Outreach November Newsletter

Outreach Team – November 2025

Our members include Chris Kollen as lead, Carol Buuck, Phyllis Teager, Patty Clymer, Carlene Allegier, Gail Nicewander, Sandy Mitchel, Ruth Gross and Janette Carollo.

We are planning new and exciting projects this coming year. If you’d like more information about becoming a member of Outreach, contact Chris Kollen at lizzykollen@comcast.net or at 520-419-7475.

Continuing Events

Marana Food Bank
The Marana Food Bank would like to request that we collect instant mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, mac and cheese, canned tuna/chicken/ham, pancake mix, syrup, and ready-to-eat meals.

Let’s show our thanks and share God’s love by giving our neighbors a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Donated items can be placed in the wooden cabinet located in the hallway outside the Fellowship Hall.  Please remember that the food bank cannot accept any food items that have been opened/used or expired.  Also, please, no glass containers.

 

If you would like to donate and keep your gift for the needy of Marana, you can send a check to:

MFB-CRC

c/o Sahuarita Food Bank

PO Box 968

Sahuarita, AZ 85629 

Please make checks payable to Marana Food Bank – Community Resource Center or MFB-CRC.

You can also donate online at mfb-crc.org. 

Your monetary gift goes a long way. 

 

Refugee family from Sudan 

We have a great opportunity to help a refugee family in Tucson. One of the members of Outreach, Patty Clymer, is tutoring a Sudanese refugee. The family is being helped by Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest, but otherwise are not receiving any other assistance. Outreach would like to help the family and is planning on adding them (there are 7 children) for Thanksgiving boxes and Adopt a Child.

 

Upcoming Events

 Thanksgiving Boxes – Roadrunner Elementary and Refugee Family

We will start collecting food for Thanksgiving Food boxes from October 26th to November 16th for families with students attending Roadrunner Elementary and for the refugee family from the Sudan mentioned above. On Sunday, November 16th, we’ll have a fun day organizing the food and decorating the boxes. We’ll organize the food collected after 1st service, then pack the boxes after 2nd service. The boxes will be delivered to Roadrunner the week of November 17th. We will give out handouts of what to collect on Oct. 26th, there will be additional handouts in the Narthex. Please let us know of any additional families that need help.  

Adopt a Family – Roadrunner Elementary and Refugee Family

We are having Adopt a Family again this year, partnering with Roadrunner Elementary School. This year we will be adding a refugee family from the Sudan. We have received a list from Roadrunner with the names of the families. We plan on starting Adopt a Child on Sunday, November 9th. The gifts will need to be returned unwrapped anytime after November 9th until December 7th. The gifts will need to be delivered to Roadrunner and the refugee family by December 8th.  

Council News November 2025

Dear Lord of Grace Family,

One of the important issues surfacing from cottage meetings is the need for enhanced communication.  Following monthly council meetings, “Council News” will be included in every newsletter to keep you aware of council actions and decisions.  The following are council highlights from the October 21, 2025, council meeting:

·       A new amplifier was installed in our church organ, and the organ is now working!  A computer will soon be installed to enhance the organ’s sound quality.  Our Christmas Eve service will be one to remember!

·       Council is working on having our website updated and the calendar enhanced to reflect church services, meetings, and events accurately.

·       Church Clean Up Day is scheduled for November 15, 2025, from 10:00 to Noon. 

·       The congregation meeting for reviewing and approving the 2026 Lord of Grace budget is scheduled for February 1, 2026.  Please mark your calendars for this very important meeting.

·       Our Property Team is researching ways to make the altar more accessible with a handicapped side ramp and restructuring the chancel steps. 

·       Council is updating the LOG Church Ministries Book that was

published in 2024.  All ministries and committees will be listed, along with their purpose, descriptions, and contact information.  Copies will soon be available in the narthex.

·       Our current mortgage balance is $7493.76, and by the end of December, our mortgage will be paid in full.  This is exciting news, as our church will be better positioned to fulfill its mission and become more involved in our community.

