Church Life Weekly Newsletter
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Mission statement: Grace United Methodist Church is a family of faith striving to share God’s love with all people.
Christmas Concert. What a wonderful evening. The music was joyful, the singers amazing and the bells and brass were extraordinary. Congratulations to ALL the participants. What a blessing!
News of Friends and Members. Larry Walker and Kathy send wishes for a Merry Christmas to everyone. Also heard from Bob Whyte and Carol. They are doing well and send a big Hello.
Save the Date! The very first event the Social Events/Fellowship committee will host will be Game Night! Game Night will be held on Saturday, February 28th from 7PM to 9PM. Come on down after dinner with your family and friends for some good old-fashioned game playing. As of now, we are thinking about games such as Dominoes, Jenga, Uno and Apples to Apples (Bible Edition!) to name just a few. Desserts, tea and coffee will be served. We would love to have more volunteers to set up, work and clean up this new event. Please reach out to Janet Stone, Brian Stone, Coleen Murray and Andrea Owen-Boyd if you want to help out or if you have any questions. More information to follow but please put it on the calendar! This will be a fun way to get to know our fellow church members and friends. We’d love to see you there. Janet Stone
UNITED WOMEN IN FAITH. We had a blessed United Women in Faith Sunday on September 28. We presented the United Women in Faith Missions Award to Pat Eshun. Attached is a group photo and a photo of Pat with me and Andrea. Iris, Debbielee, and Joan missed the photo because they were helping in the kitchen. Several others missed the photo who were there as well, but you can see we had a good turnout. Thank you! If you missed today, please plan to join us next year! –Katherine Perkins
Beautiful Flowers. We are sending out a BIG THANK YOU to Diane Vitacco for the beautiful Flower Arrangements that she has made and that we will have throughout the Fall Season. Thank you so much. We are enjoying them!
Many congratulations to our youth, Dominic Becker, Ava Bolden, Alanna Bolden, and Eli Kim on their Confirmation on June 29th. We warmly welcome them as full members of Grace UMC.
Prayer List
♥♦Steve Savarese, ♥Ana G (student of Naomi Brown), ♥Chris Ukanwoke, ♥Rhoda Lankins and Roosevelt Lankins, ♥Country and People of Nigeria, ♥Juana Fernandez (mother of Marisa Pershad), ♥Elmer Alfaro and Dion Alfaro (friends of Andrea Owen-Boyd), ♥Prayers for everyone in Cuba and Jamaica, ♥Beth Zeller and family (friends of Debbielee Thomsen), ♥Rev. Carl Borden, ♥Andrea Russell (family member of Debbielee Thomsen), ♥Kalli Medina (student of Naomi Brown), ♥Barbara Woodford, ♥Pat Panzarino, ♥Sonia Elliott, ♥Amanda Brown (Naomi Brown’s mother), ♥Diane Rutledge (Naomi Brown’s aunt), ♥George and Jeanne Simmons, ♥Maudlyn Scarlett, ♥Marianne and Don Pike, ♥Jerry Noble (Tom Noble’s dad), ♥Lionel Brown, ♥Diane Vitacco, ♥Heather Manning (friend of Kim Neri), ♥SofiaRose Curry (relative of Sing Larson), ♥Edie Zipperlen, ♥Mary Flynn (mom) and Maureen Andersen (daughter), ♥Manny Kurz, ♥Debbielee Thomsen, ♥Cliff McBride (friend of Debbielee Thomsen), ♥Everon Palmer (son of Enid Simpson), ♥Carol Whyte, ♥Winston Scarlett (brother-in-law of Maudlyn Scarlett), ♥Jennifer LaRochelle (friend of Kim Neri), ♥David Biegler, ♥Vin Dowling, ♥Garvin Phillip (nephew of Eleanor Phillip), ♥Elaine Treske, ♥Marilyn Eller (sister of Elaine Treske), ♥Jim Poch, ♥All our Military men and women, ♥Barbara Siegl, ♥All UMW in Rehabilitation and Nursing Homes, ♥Castells Family (family of Elaine Treske, ♥Evelyn Neber (friend of Elaine Treske). Note: Prayer List names will continue to be listed for two weeks. After that period of time, the names will be removed unless you call us with current information. † – Death in family, ♦ – New entry
Sunday School
Church School meets September through May. My name is Janet Stone and I invite your child to join us for Church School each Sunday. Church School is where students will learn about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and how to live a Christian life. We learn Bible stories and we learn how to use those stories to help us be better people. All PreK-8th Grade students are welcome. Children start out in Church at 10:00 with their families and are sent to Church School following the Children’s Sermon. Please note that on the first Sunday of the month, children are directed to the Education Building first and then return to the church building in order to be with their family for communion. I am looking forward to a wonderful Church School year! Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions or concerns at mom2springers@gmail.com ~Janet Stone
January 11, 2026
Today’s lesson was based on Luke 2:25-38.
