening are based upon consensus.
As of Tuesday, December 29, 2020, the positivity rate in Anderson County is about 18%, and cases are
increasing exponentially. Anything over 5% is concerning. We continue to have all services online for
the safety of all. We expect to put our new camera into use very soon and transition from Zoom to
YouTube. You will be given guidance on how to access the service. Facebook Live will remain an option.
Services are also archived on the website under “Sermons and Services,” and on Facebook under
“Videos.”
· To join a service via Zoom, click on this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9630305892?
pwd=S2tyaUdiTWJFNnduVTRhZS9ETTh4UT09. You may also receive an invitation. If you are
using Zoom for the first time, it will ask you to download an app. Follow the links and you’ll be able
to join.
· To join a service via Facebook Live, go to http://www.graceoakridge.org/. Click on the
Facebook icon, then click on “Posts.”
· The Food Pantry will remain open as a drive-through. Thank you for your continuing,
generous support!
· If your group is meeting virtually, please let the office know so we can spread the word! We
encourage you to use Zoom for virtual meetings. Contact the office for help getting started.
· If you need masks, contact the office. Lorraine Huynh makes lovely ones.
Online Meetings and Events
Sunday School and faith formation for youth in grades 9-12 is in session. We use various
formats to keep students’ faith engaged as we develop new norms. If you have an eligible student and
are not on the email list, please contact Donna Gurecki.
Confirmation class meets Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. and lasts about half an hour. Pastor Larry will
send out a Zoom invitation. The workbooks are at the church. Please stop by right away to pick one up
for each of your kids. There is no class this week.
The Chronicles of Narnia book study group will begin a 3-week dive into The Last Battle this
Sunday at 1:00 p.m. To join, text or call Diane Weaver with your email address so she can send you
the Zoom invitation. You can find the text of the book free at https://
b2dbuntu.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/thechroniclesofnarnia.pdf and other sites. Audible.com
offers the entire Chronicles of Narnia via streaming audiobook for only one credit!
Monday Morning Bible Study meets on Mondays at 10:00 a.m. on Zoom. You may use this link to
join: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9630305892?pwd=S2tyaUdiTWJFNnduVTRhZS9ETTh4UT09.
We are studying The Universal Christ by Richard Rohr. You may order books online at Bookshop.org,
Amazon, or your favorite source. The Bible Study is on break and will resume in January.
Rehearsals for all musicians are currently suspended, but all musicians are invited to join a
Zoom meeting for prayer every Wednesday at 7:00 p.m.
Grace Writers and Poetry Pie have resumed. Grace Writers meets on the first Monday
(January 4) and Poetry Pie meets on the last Monday (January 25). Both meetings will be at 6:00
p.m. and last two hours. Expect the Zoom link to be emailed on the day of the meeting. Contact
Pat Hope with questions.
Grace Photography Club meets via Zoom the third Saturday of the month at 2:00 p.m. Let Stan
Long know if you’re interested in participating in this group. The next meeting is January 16.
ESOL: There are now six online ESOL classes each week: beginners Monday at 9:00 a.m.,
intermediate Monday at 10:15 a.m.; Tuesday and Wednesday evenings from 7-8 p.m.; and Wednesday
and Thursday mornings from 9-11 a.m. Monday morning classes will resume on January 11.
Other classes resume starting January 5.
Cancellations and Suspensions
All Musical ensemble rehearsals are held on Wednesdays. First Harmony (for age 6 and up,
Ringspiration handbell choir, Chancel Choir, and New Creation will not rehearse until further notice.
However, all musicians are invited to join a Zoom meeting for prayer, weekly at 7:00 p.m.
Thursday Night Bible Study will not be meeting until further notice.
Men’s Group will not have a meeting until further notice.
OLSE at Grace—Other Languages for Speakers of English, is an outgrowth of our ESOL program.
Currently, we have three classes. French and Spanish classes will not meet until further notice. We
need a new teacher for the Spanish Class. Russian meets Fridays at 9:00 a.m., on Zoom.
World Hunger: This year we collected our change for ELCA World Hunger with God's Global
Barnyard. Please bring your “barn” to the church and we will have the change counted. Or, if you
prefer, go to your bank, have the change counted and deposited in your account, then write a check to
Grace for that amount. Thank you for you patience and faithfulness to this ministry.
Other Congregational News
Community Garden: Anyone interested in helping plan this project, please contact the office or
talk to Pr. Larry.
