Brian Neville 7/2/25 Brian Neville 7/2/25

Welcome to Pastor Nyasha Jeche!

We are excited to announce the beginning of a new appointment here at Grace United Methodist Church. Pastor Nyasha Jeche (Je-chee) joins us through the Mosaic Ministries program of GNJ (you can read more about the program here - https://www.gnjumc.org/mosaic/). Here’s her profile from the appointment page at GNJ: Nyasha Jeche is a third year Master of Divinity student at Drew University. She was born and raised in Harare, Zimbabwe. She holds a diploma in Religious Studies and a BA (Hon) in Religious Studies from the University of Zimbabwe. With a strong passion for youth ministry, congregational leadership, and gender justice, Nyasha strives to create spaces where faith, equity, and community intersect. Nyasha’s ministry is characterized by her dedication to serving others, her commitment to social justice and her passion for nurturing faith and discipleship. Outside of academia, she enjoys watching documentaries and listening to music, drawing inspiration from stories and melodies.

Pastor Nyasha will serve between 10-15 hours each week at Grace as she completes her studies at Drew. She will join us as the Pastor of Family Ministries, which will include the Sunday School program, Family Ministries events and the youth ministry. She’ll also have opportunities to grow in pastoral ministry as she preaches, joins Pastor Brian in visiting homes, and assists with weddings, funerals and baptisms. Now, you may be wondering how the addition of Pastor Nyasha will affect our programs. The good news is the leaders in each of those areas are not going anywhere. Emily, Hilda, Pastor Brian and the many other volunteers that help lead those programs will all remain in place. With Pastor Nyasha we will move toward a team-based approach in each of those ministries. As Pastor Nyasha gains more experience we’ll reevaluate the model we use in each ministry area.

For now, Pastor Nyasha will be focused on the Sunday School program to make sure we are geared up and ready to go on Founder’s Day, September 7th, as we launch for a new year of ministry! If you get a phone call or email from her asking to help out with Sunday School, be sure to welcome her to the church and offer whatever support you can as she begins her first appointed ministry here at Grace United Methodist Church! God bless, and thanks for supporting our staff, leaders and the whole congregation as we take this new step in providing an inclusive community passionately following Jesus Christ.

In Christ,
Pastor Brian Neville

Brian Neville 7/1/25 Brian Neville 7/1/25

Sabbath Rest

July 2025

To the Congregation of Grace United Methodist Church,

The summer is here and it’s time for a different kind of rhythm! Did you know that many parts of the Bible command rest? It might seem like a strange thing to demand of someone who follows God, but there are many beautiful reasons why this is required. One of them is that it is a way of reminding ourselves that we are free from slavery! We might feel like work or cleaning or taking care of the kids is required, and we can get stuck in a rut with seemingly no options. That’s exactly what sabbath is about. We rest, we renew our bodies and minds, so that we can be free from routines and rhythms and patterns that can become destructive. We are free! I think God celebrates when find ways of being in this world that bring us new life. I hope you’ll find opportunities to do that this summer.

As always, if you’d like to give a gift in support of Grace United Methodist Church, you can use the envelopes at church, go online at gumc.org/giving or mail a check to 555 Russell Avenue in Wyckoff, NJ 07481. Just like last year, we also want to invite those who may be traveling or spending time elsewhere to “pre-pay” this summer. If you have the financial ability to do so, why not give your gift to the church before you leave, so that you can spend that time resting and relaxing knowing that the church has its financial needs taken care of this summer. Every bit helps in these summer months! You can find the summer events happening at Grace using the link below. God bless!

In Christ, Pastor Brian Neville

73 or Older? Want to Save on Taxes and Help the Church?

If you are 73 or older and have a 401(k), 403(b) or traditional IRA retirement plan, you can take your required minimum distribution (RMD), which is required by law to be distributed, and give any amount of it you wish to your church or other charity tax-free! If the money is not given directly to a church or charity you will be taxed on it as additional income. Some people can give Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) as early as 70½, so check with your broker.

We hope you’ll consider giving this special tax-free gift to Grace United Methodist Church. You must have the distribution go directly to the church. It must never be deposited in your personal account, or it will be taxable. You can take advantage of this tax-free giving any time during 2025, but we hope you will help the church by doing this sometime during the summer. A broker can assist you with your distribution, but if you have any questions, you can contact Alma Mader, finance chair, or call the church office at 201-891-4595.

Learn more

Brian Neville 6/12/25 Brian Neville 6/12/25

A Message From The Lay Leader

by Paul Semendinger

On Sunday mornings, we come to church to worship. We enter the building with open hearts ready to receive the Word of God. Church is a place that is safe from the distractions of home and work (and almost every other thing). The entire building, in a sense, is a sanctuary from all of the concerns that take up our daily thoughts and can distract from our connection to God. The church building, and the sanctuary itself, are where we do connect. Inside, we receive God's message, we hear stories from the Bible, we sing spiritual songs, we share the peace with one another, and we pray as we come together as a community and as we connect with God.

But, the church, and even the sanctuary, aren't always places of peace and reflection for everyone. It is not a place where all can go and are able to break away from the travails of work and life. Sometimes, church is anything but a sanctuary for some.

We all lead busy lives. This is part of living in Bergen, Passaic and other counties in our area in this day and age. We talk fast, we move fast, there is always somewhere to go and something to do. Our list of things to do are long and seemingly never ending. As such, when we have the opportunity to rid ourselves of a task, a concern, or a burden, we do. But when we do this, we often forget that while the weight is off our minds (or our backs), at the same time we may also be adding to the burdens of someone else.

Sunday mornings at church should not be the time to approach a committee member or a church employee with a concern. When those people are at church, they are also there to worship, not take on additional tasks or relieve others of their concerns and burdens. In fact, when others share these things with others on a Sunday morning, they often prevent those others from the sanctuary that church, and the sanctuary itself, are supposed to provide. It's difficult to focus on God's message when a brand new task is added to one's list of things to do.

We all need church to be a sanctuary. In order for that to be accomplished, we all need to respect that when we're at church to worship, connect, create positive fellowships, and the like, that the business of running a church and all that entails be saved for another day, another time, and maybe even another place.

Let's let the church be a sanctuary for all.

God Bless!

A Note from Pastor Brian Neville

I very much agree with Paul that the church is a sanctuary and that it is paramount that the Sunday morning experience is a sacred space for worship. We want that for everyone in our congregation and for our staff! I might even go so far as to say that I want that all the time, everywhere, for everyone! When we walk day in and day out with God’s Spirit at work in us, we treat people differently. We offer respect and grace no matter where we are or what might be going on in our lives.

