Grace Alive February 2018 - with 2017 Annual Report

Grace of Christ Presbyterian Church

Lead Pastor — Pastor Jim Marian

Moving Forward As God Leads In 2018

I realize 2017 was a year of anticipation and change for Grace of Christ. I am grateful for God’s call to serve our church as Lead Pastor and take the responsibility of moving our church forward seriously. I am committed to “keeping the main thing the main thing”: to move us forward with the mission God has given us to grow disciples and reach those without Jesus! (see Matthew 28:18-20). Here are some of the things we did to help move the mission forward in 2017:

Ministry Highlights of 2017 • Committed to Preaching and Teaching God’s Word Studying Scripture and applying its truths to our lives.

• Goal and Vision – “Belong – Believe – Become – Bless.” That our attenders and community would find a place to belong at Grace of Christ. That God would use our church to help others come into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ through belief. That all of us would continue to grow and become fully devoted followers of Jesus. That each of us would use the gifts God has given us to bless others!

• Growth Groups – New “sermon-based” small groups have seen many new groups form and many people involved in building relationships, studying God’s Word, praying and serving the needs of others.

• Salvation – we have seen a number of children, students and adults trust Jesus as their Savior this past year through: new members, Gracia de Cristo, children’s ministry, outreach camps, youth ministry and worship services.

• Thomas Sudbury, new Student Ministries Director Thomas is a gifted person who is energetic and filled with a love for God and students. In less than 6 months we have seen encouraging growth in our middle school and high school ministries and look forward to what God will continue to do in 2018!

• New Worship Service – Grace Modern at 10:45 on Sundays – God led us to provide a creative worship service with a remodeled chapel, new lights/sound, sermon on video, dynamic worship and a casual atmosphere. Since its beginning in September, we have seen an average of 40-50 people attending and look forward to reaching more in 2018.

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• Facility Updates (Rejuvenation Design Team) It had been over 30 years since any major updates had been made to our church facility. In 2017 under the leadership of the “RDT,” we added fresh paint, new carpet, replaced furniture, added wall art and remodeled our children’s wing and the church chapel.

• Sacrificial Leadership – I have been truly humbled and amazed at the dedication of our church elders.

Each one has prayerfully and sacrificially served in a variety of areas to help minister to our people, serve the needy, reach the lost and help move our church forward with the vision God has given us.

• Prayer Ministry – We have a group of very dedicated servants who regularly pray for our people, community and church. We have more openness to receiving prayer in our worship services and continue to grow as a “praying church.”

Looking forward to what the Holy Spirit will do in 2018!

Last year, each decision made regarding ministry direction and vision for our church was a result of much prayer, elder discussion and guidance/provision of the Holy Spirit. God blessed us in 2017 and I humbly look forward to what He will do in and through us in 2018! I have been encouraged to see many people in our church embrace the vision to: Belong, Believe, Become and Bless! I am trusting the Holy Spirit for the following in our next year of ministry together:

For everyone to…

• Find a small group to belong to and build relationships and study the Bible • To help at least one person trust Jesus as their Savior • To regularly invite people to our church • To grow as disciples of Jesus through prayer, worship, giving, Bible study and service to others • Find and be involved in some sort of ministry

Excited to Partner with you at Grace of Christ!

Jim Marian, Lead Pastor

Grace of Christ Presbyterian Church

Associate Pastor of Congregational Care & Church Administration

Join us!

— Pastor Cindy Shively

FEBRUARY GRACE FELLOWSHIP Thursday, February 15 2pm in the Garden Room

An Exciting Year of New Beginnings!

2017 has been a year of stepping out into God’s provision of a new season here at Grace of Christ. God is bringing revitalization in a multitude of ways! A new Lead Pastor, an updated building, a new Youth Director, a new worship service, new Growth Groups, new friends and family.

What joy and excitement to see how God continues to be shaping our Grace of Christ Family!

Ministry Highlights of 2017 include: • The fruit of our Pastor Nominating Committee, in presenting Pastor Jim Marian as our new Lead Pastor. We are delighted he and his family have followed God’s leading here to Yakima!

• Committed Leadership – Elders, Deacons, and many volunteers, who are serving the Lord faithfully in numerous areas.

• New Covenant Partners making a commitment to our Grace of Christ Family.

• Pastoral Care and Senior Adult Ministries • A re-envisioned Hospitality Ministry • New Sermon Based Growth Groups • Continued leadership for our Presbytery’s Pastoral Ordination Team • Transform Yakima Together

We are looking forward to seeing all the Lord has in store for Grace of Christ in 2018!

While still in transition, we are gaining momentum as we serve the Lord together in our Grace of Christ Family. It has been a great privilege to serve together with Pastor Jim Marian, and all of you, as the Lord guides us into this new season. God’s love and faithfulness overflow in abundance.

This is what the LORD says — "He who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters...

See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?" (Isaiah 43:16,19) 3

Rescue, Recovery, Restoration

YAKIMA UNION GOSPEL MISSION

Come enjoy some refreshments and hear how God is caring for those in need in our Valley from Dottie Hildebrand & others from the Union Gospel Mission staff.

Senior Adult Ministry Grace Fellowship Senior Adult Ministries provide opportunities for fellowship, fun, education and entertainment. Kaffee Klatch has a new name… Grace Fellowship, still open to all! 2017 programs included the Haywire bluegrass band, Gary Malner on Accordian, Emma Aldinger on Yakima’s history, the Bricels on Living Water Missions, Robin Stuber on Prayer, and Dr. Jon Waite’s Organ Christmas concert.

Annual Veteran’s Dinner Our Annual Veteran’s Dinner honored our veterans, provided beautiful music by Janet Jett and Anne Schilperoort, and heard inspiring stories by Tom and Donna Oliva.

Golden Circle

Frances Lockwood has taken over facilitation of Golden Circle, a Sunday Adult Education class. A huge thank you to Tom Oliva, Peggy Schaffer, Steve Schiewe, and others who have helped lead this ministry so faithfully through the years.

Growth Group A daytime, sermon-based Growth Group started last fall, on Thursdays at 1:00 PM. All are welcome.

Senior Adult ministry team A special thank you to the current SAM Team: Ann Aldous, JoAnn Anderson, Harold & Betty Cook, Leo & Vivian Dormaier, Pat & Harley Drollinger, Rosalie DuBrau, Larry & Sharon Handy, Joanne Hayes, Verna McLaren, Tom Oliva, Joyce Sagare, Dorothy Smith, June Smith and others who faithfully serve to make this ministry possible.

With gratitude to God, and anticipation of what is still to come, Pastor Cindy Shively

Grace of Christ Presbyterian Church

Foundation / Business Ministry GRACE of Christ Presbyterian Church Foundation Report 2017

Business Ministry Team 2017 Annual Report

The Foundation had a very active year in 2017. It participated as a financial resource in updating and renovation of the church facilities. It has been a number of years since the church education portion of the building has seen updating and repair. A special thank you to the team who spearheaded this program. Also a thank you to the men and women who volunteered to do much of the work.

During 2017, BMT continued to guide the finances of GCPC toward the goal of matching monthly revenues with expenses, to avoid having a large deficit at year-end. This strategy continues a trend that started in 2015. Year-end giving continues to help fund the following year’s budget, and 2018 will be no different. Even with our 2017 year-end giving, we anticipate needing to make some significant budget changes in 2018, in order to continue to be good stewards of what God has entrusted into our care, and operate within our means.

