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Grace’s Mission Statement: Love Jesus and Help Others Love Him, Too.

Grace Makes a World of Difference

We are on a spiritual journey together. Although we have all traveled different roads, God has met each of us on the way. Jesus has accepted us as we are and we strive to do so with one another – thankful for the past, excited about the present and expectant of a wonderful future as the Holy Spirit guides us to be the people of God.

We welcome and involve all people in the life of the family of faith no matter what their journeys so that they may experience the grace we have received from Jesus Christ. We celebrate our life together in worship, prayer, study of scripture, service and fellowship. If you are looking for a Christian community of diversity that will love you, proclaim the good news of God’s unconditional love, offer a place to use your spiritual gifts to the glory of God, and grow with you in God’s love through service to the local community and world, we invite you to experience the gospel with those who believe that Grace makes a world of difference.

Audio recordings of recent sermons are available on the church’s website, www.graceoakridge.org. Click on the Church Life tab in the menu, then click Worship, then Sermons (or go here). CDs with recordings of the 11:15a.m. service are available

in the narthex each Sunday. Grace has a Facebook page! Give it a look — It has daily devotionals and more! Get there from our web site or go directly to https://www.facebook.com/Grace-Evangelical-Lutheran-Church-Oak-Ridge-TN-303773583084/

Office Hours: Office secretary, Victoria Medaglia, is here from 9-1, Monday and Tuesday, 9-4 on Wednesday, and 9-2 on Thursday. Contact Victoria at 865-483-3787 or office@graceor.org.

Our worship schedule is:

9:00 a.m. Contemporary Worship Service (FH) 10:00-11:00 a.m. Children and Youth Sunday School 10:10-11:00 a.m. Adult Sunday School 11:15 a.m. Traditional Worship Service 10:00 a.m. Unified Service every 5th Sunday (Next on Oct. 29)

Church News and Events

Please join us in the Fellowship Hall for our congregational dinner to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. Come even if you didn’t sign up!

There are no Sunday School classes today.

In honor of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, we are taking a special offering to give to the ELCA Global Missions. We hope to get $500 for this special appeal. Any money we receive beyond $500, we will donate to the Grace Food Pantry. There is a bright red “house” on the table in the Narthex (and at the back entrance for the 9:00 service) where you may put pocket change or loose bills. If you prefer to write a check, please make it to Grace Lutheran and put “Reformation Appeal” at the bottom. We will be collecting for this appeal for the entire month of October.

PET FEST: Please bring back any yard signs you may have put up ASAP before they are lost or trashed by the city! We still have two out. Many thanks to those who helped publicize this event! Please take a look as the great silent auction items on the PetFest web site (http://www.gracepetfest.org/silent-auction/) —invite your friends to bid, too! And don’t forget to enjoy the Woodland students’ art work in Fellowship Hall.

The Spanish class will not meet November 2. Instead, they will participate at the Pizza Inn fundraiser to support our ESOL program. ¡Te veremos allá!

Wednesday rehearsals: First Harmony (for age 6 and up) rehearses from 3:00-4:00 p.m. Ringspiration rehearses at 5:45 p.m. weekly; Chancel Choir at 7:00 p.m. All are welcome!

Twenty-First Sunday After Pentecost October 29, 2017

Reformation Sunday

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Learning Opportunities at Grace

Our Thanksgiving Dinner Celebration will be on Sunday, November 12, at 4:30 p.m. Look for a sign-up sheet soon. Invite a friend to come enjoy a time of fellowship and good food.

Nurturing Commission is looking for more people to teach children's Sunday school. We also need someone who enjoys working with youth and is willing to assist Sharon Boudreaux with our youth group. If you would enjoy working with either of these ministries, please call Candy Yugo.

The Adult Sunday School Class is studying the history of Christianity before The Reformation. We introduced Luther on October 22. Join us next week in Room 101 at 10:10 a.m. when we will resume our discussion. There is no class today.

Monday Morning Bible Study is now studying the Book of Galatians. Class meets from 10-11:30 a.m. in Room 101. Members and friends are welcome!

Thursday Evening Bible Study Invites You! We are using Ray Vander Laan's video series Faith Lessons: In the Dust of the Rabbi. This video series presents the events and characters of the Bible in their original setting to better understand the cultural context of the Scriptures. The group meets on Thursdays, in Room 101 at 7:00 p.m. Each video stands alone, so feel free to join as you can!

Proclaiming Commission is exploring the Alpha approach to reaching out to unchurched and formerly churched folks. If you might

be interested in finding out more, please visit the alphausa.org website and explore. We need a coordinator, a team of facilitators (we have three facilitators so far), and some folks willing to cook a meal or two. Please contact Nancy Munro, Christy Gipson, Pat Hope, or Stan Long if you want

to know more about this.

