May 28, 2020

Binoculars

Congregational Regathering Survey

As we are working with leadership on a phased approach for regathering, we would love to hear from you. Please take a few minutes and fill out our congregational survey using this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/859JZJN

Gather

Virtual Sunday Worship and House Worship Liturgy Guide

We continue to have one worship service in English at 10 a.m. each Sunday during this period of constant change. The link to watch on Vimeo, YouTube, 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.

Grace en Español

Join us at 11 a.m. for Grace en Español. The link to watch on Facebook will be posted HERE.

The Power of Prayer

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

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.

Church Offices
Remain Closed

The church offices remain closed, and church employees continue to work from home. 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.

Drive-Thru Communion

Sunday, June 7, 4:30 p.m.

Be sure to check next week's email for all the details about our Drive-Thru Communion experience!

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.

Midweek Song and Prayer

Wednesday evenings, 7:30 p.m.
(piano prelude of hymns beginning at 7:20 p.m.)

Let's join together through an evening of song and prayer on Wednesdays 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).

Connect

Welcome Jon Gray
to Audio/Visual Ministry

We have some very exciting news to share for our Audio/Visual Ministry. For those of you who have not yet met Jon Gray, he has accepted our new position as Director of Audio/Visual Ministry. He began May 20. He has been helping occasionally in the Contemporary Service for a little over a year at Grace so he's definitely a familiar face.

Jon has had many opportunities both in California as well as in Houston where he has built a vast knowledge and experience in the field of Live Sound, Production and Recording as well as being a talented musician. He has been involved with a number of venues including The Blue Whale, The Woodlands Pavilion, Bismarck Civic Center, Nashville Municipal Auditorium, Dodge Arena, Hotel Galvez, and many more. In Houston, he has worked at Harvin Light, Sound & Video and Warehouse Live. Please welcome Jon to the Grace staff family.

Sunday School
Small Groups
Return on Zoom

We DO have our Virtual Sunday School Small Groups this Sunday, May 31. Find the links to your child's small group HERE.

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: Grace Preschool Ministries. 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 Virtual VBS

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

Amazon Wish List
for VBS Supplies

While VBS may be virtual this year, our 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 Amazon Wish 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!

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.

Last Crowded House
of the School Year

May 31

Crowded House will return for a final time this school year on May 31. Don't miss it! Contact Phil Warman (pwarman@gpch.org) to find links to your small group. Check back soon for a special summer small group experience!

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.

Stay Tuned
for Summer Events

Visit grace.highschool and grace.middleschool stories on Instagram for upcoming summer events and activities coming soon!

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! For more information, contact Denise Phelps.

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

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.

Blood Drive

May 28, May 29 and May 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).

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

Providing Food
Resourcing Health Information
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:

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.
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.
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 eight weeks. We are at capacity for volunteers this week but welcome volunteers for 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:

Video Instructions to make masks: https://youtu.be/9tBg0Os5FWQ
Info Sheet Instructions to make masks:
- Using straps: https://www.deaconess.com/How-to-make-a-Face-Mask/Documents-Mask/Mask-Information
- Using ties: https://www.deaconess.com/How-to-make-a-Face-Mask/Documents-Mask/How-to-Make-an-Adult-Surgical-Mask-with-Ties-3-26.pdf

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 more than 1,000,000 people in Greater Houston will have potentially life-saving reusable masks. Click HERE for more information.

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. Please make sure you indicate how many masks you are donating when you place them in the drop off container.

The masks collected at Grace will benefit:

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

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.