Dear Friends,

It’s been a pretty eventful summer for me. To begin with, I turned 60 at the end of July (no snide remarks. please). Just prior to that I reached my 35th anniversary of ordination and on August 20 I hit the ten-year mark here at Grace. As many of you can testify, it seems that the older we get the faster the years go by. For example, it seems like just yesterday I was announcing in church the birth of our new granddaughter, Chloe, and later this fall she will already turn two. Time flies.

It’s hard to believe that the end of summer is in sight and that soon the fall season will be upon us. Christmas isn’t too far behind! As I may have said before, however, autumn is my favorite time of the year. I look forward to the cooler weather (especially after the hot summer we’ve had!) and the changing colors of the trees. I enjoy seeing the children walking to school in the morning carrying backpacks that probably weigh as much as they do. Actually, in that regard, I feel a bit sorry for them. But even more, I look forward to watching our church’s ministry get back into full swing again.

Soon our new church sign will be installed in the front yard of our property and in some ways it will signify a new season of ministry here at Grace. By the way, thank you again for your generous donations that will make this project a reality! The sign will enable us to communicate better with our community and to let them know what’s happening at Grace…and there’s going to be a lot happening this fall.

It all begins with Rally Day on September 11. The cover story of this edition of Grace Notes highlights this wonderful day. I hope you’ll read all about it, but even more, I hope you’ll make every effort to share this special day with us.

Just a couple of weeks later on September 25 we will participate in another Faith in Action Day. I look forward to this day every year, not because I won’t be preaching (although that may be a plus for some), but because it gives us all the opportunity to reach out and to make a difference in our community. There are signup sheets in the church lobby and your participation is very much needed.

Also, this fall we’ll have the opportunity to meet our new Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministries, Jordan Lichty. After conducting a careful search for Kristin Paluszka’s replacement, I am confident that the search committee found the best person for the position. You can read more about him in this issue.

There are, of course, many more things happening this fall here at Grace that you can read about and that I know you’ll want to be a part of. It’s been a good summer but I look forward to a fantastic fall as we join together in ministry, service and fellowship for the glory of God.

Pastor George Hawthorne