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April 2018 —- Volume 61, Issue 4
Confirmation Class 2018 In September, a group of youth began this special part of their Journey of Faith, as they, in conjunction with Covenant Partners, examined and reflected on their faith. They have attended services together, had an open question dialogue and lunch with Dr. Pittendreigh, and participated in youth programming. They also
did service projects with the Youth Group and with their Covenant Partners. Each one wrote out their personal Statement of Faith. On March 11, they attended a breakfast with family members, Covenant Partners and the Session members where they were “examined” and were approved for membership. This special group of youth will be welcomed into membership at the 10:45 service on April 8. Following the service, they will be honored in special way at the Celebration Continues Luncheon in Conway Hall, to which all are invited. The confirmation Class of 2018 includes: Zachary Gallagher, Lily Neusaenger, Connor Richards, Calum Schlichenmaier, Alison Solik, Connor Umpierre, and Dylan Umpierre.
Graduating Seniors
Graduating Seniors will be recognized on Sunday, May 6th.
Let us know if a member of your family graduated in the fall of 2017 or is graduating this spring.
Call the church office at 407-898-6571, put a note in the offering basket or send an email to: [email protected]. Please include the students name and the name of the school or university, and degree earned. Deadline is Sunday, April 29th.
Inside this issue:e:
Vacation Bible School.………..2
Small Blessings……......……...4 Message from Maynard.….…. 7
See the church calendar online:
http://www.grace.to/ announcements/weekly-calendar/
Page 2 April 2018
Thank you so much to everyone who attended or participated in the annual chili cook off/cookie bake off. The Youth Group will be pre-senting a check for the amount raised, $250, to Conway Methodist Church to help fund their Family Promise program. Congratulations to Shelvey Johnson for successfully de-fending her dessert title and to the 2018 co-champion chili cook off winners, Matt and Terry Schlichenmaier. Thank you to everyone! The food and fellowship was wonderful and enjoyed by everyone.
The Rooted Youth Group
I wish to thank my Grace Covenant friends for all the beautiful and loving thoughts of kindness during the recent interlude in my life. I looked forward to the big 9-0, but I didn’t realize that there would be so many hurdles once one gets there. With wonderful care from family and my church friends and mainly my Lord and Savior, I’m “on the road again.” Bless each one of you and again….Thank you!! Love in Christ, Suzanne Davis
Thank you Notes for
Christmas Alternatives Gifts ~
Dear Friends,
Your kindness will make this year a happy one for Cen-tral Florida’s dogs and cats.
2017 was a big one at Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando. We turned 80 years old and our donors helped us cele-brate with their amazing generosity.
Your gift will help even more shelter pets in 2018. Thank you so much for helping Pet Alliance continue to do great things for pets and the people who love them.
Best wishes for a paw-sitively amazing 2018!
With Gratitude,
Cathy Rodgers
Director of Development
Pet Alliance of Central Florida
Dear Friends,
It is with a grateful heart that I compose this letter of thanks to you for your generosity and support. Your recent donation will be used towards our Annual Fund, which provides much more than the basic necessities of life for our more than 100 residents living with develop-mental disabilities. Gifts designated to this fund allow the greatest flexibility in meeting the ever-changing and often unanticipated and urgent needs of those we serve.
Your financial support is vital to our mission and has an immeasurable impact. I want you to know how very much your gift is genuinely appreciated.
Thank you, again.
Best Regards,
Steven C. DeVane
Chief Executive Officer
Duvall Homes, Glenwood Florida
www.duvalhomes.org
Dear Friends,
Thank you for your generous gift to Heifer Internation-al. Your desire to help others will build hope for future generations.
Families in countries where we work like Bangladesh, Guatemala and Malawi, who once struggled with hunger and poverty, now have the livestock and training they need to improve their farms. With your commitment and their hard work, they are on their way to building lives of self-reliance and dignity, uplifting entire commu-nities in the process.
Thank you for choosing Heifer International and help-ing us make a better world, one family at a time.
