Our youth group invites you to join them as they head down to Bridgeport this Saturday to take part in the tutoring program at St. John's. Immigrant parents have a hard time helping their kids with homework because of the language barrier. We can support these families by helping the kids with their homework. For details, speak with Sarah.

• The Mission Working Group  (how will we sow the seeds of God's healing love out into our community this spring to make Grace known as a well of healing and wholeness?)
• The Property/Financial Resources Working Group  (how can we use/manage our property and funds to support our mission?)
• The Leadership Resources Working Group  (what kind of ordained and lay leadership is necessary to support our mission?)

Creative ways to enter into God's Mission in the world

This week: Trumbull Day Healing Hospitality:

So, Trumbull Day is coming up this June 29th, and it only costs $100 to reserve a table. What if Grace Church got a table or two? How could we share our mission of healing and wholeness with the whole town on Trumbull Day? Some suggestions: offer chair massage, put together a healthy bake sale, provide blood pressure checks and healing prayer. We could bring our Grace Church brochures with us and a number of our happy, smiling faces to greet people and share the love.

Does this give you some good ideas? A project like this won't happen unless people step up as leaders. If you're feeling drawn by this possibility, get a seed sowing team together and see where the idea goes!

What's a seed sowing team? As Jesus' disciples, we're called to sow seeds of God's healing love wherever we go. "Mission Minded" is a new column here in the eNews that is meant to give examples of ways our church could sow the seeds of God's mission in our wider Trumbull area. If something about one of these ideas sparks your imagination and maybe even begins to keep you up at night, start talking to others about it. If you can find two others who are also enthusiastic about the idea, the three of you will be a "seed sowing team." This team of three begins doing the necessary poking around to figure out what would actually need to be done in order to enact the idea. (What supplies would we need? What would the costs be? Do we need permits? etc) Once you figure out what is needed, you can each recruit an additional person or two to grow your leadership team enough to make the ministry actually happen.

What's your passion for mission? How and with whom are you called to share God's healing love? When an idea grabs you, pull a team together to start sowing some seeds! Hopefully we'll have some new green mission sprouts coming up all around Grace Church this spring. Questions? Contact Elsa. And for inspiration, take a minute to watch this great little video.

The holiest week of the Christian year begins on this Sunday, March 24, and you're encouraged to take part in all of the very moving liturgies of Holy Week.

• Maundy Thursday, March 28:
• 6:00 pm - Footwashing Service in the chapel followed by a potluck vegetarian agape meal which will include communion.  After the meal, we strip the altar for Good Friday. Please RSVP in the church office if you plan to attend the meal.
• 8:00 pm - the members of our Ancestors youth group are remaining in the church all night following the Thursday night service for a Maundy Thursday Sleepover.
• Good Friday, March 29:
• noon - Ecumenical Good Friday Service  conducted at Unity Hill United Church of Christ
• 7 pm - Good Friday Liturgy - an experiential Good Friday event
• Holy Saturday, April 3, 8:00 pm -  Easter Vigil The holiest night of the year. The service begins in the dark, then a fire is kindled and the light of Christ comes into the darkened church. God's story is retold until the arrival of Easter is welcomed with bells and song.
• Easter Sunday, April 4, 9:30 am  - Festive Eucharist: A joyous liturgy followed by a special coffee hour - bring special sweets or brunch items to share

Are you up for the Bible Challenge?

Many people say that they'd like to know more about the Bible. The one sure fire way to learn more about it is to actually read it. But that can be a daunting task - the Bible's not like any other book. It has many different parts - some history, some poetry, some mystical writing, some stories and parables, some letters. However, when you actually read the whole thing, you get a whole new view of what it is about.

"The Bible Challenge" was created a few years ago by a priest in Pennsylvania and it's getting more popular every year. The Bible Challenge is a simple map for reading the entire bible in one year - that's right - every word of the whole Bible. Each day, Monday through Saturday, you read an Old Testament reading, a New Testament reading and a psalm. By the end of one year you've read each psalm twice and the whole Bible through once. People who commit to the Bible Challenge report that it is not hard to keep up with and you feel a great sense of accomplishment.

Many town libraries have the "One Book One Town" program when they encourage the entire town to read a certain book together. How about we at Grace Church do a "One Book One Parish" program and take the Bible Challenge and read the Bible together?   We could meet periodically to see how it's going and share thoughts and reactions to what we're reading. Speak to Elsa if you think you'd be interested in starting the Bible Challenge this Easter season, beginning on April 1. Just think - you'll have read the entire Bible by Easter next year!

Further information about the Bible Challenge can be found here.

Certainly you've noticed the used clothing shed in our back parking lot.  Please spread the word about this new outreach project -laminated posters and small flyers are available to post and share.  Clothes donated into the shed are picked up by St. Pauly's, who distributes them all to people in need across the globe through their connection with larger agencies.  All of the usable clothing that gets donated makes its way to people in need, saving landfill space.  Items accepted include clothing, shoes, sneakers, belts, linens, pillow cases, blankets, curtains and stuffed animals.  (Please do not put rags, fabric scraps, pillows, toys, household goods or electronics in the shed.)  Grace church receives 4 cents per pound on all items collected in exchange for hosting the shed. For further info on this project, there is information about St. Pauly's available in coffee hour, or click on this link: St. Pauly's.  

If you and your spouse were married on or before December 31, 1963, you are invited to attend a special 50th anniversary liturgy held each spring in Hartford. Whether or not you can make it to the service, we can make sure you are included in the prayers that day. If you and your spouse have been married for 50 years or more and you'd like to be included in any way or if you have questions about the event, please call Maryann in the office.