If you haven’t visited the youth section of the second floor I urge you to visit and see the new expanded space. Jeff, Melissa, staff have transformed and updated the area into a much more usable facility for their expanding programs.

Thank each of you for your efforts. Last but not least a big thankful to Gary Davis for his help in supervising the work.

We are not finished and you may be asking “How can I be a part of this?” There are two ways. The work continues and there is a need for added volunteer helpers. The second is your financial contributions to the foundation.

Your tax deductible dollars will help rebuild the available funds for the work yet to be completed. This support to the Foundation assists both the Church and Ghormley Meadow in maintaining their facilities.

Thank you from all of the Foundation board members.

BOARD MEMBERS: Joe Park, David Thorner, Jana Alderman, LeeAnn Antonio, Jim Bigelow and Dr. Michael Taylor NEW BOARD MEMBERS: Keith Riffe and Nicole O’Connor WENT OFF BOARD DECEMBER 2017: Rich Millet and Alan Cottle CHURCH REPRESENTATIVES: Cindy Shively and Tammy Nunley

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BMT was also involved in the Rejuvenation Design Team (RDT) budgeting and construction process. Two of the three phases are complete and we hope to complete the digital signage and infrastructure phase in 2018.

GCPC continues to be blessed with faithful and generous givers of their time, talents and money.

Grace of Christ Presbyterian Church

Elder Report Annual Report 2017 What a big year for Grace of Christ! One of the honors and joys of being clerk of session is seeing the church’s diverse body minister to so many in the name of Jesus Christ.

The elders on session have done a great job of leading by example in the church’s different ministries. I am very encouraged to see all the changes that have occurred to make this place welcoming to the unchurched. Here are a few examples of what transpired in 2017…

• The Pastor Nominating Committee was able to find Pastor Jim Marian as our new Lead Pastor.

• The Student Ministry Search Committee was able to find Thomas Sudbury to be our next Youth Director.

Since his arrival, we have seen the numbers of youth increase substantially.

• We are excited to be welcoming three new elders to our session. They are Steve Schiewe, Janet Krieger and Rich Milhorn.

• We have been able to start Growth Groups in order for everyone in our church to develop a deeper relationship with fellow believers and most importantly with our Lord, Jesus Christ.

• We have added the Grace Modern Worship Service at 10:45 in the chapel.

• We started the Hospitality Ministry Team in order to provide a more welcoming environment for new people in our church.

• We started the Rejuvenation Development Team (RDT) in order that we update our church and make it more welcoming to all who enter in. The Foundation Board has been able to provide the funds for these updates. Thank you to all who have been part of that process.

• One of our great joys is that we get to welcome new Grace Partners to our church family. We get to know who they are, how Jesus has transformed their life, what drew them to our church and the gifts that God has given them to help serve in the name of Jesus Christ. Welcome new members!

• We as a church have continued with the homeless ministry that started last year, we now make dinner for the homeless every Thursday and bring it to the new Transform Yakima Together (Camp Hope) location. Thank you Betty Rosenkranz, Linda Sorenson and all those who help in that ministry!

• We are also saying goodbye to the following elders who now have finished their terms and are stepping down from session. You will truly be missed! Thank you for your service Amae Merrill, Barney Trick, Betty Rosenkranz, John Yolo and Mark Baldwin.

I am looking forward to 2018 and all God has in store for our church and community.

Your clerk, Jeff Arkills

2018 Elders With Their Ministry Team Assignments Children’s / Youth Ministry Team

Adult Ministry Team

Mission Ministry Team

Jeff Gray Peggy Schaffer Don Strother John Stolzenbach

(Gracia de Cristo)

Worship Ministry Team

Roseanne Bacon Steve Schiewe

Business Ministry Team

Steve Hildebrand Janet Krieger

Hospitality Ministry Team

Linda Mathews Linda Sorenson

Ghormley Ministry Team 5

Rich Milhorn

Grace of Christ Presbyterian Church

Deacon Report 2017 Annual Report: It has been a good year for the Grace of Christ Deacons. The Lord has guided us in His work and we have been blessed to serve him.

The Funeral Committee: has served faithfully

arranging for sixteen funeral luncheons this year. We have lost Janice Swett, Ralph Sager, Donald Day, Gwen Rainford, Sandy Coats, Maxine Eldred, Barbara Hallauer, Samuel Dickey, Mike Nixon, MarJean Fairbrooks, Ron King, Doug Brown, Tom Pence, Thelma Marshall, Otis Harlan, Meryl Hill, Ron Pearson, and Merle Smith. The Funeral Committee served approximately 1839 people.

They also have made several changes in the luncheon process to spread the work of luncheon preparation so the work is spread more evenly among the whole committee rather than on a few members. There was a suggestion to change the name of the funeral committee to the Celebration of Life Committee as it reflected the true attitude of the luncheons.

The Union Gospel Committee: conducted the

church service four times this year. John Stolzenbach, and John Wilson gave the message. New this year, John Strang joined the service with a message. When possible, Thirst No More helped with the music. They enliven the service and more people stay longer to talk with our people. The one thing that has been asked by the committee is for more people from the church to come and attend the church services of the mission.

BELONG BELIEVE BECOME BLESS

TAKE THE NEXT STEP!

Communion: became more streamlined this year

Discover the Grace of Christ Family

as we service communion in the church Sanctuary, the Fireside Room, the modern service and in Gracia de Cristo. This year we served:

NEW CLASS STARTS FEBRUARY 4

Regular Church Communion.......................... 2200 Fireside Room Communion ........................... 501 Modern Service Communion.......................... 96 (started in October)

What: Next Steps is a four-week class

(for believers or not) that explores the “Four B’s” that are important to life here at Grace as we grow together in relationship, faith, discipleship and ministry.

Gracia de Cristo Communion......................... 321 Total for the Year........................................... 3,118

Needs for 2018: This year will need to be a building year as both Lou and Ellen Bartelli (facilitators) and Peggy Steere (Secretary and Funeral Committee CoChairman) will be leaving at the end of their six-year terms. We ask for pray that we will find people to step into these positions.

Where: Preschool Classroom on the

Respectfully Submitted, Lou and Ellen Bartelli

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When: Sundays, February 4 – 25 9:00am to 10:15am

How:

Mezzanine Level Let us know you are interested Email: Jana@yakimagrace.com Or call at: 248-7940×108

CHILDCARE IS AVAILABLE

Grace of Christ Presbyterian Church

Gracia de Cristo / English

En Español

Growth, Celebration and Outreach 2017 was an exciting year as we have seen God working in and through Gracia de Cristo, which is Grace of Christ with a Latino/Hispanic flare. Olé!

More families came to join our church including Bladimir Rivera and his family who came in January to take over the worship leadership responsibilities. There were four baptisms in March and four in September. Also many accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior at church and through our Outreach Ministries. We celebrate the joys of our congregation. The community came together to celebrate the Quinceañera for Mabeth Gracia in September.

This celebration recognizes when a girl becomes a woman on her 15th birthday. We’ve also walked alongside those with illness like Celic Reynoso and her family and others.

Bladimir Rivera

Partnership with Adams Elementary We continue our partnership with Adams Elementary as we have reported throughout the year. Several of the highlights were the annual Teacher and Staff appreciation dinner held at Grace of Christ, and Outreach camp held at Camp Ghormley along with our ongoing activities such as Bulldog Hugs, citizenship and ESL classes, providing reading tutors and helping the PTO with various activities.

We held our third BizTown for Adams Elementary School in October at the Junior Achievement Building in Terrace Heights. 142 fifth graders, teachers, and 29 volunteers were involved.

