All women are invited to join the Beth Moore Women’s Summer Bible Study at Grace Lutheran Church every Monday June 4^th through July 30 from 9:30 a.m. to noon. There will be no class on July 2. Participants must register by May 29 and there is a $15.00 fee for study materials. Babysitting is available at no cost for those who request it in advance of the program.

Beth Moore’s study programs are widely praised by Christian leaders for her biblical insights and observations in her books, workbooks and videos. The subject this summer’s Bible Study is “James: Mercy Triumphs.”  Moore states that the course centers on “James, Jesus’ own brother, who started out as a skeptic. See how one glimpse of the resurrected Savior turned an unbeliever into a disciple. Bible scholars compare James to the prophet Amos. In other ways, James more closely resembles the Book of Proverbs than any other New Testament book. Topics in this study include: joy, hardship, faith, reversal of fortunes for rich and poor, wisdom, gifts from above, single-mindedness, the dangers of the tongue, humility, and prayer.”

Please register and pay for materials at Grace Lutheran Church, 1245 6th Ave. West (corner of Blythe Street) or call the church to register at 828-693-4890.  For information call Sue Filson 828-693-4890 or graceedu@bellsouth.net .

In recognition of Memorial Day, Grace Lutheran Church’s Music Department will present “A Tribute to Our Armed Forces & Veterans” concert on Sunday, May 27 at 4:00 p.m.  In announcing the concert, the Pastor Greg Williams said, “We regularly thank God for the blessings and freedom that we enjoy in the United States. This event is an opportunity to thank and remember those whom God used, through their military service, to help provide and secure this freedom. The concert is our offering of thanks to veterans for their service and sacrifice.”

American veterans from the community at large are cordially invited to join Grace Lutheran congregational veterans and friends for this patriotic program.  Those currently in the military or veterans of military service are invited to wear their uniforms at the concert.

Highlights of the program will feature the combined Adult Choirs singing an Armed Forces Salute and many familiar American patriotic songs. There will also be other choral anthems and singing of patriotic hymns by all who attend. Guest organist Howard Bakken will accompany the choir and the concert will feature Cameron Hahn, pianist, Karen-Eve Pfotzer, well-known local storyteller, and “Blissings” vocal trio will sing a patriotic medley in the style of the Andrew Sisters.

Everyone in the community is invited to this musical celebration of our great country and to help us honor all of our military service personnel who are serving now or have served their country in the past.  The Grace Hospitality Committee is planning refreshments in Stull Activity Hall following the concert.  Grace Lutheran Church is located at the corner of Sixth Avenue West and Blythe Street in Hendersonville.  For further information please call 828-693-4890.n

Join us for this Congregational Community Service experience held in Stull Hall.  We will be hosting a “Shoe Cutting Party” for SOLE HOPE.  This is a wonderful opportunity to learn about a great local non-profit, give back to the community, and socialize with fellow Grace members of ALL ages. Together, we will be cutting out and assembling kits to make children’s shoes from fabrics.

SOLE HOPE’s mission is to provide HOPE to widows, orphans and others within impoverished and forgotten communities around the world by teaching the simple trade of shoe making which provides jobs and shoes for those in need.

• What we will be doing: Cutting the parts and pieces that will make shoes for children living in impoverished communities in Africa.
• Supplies you can help bring:

~~~Cotton fabric (for inside of shoe)
~~~Old jeans or heavy upholstery fabric (for outside of shoe)
~~~CLEAN Plastic milk cartons
~~~Fabric cutting Scissors or pinking shears (label your scissors)

For more information about Sole Hope visit: www.solehope.com.  Please contact Anne Monroe, graceyfd@bellsouth.net with any questions regarding the event.

“FESTIVAL OF HYMNS” CONCERT

To celebrate the rich heritage of Christian song and Mother’s Day, on Sunday, May 13 at 4:00 p.m. in Grace Lutheran Church, the combined ninety-voice adult choirs of Grace Lutheran and First United Methodist Churches will join to present a Festival of Hymns to the community. In addition to piano and organ accompaniments, the concert will include Handbell choirs from both churches and the Methodist Church brass ensemble with timpani.

