A Message from Pastor Trey

Grace at Home

More than ever, the church is more than brick and mortar. While Grace gatherings will look a little different as we do our part to prevent the spread of coronavirus, we can still BE THE CHURCH. These are extraordinary times, but God’s family is no ordinary family. We were made for moments like this. The hope we have in Jesus is the hope our world needs. 
 
We will continue one worship service each Sunday at 10 a.m. Please check our website and our social media sites for the Vimeo link this weekend. You will also be able to watch it “on demand” anytime (beginning each Sunday afternoon) by clicking HERE. 
 
We have a House Worship Liturgy guide that you can use during our time together. You can download it HERE.
 
We want you to stay connected and equipped with resources that help you BE THE CHURCH. Click HERE for ways to stay equipped and engaged.

A "How To" Tutorial
for the House Worship Liturgy Guide

Click HERE to watch Heather Kaemingk’s brief tutorial inviting you to utilize our weekly House Worship Liturgy Guide.

Holy Week Worship
And Prayer Opportunities

A special email will go to the congregation tomorrow, April 3, that will detail all of our Holy Week information. It also will be on our website.

The Power of Prayer

We would love to pray for you! Click HERE to submit your prayer needs.

Thank You For Your Continued Financial Support!

Thank you for your continued support to Grace. Your faithful giving to Grace’s annual budget continues to empower us to make Jesus visible in very tangible ways. Using your smartphone’s camera or code reader app, you can scan this QR code to go straight to the secure Grace online giving webpage HERE. Follow the prompts to create or login to your giving profile, and in just a few clicks, your contribution is made. As always, you also can mail your check to Grace.

Church Offices Remain Closed in Response
to Stay-Home/Work-Safe Order

With the imposition of Harris County’s Stay-Home/Work-Safe order, the church offices will remain closed through April 30, and all church employees will work from home. We will continue to broadcast our services at 10 a.m. (11 a.m. for Grace en Español) each Sunday. If you need to reach someone at the church, you may call the main number to be connected to the pastor on call voicemail. For administrative or financial matters, you may contact Hardie Morgan (hmorgan@gpch.org; 713-267-5028).

Some of you drop off your financial offerings at the church. With the offices closed, that is no longer possible. Gifts can be made online at www.gpch.org/give,or you can mail a check to: Grace Presbyterian Church, 10221 Ella Lee Lane, Houston, TX 77042.

2020 Scholarship Application Available

The Endowment Committee is accepting applications for scholarships for the 2020-2021 academic year. The application is available on the website HERE. Please note that completed applications are due April 15.

West Houston Assistance Ministries - West Houston Resource Center

Grace and Friends of Westchase are strengthening our partnership with (WHAM). Here are three ways to partner with WHAM:

• ONLINE: Donate much needed supplies by making a purchase on WHAM’s Amazon wish list. Items will be directly delivered to WHAM. 
• IN PERSON: As of now, you can drop off items. For an updated list of needed items, please click HERE. Donations can be dropped off at the food pantry from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Monday-Friday at 10501 Meadowglen Lane, Houston, TX 77042.
• DAILY PRAYER: Check out their Facebook and then pray specifically.

Friends of Westchase - Assessing and Addressing the Needs of Families
in Our Community

Friends of Westchase is working with administrators at Walnut Bend Elementary and Paul Revere Middle School as well as two local apartment complexes to assess and address specific needs of the community as families adjust to a digital learning environment. WHAM is serving as the main community resource for critical needs like food, and Friends of Westchase will work to make sure local students have the materials and resources they need to learn remotely. For further details or questions, contact Nancy Bailey and follow them on Facebook and Instagram for updates.

Palm Sunday Front Doors!

What if everyone on the morning of Sunday, April 5, put a branch, cross or wreath on the front door or front windows of their home to celebrate Palm Sunday? Any kind of branch or cross or a simple wreath you make will do. In spite of social distancing, it could connect us to our brothers and sisters in Christ as we enter the holiest of weeks.

