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May 14, 2020

Attitude of Gratitude
gather
Gather

Virtual Sunday Worship and House Worship Liturgy Guide

We continue to have one worship service each Sunday during this period of constant change. The link to watch on Vimeo, You Tube, or Facebook will be posted each week on our website and social media.

We also have a House Worship Liturgy guide that you can use during our time together. You can download it HERE.

Midweek Song and Prayer

Wednesday evenings, 7:30 p.m.

Throughout the scriptures Jesus invites us to come to him, reminding us that we are not made to carry the burdens of this world alone. As a community, let's join together through an evening of song and prayer to come before our Lord and lay our burdens at the feet of the only one who is strong enough to bear them. See you on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. via livestream. (Piano prelude of hymns will begin at 7:20 p.m.) To join the livestream on Facebook, please click HERE. If you have streaming issues, please click HERE to join the livestream on Vimeo. 

 

Grateful for Your Continued Support

Please know that your faithful giving to Grace’s annual budget will continue 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 (10221 Ella Lee Lane, Houston, TX 77042).

New Moments of Grace Online Tool

Moments of Grace is a new online tool to share where you see good things happening and God at work. It’s a safe place to “snapshot” a short story, a great picture, a praise, some kindness —wherever you see Jesus visible. Just click on the link HERE to write a short description of your moment and upload a picture (optional). We would love for our Grace family and beyond to see how God is moving through the moments of our congregation.

The Power of Prayer

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

Zoom Prayer on Mondays

Mondays, 4 p.m.

Join us each Monday afternoon at 4 p.m. as we unite together in prayer. Click HERE to access the zoom call.

Church Offices
Remain Closed

The church offices remain closed, and all church employees continue to work from home. We also 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 not 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.
Connect
Connect

Join Children's Ministries' Sunday School
Small Groups On Zoom

Our Virtual Sunday School Small Groups return via Zoom this Sunday, May 17. Visit HERE for the link to your child's group.

Videos & Activities
for TreeHouse & Backyard Kids

Find all our Children's Ministries Resources HERE. Use the Parent Guides, activity pages, and our personalized Bible Story videos to share God's love with your family.

I Spy Ollie

We invite our preschoolers and their families to play "I Spy Ollie" with us on our Facebook page. Ollie is our stuffed owl mascot for all TreeHouse lessons and activities. If your child needs an Ollie, contact Lisa Ann Henkel to schedule a socially distant delivery!

 

Registration for VBS Closes May 31

Don't miss out on our first Virtual VBS July 13-16. Click HERE to register your kids and to volunteer today! For more information, contact Lisa Ann Henkel.

VBS Supply Wish List

VBS may be virtual this year, but the supply needs are very real! Please help us provide everything families need to create the best week of the summer. Use this link to visit the Virtual VBS 2020 Donation List: https://a.co/2IWsRPt.

Celebrate VBS
with T-Shirts & CDs

You can preorder T-shirts and CDs now by clicking HERE. The CD also is available on all music streaming platforms!

McKechnie Scholarships - Deadline - Tomorrow,
May 15

Due to the uncertainty regarding the dates for re-starting schools at all levels, the Grace Endowment trustees have decided to extend the deadline for scholarship applications to tomorrow, May 15. If you haven’t submitted an application and you wish to do so, please see the requirements below and use the link to submit an application. Scholarship requirements:

  • Parent, guardian or student must be active in the life of Grace Presbyterian Church in Houston.
  • Student must be enrolled or accepted into an accredited primary or secondary school or college or university for which the scholarship application is submitted. 
  • Applicants will need to demonstrate satisfactory academic standing which includes a minimum 2.5 GPA (on a four-point scale) or equivalent and successful class completion rate.
  • A short essay is part of the application.

Please click HERE to download the application. Save your answers and email to: Monica Cvejanovich.

Connect
with Student Ministries
on Instagram & YouTube

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

Interact with Daniel Baudin and Amber Sheffield on Instagram each Thursday. Check out grace.highschool and grace.middleschool stories for fun ways to connect via social media. Don't have an Instagram account? You can still participate by going to the Student Ministries YouTube channel at GPCH Students.