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Crecimiento, Celebración y Alcance 2017 fue un año emocionante, ya que hemos visto a Dios trabajando en y a través de Gracia de Cristo, que es la Gracia de Cristo con un brillo latino / hispano. Y ¡Olé!

Más familias vinieron a unirse a nuestra iglesia, incluyendo a Bladimir Rivera y su familia, quien vino en enero para tomar las responsabilidades del liderazgo de adoración. Hubo 4 bautismos en marzo y 4 en septiembre. También muchos aceptaron a Jesús como su Señor y Salvador en la iglesia y a través de nuestros Ministerios de Alcance en la comunidad. Celebramos las alegrías de nuestra congregación. La comunidad se unió para celebrar a la joven Quinceañera Mabeth Gracia en septiembre. Esta celebración reconoce cuando una niña se convierte en señorita en su 15 años. También hemos caminamos junto a personas con enfermedades como Celic Reynoso y su familia y otras personas.

Asociación con Adams Elementary Continuamos con nuestra asociación con la escuela primaria Adams conforme les hemos informado a lo largo del año. Varios de los eventos más destacados son la cena anual de apreciación a los Maestros y Personal realizada en nuestra iglesia Gracia de Cristo, como también el Campamento de alcance celebrado en “Camp Ghormley” junto con otras actividades continuas como Bulldog Hugs, clases de ciudadanía y ESL, brindando tutores de lectura y ayudando la junta de padres (PTO) con diversas actividades. Tuvimos nuestro tercer BizTown para la escuela Adams en octubre en el edificio de Junior Achievement en Terrace Heights. Según fuimos informados 142 alumnos de quinto grado, maestros y 29 voluntarios participaron en el evento.

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Grace of Christ Presbyterian Church

Gracia de Cristo / English

En Español

Clothing Exchange: May 19 We made the decision to have one clothing exchange on May 19 instead of two during the year. The event is very successful and we are looking forward to it this spring.

Save your clothes, shoes and small household items.

More details to follow.

Como ustedes bien saben tomamos la decisión de tener un solo intercambio de ropa en mayo en lugar de dos durante el año. El evento fue muy exitoso y planeamos tener uno esta primavera. Guarde su ropa, zapatos y pequeños artículos para el hogar. Les daremos más detalles más adelante.

Cambio de Ropa: 19 de Mayo

WIM Conference From July 24–28 nine adults and seven children/ youth attended the WIM Conference at Whitworth University where we bonded in a shared experience of worship, bible study, teaching, and fellowship. We came back renewed and refreshed with affirmations that we are moving in the right direction with our ministry.

Ministry of Restoration The ministry of restoration continues helping the elderly, handicapped, and low income families. We are helping people with small household projects that they find difficult to do because of their age or lack of resources.

We have helped over 30 families in 2017. Our goal is to continue offering this service at no cost by bringing the love of Jesus to those in need.

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Del 24 al 28 de julio, nueve adultos y siete niños / jóvenes asistieron a la Conferencia WIM en la Universidad de Whitworth, donde nos unimos en una experiencia compartida de adoración, estudio bíblico, enseñanza y compañerismo. Regresamos renovados y refrescados con afirmaciones de que nos estamos moviendo en la dirección correcta con nuestro ministerio.

Conferencia WIM El ministerio de restauración continúa ayudando a las personas mayores (ancianos), discapacitadas y familias de bajos ingresos. Estamos ayudando a personas con pequeños proyectos domésticos que les resultan difíciles debido a su edad o a la falta de recursos. Hemos ayudado a más de 30 familias en 2017. Nuestro objetivo es continuar ofreciendo este servicio sin costo alguno llevando el amor de Jesús a los necesitados.

Ministerio de Restauración La cena anual de recaudación de fondos de Gracia de Cristo se llevó a cabo el jueves 9 de noviembre. Los testimonios fueron compartidos por los miembros de Gracia de Cristo junto con miembros del personal de Adams y varios voluntarios que dan vida a varios ministerios. Gracias a todos Continúa en la página 9

Grace of Christ Presbyterian Church

Gracia de Cristo / English

En Español

Gracia de Cristo Fundraiser Dinner The annual Gracia de Cristo fundraiser dinner was held on Thursday, November 9. Testimonies were shared by Gracia de Cristo members along with staff members from Adams and various volunteers who give life to various ministries. Thanks to all who help support this valuable ministry at church as we reach out to the community.

Christmas Celebration We celebrated Christmas with the Gracia de Cristo community on December 9th. Erika Duran gave leadership to this annual event. She arranged to have dance troupes perform highlighting various Latino/ Hispanic dances. The food, fellowship and fun was contagious and had many on their feet dancing and singing. Also at our last service of the year on December 31st, we had an extended worship service where testimonies were shared from the congregation, and two people accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

Praise God! We joined Grace of Christ in November to bring food, love and hope of God to those in great need for Camp Hope. We plan to share in this valuable ministry monthly throughout 2018.

As always, we would love to have you join our team of volunteers, as you are led by the Holy Spirit.

God Bless You, Pastor Alex Rule on behalf of Gracia De Cristo

los que ayudan a apoyar este valioso ministerio en la iglesia al acercarnos a la comunidad.

Cena de Recaudación de Fondos de Gracia de Cristo

Celebramos la Navidad con la comunidad de Gracia de Cristo el 9 de diciembre. Erika Duran tomo el liderazgo de este evento anual. Ella se arregló para tener presentaciones de grupos de danza destacando varios bailes latinos / hispanos. La comida, el compañerismo y la diversión eran contagiosos y tenían a muchos de pie bailando y cantando. También en nuestro último servicio del año el domingo 31 de diciembre, tuvimos un servicio de adoración extendido donde se compartieron testimonios de la congregación, y dos personas aceptaron a Jesús como su Señor y Salvador. ¡Alabado sea el Señor!

Celebración de Navidad Nos hemos unimos a Grace of Christ en noviembre para traer comida, amor y la esperanza de Dios a aquellos con gran necesidad que viven en el Campamento de Esperanza.

Planeamos compartir este valioso ministerio mensualmente a lo largo de 2018.

Como siempre, nos gustaría que usted se uniera a nosotros como voluntarios conforme el Espíritu Santo les guía.

Dios los bendiga, Pastor Alex Rule en nombre de Gracia De Cristo 9

Grace of Christ Presbyterian Church

Women's Ministry 2017 Highlights: In March the Resting in Him women’s spring retreat, with our featured speaker, Lindsay Brown. A transplant from Montana, Lindsay Brown moved to Yakima four years ago after marrying her husband, Dylan. They have a 3-year-old son named Brooklyn, and 1-year-old Benjamin.

be praying, and listening. The book has several prayers to use as a springboard, we would ask that the heart of this prayer continue to be included in your prayers for us: “Dear Lord, we come before You, in this season of development, asking that You give the Team wisdom and discernment. That we are able to set all of our agendas aside and pray for Your direction.

We pray that the words that come out of our mouths be an overflow of future joy.

Lord, help the Team to see how they can effectively fulfill the purpose of our church, creating a new spoke for the wheel rather than another wheel.

Anoint us with grace, love, and unity of spirit. Help the Team to add value to the church and the women who worship here.”

What's Next in 2018?

