Church Life Weekly Newsletter
Find pdf files of Church Life newsletters at the bottom of this page.
Mission statement: Grace United Methodist Church is a family of faith striving to share God’s love with all people.
September 2, 2024
WORDS FROM THE PASTOR
“Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” – Isaiah 43:19
This morning, I dropped my son off for the first day at his new school. The emotions he’s been going through leading up to this day include sadness about leaving his old friends and school, anger about having to start all over again at a new school through no choice of his own, and anxiety about how this new journey in his life will unfold.
In many ways, such may be the thoughts and feelings of many of us at Grace. So much has transpired over the last few months, much of which took place through no choice of our own. Yet we are here in the process of lamenting what could have been while remaining anxious about what will be.
The good news is God promises to create new and wonderful beginnings which emerge out of the harsh wilderness and barren desert. I have absolutely no doubt, that restoration and renewal are God’s plans for Grace. I know this because God is in the “resurrection” business, and through Christ all things are made new!
But here is the challenge. As summer comes to an end, and as our lives grow busier, will we have enough time and energy for God? Not just the “leftover” time, but the “first fruits” of our time and talents. Jesus says “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Mt 6:33).
I invite the entire church to commit yourself to God and to serving His church in the days ahead. As we do so, may we witness the new and remarkable ways in which God will begin to work here at Grace and in our lives. Friends and family of Grace United Methodist Church, welcome back and all hands on deck!
Pastor Kim
Pictured are the Kim Family:
Prumeh Lee,Ye-Ari, Eumin, and Eli
Welcome Pastor Kim! We welcomed Pastor Kim with the wonderful Grace VSNY Hospitality, enjoying hotdogs, hamburgers, salads, iced tea, cake, conversations and yes photographs. Welcome Pastor Kim, Eli and family. We look forward to you being our Pastor. We are happy to have you as together we continue to serve the Valley Stream Community and environs. We thank all the happy hands that helped to make the Welcome Barbecue fun and a success.
Andrea Owen-Boyd
Prayer List
♥Priscilla Caparelli (friend of Kim Neri), ♥†Family of Kelena Kolotinskaya (Stan/husband, Natalya/daughter – friends of Debbielee Thomsen) ♥Manny Kurz, ♥Cecil and Carol Walker (friends of Barbara Woodford), ♥Veronica Stone (friend of Margo Morrison), ♥Everon Palmer (son of Enid Simpson), ♥Carol Whyte, ♥Winston Scarlett (brother-in-law of Maudlyn Scarlett), ♥Cliff McBride (friend of Debbielee Thomsen), ♥Jennifer LaRochelle (friend of Kim Neri), ♥David Biegler, ♥Michael Kurz, ♥Vin Dowling, ♥Suella Fredrick (friend of Lorna McKenzie), ♥Juliana Bonds (sister of Eleanor Phillip), ♥Garvin Phillip (nephew of Eleanor Phillip), ♥Elaine Treske, ♥Marilyn Eller (sister of Elaine Treske), ♥Charles Zipperlen, ♥Jim Poch, ♥All our Military men and women, ♥Barbara Siegl, ♥All UMW in Rehabilitation and Nursing Homes, ♥Castells Family (family of Elaine Treske), ♥Iris Molina, ♥Olga Molina (sister of Iris Molina), ♥Milly Molina (sister of Iris Molina), ♥Evelyn Neber (friend of Elaine Treske), ♥ Missionaries.
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
News of Friends and Members. We want to thank Ray and Barbara (Mahoney) Hamel for their very generous donation of a beautiful piano. If you get a chance, take a look in the Bert Keller Room. Thank you again for your very thoughtful donation.
Dick Tiedge is back in town. He is doing well (101 years young!). There is a full-time aide with him but he is still walking, etc. Jeanne (his daughter) will be returning around August 24th to be with him for a while. When she was down last time she told me that she went into the backyard and found her father sweeping! That sounds like Dick. He used to go around the grounds of the church picking up paper!!. If you would like to visit with Dick, please call first. You can also send him cards at 12 Pickett Ct, Malverne, NY 11565. He may turn-up on one of the Sundays to say hello!
Sunday School
CHURCH SCHOOL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 8TH. My name is Janet Stone and I am writing to 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 rising 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
September 8
This week’s lesson, Joseph and His Brothers, was based on the Bible story found in Genesis 37:1–36. Joseph was part of a large family. His father, Jacob, had 12 sons. Joseph was his favorite because Joseph was born in Jacob‘s old age to Jacob‘s favorite wife. That Jacob loves Joseph more than his brother was not necessarily the problem. The difficulty arose in the way Jacob expressed that favoritism publicly. Jacob gave Joseph a special coat – a long coat made from many different colored cloths. Joseph’s brothers began to resent him and were jealous of the special attention Joseph received. Joseph’s attitude and actions did not help the situation with his brothers. He wore the coat Jacob had given him in front of his brothers and told his brothers about dreams he had that he would someday rule over them. When opportunity presented itself, Joseph’s brothers got rid of him. At first, the plan was to kill Joseph, but one of the brothers, Ruben, convinced the others to throw him in a deep pit. Another brother, Judah, suggested selling Joseph into slavery. It is in this way that Joseph ends up in Egypt. Joseph’s brothers, who had stolen Joseph’s coat before throwing him into the pit, smeared the blood of an animal on the coat and used it to deceive Jacob into believing Joseph was dead. It is important to recognize that God never left Joseph, even when things got bad. This story shows how God is present through the valleys and the victories of life. God is present during sibling rivalry, scheming, bullying, kidnapping, time in prison, rise to leadership, feast, famine, and reconciliation. Through it all, God is there. We know that God did not cause these bad things to happen to Joseph, but rather that throughout whatever happened, good or bad, God was there. Just as God was with Joseph throughout his entire life, God is with each of us as well.
