Daily Notes of Grace

LOGOS to start October 6 - Messenger 7 / 2010

LOGOS is scheduled to meet from 4:45 to 7:15 p.m. on Wednesdays beginning October 6, with the exception of holidays. Used in churches around the world, LOGOS sets out to teach kids about Jesus Christ and shows them how the word of God applies in their lives. The weekly sessions include periods of Bible study, worship skills (music), recreation, and family time (dinner).

   Dozens of adult volunteers give their time to lead, play, teach, nurture and care for the LOGOS youth. The program successfully combines youthful fun and a focus on Christ, while bringing together kids (ages preschool through high school) and adults to explore Christianity. 

   Participation forms are available in Fellowship Hall, each narthex and the church office. Questions may be directed to members of the LOGOS Ministry Team: Pastor Saïd, Pastor Flessen and Janet Kings.

Vacation Bible School is for all adults, too - Messenger 7 / 2010

Looking for a way to get away from it all? Ready to book a trip but can’t afford the cost of a ticket? Vacation Bible School will offer relief from your cares and a glimpse of Africa under the Baobab Tree, a place of gathering and worship, each evening from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., July 19-22, at Grace Lutheran Church of La Grange. 

   The program will feature song, Bible study, African foods, and presentations by guest speakers who will talk about life in Africa. Laura Gerstl, a seminary student, will talk about the semester she spent in Tanzania, and Endita Kiarie will share her story about growing up in Kenya. 

   Bible study and worship segments of VBS will be lead by Pastors Soren Flessen and Susan Gerow, Parish Nurse Ann Gornik and Intern Pastor Dara Schuller-Hanson. Each night, the discussion will focus on a different word: trust, love, follow, caring and sharing. 

   There is no fee to attend, but a nightly free-will offering will be taken to cover refreshments and other costs. Donations will also be collected for the church’s missionary in Africa. Registration forms are available in both the OPUS and the YFG communication centers. Babysitting requests should be made on the backs of the forms. Registration blanks will be included in the bulletin beginning in July. 

Vacation Bible School, Youth Bible Camp Set -- Messenger 7 / 2010

Vacation Bible School and Youth Bible Camp is scheduled for Monday, July 19, through Friday, July 23. The setting for this year’s week-long morning camp is the expansive African savannah. The principles to be taught will include: trust, love, follow, care and share. Children ages 4 years old through those entering sixth grade are welcome. This you won’t want to miss! 

   Teachers and volunteer helpers are needed as we gather for VBS this year. If you are able to teach or help in other ways, please talk to Pastor Flessen or contact Alice Oscarson.

Faith and Film – July 18 - Messenger 7 / 2010

‘Steadfast love in the midst of change.’ This is the theme for the July faith and film gathering which will be held on July 18 after the luncheon for Pastor Philip Knutson.

   “How Green Was My Valley” is the story of the Morgans, a close-knit, hard-working Welsh family at the turn of the twentieth century in the South Wales coalfields. This family is stretched to overcome illness and changes in the work world. 

   All of the issues raised in the film remain very relevant today. We continue to wonder, ‘Can humans embody the steadfast love of God, even during times of change and challenge?’ This film, considered John Ford’s greatest work, received the best Picture Oscar in 1941.

From the Church Library - Messenger 7 / 2010

Looking for something for family viewing?

The library has many entertaining DVD’s with a worthwhile message.

Here are only a few:

“Believe Me” – girl’s basketball in a 

  small town   DVD 920

“Black Stallion Returns” – classic 

  horse story   DVD BLA

“First of May” – a circus story

  DVD FIR

“Long Shot” – horse racing 

  DVD LON

“Miracle Dogs Too” – an inspirational 

  ‘tail’   DVD MIR

‘My Friend Flicka ‘ – a classic 

  horse story   DVD MYF

“Prairie Pirates” – kids, a map, 

  treasure   DVD PRA

Visit the library and check a few out!

Women of Grace - Messenger 7 / 2010

Women of Grace continues to collect items for Lutheran World 

Relief (LWR) kits and quilts. Lists of needed items are available in the Communications Center in Fellowship Hall, where donations may also be left in the basket beneath the bulletin board. Or leave donations in the stairway next to the chapel. 

   Projects Day continues through August (mornings only) beginning at 9 a.m. on the third Thursday of the month (July 15 and August 19).  Several quilts are ready to be finished thanks to the efforts of women who put quilt tops together at home. Tote bags can be sewn at Projects Day, as well. They are always needed by Lutheran Social Services of Illinois for use by female inmates upon their release from prison. Refreshments will be provided during the coffee break. Visitors and newcomers are always welcome. 

   At-home sewing kits for both quilt tops and tote bags are available at the foot of the stairs next to the chapel. They contain cut fabric, instructions and other materials.