Opportunities to Serve
Easter Food Baskets: The Food Pantry used all our boxes (180) for Christmas and is starting to
collect sturdy boxes for Easter Food Baskets. We will probably need another 180 boxes for Easter. If
you have leftover shipping boxes from Christmas, we would appreciate you donating them to the Food
2
Pantry. We will save our Food Pantry boxes, but we will need additional boxes. You can break them
down and bring them to the church. If you have questions, please contact Judy Joy or Phil Stumbo.
Help needed!
• Stewarding Commission needs volunteers. If you would be interested in serving on this
commission, please contact Donna Hoglund.
• Backup sound techs for the 11:15 service will be needed when we resume regular
services. Contact Ingrid Busch; training will be provided.
• Altar Guild still needs people: We are still changing paraments while we’re offering online
worship services. If you have any questions, or would like to volunteer for this important
ministry, see Lorraine Huynh, or leave her a message .
• Volunteers to Record Service Videos: We need one more volunteer to expand our team to
videotape the service. Training will be provided. If interested, please contact Ingrid Busch or Stan
Long.
• A couple of people to update the announcements on the TV monitors, using PowerPoint. It
only takes a few minutes each week. See Stan Long for training in this simple process.
The Flower Calendar for 2021 is posted in the hallway outside the sacristy. It's uncertain when
we will get back to the regular schedule for altar flowers. However, if you have a special memory or
occasion on a specific date, you should go ahead and sign up (come by or contact the office), but
don't write a check until you are notified. Thanks to all who gave flowers this year.
Fellowship
Young Adult Group: Anyone out of high school and under 50 is welcome to join us every other
month as we get together, share a meal, and have fun. If you would like to be put on the email list to
know when and where the next gathering is, please contact Margaret Cumberland.This is on hold
until we can resume in-person gatherings again.
Prayer Opportunities
Prayer Chain Coordinators: If you have a prayer chain request or would like to be added to the
list of those who provide prayer, please email or text Donna Gurecki.
Prayer meeting, which previously met in church every third Tuesday evening, is canceled due to
the pandemic. As an alternative, we are all praying on Friday afternoons at around 5:00 p.m. for 30-
60 minutes, wherever we are. We are gathering prayer requests from our group as the week unfolds,
with praises and petitions being texted to Paul Gurecki. All members of the group are on a group
text, so everyone sees the prayer requests. If you are interested in joining our group, text Paul to get
on the list. Please note: all prayer concerns need to be handled with strict confidentiality. Also,
please be aware that being in this group should be a weekly commitment, not a casual option. “Lord,
teach us to pray.”
Community News
Women’s Interfaith Dialog will meet on Monday, January 4. Sarah Walsh, East Tennessee
regional director of the Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network, will discuss “Suicide: The
Problem and Opportunity to Prevent It” in a virtual program hosted by Women’s Interfaith
Dialogue. The program will begin at 11:00 a.m. Contact Rebecca (505-699-3641;
orip.rebecca@gmail.com) to obtain a link to the Zoom meeting.
3FYI: Food Banks in Oak Ridge—There are food banks in town every day but Monday.
Clients may want to call ahead to be sure of hours and requirements. There are other resources
available; have interested people call the office and we’ll see if we can direct them.
Tuesday, 9-10 a.m.: Central Baptist Church / 130 Providence Rd. / 483-7495
Wednesday, 10-11:45 a.m.: St Mary’s / 323 Vermont Ave. / 482-2875
Thursday, 10-12:00: Highland View Church of Christ / 139 Providence Rd. / 483-7471
And: 1:30-4 p.m.: First Baptist Church / 1101 Oak Ridge Tnpk. / 483-5615
Friday, 10-12 noon: Grace Lutheran / 131 W. Gettysburg Ave. / 483-3787
In addition, bags of groceries may be available from Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church
(483-6761) or Glenwood Baptist Church (484-7436).
If you or someone you know needs ADFAC’s services, please use the following phone
numbers and leave a message:
• Household Assistance Program (utilities, rent) 865-483-6028
• Appalachian Housing Partners (home repairs, new homes) 865-481-3837
• Administrative Office (general inquiries) 865-425-0256
The Free Medical Clinic serves low-income and uninsured families in Anderson,
Morgan, and Roane Counties. For many of our neighbors, FMC is their only healthcare.
Check out their newsletter at http://www.fmcor.org/wp-content/uploads/. To give, go
to this link. Call 865-483-3904 for an appointment.
