This week we will be wrapping up our series on Nehemiah. This is an ancient story of a people who are trying to put their lives back together, that has some important lessons for us today. The people were building a wall, and a just and holy community; in the same way, we too are in a season of rebuilding. We began this series with reopening our building, it took a lot of hard work and effort to open the doors that were shuttered for 15 months.
But as we came back together, we realized that this is much bigger than a cleaning project. There are many things that need to be rebuilt, our relationships, our personal faith, our community connections. Therefore , we are taking a fresh look at how we do church.
I am blessed to be in ministry with such a wonderful and faithful group of Jesus followers. I know that God has us on this rebuilding journey together for a reason. Thank you for all the ways that you have served in the past, it is that foundation that we are building on today. Now I am challenging you to consider how you might be a part of rebuilding for our future.
What kind of stories do you want to be told years from now about how you/we showed up in post-pandemic 2021? It can start with rekindling worship, reengaging with small groups, recentering in mission. See these opportunities below – more will be coming in the next few weeks ahead. Let’s get started now!
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Gina
Opportunities to Grow in Faith:
TO LEARN:
Read, Reflect, Relate - Not a typical Bible Study
Simply Grace will be offering a summer small group program to help us stay in contact with each other and our faith. It will be held Wednesday’s at 7PM and last up to one hour. If we end earlier, that will be fine. No book is required.
Regular attendance is not required. It will be a hybrid meeting so you can come to the church or attend via zoom.
The group will begin with sharing a parable before we meet, participants can read it before the meeting (or not). We’ll ask you to think about it and what it means to you (reflect). Then we’ll talk about it (relate to one another) at our group “get together”.
We will ask each person to pick a parable, a favorite verse, story, etc. to share and our group will read, reflect (individually and in the group) and share/relate what it means to you and how it impacts our relationship with Jesus and God. You are not required to do that if you prefer not to choose something.
We will begin on July 21. This group will be lead by Judy Hoffman and Tom Kinsman. Please provide your email and/or phone number to them or email your interest to church@simplygraceumc.com
We would LOVE your feedback to help plan for our next series of studies. Please take a moment to fill out this Small Group survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/93PDS8Z
TO PRAY:
Weekly Prayer Meeting
Each Thursday at 6:30 a group meets for 15 minutes of prayer led by Tom Kinsman
SERVE:
School Supplies for Students: We will be collecting the following for the next few weeks to help supply our local students at BES for the upcoming school year.
• Crayola crayons (24 ct.)
• #2 pencils
• Pencil box or pouch
• Crayola colored pencils (12 or 24 ct.)
• Crayola broad line washable markers (Classic Colors)
• Dry erase markers
• Spiral notebooks, single subject, wide-ruled, solid color covers
• Composition notebooks, wide-ruled
• Glue sticks
• Scissors
• Disinfectant wipes
• Ziploc bags, any size
• Hand sanitizer
• Highlighters
• Large boxes of tissues
• Inexpensive earbuds or headphones
• 2-pocket folders
• Large pink erasers
• Post-it notes
Worship is happening live on Zoom and in-person at 9:30am.
Join Zoom Meeting https://gnjumc.zoom.us/j/98657500877
Meeting ID: 986 5750 0877
Giving is easy! You may mail a check to
Simply Grace, PO Box 86, Bloomsbury NJ 08804
Click the donate button to give directly via PayPal: simplygraceumc.com