Now, you might be thinking Paul wrote all this because there must have been some kind of incident at the church. That’s not the case. In fact, its better and more effective when we remind people of this standard when there is NOT a problem going on. We truly want our church to be a space for God’s Spirit to be at work in the worship experience and that happens when all of us put a pause on our work so that we can worship together. We just want to remind folks so we can continue this rich tradition.

There is one exception, though, to working on a Sunday. As the Pastor, I am specifically working on Sunday morning. I am not a member at Grace United Methodist Church; instead, my membership is held at the Annual Conference. I worship when I am gathered with my clergy colleagues, and in other environments. That means you should feel free to share a concern with me, or a pastoral care issue after church. Sometimes that’s when I find out the most information about what is happening in your lives, and that shouldn’t stop. Please share your concerns with me when you are at church. I do have one request, though. If you’re mad, or angry, please wait until after church and in private. It’s never happened while I’ve been at Grace, but an angry church person yelling 10 minutes before worship starts could really wreck a worship service. In respect to the whole church community, difficult conversations should wait until after church is over. Thank you for your love for this church and keeping it a sacred space for all. God bless!

Brian Neville 5/31/25 Brian Neville 5/31/25

Late Spring

May 2025

To the Congregation of Grace United Methodist Church,

Late spring is a unique season in the church. After Easter it can feel like we are just biding our time until summer hits, but we have plenty happening at Grace. May and June are different from the rest of the year because there is no overarching theme from one week to the next. We have Mother’s Day, Memorial Day, Confirmation Sunday, Children’s Sunday and Father’s Day, just to name a few. Each Sunday we are gathered offers its own beautiful tribute to people in our congregation.

At Grace we are also especially excited about the new ministries happening in our church! Hiring a Family Ministries Director was an important step, not just to help our programs aimed at children and youth, but also in creating new communities. The journey of faith is not just about an individual making a personal commitment to following Jesus Christ. Its also about people joining together to encourage and support one another in pursuit of God. We are hopeful that our Family Ministries Director will connect new groups of people together that will be fundamental in the pursuit of deeper and richer faith.

That’s why the next couple of months in the church are so special. As we encourage mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, children and youth to connect with one another, we can cheer them on in the faith! Join us each week in May and June for a special service every Sunday, as we celebrate the people and communities of Grace United Methodist Church.

You can give a gift in support of our church and mark it ‘Family Ministries’ to ensure the finances are in place for ministries to children and youth in this next year. Use the giving envelopes at church or go online at gumc.org and click ‘give online.’ God bless and thank you for being a vital part of our church!

In Christ,

Pastor Brian Neville

Brian Neville 4/1/25 Brian Neville 4/1/25

Tax Tithe

Tithing is not a “requirement” to be a member at Grace, but we do teach tithing as a good way to consider what good stewardship might look like for you. By tithing we mean 10% of a person’s income. In other words, when we make $10, we give $1 to God. When we make $100, we give $10. Our tithe is to be brought to the “storehouse” - in the Old Testament that was the temple, in the New Testament, that’s the church - and when we tithe, God promises to abundantly bless us, spiritually, physically and financially. The Old Testament prophet Malachi gives us the promise that if we tithe God will “throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it” (Malachi 3:10). In his sermon, The Use of Money, John Wesley preached about "earning all you can, saving all you can, and giving all you can." For Wesley, the tithe was not the ultimate goal of the Christian; it was the standard, the normative mark, the place to “start our thinking” as we consider the amount to give.

This Spring we at Grace are going to take a different approach to tithing. We are going to encourage members to “tithe” off their income tax refund, if they receive one. The IRS reports that so far in 2025 they have sent out just over 8 million refunds for an average of $2,065. They also report that about 2/3 or 64% of taxpayers will receive a refund. You may or may not tithe in your weekly giving. But tithing off a tax refund is a good way to practice this spiritual discipline that almost everyone could afford.

What would be the possibilities if we tithed our tax refunds? Well, if 2/3 of our 169 families (or member units) get an average refund of $2,065 and tithe 10% to Grace, it would come to just over $21,000 for our important ministries. But since this would be special giving “over and above” our generous weekly support, and since $21,000 would go a long way at underwriting our goal to hire a Family Ministries Director, we would like to designate any Tax Tithe gifts for hiring the Family Ministries Director. Having these funds in by the end of April would allow us to make this addition to our ministry staff right away and without worry for the financial picture later in the year. When you give a tax refund tithe, on your envelope or on-line you can write or click the designation for ‘Tax Tithe.’ Thank you for your support of Grace United Methodist Church and God bless!

- Ralph Salzgaber

Give Online

Brian Neville 3/25/25 Brian Neville 3/25/25

Drivers of Vitality

At a finance meeting we had a conversation about growth in the church. Of course, the finance committee doesn’t make strategic decisions about the direction of the church, but I can appreciate their concern for “the bottom line” and the need for the church to both grow and manage financial resources responsibly. The discussion spurred me to want to share one of the best resources the United Methodist Church has ever put together. The research project was called The UMC Call to Action: Vital Congregations Research Project and it was put together by the Towers Watson team. In it drivers of vitality were identified. When churches do these 16 things, churches are sure to be vital. It doesn’t matter what size the church, or where in the country they are, or even the environment (such as urban or rural); when churches take these steps vitality is the result. So, what are these drivers of vitality? There are four categories. They are: Small Groups & Programs, Lay Leadership, Worship Services and the Pastor. Let me share the specific drivers in each area:

Small Groups & Programs
Driver 1. Vital churches have more small groups for all ages appropriate to each congregation
Driver 2. Vital churches have more programs for children (under 12 years old).
Driver 3. Vital churches have more programs for youth (age 12-18).

Lay Leadership
Driver 4. Vital churches focus on increasing the effectiveness of lay leaders by equipping them to understand their role and carry out their roles effectively.
Driver 5. Vital churches have lay leaders who demonstrate a vital personal faith (regular worship, intentional spiritual growth, personal devotional life, and giving financially).

Driver 6. Vital churches place an emphasis on rotating lay leadership in order to involve more people over time.

Driver 7. Vital churches call, equip, use and support more lay leaders than non-vital churches. (the goal is 20 percent of worship attendees describing themselves as current or past leaders.)

Pastors

Driver 8. Vital pastors give attention to developing, coaching, and mentoring lay leadership to enable laity to increase their ability to carry out ministry.
Driver 9. Vital pastors use their influence to increase the participation of others in order to accomplish changes in the church.
Driver 10. Vital pastors motivate the congregation to set and achieve significant goals through effective leadership.
Driver 11. Vital pastors inspire the congregation through preaching.
Driver 12. Vital pastors, when they are serving effectively, stay for a longer period of time. (Short-term appointments of effective pastors decrease the vitality of a congregation.)