We encourage you to attend a council meeting in person; meetings are held on the third Tuesday of each month in the church conference room.  Contact me or any council member if you would like to attend.  And the minutes of council meetings are available at our office once approved.  If there is anything you would like to share with the council, or have questions or concerns, please let us know.

Peace,

Linda Merritt, Council Secretary

Stewardship Mission Journey

The Stewardship Team invites you to join us as we begin our Stewardship Mission Journey. We start at Romans 12:10-13 “Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the lord, rejoicing in hope patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer, distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.” It may not be a traditional Stewardship “campaign” passage, but it just may be time we consider stewardship differently.

 

Over the next few weeks, you will be hearing stories about the following disciplines from our some of our Stewardship Team:

Joyful – Rod Boorse; Hopeful – Gail Nicewander; Faithful – Carolyn Bernheim; Grateful – Dorothy Green; and culminating on Reformation Sunday, October 26th with Generosity – Betsy Boorse.

 

Reformation Sunday is the perfect day to end this portion of our Stewardship Mission Journey. It will be the ideal time for each of us to reflect on all that God provides for us on a daily basis and how we will lovingly, and generously respond to those blessings. Our commitment begins in our hearts and flows outward. It is a time of reformation here at Lord of Grace. It can be a time of reformation throughout our community and our world.

 

Remember, it begins with us – you and me. You will soon be receiving a letter in the mail inviting you to make a commitment, no, make that an investment in Lord of Grace. With your help, we have already taken great strides to pay off our mortgage and acquire a new (to us) organ for our sanctuary. But that's just a start. We can step out in faith and invest in our preschool. We can finally invest in a Reserve Fund (“rainy day fund”) to help preserve our aging building. But these are only the obvious options.

 

It's time we look and move forward and allow the Holy Spirit to blow through our doors – heck, blow the doors off! It's our Stewardship Mission Reformation Sunday. Let us be kindly affectionate to one another, with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord, rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer, distributing to the needs of the saints, and given to hospitality.  Amen.

Pastor Hammar Scholarship application 2025

                           PASTOR HAMMAR SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION - 2025

                                                  Lord of Grace Lutheran Church

                                 APPLICATION DEADLINE DATE: October 31, 2025

Applicant’s name (first, middle, last):____________________________________

Applicant’s home address:_____________________________________________ Phone:______________________ Email:________________________________

Parents’ names: Father:_______________________________________________ Mother:______________________________________________

Grade point average in: High School:___________________________________

                                                 College: _______________________________________

Name of College (attending/applied to):________________________

Class Standing (please check)                           Enrolment Status (please check)

Entering first year __________                               Part-time_________

Sophmore              ___________                                Full-time_________

Junior                       ____________

Senior                      ____________

 On an attached sheet, provide a statement of your faith, your relationship with the church, and your perspective on God’s involvement in your life.

 

Signature of Applicant:_________________________________ Date:___________

 

Signature of Parent/Guardian:___________________________ Date:__________

Prayer Team November Newsletter

Prayer Team Devotional Proverbs 3:5-6

‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. ‘

 Recently my husband decided that he wanted to drive 2,200 miles to northern California to help close friends move into a new home. We had just returned from driving 5,200 miles the month before to see friends and family in the Pacific Northwest and Montana! It sounded overwhelming to me but I prayed about it and left it to God. Meanwhile we contacted our friends and they welcomed our help.

 We stopped in Tucson to take care of appointments and received a call from our son-in-law after being there one day. Our daughter needed to stay longer in southern California after having a medical procedure in a hospital there. He was starting a new job and needed to get back to Arizona. How timely that we were enroute to California and could stay with our daughter on our way north! We were able to encourage our kids as well as our friends!

 God had obviously gone before us in this situation. What a great reminder to trust in Him and not try to lean on our own understanding!

 Dear Lord of All,

 Thank you for going before us in our lives. You care about every detail and all of our plans. Help us to trust in you fully in all situations.

 In Christ we pray, Amen

 *All are welcome to join the Lord of Grace Prayer Team members for personal prayer after services on the fourth Sunday of the month in the prayer room.