BLESSING OF THE BACKPACKS. Blessing of the backpacks will be held this Sunday, September 8, 2024. Please bring them to Church on Sunday!!!!
Chancel Choir rehearsal will resume again on Thursday evenings at 8:00pm in the church beginning Thursday, September 5. Kimberly Neri will be leading the group until we find a church music director replacement. All Adults and Teens who like to sing are welcome to join!! If you have any questions, please email Kim at violinkim@aol.com or call (516)644-0979.
BLOOD DRIVE. Give blood, give life. On Wednesday, September 25, 2024, from 2:30PM-7:30PM, we will be hosting our FALL BLOOD DRIVE in the Education Building Gym. We have an opportunity to serve our brothers and sisters while we serve our Lord and Savior. Please give so others may live! Dinner will be served to all donors and their family from 5pm-7pm. Please help us serve our community and save lives of God’s children. Bless you. –Bob DiSalvo
UPDATE. We are in the process of working on our Sound System over at the Church. Some new equipment and possible upgrades are being looked at. Thank you for your patience. We are sorry for any inconvenience this has caused.
A great big Thank You to Kim Neri for stepping in on Sunday and filling in for the guest musician who called in sick. A great job and very much appreciated!!
Please sign up for Coffee Hour, now known as FELLOWSHIP HOUR. There is a sign-up sheet in the Bert Keller Room. We need volunteers for September 8, 22 and 29. Please use the sign-up sheet in the BKR or call the Church Office. Thank you.
The Thrift Shop revenue for the month of August was $1,307 with a year to date of $9,283. Annualized the expected revenue for 2024 is $13,887. We are using our new space, room 4, as our donation and storage center which will enable us to better manage donations and distribution of new items. We are hoping to have a strong fall season and exceed our revenue expectation. Our most pressing need remains finding volunteers. Many thanks to Brian Stone for the new air conditioners and we are extremely grateful to our Pastor for his support. We pray for God’s guidance as we continue this ministry.
EDUCATORS APPRECIATION SUNDAY is being held this Sunday, September 8, 2024, at 4PM at St. John’s UMC. Please refer to the flyer below for detailed information.
HAPPY GRANDPARENTS DAY – Sunday, September 8, 2024
SPECIAL SUNDAY OFFERINGS – 2024
MISSIONS – January/April/July/October 2024
HUMAN RELATIONS DAY – January 14, 2024
UMCOR SUNDAY – March 10, 2024
EASTER – March 31, 2024
NATIVE AMERICAN MINISTRY – April 14, 2024
GOLDEN CROSS SUNDAY – May 5, 2024
PEACE WITH JUSTICE SUNDAY – May 26, 2024
WORLD COMMUNION SUNDAY – October 06, 2024
UNITED METHODIST STUDENT DAY – November 24, 2024
CHRISTMAS EVE – December 24, 2024 (Tuesday)
CHRISTMAS DAY – December 25, 2024
CALENDAR – If you have any dates that you would like to have on our calendar, please send them to me at GraceVSNY@aol.com. The meetings could be weekly, monthly or just a special meeting or event. Thank you.
UWF Career Day and Luncheon will be October 19 in the gym. Please mark your calendars!
Where You Can Volunteer
Liturgist or Reader – Contact Pat Eshun
Sunday School – Contact Janet Stone
Evangelism – Contact Andrea Owen-Boyd
Thrift Shop – Contact Andrea Owen-Boyd or Maudlyn Scarlett
Music – 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 or Mike Provenzano
Ushers – Contact Mike Provenzano or Carol Provenzano
Counting Team – Contact Marisa Pershad or Eileen Robertson
Hospitality – Contact Bob DiSalvo
Greeters – Contact Naomi Brown or Carol Provenzano
(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 10AM/start in Church (except 1st Sunday of the month start 10AM/Education Building)
Church School will resume Sunday, September 8, 2024
*Every Second Sunday of the month – Healing Prayer Service after Church/Chapel (Starting October 13, 2024)
*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 (Starting September 5th)
*Every Thursday – Chancel Choir 8PM/Church (Starting September 5th)
*Every Saturday – Prayer Meeting 8AM/Zoom (Same Zoom Link every week)
*Every Saturday – Thrift Shop 10AM-2PM
Upcoming Events
*Sunday, September 8, 2024 – Blessing of the Backpacks (Bring them to Church)
*Sunday, September 8, 2024 – Educators Appreciation Sunday at St. John’s 4PM
*Wednesday, September 25, 2024 – Fall Blood Drive 3PM-8PM/Gym
*Sunday, September 29, 2024 – UWF Sunday (TBD)
*Saturday, October 19, 2024 – Career Day/Gym
Upcoming Meetings
*Tuesday, September 10, 2024 – Board of Trustees 7:30PM/BKR (Teams Meeting Link is optional)
*Sunday, September 15, 2024 – Worship Committee after 10AM Service/Chapel
*Sunday, October 13, 2024 – Church Council Meeting after the 10AM Service
*Tuesday, November 12, 2014 – Board of Trustees 7:30PM/BKR (Teams Meeting Link is optional)
*Sunday, December 8, 2024 – Church Council Meeting after the 10AM Service
*Tuesday, January 14, 2025 – Board of Trustees 7:30PM/BKR (Teams Meeting Link is optional)
