Greetings from Christian Education:

     We, the education board, want to thank all of the teachers that have willingly taught Sunday school and Release time again this past year.  We held an appreciation for them on April 20^th, so if some of you were not able to be there we do have a little gift for you. Please read the poem that was given to them as it does take dedicated, faithful people to do this each week.  God has blessed us with wonderful teachers.

     The month of May continues to be busy with all the end of the year activities that take place.  We will be having 2 services for the month of May this year also so I will be getting acolytes for the 10:45 a.m. services for these 4 Sundays.  Here

 are some of the events that will be taking place here at Grace Lutheran:

May 11^th is the last day of Sunday school.  We will have class time on this Sunday.  It is also Mother's Day so children, please remember mom on her special day.

May 12^th will be our board meeting at 7:00 p.m. followed by the Church Council meeting.

May 18^th will be Senior Recognition Sunday for the 2008 graduates.  This will be held at the 10:45 a.m. service.  We have 11 seniors that will be graduating this year that are members of Grace Lutheran Church.  Please keep these young people in your prayers as they begin a new chapter in their lives.  They are Scott Erickson, Alli Ganje, Justin Lelm, Lindsey Lindell, Jordan Lutz, Matt Marcussen, Adam and Jon Ogard, Josh Slebodnik, Ashley Strand, and Mitchell Sweep.

Pre-School VBS is scheduled for May 19^th-23^rd, 2008.  We are looking for room teachers, (those that will tell the story), room parents, (those that are with the kids), room decorators, snack helpers, or anything that anyone would be willing to assist with. This week is for any child age 3-5 years old as of Jan.1^st, but not yet in kindergarten and they do need to be potty trained to attend.  There is a pre-registration for this week with the deadline being May 13^th for us to get the needed materials.  We also ask for a free will donation to cover the costs of this week as each child will receive a book of the story, art projects, a snack and a tee - shirt for the week. The theme for this year is "Jesus Loves Me" with the stories of The Lost Sheep, The Prodigal Son, Feeding of the 5000, Fishers of Men, and The Good Samaritan.  These are all very familiar stories to tell in your own versions, with an art project to go along with the story.  If you are interested please call the church office or Brenda to let them know what you would be willing to assist with.

May 21^st is Baccalaureate for the seniors at the Ada-Borup High school.   This is open for the public to attend and begins at 7:30 p.m.

May 25^th will be Commencement for the seniors held at the Ada-Borup High school at 2:00p.m.

June 2^nd - 6^th we are holding VBS for the K-6^th grade youth.  The program that we have chosen for this year is called "Rainforest Adventure."  We will have a theme for each day with them being "We Share", "We Give", "We Grow", "We Love", and "We Praise".  There will be pre-registration required so that we can order the correct amount of materials.  The deadline for sign up will be May 27^th.  That will give us only 3 days to get the materials here. The times for this week will be from 9:00a.m.-12:30p.m.  We ask that each of the youth bring a sack lunch for the noon meal each day, as we have done in the past.  We are also asking for a free will donation for this week to help defray the cost of the materials, if possible. We are asking for volunteers to help with teaching, music, crafts and decorations for this week.  This is a great week for the Senior High youth to come and be a part of the lessons.  I encourage you to find a friend and team teach these lessons for these kids.  We would love for the H2H youth to come and be room assistants for the day, come to be part of the skits, etc.  We are calling for any young youth to come and be a part of this "Adventure".

June 11^th will probably be the day that we will be going to Lutheran Island Camp for the VBS day camp.  The cost of this is again $10.00 for the day.  This day is for anyone in K-6^th grade that would like to attend. This is a great day to see what camp is all about with Bible studies, music, art projects, games and of course swimming.  If you are interested in attending give the church a call and sign up. We will need to know this by June 4^th. 

     As I stated we have many things going on here yet at the church.  We encourage you to have your children attend these events as the learning does not stop on the last day of Sunday school.  If anyone is interested in assisting with any of these programs, in any area, please call the church office or myself. 

Brenda

 Youth Ministry News

     Senior Recognition Sunday:  is May 18^th.  Grace's 11 seniors will be recognized at the coffee hour (9:35AM).  Quilts will be given and scholarships announced.  Delicious homemade rolls will be served!  At the 10:45AM worship service the students will be blessed by their parents and the congregation.  Seniors will take part in the service also.  Don't forget your graduation gowns!  That same evening at 6PM a scrumptious banquet will be prepared for the seniors.  Dress is semi casual (no denim please).

     Jr. League Events:  An event at the theatre was held on Saturday, April 19^th.  Only a small number came to watch The Chronicles of Narnia special showing.  The next Jr. League event is a night at the Dekko.  Friday, May 9^th, we have reserved the Dekko for extended hours.  Swimming, Racquetball Courts, and Game Room are all yours from 9-11PM!  Please plan on coming and this time invite a non-Grace friend!  Need transportation?  Call the church office (4010) or the Erdals (4527) prior to the event.

     National Youth Gathering:  fundraising must get underway for this fantastic opportunity in New Orleans!  How fabulous it will be to visit our sister Grace Lutheran Church!  A parent task force will form in May to brainstorm ideas and start the ball rolling.  If this is a gift of yours let us know, or at least be open to the possibility if you are contacted to volunteer.

     SonShine Festival:  July 16-19 in Willmar, MN.  This is not just for HS youth.  This is for families.  This is for JH youth.  If you haven't attended this event and like Christian Contemporary music you need to check this out.  If you haven't attended this event and our curious, you will be amazed.  If you have attended this event, you know what a blast it is!  A new addition this year:  a FREE Jars of Clay concert on Wednesday night, no ticket necessary!!!  Some of us will need to go down early Wednesday morning to claim a campsite and get set up.  Check your schedule and see if you can be one of those early arrivals.  The wristband price for the entire 4 day event is only $65.  We will make it economical by cooking many of our meals, after all what would camping be without campfire meals?  Watch for registration deadlines before school gets out as this event will need to be organized in order to be successful. By the way, Peder Eide, the local boy we had come to Ada HS last fall will also be there along with about 57 other bands like Toby Mac, Newsboys, Third Day, Jeremy Camp, David Crowder Band, Flyleaf, As I Lay Dying, Skillet, and Hawk Nelson.  Check it out!  The office has festival brochures for your perusal.

Once again, may we work together to make Grace's Youth Ministry a positive spirit-filled energy of enthusiastic youth for Christ!

Stacy Erdal,

Youth Ministry Coordinator