   The Prayer Shawl Ministry continues to meet from 7:30 to 9 p.m. on the second and fourth Thursdays of the month in the Kensington Room. Open to all ages, the group creates prayer shawls, baby blankets and sweaters needed for layette kits, as well as mittens, hats and scarves for local distribution. Participants may bring their own projects or use needles, patterns and yarn on hand. Those wishing to learn (or revive) their knitting or crocheting skills are invited to attend.

   Monthly gatherings and circle meetings will resume in September.

Jeremy Kings recital on July 31 - Messenger 7 / 2010

Grace Lutheran Church will host a recital by Jeremy Kings, baritone,  at 7 p.m. on Saturday, July 31 in the Sanctuary. He will be accompanied by Kurt Amolsch, pianist. The recital will include works by Handel, Brahms, Wolf, Quilter, Vaughan Williams, Rorem and Menotti. 

   Jeremy has been singing solo and in choirs since age 15 and has been a frequent soloist at Grace Church when home on college breaks. He recently graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University with a bachelor’s degree in computer science with a minor in music.    

   Jeremy studied voice under Dr. Sam Scifres and Dr. Scott Ferguson. He is the son of Director of Music Ministries, Janet Kings,

OPUS Counts Down to Christmas - Messenger 7/ 2010

Older People Up to Something will celebrate Christmas in July at 11:30 a.m., Wednesday, July 14, in Fellowship Hall. Patricia Reaves of Riverside-Brookfield High School will share a program about German Christmas customs and show many Christmas items, while Sue and Klaus Bloecks and Bob Resch serve up a traditional German Christmas dinner to the delight of all assembled. It promises to be a highlight of the summer. Arrange transportation by calling the church at (708) 352-0730. A free-will offering will

be collected, and non-members are welcome.

   A few tickets remain for the lunch and theater trip planned in conjunction with the 15th Annual Senior Lifestyle Expo at Drury Lane Oakbrook on Wednesday, August 25. Participants will car pool from the church parking lot at 9:30 a.m., tour the Expo, have lunch in the dining room and see the play “Hot Mikado” at 1:30,. The cost of the outing is $45. Those interested can register in the OPUS information center or sign the back of a yellow pew card. The registration deadline is July 25.

   Information about a fall College of DuPage course for seniors, to begin in September, will be available soon A great way to stay young is to keep the mind active, learning new things. COD classes offer continuing education without papers to write or exams to take – just exciting lectures and discussions!

   Registration is underway for Adult Vacation Bible School, set for 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., July 19-22. See details in the Education section of this month’s edition of The Messenger.

   OPUS members thank Carol Giles for the presentation on safety she gave at the June luncheon. 

Legacies of Grace - Messenger 7/ 2010

When Janet Gustafson was interviewed for the Legacies of Grace project in the 1990s, she recalled the Rev. O. V. Anderson as a very punctual man but one with a real sense of humor. He was always having a laugh on someone else, but she recalled that she had a good laugh on him soon after her wedding. The pastor had forgotten that he had married her and her husband, Dick, six months earlier and was shocked when she said she was living with him in Berwyn. “See, I got you that time!” she told him.

   Janet had just graduated from eighth grade in 1940 when her family, the Malmquists, moved to La Grange from Chicago. She was active in Luther League, and also helped the pastor’s wife. Janet babysat for her and did light housekeeping on Saturdays, even taking down wash and pressing altar cloths. 

   The pastor’s office was in the small tower room, and also served as a nursery for three-year-olds on Sunday mornings. The flat roof outside the small window attracted the children, and one even climbed out the window onto the roof. Luckily, he was caught in time! Janet remembered trying to keep youngsters from peering down to see people using the Kensington entrance.

   Janet was a member of King’s Daughters, later known as Daughters of Grace. The group eventually joined the Women’s Missionary group. They met in homes to tear and cut sheets and roll bandages for the Red Cross during WWII. They partially sponsored a camp child in the summer and sponsored missionaries. 

   Janet and Dick were married at Grace in 1948. All of their children were baptized here, and two of their daughters were married here.

YFG - Messenger 7 / 2010

YFG Ladies’ Night Out is scheduled for Wednesday, July 21 at 6:30 p.m. at Luv Nails (17 S. La Grange Rd.) Plan on a manicure, pedicure – or both. We’ll have appetizers and drinks, as well! Don’t hesitate to join in this fun and relaxing event. Take care of yourself while hanging out with Christian friends. Space may be limited. Watch for your Evite. For questions or to suggest LNO ideas, contact Casey Brown  or Adriane Wong .

   The YFG Mixer for this month will take place on Sunday, July 25 at 10 a.m. in The Lounge. As Grace Church focuses on prayer this summer, YFG will dig deeper into this essential topic that is so central to our experience as humans, and as Christians. You’ll almost certainly come away from this forum with a sense of support, validation and peace about this pivotal topic.