 Blessings to you in Christ, Kris Pierce

Mortgage Reduction Challenge Status

We met and exceeded the $10,000 Mortgage Reduction Challenge in August. A heartfelt thanks to the congregational donor who made the $10,000 donation to challenge the Lord of Grace congregation. Also, a thank you to all of you who have made donations to make the challenge a success. We also wish to thank Patty Clymer, our Treasurer, and Linda Lyth, our Financial Secretary, for their effort in orchestrating the financial gymnastics involved in the challenge effort.

The amount of $21,685.56 was submitted to the ELCA Mission Investment Fund, the mortgage lender, on September 5th and was posted on September 9th to pay down the mortgage principal. As of September 22nd there has been an additional donation of $1,000 received.

Please note that the mortgage has not been paid off completely, only the principal portion of the mortgage was reduced which lowers the number of monthly payments required to pay off the mortgage in early 2026.

During the challenge I was approached by a member of the congregation who asked “When does the challenge end?” My answer was “the goal is to pay off the mortgage before the new pastor is called.” That still remains the Lord of Grace goal.

Therefore, there still is the opportunity to make donations to the Mortgage Reduction Challenge. There is a convenient method using the Lord of Grace website- Click on the “Contribute” tab followed by the “Mortgage Reduction Donate” tab and follow the instructions or using the specially marked “Mortgage Reduction” envelopes located in the Narthex.

After the mortgage is paid, looking forward, Lord of Grace has a unique opportunity to evaluate how the retired mortgage payments income can be invested, channeled to a special ministry/mission or used to launch a new ministry/mission. If you have ideas please forward them to the Church Council and/or Transition Team.

 

Submitted by Rod Boorse, Finance Committee 

 

Some thoughts...

Hello fellow Lord of Grace parishioners! My name is Ray Hall and I am one of the lectors at the second service and a first-term Council member.

Those of you who have been following the news at Lord of Grace know that we are very close to paying off the mortgage on the church building. I haven’t read an e-mail or had a conversation with Rod Boorse where I haven’t been reminded of this fact (kidding Rod).

This will be an event that we can certainly celebrate, as all of us probably do when we pay off a long term obligation, but I would like to propose that it is also an event that presents as a tremendous opportunity. How can paying off the mortgage be considered an opportunity, you may ask? Here’s how:

Imagine if the financial commitment that you have provided to LOG that helped pay the mortgage could now be redirected to impacting our community in new ways. What if some of the monies no longer obligated to the mortgage could be used to expand our Mission here at Lord of Grace—to Love God, to Open our hearts and minds to others, and to Live graciously toward all? What if we could expand our Outreach to include even more activities and events that lift up those in our community who are struggling? What if we could provide even more enrichment activities for our students in Preschool, who are already receiving an excellent Christian-based experience to prepare them for regular school? What if we could deal with unexpected expenses (building repairs, weather damage, etc.) without having to wonder where the money is going to come from? What if we could provide even more in the way of supplies for Roadrunner Elementary, our adopted school? What if we could do even more to help the students and staff at Berega Orphanage? What if we could do even more to fulfill our Mission? I believe that members of the Lord of Grace congregation, each of you, could come up with more God-inspired ways to serve Him through our service to others.

Please give prayerful consideration to how your current, and future donations can be used to further God’s work here at Lord of Grace. Blessings to you.

Pastor's Pen

Asking Why

                Why does Lord of Grace exist?  Why does the larger Church exist?  In his TED talk titled the Golden Circle in 2016, Simon Sinek stated, “Every organization on the planet knows what they do. Some know how they do it.  But very few people or organizations know why they do what they do. By why, I don’t mean to make a profit.  That’s a result.  By why, I mean what’s your purpose, your cause? People don’t buy what you do. They buy why you do it.”

                The ‘why’ we do what we do breathes life.  Jesus transforms lives through you and me. The ‘how’ and ‘what’ we do are processes that change with time, resources, and environment.  How and what supports the why.  In simplest terms, the why of the Christian Church (you and me) is to make Jesus known through word and deed. 

