Advent at Grace UMC

It's time for Advent! Copies of this year's Advent devotional are available to pick up at the church, and a full list of Advent and Christmas activities can be found at www.graceumc-stl.org/advent.

Lessons & Carols Service

Celebrate the Christmas season this Sunday, December 14th  at 4pm with festive music at Grace United Methodist Church! Our candlelight Lessons and Carols service tells the Christmas story through music and scripture readings, following a tradition dating back about 150 years to Kings College, Cambridge. Candlelight carol services have been sung at Grace since the 1950s, and this year, the spotlight is on American music: Gospel, Spirituals, and Appalachian and Southern folk styles. The service features choir, organ and bell choir. Childcare will be provided, and the service will be streamed at www.facebook.com/GraceUMCSTL. The Special Offering will benefit UMCOR International.

United Women in Faith Christmas Luncheon

The final 2025 gathering for United Women in Faith will be on Tuesday, December 16th for our annual Christmas luncheon. Lunch will be served at 12:30pm ($10 donation suggested for this special event). We would love to know if you’re coming, so please sign up at https://forms.gle/TiSH1jDxsy7UHmLo6. (If you signed up in person at our last meeting, we will add your name to the list).

Following our delicious meal, we will be entertained by one of our music interns Audrey Sondag. Audrey, a native of Norman, Oklahoma, is a senior at Webster University pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance with a minor in Dance. This past spring, Audrey spent eight weeks studying abroad in Vienna, Austria. She is passionate about accessibility, diversity, and representation in the performing arts. This coming year Audrey will be performing in Cendrillon at Webster University and Romeo et Juliette with Winter Opera St. Louis.

Longest Night Service

Join us on Wednesday, December 17th  at 6:30pm for our Longest Night service. Though Christmas is a time of joy and hope, we also recognize that fear and grief are often present too, weighing on us like a heavy fog. Join us for a quiet worship service, guided by candlelight as we keep vigil, inviting God to join us no matter what emotions are present. The service will be streamed at www.facebook.com/GraceUMCSTL.

Carols & Cocoa at Grace UMC Parsonage

We'll meet at the Grace parsonage and walk around our church neighborhood to spread Christmas cheer. At 7:30pm, we'll return to the parsonage to warm up with cocoa, cookies, and Christmas stories!

Christmas Eve at Grace UMC
Join Grace United Methodist Church for Christmas Eve at 4pm or 8pm! Our 4pm service will feature a Children's Black Light Extravaganza and activities for the whole family. Both services will feature special music and conclude with congregational singing of Silent Night by candlelight. Can’t make it in person? The services will be streamed live on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/GraceUMCSTL.

Click here to see a full calendar of Children's Ministry events in December!

Sunday School Field Trip to the St. Louis Art Museum 

On Sunday, December 14th, Children’s Sunday School will take a field trip to the St. Louis Art Museum to have a Sunday School Session in the exhibit featuring The Annunciation of the Flight into Egypt. We will meet at the museum at 9:50am. Parents and kids are invited to come see the sculpture, hear the inspirational story, and enjoy a lesson in the museum. We will head back over to church and be back in time for Children’s Church. Please register at https://forms.gle/SkGepRHmC9j5K7t68 if you plan to attend.

Parent & Guardian Meeting for Current and Upcoming Middle School Youth

Parents and guardians are invited to a 30 minute meeting on Sunday December 21st at 9:30am with Pastor Katie to talk about what's coming down the pike for our current middle schoolers and our 5th graders who will be graduating this summer. We will meet in the Parlor (right by the Sunday morning snacks). 

Star of Wonder Family Epiphany Celebration

Kids of all ages are invited to stay after church on Sunday, January 4th for a soup & chili potluck and then join us for Celestial fun in honor of Epiphany. We will have activities, crafts, and fun planned for kids ages 0 and up. Parents are invited to stay with their kids or leave them in our care to help with the church-wide effort to take down Christmas decorations and reset the church for the new year. Children under age 3 will need a parent present at the event. Please register at www.graceumc-stl.org/star-of-wonder if you plan to attend.

Bible Blast for 3rd-5th Grade

All 3rd-5th grade students are invited to our next Bible Blast on Sunday, February 8th!! Join us in Fellowship Hall for lunch at 11:30am and stay for the games and learning as we take another step in learning more about our Bibles. The event will conclude by 1pm.

Frostbite Festival

Families are invited to join Grace UMC for Frostbite Festival on Presidents' Day (Monday, February 16th) 9am-12pm. There will be crafts, games, fun and food for kids of all ages and their adults. We’ll have lunch about 11:30am. Bring an adult, and show up ready to play! There is no cost for this event, but we do need to know if you’re coming, so please RSVP at https://forms.gle/CM3WL3uhm5kpakgD7

Birth Stories of the First Century

Join us at 9:30am on Sundays December 7th-21st for Birth Stories of the First Century with Pastor Dori Hudson! The first class will take place in the Chapel and subsequent classes will be held in Fellowship Hall. When we think of birth stories, we talk about hours in labor, size of the baby, etc. That is not what a birth story was about in Jesus' time. Those birth stories were about who the person became and how they were divine. Normal people did not have birth stories, only emperors, queens, and kings. We will look at the birth stories in John, Matthew, and Luke. How did they speak of who Jesus became, how are they different, and how are they politically treasonous?

Notary Sessions for Initiative Petitions

Join the Grace UMC Social Justice Team on Wednesdays December 10th from 5:30-7:30pm to have your signed petitions notarized. These petitions can be for Respect MO Voters, MO4LGBTQ, People Not Politicians, and more! 

Mitten Tree

During Advent, Grace will once again have an undecorated Christmas tree by the East Entrance, upon which donations of gloves, mittens, warm socks and warm scarves may be placed. In early January, we will check with our public school partners and/or some of our other partner ministries and distribute these donations to organizations who need them for the students and/or clients they serve.

Sunday Morning Hospitality Team

Are you feeling called to serve on Grace UMC’s Sunday Morning Hospitality Team? Serving on the Sunday Morning Hospitality Team is a wonderful way to share the grace and love of God with all who enter our building! This ministry welcomes newcomers to Grace UMC, ensuring all who enter our building on Sunday morning experience the intentionally open and kind spirit of our congregation. There are multiple opportunities to serve on the Sunday Morning Hospitality Team as either a Greeter or an Usher. To learn more about these roles, please visit www.graceumc-stl.org/hospitality. This page includes a sign up sheet, or you can just show up!

Lift Every Voice: Advocacy Scripts from the Social Justice Team

Grace UMC's Social Justice Team has been sending out Lift Every Voice emails to make it easier to make your voice heard on important legislative issues. Each email includes a quick, concise explanation of one concerning issue, a link for more detailed information, a list of names and associated emails/phone numbers of appropriate elected officials, and a pre-written script to use or ignore at your discretion. Click here to sign up and access previous issues.

LuMin College Ministry: Sunday Nights at the Campus House

Join LuMin College Ministry at LuMin House (7019 Forsyth Blvd.) for Upper Room Worship @ 7:30 pm and Fellowship Gathering @ 8:30pm. No experience necessary. You are welcome. Visit www.lcmstl.org for more information. Contact Pastor Tina, Campus Pastor, at 314-626-3202 or pastorluminstl@gmail.com.