Worship Services

Driver 13. Vital churches offer a mix of contemporary (newer forms of worship style) and traditional services.
Driver 14. Vital churches have preachers who tend to use more topical sermon series in traditional services.
Driver 15. Vital churches use more contemporary music (less blended music that includes traditional tunes) in contemporary services.
Driver 16. Vital churches use more multi-media in contemporary services.

Some of these drivers, you’ll notice, are things the church used to do. We once had small groups for children beyond Sunday morning worship. We used to have a long list of laity who considered themselves leaders in the church. The church used to have both traditional and contemporary worship. Now that last one might be the most controversial. When the church moved away from just traditional services many of the church’s troubles happened, too. Yet, we could also point to the many very large contemporary churches in our community who were thriving at the same time we were declining. How come the drivers of vitality didn’t work? Obviously, the drivers don’t work in isolation from each other. Just because you are doing one thing on the list, doesn’t mean you can ignore the other 15 drivers of vitality. Pastors clearly have a huge impact on the church and if the pastor isn’t serving effectively its hard to have a vital congregation, but the same is true with the people. If there is conflict, if people are hurting each other and choosing to damage the church, we will not grow. You need all 16 drivers and a congregation that is working together.

As I read through these drivers of vitality, though, there are some important points to be made. One is that we are moving in the right direction by focusing on and hiring someone to do Family Ministries in our church. We need more small groups for children and I am confident we will see fruit from this move in the next year or two (driver 2,3). We also need more small groups for adults, so this is a very real area of need (driver 1). Could you be the person God is calling to lead the next small group for our church? I hope you’ll reach out to me if you are!

That leads naturally to the second area – lay leadership. Laity just means “people” and the people of the church need to be the church. Too often churches become dependent on the pastor for just about everything. Need a small group? Have the pastor start one! Need help with the finances? Ask the pastor to reach out to people. Is there a problem with the facility? Shouldn’t we get the pastor to tackle that problem? When a church has this mindset there is no chance the church can survive. Its pure and simply not possible for the pastor to do the vast majority of jobs needed to keep a community growing. The church has to take on the burden of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. We could summarize the work of disciple making with the classic aspects of church work: worship, small groups and missions. You can see these classic aspects of the church sprinkled throughout the 16 drivers of vitality. Though missions doesn’t show up per se, it is a part of vital faith, spiritual growth and giving (driver 5). It is also part of the significant goals a church may set out to accomplish (driver 10). The church needs to do these things in order to develop the people and be vital. Have you taken time to serve as a leader in the church? If not, your gifts might be exactly what we need in this next season of the church!

You may have also noticed that many of these drivers of vitality are things we are already doing. When I first arrived at Grace in 2020, I noticed that the nominating system for selecting new leadership in the church had broken down. That was one of the first things I set out to fix, because healthy leadership is dependent on rotating the leaders (driver 7). Our slate of leaders is far fuller in 2025 than it was in 2020, and that should lead to more people identifying themselves as “leaders” in the church. We ask all of our leaders to serve for 3 years and then come out of those positions. Are some people still in positions for more than 3 years? Yes. Would it be better for the church to have those people rotate out of those positions? I would wager it is. Its not about having one particular person doing the job, as skillful or excellent as they may be at it. Its about sharing the burden and having many people understand the way the church works and how we can work together for the good of our community. As I work with many people in many groups, I see regularly the ‘silos’ we can get ourselves into. As we do a job, we see things one way; our way! When we rotate out of that position we are able to start seeing things in a new light and how all these different pieces need to fit together. That’s where vitality comes from! Its not from one person doing it all; its from the body working together for the good of everyone.

The drivers of vitality around worship need a word or two. Contemporary worship is not a panacea; it cannot fix all of our problems. When Grace tried to offer contemporary worship (multiple times) it did not last. Now that doesn’t mean contemporary worship may not be a future answer for the church, but so far it hasn’t been sustained. As a person who grew up in contemporary worship, I would point out that there is a big difference between playing contemporary songs and authentic contemporary worship. As the drivers show contemporary worship has to have contemporary music (driver 15). Contemporary means it is from 2025, not 1995. Also, just because our church does not currently offer contemporary worship does not mean we are off the hook. Churches are vital when they offer a variety of worship services (driver 13). Though the gathered congregation is smaller in size, we have to be mindful of offering a variety of worship services. Usually this is best in offering two services with two distinct styles, but variety in our one service would surely benefit us as well. (In previous surveys of the congregation, people almost always said they preferred variety over either traditional or contemporary worship). Demographics in our community reveal a similar truth. About 28% of the population in our area prefers traditional worship. About 30% prefers contemporary worship. That leaves 42% (the majority) that does not prefer either traditional or contemporary worship. If we are going to do contemporary worship we must do it with excellence. If we are going to do traditional worship we have to do it with excellence. If we are going to grow as a church we must offer a mix of options and whatever we do must be done with excellence.

Finally, it would be unfair to talk about the drivers of vitality without touching on my own role in our vitality. Pastors have a unique contribution to the success of a local church. I’ve been aware of the drivers of congregational vitality for many years, and reflecting on them has made me change how I lead the church. Throughout the year I receive many positive comments about the sermon series that I do (driver 14). I love inviting the congregation to offer their thoughts and suggestions on felt needs and taking a time of spiritual retreat to listen closely for God’s voice as to what our church needs to hear in the next year. I hope the series we do will continue to inspire our church (driver 11). I work with several people in the church each year in a coaching model to help them grow in their position. This year we have several new leaders in the church and meeting with them is a top priority so they can learn the ropes and lead well (driver 4, 8). I need to use my influence to see people participate in positive change happening in the church (driver 9) and also set significant goals (driver 10). I’m excited that we are engaging in the Normalize Next process with Olu Brown. I’m hopeful that many excellent ideas and fruitful ministries will spring from the work being done in that process. We’ve already hired a family ministries director, changed our online systems to save money and better serve an online audience, and put together a membership committee. We need to do hospitality, outreach, increase generosity, become more efficient with the resources at our disposal and create new spaces for people to connect with our church. These are lofty goals and I cannot do it alone. It only happens when we dare to dream together about the next right thing, and often that means the next right, difficult and challenging thing, for our church. This is not an easy road, and especially not with the prevailing society around us, but people long to feed their spirit. The question is whether we will dare to do it in new, creative and dynamic ways that will reach the next generation.

If we do take on this challenge, we will want to make sure we stick together as vital ministry is taking place (driver 12). Maximum effectiveness of a pastor doesn’t happen until around the 10 year mark. So let’s not ignore the problems, or blame one another. Let’s address the trouble spots and move toward vitality by using all 16 drivers of vitality over the long-haul. It’s not to bring glory to ourselves, or glory to our particular church; it’s to see disciples transforming the world and God’s kingdom coming here to this very earth. God bless!