A Festival of Hymns: the Writers Tell Their Stories, arranged by Hal H. Hopson, is a unique festival service that features significant hymn writers through the ages, from the fourth century through the twentieth century, telling their own stories.  This is a production born of the church and written for the church, and is intended to enhance the understanding of hymns by all generations, including children. The service will feature well-loved hymns including A Mighty Fortress Is Our God, O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing, and Now Thank We All Our God, to mention a few, in glorious festival settings for choir and congregation accompanied by brass, hand-bells, percussion, organ and piano.

The choirs will be directed by Judy Meinzer, Director of Music at First United Methodist Church and Burton Bumgarner, Director of Music at Grace Lutheran Church, and Michael Brannon, Associate Director of Music at First United Methodist Church will accompany on the organ and piano.

This free program is open to the public. Grace Lutheran Church is located at the corner of Sixth Avenue West and Blythe Street in Hendersonville.  For further information please call Grace Lutheran at 828-693-4890 or First United Methodist at 828-693-4275.

Dinner will begin at 4:45pm. Please sign-up at the Welcome Window.

Adult Class:  “The Beginning of the Good News – a study in Mark”. All adults are invited to attend this live presentation on DVD followed by a discussion led by Pastor Ken

Exercise Classes Tuesday and Thursday, from 9:00-10:00am. Come join us for a video-led strength, stretching, and cardiovascular workout safe for all fitness levels. Please bring a mat, water bottle and a smile.

Road to Emmaus. What is Ignatian Contemplation, and what does it have to do with the Walking and Wellness campaign beginning April 15? Ignatian Contemplation is a prayer form created by St. Ignatius of Loyola in the 1500′s. We will learn about this, and six other prayer/meditation forms during our 8-week program. Emmaus is an exercise of the heart and mind, as well as body! Road to Emmaus Kick-off Sun., April 15 from 4-5pm in Fellowship Hall.

Health Screenings – The Wellness Ministry at Grace Lutheran Church will host the Wellness on Wheels (WOW) Van from Park Ridge Health on Tuesday, April 24 from 8:00 to 11:00 a.m. in the church parking area.  Lipid and glucose profiles by finger stick, along with blood pressure and body mass index screening will be offered free of charge.
All members of the community are welcome to participate in the screenings.  Reservations are not required.  Grace Lutheran Church is located at the corner of 6^th Avenue West and Blythe Street in Hendersonville.  For further information please call the church at 828-693-4890.

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SERVANT SATURDAY IS APRIL 28TH.  SIGN UP NOW.

Grace is well-known for our service to the community. One of the most significant service opportunities will happen on April 28th: SERVANT SATURDAY! For the past 18 years, we have dedicated a Saturday morning to community outreach, as we volunteer 3-5 hours of our time to work on projects at various Hendersonville agencies, like IAM, the Rescue Mission, Mainstay, Hunger Coalition, Four Seasons Compassion for Life, the Boys and Girls Club, and The Healing Place. There are tasks for every age and ability, including raking, trimming, planting, painting, and basic carpentry. It will be fun and rewarding to work alongside your fellow church members in service to others. The event will begin in Stull Hall at 8:30 AM with donuts and coffee.

After each service in April, you will find a brief description of the projects and sign-up sheets , located in the lobby, near the sign-up window. Please select one that fits you and join in for our 19th annual Servant Saturday!

Here is list of  this year’s projects

1.   Boys & Girls Club – Painting: Paint the bathroom stalls in the main building (not the walls). Touch up paint throughout the main building.

2.   Four Seasons Compassion for Life – Outdoor Spring Clean-Up: Power wash patio areas and outdoor furniture, weeding of gardens. Wear outdoor work clothes; bring work gloves, rubber gloves, and weeding tools. Light lunch provided for all volunteers (Families & Youth Welcome).

3.   Interfaith Assistance Ministry – Window Washing:  Window washing inside and outside of building. IAM will have necessary supplies – bring rubber gloves.

4.   Interfaith Assistance Ministry – Gardening:  Weeding, racking and trimming of shrubs. Need gardening tools such as gloves, pruners, rakes, hoes and weeding tools (Families & Youth Welcome).

