Theme for the season of Epiphany (January 7th – February 11th)
Immersed in Your grace
Transformed by the Spirit
Called to proclaim
Insight to the Season of Epiphany written by Matt Reece, Director of Music Ministries
In the sacred celebration of Epiphany, the worship theme resonates with profound significance: “Immersed in Your Grace, Transformed by the Spirit, Called to Proclaim.” This theme encapsulates the essence of Epiphany, inviting worshippers to delve into the boundless ocean of divine grace. The imagery of immersion suggests a deep and intimate connection with the divine, where individuals are submerged in the overwhelming love and mercy of God. As the Epiphany story unfolds, the transformative power of the Holy Spirit becomes evident, prompting believers to undergo a metamorphosis that transcends the ordinary and aligns their lives with the divine purpose. This theme calls for a contemplative exploration of personal encounters with grace, a recognition of the transformative journey led by the Spirit, and an acknowledgment of the sacred responsibility to proclaim this divine encounter to the world.
This season of Epiphany invites worshippers to reflect on the profound intertwining of grace, transformation, and the call to proclaim the Good News. Immersed in the grace that Epiphany symbolizes, individuals are encouraged to consider how this grace has transformed their lives. The transformative work of the Spirit is a central aspect, emphasizing the ongoing process of renewal and spiritual growth. Simultaneously, the call to proclaim underscores the communal nature of faith, urging believers to share the transformative power of their encounters with God. As the Epiphany season unfolds, this worship theme serves as a guide for believers to deepen their spiritual connection, embrace ongoing transformation, and boldly proclaim the grace that has shaped their lives, contributing to the collective journey of faith.
Wednesday Bible Study
Join Pastor Pokora on Wednesday evenings for Bible Study at 7 pm (via Zoom). The focus will be the lessons for the following Sunday.
Please e-mail Pastor Pokora (richpokora@yahoo.com) to request the meeting id and password that is needed to join.
Food Pantry & Clothing Closet
Saturdays: The food pantry & clothing closet serve 100+ families each and every week while they are open to the public from 11 am – 1 pm. Several volunteers are needed during this time as well as throughout the week to prepare.
Weekly Food Load: Volunteers are needed to help with the River Bend Food load this Friday, January 12th beginning at 8:30 am at River Bend and 9 am at church.
Food Pantry & Clothing Closet Donations: Donations are accepted Fridays from 9 am – 12 pm and Saturdays from 9 am – 11 am.
QC Studio Z
QC Studio Z offers Zumba classes in the fellowship hall at church on Mondays & Wednesdays 5:45 – 6:45 pm and Saturdays 9:30 – 10:30 am. For more information visit their website: https://www.qcstudioz.com/
They will offer a bonus class on Sunday, January 21st at 1 pm.
Worship Musicians
The musicians for worship can find the service orders and music in the crate on the back pew in the sanctuary for each week of the month of January. The musicians will rehearse from 9 – 9:45 am every Sunday morning.
Sunday School (youth and adult)
The Sunday school classes (youth and adult) will meet each Sunday from 9 – 9:45 am.
Worship Information for Sunday, January 14th
You are invited to join All Saints Lutheran Church for a Contemporary Worship Service at 10 am on Sundays during the month of January. Fellowship Time and Refreshments will follow the worship service in the gathering space.
Introduction for the 2nd Sunday after Epiphany Copyright 2023 Augsburg Fortress
All the baptized have a calling in God’s world. God calls not just pastors and deacons but also the youngest child, like Samuel. The story of the calling of Nathanael plays with the idea of place. Nathanael initially dismisses Jesus because he comes from Nazareth. But where we come from isn’t important; it’s where—or rather whom—we come to. Jesus refers to Jacob, who had a vision in a place he called “the house of God, and . . . the gate of heaven” (Gen. 28:17). Jesus says he himself is the place where Nathanael will meet God.
Scripture Introductions (two (2) lessons are read during worship) Copyright 2023 Augsburg Fortress
1 Samuel 3:1-10 [11-20] The calling of Samuel
Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18 You have searched me out and known me. (Ps. 139:1)
1 Corinthians 6:12-20 Glorify God in your body
John 1:43-51 The calling of the first disciples
Fit4Mom
Fit4Mom holds an exercise class from 5:30 – 6:30 pm Tuesday evenings in the fellowship hall at church. For more information visit their website: https://quadcities.fit4mom.com//
West Music Company – Music Therapy
Sound Reach, a vocal music-making opportunity for groups or individuals with cognitive and physical disabilities will rehearse on Tuesdays from 5:45 – 6:30 pm in the sanctuary at church. For more information visit their website: https://musictherapy.westmusic.com//
Council Meeting
The church council will meet on Tuesday, January 16th at 6 pm in the library at church.
Worship Planning Meeting
The worship planning team will meet on Tuesday, January 23rd at 4:30 pm to plan the season of Lent in the library at church.
Reflect, Release, Renew
Grace Lutheran Church invites you to a free retreat on Saturday, January 27th from 10 am to noon.
Discover a rejuvenated version of yourself in 2024 at a free retreat.
The holidays are supposed to be a joyous time, but they also can be overloaded with obligations, high expectations, financial pressures, loneliness and stress.
To help reorient and bring forth a rejuvenated you in the new year, the Spiritual Growth Mission at Grace Lutheran Church invites those in the greater Quad-City community to “Reflect … Release … Renew,” a free morning retreat from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Jan. 27, at Grace Lutheran Church, in Pat Bell Hall, 1140 E. High St., Davenport. Refreshments will be served.
Featured speaker will be Chris McCormick Pries, board-certified advanced registered nurse practitioner (ARNP) with the Vera French Community Mental Health Center in Davenport for 45 years, having served as its clinical director until her semi-retirement in 2020. Since then, she has continued her work at Vera French on a part-time basis, seeing patients and mentoring graduate students in psychiatric/mental health nursing. She is also very active in the community, including serving as the chairperson of the Diocese of Davenport Sexual Abuse Review Board, as a parish nurse at St. John Vianney in Bettendorf, as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Iowa School of Nursing and preceptor to physician assistant students at St. Ambrose University, to name just a few.
During the holidays, “we can deplete ourselves of energy, focus and purpose. We give to everyone else but ourselves. As we move into the new year, it becomes important to pause, take an opportunity to replenish ourselves and then move through the five important stages that can reshape what we are doing and how we are thinking,” she says.
Those five stages are: Replenishing, Reflecting, Refocusing, Recommitting, and Rejoicing.
McCormick Pries will take participants on a deep dive into each stage and offer practical ways to fully implement them in our lives. The retreat will be a way for all of us to “give a gift to ourselves by looking inward, taking care of ourselves, recharging our batteries and filling ourselves with positive spiritual energy that will help carry us through the new year,” she says.
While this retreat is free to all in the community, participants are asked to pre-register by calling Grace Lutheran Church at 563-322-0769 or by going to www.GraceWelcomesYou.org.