In Christ,

Pastor Brian Neville

16 Drivers

Brian Neville 3/3/25 Brian Neville 3/3/25

Easter 2025

To the Congregation of Grace United Methodist Church,

Easter is always a special season in the church. The world thinks of Easter bunnies and chocolate, or maybe the change of the season as the sun comes up earlier and the beauty of spring surrounds us, but that’s not really the point of Easter, is it? Easter is more than sunshine and special treats. It’s about the transformation that takes place in every human heart when we put our trust in the power of God!

At Grace, we want to be a people who devote ourselves to change in our own hearts as well as change in others around us. When we commit ourselves to the way of Christ, we take spiritual discipline seriously. That’s why throughout Lent, starting with Ash Wednesday, March 5th, we will be exploring The Last Supper on the Moon, a series that is for those who have, “...places in your heart and corners of your mind that feel just as deep and dark and inaccessible as outer space.” I suspect as we explore the vastness and wonders of space, we will find ways to conquer the inner space of our hearts.

Easter will be special for another reason for us, too! We will cheer on Palm Sunday as we celebrate the start of Holy Week. On Holy Thursday we will have a Living Last Supper that reminds us of Jesus’ service and sacrifice for all of us. Then on Easter Sunday the resurrection of Jesus Christ will be front and center as we sing and dance with joy! Our choir will be performing another cantata on Easter Sunday, just as they did on Christmas Eve. We also have our annual Easter Egg Hunt on April 19th, which is always a delight for the little ones. Then the Sunday after Easter we have the Reverend Wayne Plumstead preaching for us! Be sure to join us for our Holy Week services and all the other great events at Grace as we explore the vastness of the universe that we might find peace and a resurrection in our very own hearts. Find everything happening at Grace at www.gumc.org or download our new ‘Ministry Keeper’ app on your phone through Apple or Google.

As always, if you’d like to give a gift in support, you can use the enclosed envelopes and bring it to church. You can also go online to gumc.org/giving or mail a check to the address below. Thank you for being a part of our community and may this Easter truly transform our hearts.

In Christ,
Pastor Brian Neville

Brian Neville 2/18/25 Brian Neville 2/18/25

Ministry Keeper

We’ve been sharing in our newsletter a little about Ministry Keeper, but you might be wondering, ‘what the heck is that?’ Ministry Keeper is an app you can download to your phone to get quick access to the most important information about Grace United Methodist Church. On the app you’ll find a calendar with all of our events, the blog that includes all of our congregational communications, a link to online giving, a link to our worship services so you can catch up on a service you may have missed, and a map to find our church. The app has lots of other features we could add in the future, but, as it is, I find it to be the most convenient way to quickly find the most important information about the church. We have the Ministry Keeper app because it is a free feature of Servant Keeper, our membership directory and financial giving system we use at Grace. You don’t need to use Servant Keeper in order to use the app. You can find a link below to both the Google app store version of Ministry Keeper and the Apple app store version. Let us know if it’s helpful to you!

Google Store

Apple Store

Brian Neville 1/14/25 Brian Neville 1/14/25

What’s happening at Grace UMC in 2025?

The church is taking some significant steps in the next year to help our church operate better and more effectively. For many years our Sunday School program has been requesting adding a paid staff person to run the Sunday School program. Emily Neville came on board as a volunteer to fill the role in the interim (she went to school to lead children’s ministry!) and has done an admirable job in the role. Now, though, its time for the church to take that step to move back toward a staff person devoted to helping our Sunday School program grow and thrive.

There’s more to the story, of course. In assessing the needs of the Sunday School program our Next Gen Team (formerly the Pathways for Congregation Development Team) discerned the need for help with Family Ministries and the Youth Ministry. We saw how all of our ministries for ages 0-18 needed this additional support, and so we are hiring a Family Ministries Director to oversee all of our programming for children and families. This is an exciting season for the church! Our youth ministry has grown tremendously in the last 10 months, and our family ministries events continue to attract hundreds of children and families throughout the year. These are such positive signs and we need to capitalize on this positive momentum by giving staff, volunteers and families connected to the church the support they need. A Family Ministries Director will oversee Sunday School, increase our community connection through family ministry events and be a part of a ministry team to lead the youth group.

We are also heading back to our roots when it comes to the youth ministry. We are going to have our first summer mission trip in many years! Previously the church supported RISE, which is a great ministry in the Southern Tier of New York. Unfortunately, they only allow high schoolers to go on the trip, and our youth group is full of middle schoolers, so we are trying something new! We are partnering with a new organization for our summer mission trip. I hope you’ll consider supporting the group through volunteering, giving financial support and in prayer. We’ll have a special send-off in worship the Sunday morning our youth depart for their missions’ trip.

Our confirmation class is also thriving at Grace! We have ten young people enrolled, but it looks different from how it was in the past. One of the biggest laments I hear from church folks all over is how young people show up for confirmation class, get confirmed and then disappear from the church. I agree; this is terrible and we have to do something to change it! One of the best things we can do to change this pattern is to lengthen the program. That doesn’t mean more classes, but it does mean more time between classes. Instead of meeting every week for four months, the class now meets once a month for two years! Its just as much classroom time, but it gives our young people a chance to experience the rhythms of our church for two full years. They also grow to know the other young people in the church, and see how much fun it is to be a part of our youth group! We even have a confirmation retreat planned for March that includes both confirmands and their mentors, so they can continue the journey of faith together. The response, so far, has been phenomenal, with an increased enrollment. I’m hopeful we’ll see an increase in young people sticking to the church, just as I’ve seen in other churches that have used this kind of programming.

The church isn’t just growing in the area of children and youth. We also have a large new member class joining the church, too! We will welcome them into membership in the month or March. Some of our previous new members are volunteering as mentors, joining our Bible studies and doing missions with the church. This is an incredible season at Grace, and there are so many ways people can step up to make a difference not just in our church, but in the world. Every person that connects with our church and grows in their faith is part of a network of faith-filled people that impacts the workplace, our communities and the world at large. We also want to make every dollar you give to the church stretch as far as it can, so we want to work smarter with the money entrusted to the church. That’s why we are exploring additional options around caring for the church grounds, stewardship and visitation. Grace always uses a combination of volunteers and paid staff to do the work of the church. Sometimes we find volunteers are the better option; other times it is paid staff. Sometimes people would rather give the church some money than use what little time they have for labor over at the church during the week. That’s okay! We want to facilitate the best combination of resources, but it takes work for us to get there. Additional staff grows our capacity to fundraise, connect with the community and coordinate volunteers. Its up to our church leaders to discern the best way to do this, so we are having important conversations on these topics all under the banner of “Normalize Next.” This is an initiative from the Annual Conference that helps us discern the next right thing for our church, grow our leaders, and take bold steps toward the future God has for us.