                The Church sometimes defines ‘success’ using business priorities, such as profit and number of customers.  In the words of the faith community, it might be translated as offerings and members.  But as Sinek reminds us, those are results rather than our mission/purpose.  Our calling is to develop and nurture relationships with the hungry, sick, poor, stranger, and the prisoner (Matthew 25) and make Jesus known.  If we are laser focused on our mission/purpose, the results should come.

The question then becomes; if developing relationships and making Jesus known is our purpose, then how do we measure our effectiveness?  (Hint: While we need money and participation to fulfil the mission, they may not be the most accurate measurements of effectiveness.)  How will our commitment to the ‘WHY’ of Church impact the ministries at LOG and the support necessary to complete our purpose/mission? 

Thank you for your commitment, passion, and generosity to our Lord Jesus Christ through the ministries of Lord of Grace!

Peace,

Pastor Randy

Pastoral Transition Update

Lord of Grace Family and Friends

By the time you have read this, the transition team will have met with over 70 members of Lord of Grace to get their thoughts and history with Lord of Grace.  It’s great feedback and we are seeing some themes already.

 

Once more, it’s your turn –

 

The all-church survey is now live.  The purpose of the survey is to collect demographic information on our parishioners, and to explore some more of your history and thoughts on Lord of Grace.

 Who should take the survey? Any friend, staff, or member of Lord of Grace who is over 14.  Each person should take the survey, not the household.  In my house, it’s Denise, Jimmy and I, so we should complete 3 surveys

 When are the survey’s due?  We’d like to complete the surveys by the end of November, so please take your survey soon so we can meet that goal.

 Where are the survey’s?  The survey is online, and can be accessed by going to https://tinyurl.com/LOGTsurvey

If this is a problem for you, we will have paper copies of the survey in the office to be completed.  Please note, any paper surveys, will have to be manually entered online, so if you can do it online, that will save us some work.

 What are you going to do with this feedback?

The transition team will review it all together and determine if there are key themes that help tell the story of who we are and where we want to go.  This will be used to complete a transition report to the council and to the congregation, and the Ministry Site Profile which is used by potential pastoral candidates to decide if they want to apply for our pastoral vacancy.

 What can I do?

2 things

1.)    Consider helping out with the Policy and Procedure or Job Descriptions review if you think you have a good eye towards policies and procedures or job descriptions

2.)    Prayer…constant prayer

·         Prayers for the new pastor who will be leading us, wherever he or she is, that he or she is starting to feel God’s calling to something new, and has a heart that wants to serve a church like Lord of Grace

·         Prayers for the Transition Team that we continue to seek God’s will for Lord of Grace, not our own, and that we seek the church’s feedback on who we are, not our own thoughts.

Questions – please email William Willcoxson – wwillcoxson@comcast.net

Via de Cristo October Newsletter

Lord of Grace is a part of the three-day spiritual renewal movement known as Via de Cristo. Also known as Cursillo, Via de Cristo is a movement for training church lay leaders through three-day weekend retreats and ongoing group connections. Via de Cristo weekends are open to both men and women who want to learn more about Lutheran theology.

The Three-day weekend will be held at Tanque Verde Lutheran Church on Oct. 10-13, 2025.  If you would be interested in attending this 3 day retreat talk to Tim Murphy, Parish Rep at  Lord of Grace for Via de Cristo, or other members who have been through the Week-end – Mary Murphy, Cindy Stein, Lori & Kevin Brown, Darlene Wager, Janette Carollo, Sam & Linda Lyth.

The three-days involves faith formation, music and singing, learning Lutheran theology, good food at every meal, and is FREE to participants.

Lord of Grace Via de Cristo Rep. – Tim Murphy – 520.780.2214

For tickets to the Gaslight Theater show contact:

LOG Parish Rep

Tim Murphy 520-780-2214

Or in the Narthex after each service.