Sincerely,
Pierre U. Ferrari
President and CEO
Heifer International
www.heifer.org
Vacation Bible School It is time to be planning for this exciting week in the church year. The date is set: June 11 - 14 from 9:00am - Noon. Registration forms will be available on April 15 for kids and also sign-up sheets for how the BIG kids (aka adults) can help. Please mark your calendars and plan to make this a great week for all!
April 2018 Page 3
The family of Elaine Simpson, who died March 4, 2018.
Jim and Carroll Frazier, on the passing of Carroll’s mother Pat Sisler, on March 10, 2018.
Betty Parks and family, whose husband, David Parks
died March 11, 2018.
The family of Myra Moreland
who passed away March 16, 2018.
New Members
Eric and Josi Gray
They have been attending our church for a few months and Pastor Maynard recently
did a renewal of their wedding vows. Eric comes from a Navy family and, while
he is a civilian, he works in the management of the local Navy Exchange, not far from
the airport. Josi, is short for Josimeile. She is a native of Brazil.
Welcome Eric and Josi!!
42nd Passion Play in Oberammergau, Germany
to be performed in 2020
Recently Maynard preached about prayer & praying. March 11th, the title of his sermon was “O Father, Where Art Thou?”, speaking about unanswered prayers. Holy Week will have passed when you read this. Begin-ning Palm Sunday & ending with Jesus’ Resurrection on Easter, the passion of Christ was on display with special services & activities during worship remembering Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice. One display of this faith, commitment and worship is recreated every 10 years to keep a cove-nant with God by the vow taken by a group of people in a small Bavarian village in southern Germany, called Oberammergau.
I bring this up because in 2020, the 42nd Passion Play will be performed in Oberammergau. The Pas-sion Play has become an international phenomenon with hundreds of thousands of people witnessing the perfor-mances every 10 years from May through October. The play lasts for approximately six hours with a three hour intermission half-way through the play for a meal.
I have a flyer about one tour, a river cruise, hosted by Tauck Tours, a reputable and well-known travel compa-ny, that includes tickets to the Passion Play. Most companies are already taking deposits to secure a place on such a tour. If anyone is interested in getting information about the Passion Play, please see me, Jim Malcolm or send an email.
If we get enough people who want to go on a tour as a group, we can get some discounts. Due to the popularity of the play, we will need to decide in the next 3 or 4 weeks and make refundable deposits. Those who are interested should get back to me by Easter Sunday, April 1, 2018 so we can begin making arrangements for a tour.
~We extend our Christian love and sympathy to ~
The Celebration Continues
Please join with your
Church family on April 8th,
the Sunday after Easter,
at Noon, for a
Pot Luck lunch
in Conway Hall.
It will also be a time to meet and welcome the Confirmation Class into our Church family. Bring the dish of your choice and
join us for this special time.
Presbyterian Women's Council will meet on Saturday, April 7th at 10 am in John Calvin
Memorial Hall, Room 16.
H PS for A I T I
Over the years since the earthquake, our contributions have helped rebuild the school build-ings; build a new cistern, water storage tank, and wa-ter fountains; pay teacher’s salaries and buy food for hot lunches; buy school supplies for students; add a 9th grade class to the school; and install drainage and pave the courtyard so it doesn’t flood during the rainy season. There is still much to do, however. Future projects include: build 12 more classrooms to finally replace all the temporary buildings and have space for a music room and a library, including some computers; hire more teachers and add grades 10-12; and provide lunch for all students every day.
Come join the fun and help the Good Shepherd School!
Just when you thought basketball season as over!
It’s almost time for Hoops for Haiti, which is coming
Thursday, April 12. This year, the spectacular game
will be between Grace Covenant and the parents of Small Blessings and
promises to be exciting and fun for all. There is no admission,
just a free-will offering and, as usual, there will be food available for purchase.
Come and help celebrate our continued support of the
Good Shepherd School in Haiti.
Girls and boys, not bunnies, hop in the gym on to raise money for Grace Covenant’s mission in Haiti. Small Blessings’ parents pledged money to help supply fresh drinking water to the Good Shepherd School in Haiti and the goal this year is $2,500. Also, to raise money for this project, Small Blessings’ parents challenged GCPC members to a friendly game of basketball, Hoops for Haiti. You can see how connected Small Blessings and GCPC are to each other.