After eight days, Mary and Joseph circumcised their baby boy and called him Jesus, the name given to him by the angel before he was conceived. When the time came for their ritual cleansing, Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. The law from Moses required every firstborn male to be dedicated to the Lord. They offered a sacrifice according to the Law, a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons. While Mary and Joseph were at the temple, two people, led by the Holy Spirit, gave testimony to Jesus as the Christ. The first was Simeon, a righteous and devout man, who eagerly anticipated the restoration of Israel. The Holy Spirit rested on him and revealed to him that he wouldn’t die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. The second person was Anna, a prophet, who was righteous and devoted to God. Daily she worshipped in the temple, praying and fasting. She was described as very old, having been a widow for eighty-four years. Those who believed Christ would come were waiting, desiring his coming, hoping with patience, and keeping themselves ready to meet him. Simeon’s words of welcome to the Christ are recorded in Luke. He acknowledged God had kept the promise of the coming of the Christ, blessed God for what he saw, and confessed his faith in the Savior. Then he said he was ready to leave the world, since he had seen the Christ, and welcomed death as a journey to a place of rest. He departed with peace. Many people were honored in this story: Christ had come to save the Gentiles and the Israelites. Both a man and a woman saw the Christ and praised him. An older person who fasted, prayed, and worshipped daily in the temple was blessed to see the Christ. Jesus Christ, the Anointed One, came to be the Savior for all humankind.
Use of Kitchen – Just a gentle reminder that clean-up in the kitchen after use is the responsibility of the user(s). Our Sexton is only responsible for mopping the floor.
A Big Welcome to our newest members – Cherissae and Lionel Brown, Allison LaVoie, Janet Wilson, and Desrine Edwards who joined our Church on Sunday, March 23, 2025.
Youth Dinner Church – Many thanks to those who have prayed for the youth and also helped cook as well. If you have questions call Pastor Prumeh at 646-280-9885 or email Prumeh.lee@nyac-umc.com.
We had a lovely Fellowship Time after church on Father’s Day hosted by the United Women in Faith. We appreciate our men of Grace!
Happy 102nd Birthday to Dick Tiedge!!
We (Pastor Kim, Everett, Carol, and Eileen) were so very happy to see Richard (Dick) Tiedge and his daughter Jeanne. Dick looks great and Jeanne says his health is good. We were in the BKR and reminisced, told funny stories, heard stories of involvement in the war, and had a lot of laughs. Jeanne told us that her Dad was sweeping up leaves at his home in Malverne! Dick will be remaining at his home in Malverne and will be celebrating his 102nd Birthday – May 2025! What a Super Man!!
PRAISE MUSIC. We have started a Praise Singing group that performs every other month in church. If you are interested or have any questions, please see Kim Neri or call Kim at at 515-644-0979. All are welcome!
Chancel Choir rehearsals are on Thursday evenings at 8:00pm in the church. All adults and teens who like to sing are welcome to join!!
Please sign up for Coffee Hour, now known as Fellowship Hour. Please use the sign-up sheet in the BKR or call the Church Office. Thank you to the Kim Neri Family and friends for hosting Coffee Hour this past Sunday, January 11, 2026. Thank you to United Women in Faith for volunteering to host January 18. The Kim Family has volunteered for January 25. Thank you!
MISSIONS
You can give to Missions at any time. You may put your money in an envelope marked “Missions” or write “Missions” in the memo line of your check or Zelle. Your giving through Missions goes to Far Rockaway Mission, Anchor House, Methodist City Society, Brooklyn United Methodist Church Home, and El Porvenir (clean drinking water projects in Nicaragua).
Far Rockaway Mission (also called United Methodist Center in Far Rockaway), which operates a food pantry on Tuesdays and Thursdays and provides hot meals Monday through Friday, is one group that we support with our Missions money. On November 19 we delivered canned cranberry sauce to Far Rockaway Mission for their Thanksgiving meal. Thank you!
We delivered a trunk-full of food to Long Island Cares on November 19 and over 550 pounds of food to the INN in Hempstead for their Thanksgiving food drive. Thank you!!