Keep praying for the church. Keep supporting and loving one another. This is the bedrock of the church, and as we discern what God has for us, I know we’ll experience an even deeper sense of his love and grace for all of us. God bless!

Pastor Brian Neville

Brian Neville 12/31/24 Brian Neville 12/31/24

January 2025 Congregational Letter

To the Congregation of Grace United Methodist Church,

We have now been using our mailed envelope system for a full year, and, by and large, it has been a great success! We’ve increased the total amount of money given by the congregation in 2024, reduced the total time needed by our volunteers and staff to track your gifts, and, perhaps best of all, we have increased our communication with the congregation. Of all the benefits to mailing our offering envelopes, this is the part about which I am most excited. You receive a calendar of upcoming events, you hear about ways you can support the church and I get to write you and share some of the amazing things happening here!

Despite the many challenges facing the church each year, there are so many good things to celebrate! We saw a dramatic rise in Sunday School attendance and youth ministry, the Christmas Fair was more successful than ever since relaunching it and people are growing in their relationship with God. When I have people come to my office and ask about how they can read the Bible in a way that it makes sense, or a confirmand asks a question about why Jesus did something that seems controversial, I know that they are wrestling with important questions that will help their faith grow. That’s what a financial gift to Grace United Methodist Church is – a commitment to helping people grow in faith, from children to adults, from birth to the last breath they take on earth. I hope you’ll join in on this important work and make a commitment to continue or increase your financial giving to the church.

We’ve made one large change in our financial process for 2025. Pushpay was the company we used for several years to process online gifts. That is no longer the case. Instead, we are using Servant Keeper, which is the same company we use for our membership program. This will further streamline our giving and our membership process all while reducing the associated cost. To give online you can still go to www.gumc.org/giving, but you’ll need to register a new account the first time you give. After that, it’s just as easy as before, except now you’ll be saving the church money.

As always, if you would like to be removed from these mailings for any reason, please contact the church office so we can update our records and reduce the associated cost of these mailings at 201-891-4595 (ext. 1) or email Hilda at info@gumc.org. You’ll still be able to find our mailed letters on our website at www.gumc.org/blog. Our church seeks to be an inclusive community passionately following Jesus Christ. Thank you for your contribution toward this important goal and may you experience God’s blessing in your life as you support Grace United Methodist Church.

In Christ,

Pastor Brian Neville

Give Online

Brian Neville 12/1/24 Brian Neville 12/1/24

A Christmas and New Year Celebration!

To the Congregation of Grace United Methodist Church,

In Christ,
Pastor Brian Neville

Brian Neville 9/20/24 Brian Neville 9/20/24

Behind the Scenes at Grace UMC

Here at Grace United Methodist Church some incredible things are happening, but many of them are “behind the scenes.” I’d like to take a moment to pull the curtain back and highlight some of this great work.

First, you probably heard about it already, but our Founder’s Day celebration was a tremendous success! We celebrated with over 25 members present with 25+ and 50+ years at Grace, then afterward had a concert and barbecue. The concert was presented by Margin Alexander, our music director, and people were absolutely wowed by his performance! So many people came up to me afterward and raved about it. I think hearing about his international experiences has people even more excited about the Grace UMC choir heading to Poland after Christmas to perform as part of an international tour! I’d also like to say thank you to the team of people that made the day a success, from the Ewings that helped set up tables and chairs to the Capazzis who grilled and prepared the food (well done, Peter!). Carol arranged for people to bring food, and Bill jumped in on preparations just because he has a good heart and wanted to help. It was a tremendous event and I was proud to see Grace members and friends come together for this celebration!

Some other highlights behind the scenes includes our Sunday School program. Emily Neville shared that the Sunday school had a 300% increase in attendance from last year. That’s absolutely phenomenal! We also have more children in the Sunday School nursery care and are looking to hire a part time person to cover that area, as well as during choir practice immediately following Sunday worship. This will allow more choir members to participate in practice and strengthen our choir ministry, as well as strengthen our Sunday School program. We are right on the edge of taking this step and continuing the move of these programs in the right direction!

Our Youth Ministry is just about to kick off their regular Sunday evening meetings. They’ve had a great summer with the pool party and a trip to Six Flags. Not only has Sunday School grown, but so has youth group! We have about 20 youth in our program and are welcoming in three new 6th graders, too! There is great energy around this group of young people. Several have commented about how much they like being around each other and that at the end of church they don’t want to leave! What a blessing it is to see young people excited and enthusiastic for life lived in and through the church. We celebrate our young people and the whole church family that is helping to raise up a new generation to love and serve Jesus Christ.

In the nursery school we have Donna Ernst, who has helped the nursery school take some tremendous strides forward. The start of the school year has been eagerly anticipated and smooth in its first few weeks. Enrollment is up, teachers are happy and the school has resumed profitability. We thank Donna for her excellent work and the great additions happening in the programming and education of our littlest Methodists.

Truly excellent things are happening in the church. If you’d like to get involved, let Pastor Brian know. We are making significant strides, but there is so much more we can do! Together we are becoming an inclusive community passionately following Jesus Christ. God bless!

— Pastor Brian Neville

Brian Neville 8/28/24 Brian Neville 8/28/24

Founder’s Day

To the Congregation of Grace United Methodist Church,

As Founder’s Day approaches, the church is preparing a celebration! Every year on the first Sunday after Labor Day, the church highlights the members of the church who have been at Grace for twenty-five or more years and our members of fifty or more years! If that includes you, we’d love you to join us so we can take time to honor you! You can call the church office to tell us you plan to join us, or look for the congregational email and respond there. Don’t miss it!

Founder’s Day

September 8th

In the past, Founder’s Day was celebrated on the date of the church’s founding, June 21, 1868. After 27 ministers and a relocation from Paterson to Wyckoff, Founder’s Day became a celebration of the twenty-five- and fifty-year members of the church. These days, we celebrate all of our members on Founder’s Day, recognizing that it takes all of kinds of people to make a church healthy and vital. We still take time to read the names of our long-time members, who have given so much to bless and support Grace United Methodist Church and to have their picture taken in the chancel area after church, but we know everyone at the church is important to God. This is what it means to be created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27) and to love as God loves us (1 John 3:16-22).

Usually we have a cook-out and something fun for the children, so watch for other details on this event, but we hope all of our long-time members will join us, as well as family and friends that may have been away during the summer on vacation. Your presence with us means a lot, too! See gumc.org/calendar for all the other exciting events happening at Grace United Methodist Church this fall. God bless!