Beth Moore, LIVE, in Seattle!

he Women’s Ministry group T had been praying and planning for this event since early September (2016). No one on the current Women’s Ministry had planned a Spring Retreat before, it is amazing how much you don’t realize you don’t know until you are in charge. We have been blessed with wonderful information and advice from those who have served before. Thank you. ince the completion of the Women’s Retreat, the team S has been trying to work out what offerings we could provide. The same as previous years? Are there other needs that we have not met? There are many good things, but what best fulfills Women’s Ministry mission? We know that there is a need; the women have shown us that by your amazing support of the different things we have tried.

Building an Effective Women’s Ministry We found a book, Building an Effective Women’s Ministry, and thought we’d whip through it this summer and have a stupendous line up for the fall. It takes more time than that. The premise of the book is prayer, and listening to God – so as we gather together to understand the future for our Women’s Ministry team, we would ask that you also 10

We are looking forward to our weekend in Seattle, February 9 and 10, attending the Beth Moore LIVE conference. It promises to be a weekend that will encourage, challenge, and change us. We are ready to laugh, pray and study scripture with thousands of women from all walks of life. We’ll come home with a renewed sense of calling, purpose, and love for Christ.

Want more?

Conference Follow-Up: Join our Growth Group!

The Quest Bible Study from Beth Moore will be offered as one of the Growth Group options beginning in March.

Interested? Connect with the church office for more details.

The Quest: Curiosity is hardwired in humanity. We have this innate need to question and seek after what we don’t understand.

Delve into scripture - explore how God created us to seek after Him. In this lifelong quest of faith, learn to develop your intimacy with Him and embrace the adventure that comes with living a life for God.

Grace of Christ Presbyterian Church

Grace of Christ Preschool — Rhonda Cardona 509.248.7940, ext. 119 Rhonda@YakimaGrace.com www.yakimapreschool.com

Grace of Christ Preschool's Mission Statement:

Reach families one at a time as we learn to think, love and live like Jesus, and reproduce that in the lives of others. We are planting the seeds that will later be brought to fruition.

DIRECTOR: Rhonda Cardona STAFF: Jessica Van Horn, Katrine Schraan, Becca Mailand, Kelsey Schmidt, Jenifer Knight, Crystal Lopez, Becky Gruenberg, Shereé Tsubota, and Griselda Gonzalez.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Our volunteer advisory Board of Directors support this program and help make important decisions regarding staffing and programming. Our Board members are June Lally, Toni Thompson, Katrine Schraan, Melissa Gray, Mary Sundquist, Kerri Sevigny, Cindy Shively, and Mary Finstad. Leaving our board last August was June Lally and Cindy Shively. Joining our board in September was Amanda Zediker.

Grace of Christ Preschool:

For the past 38 years, we have welcomed over 70 families each year from around the Yakima Valley to learn about God’s Word and receive one of the best Early Childhood Educations this area has to offer. Families receive more than just an education at GOC Preschool; they become part of our community, they engage in Grace of Christ's Children and Family Ministries, and often make this their church home.

Grace of Christ Preschool helps children develop awareness and confidence in God’s love and power. We encourage a positive self-image so that children may develop confidence in their God given abilities. Grace of Christ Preschool fosters a positive environment where students participate as a member of a larger group, practice self-control, learn methods to resolve conflicts in a positive manner, and develop a life long love of learning.

The children who come through this program are well equipped to begin kindergarten. We receive numerous reports back from local school districts stating that the children who have come to them from our preschool are far better prepared than other students entering kindergarten. The GOCP program continues to be a top rated preschool, which many nearby preschool programs use as a model. The teaching staff we have been entrusted with are especially competent in early childhood education and offer high quality academic teaching, as well as valuable social skills that lay a strong foundation for continued learning. Our staff includes three lead classroom teachers, three assistant teachers, one music/PE teacher, and one special needs assistant teacher. We thank God daily for the opportunity to be a part of your life and the life of each child we serve.

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Our School Year:

Our preschool program runs from August through July. We offer one Pre-Kindergarten class, two Four Year Old Classes, and two Three Year Old Classes. The program includes weekly chapel, music and P.E. classes, as well as “Kid’s Club,” an optional after school enrichment program. Pre-Kindergarten students have the option to attend preschool five days a week. Fifth-DayFriday classes focusing on science, art, nature and cooking.

Coffee Stand:

The latte bar has become a much appreciated part of our preschool and church mornings. Each weekday our barista, Becky Gruenberg, greets all who come through our building, serves espresso drinks and makes sure each visitor feels welcome. The money generated by the coffee stand goes toward the running of the coffee stand and we hope this becomes a more productive fundraiser for our preschool scholarship fund. Volunteers such as John Benson and Jana Alderman play a crucial part of the coffee stands success by helping on Sunday mornings.

Mission Project:

The preschool also continues with mission projects joining with Grace Kids in supporting our local Yakima Fire Department.

Beginning in September 2017, we began collecting food items for NW Harvest. We also join in with the congregation by participating in the Samaritan's Purse Christmas Shoebox drive for Operation Christmas Child.

Scholarships:

This is huge. I consider our ability to offer scholarships to the families who would be unable to attend our preschool without this assistance, a tremendous accomplishment and blessing with long-term effects on this community. Your faithfulness to this program is commendable and we thank you for helping us meet this challenge. The families who receive these scholarships are required to volunteer time back to the program.

I consider it a blessing from God to have served this outreach program for the past 14 years.

Rhonda Cardona, GOC Preschool Director

Grace of Christ Presbyterian Church

Student Ministry — Thomas Sudbury

a year! I am blessed to be able to share time with “ What the wonderful youth at Grace of Christ Presbyterian

Church! It has been great getting to know them and sharing God's love with them. As I look back on the past five months of working here, I can see God has a great plan for the youth and for our church. I look forward to sharing this new chapter with them!

– Thomas

”

What we did:

Over the past year, there has been many wonderful opportunities to have youth connect with Grace of Christ!

Here are some highlights of the great things we did!

• Summer camps: we had a great turnout both with the middle school and high school! High school decided to participate in Water Ski Camp, which we will do again this summer!

• Summer Swim Parties: The kids loved going each week to the pool parties! This was only possible because of our generous church family who chose to share their homes (and pools!) with our kids!

• Movie Night: We had 35 kids come out to movie night! It was great and they learned about unity in Christ.

• International Water Fight Day: Although this is not a real holiday, don't tell the youth that! We had a blast and the kids brought some new people to youth!

• Fall Youth Kickoff brought back many youth and introduced some new students to our ministry! We were excited that many who had been a part of Melissa's programs have grown and are now a part of our youth group!

• Crowder Concert: We were able to take 28 youth to the Crowder concert and one youth made a commitment to Christ during this night!

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Where we are:

This is one of the most exciting parts of ministry! I get to talk about all the great things that God is doing (Praise God!) in our community and in the lives of these wonderful students!

I was only in this position for the last half of the year, but I am confident that there was a great foundation laid before me and that God used Amae in an awesome way over her time as director! Through the both of us, we have developed a program that attracts youth, helps them feel they are safe and that they matter, and provides them with a space where they can freely express themselves while they learn about God's plan and his heart.

In brief, here are some of the great things that have happened:

• An average night is bringing just over 40 kids, over 50 with leaders (WE HAVE 13 LEADERS NOW THAT HELP OUT WITH BOTH SUNDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHTS!!! PRAISE GOD!) • We had 18 kids join us for SlamQuest at Camp Ghormely, which was almost double from the previous year.

• We had 28 students (5 leaders and some family members as well) join us for the journey to Bethlehem to experience the night Jesus was born.

• On Sundays, Students are getting stronger at knowing their bible and the scriptures contained within. Every week for the past 5 months they have been working on this.