We had a wonderful International Potluck Dinner on Saturday, April 26. We shared lots of delicious food from around the world. Rev. Prumeh and Pastor Kim shared about their time as missionaries in Kazakhstan, about the people and culture there, and about the United Methodist presence there. There was an engaging question and answer period and a table of items from Kazakhstan. We collected $717 for mission projects in Central Asia (which includes Kazakhstan.) If you missed the International Potluck this year, we hope you will join us next year!!
Give to Disaster Relief through the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR). We encourage you to give to UMCOR for Disaster Relief following the floods. The link to the UMCOR giving page for disaster relief is https://advance.umcmission.org/p-620-umcor-us-disaster-response-and-recovery.aspx. That link takes you right to giving for Advance #901670. When you type in your information, you will be able to choose Grace Valley Stream as your local church.
Meet missionaries on Zoom. The link to Register to meet missionaries on the Still In Mission monthly Zoom is https://umcmission.org/stillinmission/.
2024 Missions Giving Summary: In 2024 Grace Church gave $450 to each of the five groups listed above plus an additional $366 was spent to provide meals at Far Rockaway Mission. Thank you!
SPECIAL SUNDAY OFFERINGS – 2025
MISSIONS – January/April/July/October 2025
HUMAN RELATIONS DAY – January 19, 2025
UMCOR SUNDAY – March 30, 2025
EASTER – April 20, 2025
NATIVE AMERICAN MINISTRY – May 4, 2025
PEACE WITH JUSTICE SUNDAY – June 15, 2025
WORLD COMMUNION SUNDAY – October 05, 2025
UNITED METHODIST STUDENT DAY – November 30, 2025
CHRISTMAS EVE – December 24, 2025 (Wednesday)
CHRISTMAS DAY – December 25, 2025
CALENDAR – If you have any dates that you would like to have on our calendar, please send them to me (Eileen) at GraceVSNY@aol.com. The meetings could be weekly, monthly or just a special meeting or event. Thank you.
PLEASE put your envelope number on any of your donations (check/Venmo/Zelle). This will help our Counting Teams, It also helps the Church Office to input your donation to the correct account.
COUNTING TEAM SCHEDULE FOR JANUARY 2026
January 04 – Marisa Pershad
January 11 – Debbie Nicosia
January 18 – Everett Fitch
January 25 – Debbie Nicosia
COUNTING TEAM SCHEDULE FOR FEBRUARY 2026
February 01 – Marisa Pershad
February 08 – Marisa Pershad
February 15 – Debbie Nicosia
February 22 – Everett Fitch
Where You Can Volunteer
Liturgist or Reader – Contact Pat Eshun
Sunday School – Contact Janet Stone
Evangelism – Contact Andrea Owen-Boyd
Thrift Shop – Contact Marianne Pike, Andrea Owen-Boyd, or Maudlyn Scarlett
Music – Contact Drew Banzhoff or leave a message for the Music Ministry Office (516/825-1940)
Missions – Contact Katherine Perkins
Worship – Contact Kim Neri or Carol Provenzano
Acolytes – Contact Tim Neri or Mike Provenzano
Ushers – Contact Mike Provenzano or Carol Provenzano
Counting Team – Contact Marisa Pershad or Eileen Robertson
Hospitality – Contact Bob DiSalvo
(Please call Eileen if you need contact information – 516/825-1182)
Weekly Meetings and Rehearsals
Please note whether meetings are in-person at the church or via Zoom. Thank you.
*Every Sunday – Church School will resume in September – 10AM/start in Church (except 1st Sunday of the month start 10AM/Education Building)
*Fourth Sunday of every month – United Women in Faith (no UWF meeting in July and August)
*Every Wednesday – Bible Study 7:30PM-8:30PM/Zoom (Same Zoom Link every week)
*Every Thursday – Westminster Ringers 7PM will resume in September
*Every Thursday – Chancel Choir 8PM/Church
*Every Saturday – Prayer Meeting 8AM/Zoom (Same Zoom Link every week)
*Every Saturday – Thrift Shop 10AM-2PM
Upcoming Meetings and Events
*Tuesday, January 13, 2026 – Board of Trustees Meeting 7:00PM/BKR
*Saturday, January 24, 2026 – Evangelism Annual Prayer Breakfast
*Saturday, February 28, 2026 – Game Night 7PM-9PM/BKR
*Tuesday, March 10, 2026 – Board of Trustees Meeting 7:30PM/BKR
*Saturday, April 25, 2026 – International Potluck Dinner 6PM/Gym
*Tuesday, May 12, 2026 – Board of Trustees Meeting 7:30PM/BKR
