Dear Grace Family,
These announcements and prayer requests are being sent out every Thursday to inform us of what is happening in and the needs of our church. If you have an announcement or prayer request that you want to be included in next week’s email, please send it to office@gfccsf.org by Tuesday night.
Grace and peace,
The Session and Staff of GFCC
Announcements for the week of 06/3/24
Join Us for Sunday Worship, June 9 at 10:00 AM
We welcome Lisandro and Patty Restrepo to our pulpit. They will be speaking from Mark 9:42 and 10:15-16. “Let the Children Come to Me”
Welcome Lisandro and Patty Restrepo Patty and Lisandro Restrepo have lived with their son Samuel in Mexico for over 2 decades, serving vulnerable peoples through Serve Globally.
Recently relocated to Leon, Guanajuato, they support a vulnerable community where a church with an integrated approach for sharing the Good News is being planted.
They also provide support for MAEM (Ministering to the Abused and Exploited in Mexico) ministry at a national level, as well as advise other emergent holistic ministries in the central area of Mexico. They also reach out to meet the deep needs of migrants in Mexico.
Congratulations to Pastor Al Tizon!
Christ Among the Classes was selected by the editor of the International Bulletin of Mission Research as one of the top ten books in 2023.
Top 10 Books
This Is Us Quilt
Irene Fong will be assembling a “This is Us” quilt for our church. During our Love Feast, we all had the opportunity to individually choose a “quilt square” (crumbs) and choose a word or two that God has put on our heart. Many thanks to all who have chosen a square already. If you are still pondering a word, don’t forget to let Irene know before the end of June.
Squares are available on Sundays through June. We invite all to participate! If you are unable to come on a Sunday and would like to participate, please email the church office (office@gfccsf.org) or call the office (415-703-6090) and we will make arrangements for you to contribute to the quilt.
Forward Your Photos
Over the past few months, we have engaged in some spiritual exercises. 3 of our spiritual exercises involved bringing in pictures:
Bring a photo of yourself from your childhood (what brought you joy at this age?)
Bring a picture of something in your life that you created or had a part in creating it.
Bring a picture of a place out in creation where you recently experienced wonder.
We would like to collect all your beautiful photos and create a collage to share with the entire congregation.
If you want your photo(s) included, please forward them to office@gfccsf.org by Sunday, June 23. If you have any questions, contact Caroline.
Stott-Bediako Forum on Transformation Revisited: Mission and Gospel Imagination, July 15-17, Rionegro, Colombia
We are excited that Pastor Al will be leading a group of us to go to Colombia to attend the forum. As there will be expenses for the group, we invite the church to help with the travel costs. You can contribute by giving online (Colombia Trip) or dropping a check in the offering box with the notation of “Colombia Trip” on the check.
If you have any questions, please contact Pastor Al.
Church Retreat, Friday, September 27 to Sunday, September 29
Please be sure to set this weekend aside and put it on your calendars. More information will be forthcoming!
BK Woodson, Sr. will be our retreat speaker. Brian K. Woodson, Sr. is the founding pastor of Bay Area Christian Connection in Oakland. His resume is too long to list here so you can get to know him better at our retreat.
One note, he is the author of Purplynd (which is in our church library).
Session Meeting Minutes Are Available
The session clerk (Brian Chinn) prepares a summary of the minutes from the monthly session meeting. If you are interested in receiving a copy of the summary, send an email to session-clerk@gfccsf.org.
Covid Among our Congregants
We have been made aware that a few people in our congregation have covid. As covid protocols have been relaxed in San Francisco, we do want to continue to care for each other by being sensitive to the possibility of spreading covid.
We want to remind each other of the following:
While masks are no longer required during our services, we are mask-friendly and fully support visitors and congregants who choose to wear masks for their own personal protection.
If you suspect you have covid, please test.
If you do have covid, please let the church staff (office@gfccsf.org) or, at least the people who you had close contact with, know.
Check CDC guidelines to determine length of isolation (staying at home)
Stay up to date with your vaccinations
As many of us will be traveling during the summer months, please take extra precautions.
Photos of our Congregation
Our church has been making its presence known via our website and Facebook. Pictures taken during our service and events are often displayed there, but only with your permission. If you have never signed a SOCIAL MEDIA AND PHOTOGRAPHY POLICY AND AUTHORIZATION FORM, please let Jennifer or Caroline know and we will get a form for you to either opt in or out.
Or, if in the past, you have opted out, but now wish to opt in, please let Jennifer or Caroline know.
Ministry Partners Update
Community Events
Come Have a Meal at Aurora Restaurant, 3261A Mission St. in San Francisco, (628) 628-0349
Natalia Cruz (who worships with us and is a member of Kaleo) has opened a restaurant in the Mission District. It serves authentic Mayan and Mexican food. Stop by and patronize the restaurant.
Aurora is open Monday to Saturday from 7AM to 10PM.
Photos for Aurora Restaurant (yelp.com)