5.   Rescue Mission – Cleaning:  Cleaning parts of the facility – primarily tables and chairs, wear old clothes. Gloves and cleaning materials supplied by the mission (Families & Youth Welcome).

6.   Rescue Mission – Mulching:  Mulching beds around the facility. Wear outdoor work clothes, bring gloves, rakes, pruning shears, shovels, and pitch forks – and a wheelbarrow if you can (Families & Youth Welcome).

7.   Rescue Mission – Yard Work:  Mulching beds around the facility. Some planting and trimming. Wear outdoor work clothes, bring gloves, rakes, pruning shears, shovels, and pitch forks – and a wheelbarrow if you can (Families & Youth Welcome).

8.   Sandwich Making:Make sandwiches to deliver to the Hendersonville Rescue Mission. Five volunteers needed for this project. Sandwich making takes place in the Grace kitchen.

9.   Lutheran Mission (Quilting):  Cutting squares of material and assembling them into beautiful quilt designs. Work takes place at Grace. No limit on the number of quilters. All levels of quilting experience are welcome (including those who are interested in learning).

10.   Photography:  Travel to various project locations to take pictures of volunteers performing their assigned tasks.

11.   Mainstay – Painting:  Paint walls in 2 small bedrooms, a bathroom and a small living room/kitchen area in a transitional apartment.

12.   6^th Avenue West Clubhouse – Garden Prep:  Rototill and prepare a garden plot – 12’ x 20’. Also, remove garden ties from raised garden beds at old clubhouse site and transport and erect at new clubhouse site.

13.   Split wood using mechanical wood splitting equipment. Wear old clothes and shoes and a pair of work gloves. This is a healthy, outdoor activity.

Here is video from 2011 Servant Saturday.

Beginning April 18, and each Wednesday until May 16 from 5:45 to 7:15 p.m. Grace Lutheran Church will offer a 5-week free class titled, “Learn Your Love Language.” The class is based on the Five Love Languages by Dr. Gary Chapman, who seeks to fulfill his call to the ministry as a pastor, speaker, and author. He speaks extensively throughout the U.S. and internationally on marriage, family, and relationships, and his books are grounded in 30 years of experience in family and relationship counseling.

The class will be facilitated by Karen-Eve Pfotzer who asks the question, “Do you know your language or the language of your partner, parents, children, family, or friends?” She goes on to say that people express and receive love in different ways. If people express love in a way their partner, family, or friends do not understand, they won’t know you’ve expressed love at all. The problem may be that you are speaking different love languages. Most of us do not know our own love language or what significant people in our lives speak and hear. This results in misunderstandings and missing love.

Join others as who want to learn their “Love Languages” and how to use them to communicate more effectively. This course is intended for adults. To register for the class or get more information, please call Grace Lutheran Church at 682-4890 ext. 316. Please register by April 13.

April 1st
Traditional services at 8:15, 9:45 am.
Contemporary Service 11:15 am
Servicio en español 11:!5 am

The great crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord—The King of Israel!” (John 12:12-13) The Altar Guild at Grace Lutheran Church has decided to use Eco-Palms from Lutheran World Relief this year for Palm Sunday to decorate the altar and for crosses given to each worshiper. Eco-Palms are palms grown in ways that preserve the environment and allow hard-working palm harvesters to support their families.

Lutheran World Relief says that “Americans purchase as much as $4.5 million worth of palms each year—most of which are used for church celebrations. Profits from those sales could do great things for the poor communities in Latin America where the palms are harvested. But via traditional trade channels, very little of that money reaches the palm harvesters and their communities. In the typical palm trade, large floral export firms encourage over-harvesting and they pay by volume for palms and then throw away large amounts that aren’t export quality. This results in over-harvesting which damages forests where the palm plants thrive. These forests are depleted and palm-selling communities lose this important source of income.”

Grace Lutheran has chosen Eco-Palms through Lutheran World Relief because harvesters are paid a fair price for quality palms which are harvested in a way that protects the environment and the health of the palms. The Eco-Palms initiative promotes harvesting communities which sort and package the plants themselves, eliminating middle men so the community can earn more. Participating communities also receive a five-cent premium on every palm sold that they can use to hire teachers, send children to school, support elderly community members, and more!