Just some of the great stuff happening at Grace....

Whether you're looking for study, friendship, an opportunity to give back, or a place to worship, we have a place for you to plug in. Feel free to check out any of the opportunities below--or ask about starting something yourself!
(Check out the calendar page for more details on each event.)

Faith Formation/
Study

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Faith Formation for Youth
​Sunday School is over until September, see you next school year!!!
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Faith Formation for Adults
See you in September with new topics, between services! 

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Choir!!!
Starting again in September!
Like to sing? All welcome, older kids too. Quality leadership with Bradford Thompson. Handbell choir opportunities for holidays. Fun, fellowship and worship enhancement, join us!!!

​Worship

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Summer Worship Schedule
Starting Sunday, May 26, one service  at 9:00am.
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Summer Coffee Hour
Please join in the fellowship over coffee and a sweet following the service during the summer!
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Travelling?  You can find an ELCA congregation at www.elca.org/
​FindACongregation.  You may search by city, state, or zip code

Updated Hearing Assistance
​We have upgraded our Hearing Assistance system. We now have three receivers which will pick up the signal from the mics. You may use one of the earbuds we provide, or bring your own earbuds from home. If you have a hearing aid or cochlear implants, you can use one of the neck loops; simply plug the loop into the receiver and place the loop around your neck. (Note, your hearing aid must have a T-coil and be set to the “T” or “M/T” setting.)


 

​Fellowship

Women’s FaithTalk
Starting June 20
​Join us every third Thursday of the month from 10-11:30 for Women’s FaithTalk, a new conversation and study group facilitated by Pastor Melody.  This is a place to ask questions, share ideas, and build community. We’ll talk about scripture and tradition, current events, comparative religions, spirituality—wherever the Spirit takes us! We’re not limited to Grace members, or to any particular faith tradition; seekers and skeptics who want a place to explore spirituality are welcome too. The only requirements are a commitment to listen and share in a context of intentional and deep respect.

Grace Yoga
Summer Session 2
Tuesdays July 9-Aug 27
(not meeting July 23 & Aug 6)
​This 6-week session will be $48 or a $10 drop in fee is always available. Yoga is a wonderful practice of body, mind and spirit. It is for everyone, not just the flexible!

All families and all ages are invited to join our Summer Play Group! The Play Group will meet on Friday mornings at Lake Ellyn Park from 8:30am-10:00am. July Dates: 12, 19, & 26; August Dates: 9 & 16. Bring a friend and join the fun!

There is a signup sheet in the Narthex for the Progressive Dinner taking place on Saturday, July 13. 
Please sign up early to help with planning the dinner houses.

Cypress Cove Family
Aquatic Park
Come meet Grace friends at the waterpark on Tuesday, July 16th! We will meet at Cypress Cove Aquatic Park, (8301 S. Janes Avenue, Woodridge, IL) at 11:30am when the park opens. Food is NOT allowed to be brought it. However you are able to go to your car and come back in if you choose. We can coordinate eating a picnic lunch outside of the park before, and running to the cooler for a snack later. Admission is $15.50 per person. The children’s area is gated and extremely safe for toddlers to run and play. They even have a water slide just for these younger kiddos.  The lazy river, tube slides, and water slides are a great way to stay cool! Let Becky know if you plan to attend. All are welcome, so bring a friend and let’s have some fun!

Hand-Crafted Birdhouse Sale Benfitting the
Glen Ellyn Food Pantry
Sat, July 20 and Sun, July 21 from 10am-4pm
​Local artist Marcia Lamoureaux, aka The Birdhouse Lady, has generously offered to donate 100% of the proceeds from the sale of beautifully hand-crafted pieces that will add an element of delight to your yard. Houses and feeders are one-of-a-kind, hand-crafted and elegant! Swing by and explore, you'll support our mission to assist people struggling with food insecurity. The Pantry will use the Fellowship Room and part of the parking lot here at Grace. 

JWR Foundation
Golf Outing
Thursday, July 25
Village Links of Glen Ellyn
​Jim Rasin's family has set up a 501(c)(3) foundation in his name. The JWR Foundation "Keep Doing Great Things" is raising money for Glenbard West and Glenbard South scholarships for kids who are "doing great things" in their community like Jim was. We hope you'll consider joining us or make a donation if unable to come. Please visit http://www.keepdoinggreat
things.org for details. Contact the foundation directly via email at info@keepdoing greatthings.org for details on golf outing sponsorships if you or your business is interested. 

