Ministry & Mission

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Grace's Table

Grace’s Table is the community food pantry based at Grace Lutheran Church. The food pantry is a collaborative effort between Grace Lutheran, Trinity Lutheran and United Church of Christ, Castalia along with the rest of our community. Families that live in the Margaretta School district are able to participate in the pantry, held on the 3rd Saturday of each month. During the past year, the pantry has been held as a drive through panty as the pandemic forced us to close our doors but it has not closed our hearts. Currently, the hours for the drive through pantry are 9-10:30 AM. In recent months, Grace’s Table has partnered with OHGo to allow us to provide more choices and products to our families.

OHGo also partnered with Margaretta Schools for a food delivery day on the 1st Saturday of every month. This food give-a-way is held at Margaretta Elementary School, 5906 Bogart Road from 9-11 AM.

God's Global Barnyard

Even though we have not been able to take our noisy offering for the past year, we took what was in the account and sent it to God’s Global Barnyard to go to work combatting global hunger. I think many of us enjoy it when the youth of the congregation participate in worship by collecting change in their buckets. I also think you would be amazed at the difference that change can make in the lives of individuals, families, and entire communities in impoverished areas of God’s world.

TWO FAMILIES will receive seeds, plants, tools and an animal or two for the beginnings of a family farm. This will not only serve to provide nutritious food for the families, but it will also help to provide a source of regular income when the family can sell any excess.

FOUR COMMUNITIES or villages will receive the tools and supplies to plant a community garden, providing nutritious food for an entire village.

ONE FAMILY will receive all the supplies and tools to plant a vegetable garden and a hive of honeybees. This will provide both food for the family and a potential source of income. Promoting honeybee population growth will also be good for the creation.

ONE FAMILY will receive a hive of honeybees – again there will be multiple layers of impact from an improved standard of living for the recipient family and a contribution to improving the environment.

ONE FAMILY will receive a piglet – it may sound small, but it is another way to provide both food and potential income.

So … although we will not be collecting a noisy offering again for several weeks, I would like to encourage you to continue to save your change. Put it in a jar, a bucket, a plastic bag, or whatever works for you. We take for granted having food on the table and clean water, What if we were to haul in all of our change collected starting now, as a sign of our gratitude, on that first Sunday we resume the Noisy Offering? (I am thinking sometime this summer.) What if, by the middle of September we could have collected enough to double our next contribution? What an miraculous accomplishment!

Community Meal

On the 2nd Wednesday of each month, Grace hosts a community meal. Under normal, non-pandemic times, a team of individuals at Grace will provide a main menu item and the congregation members and community members provide sides and desserts. Grace even has a team of individuals that deliver the meal to home bound community members. The meal is held between 5 – 6:30 PM.

During the pandemic, the community meal has flourished and grown. Grace’s team prepares the entire meal and serves the meal in carryout containers. Anyone can drive through the church parking lot and pick up a meal which contains main dish, side and dessert.

Hopefully, soon we can begin to serve the meal inside so community members can enjoy fellowship with others that come to the meal.

Quilt Ministry

Often we tuck quilts in a special place, appreciating the workmanship and love that went into sewing each piece. But in times of disasters, quilts can be used as warm bedding, simple tents or even floor coverings. The Quilt Ministry at Grace brings sewers and non-sewers together to make utility quilts for Lutheran World Relief to help families who find themselves in need of shelter and warmth.

You are invited to be part of this action to help others.

You might have unused fabric or thread that you would like to donate.
You might be a sewer yourself and would be willing to piece tops, liners, and bottoms from your home using donated fabric.
You might work with others to sort and cut fabric to specified sizes.
If you know how to tie a knot, you might help assembling these 60”x80” utility quilts at the church.
You might help stitch the edging of the quilts as a final step.
You might pray for the safety of the families who receive these quilts.

Our Quilt Ministry group meets on Wednesdays from 9-11 AM according to the schedule below but any amount of time you could donate would be welcomed and appreciated. Sewing skills are not needed and girls, boys, men, and women can all be of help.
We meet:

April through September we meet every Wednesday from 9-11 AM
October through March we meet two Wednesdays per month.

LWR Mission Quilts create a tangible, lasting bond between the people who lovingly assemble them, and our neighbors around the world, who receive quilts in their greatest times of need. Making Lutheran World Relief Mission Quilts is a tangible way to express love to our neighbors in need. More information on the Lutheran World Relief Mission Quilts can be found at https://lwr.org/quilts.

Please call the church office at 419-684-5069 if you would like more information.