March 8, 2020

Second Sunday of Lent Contemporary Worship – 9:00 AM

Welcome and Announcements (Please fill out your Response Card and place it in the offering.) Passing the Peace

Praise Music

Prayers

Baptism Levi Matthew DeGilio

CHILDREN’S CHURCH takes place after the prayers at the 9:00 AM Contemporary Worship Service in TFEC. Families will worship together, then the children will be dismissed to Children’s Church (between 9:15-9:20) in rooms 106 and 108 for Children's Church and Bible story time.

Offering

Scripture Reading John 3:1-17

Message Questioning the Mysteries Rev. Robin Hager Closing and Blessing

Are You New to Grace’s Contemporary Service? We are so glad that you are here!

The service will begin with announcements and about 20 minutes of singing, followed by an offering then there will be a message from the Bible. Please feel at home.

After the service, stop by our Information Center. We are here to answer your questions and give you a campus map or tour.

Check out our website at Graceontheisland.com.

NEXT SUNDAY is Children’s Coin Ministry Sunday. Please

remember to bring your loose coins to place in the offering plate to help support children and youth ministries. Thank you for your support

of Children’s Coin Ministry Sunday!

March 8, 2020 Second Sunday of Lent

Traditional Service – 11:00 AM

Serving as Worship Leader today: Dorris Ann Wasson PRE-SERVICE MUSIC Carolyn Winfrey WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

(Please fill out the Response Card and place it in the Offering.) GREETING

PRELUDE “I Hear a Voice a Prayin; Lord” Bright/Krug GraceTones Handbell Ensemble

*CALL TO WORSHIP (people read the bold face type) L: Beloved of God P: The shadows are deep but the Light is rising. L: Beloved of God, who will we be? P: We are water-washed and Spirit-born, we’re anointed, beloved and free! *HYMN #117 “O God, Our Help in Ages Past”

(Please be seated)

OPENING PRAYER (In Unison) Gracious and glorious Lord, we come, as did Nicodemus, with questions on our hearts and in our lives. We come hoping someone can help us find answers and healing. But we are also hardened with doubts about self, others, and even you. Grant us healing and openness to your spirit that we may be better servants of your Word, your Will, and your Way. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. AMEN. CHORAL CALL TO PRAYER PRAYER AND THE LORD’S PRAYER Pastor Jim PSALM 121 (PAGE # 844 UMH) Pastor Jim

OFFERING

OFFERTORY ANTHEM “Oh How, He Loves You and Me” Kurt Kaiser/arr. Purifoy

PRAYER OF DEDICATION (In Unison) Generous God, you shower us with gifts, including the greatest gift of all, your own Son, Jesus Christ. With thanksgiving and praise, we offer you our time, our money, our very selves. In these actions, we proclaim our intention to be a blessing in the world. Amen. *DOXOLOGY #95 Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow *HYMN #393 “Spirit of the Living God” SCRIPTURE READING John 3:1-17

L: The word of God, for the people of God

P: Thanks be to God MESSAGE Questioning the Mysteries Rev. Robin Hager *HYMN #714 “I know Whom I have Believed” *DISMISSAL WITH BLESSING

POSTLUDE “To God Be the Glory” arr. L. Larson

*Please stand as you are able

THE FLOWERS ON THE ALTAR ARE GIVEN WITH PRAYERS AND

TO THE GLORY OF GOD IN HONOR OF our Loved Ones who are shut-in and homebound. Given by Pastor Jim.

NEXT SUNDAY is Children’s Coin Ministry Sunday. Please remember to bring your loose coins to place in the offering plate to help

support children and youth ministries. Thank you for your support of Children’s Coin Ministry Sunday!

Please prayerfully consider including GUMC in your estate planning

WORSHIP

WORSHIP

SUNDAY SCHOOL FOR ALL AGES CHILDREN’S MINISTRY

KIDZ CLUB Time at 9:55 AM following Children’s Church, children are taken upstairs to rooms 205, 206/207. This time will include crafts, games and sometimes a small snack. Please check your child in PRIOR to worship to ensure safety for your child. Pickup is upstairs (in the back lobby area) at 11:15 AM.

YOUTH MINISTRIES

Youth Sunday school meets on Sunday morning, at 10:15AM, right after the Life Journey service in TFEC, in Room 200. We will be using Cokesbury's Submerge.

ADULT CLASSES

Traditional 9:30 AM Wesleyan Class in the main building, West Wing 9:30 AM Christian Encounters in the main building, East Wing Contemporary 10:15 AM Your Turn Class in the main building, Parlor B. Connecting Class in TFEC Room 108 Discussing our week with Jesus and making the word connect in our daily lives with our families. For more information, Sunday school fliers are located in the information display in the lobby of TFEC or on the table in the Narthex of the main building.