Presidents Message November Newsletter

President's Message -

We here at Lord of Grace have so very much to be thankful for! God's blessings abound. We give thanks for this beautiful worship space. We give thanks for the music that surrounds us as we gather here. We give thanks for the sounds of young voices as they experience God's love here. We give thanks for the spiritual leadership of Pastor Randy during this interim period. We give thanks for the joy, hope, faith, gratefulness and generosity of each and every one of you here.

Your Council is listening to you. Comments from the various cottage meetings are filtering upward to us. Communication is always a concern; therefore, you will find a new article in the newsletter, Council Highlights. It's important for you to know the issues we are discussing and the actions we are taking. Also, please know that you are welcome to attend any Council meeting held on the 3rd Tuesday of the month, and Minutes of Council meetings are available in the office.

Our Mission Investment Sunday has passed and we will begin financial planning for 2026. There has been much “in the works” with the Transition Team and all the Lord of Grace ministries. including a review and definition of our existing ministries. Our budget will look a bit different in 2026 with no mortgage line item required. However, with the elimination of one responsibility (the mortgage) comes an even greater responsibility – expanding our mission experiences both within our Lord of Grace family and out into the greater Marana community.

More importantly, a new ministry for seniors is in the planning stage. Yes, our youth are important too and we need to hear from them as to how we can best use our resources to help them grow in faith.

There's an abundance here. There's an old church camp song “I am the church, you are the church, we are the church together.” There is also the visual “chURch” depicting just how much a part of God's church UR. Together we bring our unbounded gifts of blessings as the biblical good steward.

Following Thanksgiving we will be entering Advent, the season of preparation and expectation. The two are so intertwined here at Lord of Grace. We give thanks for all we have received today and everyday from our Lord which we can give back and share with others; we look forward in preparation and with expectation of what God has in store for us as we move forward in faith.

 

Blessings,

 

Betsy Boorse,

Council President

Pre School November Newsletter

This month, our hearts are overflowing with gratitude from the outpouring of love, support, and generosity from our church family. Your prayers, encouragement, and donations have not only sustained our preschool but have truly enriched the lives of our children and teachers.

        Because of your generosity, we were able to purchase much-needed classroom supplies — from science materials and learning manipulatives to everyday essentials like paper towels and Clorox wipes that help keep our preschool clean and safe. Your gifts also reminded our teachers and staff how deeply they are valued, uplifting their spirits and supporting the meaningful work they do each day with our preschoolers. And above all, your faithful prayers continue to strengthen our teachers and families, filling our school with peace, patience, and purpose.

        We are continually reminded that this ministry is not just ours, but a beautiful part of our entire church community. Through your generosity, prayers, and support, you are helping plant seeds of faith and learning that will continue to grow for years to come. Thank you for being such an important part of our preschool’s story. We are truly blessed by your partnership and grateful for the many ways you help our children experience God’s love in action each day.

 With grateful hearts,

The LOG Preschool Staff and LOG Preschool Advisory Board

Outreach October Newsletter

Outreach Team – October 2025 Newsletter Article

Our members include Chris Kollen as lead, Carol Buuck, Phyllis Teager, Patty Clymer, Carlene Allegier, Gail Nicewander, Sandy Mitchel, Ruth Gross and Janette Carollo.

We are planning new and exciting projects this coming year. If you’d like more information about becoming a member of Outreach, contact Chris Kollen at lizzykollen@comcast.net or at 520-419-7475.

Continuing Events

Marana Food Bank

The Marana Food Bank would like to request that we collect instant rice, mac and cheese, canned tuna or chicken, pancake mix, syrup, tomato sauce, ready-to-eat meals, and cereal or oatmeal.

 1 in 7 people (and 1 in 5 children) are currently facing hunger.  Let’s remember that God calls on us to help others every day.  We can do that by helping make sure our neighbors’ cupboards aren’t bare when mealtime arrives.  Let’s celebrate God’s goodness, every day.

 Donated items can be placed in the wooden cabinet located in the hallway outside the Fellowship Hall.  Please remember that the food bank cannot accept any food items that have been opened/used or expired.  Also, please, no glass containers.

