Triple L

TRIPLE L  If you are over 50, please come join us – we really do have a good time at these informal, social gatherings.
Contact Carol Couch for more information.

Women’s Bible Study

Women’s Bible Study meets Wednesday, at 10:00 a.m. If you would like more information, contact Doris Ware.

The United Methodist Women At Grace Church 

Missionary Societies that started in the mid 1800’s were the beginning of today’s United Methodist Women, emphasizing work with women, children and youth worldwide. They were formed to spread the gospel and help alleviate poverty and suffering among women and children. All Methodist churches are mandated to have a unit of UMW, and Grace has had its unit since its beginning.

All UMW units consist of small groups or Circles. Grace has two circles, one (Graceful Ladies) meeting in the Fellowship Hall on the 3rd Tuesday of every month at 10 a.m., headed by Mary Kennedy. The other group (Faith Circle) meets in B107 at 6:30 p.m. on the third Tuesday of every month with Karen Steele as their leader.  The UMW has General Meetings several times a year that includes both Circles, dates announced in advance.

The activities of Grace’s UMW are based on the age-old concepts laid out by its predecessors 150 years ago. In the spring, the UMW sponsors a mother/daughter dinner for all women of the church, which coincides with Mother’s Day.  In September the UMW sponsors a Welcome Back Brunch for all ladies at Grace at which a mission project is featured - theme is announced in advance, items collected and packages assembled.

November is the Fall Bazaar, which is their major fundraiser. They actively recruit the participation of all church members. Proceeds from this event are distributed among various mission projects. In the years 2003 and 2004, the Bazaar netted over $3000 each year, which was disbursed to the Florida Methodist Children’s Home, St. Francis House, Crisis Center, Heifer Project International, women’s scholarships (for local retreats) and their local school missions. The Elegant Elephant proceeds went to our Grace children’s ministries. 
During the year, the UMW has ongoing collections for the Gainesville Community Ministries. They also have collections for the United Methodist Corp on Relief (UMCOR), which includes flood buckets, health kits and school kits. They also collect Campbell soup labels for the Red Bird Mission and used postage stamps for Habitat for Humanity.

There are five schools in Alachua County that the UMC has pledged to assist with the collection of school supplies, clothes, shoes, and jackets. This is an ongoing project with Betty Dixon as their coordinator.

At Christmas they sponsor a family through Hope for the Holidays and for years have been making and collecting baby afghans for the Church Women United Warm Blanket Project. They also conduct classes teaching crochet for anyone interested in helping with this project.
The UMW sponsors a Craft group whose function is to make items to sell at the Fall Bazaar. This is mainly a fellowship group and is open to anyone. Doris Good leads this group of skilled crafters. Anyone wanting to contribute with their own crafts at this event is welcome.

Partners in Ministry (Church Membership)

If you're interested in becoming a Partner in Ministry - or you'd just like to learn more about Grace - Plan to join us for a session of "Welcome to Grace. " The class is offered at 11:00. The size of the class is limited to 16 people, so PLEASE call ahead and reserve your space! 332-0331 ext. *814 or mlooney@gracefl.org