Thank You for Supporting The Blood Drive

Thanks to your generous support, all appointments were filled. We had 22 first-time donors, and 225 lives were saved from our two-day blood drive.

Check Ministry Pages
for Continued Updates

As changes in scheduled events occur, we will email participants in each affected ministry. We also will update the Grace website and our Facebook and Instagram pages for each ministry area. If you have not used these pages before, please explore them now. You can start at gpch.org.

Find other pages here:

• Children’s Ministries — on Facebook as "Grace Preschool Ministries" and "Grace Elementary Ministries” and Instagram as “gpchpreschool” and “gpchelementary"
• Student Ministries — on Facebook as "Grace Presbyterian Church - Middle School” and “Grace High School Ministries” and Instagram as “grace.middleschool” and “grace.highschool"
• Adult Ministries — on Facebook as “Grace Presbyterian Church” and Instagram as “gpchouston"

Children's Ministries Sunday Morning Resources

Click HERE to download resources for Sunday Morning Video Chats and "at home" small group activities for your children each week.

VBS Registration Postponed to April 15

Children's Ministries will open registration for the revamped VBS program on April 15. Stay tuned for all the exciting changes coming into "Focus" as we "Take a Closer Look" at God's great love for us!

Student Ministries
Goes Live On Instagram

Thursdays, 4 p.m. for Middle School
4:30 p.m. for High School

Each Thursday, while we are social distancing, we will go "live" on both the Middle School and High School Instagram accounts (grace.middleschool and grace.highschool). The livestream will feature a short devotional, a brief teaching message, and some questions of reflection at the very end based on the sermon from that previous Sunday. We encourage students to grab their friends and watch together -- from six feet apart. We especially encourage you to watch together as a family, and go through the questions in community with one another at the end.

Student Ministries
Netflix Watch Party

Tonight, April 2, 7-9 p.m.

Middle and High School students are invited to connect during the Student Ministries Netflix Watch Party tonight! For instructions and more information, contact Amber Sheffield (asheffield@gpch.org) or Phil Warman (pwarman@gpch.org).

"A Day in the Life..." Coming Tomorrow, April 3

Student Ministries will capture a "Day in the Life" video of what they are doing during this time inside and ask students to send in their own videos, too! For more information, check out the Instagram accounts at grace.middleschool or grace.highschool.

Crowded House Returns -- Online

Crowded House small groups will return in video form this Sunday at 6 p.m. The MS/HS Small Group Leaders will contact their groups with instructions and links. And if your Middle or High School student couldn't attend the groups in person in the past, they can still join online! Email Amber Sheffield (asheffield@gpch.org) for Middle School and Phil Warman (pwarman@gpch.org) for High School.

Demonstrate The Love
of Jesus Christ

The certain and clear message of the Gospel is true. Disciples are to serve... to be a people who look out for the interests and needs of others and lend helping hands in the name of Jesus Christ.

Serving others will look differently at this time. However, as disciples, we will adapt and engage in ways that meet the evolving needs of our neighbors, community, city, nation, and world to demonstrate the love of Jesus. Please know the leadership of Grace will continue to encourage and equip you to serve with compassion and caution that is in line with our civic leaders and medical professionals.

Be A Blessing:
Foster A Connection - Things You Can Do Today

• Take some time to text 3 friends, neighbors, or colleagues to check in on them. Maybe it’s your best friend, maybe it’s your mom or sister, or maybe it’s your kid’s teacher. Reach out and ask how they’re doing, tell them you appreciate them and that you were thinking about them.
• Make a phone date with someone you love. Take a walk, do the dishes, or weed the garden while you talk on the phone to them.
• Find someone to help or serve. Maybe an older adult neighbor needs some groceries or yardwork addressed.  Find a need and give of yourself to bless another person.

We’d love for you to share these “Stories of Grace” online with the Grace family so we can we celebrate and stay socially connected even as we must be physically distant.