If you would like to donate and keep your gift for the needy of Marana, you can send a check to:

MFB-CRC

o/o Sahuarita Food Bank

PO Box 968

Sahuarita, AZ 85629 

Please make checks payable to Marana Food Bank – Community Resource Center or MFB-CRC.

You can also donate online at mfb-crc.org.

 Your monetary gift goes a long way. 

 Upcoming Events

 Thanksgiving Boxes – Roadrunner Elementary

We will start collecting food for Thanksgiving Food boxes from October 26th to November 16th for families with students attending Roadrunner Elementary. On Sunday, November 16th, we’ll have a fun day organizing the food and decorating the boxes. We’ll organize the food collected after 1st service, then pack the boxes after 2nd service. The boxes will be delivered to Roadrunner the week of November 17th. We will give out handouts of what to collect on Oct. 26th, there will be additional handouts in the Narthex. Please let us know of any additional families that need help.

 Adopt a Child – Roadrunner Elementary

We are having Adopt a Child again this year, partnering with Roadrunner Elementary School. We are waiting to hear from Roadrunner the names of the students and their needs and wants for Christmas and when they will need to be delivered to the school. There will be more information in the November newsletter.

 The sandwiches were delivered to Sister Jose Women’s Center the following day and the hygiene items were taken to Butler’s Pantry at Roadrunner.

 We made our goal for toothpaste for the drive-the kids were so excited!!  Here are the totals: 

135 tubes of toothpaste

75 toothbrushes

82 bars of soap

40 bottles of shampoo and conditioner

40 razors

39 deodorant

8 dish soaps

4 laundry soaps

2 hand soaps 

Kleenex

 

Thanks to everyone for your support.

Prayer Connection October 2025

Prayer Connection 

Who is your caregiver?

            Can you tell a caregiver by looking at them?

 The only wrong answer I know of to this question is – “I am totally independent and I don't need a caregiver!”

 This type of person has not entered the real life world that tells you we are all interdependent. For instance, if you fall or are pushed backward into a cactus, who do you call for help? If your car goes off the road because you are momentarily distracted, who do you call? If that off-road incident just happens to be out of cell service, now who do you call for help? (Think box canyon in Saguaro National Park West.)

 I don't know your answers, but since my main caregiver is also handicapped, I call on God first. That is why prayer is so very important to me.

 Gail Nicewander

Prayer Team

Outreach April 2025

Outreach Team – April 2025

Our members include Chris Kollen as lead, Carol Buuck, Phyllis Teager, Patty Clymer, Janette Carollo, Gail Nicewander, and Sandy Mitchel. We have a recent addition to Outreach! Ruth Gross will be joining us on the Team. She is a new congregational member, we are excited to have her join our team. Welcome Ruth!

We are planning new and exciting projects this coming year. If you’d like more information about becoming a member of Outreach, contact Chris Kollen at lizzykollen@comcast.net or at 520-419-7475.

Continuing Events

Marana Food Bank
The Marana Food Bank would like to request that we collect canned tomato sauce, instant rice, mac and cheese, jelly, cereal/oatmeal, tuna/chicken, and instant mashed potatoes.

Spring is a time for renewal and renewed hope.  Let’s do our part to serve our neighbors in need.

Donated items can be placed in the wooden cabinet located in the hallway outside the Fellowship Hall.  Please remember that the food bank cannot accept any food items that have been opened/used or expired.  Also, please no glass containers.

If you would like to donate and keep your gift for the needy of Marana, you can send a check to:

MFB-CRC

c/o Sahuarita Food Bank

PO Box 968

Sahuarita, AZ 85629 

Please make checks payable to Marana Food Bank – Community Resource Center or MFB-CRC.  You can also donate online at mfb-crc.org.

Your monetary gift goes a long way. 


Upcoming Events

Butler’s Pantry – Roadrunner Elementary

Lord of Grace will be collecting personal hygiene items for Butler’s Pantry, to support our friends at Roadrunner Elementary throughout the month of April. Personal care items are essential for maintaining good health and hygiene. These items may seem small, but they can make a significant impact on a person’s daily life.  Maintaining adequate personal hygiene is among the biggest challenges of those living with limited means. When we donate these items we allow individuals to feel appreciated and valued, which can help boost self-esteem and confidence!

