Grace Notes

Grace Notes

THE NEWSLETTER OF GRACE LUTHERAN CHURC H

Dear Members and Friends,

July & August 2013

The name of our church is Grace. Grace is the undeserved love of God that is granted to us in spite of our unworthiness. I know that some of you love the winter, but I personally prefer summer. Part of the reason is that it reminds me of the abundant Grace of God. The world is green again, the flowers add even more color and the birds are back from their southern refuge. When it rains I think of God replenishing the earth. When the warmth of the sun shines on my face I feel it as the warmth of Gods love. When I mow the lawn I see the continuous growth as reassurance that God is with us and sustaining us. Fresh fruits and vegetables reminds me of Gods continuing care for our basic needs and when I stand back from this lush season and take in the big picture, I see it all as the Grace of God. I look forward to seeing everyone at Grace throughout the summer as we return thanks together for the love of God that is shown to us in Jesus Christ.

By the Grace of God, Pastor David Almleaf

Grace Notes
Page 2

Altar Flowers July & August

July 7 - Dorian & Tabetha Angus July 14 - Derrick McGuinness July 21 - Maryland Warner July 28 - Maryland Warner and Kathy VanValkenburgh August 4 - Rita Longfritz August 11 - Peg & Ernie Niforos August 18 - Larry & Carol Preston August 25 - Joan Longfritz Altar flowers are $33.00 unless you share a Sunday then they would be $16.50 each vase. If you wish to place a special arrangement in the Sanctuary the cost would be whatever you would like to spend. Nancy Blanchard (762-4234) and Linda Bumpus (725-1927) are the Altar Flower coordinators.

Bread Bakers July & August

July 7 - Audrey Rulison July 28 - Cindy Walsh August 4 - Linda Morley August 25 - Carol Hennessey Please find someone to replace you if you cannot bake bread the Sunday you are scheduled and whenever possible, tell the church secretary so the bulletin can reflect the change.

Counters for July & August

07/07 - Darleen Gaugler, Charlotte Petersen, Bonnie 07/14 - Nancy Demarest, Ron & Jackie Hollenbeck 07/21 - Darleen Gaugler, Charlotte Petersen, Bonnie 07/28 - Nancy Demarest, Ron & Jackie Hollenbeck 08/04 - Nancy Blanchard, Greta Davis, Bonnie 08/11 - Nancy Blanchard, Greta Davis, Bonnie 08/18 - Darleen Gaugler, Charlotte Petersen, Bonnie 08/25 - Darleen Gaugler, Charlotte Petersen, Bonnie Thank you, Peggy Niforos (I) - Intinction Sunday (R) - Rail Sunday July 7 (R) - Kathy VanValkenburgh July 14 (I) - Carol Hennessey July 21 (I) - Joan Longfritz July 28 (R) - Bonnie Olendorf August 4 (R) - Marion Pellegrino August 11 (I) - Darleen Gaugler August 18 (I) - Peg Niforos August 25 (R) - Karen Ryder Please find someone to replace you if you cannot make the Sunday you are scheduled and whenever possible, tell Bonnie so that the bulletin can reflect the change. Peg Niforos, Altar Guild Coordinator

Prayer Chain Ministry Prayers of the Church

Please notify the church office when your prayers have been answered so your prayer concern can be removed from the list that Pastor raises up to God on Sunday morning. Thank you. If you know of anyone in need of daily prayers for the healing of body, mind or soul, please call Bobbi Nigro (725-6781) or Nancy Demarest (725-8704). If requesting in person, please submit the name(s) in writing and add your name at the bottom. To further assist, please reconnect with that member of the Prayer Chain within 2 weeks to verify the condition of the person(s) receiving prayer. All requests are held in confidence unless otherwise designated. Thank you.

Grace Notes
Page 3

Council Highlights from June 13th Meeting

The grand piano has been tuned. Steeple project keeps getting postponed. Pastor David and Alison Martin reported on the June Synod Assembly held in Rochester. Request to elect delegates to attend next years assembly at our October congregational meeting due to the fact that a new bishop will be elected. Discussed a new pictorial directory for the church - project on hold until next year. We will need volunteers to work on it. Recommendation from finance committee and approved by council - due to the concern of meeting our summer bills: 1. ) To move $5000.00 from Love City fund to go towards Pastors housing. 2.) To move from remaining Thrivent CD $5262.85 to be used for regular bills if necessary.

A Garden Fund is being set up to help defer the cost of placing annual flowers in our planters and gardens. If you wish to contribute to this fund please put your contribution in an envelope marked Garden Fund with your name and envelope number. Wed like to thank our garden committee consisting of: Linda Bumpus, Donna Coonradt, Peg Niforos, and Deb Seward for the great job they did in planting the geraniums, marigolds and begonias. The gardens are starting to blossom beautifully and the splashes of color really pop! Thank you to all of you who donated the geraniums, and to Kathy VanValkenburgh for donating the extra flowers, potting soil and flower boxes on the pergola. Most of all we give thanks to God for providing the rain and sunshine needed for our gardens to grow.