Where we are going:

• Service: Over the next four months, all of our community connections will be focused on serving the community!

We will be going to Camp Hope, Northwest Harvest, giving out blankets and coffee downtown, and doing community service projects for those in need!

• Prayer Ministry: We know that any ministry needs to be rooted in prayer and Jill Skone has accepted the position of our Prayer Ministry Leader!

• Music Ministry: Many youth have shown interest in music, and we have started to develop those gifts to be able to Glorify God! • Missions: We think missions are one of the most important things we can do, not only for reaching our world, but for growing in the Christian faith. This will be done in small steps, but we are working towards a summer mission project for the high schools students, which will eventually transition into missions for the middle school youth as well.

Grace of Christ Presbyterian Church

Children’s Ministry — Melissa Gray

Children’s Ministries Department Mission Statement: Glorifying God through fostering each child's desire to know and love Jesus Christ in a personal way.

DIRECTOR: Melissa Gray ASSISTANTS: Alli Weide and Jenifer Knight CORE VALUES: • Impact the children with the message of Christ’s love for them.

• Each child knows that God is real and that a personal relationship with Him gives meaning to life.

• All children feel a warm sense of belonging to their Church family and each child feels welcome and wanted.

• Support the family in their responsibility for the spiritual development and growth of their child.

• Develop, nurture, teach, and guide children to become disciples for Christ.

Palm Sunday: Grace Kids shared “Oh Happy Day!” as they presented the amazing story of God’s great love and plan for our lives through Jesus Christ. What a blessing to have the children share in the worship of our Lord and Savior.

Maker Fun Factory VBS:

During the summer, we had one super week of VBS fun and excitement! We had amazing youth and adult volunteers as we discovered that we are created by God and built for a purpose! Together we learned that God made us, God is for us, God is always with us, God will always love us, and God made each of us for a reason!

Grace Kids Christmas Celebration:

The children shared the story of “One Starry Night” as we celebrated the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ together with the congregation.

Sunday Morning Grace Kids:

This year we are continuing with our “Dig In” curriculum with a focus on creating deeper bible experiences for kids. Our lessons this year are taking the children on an adventure through the bible as we “Dig In to the Bible in One Year!" Grace Kids offers a morning of games, worship, multi-sensory teaching, object lessons, and FUN that immerses kids in deep bible learning and helps them to know Jesus personally and grow in relationship with Him! Continued on page 14

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Grace of Christ Presbyterian Church

Children’s Ministry Grace Kids Needs Your Help!

We are in need of four volunteers who would be willing to serve in our Sunday morning classrooms one time per month. Please prayerfully consider being part of Sunday mornings in Grace Kids! There is no greater gift that you can share with a child than the gift of Jesus.

We need your help now in building the faith of our next generation. Contact Melissa Gray to find out how you can help. Melissa.gray@yakimagrace.com or 248-7940 x 110.

Mission and Outreach:

Grace Kids supports the Yakima Fire Department each summer during VBS as we collect much needed refreshments for our hardworking firefighters as they work to keep our community safe. At Christmas, we support Operation Christmas Child and Adams Elementary Giving Tree. This Christmas we celebrated the giving tree at Adams Elementary with a meal, fellowship and gifts for the children. Grace Kids continues to support Compassion International as we financially support and pray for our sponsored child.

Early Learning Zone:

Monnie Miller is the ELZ Coordinator and she and her staff continue to provide the highest quality of love and care for children ages birth through Kindergarten. Many of the programs within our church would not be possible without this wonderful ministry.

Monnie Miller ELZ Coordinator

MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers):

This year's MOPS theme is "Free Indeed."

MOPS at Grace of Christ is held together this year by eight dedicated leadership team members. We meet twice a month and are inspired by speakers teaching us to let love be the loudest voice, be gutsy, and to go first.

We have seen new moms enter our doors this year and are excited to see what God has in store for the ministry that is MOPS. Our meetings end on May 18, 2018 when we host an appreciation luncheon for all the great staff and volunteers that help make MOPS possible.

Realm KICKS OFF IN MARCH! THIS IS FOR YOU!!

WHAT IS REALM? Realm is a real ministry tool.

Realm is an online ministry tool designed for real time connection. It helps our church connect with you and you connect with us. If you consider yourself part of this church family, you’ll love it. Realm allows you to manage your personal information and who is allowed to see it, control your giving, and keep in touch with the groups that matter to you.

WHY USE REALM?

Realm strengthens church connections.

Being the church doesn’t just happen at the church. Realm helps us serve you better and leads this church well between Sundays. Everyone can be connected from anywhere at any time, right from our mobile devices. It engages everyone in the life of our church by supporting the healthy relationships essential to our church’s mission. We’ll stay organized, and you’ll stay informed about all of the opportunities for fellowship. When we share life together, we will grow together.

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WHAT ABOUT MY PRIVACY?

Realm is safe, private, and secure.

Your privacy is one of our greatest concerns. Realm is only made up of the people in your church; it’s not like a social network that’s open to everyone. Realm keeps your data safe and gives you control over what information you share and who can see it.

WHAT DO I NEED TO DO NOW? Use the Connect Card to confirm your current email address.

You will login to Realm using email address the church has on file for you. Since every person needs a unique email address, husbands and wives cannot share the same address. It’s easy to setup a new email with Gmail, Hotmail or a variety of other free email providers.

Grace of Christ Presbyterian Church

Worship Ministry Team Prayer Ministry Annual The Prayer Ministry has provided Prayer Ministers from our congregation to pray with people after the 9 o’clock and 11 o’clock Sunday Services. We have intercessors providing prayer covering during the weekly staff meetings and other meetings during the year such as Session. This past year we had the joy of again praying individually with every child beginning with first graders attending VBS. Many of the teen volunteers also came into the prayer tent to listen to the Lord’s words for them.

We have wonderful teachers who participate with our pastors on Prayer Sunday, every other month, during Sunday services to encourage the congregation in participatory prayer with our Lord. This has been a culture changer for us all as we corporately listen to what the Lord has to say to each of us. Because we have extraordinary teachers, we also offer classes periodically during the year on different aspects of prayer.

There are many strong prayer ministries in this church providing hope and love and healing for people including the Prayer Shawl Ministry, 24/7 prayer for Yakima, the Prayer Chain Ministry, and the Sozo* healing Ministry.

These Ministries reach out beyond our borders to all in the community as does the Prayer Room itself being open to all those who enter our building. Many people come to the Prayer Room from outside our congregation looking for healing through prayer. *Sozo is the Greek word translated “saved, healed, and delivered.”

It is a unique inner healing ministry aimed to get to the root of things hindering a person’s personal connection with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Grace Contemporary and Grace Modern Worship Services Jason Cavanaugh and Linnea Reed continue to lead our worship for the 9:00am Grace Contemporary Worship Service and do a great job! Thomas Sudbury is “hosting” the Grace Modern Service at 10:45am and helping lead worship. We enjoy being led in meaningful, passionate worship each Sunday as we enter God’s presence and celebrate who He is!

• We have two bands: one for each service.

• Both services are seeing new people come each month.

• “Background banners” with the preaching theme were introduced at the 9:00am service and have been well received.

• Grace Kids Leaders and Grace Youth Leaders have been able to serve in ministry and also attend the 10:45 Grace Modern service.

• Prayer emphasis has been offered more regularly and is growing in both services.

• On occasion, Invitations to trust Christ as Savior have been offered at the end of the service.

• Jason Cavanaugh is looking to leave his position as part-time staff worship leader and become a volunteer, as soon as the Lord provides his replacement.