In Christ,
Pastor Brian Neville

Brian Neville 6/20/24 Brian Neville 6/20/24

Summer 2024

To the Congregation of Grace United Methodist Church,

The sun is shining, the temperatures are way up and summer is in full swing! I hope this summer gives you an opportunity to rest and relax. I know that’s something God wants for all of us. A trip to the beach or time spent in a special place renews and reinvigorates us. One part of scripture describes not only resting on the weekly Sabbath, but also spending special seasons feasting and celebrating. If the land gets a whole year to rest, how much more does God want that for you to fulfill all the wishes, hopes and dreams the Lord has for you? Maybe this summer is your time to rest, to feast or to celebrate. Consider what God wants you to do to recover, recharge your batteries, and prepare for the next place God wants to take you!

As always, if you’d like to give a gift in support of Grace United Methodist Church, you can use the enclosed envelopes and bring it to church. You can also go online at gumc.org/giving or mail a check to the address below. We also want to invite and encourage those of you who may be traveling or spending time elsewhere to “pre-pay” this summer. If you have the financial ability to do so, why not give your gift to the church before you leave, so that you can spend that time resting and relaxing knowing that the church has its financial needs taken care of this summer. Every bit helps in these summer months! On the back side of this letter are some of the events taking place this summer. Why not hang it on your fridge? God bless!

In Christ,
Pastor Brian Neville

And From the Finance Committee…

73 or Older? Want to save on taxes?

We hope you’ll consider giving this special tax-free gift to Grace United Methodist Church. You must have the distribution go directly to the church. It must never be deposited in your personal account, or it will be taxable. You can take advantage of this tax-free giving any time during 2024, but we hope you will help the church by doing this sometime during the summer. A broker can assist you with your distribution, but if you have any questions, you can contact Alma Mader, finance chair, or call the church office.

Brian Neville 2/29/24 Brian Neville 2/29/24

Easter Letter 2024

March/April 2024

To the Congregation of Grace United Methodist Church,

This year Easter is early, arriving March 31st, and many people will be thinking of the Easter bunny or Easter eggs. My family always had a tradition of filling an Easter basket full of candy that we would open on Sunday morning before church. My siblings and I would try and eat as much of it as we could before we had to leave for church. The Neville children always left our Sunday School teachers shaking their heads at us for all the sugar we had so early in the morning on Easter!

But bunnies and candy is not really what Easter is all about. Before Easter is Lent, a season devoted to spiritual discipline. Some people give up meat, or chocolate, while others commit to prayer or fasting. They do this to prepare themselves for the joy and celebration of the resurrection on Easter. Our bodies suffer a little bit so the wonder of Jesus raised from the dead has an even greater impact in our lives. I invite you to consider how you might experience this wonder anew in this coming season.

This Easter season is a special one for us. We hope to have our amazing choir performing once again for us. The Living Last Supper will celebrate communion and baptism with actors recreating the Upper Room experience. We’ll also have our annual Easter Egg Hunt on March 30th, which is always a hit with the little ones. Then the Sunday after Easter we have the Reverend David Wiley preaching for us! Be sure to join us for our Holy Week services and all the other great occasions at Grace as we encounter the new life that comes from resurrection. You can see all our events at www.gumc.org.

As always, if you’d like to give a gift in support, you can use the enclosed envelopes and bring it to church. You can also go online at gumc.org/giving or mail a check to the address below. Thank you for being a part of our community and may this Easter have an even greater impact in your life.

In Christ,

Pastor Brian Neville

Brian Neville 2/21/24 Brian Neville 2/21/24

Staff Transitions at Grace

With the passing of our latest church budget, we’ve had a number of significant changes take place at Grace United Methodist Church. Sometimes changes happen to us and we need to respond in helpful ways to move the church forward. Other times we make intentional choices that affect our future. In the last two months we’ve had a mix of both of these kinds of changes and I want to share with you some details about how they came about and where we stand as we try to navigate the transitions.

First, many of you know that our music director stepped down as of December 31st. This was a change that happened to us and was not a choice of the church or its leadership. In the last month we’ve collected resumes, interviewed candidates and selected a new music director, Margin Alexander, to lead us into the next stage of our church’s music ministry. Margin was selected by a committee of both SPRC (staff/parish relations committee) members and the leaders and members of the various music groups in the church. The SPRC acts as the Human Resources department of the church, so it was expected that they would have input, but music can be a tricky thing. Some people may not have an ear for music, and our SPRC members are not selected to serve on the committee based on their knowledge of music! That meant it was important to include the members of the other music groups, which included our children’s choir, adult choir, contemporary worship team and the bell choir.

The process was a good one, especially as we talked about the needs of the congregation. In the end, we had well over a dozen applicants and narrowed it down to those who were best qualified and the best fit for our church. The final selection was of Margin Alexander, and I am pleased with his talents and abilities! He is gifted on multiple instruments, including the piano and organ, and gave an absolutely stunningly beautiful presentation on piano. One thing I learned about the organ is, not only are most organs uniquely designed for their church (and thus need some amount of getting used to), but that there are different styles of how one plays a hymn. Margin shared with me that some churches want the organ played exactly as the notes on the page dictate. Others want something more expressive and creative. I told Margin that his job is to make the hymns sound beautiful every day. Thankfully he has the gifts and skills as a composer to build up the sounds of our organ to truly make it sing! I’m looking forward to hearing the results with a little bit of time for him to do that work and get comfortable with our organ.

Margin will be away the last Sunday in February, since he already had a scheduled international concert before he was hired. We are excited to have him on our team and grateful to have such a skilled musician a part of our program. He will return to us at the beginning of March as we head into the Easter season, and he looks forward to working with our very talented musicians in the church as even more people join in! Be sure to send him a word of welcome at his email address - choirs@gumc.org

Speaking of the music program, we are making another significant change, one that was a combination of something happening to us and an intentional choice. For a few years we’ve been blessed with extra government funds because of the global pandemic. This money was important for us to navigate some of the dramatic changes that took place when we were not worshipping in person. We had to prerecord all our services, then transition to live services broadcast to people that were staying home. The extra money we had let us hire a lead technician for our broadcast booth and hire a lead singer. Both positions were very important to make sure we had the quality for our worship service, even as we had less people in the building and less volunteers available for the work that needed to be done each and every Sunday. Today, things are different. We are largely back to worship attendance numbers as they were before the pandemic, and people are back in the building singing and volunteering. Since our pandemic aid money came to an end in 2023, we knew we were going to have to make some changes. The end result is that our leader singer, Diane, has left us, and the volunteer choir will now lead us in congregational singing each week. In the tech booth, our tech director, Ian, will have his last week with us, and the booth will largely rely on volunteers to provide weekly assistance in broadcasting. Though these changes are challenging, and were not asked for by our church leadership, they were necessary because of the changing financial situation of the church. Largely, we are able to return to how things operated before the pandemic, and we are hopeful for a positive, inspiring atmosphere every Sunday in worship. Something that’s also a return to how things used to be is the recent hire of a new custodian, to keep the space clean, neat and organized to aid in worship. For years we’ve had a cleaning service that kept the building clean, but anything beyond that was much harder to get accomplished. You can welcome Mark at his work email address - custodian@gumc.org

