NEXT SUNDAY’S READINGS are Genesis 3:1-21, Romans 5:12-19, and Matthew 4:1-11.
ATTENDANCE SHEETS found in the bulletin assist us in making sure that all of our members are being cared for as needed. Please fill one out EACH WEEK and place it in the offering plate.
FEBRUARY MISSION ENVELOPES are designated to support YOUNG LIFE, an international youth organization with local chapters. At Young Life, responsible, caring Christian mentors work to bring teens to the knowledge of Christ. We have several members that have participated as teens in Young Life activities, and Dick Crawford has been associated with Young Life for many years. He would be happy to answer any questions you may have regarding their mission and local work. If you would like to support Young Life, place your mission envelope in the offering plate during February, or donate online by choosing “monthly mission”.
SIMPLE SUPPERS begin soon (a week from Wednesday) and will be offered through Lent at 5:30 p.m., prior to our 6:30 p.m. Wednesday evening services. There will NOT be simple suppers on Ash Wednesday or during Holy week. VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED to provide food and drinks. Please add your name to the sign up sheet on the glass case if you are able to help.
YOUNG LIFE DINNER will be held at Classics V on March 19 beginning at 6:15 p.m. A sign up sheet is available on the glass case. There is no charge for the dinner, but donations to Young Life are appreciated. Table(s) will be reserved for Grace members to sit together. Please see Dick Crawford if you have questions. All are welcome to attend.
CHOIR will rehearse in the balcony after worship today. We will be singing during our Ash Wednesday service this Wednesday.
THANK YOU to those who participated in this year’s “Soup-er Bowl Sunday”. Heart, Love, and Soul will be the recipient of the approximately 180 cans of soup that were donated.
SLEEP IN HEAVENLY PEACE, our January mission of the month, will be the recipient of a check for $3000 thanks to your incredible generosity. That will provide 10 beds for children in Niagara Falls who are currently sleeping on the floor. Thank you for making this amazing gift possible for the youngest among us that are in need.
NIAGARA HOSPICE BOUQUETS: Today is the last day to sign-up for a bouquet. They will be on our altar Sunday, March 15th. You may take yours home after worship. Sign-up sheet is on glass bookcase in chapel. Cost is $10/bouquet, cash or check made to Niagara Hospice. See Jane Schulz to pay.
GRACE LADIES next meeting is this Tuesday, February 17th beginning at 6PM. It will be a Mardi Gras Tea Party with a devotional and collection of our MITES (loose change) for Lutheran Women in Mission (LWML). Hostesses are Flory Bellreng and Linda Broeker.
40 Days of Life Begins their Lenten prayer vigil for unborn children and their parents on Ash Wednesday. To participate in the vision-casting for this event (on January 29th, 7PM) or to sign up for a prayer shift, please contact Kristen Jorg at 231-286-8685 or Lacey Bahr at 716-525-5134. Please pray for all affected by this event.
| ASH WEDNESDAY SERVICE – FEBRUARY 18th @ 6:30PM |
This Ash Wednesday, we introduce our Lent sermon series, which is based on the ancient hymn “O Love, How Deep” (LSB 544). This hymn, written in the fifteenth century, contemplates the love of God in becoming man, taking on our life, dying our death, and rising again, all for us. But for us to understand and appreciate this love, we must first examine ourselves and our lives to see how we have failed in thought, word, and deed. While we may try to get credit for our so-called good works, we all still die with nothing to show for them. But God’s love is not like our love. Our love is self-centered and fickle. God’s love is steady, deep, and beyond all understanding (Ephesians 3:14–19). This love of God will have no end.