WORDS OF GRACE GRACE EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH

1809 S. Main St. Fairgrove, MI 48733

(989) 693-6322

www.gracefairgrove.org

Rev. Joshua T. Haller

cell phone: (248) 794-3703

MAY 2021

JESUS ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN

As they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. —Acts 1:9

The season of Easter is a season of great joy. We’re reminded of that joy in the Gospel Readings on Sundays.

There’s certainly is sorrow in the world, a lot of weeping and lamenting in our own lives, but the joy of our

Lord’s resurrection can never be outdone by the sufferings of this life. There’s nothing and no one that can ever

put Jesus back in the grave. He’s risen, he’s alive, and he’ll never die again.

The reason this gives us so much joy is that his resurrection is our resurrection. Because he lives, we live. And as

long as he remains alive, we’ll never die. Our bodies will fail us, but our Jesus will not. Death is now the portal

into everlasting life. And even those bodies that fail us will one day be raised from our graves, just like Jesus was,

to never die again. We will be immortal and imperishable, because Jesus lives.

This same joy of ours filled the hearts of the apostles during the weeks Jesus was with them after his resurrection.

After he came out of the tomb, our Lord appeared to the disciples in a locked room. He met them on the beach

and made breakfast. He walked with them and talked with them, just as he had done before. The man they saw

suffocating on a cross one day was now alive and with them again, better than ever. What great joy!

But, it wouldn’t last forever. Jesus was going away again. He wasn’t going to die, but he was to ascend into

heaven. He was going back to the Father, just as he had promised.

No doubt, the disciples were pretty upset about this. They wished Jesus would stay so that he could prove his

resurrection to more people. He could perform more miracles, preach more sermons, convert more souls. But

whatever the disciples thought Jesus should do, he was still going. That was the plan, and it was actually the best

thing for them and for you.

Jesus said, “I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not

come to you” (John 16:7).

Jesus needed to leave, so that the Holy Spirit could come. And the job of this Holy Spirit is to give us Jesus. Our

Lord might have gone up into the clouds and out of the sight of the apostles, but he has not left us. We may not

be able to see Jesus, but he’s still with us. He’s with us, where he has promised to be with us: in his Word and

in his Sacraments.

And in those gifts, the Holy Spirit does his job. When we hear the Word of God preached to us by a pastor,

Jesus is preaching to us, and the Holy Spirit is working faith in our hearts. When a child is baptized, Jesus is the

one to wash away his sins, and the Holy Spirit makes his home in that child’s heart. When you eat of the bread

and drink from the cup of the Holy Supper, you are receiving Christ’s body and blood. He is there, and the Holy

Spirit is bestowing upon you forgiveness, life, and salvation.

You see, it’s to your advantage that Jesus went away, because now, he can be in all the churches all over the

world. He can be in our parish in Fairgrove, in Reese and Unionville, in California and New York, in Africa and

Japan. The same Lord that was crucified, risen, and ascended now comes to all Christians through his Word and

Sacraments. And where Jesus is, there is your Helper, the Holy Spirit. Where Jesus is, there is your joy.

In Christ,

Pastor Haller

www.lutheranpublicradio.org

www.issuesetc.org

www. thewordendures.org

THE ASCENSION OF OUR LORD

Thursday, May 13th

Divine Service at 7 pm

SHUT-IN ADDRESSES

Continue to pray for those who can’t be with

us on Sunday mornings.

Jean Adams

8678 W. Deckerville Rd.

Reese, MI 48757

John & Ruth Ann Kaijala

6004 Gilford Rd.

Fairgrove, MI 48733

Marge Montgomery

8039 Massoll St.

Reese, MI 48757

May Divine Services (services with Holy Communion)

Sunday, May 2, 2021 The Fifth Sunday of Easter

John 16:5-15

Sunday, May 9, 2021 The Sixth Sunday of Easter

John 16:23-30

Thursday, May 13, 2021 The Ascension of Our Lord

Mark 16:14-20

Sunday, May 16, 2021 The Seventh Sunday of Easter

John 15:26-16:4

Sunday, May 23, 2021 The Feast of Pentecost

John 14:23-31

Sunday, May 30, 2021 The Feast of the Holy Trinity

John 3:1-17

Sunday, May 9th

Strawberry shortcake will be served during

fellowship hour after the Divine Service

Ladies Aid will be hosting a Candy Sale on May

after the Divine Service. Proceeds will go to

the Memorial Fund.

KNOWN MAY BIRTHDAYS

1 Don Carpenter

3 Ed McAlpine

Richard Cottrell

4 Bev Voss

5 David Lee Weber

11 Ann Emery

13 Joann Bigham

16 Kristi Weber

17 Joshua Hargash

18 Gabriela Hodgkinson

Vic Trisch

19 Heidi Beneman

21 Joyce Dickson

31 Jason Hall

KNOWN MAY ANNIVERSARIES

2 Rich & Sharon Hadaway

3 Dave & Joanne Hills

13 Harold & Cindy Burnison

+ CHARLOTE HILLS + October 19, 1932 - December 4, 2020

A memorial service for Charlotte Hills will be

held at Grace on Saturday, June 5th, at 1 pm

with Christian burial to follow.