Backpack Blessings
in August
God's Got Your Back!
Sunday, August 18
​We will be blessing backpacks during our 9:00am service1 We invite eanyone who would like their backpack or briefcase blessed for the coming year to join us for this special service. Please let Becky Ficarella know if you would like your bag's tag personalized with your name.
bficarella@graceglenellyn.org

Save The Date
Sunday, September 1 
we are planning a joint God’s Work Our Hands event with Faith Lutheran and St. Luke Lutheran.  More details will follow as they become available.

Annual Church Picnic
Sunday, September 8
Watch for more info over the summer, but in the meantime, mark your calendars!

Flower Chart for 2019
Please consider signing up for a Sunday or two! Bouquets are still $15 each. Please indicate on the chart how you would like your flowers acknowledged in the bulletin - in honor of, in memory of, etc.

The Social Committee is involved in many different events throughout the year, and always in need of extra hands. If you are interested in helping out at any of our events, please indicate so by signing up on the bulletin board in the Fellowship Room. We hope to develop a list of volunteers we can go to when we need extra help. Thank-you!

Like Us on Facebook! 
Grace Lutheran Church of Glen Ellyn has a Facebook page and we would like you to like us! Stay in touch with events, ministries, ELCA news and check out the pictures!
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Service
Opportunities​

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Do you like to paint?  The exterior of our west entrance needs to be scraped and painted.  You can check out the job at any time and then contact the church office if you are interested in taking on this project.

Wanted: small, travel size toiletries for PADS
to use in their outreach to the homeless members of our community.  As you travel, please bring back any unused soaps, shampoos, etc. from your hotel room and put them in the basket under the table in the Narthex

The 2019 Tour of Lake Ellyn 
is just around the corner. On Saturday, July 20, hundreds of participants from around the world will converge on Lake Ellyn Park to participate in the most unique and exciting stage of the Intelligentsia Cup Cycling Series. The Tour of Lake Ellyn, in its fourth year, has quickly become a favorite summer “must do” for residents in Glen Ellyn and beyond! Ten races at various levels of expertise will start at 10:00am and wrap up at 8:30pm. There is also a Family Fun Ride at 3pm! Registration link for the Family Fun Ride can be found here https://gepark.org/event/tour-of-lake-ellyn/
The Tour of Lake Ellyn Foundation stages the daylong event that acts as a fundraiser for our charitable partner, the Glen Ellyn Food Pantry. Net proceeds from the event are donated to the GEFP. As one of the partner churches affiliated with the GEFP, I am reaching out in the hopes that you can help us achieve our volunteer needs for the day of approximately 100 people working a two to two and a half hour shift throughout the event.
Volunteers work as course marshals at various points along the race route assuring that riders and spectators are kept safe. These are not physically demanding or strenuous jobs. The ability to stand for two hours, see incoming traffic, and raise a flag are all that are needed. Volunteers will have a front row seat to all of the high speed action! 
If you would like to participate in the Glen Ellyn Food Pantry Fund Raiser please go to www.touroflakeellyn.com, where you will find a link to their volunteer portal ​https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090e4eacae292-tour With your help and that of the other churches affiliated the Glen Ellyn Food Pantry, we can make 2019’s event more successful than ever!
Jim Burket, President
Tour of Lake Ellyn Foundation
312-485-2409   

SOS - Donations needed for the Food Pantry!
1. Cooking oil
2. Canned tuna/chicken
3. Canned pineapple/mandarin oranges
4. Canned sweet corn (no cream please)
5. Oatmeal
Once again THANK YOU for your continued support and generosity!

LoGalbo, our Parish Counselor, has moved to a new office.  She is sharing an office with the Parish Counselor at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Glen Ellyn.  This offer came at a time when Grace is considering various mission partners for its space and there is a need for flood remediation in our building.  Her contact information remains: 630-668-4594 and carolelogalbo@gmail.com

​Community Quilting Ministry
Pr. Melody is looking for volunteers to get this new ministry at Grace off the ground.  There is a sign-up sheet on the slat-wall in the Narthex or see Pr. Melody for more information.