Confirmation Sunday

May 17, 10 a.m. Worship Service

Join us for a virtual celebration as we honor our eighth grade Confirmands during our Sunday morning Worship Service.

Crowded House May 17

Crowded House returns for Middle and High Schoolers this Sunday, May 17. Contact Phil Warman (pwarman@gpch.org) to find links to your small group.

Lights, Camera, Action! Students Share
Day-In-The-Life Videos

We invite students and their families to shoot their own short Day-in-the-Life videos to share on our social media. For guidelines, contact Phil Warman.

Financial Peace Course Available

Sundays through June 14, 7 p.m.

Grace Elder Deb Castillo is coordinating a virtual class of Financial Peace University (FPU), a course designed to help you build a budget, dump debt, grow your wealth, and leave money stress behind! Each lesson, taught by Dave Ramsey and his team of financial experts, is based on biblical wisdom and common sense. In your FPU group, you’ll be motivated and encouraged by others just like you! For more information or to register, contact Denise Phelps. To register, please click HERE.

Ponder Farm-to-Table Class is Online

Sundays, 11:15 a.m.

Want to experience the freshness of God’s fruit of the Spirit? Join the Farm to Table class on Zoom at 11:15 a.m. on Sundays to Ponder a verse or two that relates to the Sunday Sermon. No preparation is necessary, but you will want your Bible and a pen and paper. Click HERE to join the Zoom.
Bless
Bless

Love Your Neighbors

As much as you are able, within the suggested guidelines with care and compassion, reach out to your neighbors and the vulnerable to see how you can help make Jesus visible to them. The simple gesture of being connected and in community will provide great comfort to those who feel most isolated.

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

We Have Many Opportunities
to Bless Others in Three Tangible Ways:

  1. Providing Food
  2. Resourcing Health Information
  3. Encouraging Spiritual/Emotional Support

Providing Food

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 them:

  1. ONLINE: Donate much needed supplies by making a purchase on WHAM’s Amazon wish list. Items will be directly delivered to WHAM.  If you give online to WHAM, please type Grace Campaign in the comment section of the donation page.
  2. IN PERSON: 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. For an updated list of needed items, please click HERE.
  3. DAILY PRAYER: Check out their Facebook page and then pray specifically.

Grace and Friends of Westchase Food Distribution

Grace will continue to serve once a week on Thursdays as a distribution center for the James Harden, Kroger, and Houston Food Bank partnership for Covid-19 response. The partnership is providing $100 worth of groceries to 100 people per week for 8 weeks. We are at capacity for volunteers this week but welcome volunteers for May 21, May 28 and June 5. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Nancy Bailey.

Resourcing Health Information

Making Masks for WHAM to Distribute

West Houston Assistance Ministries (WHAM) wants to provide homemade cloth face masks to the hundreds of people who come to its center for food. Can you help? The following links give easy-to-follow instructions for making masks:

  • Mail or deliver masks to WHAM, at 10501 Meadowglen Lane, Houston, TX 77042.

Houston Responds to Masks-For-All Initiative

To reopen public spaces in our communities, while limiting transmission of the COVID-19 virus, wearing face masks will be strongly recommended, if not required. Government leaders have asked Houston Responds to help provide personal use face masks to help ensure there are MASKS FOR ALL as we transition out of quarantine, especially for those in under-resourced areas.

Houston Responds' goal is for 1,000 congregations to provide 100-200 masks per week. The love, service, and generosity of local congregations will ensure over 1,000,000 people in Greater Houston will have potentially life-saving reusable masks. Click HERE for more information.  

