Grace's Blog July - December 2026
July 23, 2026
Family Promise – Calling all Volunteers
As you have been hearing these past few months, there are many changes taking place at Family Promise! They have just opened a new “Guest House” on July 1st that houses 8 families in need of a housing support until they find a new permanent home.
Grace is sponsoring one of the new apartments and the first family has already moved in! When the day comes for this family to leave for their new permanent home, a team from Grace will be sent into thoroughly clean and prep the apartment for the next family. A volunteer cleaning crew of 4-5 will be needed.
Four times a year Grace will also act as the “Host” congregation for the entire guest house for a week. During these weeks teams from Grace will be hosting 3 events at the Guest House:
- 6:00pm Sunday evening: We will need 2-3 volunteers to prepare and serve a light meal and 2-3 volunteers to assist with set up and clean up.
- 6:00pm Tuesday evening: We will need 2-3 volunteers to prepare and serve the meal, 2-3 volunteers to assist with set up and clean up, and 2 volunteers to host a children’s activity.
- 9:00am Saturday morning: We will need 2-3 volunteers to prepare and serve the brunch, 2-3 volunteers to be hospitality ambassadors, and 2-3 volunteers to do a final cleaning in preparation for the next team.
All three of these events will offer a great opportunity for people from Grace to meet and interact with the families staying at the guest house. Volunteers will be able to pick and choose their preferred job, and work as many or as few as they wish. We will be establishing a “Sign up Genius” to begin filling these slots once our volunteers have been through an “on-boarding” process through Family Promise (which is required).
The first week that Grace has committed to acting as the Host congregation will be September 20th-26th. We are looking to establish a set of volunteers for this first week during the month of August. The Family Promise ministry team will be hosting TWO orientation sessions for volunteers On Sunday August 9th between services (9:30-10:15am), and Wednesday August 12th 5:30-6:30pm (before Wednesday worship). Please attend one of the sessions.
There is an Advertisement in Grace-at-a-Glance for the next few weeks with a QR code to scan that you can use to start the on-boarding process or call Dave Jenkins, Gayle Pacholl or Scott Christensen. However, for anyone who needs help, we’re there to help you and explain more during the orientation session!
Volunteering to serve at Family Promise, is an exciting way to get involved at Grace Lutheran.
July 16, 2026
Preaching with Caution
Happy Summer Grace Folks!
I hope you all are enjoying some of the lazy days of summer, while also staying safe in this intense heat and being cautious with the difficult air quality. I’ve been paying close attention to the weather cautions we’ve been given. Partly because my daughter is out hiking and I want her to stay safe. Partly because our church went to Habitat this morning (please pray for us).
I want to issue a cautionary note about this upcoming Sunday’s Bible reading. We are reading Genesis 38, the story of Tamar. If you don’t recognize the name or the story, you’re in good company — it’s unfamiliar for a reason. It’s a hard text. Hard because of the way Tamar is treated. Hard because of the number of references to sex (this is not a PG Sunday School reading at all — you might want to send your kids to kids’ time). Hard because of the lack of justice on display.
You might be wondering, “Why are we reading this, Pastor Joanna?” Good question! Just because something is hard doesn’t mean it isn’t important. Tamar is part of both King David’s and Jesus’ genealogy (read Matthew 1) — without her actions and forethought, that line would look very different. God worked through her even when the world around her didn’t think she was important or worth much. God does the same for us — working through us no matter how we’re viewed by others, or what harmful labels the world might try to put on us.
So please receive this cautionary note: this scripture is difficult. Feel free to send your kids elsewhere during the reading, or be prepared for a rich conversation if they happen to be listening closely. I’d encourage you to read Genesis 38 yourself this week and let me know what you think. Pray for me as I write this sermon.
And may we all remember women like Tamar, who lived their faith boldly and courageously even when others would have preferred she just go away. As hard as this text is, I am thankful for her.
Blessings,
Pastor Joanna Mitchell
July 9, 2026
Pack the Pantry
As we successfully wrapped up our second annual “Pack the Pantry” Challenge to support Hope4Youth, a tremendous THANK YOU to all who donated! Jan Anderson and I loaded up my truck on Monday and made the delivery to Hope4Youth loading dock, and also presented a few checks, including one from Grace Lutheran Church.
Jan and I were not able to take a formal tally, but the response from our congregation was tremendous, and certainly exceeded what we were able to donate last year. I was especially impressed with the quantity of baby diapers and personal items that were donated this year. Jan, also, delivered a very heart-felt generosity moment at worship services a few weeks ago. That certainly inspired many to step up to meet this challenge!
Thank you to all who continue to support the youth and the mission of Hope4Youth!
Blessings, Scott Christensen
WOW, WOW, WOW, Grace Lutheran Church!
I came in on June 30th and was able to see all the amazing piles of donations from the congregation. It is absolutely amazing and as I was going through it – you brought in everything we needed! Our underwear bins, baby wipes, and body lotion/wash bins were completely empty and they are now filled!
I was able to weigh it all in for you. THANK YOU to Grace for all this amazing support to HOPE 4 Youth!
149 lbs. Food
58 lbs. Underwear
194.8 lbs. Hygiene
53.6 lbs. Drinks
172.8 lbs. Diapers
THANK YOU!
Mari Dahlke
Community Engagement Coordinator, HOPE 4 Youth
July 2, 2026
Home
Last Tuesday, we had the opportunity to attend Family Promise’s Grand Opening of their new guest house! It was the third time I had been there, but the first time where every room was filled and furnished and along with a ribbon cutting in the pouring rain, there were warm and freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. If that doesn’t say home, I don’t know what does! We are just days away from when Family Promise will welcome the first families of guests into this new home!
I learned at this event that Family Promise was founded in February 2008, when a group of women met in a church basement during a blizzard. They decided then and there that was the last winter they would let families experiencing homelessness sleep in their cars in winter. So it only makes sense that the new iteration of their vision, an apartment style guest house would also have it’s grand opening in the midst of challenging weather conditions. When you have a home, unseasonable weather makes no difference. You have a roof over your head, but to one who doesn’t, having a place to call home makes all the difference.
A few of my favorite features of the new guest house are the community room and play space for kids, the mail boxes (many people don’t know this is one of the biggest barriers for homeless people seeking employment or applying for places to stay, without a mailing address it can be impossible), and of course the Grace Lutheran Church sponsored apartment. This is a commitment we have made as a congregation. We will be funding this apartment, and welcoming new families with supplies with each of their stays. This is in addition to our commitment to provide meals for the whole facility for 4 weeks of the year. I hope that if you feel called to get involved with this ministry or even if you are interested in learning more that you would seek out some of our Family Promise Leaders and learn more!
Before the new guests arrive, Family Promise needs to finish stocking the apartments with general household supplies (trash cans, cleaning supplies). I invite you to check out the Amazon wish list they created specifically for upcoming Guest House needs. Please help us gather the items that will create a welcoming environment for the families who walk through Family Promise’s doors.
Thank you
Pastor Maria Markman