New Covenant Partners and Baptisms for 2017 September 3, 2017 Alex Rule baptized by immersion the following people, who also became members: Rossy Canales, Celic Reynoso, Alondra Martinez, and Jissel Martinez.

March 26, 2017 New Grace Partners: Josh Merrill, Jake

Merrill, Steven Alexander, Brian & Stephanie Ahlgren, Henry Stein and Nancy Williams.

October 29, 2017 Sacrament of Baptism: Ella Rose Huck, daughter of Marcus and Sarah. Infant Dedication: Graham McKay Dalan, son of Aaron and Quinn. New Grace Partners: Ricardo (baptism) and Erika Duran, Adrienne Laurvick (baptism), and Bladimir & Trinidad Rivera.

November 26, 2017 Sacrament of Baptism: Claire Johanna Reed, daughter of Chris and Linnea It is truly a pleasure for our committee members to serve our congregation and our Lord, Jesus Christ in this very special ministry.

Sincerely, Joann E. Benson, Chair Continued on page 16

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Grace of Christ Presbyterian Church

Worship Ministry Team Temple Choir

Grace Technology

The Temple Choir continues to minister at the 11am service.

We have approximately 30 active members on the roll. Our year has been fun, yet fraught with illnesses, surgeries, family deaths, extended travel and the normal day-to-day challenges that life brings to people in their golden years.

God has been faithful to see us through them all. The choir continues to feel like a family, and we pray continually for our leadership and congregation, and for any choir needs.

Growing Team: To support the new Grace Modern service

We recognize that the choir sets the tone for worship, and we pray that our efforts encourage and support our pastors, our congregation and our church. It is our prayer that our music will inspire worship and send words and rhythms of Life to our members and congregation.

On a sadder note, Jan and Rod Eels left our choir to attend to Rod’s aging father, who started another local church.

They believe God directed them to make the change, and we recognize that calling. So, the choir said good bye to them, on the condition that they’d return when they could!

And they have! They joined us for Easter Choir and Carols and Candles. Another blessing is that Rod has occasionally substitute directed when Roz was gone. The transition is seamless – it’s a win-win situation.

Although Jon Waite’s organ concert is not part of the Traditional Choir agenda, I’d like to mention the great amount of practice time and preparation that goes into the musical gift he presents each year, in addition to the preparation for Temple Choir and Handbells. We want to recognize him, and thank him for the incredible delight he brings us.

Also, we’d like to thank Pastor Jim for joining us for prayer prior to service. It takes an extra effort on his part to get to us, but we certainly appreciate it, and it’s a uniting experience!

May God continue to bless us through His music.

Respectfully submitted, Roz Strang, Temple Choir Director

at 10:45, the Sunday morning tech team has expanded to provide quality sound, media and lights in both The Chapel and the Sanctuary. We also said goodbye to part-time Tech Assistant, Diane Eilmes and later welcomed Luke Stuber to the Grace staff.

Moving To Realm: Staff began the transition to REALM

(our new church database management tool) when we successfully launched in September the easier-to-use, check-in system, for kids and youth. We look forward to a full launch of REALM to the Grace family allowing better communication for individuals, groups and the entire church family via the mobile app and website interface.

Foundational Improvements: As part of the

Rejuvenation effort, the Grace of Christ Foundation graciously provided funds to upgrade the basic infrastructure to meet the needs of growing technology in our historic building, including: • 6 new Wireless Access Points allowing wireless connection for guests, lay leaders and staff throughout most of the church • Improved cabling to high impact areas including The Chapel, Sanctuary, Grace Kids Check-in, Digital Signage and Media production. Managed switches were installed to monitor and support traffic on the network.

• Informational and directional Digital Signage equipment has been received for installation scheduled for the end of January. Signs will be mounted by the south entrance, COFFEE stand, Grace Kids check-in, and the Garden Room.

• Improvements to the audio/video systems in The Chapel and new systems in the Children’s Wing.

• New digitally-controlled lighting in both The Chapel and the Sanctuary

Current Job Opportunities

Director of Contemporary Worship Grace of Christ is a growing multi-generational, regional church serving the Yakima Valley in central Washington. It’s a unique church offering four different styles of worship: contemporary, modern, traditional and Spanish-speaking. The vision of Grace is to be a place where everyone can connect and Belong. A place where the unchurched can discover salvation in Christ and Believe. A place to Become fully devoted followers of Jesus. And a place to Bless others through time, talents and treasures.

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Grace of Christ Presbyterian Church

Hospitality Ministry 2017 Annual Report: Offer hospitality to one another‌ 1 Peter 4:9 Every person who comes through the doors of Grace of Christ is a gift from God.

MINISTRY OVERSEER: Pastor Cindy Shively CO-CHAIRS: Elder Linda Mathews and Linda Sorenson This past year Pastor Jim proposed a restructuring of some ministerial areas to better serve the needs of the congregation and staff. As part of the restructuring, a new ministry area emerged - Hospitality Ministry Team (HMT). Merging of some elements formally of the Worship Ministry Team (WMT) with the elements of the Fellowship Ministry Team (FMT), a new unified purpose and focus was envisioned, recognizing that a welcoming hospitality ministry prepares the way for people to encounter and hear the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Celebrations In 2017 there was a lot to celebrate! Sixteen new Grace Partners/compaĂąero de Gracia joined the church. There were three adult baptisms, three teen baptisms, two infant baptisms, and two infant dedications added to our church family.

Connection Center A new location and renovation was given to the Connection Center. A place to make connections: sign-ups, information, purchases, and make inquiries, and soon we will have Welcome Packets for new guests. Volunteers now serve only 3-4 times a year but several find it so fun to do that they sign-up for extra time slots! With 24-30 slots to fill per month it requires a little work from a lot of people! It is a great place to learn about the church and meet people while you serve.

To launch this new ministry team, an informational vision-casting dinner was held on August 28, with close to 100 people in attendance. A second opportunity was held on November 5 with 28 people in attendance. The ministry areas that now fall under HMT are Celebrations of Baby/Baptisms/New Partners, Connection/Welcome Center, Cookies/Refreshments, Events, Greeters, Parking/ Valet, Sanctuary Guild, and Ushers.

Here are Some of the Highlights From the Past Year:

Cookies/Refreshments A huge THANKS to the entire congregation for their faithful contributions of cookies each week and the team of volunteers who host at the refreshment table!

What a great way for our entire congregation to extend fellowship with new guests by inviting them to linger in the Garden Room a bit longer over some refreshments and conversation. Again, this is a simple and fun way to serve others a few times a year and others are invited to join this team.

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Continued on page 18

Grace of Christ Presbyterian Church

Hospitality Ministry Events The former Fellowship Ministry team prepared soup and bread for Ash Wednesday served in the Garden Room. This team also offered a soup and bread meal once a month for a year. Other events hosted were the Celebration of Appreciation for Pastor Cindy and Pastor Tyler for their service in the interim. We are so thankful for their love, care, and leadership during that time. A wonderful Thanksgiving meal was shared by nearly 300 of our church family and guests. Thank you to all who participated in the many events of 2017. We anticipate similar events for 2018 and can always use more helping hands!

Serving with Purpose WELCOMING OUR GUESTS AND CHURCH FAMILY

Greeters What a blessing it is to meet and shake hands with guests and congregants as they enter the doors of Grace of Christ. The opportunity to be a greeter is for everyone who calls Grace of Christ home. Greeters are needed at our three main entrances prior to the 9 and 11 o’clock services and at the Chapel doors for the 10:45 service.

