Monthly Archives: February 2012

Nebraska Synod recognizes giving

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We’re proud to announce that in our first year of operation, Spirit of Grace not only finished with a budget surplus, but we also were able to give over $5,000 to support mission and ministry in other places.  This thank you came from the Nebraska Synod today. (You can click it to enlarge.)

Through our gifts to the Nebraska Synod, we support campus ministry, work with immigrants, children and family ministry, and more.

We’re grateful for our partnership with the Nebraska Synod, and our goal for 2012 is to substantially increase our generosity.

What will you do instead?

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Today marks the first day of Lent, a season of penitence and devotion as we prepare ourselves for Holy Week and Easter.  One of the questions I often hear in the run up to Lent is: “What are you giving up for Lent?”

The answers often times reflect our priorities.  Some people will cut back on or give up TV, rich food, or Facebook.  Soda (a.k.a. pop, if you like being wrong) is another popular choice.  One of the great things about Lent is that for many of us, it’s our time each year to take a good look at ourselves and our excesses – and then practice doing something about it.

Something we consider less often is what we will do instead.  If we cut back on TV, will we just spend that time on the Internet?  Are we giving up soda for Red Bull energy drinks — because hey, it’s not carbonated.  If you give up cursing or being critical, do you replace those words with positive talk?

I hope you’ll make time this evening to come to St. Elizabeth’s Episcopal Church this evening at 7:00pm, where we will reflect on Lent, penitence, and being a follower of Jesus.  We’ll receive the sign of the cross in ashes upon our foreheads and the body and blood of the Lord in Holy Communion.  I hope this joint Ash Wednesday service becomes a tradition for us.

If you haven’t given up Facebook for Lent, there is a Facebook Event for our service tonight.  It’s not too late to share it on your wall and invite your friends into this new discipline.

In Christ,
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Pastor Ted Carnahan

P.S. – Grace Place is off this week.  We will resume on February 29.

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It’s about Relationships and Welcoming

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Last week I shared with you my thoughts about the first of our Four Missional Attitudes, “It’s not about us.” This week, I’d like to reflect on the second, “It’s about relationships and welcoming.”

Right now Spirit of Grace is a “nomadic church.” Nomads are communities of people who move from one place to another. We don’t have a settled, permanent home – in fact, we regularly meet in up to seven different places each week! In the course of our nomadic life in this past year, we’ve deeply learned the lesson that the church is not a building. Instead, the church can have a building because it is a tool that makes possible something deeper.

That “something deeper” is, simply put, relationships. Relationships between you and your neighbors. Between you and God. Ultimately, the Christian faith is built on these relationships.

One of the things for which I am most grateful about our church is the way we express hospitality and welcome. We are doing a great job welcoming our visitors with kindness and authenticity. I hope you all can feel as confident as I do that if you invite your friends and neighbors to visit Spirit of Grace, they will have a comfortable experience and find positive new relationships.

As we approach our meeting this weekend to make decisions about a new location for Spirit of Grace, I trust that this missional attitude will be at the foundation of our thinking and prayer. We will continue to do all we can to invite and welcome everyone into these life-giving relationships. That’s what it means to share the good news.

In Christ’s light,

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Pastor Ted Carnahan

P.S. – Grace Place is off this week and next. We will resume on February 29.

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