This past Sunday, Jason preached his farewell sermon, encouraging and challenging us to keep the faith as we continue to follow the Lord into the future He has for us. To listen to the sermon, go here.
Staff Changes! Alyssa Werner will be taking over many of Danielle's administrative duties this summer while we continue to search for a permanent hire for the position. Alyssa is finishing up her "day job" as a school teacher, so her availability will be limited until late June. If you have questions, please feel free to contact any staff member.
Staff Search Continues! Please continue to pray for our church as we seek God's provision for the following staff positions:
Assistant Pastor with Emphasis on Youth & Young Adults
Assistant Pastor with Emphasis on Serving the City
Ministry Administrator and Communications Coordinator
We have a number of great candidates, and we are seeking the Lord as we trust him to provide. For more information, go here.
We are now an Anglican Church! As we continue to walk together towards the new future God has for us, here are a few items of interest.
Please be in prayer for Jamie Afshari, as she begins the ordination process to become a deacon.
Be sure to check out our Diocese blog for helpful articles and resources.
Please be in prayer for our Bishop, Todd Hunter, as he continues his sabbatical this summer.
Daily Prayer
Pray As You Go is a daily prayer APP, designed to go with you wherever you go, and help you develop a rhythm of praying every day. It is not a 'Thought for the Day', a sermon or a bible-study, but rather a 10 to 15 minute guided time of prayer, Scripture contemplation, and invitation to bring your own prayers to the Lord. You can download the app on GooglePlay or the Apple Podcasts.
Sundays
We will hold in-person worship and livestream this week at 10:15 AM.
Grace Kids is Hiring and Volunteers Needed: Emma Law has faithfully served us this year in the nursery/toddler classroom. She will be moving on as she will start attending college full-time. If you have met her or worked with her, please join me in thanking her for her faithful service to our children. We are now hiring another toddler/nursery host. If you know someone who would work well in this role or if you would like to volunteer, please reach out to Linn.
Livestream Tech Volunteers Needed: Andy Maier, who has faithfully led our livestream efforts, will be taking some much-needed paternity leave at the end fo the month. In order to keep our livestream available every week, we are in immediate need of several volunteers. It's a great crew and a wonderful way to serve the church. Please contact Jess for more information.
Volunteer Scheduling Changes: We will be working on transitioning our volunteer scheduling platform for both Sunday morning and Grace Kids volunteers to Planning Center and discontinuing the use of Elvanto starting this month. There will be more information to follow later in June.
Connect
We have a wide variety of groups: Community Groups, Bible Studies, Growth Groups, Prayer Groups, Men’s Groups, Women’s Groups, and Listening Prayer Groups. To find a group, or if you are interested in starting one, please contact our Director of Community Formation, Jamie Afshari.
Farewell Swag Last Chance. If you didn't get any of the sweet t-shirts, sweatshirts, or coffee mugs to mark Pastor Jason's transition to New Orleans, you can still order them here. All proceeds will be split equally between Grace and St. Roch and will be used in both congregations’ ministries to the marginalized and hurting in our cities. You can also donate over and above the purchase price if you wish to do so.
Women’s Summer Gatherings:
In Person: Please bring a beverage or snack to share and come ready to enjoy evenings of drink, food, and fellowship.
Friday, June 10, 7:00 - 9:00 PM: The Layne (Capitol Hill)
ZOOM Prayer for Children & Families at Grace: All are welcome, you do not have to have children to join. This is a 20-minute meditation/prayer, on the second Wednesday of each month at 8:00 AM via Zoom - the next meeting will be 8:00 AM on Wednesday, June 8. If you would like the zoom link, please email Linn.
Dinner for 7 This Summer: We're bringing dinners for 7 back with a slight twist! This summer if you're looking to stay connected, join the Afshari's at their home in Mountlake Terrace for a meal from 6:30-8:30 PM. There are 7 slots (1 slot per person) open per date. This is a great chance to get to know people you worship with but may not know well. Babies in arms are welcome. You can sign up here.
If these fit a need, we'd like to spread them out over the city this fall. If you'd like to host a dinner for 7 this fall, please reach out to Jamie at jamie@graceseattle.com so she can coordinate dates.
Updates to Giving Statements: For 2022, financial giving records will be in Planning Center. More details on how to access your giving for this year will be coming soon. For any questions, please contact Alyssa.
Young Adult Group: Brent and Phoebe Williams host a weekly meal to help grow community for those either new to the city or seeking friendship. Anyone who considers themselves "young" or "adult" can join us for lunch in Eastlake on Sundays after church. For those living or working in South Lake Union, downtown, or the University District, it should be a quick bus ride on the 70. Reach out to Brent Williams for the specific location or if you have any questions.
Book Club: Stephanie Pommer leads our book club for Grace. The next book is Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell. To join, email Stephanie at stephanie@graceseattle.org.
GraceLife Distribution List: GraceLife (gracelifeseattle@googlegroups.com) is an email group designed to foster spontaneous generosity and hospitality among anyone and everyone who regularly attends Grace. The distribution list allows anyone who signs up to send out an email to the larger group. It is designed to be used to let others know about a party you’d like to invite others to join, a game night you’d like to host, a request to borrow something, a post to give goods away, a need you’d like to ask for help from the larger group, etc. If you are interested in joining, please email Alyssa.
Thursday morning Walking Group: Regardless of the weather, we meet weekly at 10:00 AM. Currently, we are walking around GreenLake Park. If you would like to join and have a different park suggestion let us know, babies in strollers and leashed pets are welcome. Contact Linn Haralson if you would like to join us.
Listening Prayer Group Opportunity at The Layne 2021-22 “By beginning with the revealed word of God, Lectio Divina (listening prayer) continues the conversation that God has begun. We first pay attention to his approach to us and focus on our receptivity. Scripture becomes a means for God to feed, heal, and love us. We open ourselves to God’s presence and respond with our hearts.” -Stephen J. Binz – Conversing with God in Scripture
A Listening prayer group is a small group that meets with the intention of building a community around the word of God. We will begin a series this summer of Bible passages that describe what Heaven will look like and be like. During this time together we will listen to God’s word read out loud. We will have an opportunity for individual silence and reflection on the scripture and then conclude our time together, sharing the gifts that God has given us in our silence with him. Please join us for listening prayer, led by Shelly Morse, at the Layne on the following dates from 7:00-9:00 PM:
Breakfast Sandwiches for Unsheltered Teens at New Horizons: New Horizons Ministries has a request of partnership for Grace Church Seattle:
“We are looking for small groups to prepare breakfast sandwiches once a week. Ideally, a group would come in on a Monday or Tuesday morning (9:30 AM – 1:00 PM) for 2- 3 hours. They would prepare 80 – 100 breakfast sandwiches, pack them, and then put them in the freezer and refrigerator. We are looking to start making the breakfast sandwiches in April.”
We are asking groups to provide the eggs, cheese, sausage patties, and English muffins. New Horizons would provide all the spices for groups to use. Volunteers must have their Washington State Food Handler’s Permit, ($10 fee). The Serving the City team is working to also partner with other churches for this effort. If you have any interest or questions, please email Rebecca Ifland at rebecca@graceseattle.org.
New Horizons Youth Shelter has an opportunity for meals to be prepared and delivered once or twice a month for the youth that utilizes their services. Prepared meals would need to feed 40 youth (teenaged to young 20-year-olds) in family-style containers. If you are interested in supporting this opportunity please reach out to Rebecca Ifland at rebecca@graceseattle.org.
