"Have you noticed? There is not a  formal closing to the book of Acts. Could it be that we are writing the 29th chapter as we fulfill the Great Commission? Experience the power of praying the word of God. It will change the way you perceive prayer! Acts 29 is an intense prayer journey that works well as a group experience or an individual pilgrimage." These are the words of Dr. Terry Teykl the author of the study guide, and beloved speaker, and spiritual leader. Dr Teykl spent his life encouraging and teaching churches how to develop a passionate

and meaningful relationship with the Lord. Some of you will  know him by his recent visit at the Fall District Rally. I invite you to a prayer & study group during this Lent, to invite the Holy Spirit in your life. We'll be meeting on Thursdays, 12:00-12:30PM at the Conference Room starting March 7th, till April 18th. Sign up via Connection Card during worship, call in the office, or send email to pastor Rhee at carbondalegracepastor@gmail.com. Books are $10 per copy, and prior inquiry of the book is appreciated in order to acquire an adequate number of

books.

Pastor Rhee

Bishop Frank J. Beard has announced he  will host meetings throughout the Illinois Great Rivers Conference following General Conference to discuss the action taken by the special session of General Conference. Persons planning to attend one of the five sessions are asked to register online (via web address below) in order to ensure adequate accommodation for those wanting to attend and the seating capacities of the venues. 

https://igrc-reg.brtapp.com/PostGC2019briefings

Pastor Rhee would love to meet you closely  every 2nd Thursdays of the month. We'll have some tables set up and coffee will be brewed.  Bring your favorite pies or cookies to pass, or just stop by. We'd like to share stories of how you came to faith in Jesus Christ, what your hopes are for Grace church, and how we can minister to each other; or just chat about anything! The next meeting is October

11, 10am in rooms 19/20.    Mark your interest in the connection card during Sunday service, or send your interest via email at "carbondalegraceinfo@gmail.com," or just stop by!

The all new Grace UMC cookbooks are available just in time for Christmas gifting. They will be available in the office during regular office hours and also at both Worship Services. See Thyra Russell in early service and Shirley Smith or Rosemary Hubenthal in late service to purchase the new cookbooks for $15

each. Money from the sales will go to mission projects.

In March MaTT Club focused on Fruit of  the Spirit- Goodness and Faithfulness. We challenged Early Service and Late Service to a food drive contest to

see who could bring in the most items for the food bank in the month

of March. The challenge is still going on at the time of the printing of

the newsletter so stay tuned for the results.

I chose a pineapple to represent Goodness because, on the outside the

pineapple is rough and prickly but the inside is filled with sweet

goodness. We discussed how sometimes people are like pineapples.

They are prickly on the outside but once we get past that we find that

they can be very “sweet” on the inside. We cut open a fresh pineapple

and the kids each got to have a taste. The children built a tower of

canned goods and we talked about ways we can “do” goodness for

others. We decided to collect food through the food drive challenge.

On March 17 we focused on Fruit of the Spirit-Faithfulness. I chose

the cherry to represent Fruit of the Spirit-Faithfulness because often

(in pictures at least) cherries grow in pairs- we see two attached to the

same stem. We played some games about being faithful and trustworthy. Pairs of kids tied together to traverse the obstacle course was definitely a lesson on co-operation and being mindful of your partner.

We discussed how God is always faithful to us and how we can be

faithful to our family, our friends, and God. We made cherry zipper

pulls for craft.

Important Dates coming upMay 5 Mom and Me Meeting

May 19 Bowling at Herrin Bowl

Early June end of the year swim? party

Happy April birthday Amelia.

Thank you Luke and Younkyoung An and Jennifer Langin for providing suppers in March.

Thank you Jennifer for taking pictures.

Thank you Mary Louise and Holly for your help.

Thank you Kierra and Sunhee for helping on March 17

Helpers and money donations are needed  in Carbondale to open a temporary warming center for those needing winter shelter that cannot be provided by the Good Samaritan House. This project is being supported by many groups: City of Carbondale, Sparrow Coalition, Carbondale Interfaith Council, SIU Clinical Center, Jackson County Health Department, and MANY other local organizations.  To give a donation of money, please designate your check as "warming shelter" and send the check to:  Southern Illinois Coalition for the Homeless

                   P.O. Box 955

                   Marion, IL 62959

Personnel, both volunteer and paid staff, are needed to coordinate, work shifts, and clean up after each night. The temporary  warming shelter will be open during the night hours. Serious commitments have been made by groups in the community in order to begin the opening of the shelter, but our continued individual support is needed to sustain it throughout the winter.  Please give this project your prayerful consideration. As Jesus said, "...whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." ( Matthew 27:40) 

Family Fellowship is taking a break for the winter.   Look for Family Fellowship to resume in June. 

Ladies, please join us on Monday evenings at 6:30 in the auditorium at church! We will talk together, do something creative (no special skills necessary), and plan ways to help others.

If you can't come every Monday, that's ok. We will be happy to see you whenever you can join us!

Please bring: scissors and all your extra plastic grocery bags .   Our first craft/mission project is to crochet plastic bed rolls for the homeless. (No crochet skill necessary.) 

Danielle Schultz

Knitting,  Crocheting, Embroidery, O My!

Do you like to knit, crochet, embroidery, tat, etc. but like to visit with others while working or need encouragement to work on your ongoing project or need a small

project? A group of ladies are going to start meeting in the conference room at the church on Thursday, November 30 at 10:00 a.m. to ? Bring your projects to work on and enjoy the fellowship of fellow crafters. Call Lena Hake at (618-457-2688).

Bring a dish and join the fellowship. The  lunch is held in rooms 19/20, just off the big kitchen.

See April newsletter for meeting locations and details

All 6th -12th graders are welcome to join  us for these events! 

~ Evolv the 'dale - Our next service & fun day will be Saturday, March 30th. Please meet at the church at 8:45 a.m. 

~ The Table - Our next meeting of The Table is Sunday, March 17th. Come to Jack's house on the 3rd Sunday of each month at 6:00 p.m. for dinner and fun. Anyone interested in providing a dish or complete meal for this or a future meeting of The Table, please contact Jaci Arthur. 

~ Sunday School - The junior and senior high school will continue meeting together in the high school classroom until further notice. 

~ Pre-Prom Dinner - Jaci is considering hosting a pre-prom dinner at the church for our youth, their dates, and their friends. If any youth attending CCHS are interested, please contact Jaci ASAP. 

~ Check your email, the bulletins, and Grace Notes for more information on volunteer opportunities, including Mission Meals.

~ Do you have any suggestions for discussions, activities, service

projects, or anything else? Let Jaci know!

April 14

May 12

Meal preparation begins at 1:00 p.m.  in the Grace UMC large kitchen. 

It has been tradition for Bethel AME, First  UMC and Grace UMC to get together for an evening service on Good Friday. This year the service will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Good Friday, April 19 at Carbondale

First United Methodist Church. 

You are all invited to attend the Cache River  District United Methodist Women's meeting to be held here at Grace UM Church on Saturday morning, April 27th! Grace UM Women are co -hosting the meeting with the Carbondale 1st UM

Women.    The meeting begins at 9:00 A.M., but be sure to come early to register and have breakfast. A $5 registration fee includes lunch and a light breakfast. In addition to the business of the morning, the meeting will feature special music and an inspirational speaker. Attendees are also encouraged to bring toiletry items and "Boxtops for Education" to be donated to Cunningham Children's Home and Lessie Bates Neighborhood House, two of our conference missions serving children. Please join us for an interesting and motivating morning!