Both of Grace UMC’s pastors share information via blogging. Pastor Steve Hart shares a message each week in the blog listing below, with his message also emailed out in our weekly Gracevine Newsletter. Associate Pastor Beth Burton also blogs, sharing thoughtful insights on faith and everyday life. Click here to visit Pastor Beth’s blog and see the latest messages from Pastor Steve below.
Dear Grace Family: What is a good thing that you have learned about yourself or your family as a result of this pandemic? We have all learned many challenging and unpleasant things, but it is important to ask ourselves about the good things. I have learned that I benefit greatly from more consistent time with my family and more consistent time alone.…
Dear Grace Family: I would never have anticipated when 2020 began that we would not have public worship on Mother’s Day weekend. While circumstances are not as we would prefer, I am grateful that, as far as I am aware, no members of Grace have tested positive for covid-19. We continue to pray for God’s daily guidance in making the best decisions…
Dear Grace Family: Being separated from our routine community life offers an opportunity to reflect upon what our community means to us. Despite the distinctly American emphasis upon individualism and personal freedom, human beings were made to live in community with each other. We need time alone, but too much isolation is not healthy for any of us. Personally, I miss many…
Dear Grace Family: I miss you all! This has been a strange several weeks. While I am grateful for the technology that makes online worship possible, it is not the same as worshipping in person. God willing, we will return to some form of in-person worship before the end of May. In the meanwhile, I am excited to share that we will close…
Dear Grace Family:Here we are in the heart of another holy week. But this one is unlike any other that we have experienced. We are confined to our homes. We may be fearful regarding our health and the health of our loved ones. We may be fearful about our economic futures. Yet in the midst of these concerns, we have the opportunity…
Dear Grace Family: In 1966, Robert Kennedy delivered a speech in which he quoted a curse which says, “May he live in interesting times.” Kennedy went on to say that while life then was interesting and dangerous and uncertain, it was also the most creative of any time in history. Times of crisis call upon all of us to be creative in…
Dear Grace Family: As we continue our journey through COVID-19 and its effects on everyone, it is important that we all develop routine prayer practices. You may have specific, personal prayer needs to share. Please send those to Pat Harrison at path.gumc@gmail.com. Pat will forward those requests to me and Pastor Beth and our prayer team. If you have a need that…
Updated, Saturday, May 23: Information from this blog post has been moved to our COVID-19 Impacts web page (Click for new page). Watch weekly online worship services live at 11 AM each Sunday on the Grace UMC Facebook page. You can also watch Sunday Service LIVE on our Sermons page, plus view Archived Worship Services.
Good Evening Grace Family: After continuing to follow the news and the guidance of our conference leadership, we have decided to cancel all worship services at Grace this Sunday, March 15. Our congregation is composed of many elderly people, and we do not want to expose anyone to unnecessary risk. We reached this decision after prayerful deliberation and the encouragement of our…
Dear Grace Community: Have you ever struggled to forgive someone who has hurt you? I think we all have, and sometimes we may struggle for years to let go of the hurt and the pain in order to offer true forgiveness. This Sunday, as we continue our Lenten sermon series, we will explore what it means to embrace the uncertainty of forgiveness.…