 The items that we will be collecting include:

●     Bar soap

●     Deodorant

●     Shampoo

●     Body wash

●     Feminine hygiene products

●     Toothpaste and Toothbrushes

Help us reach our goal of 100 bottles of shampoo during this spring drive!  Thank you so much for supporting this important outreach in our community!

 

Past Events

LSS-SW Zoom meeting on 3/19/2025 – Update on status of refugee support

Chris Kollen attended a Zoom meeting on the status of LSS-SW with the loss of federal funding for refugee services. 

Refugee resettlement was paused with the new administration. LSS-SW and all other refugee resettlement organizations received a stop work order; no expenses will be paid. During the 90-day review, there will be no reimbursements. Just in January, LSS-SW had 180 refugees (116 refugees were settled in Tucson) that LSS-SW needs to support. In the last 90 days, 388 refugees were settled in Arizona. LSS-SW is owed $1.3 million for refugee services provided in December and January. As a result of a lawsuit by an LSS sister organization, half of the payment has now been made to LSS-SW for December and January.

There are two phases of services for refugee resettlement. All Phase I services (reception/placement) have been paused. Phase II (employment etc.) will continue, but the money will be sent to states directly if states want to continue the services.

In January, LSS-SW asked the community for support and received about $300,000 in funds from 436 congregations and individuals. They are also looking for privately funded sponsors.

As a result of these cuts, on March 30th they will be stopping one of their services – IHELP (Interfaith Homeless Emergency Lodging Program) that is offered in Phoenix.

How can we help:

·         Advocacy – contact senators and representatives for support.

·         Become a co-sponsor for a refugee

·         Help identify employment opportunities, talk to employers about hiring refugees

·         Volunteer with LSS-SW to help refugees find jobs

Lutheran World Relief Baby Care Kits – A great group of volunteers put together the baby care kits on March 9th! We were able to collect enough items to send 11 baby care kits. Last year they distributed baby care kits to Angola, Lebanon, Peru, Senegal, Turkey, Ukraine, Zambia and the US.

Sister Jose Women’s Center - We cooked a wonderful evening meal for the residents on March 12th. We served lasagna, salad, bread and dessert to about 50 women. They were all very appreciative! Thanks Norma Suchomel, Gail Nicewander and Phyllis Teager for volunteering! We were a great team!

Lotsa Pasta results

We received a note from Interfaith Community Services (ICS) about the Lotsa Pasta drive we participated in.

The ICS Outreach team would like to extend a huge THANK YOU for donating Lotsa Pasta this year! We received approximately 7925 packages of pasta and 4387 cans of sauce! Your contributions allow our food bank to continue serving those who need it most in our community.  We truly appreciate the time and effort you devoted to our food drive. 

Time to Help our Neighbors at Roadrunner

Lord of Grace will be collecting personal hygiene items for Butler’s Pantry, to support our friends at Roadrunner Elementary throughout the month of April.

Items Needed:

●     Bar soap

●     Deodorant

●     Shampoo

●     Body wash

●     Feminine hygiene products

●     Toothpaste and Toothbrushes

Help us reach our goal of 100 bottles of Shampoo!

Thank you so much for supporting this ongoing outreach in our community! 🙂 

Hiring: AV Coordinator for Sunday Services

Lord of Grace Church is looking for someone to operate the audio and visual for Sunday services. Duties include:

  • Running the audio

  • Running the visual software and slides

  • Operating the three PTZ cameras for the livestream

Skills preferred: knowledge of audio and video livestreaming.

  • Propresenter

  • Resi

  • Soundboards

  • PTZ cameras

 

Pay: $100/Sunday and $50/special service

Hours: 8am-12noon Sundays

Contact Pastor Lars Hammar if interested.

Outreach March 2025

Outreach Team – March 2025

Our members include Chris Kollen as lead, Carol Buuck, Phyllis Teager, Patty Clymer, Janette Carollo, and Gail Nicewander. We have a recent addition to Outreach! Sandy Mitchel will be joining us on the Team. She has been providing us with monthly updates for the Marana Food Bank. Welcome Sandy!