CHRIST IS RISEN!

HE IS RISEN INDEED!

ALLELUIA!

PRIVATE CONFESSION

Private Confession and Absolution is available by appointment. You can call

Pastor Haller at the church office or on his cell phone: (248) 794-3703.

NEXT VOTERS MEETING:

SUNDAY, JULY 11, 2021 @ TBD

—donations—

THUMB AREA CRISIS CENTER donations can be placed in the box

in the fellowship hall

MAY dishwasher detergent

QUILTING BEE donations can be given to one of the quilters

sheets and blankets

thread

STEWARDSHIP

Mother’s Day Lutherans for Life

The Ascension of Our Lord

Armed Forces Service

Coffee Money for May Worship Anew

C H A L I C E V E I L S

The Lord’s Supper is the center of all Christian worship. It’s what the Divine Service builds up to,

making it the highlight of every Lord’s Day. This is a great gift we ought to never take for granted or

treat as something we have earned. The holy body and precious blood of Jesus, which was crucified

and raised, is the greatest treasure on the planet.

This is why the chalice is veiled on the altar to begin the service. It reminds us that we should be

veiled from God’s presence, as the people of God were from the Holy of Holies in the temple. We ought

to be separated from the Lord because of our sin. But after the Gospel has been preached, the pastor

unveils the chalice to remind us that our God is not far from us, he has taken on our flesh, died our

death, paid for our sin, and makes himself one with us in the Holy Communion. The chalice is veiled

but not for long. It is uncovered, just as God reveals himself to us in bread and wine.

We give thanks to God that the Lord has blessed our congregation with new chalice veils that will

match the color of the particular Church season. Such beautiful veils teach us of the beauty that they

cover in which we receive our Lord’s body and blood.

FELLOWSHIP HALL CHAIRS

A fundraiser will be held to

purchase new padded chairs for

the fellowship hall. The total cost

for the chairs is $2,296.00. If you

are willing and able to help cover

the cost, a donation can be given

with “Fellowship Chairs” in the

memo line. The fundraiser will run

from May 1st to June 20th.

Once we receive the new chairs, the old ones will be sold for

$5 each to the members of our congregation.

GRACE EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH Voter’s Meeting - April 11, 2021

The April 2021 Voter’s meeting was called to order by Executive Director Joe Bublitz. Pastor Haller opened the meeting with a reading from 1 Peter 2 and prayer. “We are like newborn infants while we long for our Spiritual milk of God’s Word.” SECRETARY’S REPORT ~ Mary Masker Roll call was taken with 17 members present and 5 excused. Minutes reviewed from January 2021 Voter’s meeting. Kristi Weber moved to accept minutes and was supported by Susan Pfund.

Motion carried and approved to accept the minutes. TREASURER’S REPORT ~ Mary Masker Checkbook balance as of March 31, 2021 was at $655.85. Need to transfer money from Designated Savings account as tuition was

paid in full for all of our students at Trinity and Christ the King for remainder of 2020-21 school year. Corpus fund is at $5100 and Youth designated fund is at $880.32. LAY MINISTRY ~ Aaron Reinbold We’ve had a decent response from delinquent members since Covid with more coming back to services. Conducted survey for going back to one service at 9:15 with results of 20 yes and 8 no. Return back to one service at 9:15 started on

Easter Sunday. Bible study will continue through the summer as a combined class after service and refreshments. Elders served the March 24th Lenten dinner with hot dogs and sloppy joes. Having some issues with the Carollon that need to be addressed. Holy Week went great with a full week of Passiontide services. Looking into purchase of colored veils for Chalice. Approved vacation for Pastor Haller from March 15th to the 20th. Pastor Haller was finally able to visit all of our shut-ins. Approved the transfer out to Trinity, Reese for Eric, Samantha and Liam Basil. Modified the elder duties for returning to one service. The elders for April are Steve and Aaron Reinbold. The elders for May are Dan

Reinbold and Brian Steinley. The elders for June are Brian Steinley and Steve Reinbold. EVANGELISM ~ No Report CHRISTIAN EDUCATION ~ No Report YOUNG PEOPLE ~ via Tracey Reinbold Deposit paid and registration for ten people to attend the 2021 Higher Things at Calvin University in Grand Rapids on July 20-23.