As of May 13, Grace is a drop-off site to collect masks. A labeled donation bin is located under the porte cochere at our Welcome Center entrance off of the Ella Lee side of Grace. The masks collected at Grace will benefit:

  • West Houston Assistance Ministries  
  • Grace Presbyterian, Kroger, and James Hardin food distribution partnership
  • Friends of Westchase

Friends of Westchase - MOD Pizza Deliveries to Students

Thanks to generous donations from Cara Adams, Texas Festival Vendors and MOD Pizza on Westheimer, we will be delivering pizzas to students from Walnut Bend Elementary who are logging into their classes and doing great work. If you are interested in making deliveries – usually Wednesday or Thursday at 2 p.m., please contact Nancy Bailey. We strictly follow all social distancing guidelines.

Blood Drive

Thursday 5/28, Friday 5/29 and Saturday 5/30, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Massey-Tucker Hall

Once again, we are thrilled to partner with our friends at the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center. Did you know that you can save three lives with one blood donation? Blood is in demand because procedures and surgeries are once again in operation. Due to social distancing, appointments are required. Register for an appointment HERE. When registering, please use code #1403. All donors will receive a coupon for an 8-ounce shaved ice from Bahama Bucks! For more information, please contact Denise Phelps (dphelps@gpch.org; 713 267-5063).

Friends of Westchase Laptop Update

In partnership with Techno Cycle and thanks to donations from the community, Friends of Westchase has provided refurbished laptops to six local students. Access to computers helps students, who otherwise do schoolwork on a small smartphone screen, to learn, focus and be more engaged in their online studies. We are grateful for partnerships that help us strengthen under-resourced populations in our community.

Please join us! Friends of Westchase is deepening connections with the community and growing partnerships! If you would like to join us, contact Nancy Bailey and follow Friends of Westchase on Facebook and Instagram for updates.

Encouraging Spiritual/Emotional Support

Community Resources

If you need help with supplies, counseling, safety situations or anything else, please reach out to us or to the following resources:

  • WHAM for West Houston: (713) 780-2727
  • NAM for Northwest Houston: (281) 885-4555
  • Mental Health Services: (713) 871-1004 (offered by Hope and Healing Institute)
  • Family Violence 24-Hour Hotline: (281) 885-4673
  • Suicide Prevention Hotline: (800) 273-8255

Fellowship by Phone Opportunity 

Grace invites you to join our “reach out and touch someone” ministry. We want to equip our congregation to reach out to one another and check in to see how others are doing. If you are interested in picking up the phone, opening your phone app, or asking Siri to dial a number to reach out to those who may feel isolated in these times, please sign up HERE.

We Want to Connect with You

Grace staff members and elders and volunteers are trying to call EVERYONE in the congregation to see how families are holding up right now and if there’s anything we can do to help. We’re finding that we don’t have current, updated phone numbers for some of you! Please help us connect with each other! If you have not received a phone call or text by the end of this weekend, please email your cell phone, home phone and address information to Susan Dozier (sdozier@gpch.org).

How can we Pray for and Help You?

Please know that we are praying for you and want to help in any way if we can. Are you able to get out of your home and get groceries/gas/other supplies? Do you have face masks or need any? Can we pray for you in a specific way or add you to our prayer team list? Do you just need to talk out all that you’re feeling at the moment? Reach out to us HERE.

Kids Inspiring Hope -
Join the Kids of Grace as we Reach Out to Vulnerable Adults

Kids and people of all ages are invited to connect with vulnerable adults during this time. Your efforts will build bridges of connection to provide hope and comfort. Mail handwritten notes or artwork to connect and encourage others. To join the children of Grace in this initiative, please contact Chris French.

Online Tutoring Service Offered Free of Charge Until End of School Year

Does your child become frustrated with online learning? Do you find yourself saying, “I didn’t sign up for this!” Well, there are Grace members who are willing to help with the new normal of distance learning for a variety of subjects and ages. Call Margaret Ellis (713-501-5140) if you or your children need assistance.

Tutors Needed to Assist Families with School at Home

Do you have a tutoring or teaching background? Volunteer as a tutor to help families dealing with the stress of school at home. You can choose the online communication application that you and the recipient family are most comfortable with during your first contact with a parent. To learn more or to serve as a tutor, please contact Margaret Ellis (713-501-5140).