We are planning new and exciting projects this coming year. If you’d like more information about becoming a member of Outreach, contact Chris Kollen at lizzykollen@comcast.net or at 520-419-7475.

Continuing Events

Marana Food Bank
The Marana Food Bank would like to request that we collect canned spaghetti sauce, jelly, cereal, oatmeal, tuna/chicken, Spam/ham, mac and cheese, and instant rice.

 What a great way to show God’s love – by providing a nourishing meal to our neighbors in need.  

Donated items can be placed in the wooden cabinet located in the hallway outside the Fellowship Hall.  Please remember that the food bank cannot accept any food items that have been opened/used or expired.  Also, please no glass containers.

If you would like to donate and keep your gift for the needy of Marana, you can send a check to:

MFB-CRC

c/o Sahuarita Food Bank

PO Box 968

Sahuarita, AZ 85629 

Please make checks payable to Marana Food Bank – Community Resource Center or MFB-CRC.  You can also donate online at mfb-crc.org.

Your monetary gift goes a long way. 

Butler’s Pantry – Roadrunner Elementary

We will continue to have a work day each month and to staff the pantry the first Saturday of each month during 2025. We are always looking for volunteers to help with this ministry.  If this is something that you would be interested in getting involved in, please contact Phyllis Teager 520-906-1837.  Thanks to all at Lord of Grace for your support.

Past Events

Feed My Starving Children – A group of 11 members from LOG participated in one of mobile packing event for Feed My Starving Children at Oro Valley Church of the Nazarene. Our group packed 234 meals. It was great to be able to work together with Lutherans! Overall in the span of 5 days, there were 1.55 million meals packed at Oro Valley Church of the Nazarene.

Lotsa Pasta Food Drive – we participated in the Interfaith Community Services Lotsa Pasta Food Drive during the month of February. We delivered 50 boxes of macaroni and cheese, 78 packages of pasta, and 39 cans of pasta sauce. Thank you everyone!

Upcoming Events

Lutheran World Relief Baby Care Kits – The drive ends on March 2nd and we will put together the kits on March 9th, volunteers are welcome! We’ll organize the items between services and put the kits together after the 2nd service. Last year we were able to collect enough items to send 11 baby care kits. Last year they distributed baby care kits to Angola, Lebanon, Peru, Senegal, Turkey, Ukraine, Zambia and the US.

Sister Jose Women’s Center - We plan on cooking an evening meal for the residents on March 12th. There is a signup sheet in the Narthex starting next Sunday. We need 4-5 people to volunteer. We also plan on signing up to cook another evening meal in May. Any questions, contact Chris Kollen.

 

Prayer Connection March 2025

Prayer Connection

 

Psalm 75: 1

1 We Praise you, God, we praise you, for your Name is near, people tell of your wonderful deeds.

 There have been so many things to be grateful for.  I try to remember to thank God for the blessings that I have experienced lately when I start to pray. And then sometimes thanking God for the goodness I have experienced in the past.   With the 20-20 view, one can see where God was right there beside a person and it is good to remember those blessings. 

I remember learning the Parable of the 10 lepers years ago.  There were 10 lepers, or people infected with a skin ailment, who asked Jesus to heal them.  And they received the blessing.  Jesus told them to go to the temple for cleansing.  They were healed as they went.  And one came back to thank Jesus.  I suppose there are many truths to learn from that story. 

Lately, I have witnessed special blessings to friends and to myself.  I try to come back to my Lord, like the one that returned, and thank Him for those blessings. 

Dear Gracious God, thank You for the good news of friends who are healed.  Thank You for being near and always listening to our prayers.  Amen

The Lord of Grace Prayer Team is always here to help you with any prayer requests you may

have!  The Prayer Team continues to pray over all prayer petitions sent our way, including the

requests entered in the prayer journal in the Narthex.  The Team will also continue to offer

individual prayer times after each worship service on the 4th Sunday of each month.