Christ in Our Homes for January-March, 2021, is in the both entryways and the narthex. There
is also a basket on the bench outside the front door with a few copies in it. Make this part of your
spiritual formation and God time; you will be surprised by the blessings! If you know of
someone who doesn’t get these announcements and would like a copy, please contact
the office. If you’d be willing to deliver, it would save postage. Otherwise, we’ll mail
one out.
4This Week at Grace
CR = Choir Room; FH = Fellowship Hall; JL = Jacob’s Ladder; N = Narthex;
O = Office; S = Sanctuary; SS = Sunday School Rooms
Sunday, January 3 Thursday, January 7
10:00am Traditional Worship Online 9:00am ESOL Class Online
11:15am Drive through communion Online
1:00pm Chronicles of Narnia Study Online Friday, January 8
9:00am Russian Class Online
Monday, January 4 1:00pm Ladies’ Lunch Group Online
6:oopm Grace Writers Online 5:00pm Prayer Time Invitation
Tuesday, January 5 Saturday, January 9
7:00pm ESOL Class Online
Sunday, January 10
Wednesday, January 6 10:00am Contemporary Worship Online
** Epiphany ** 1:00pm Chronicles of Narnia Study Online
9:00am ESOL Class Online
7:00pm Musicians’ Prayer Time Online
7:00pm ESOL Class Online
January’s love offering goes to support the
YWCA of Knoxville and the Tennessee Valley
Please label your offering for this ministry.
The Grace Calendar on our website has been updated to reflect what’s actually going on these
days. If you want changes made, or need to confirm an event, please contact the office.
“How I can continue to financially support the church?” We may not be coming together to worship the
Lord in our church building, however there are still expenses that need to be met and important ministries
that need to be funded. There are many ways you can donate to Grace.
• You can drop off your offering at church and if it is not during regular office hours you can put it in the
mailbox mounted to the left of the front door. Lift the flap and slide it in. The mailbox is checked daily.
• Mail your offering to the office.
• If you use online banking with your bank or credit union you can use bill pay to send a check directly to
Grace. You handle it as if you were paying a person. In fact, you can set up a recurring check for a set
amount, usually monthly. You do not need the church’s EIN or routing number if you do it this way.
Our offering stewards will continue to count the offering regularly. If you need further help or have any
questions please contact Janet Rawl.
Our Sunday worship schedule is:
10:00 a.m. Livestreamed worship
5Worship Volunteer Schedule
January 10
Date January 17 January 24
Baptism of Our Lord
Time 10:00 10:00 10:00
Genesis 1:1-5 1 Samuel 3:1-10 [11-20] Jonah 3:1-5, 10
Psalm 29 Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18 Psalm 62:5-12
Readings
Acts 19:1-7 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 1 Corinthians 7:29-31
Mark1:4-11 John 1:43-51 Mark 1:14-20
Worship
Beverly Bauman Betty Anne Domm
Leader
Assisting
Minister
Reader Crista Froeling Margaret Cumberland Chelsea Martin
Young
People’s Beverly Bauman Margaret Cumberland Chelsea Martin
Message
Offering Terry Domm, Terry Domm, Terry Domm,
Stewards Betty Anne Domm Betty Anne Domm Betty Anne Domm
Altar Guild Linda Long, Paula Pope Linda Long, Paula Pope Linda Long, Paula Pope
Audio recordings of recent sermons are available on the church’s website,
www.graceoakridge.org. Click on the Church Life tab in the menu, then click Worship, then
Sermons (or go here). CDs with recordings of the 11:15a.m. service are available in the narthex
each Sunday. Videos of recent sermons are available on both our church website and
Facebook page.
Stephen Ministers Available – These times are difficult for everyone. If you find yourself needing emotional
support, even just needing someone to keep in contact with during these tumultuous days, a Stephen Minister
can be that person. Stephen Ministers can provide the emotional and spiritual care we need when faced with a
crisis or difficulty. If you or someone you know would be interested in having the care of a Stephen Minister or
would like to know more about Stephen Ministers, please contact Betty Anne Domm or leave a message at the
church office during office hours.
OFFICE HOURS:
Monday: 9 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Tuesday: 9 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Wednesday: 9 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Thursday: 9 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Friday: OFFICE CLOSED
6We ended 2020 with net income even after sending the additional $7,500 to the Synod as directed
by the congregation. However, the pledges and estimated giving for 2021 has decreased. At this time
the gap between proposed giving for 2021 and the estimated giving for 2021 is $41,000. The budget
task force will be meeting to discuss adjusting the budget that was proposed at the September 2020
Congregational Meeting.
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