As we make plans to resume in-church worship, concerns about Covid-19 remain and we ask each of you to consider your own health and the health of others before you attend in-church worship.
If you are not feeling well, have a fever, or are coughing/sneezing, please DO NOT physically attend worship in the sanctuary. We continue to offer worship services on the Grace in Tripoli Facebook page, and encourage you to take part in the online service until you do not exhibit symptoms.
Grace Lutheran Church is in the process of calling a new permanent pastor to serve our congregation.
Our call committee consists of eight members of Grace (Carol Boldt, Dawn Bergmann, Kathy Fink, Floyd Fowlkes, Jim Rathe, Rachel Page, Tarrissa Ollendieck, and Elise Mowatt). The call committee and church council have met with a representative from the NE Iowa Synod office, who has instructed members on the steps involved in the overall process.
We worshipped at the church where the Reformation officially began 501 years ago this past week. I was expecting a much more humble birthplace for the Reformation. That comes from the legends I have heard of Luther’s father being unhappy with his decision to take Holy Orders as opposed to the more financially lucrative career in law that was planned for him, and with the seemingly obvious thought that the vow of poverty would mean that the church was meant more for the work of the Gospel than for a place to be adorned.
Our Wednesday evening schedule with supper, worship, and small group instruction and interaction (Confirmation and adult) resumes on Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2019. We eat at 5:30 pm and have an informal worship service from 6:30 to 7, with small group instruction following from 7 to 7:30. The hope is that folks will find it easier to come and eat supper together at church instead of staying home and wondering what to cook!
The worship services are 30 minutes long and are very interactive.
We are in the midst of changing how we do Christian education at Grace.
Last year we attempted to encourage families to attend Sunday School together as an alternative worship service called Growing in Faith Together (GIFT). This was only marginally successful, but there were many good things about the program that we hope to incorporate in this year’s plans.
Beginning on Sunday, Sept. 8, 2019, Sunday School for children 3 years old through 6th grade will take place in the Grace Fellowship Hall.