Many changes in a short period of time can feel destabilizing for an organization. Because of this, our leadership team is focusing closely on navigating these changes well and offering the support needed over the next several months. We hope you’ll be patient with our new staff and our volunteers as they get used to their new roles. That doesn’t mean we don’t want to hear from you about how they are doing, though. Getting feedback along the way ensures that we are getting what we need in terms of the worship service, the online service and the church building itself. We need your input. In a few weeks you’ll see a congregational survey. You’re input there would be helpful. This post will also be updated, so check back here for changes coming up. Know that we are lifting each other up in prayer as we take these next steps God has for us in making Grace United Methodist Church an inclusive community passionately following Jesus Christ. God bless!

Pastor Brian Neville
(updates to follow)

Brian Neville 12/23/23 Brian Neville 12/23/23

Tithe Envelopes

December 2023

To the Congregation of Grace United Methodist Church,

Recently the finance committee has made a change in how offering envelopes will be distributed to our congregation. What you have just received is the first of six bi-monthly mailings to be sent this year. Each mailing contains all of the offering envelopes for the next two months. There are a number of factors that have gone into this decision and I want to share them with you.

1. The cost of these offering envelopes is only a few hundred dollars more than what we are already paying for this service. By mailing envelopes to your home, we are confident that everyone in the congregation will receive them and be able to “give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7).

2. With this new service, we will be able to combine offering envelopes with our communications to the congregation. Many have lamented the move from mailed communications from the church to email and online communications. We want to be a church that does both, and this change allows us to reduce the associated expense, while increasing mailed communications. We are excited to keep everyone in our congregation updated with all that is happening in the church!

3. By mailing offering envelopes with the information of each household already on the envelopes we are making the process easier on our volunteers. In reducing administrative work, your tithes and offerings will go toward the areas of ministry most needed!

If you would like to be removed from these mailings for any reason, please contact the church office so we can update our records and reduce the associated cost of these mailings at 201-891-4595 (ext. 1) or email Hilda at info@gumc.org. As always, we seek to be an inclusive community passionately following Jesus Christ. Thank you for your contribution toward this important goal and may you experience God’s blessing in your life as you support Grace United Methodist Church.

Sincerely in Christ,

Alma Mader (Finance Chairperson)

Brian Neville 12/16/23 Brian Neville 12/16/23

Christmas Letter to Grace

To the Congregation of Grace United Methodist Church,

The church is busy preparing for Christmas! We’ve had our Christmas fair, the Cookie Walk and will shortly host many children for a fun parents ‘day’ out event. There is also a Lessons and Carols event that I know will be excellent. All the decorations throughout the church were put up at the start of the Advent season and the poinsettia plans are on display as well. As I’ve visited in people’s homes, I know many of you have prepared your home with decorations, too. All is prepared for a wonderful Christmas in our community!

With all that’s happening in our world, though, I hope you are finding time and space for God to lead you. Its easy to rush from one thing to another, but I want to invite you to meet with God in this season. Is there something that seems important, but can be set aside so you can have that time you need with God? Or perhaps something you must do can be transformed with a new mindset. Simeon was changed when he met the baby Jesus as he declared, “for my eyes have seen your salvation…” (Luke 2:30). I hope you will be able to see what God has for you this Christmas!

We look forward to our Christmas Eve services at 4 and 8pm. The children’s service at 4pm will have our interactive nativity, with a special focus on the star. No one will need to sign up in advance; just come as you are as we invite children (and adults!) to take on roles as we tell the Christmas story. At 8pm we’ll have a more traditional service. Be sure to join us on Christmas Eve to celebrate Jesus’ birth! Don’t forget that we still have a church service the morning of December 24th (Sunday), where we will celebrate the 4th Sunday of Advent. It will be wonderful as we meet with the Lord this Christmas!

We’ve included an envelope for a Christmas offering in the mail if you would like to give a special gift this year. Also, your giving record so far in 2023 is included for your convenience in that same mailing. If you didn’t get it by the week leading up to Christmas Eve feel free to give us a call at the church office. God bless!

In Christ,

Pastor Brian Neville

Christmas Eve Services
December 24th 10am, 4pm & 8pm
4th Sunday of Advent 10am
Family Service 4pm
Candlelight Service 8pm

Brian Neville 12/7/23 Brian Neville 12/7/23

Tithe Sunday Update

TITHE SUNDAY REPORT

We want to thank everyone who participated in our Tithe Sunday Stewardship Experiment on Sunday, November 19. Thank you to those who did tithe and everyone who gave generously. On Tithe Sunday, 17 individuals or families (I.e. “giving units”) indicated their offering that morning was a Tithe. Our total offerings in church and online that morning totaled $6,491.

By contrast, our normal average weekly offering is $2,845. The 17 offerings that were tithes helped to more than double our offering and increased our available Ministry potential by $3,646! We know that tithing is not a requirement for New Testament Christians and we are completely aware that not everyone feels they can afford to tithe every week. But our Tithe Sunday stewardship experiment does indicate that if more of us did tithe (keep 90% for our needs and just give 10% for God’s work), we at Grace would potentially have $189,592 per year in additional giving to use to carry out Christ’s ministry. In other words, if we accept God’s encouragement to tithe, we at Grace could easily DOUBLE our ministry in our community and the world. And if we do, God promises to”open the windows of Heaven” and pour out blessings so abundantly they overflow!

Several individuals and families said they plan to continue giving a tithe in the future. Most others said they might not be able to tithe but would be as generous as possible in their future giving. Again, thank you for participating in Tithe Sunday and thank you for your on-going generosity in your stewardship support of all our ministries at Grace. We are thankful to God for blessing us at Grace so abundantly.

— Ralph Salzgaber (Lay Leader)

Brian Neville 9/2/23 Brian Neville 9/2/23

Discipleship at Grace United Methodist Church

The United Methodist Church has a mission. It lines up squarely with the words of Jesus to “go and make disciples” in Matthew 28:16-20. Our denomination says it like this, “our mission is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.” Ultimately, everything we do as a church comes down to making disciples, but you might be wondering, what, exactly, does that mean? How do we make disciples?