​Glen Ellyn Food Pantry
The Glen Ellyn Food Pantry is in need of volunteers. Their greatest need right now is volunteers willing to pick up food donations from local retailers. Please contact Terri Venzon, Supervisor of Food Pantry Operations, if you can volunteer.  630.469.6988 
​GEFPServices@
​GlenEllynFoodPantry.org  
www.GlenEllynFood​Pantry.org

Grace Council Notes
The Grace Council would like to propose three possible ministry outreach programs for the congregation's consideration.  Any new program will need involvement and support from the congregation to be successful. Here are the three ministries options proposed:

• Community quilting group for Lutheran World Relief
• 'Adulting' Classes, for young adults to learn basic skills in cooking, sewing, repairs, etc.
• Computer Basic Skills Classes for seniors and/or the immigrant community

Please respond to Susan Jacobson at susan.lb.jacobson@gmail.com or Barbara Sudds in the church office if you are interested in any of these ministries or have a passion for something else that you think we should try. We will gather additional information on how we can best start the new ministry once we understand where the congregation's interests are.

Drivers Needed for ESSE 
Personable and reliable drivers are needed part-time to transport seniors to the Adult Day Care Center at Faith Lutheran, Glen Ellyn.  Center is open Mon-Fri 7am-5pm.  Flexible hours, $14 an hour with mileage reimbursement.  Please contact Cathy at ESSE, 630-260-3773.

The Wooly Knitters are thankful for the yarn Grace members have been donating for their cause.  Any amount and any color are always welcome and can be left in the church office.  The Wolly Knitters are a charity knitting group that meets every Tuesday from 1-3pm at Grace.  They have made and donated over 3,000 hats, scarves, mittens and afghans to local veterans and to community groups, including Hines VA Hospital, Operation Support Our Troops Illinois, PADS, Glen Ellyn Food Pantry, Serenity House, Children's Home and Aid, Family Resource Center/Wheaton, and others. They try to provide free yarn to their knitters in return for their time and beautiful work and the group can always use yarn or monetary donations to keep them going. In addition to the contributions to our community, we have shared information and friendship which has enriched the lives of our members, and we would always welcome new knitters (or crocheters) to join us each week.  Please feel free to call 630/624-6002 for more information.


Mission Quilts for
Lutheran World Relief​
In 2017, LWR distributed over 305,000 quilts to people arriving in refugee camps! It's their bed, coat, shade, protection against mosquitos and shelter from the rain - their everything! Quilts come from congregations like ours, you don't have to know how to run a sewing machine; if you can cut fabric or tie a knot, you can be a part of providing comfort to a child who has fled home.
If you're interested in starting a LWR quilt group here at Grace, please contact Pastor Melody. What a great way to make new friends, build fellowship and be a part of something wonderful!
https://lwr.org/
get-involved/quilts

Circle of Care Ministry
Would you be willing to lend a helping hand during a difficult time by providing meals for those in need and their families? As a need arises, Pr. Melody would like to have a list of volunteers that she could call upon.  Please contact Barbara in the Grace office to have your name and contact information included on the Circle of Care list.  Thank you. 

The Pill Bottle Ministry
In an effort to get the thousands of pill bottles we have out of our church and into the hands that truly need them, we have scheduled several evening sessions for everyone to come out and help prepare pill bottles for shipping.  Pill bottles need to be sorted, labels removed, washed, and then packaged for shipping to remote areas around the globe. These bottles provide patients the opportunity to safely transport and store their medications. Please join us every Monday and Tuesday evening from 6-7:30pm in the gym foyer and gym kitchen.

​Purchases from the Feed My Starving Children MarketPlace provide fair wages to hard-working artisans and life-saving FMSC MannaPack™ meals for starving children around the world. Check out their merchandise for sale at fmscmarketplace.org.

SMILE.AMAZON.COM
Amazon has a large variety of gifts that are perfect for Valentine's Day including electronics, jewelry, clothing, and more.  Please support Grace Lutheran Church when you shop online.
smile.amazon.com/ch/36-2496438 and Amazon donates to Grace Lutheran Church.

Grace's Altar Guild is looking for more members. If you are looking for a way to help out at church, altar guild is a great place. The commitment is flexible and the task is interesting and meaningful. If you think you may be interested, talk to Cathy Milleville or Pastor Melody.