Leading up to Easter, the children learned how much God loves us by learning the Bible verse, John 3:16. Also, they saw his love by observing the new leaves growing on trees and many plants sprouting their flowers.. Yes, we are living in a beautiful “spring” world created by God.
Many Small Blessings families, along with Grace Covenant and community families participate in “Eggcitement” on March 31st. Crafts, refreshments and hunting for colored eggs are all part of the excitement. This is another way GCPC ministers to families in our community by providing opportunities to create loving memories.
Fun Nite
Returns All are invited to Family Fun Nite on April 17th, at 6:29 pm in Conway Hall. We enjoy a covered dish dinner together (drinks, bread and dessert are provided), then enjoy a silly game and fellowship around the tables together. Please come and join us!
Fourth Thursday at the Garden
Friends and family gather for a meal and fellowship together on the 4th Thursday
of each month at 6:30 pm. No agenda…just a time to catch up with
old friends and meet new friends. We’d love to have you with at the
Olive Garden Restaurant on East Colonial Drive on
Thurday, April 26th.
Page 4 April 2018
April 2018 Page 5
Rooted Student Ministry Schedule
April 1 Sunday Easter Sunday
April 6 - 7 Friday - Saturday PYC Spring Retreat Port Orange Presbyterian
April 8 Sunday Give Kids the World Candyland Service Night Leave church at 5:00 pm, return around 10:00 pm
April 9 Monday Bible Study & Ice Cream @ Jeremiah’s 6:30 pm- 8:30 pm Pick up at Jeremiah’s
April 13-14 Friday - Saturday City Walk Lock In (dinner, movie, putt putt golf) Cost is $25.00 April 21 Saturday Golf Tournament Fundraiser 7:30 am - 9:00 am
April 27 - 29 Friday - Sunday Planning Retreat @ the beach Friday 4:30 pm - Sunday 4:30 pm
May 6 Sunday Senior Recognition/Senior Night Recognition at both services, breakfast in between. Youth Group honors seniors from 5:00 - 7:30 pm
May 12 Saturday Magical Midway Trip Time TBA
May 19 Saturday Serve at “UP” and lunch 8:30 am - 12:30 pm
May 25 - 27 Friday - Sunday All Church Retreat at Cedarkirk
Current movies to check out in local theaters…..
Paul, Apostle of Christ Rated PG-13 Opened 3/23/18 Risking his life, Luke ventures to Rome to visit Paul - the apostle who’s bound in chains and held captive in Nero’s darkest and bleakest prison cell. Haunted by the shadows of his past misdeeds, Paul wonders if he’s been forgotten as he awaits his grisly execution. Before Paul’s death, Luke resolves to write another book that details the birth of what will come to be known as the church.
I Can Only Imagine Rated PG Opened 3/16/18 Based on the incredible true-life story that inspired the beloved, chart-topping song. I Can Only Imagine is a song that brings ultimate hope to so many - often in the midst of life’s most chal-lenging moments. Amazingly, the song was writ-ten in mere minutes by MercyMe lead singer Bart Millard. But in reality, those lyrics took a lifetime to craft.
Page 6 April 2018
Send Grace Notes items to Jane Heppner at
Deadline is the 15th of the month.
Please put Grace Notes in the title of the email.
Did you know???
On the first and third Sundays of each month after the 10:45 service, you can have your blood pressure checked? Stop by the table in the rear of the Sanctuary….just one way you can keep tabs on this important number in your life.
-Phone Number Correction- Maggie Thomas
GRACE ON THE GREENS
Are you a golfer?
Do you know any golfers?
Do you know of anyone who
would be willing to be a
sponsor or donate a door prize
for the tournament?
Please join us on
Saturday, April 21nd
for the Third Annual Grace Covenant Rooted
Youth Group Golf Classic.
The scramble format tournament will have an
8:30 am shotgun start and will take place at
North Shore Country Club. The cost will be
$75 and includes breakfast, golf and a guaran-
teed prize for every golfer! Proceeds from the
tournament will go towards the youth group
summer trips.