We encourage everyone to volunteer for three or more service times in 2018.

Sanctuary Guild With the scent of fresh lilies being a sensitive issue of many congregants, we purchased silk Easter Lilies for the worship center. Thank you to all who help in the purchase of these reusable flowers! A platform was added to the worship center steps to enable all worshipers a better view of the music leaders and pastors. For the Christmas

season, Poinsettias were placed in at stair railings and in front of the platform. Sanctuary Guild also places the Advent wreath and candles, Nativity figures and lighted wreaths during Advent. Like to serve quietly behind the scenes to beautify our place of worship? Come join our small team in the Sanctuary Guild.

Ushers Our ushers are present to welcome worshipers, aid in the smooth running of the contemporary and traditional services, and assist as needed.

Grateful thanks to Bev Dolquist, Dan Harvey, Jim Noel, Tom Oliva, and Don Smith for their years of service as they retire as ushers! Welcome to Lynne Collins, Tim Drumhiller, John Rasmussen, and Jake Weber. More users are needed for both the 9:00am and 11:00am services.

Elders Linda Mathews and Linda Sorenson serve as co-chairs of HMT with Pastor Cindy Shively as the minister overseeing the ministry. Through hospitality, we welcome others to Belong. If you are excited by any of the service areas shared in this article, we extend an invitation to come join the Hospitality Ministry Team!

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Grace of Christ Presbyterian Church

Mission Ministry Mission Statement: “Equipping disciples to love and serve our neighbors” At Grace, the Missions Ministry Team supports local, national and international missions and ministries. Following are some of the missions and ministries of Grace of Christ where God has been mightily working this past year.

Yakima Area Missions: Adams Elementary Ministry Campbell Farm Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) Gracia de Cristo Restoration Habitat for Humanity Love INC Mabel Swan

Madison House Mending Wings Native American Youth Trailseekers/Orcas Encampment Transform Yakima Together Union Gospel Mission Young Life

State and National Missions: CRU, Boise State University, Idaho (formerly known as Campus Crusade for Christ) Whitworth University, Spokane Young Life Jump Starts, Colorado Youth With A Mission (YWAM), Hawaii

Global and International Missions: Blessings of Hope/Navigators, Philippines Christian Health Service Corps, Honduras Creative Access Nation, Egypt JAARS/Wycliffe, Indonesia Living Waters for the World Project Mercy, Yetebon, Ethiopia SIM, France Youth With A Mission (YWAM), Cambodia

Meals of Grace: Most recently – in mid-November – Missions Ministry Team took the responsibility of coordinating the Thursday night dinners for Camp Hope homeless shelter, through Transform Yakima Together, a faith-based, nonprofit organization that serves the Yakima area homeless.

Deemed “Meals of Grace,” this has been an incredible opportunity to join together with our church body to prepare and serve the vulnerable and the hungry.

Other Highlights of 2017 Include: Mission Sunday (showcasing and providing information about our various missions); offering a Free Clothing Exchange to our community through Gracia de Cristo; participating in fund-raisers such as the “Night of Champions” for Fellowship of Christian Athletes and, Love, INC at Dickey’s Barbecue Pit; collecting and distributing “Bags of Hope” for Love INC, Adam’s Elementary and the Campbell farm; participating in a Community Clean-up; and gathering used books for children in the Philippines (Blessings of Hope) to further learn English.

We welcomed visits by: Garth and Caroline Gustafson of YWAM Cambodia, Dr. Ryan and Heidi Moultray (Christian Health Service Corps, Honduras), Lani Gador-Johnson (Blessings of Hope, Philippines), Dr. Tim Teusink of SIMFrance, and enjoyed a gathering at Fred and Pat Erickson’s home to honor and reunite life-long missionary Charles Lewis from Indonesia.

Camp Hope 19

On a sad note, MMT said good-bye to long-time committee member Michael Nixon who passed away April 12, 2017.

Mike will be remembered for his strength, wisdom and passion for missions. He is greatly missed by all.

Grace of Christ Presbyterian Church

Ghormley Meadow Christian Camp

2017 Annual Report

2017 at Ghormley was a year filled with many rich blessings from the Lord, as well as some challenges. As always, we trust in God to provide for our needs during the times of plenty, as well as the times of struggle.

Here are Some Memorable Moments From Our 2017 Year of Ministry at Camp

The major theme for the early part of the year was SNOW! The 2016-17 winter brought us record levels of snow, the likes of which had not been seen at camp since the late 1990’s. While fresh snow is appreciated by our winter guests, it also brings challenges, including things like increased utility bills, snow related facility damage, and challenges in our ability to keep our camp roads safe and clear. Snow related road closures even forced the cancellation of a guest weekend in February.

Mother Daughter Weekend 2017

In late April, Ghormley hosted our first-ever Mom and Daughter weekend. A total of 50 moms and daughters made this inaugural weekend one to remember. We were blown away by the interest level for this event, as reservations for the weekend filled our allotted space in Ponderosa Lodge with over a month to go before the event. Our guests enjoyed a fabulous weekend of worship, biblical teaching, fun, and games. Nearly every participant stated they would participate again in the future. We are hoping to expand this event, and are looking forward to hosting 2018’s Mom and Daughter event, the weekend of April 20-22, 2018.

Salvation & Spiritual Growth

The 2017 summer was a time of powerful ministry.

Including Outreach Camp, 832 campers attended a camp session at Ghormley this summer. 163 campers professed a first-time faith in Christ, while 512 campers rededicated themselves to a relationship with Christ. Further camper responses showed that 90% of campers surveyed stated they grew in their relationship with God! We are praising God for such fruitful ministry, and are grateful for another summer of safety and growth on the Meadow.

Fall Staff Changes

The 2017 fall brought us staffing changes. After two years at Ghormley, our Guest Services Director, Stephanie Lewis,

www.ghormleymeadow.org 20

returned to Wenatchee to be closer to family. While we are sad to see her depart, we are grateful that God provided Carol Callahan to step in to this extremely important role at Ghormley. Carol grew up right here in the Nile Valley near Naches and we are thrilled to have her experience, skill, and passion for camp ministry on our team!

Masters Degree In Camp Administration

I, Joel Whitehead, was able to complete my Master’s Degree in Camp Administration and Leadership, graduating in early November. I am grateful for the support of the GCPC Foundation and the Ghormley board in allowing me to pursue this degree. I have grown personally and professionally during these past two years, and look forward to applying what I’ve learned to help the ministry at Ghormley continue to thrive.

Mt. Meadow Christmas 2017

Despite a lack of desired snow, we hosted our annual Mt. Meadow Christmas family event the weekend of December 9-10. 107 people joined us and had a wonderful time of making memories! We love seeing families that have made this a yearly tradition, as well as those who joined us for the first time!

Make plans to join us in 2018, the weekend of December 8-9!

Winter Staffing Changes

The end of 2017 again brought us staffing changes. After four years on staff, our Food Service Director, Matt Noteboom, has departed to take a job in the Boise area. Please pray for us as we begin the search for his replacement.

Each year we trust God to provide what we need to continue his ministry here at Ghormley Meadow. We look forward to seeing what God will do this year!

In Christ, Joel Whitehead, Asst. Executive Director

509.672.4311

facebook.com/ghormleymeadow

Grace of Christ Presbyterian Church

Announcements Ash Wednesday Service The season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, February 14, which is 40 days before Easter, not including Sundays. It is a time of preparation for Easter and contemplation of the necessity of the cross in our forgiveness. This service portrays the significance of the cross of Christ as we begin our journey toward Resurrection morning. Please join us for this most poignant and personal worship experience. 5:30pm in the Garden Room for a simple soup dinner. 6:00pm prayer time in the Sanctuary. 6:30pm Ash Wednesday service in the Sanctuary.