August 28th - Choir Rehearsals will begin September 8th - Welcome Back Sunday School Starts Recognition of ministries Covered Dish hosted by Worship & Music Committee Bell Choir to play....... November 24th - Christ the King Sunday and December 1st - First Sunday on Advent Next committee night will be Tuesday September 3rd 5:30 - 8p.m. Next Council meeting will be Thursday September 12th at 6:00 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Kathy VanValkenburgh, Council President

Thank you to our organist/choir director Darlene Pollak and the choir for enhancing our worship with their gifts of music. Choir rehearsals will resume on Wednesday August 28th at 7 p.m. Thank you to Marion Pellegrino for creating the flowers that she and Anna Butez passed out to us on Mothers Day. Your thoughtfulness was greatly appreciated.

News From the Property Committee: Hopefully work on the new steeple will begin the middle of July.

Worship Services are at 9:15am June 23rd-Sept 1st

Grace Notes
Page 4

We need your help.........

On Tuesday August 6th a bicycling group will be staying here at Grace over night. Last summer they traveled from Seattle to Minneapolis and are continuing their trip this summer from St. Paul, MN to Boston. They started doing these trips in the 1980's with church youth sponsored by the Connecticut Conference, UCC. Now it is mostly retired adults who make the trip. On the day they stay here they will be biking from Utica (about 55 miles) arriving here between 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. There are about 20 -25 people. We would like to be hospitable and offer a covered dish supper for them. This is where you come in!!! We need - Dishes to pass - People to help set-up - Serve - Clean-up to just be who we are, friendly, caring Christians! Please let Kathy VanValkenburgh or Bonnie Olendorf know if you are able to help in any or all of these areas.

Happy Belated Birthday to Dennis Hubley whose birthday was on June 30th. If you notice someone missing from the birthday list please let me know. Thanks, Bonnie

A HUGE Thank You to Darlene Pollak and the Choir for all of their time and support with the Youth Service on June 9th. They practiced for many months learning the new liturgy, and it was very much appreciated.
Now that the Christian Education year has drawn to a close, thanks go to our teachers and helpers, Alison Martin, Heidi Ropeter, Barbara Frederick, Sharon Smith, Karl Blanchard and Samara & Gabby Smith. Thanks also go to Gordon Demarest & Don Phelps for leading our Adult Bible Study on Sunday mornings. Your enthusiasm and love for the word of God is truly amazing. Thank you, Barb

Grace will be at the Railfest in Gloversville on Saturday August 3rd. If you are interested in helping or would like more info, please see Alison Martin.

DO YOU HAVE RETURNABLE BOTTLES AND CANS that are clogging up space in your home? Do you hate the thought of taking them to the store to return? If so, just bring them to church and leave them in the box next to the side entrance. Someone from the Youth Group will return them to help defray the cost of their trip to Detroit in July 2015. Thanks for supporting them! As a further note, the Youth Group is continuing to collect old and used cell phones. There is a box in the narthex where you can leave them.

Grace Notes
Page 5

Remember Our Shut-Ins

At Home:
Eleanor Achzet Eileen Spawn Florence Sandner Ruth Seiler Helene Keach

Nathan Littauer Nursing Home:

Donna Mae Batty Ruth Brownell

Wells House:
Geraldine Moldt

Pineview Commons:
Shirley Snyder

Willing Helpers:
Lorraine Muller Dona Frey

Prayer Concerns
Marianne Jones Sue McGrattan Tina Aldonis Raymond Rulison Kevin Kane Christine Hahn Marion Pellegrino Anna King Rick Hennessey Anna Butez Grandstaff Family Sara Vesteese Charlotte Palmeri Clara Young Greg Nellis Donald Wright Richard Elmendorf Phyllis Lane The Gleeman Family Jenny Ayers Marcia McCoy Julie Cole Nancy White Pete Cinelli Brenda Congdon Betty Jones

All those who have served and for all those who are now serving in the armed forces, especially:
Scott Bumpus Brandon Caldwell Tony Clemente Brad Coody John Ferrara Kevin Funk Zachary Goot Jordan Keeling Lance Corporal Corey Lincoln Denise & Jacob Lockwood Thomas Szumowski And for our enemies

Please pray for NOAH, the food pantries of Johnstown & Gloversville and for those in need of them. Please pray for the safety of those who will be traveling this summer. Please pray for our high school and college graduates.