For more information or to register,
contact Jimmy Steele at 407-898-6571 or
A Children and Families Event, hosted by the Central Florida Presbytery, will be the play Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible,
No Good, Very Bad Day Cost is $12.00 per person.
Saturday, April 28th from 1:30 pm - 4:30 pm. Orlando Shakespeare Theatre
812 E. Rollins St., Orlando, FL 32803
More details can be found at: http://www.cfpresbytery.org/connect.html
Blessing of the Quilts
Seventy quilts were displayed for the Blessing of the Quilts on Sunday, March 11th. For
more information about the quilting group please contact Judy Kelly.
The Quilters met every Thursday at 10 a.m., upstairs in the Activity Room, John Calvin Memorial Hall.
New members are always welcome!
April 2018 Page 7
Jesus said in Matthew 28:19 that we are all to go out into the world and make disciples. Many of us, however, have never brought anyone to Christ. When Billy Graham died a few weeks ago, I thought about all of the many crusades he conducted. An online search for information revealed he has preached to 80 million people. Three million responded to the altar calls at his services. One would have to add to those numbers many more who have found Christ through his books and television ministries. On the other hand, most of us have brought few, and possible none, to Christ. Sharing the Gospel with others is something that many of us feel awkward about. We think of ourselves as lacking the skills and gifts to share the Good News. What can we do?
Before his death in 2015, Steve Hayner, former President of Columbia Seminary, made several memorable points in a sermon about evangelism. I still recall several excellent points he made. First, Christ must be our priority. We need to put the first things first. We need to proclaim Christ. The main thing is not all the other great things we do….the programs, the mis-sions, the youth groups etc., but to proclaim Christ. These other things (the work we do with youth or in missions, etc.) become great only when they proclaim Christ. Second, we need to feel comfortable in talking about our faith. The only way to do that is to begin to practice! Start the conversations. Share your faith with others. Dr. Hayner said it will be easier than you think. In his experience, once you begin to share your faith, others are much more receptive than we expect. Third, we need to live out our faith day by day. We cannot share our faith when people who know us see us live lives contrary to the Gospel. Fourth, we need to pray. Our sharing the faith will fall on deaf ears if we do not engage in prayer. Share your faith with friends, and then pray that God will work in the hearts of those friends. Finally, Dr. Hayner said that when it comes to the growth of our churches, we are God’s Plan A, and God has no Plan B.
Message from Maynard
Lectionary for April
1 Matthew 28:1–20
8 John 20:24-30
15 John 21:1-19
22 Psalm 69:1-16, 33-36
29 2 Timothy 3:10-4:1
Non-Profit Organization U.S. POSTAGE PAID
Permit No. 3597 Orlando, FL
Return Service Requested
APRIL 2018
GRACE COVENANT PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
Sunday Worship: 8:30 & 10:45 a.m.
Office Hours: Monday–Thursday: 8:30 a.m.–3 p.m.
Friday: 8:30 a.m.–noon
1655 Peel Ave., Orlando, FL 32806 Phone: 407.898.6571
E-mail: [email protected]
WWW.GRACE.TO
Dr. Maynard Pittendreigh Senior Pastor
Candy Vander Weide Commissioned Lay Pastor
To:
What Did You Do Last Weekend that Changed Your Life? FLORIDA PRESBYTERIAN PILGRIMAGE offers an opportunity to focus totally on God’s Grace, goodness and boundless love. It is a lay-led spiritual renewal weekend designed for Christians who desire to renew, re-fresh, and/or deepen their relationship with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Pilgrims worship and study together in small groups following presentations by lay people and clergy trained to serve in leadership roles.
Pilgrimage includes: • Music, fun and laughter • Fellowship with new friends • Motivating talks from laity and clergy • Breakout-group discussions about the joys and challenges of living our faith • Worship, meditation and prayer
Florida Presbyterian Pilgrimage #13 weekend will be held April 19-22, 2018 in a relaxed, non-threatening, loving atmosphere at The Retreat at Silver Springs.
For further information contact Minnette Mullings or visit the website: www.FloridaPresbyterianPilgrimage.org.
Prayerfully Consider Pilgrimage