CONNECT

CONNECT

Sunday – March 8 8:30am Coffee Time – TFEC Lobby 9:00am *LifeJourney Contemporary Worship – TFEC 9:00am *Children’s Church – TFEC Rooms 106 (3-5 years) & 108 (K-5th) 9:30am *Traditional Adult Sunday school–Wesleyan, WW; Christian Encounters, EW;

10:00am Kidz Club – TFEC Rooms 205 – 207 10:15am *LifeJourney Adult Sunday school; Connections= 108 Your Turn – Parlor

10:15am *Anchored Youth Sunday school – TFEC RM 200 11:00am *Traditional Worship – Sanctuary 5:00pm Connect: Anchored Youth – TFEC/GYM/RM 200 Monday – March 9 9:15am Preschool Chapel – Sanctuary 10:00am Emmaus Quilters Meeting – Parlor Tuesday –March 10 8:00am Finance Meeting – Parlor 9:30am UMW Board Meeting – PH Back Conf. Rm. 10:00am Grace Staff Meeting – Parlor 10:30am Preschool Dance – TFEC 4:30pm Missions Meeting – Parlor 5:30pm GraceTones Handbell Ensemble– Music Room 6:00pm Board of Trustees Meeting – Parlor 6:30pm Cub Scouts Troop 77 – PH/EW/WW Back Conf. Rm/TFEC/108/201/202

7:00pm AA Meeting – Meeting Room C Wednesday – March 11 9:00am Piecemakers for Peace – Punch Hall & East Wing 10:30am Preschool Gym – TFEC 1:30pm VOTI Communion – VOTI 5:15pm Snack Supper – TFEC 6:00pm Grow: Grace Kidz & Anchored Youth – TFEC 6:30pm Chancel Choir Rehearsal – Music Rm. 6:30pm Boy Scouts Troop 77 – PH/EW/WW 7:00pm Al Anon Meeting – Meeting Room C Thursday – March 12 9:00am Piecemakers Retreat – PH 10:30am Café Bible Study W/ Pastor Jim – Grace Café 6:30pm Thursday Bible Study – PH West Wing 7:00pm Al Anon – Parlor 7:00pm AA Meeting – Meeting Room C 7:00pm Life Journey Praise Team Practice – TFEC Main Hall Friday – March 13 7:00am UMW Cornerstone Family Ministry Trip – Tampa, Fl 9:00am Piecemakers Retreat – PH 10:30am Preschool Martial Arts – TFEC GYM Saturday – March 14 9:00am Piecemakers Retreat – PH

Mission Support

Pat & Karen Burroughs-Campus Crusade Sister Methodist Church in Herrera, Cuba

Kenneth Carter, Florida Conference, Resident Bishop Dan Jackson, District Superintendent, SW District

All Members of the Church, Ministers

Robin Hager, Pastor

Jim McWhinnie, Congregational Care Pastor Beverly McFarland, Administrator

Vicki Mackey, Student & Family Ministry Director Suzanne Berndt, Organist/Director, Traditional Music

Mary Jeanne Moorman, Pianist Rich Hager, Praise Team Leader

Tia Fishburn, Office Assistant Faithe Johnson, Preschool Director

Karen Bowles, Housekeeper

Grace United Methodist Church 400 Field Avenue East ~ Venice, Florida 34285-4035

Church: 941.488.1374 Fax: 941.488.0289 www.GraceOnTheIsland.com

Preschool: 941.485.4312 www.gracemethodistpreschool.org

STEPHEN MINISTRY Grace is a Stephen Ministry congregation. Stephen

Ministers care by listening, supporting and encouraging, praying, being dependable and trustworthy, and

maintaining confidentiality in their caregiving. Speak to Pastor Robin about talking to a Stephen Minister.

Psalm 29:11 The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace.

A Stephen Ministry Congregation

March 8, 2020

Helpful Information

Our NURSERY is located in the main hallway of TFEC and is available during all worship services and Sunday school.

Infant & Toddler room – 104 Preschoolers – 106

Children’s notebooks are located on the back wall. Children who remain in worship service are welcome to read and color the paper activities

that relate to what the younger children are doing in Children’s church.

In the Sanctuary

Do you wear a hearing aid? A designated seating area beside the Sound Booth is equipped with a hearing assisted loop. The loop is compatible with t-coil enabled hearing aids. For more information,

please speak with Mike Ferguson, our sound technician.

Hearing amplifiers are also available from the ushers.

Large print hymnals and bulletins are located in the rear of the Sanctuary.

Figures from Sunday, March 1, 2020

General Offering Received: $21,219.76 Attendance: 412 (One Year Ago: 515)

STEWARDSHIP

CHURCH STAFF

CALENDAR

~Wednesday Night Activities~ We start with Snack Supper. Which begins serving

at 5:15 PM in TFEC for the children/youth,

families and adults participating in Wednesday night

activities. Suggested donation is $2.50 per person.