Grace Notes
Page 6

To My Dear Friends at Grace Lutheran Church, I hope you are staying dry with all the rain we've been having. We have similar weather patterns as we live in the Gulf Stream so we import and export each other's climate, precipitation and storm activity. It makes me feel connected to my friends and family in the north knowing here in South Central KY, we are a day or 2 ahead or behind you and sharing the same breezy air. Please pray for our niece Abby (Steven's sister's daughter) as she had a bad bicycle accident and has been in the hospital for 2 weeks with a serious head injury. It'll be a long haul for her, but she is responding well to treatments, praise God. I also pray for the family of Ed Lakata whose bike accident was fatal. William and Leah are stable and have been enjoying their summer vacation. It looks like we are planning a trip to the north for a week. We have a lot of ground to cover in a very short amount of time, so unfortunately there won't be time for socializing with friends as we have some family business to take care of. The farm animals and pets here will be tended to by a neighbor. We'll be anxious to get back as we don't want to over burden the neighbors or stress out our animals too much. Thomas Ridge Christian continues to be our home/family church. We enjoyed a nice VMS session and I've been really feel blessed preparing the weekly music liturgy. Hymns and praise and worship music are so uplifting to the soul. I'm so thankful for the Lord's gift of music and the wide world of selections containing the word of God to help and guide us through any mountain or valley. Best wishes to all of you with His wonderful blessings and love, Susan Gleeman

Grace Notes
Page 7

July Birthdays
1Edna smith Jacqueline Fosdick Warren Maas, Jr. Jenny Ruff Brian Miller, Jr. Mary H. Smith Scott Parillo Lylian Irene Angus Aiden Rubilotta Jennifer Unislawski Kevin Williams Joann Russo Ron Bell Robert Thodes Christopher Jordan Paul Ligon Brandon Morley Fawn Sager Lucille Plantz Paul Bradt Douglas Bleyl Karen LaMonica Derrick McGuinness Roy E. Nellis Mrs. Robert Wilson Carolyn Peck Betsy Subik Edgr Achzet Natalie Williams Lesleigh Anne Durfree Brandon Hemmerich Dotti Nielsen Florence Sandnere Nathaniel Ligon Erica K. Wagner Arlene Madden Joanne Riccitiello 19 Kimberly Fiorillo Harold Edick Emily Bradt Jessie Lesser Matthew VanValkenburgh Brandon Cross Robert Hallenbeck Drew Anthony Paxton Rita Longfritz Betty Pemrick Frederick Stortecky Jr. Christina VanValkenburgh John Feffara Lewis Armstrong Carol Ann Laincoln Jeffrey Seward Christian Rohrs Clyde Smith Harold Achzet Andrea Fisher Alexander Grandstaff Tammy Capano Jeanne Behl Tom Fraker Madolyn Taglialatela Ricky Rhodes Amelia Petersen Judy Rhodes Diane Graudons Kimberly Brown Henry Fountain Virginia Keller Jack Jones Cindy Subik Eric Unislawski Matthew VanValkenburgh, Jr.

2-

20 -

3-

21 -

4-

5 6 7 8

22 23 -

9-

24 -

25 26 -

10 12 13 14 15 16 18 -

27 28 29 31 -

Grace Notes
Page 8

August Birthdays
1234Randy Hollenbeck Kathy Frederick Kovarovic Samara Smith Linda Van Slyke Karen Shutts Ryan Harry Wicksell Lisa Gargiulo Marlene Slingerland William Tonn Nicholas Sandy Harlan Frederick Ernest Mrazz, Jr. Marilyn Lair John David Fisher Linda Morley Robin Simonds Dennis Healy Carol Akey Peggy Niforos Audrey Goebel Pamela (Ladd) Sandy Dona Mae Batty Kayla Miller Jacklynn Atkins Michelle Baird Richard Spinks William Cross, Jr. Tabitha DeVoe Kevin Subik Christine VanValkenburgh Alan Miller Paul Feinour Mark Leach Douglas Austin II Faith Sparks Matthew Healy 18 19 Cassidy Fries Megan Sicilia Carolyn Schreivogl Howard Goebel Brenda Sparks Jordan Hale Michael Ronquillo Ross Williams Ronald Blood Richard Weaver David Hynd Adele Cromer Heather Dorsey Kurt Warner Sarah Rohrs Chapp Geraldyn Smith Audrey Flint Erin Bryan Robert Walker Melissa Tonn Nicholas Hughes Lee Hollenbeck Ernest Niforos David Petersen Thomas Petersen William Frey Nan Jones Raymond Spawn Thomas Subik Kathleen Warner Erica Peck Erica Hynd Linda Ferenz Sandy Walther Joseph Harry Wainwright Peter Cinelli Elliot Haverly Cynthia Bradt

5-

21 -

78910 11 -

22 23 24 25 -

12 13 -

26 27 -

14 15 17 -

28 -

3031 -