There are 7 students and 3 adults going. Youth participated in a Lenten dinner this year and raised $66. Thank you to Fellowship board for choosing Higher Things trip to donate funds from the Easter Breakfast which raised $223. We

greatly appreciate your donation. Thank you for the bottle and can returns. We appreciate the support and continued donations that will also go toward our trip. STEWARDSHIP ~ Joanne Hills April coffee money is designated to go to our seminary student along with the mite boxes collected. May coffee money is designated

for Worship Anew and June will be going to Positive Alternatives. Mother’s Day collection is designated for Lutherans for Life and Ascension will go to the Armed Forces Ministry. We will also be

participating in the Baby Bottle Boomerang from May to June for Positive Alternatives. CHURCH PROPERTIES ~ Tom Reid North doors have been installed and will be re-keyed to match the other locks. Purchasing a new lawn mower for church and parsonage.

FELLOWSHIP ~ Helene Weber Had more than expected for Easter Breakfast this year with donation going toward Higher Things youth trip. Strawberry shortcake planned for Mother’s Day and ‘Sundaes on a Sunday’ for end of school year. Still trying to plan a chicken BBQ for Father’s day. PUBLIC RELATIONS ~ Diane Spencer The ad in The Advertiser has been changed to reflect the 9:15 service. LADIES AID ~ Diane Spencer We had 30 orders for Easter flowers that decorated the church this year and may be taken home now. Planning a candy sale for Mother’s Day, May 9th and proceeds will go into the Memorial fund. Checked into cost for the Chalice veils. They have green, white and red veils but the violet color did not match and they do not have

a black. Total cost for 3 veils of $569.85 plus shipping. Handout with information for new padded chairs for Fellowship hall. NEW BUSINESS Ladies Aid presented several options for new fabric padded steel folding chairs. David Weber also had a quote from Lancaster with

2” foam padded seats. Aaron Reinbold motioned to purchase 80 chairs from Lancaster and Tom Reid 2nd the motion. After discussion, a friendly amendment was made to purchase 100 chairs and save 20 of the older chairs for extras. The rest will be sold to members for $5 per chair. Helene Weber 2nd the motion. By popular vote it was decided to purchase the burgundy colored chairs. Aaron Reinbold made an additional amendment that the chairs are paid from the General Fund. We will have fundraising from May through Father’s Day in June and proceeds from the fundraiser and sale of the old chairs will go back into General Fund. Diane Spencer 2nd the motion. Motion carried and approved to purchase 100 burgundy padded chairs from Lancaster to be paid from General Fund.

Kristi Weber motioned to purchase three Chalice veils in green, white and red in the amount of $569.85 plus shipping. The designated funds from the Banner fund will be used to pay for the veils with the remaining balance coming from the Memorial Fund. Helene Weber 2nd the motion. Motion carried and approved.

PASTOR’S REPORT We have three candidates for First Communion with Catechesis being held until mid-May. High School Catechesis is meeting back at

the Parsonage with one candidate for Confirmation. No dates have been decided for First Communion or Confirmation. We have two adult catechumens meeting with Pastor Haller. We have four shut-ins that Pastor Haller was able to visit. They are Jean Adams, John and Ruth Ann Kaijala, and Marge

Montgomery. Living together before marriage is living a lie. As a pastor, these issues arise and must be addressed with our member to come to

repent. We exclude those who do not repent, not as a punishment but done out of love. For this reason, Andrew Mendyk has been excommunicated from Grace Lutheran Church for living with his fiancé before marriage.

Pastor Haller will be attending the Doxology Conference on April 26th – 28th. Passion Week was wonderful. Next Voter’s Meeting will be on July 11, 2021 with time to be determined. Aaron Reinbold motioned to adjourn and Helene Weber 2nd the motion. Motion carried and approved and the meeting closed with the Lord’s Prayer. Minutes respectfully submitted, Mary Masker Secretary/Treasurer

Serving our Lord in the Month of May

Elders for May Daniel Reinbold & Brian Steinley Ladies Aid for May Joanne Reinbold & Jean Trisch Sunday, May 2, 2021 Refreshments: Joanne Hills & Beth Hoppe Propers Choir: Joanne Hills, Anna Weber, David Weber, Helene Weber Sunday, May 9, 2021 Refreshments: Sarah Pierce & Sarah Reid Propers Choir: Alberta Reinbold, Daniel Reinbold, Gabriella Reinbold, Leslie Reinbold Sunday, May 16, 2021 Refreshments: Heather Reinbold & Joanne Reinbold Propers Choir: Hannah Haller, Hunter Reid, Sarah Reid, Brandon Worden Sunday, May 23, 2021 Refreshments: Leslie Reinbold & Tracey Reinbold Propers Choir: Joanne Hills, Susan Pfund, Aaron Reinbold, Amelia Reinbold Sunday, May 30, 2021 Refreshments: Diane Spencer & Bev Voss Propers Choir: Mary Masker, Anna Weber, David Weber, Helene Weber **If your name is not on the refreshment list and you would like to serve, please contact the church office. **If you’re not able to serve on a particular Sunday, please call someone to replace you.

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