What is OLSE? Other Languages for Speakers of English, a spontaneous outgrowth of our ESOL program. Currently, we have four ongoing classes! Spanish, taught by our very own Jeniffer Navarro, meets Thursdays from 6-7 p.m. in Room 101; Chinese, taught by native Mandarin speaker Lotus Wang, meets Fridays from 9:30-11:00 a.m. in Room 101. Korean class, taught by native speaker Aileen Okada, meets Mondays, at 9:30-11:00 a.m., in Room 107. Russian class, taught by native speaker Tatiana Krasovskaya, meets Mondays, at 1:00-2:30 p.m., in Room 101., All are free and open to anyone, Grace member or not.

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Events in the Wider Community

Come celebrate World Community Day with Church Women United in a worship program “Kindling New Fires for Peace” on Fri., Nov. 3, at United Church, Chapel on the Hill, in Oak Ridge. Fellowship begins at 11:30 a.m., followed by a brief meeting and the program at noon. Please invite family, friends, and colleagues. All are welcome.

KARM Updates

Transportation is a huge obstacle for many seeking employment and a better life that comes with a job. The KARM Stores Bike Initiative will repair donated bicycles and, in turn, give them to those struggling with transportation. In our first month, we’ve prepared almost two dozen kids’ bikes. In order to quickly build momentum for this new endeavor, we need bikes and we need volunteers. Donations of bikes can be made at any KARM Stores locations. Information sessions will be hosted at KARM Stores in Farragut on Monday, September 11th at 10:00 a.m. and Wednesday, September 13th at 7:00 p.m. for those interested in giving their time. To learn more, contact bikes@karmstores.com. You can sponsor a child to receive a free bike. See instructions on the bulletin board, or call the office for more information. Coats for the Cold: Last year, we collected over 6,00 coats. Every donated winter coat was given to someone in our community. This year, we aim to build on that success and expect to provide more than 10,000 coats to those in need. In order to meet this goal, we will work with you to transport coats from your campus to KARM Stores. The official collection period runs from Monday, October 16 to Saturday, November 11. Volunteers will be needed again to help sort, hang and rack the coats at every KARM Stores location. Sign up at Coats for the Cold Volunteer Opportunity. If you have coupons from KARM and would like to donate them to the church, please put them in Judy Joy’s folder.

Fragrances Alert: Grace asks that you forego personal fragrances, especially perfume, cologne, and scented aftershave products when you prepare for church services and activities. 15-30% of the general population has fragrance sensitivities. Reactions can range from malaise to nausea to asthma or other breathing problems. This is a

matter of hospitality to visitors as well as a concern for members. Thank you!

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*** Make checks payable to “Grace Lutheran Church”

and put Reformation Appeal in the memo line. ***

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Opportunities to Serve Save the Date: Thursday, November 2, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m., we will have another fundraiser for our ESOL child care program at Pizza Inn. Ten percent of proceeds, plus all tips, go to Grace. Please plan to eat or order there and spread the word to your friends!

Fall has arrived! Time to get busy making hats to give away with our Christmas Baskets. If you can knit or crochet, there are patterns and yarn available in the narthex. How many can you make by December 16th? I’ve already made 20, but I got a head start. Please help!

Flower Guild members arrange flowers for the altar and special events, including the Flower Festival. If you are interested in joining the Flower Guild, please contact one of the members.

Call Committee Update: The Call Committee initially received the names of four candidates to become the called pastor of Grace Lutheran Church. The Committee has now made its recommendation to Church Council for the preferred candidate. This person will be invited to visit, tour Oak Ridge and the church, and be interviewed by Church Council. Please continue your prayers for Grace Church, our pastors, the Council, other leaders and this candidate.

Prayer list: Please use the “Prayer Concerns Request” form for adding names of church members, family, and friends to this Special Concerns List. Request forms are available in the narthex, the back entry, and the church office. Requests may also be made via email. This “Family and Friends” section is updated weekly; names will be removed after 6 weeks, unless the request is renewed.

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Fellowship

The next Men's Group meeting will be on Saturday, November 11 (Veteran's Day). Coffee will be ready by 7:30 am with breakfast at 8:00 a.m.

Our speaker will be Jim Hansen who will share highlights of his bike ride entitled "Bicycling Across the Southern Tier" of the U.S. from California to Florida, which should be quite an adventure. All men of Grace are invited to attend. If you have questions, please contact Phil Stumbo.

New Prayer Chain Coordinators: If you have a prayer chain request or would like to be added to the list of those who provide prayer, please email or text Sylvia Countess or Donna Gurecki.

The Prayer Shawl Ministry has weekly working meetings on Wednesdays from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m., in the narthex. Everyone interested in crafting a prayer shawl in the company of others is invited. Anyone who wants to learn how to knit or crochet is also invited. There is plenty of yarn to use, but you will need to bring knitting needles or a crochet hook of the appropriate size. Please contact Dore Busch or Barbara Sparks if you would like more information.

Christ in Our Home devotional for October/November/December is available in the back entry and the narthex. Make this part of your spiritual formation and God time; you will be surprised by the blessings!

Prayer meeting is held on the third Tuesday of each month. The informal format includes scripture, time for meditation, music, and corporate and individual prayer opportunities. The next meeting is Tuesday, November 21, at 7:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary. All are welcome — bring a friend!