Making Whole Disciples

I was asked a question along these lines several years ago when I first started at Grace United Methodist Church. One of the things I recognized in answering it was that the things the church historically does (worship, small groups and missions) is not all-encompassing of what it means to be a disciple. Our mind, body, heart and soul all need to be developed in ways that honor God and help us to love our neighbor (Matthew 22:35-40). To that end, I’ve developed a document that is a more inclusive look at what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. It lists some ways we can grow, since literally, anything we do can be done in such a way that it honors God, or shows love to our neighbor and moves us closer to the ideal God has for us. ‘Disciple Making at Grace’ (attached below) shows five categories that help us grow: intercultural competence, emotional intelligence, spirituality, mental development and physical development. All of these areas contribute to discipleship and help us to fulfill our mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ. Too often the church can get caught up in one area, spirituality, and think only “spiritual” things matter, ignoring all the other categories. We recognize focusing on spirituality alone will never be enough for us to be whole disciples.

Churches, though, are uniquely positioned to help people grow spiritually. Out in the world you can find communities and classes that help you grow socially, emotionally, mentally and physically, but you will be hard pressed to find a secular class that helps you grow spiritually. In fact, many of the social ills we suffer from in this country stem from secularization. The less people are challenged to grow spiritually through moral discourse, practicing other-centeredness, and finding meaning in something beyond oneself, the less likely they are to value life. This has all kinds of dire consequences, so we have to take specific steps in the church to help people grow in these specific ways. That’s why we have a vision statement.

The Vision of Grace United Methodist Church

The vision statement of Grace United Methodist Church is to be an inclusive community, passionately following Jesus Christ. This vision statement is narrower than a mission statement, and helps us look at specific actions and tasks people at Grace can do to grow spiritually. This doesn’t mean that making whole disciples is not important, it is, but no one church could possibly do everything it takes for people to grow. We look at three specific areas taken from our vision statement to help us grow spiritually. They are inclusivity, community and passion. Here are a few thoughts on each category:

Inclusivity

Gracious Reconciliation

Several years ago, the Gracious Reconcilers group met to discern what “inclusive” meant for Grace United Methodist Church. Every church will have a different view of this. Some even think that just because you are friendly toward someone you are “inclusive.” That can be far from the case! We have a statement approved by the highest body of our church that says we welcome all. My favorite part of this statement is that we covenant to, “be a congregation who serves all people including the overlooked and the unseen; the people who are seen by God, but who may be invisible to us.” If you’ve ever felt invisible, or unseen, we want you to feel that you have a place here with us.
This group continued to ask what reconciliation means for our church and came up with a welcoming statement recently. This statement is published in our bulletin every week. It says, “We welcome all people as friends in Christ, without prejudice or distinction based on race, national origin, gender, gender identity, social or economic standing, education, sexual orientation, physical or emotional limitations, or any other classification by which humanity divides people.” We understand that human distinctions between people are not the distinctions by which God sees us. We are a new creation in Christ, so any violation against people or God is reconciled through Christ (2 Corinthians 5:14-19).
Grace United Methodist Church is an inclusive place when we “walk a mile in their shoes” and consider things from another person’s perspective. When someone says something we don’t understand, or violates our understanding of God, we don’t berate them, we ask a question. Dialogue is the way forward when we are truly being an inclusive community.

Community

Visitors

Visitors to our church connect in various settings, some only being loosely connected to the church. It is most often Sunday morning worship, but could be any small group, mission, ministry, event, fundraiser, or any encounter members and friends have in the community. At Grace we record the names and information of new people so we can encourage them in this journey. Often it begins with a visit, phone call or email from the pastor, but many people join the church because a friend invited them to come

Members

Membership formalizes part of the discipleship process. As visitors and friends connect with our worship service, attend in small groups and participate in missions work they are taking steps of discipleship. Members take a vow to participate through their prayers, presence, gifts, service and witness. These are key ways members keep these vows at Grace

Worship

Greeters and ushers meet people at the door of our church. Sometimes they even bring an umbrella to your car! But always they have a bulletin and a smile to make you feel welcome in this space. You can fill in a prayer request as you enter, which will be brought to the pastor for a time of corporate prayer. If you have children, they can join our Sunday School program, but don’t forget to fill out a Sunday School form first so we can make sure they are safe. In worship we have songs we sing, prayers and responses that signal our commitment to God, and we listen to the scripture reading. We hear both the Bible read, and an interpretation of that scripture. This sermon is meant to connect with real life as we consider how it is God calls us to live every day. As worship ends we have a coffee hour to spend some time connecting with other folks, but be quick, the children often get the sweet treats first!

Small Groups

We have several small groups in our church. If its your first time, the short-term studies with Pastor Brian are a good start. They last usually 3-4 weeks, for about an hour each week. When you are ready to go deeper, join a long-term group, like the choir or bells groups, the adult studies, the movie club, youth group, the men’s group, or help us relaunch our young adult group.

Missions

Missions work is an exciting area of church ministry. We help feed the homeless or those with transitional housing needs through Family Promise, we make soup to be delivered to those who are sick, hospitalized or homebound through our soup ministry, we assist in educating young minds through CAMP YDP in Paterson, and collect food for CUMAC, a United Methodist ministry in Paterson that feeds over 40,000 per year. That’s not to even mention our Christmas collections, food drives, visits from the congregational care team and the SOUPER Bowl.

Passion

Service

Perhaps the biggest, and most important change that happens in a disciple is when they go from “getting” to “giving.” Participating in worship or a small group or a mission is good. We wish more people would do that! But, we also know we are only limited by the number of people willing to do good in this world. With passionate volunteers and more leaders, the church could do innumerably more good. Are you ready to take the step from being in a small group to leading it? Are you ready to go from sitting in a pew to leading in music or preaching? Are you able to not just offer some support for a good mission project, but to actually make it happen through organizing a project and volunteers? Too often we think we can’t do it. Maybe we think we don’t have the gifts or skills, but discipleship means we are growing! We are developing those skills so that one day we can say “I didn’t have the skills to do this, but now I do.” This is true at any age or stage of life. Someone once told me they were “too old” to volunteer, but I reminded them how they call their friends on the phone all the time. How is that not a gift that God could use to help the church and help build the kingdom of God?! We can serve God and others with any gift we have; it is simply a choice to make the mental shift from being served to serving others. How are you called to serve today?

This is a touch of what the discipleship process looks like here at Grace United Methodist Church. We want to help people become whole disciples, and the best and most unique work we can do as a church is to help people grow spiritually. Opportunities abound, so we invite you to consider what your next step in the discipleship process may be. God bless!

In Christ,
Pastor Brian Neville

Disciple Making at Grace