Mops Dinner Auction Mark your calendars for the Mops Annual Dinner Auction on April 27th 2018. Enjoy a night out with other adults enjoying each others company, have fun bidding on your favorite items in the silent auction and enjoy a surprise guest speaker. The best part is you don't have to cook! We have dinner covered.

The Mops Dinner Auction is the largest Mops fundraiser of the year. Bless local Mothers of Preschoolers and double your fun by inviting a friend, neighbor or your spouse!

Prayer for Student Ministries Our youth group is growing! We have been blessed with over 40 students each Wednesday night!

We know that any ministry needs to be rooted in prayer and Jill Skone has accepted the position of our Prayer Ministry Leader. Contact Jill to find out how your prayer can be instrumental to student ministries. Jill@Skone.org

Pray Yakima You are invited to come alongside Yakima churches and ministries as we offer 24/7 prayer – 365 days a year – on behalf of our Yakima Valley. Grace of Christ is asked to provide prayer coverage the 2nd Sunday of every month using the prayer prompts provided by Yakima Valley 24/7 Prayer.

If you are ready to set aside just 15 minutes to pray for Yakima on the 2nd Sunday of every month, please email Ericka at: ericka.clark@yakimagrace.com. Or, sign up on the 24/7 Prayer Log at the Connection Center.

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Grace of Christ Presbyterian Church

Grace of Christ Presbyterian Church

Our Core Values Glorifying God With Our Best Pioneering and Ongoing Outreach Engaging and Nurturing Relationships Being A Cornerstone in the Community Equipping People for Ministry Through Biblical Foundation and Service

9 South 8th Ave Yakima, WA 98902 (509) 248-7940

February Calendar of Events

Sat, Jan 27

Prayer Shawl Ministry

1:00pm Garden Room

Knitters

Sun, Jan 28

ANNUAL MEETING

10:15am Sanctuary

Everyone

Sun, Jan 28

Deacon's Meeting

12:30pm Lounge

Deacons

Tue, Jan 30

Session Dinner and Meeting

5:30pm Garden Rm/Adult Ed

Elders

Senior Adult Ministry Meeting

1:00pm Fireside Room

Committee

MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers)

9:00am Chapel

Moms

February

Thur, Feb 1

Fri, Feb 2

Sun, Feb 4

COMMUNION SUNDAY

Wed, Feb 7

Gracia y Grace Juntos (together) Potluck & Prayer

6:00pm Garden Room

Women

Thur, Feb 8

Ghormley Commission

7:00pm Adult Ed Room

Committee

Fri, Feb 9

Women: Depart for Beth Moore Live in Seattle

Fri, Feb 9

MOPS Leadership Meeting

9:00am Fireside Room

Committee

Sat, Feb 10

Prayer Shawl Ministry

1:00pm Garden Room

Knitters

Mon, Feb 12

Edith Ferry Circle Lunch & Meeting

12:00pm Fireside Room

Women

Tue, Feb 13

Foundation Board

7:00am Library

Board

Tue, Feb 13

Mission Ministry Team Meeting

4:00pm Adult Ed Room

Committee

Wed, Feb 14

Preschool Board Meeting

Wed, Feb 14

ASH WED: DINNER and SERVICE

Thur, Feb 15

Grace Fellowship - Hear from Union Gospel Mission Staff

Fri, Feb 16

All Morning Sanctuary

10:00am Shuttle from church

12:00pm KidZone Center 5:30pm/6:30pm Garden Rm/Sanctuary 2:00pm Garden Room

Everyone

Pre-Registered

Board Everyone Everyone

No Preschool Today

Preschool

Mon, Feb 19

President's Day / Church Closed

Everyone

Tue, Feb 20

No Preschool Today

Preschool

Tue, Feb 20

"Who is the Holy Spirit" - Teaching with Kathy Bricel

6:30pm Chapel

Everyone

Fri, Feb 23

MOPS Creative Moments

9:00am Room 203

Moms

Sat, Feb 24

Prayer Shawl Ministry

1:00pm Garden Room

Knitters

Sun, Feb 25

Deacon's Meeting

Tue, Feb 27

Session Dinner and Meeting

Wed, Feb 28

Mary MacLean Guild Meeting

All Day Entire Church

12:30pm Lounge 5:30pm Garden Rm/Adult Ed 12:00pm Fireside Room

Deacons Elders Women

March Sun, March 25

Palm Sunday Entire Church

Everyone

Thur, March 29

Maundy Thursday Entire Church

Everyone

Fri, March 30

Good Friday Entire Church

Everyone

Sun, April 1

Easter Sunday Entire Church

Everyone

Grace Alive is available in a PDF format on the church web page www.YakimaGrace.com. For inquiries, submissions, omissions, and corrections, contact Ericka in the church office 248-7940 x 100. ericka.clark@yakimagrace.com 22

Grace of Christ Presbyterian Church

Weekday Events MON

TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) All Staff Check-In Meeting Overeater’s Anonymous Trailseekers Al-Anon Divorce Care

TUE

SOZO Prayer Pursuing Our Limitless God (Women's Bible Study)

Women in the Word Bible Study

WED

Youth Group *Dinner Included!

Gracia de Cristo Music Rehearsal

THUR Bible Study Fellowship Growth Group - Open...Come Check It Out! Temple Choir SOZO Prayer FRI

MOPS – Mothers of Preschoolers (1st & 3rd Fridays)

10:00 am 10:00 am 12:00 pm 2:30 pm 5:15 pm 6:30 pm

Adult Ed Lounge Adult Ed Gym Adult Ed Lounge

Everyone All Staff Everyone Trailseekers Everyone Everyone

Prayer Room Gym

SOZO Team Women

Fireside Room

Women

6:30- 8:30 pm 6:00- 8:00 pm

Gym Sanctuary

6th-12th grade

9:00 am 1:00 pm 7:00 pm 5:45 - 9:15 pm

Sanctuary Lounge Choir Room Prayer Room

Women Adults Temple Choir SOZO Team

Chapel

MOPS

Sanctuary Chapel Sanctuary Sanctuary Adult Ed Room 103 KidZone Wing Youth Rm & Gym

Everyone Everyone Everyone Everyone Adults Adults 3yrs thru 5th grade Gr 6-12

9:00 -11:30 am 9:15 am 9:45 am

9:00 - 11:30 am

Sunday Services and Events

SUN

Grace Contemporary Worship 9:00 am Grace Modern Worship 10:45 am Grace Traditional Worship - Led by Temple Choir 11:00 am Gracia de Cristo Worship in Spanish 1:00 pm Going Deeper: Romans 9:30 am Golden Circle 10:15 am Grace Kids 9:00 & 10:45 am Youth reFUEL 9:00 am

Announcements JOIN A GROWTH GROUP

We have an Open Growth Group that meets on Thursday afternoons at 1:00 pm in the Lounge. Come check it out!

COOKIES

Thank you for bringing cookies, crackers, fruit, or quick breads for all to enjoy during our fellowship hour on Sunday. See dates you can contribute – last names beginning with…

February 4 February 11 February 18 February 25 23

N - S T-Z A-F G- M

GRACE OF CHRIST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 9 S 8TH AVENUE YAKIMA, WA 98902 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

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