If you have bulletin board announcements, check with the office about where and how to put them up. Please date all bulletin board announcements. Items will be left up until the date of the event being announced. If the item is not about a particular event, it will be left for several weeks then replaced or move. If bulletin boards are not changed periodically, they lose their effectiveness and people are less likely to pay attention to them.

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Worship Volunteer Schedule

Date November 5

All Saints Sunday November 12 November 19

Time 9:00 9:00 9:00 11:15 11:15 11:15

Lector/Reader

Holly Niehaus

Merry Ann Hansen

Holly Niehaus

David Dixon Chuck

Thompson

Sharon

Boudreaux

Readings

Revelation 7: 9-17 Psalm 34: 1-10, 22 1 John 3: 1-3 Matthew 5: 1-12

Amos 5: 18-24 Psalm 70 1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18 Matthew 25: 1-13

Zephaniah 1: 7, 12-18 Psalm 90: 1-8, [9-11] 12 1 Thessalonians 5: 1-11 Matthew 25: 14-30

Liturgist Karen Dixon Robert

Stewart

Vicki

Quraishi

Worship Leader

Merry Ann Hansen

Randy Nesbit Betty Dagley

Acolyte Hannah Mustaffa

Neal Vaughan Gabriel Weber

Taylor Moua Michelle

Moua Ashley Moua

Beverly Bauman

Donna Gurecki

Merry Ann Hansen

Ushers

Riley &

Margaret

Cumberland

Stan Long /

Chuck

Thompson

Chuck

Thompson /

Dick Lorenz

Steve & Marianne Johnson

Christy Gipson

Bill Moehl /

Valerie

Hansen

Valerie Hansen

Donna

Stephens /

Crista

Froeling

Chuck

Thompson /

Betty

Shattuck

Flower Guild

Alicia Rudat Noemi Vila, Jeniffer Navarro

Teresa Mustaffa

Offering Stewards

Valerie Hansen, Ingrid Busch

Valerie Hansen, Ingrid Busch

Valerie Hansen, Ingrid Busch

Altar Guild

Kathy Olsen, Ingrid Busch, Nahida Jallouk

Kathy Olsen, Ingrid Busch, Nahida Jallouk

Kathy Olsen, Ingrid Busch, Nahida Jallouk

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This Week at Grace

CR = Choir Room; FH = Fellowship Hall; JL = Jacob’s Ladder; N = Narthex;

O = Office; S = Sanctuary; SS = Sunday School Rooms

Sunday, October 29 REFORMATION 500 SUNDAY 7:45am 4th Day Reunion Rm 101 10:00am Unified Worship S 12:00pm Reformation Dinner FH Monday, October 30 9-11am ESOL Class Rm 210 9:30am Korean Class Rm 210 10:00am Bible Study Rm 101 11:00am Gentle Movement Class FH 1:00pm Russian Class Rm 101 5:15pm 4th Day Reunion Chapel 5:15pm Aerobics FH 6:30pm Poetry Pie Rm 101 Tuesday, October 31 9-11am ESOL Class Rm 107 5:15pm Aerobics FH 6-8pm NO ESOL Classes Happy Halloween! Wednesday, November 1 9-11am ESOL Class Rm 101 11:00am Gentle Movement Class FH 12:00pm CONTACT lunch Rm 101 3:00pm First Harmony S 4:00pm Prayer Shawl Knitters N 5:45pm Ringspiration S 6-8pm ESOL Classes Rms 210-213 7:00pm Chancel Choir S

Thursday, November 2 9-11am ESOL Class Rm 101 10:00am Blanket Workshop FH 5:15pm Aerobics FH 6-8pm Pizza Inn Fund Raiser 6-8pm ESOL Classes Rms 210-213 7:00pm Bible Study Rm 101 Friday, November 3 9:30am Chinese Class Rm 101 10:00am Food Pantry 11:00am Gentle Movement Class FH 5:15pm Aerobics FH Saturday, November 4 Sunday, November 5 7:45am 4th Day Reunion Rm 101 9:00am Contemporary Worship FH 10:00am Children/Youth Sunday School Varied 10:10am Adult Sunday School Rm 101 11:15am Traditional Worship S

Fair Trade coffee —every day! We are trying a self-serve kiosk in the entry, stocked with coffee, tea, and chocolate. Take what you need, leave your payment in the box on the back, and never run out again.

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You know you are a Lutheran if …

You know that good works won’t get you into heaven, but perfect attendance might.

An updated directory is now available. Members may request a printed or electronic copy from the office.

Members of our Call Committee are Christy Gipson, Nelson Lingle, Harry Meyer (Chair), Heston Moua, Paula Pope, and Margaret Cumberland. The Call Process Manual is available on the SE Synod website (https://sites.google.com/a/elca-ses.org/elca/resources/call-process-manual) if you are interested in learning more about the steps ahead. The work of this group is now complete; please thank them for their excellent work and many hours of service.

Communications

Church Council

Church Council meets on the third Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m. in Room 101.

Meetings are open to any who want to attend. If you have any questions or concerns,

please contact the church office.