6:00 PM Activities begin & wrap up close to 7:15 PM

If you are interested in learning more about the

Grace KIDZ or Anchored Youth program &

activities contact Vicki Mackey

at children@graceontheisland.com

I am about to cross over into the next decade of my life. I like to think that I am in the Autumn of my days, a time for a seasoning

of soul and a mellowing of my understanding. Soon I will be inviting my older Loved Ones to participate in a five week

discussion group on "Autumn Spirituality". Be watching the bulletin for time and place. Churches of all persuasion are rightly seeking ways to reach a new generation that is not responding to the ways which worked in years gone by. This we must do if we

are to be faithful. But with that in mind, one of my remaining visions is to update our perspective on the processes of aging in Christ. We live longer nowadays and thus we are experiencing a

new season in our spiritual development, the season of later retirement. For the church filled with baby boomers now

stretching further into retirement, we must find ways to enrich this spiritual dimension of living in this new season of our

maturation. Even we as older adults need to find ways to reach out to others with the Beautiful and Wise Witness that only comes

with holy aging. So those of us in our Autumn years, may we seek ways to become beautifully and wonderfully "old".

Pastor Jim

CAFE BIBLE STUDIES in the Grace Café with Pastor Jim Thursdays at 10:30 a.m. We will be reading through the Gospels. SOUL CARE LENDING LIBRARY: Check in the lobby and narthex for something new in our SoulCare Lending Library. We have copies of "What to Do Between the Tears... a practical guide to dealing with a Dementia or Alzheimer's diagnosis in the family."

Next Date: March 21st, 2020

Pancake Breakfast and the Country Store Sale will be every 1st and 3rd Saturday of each month 8am – 10am. LAST PANCAKE BREAKFAST

& COUNTRY STORE OF THE SEASON IS April 4th 2020.

Nurturing Bodies, Developing Minds, Fostering Hope through Christ is the mission of Cornerstone Family Ministries in Tampa, FL. This

mission of United Methodist Women was begun in 1892 when Tampa’s immigrant families did not have access to public schools while parents worked in the cigar factories. Rosa Valdez, a Hispanic woman was so

moved by the plight of these children that she established a small school in her West Tampa neighborhood. At the same time, Eliza Wolf,

a Tampa winter resident, pleaded with her women’s group up north (now UMW) to form a school for immigrants in East Tampa. The

determination & caring of these 2 women was the foundation for what is now Cornerstone Family Ministries. The Grace United Methodist

Women are going Friday March 13th to visit Cornerstone & see all they are doing to accomplish their goals. After lunch we will also tour the only cigar factor still in operation. If you would like to see & get more information come join us. Sign up for the bus, bring a sandwich & join us. A salad will be provided from their community garden. For more

information contact Dorris Ann Wasson at 941-412-0847 or Nancy Vanderwall at 317-691-6057.

GROW

GROW

CONNECT

CONNECT

Piecemakers’ Spring Open House Friday & Saturday, March 20 & 21

8 am – 12 pm In Punch Hall

The ‘quilters’ have been busy creating a variety of quilts, tableware, aprons, bags, gift items…and much more. You are invited to come,

browse, and enjoy refreshments. Proceeds will benefit our church and missions in the community.

Piecemakers for Peace News

Piecemakers – remember that our annual quilting retreat is March 12-14.

The Piecemakers meet in the East Wing on Wednesdays from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm. New members are very welcome. We always have a variety

of quilting and sewing projects to work on. Our mission is “to support each other in fellowship and love as we create quilts for our babies, shut-ins, and friends of Grace United Methodist Church who need

comfort; and to make items for sale to assist our church financially.”

United Methodist Men’s Club Golf Tournament (Open to women also)

Date: Wednesday, March 25th Where: Lake Venice Golf Club

Time: Tees off at 1:30PM; be there by 1:00PM Format: 9hole 4-man scramble.

Cost: $32 (Includes golf, cart and sandwich supper) (Pay at golf course pro shop)

Deadline for registration Sunday March 22, 2020 Signup sheet is in the narthex

Contact Ray Fleming at 937-578-8261

Prizes for: (Please bring $5 for prize money the day of the outing) First place Team

Second place Team Third Place Team

Closet player to the pin on marked par 3 Closest player to the line on marked par 5

Scholarships are available for high school and undergraduates who have been accepted into an institution of higher learning or a vocational program. You must be a local area resident and be an active member of Grace United Methodist Church. Scholarship Applications are available at the front reception area of the church office and must be submitted no later than, APRIL 30, 2020.

EASTER CANDY DONATIONS NEEDED

We are now accepting donations of: WRAPPED Easter candy for the Easter Egg Hunt on Easter Sunday. There will be baskets placed in

each lobby to collect the candy.

Sunday Morning Team

We have a few volunteers that open and lock up the church on Sunday mornings. This is saving GUMC funds because we do not have to hire someone to do it. Many thanks to the folks volunteering in this ministry. If you are interested in joining this ministry, please contact Jay Geerdes at 941-485-2634.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

Sunday pick up and take home ministry is a great outreach to our homebound and shut-ins and we are in need of drivers! This ministry

enables them to come to church to worship God with their fellow Christians in faith. We are flexible with your schedule! If you are

interested in volunteering in this ministry outreach, please call 488-1374.

SERVE

CONNECT

CONNECT