The Grindstone Island United Methodist Church
P.O. Box 411
Clayton, NY 13624
April 2023
Dear Fellow Grindstoners,
Once again our river comes to life as spring approaches. The local webcams are showing open water and boats on their way. Soon we will be back on the Island with family and friends to renew the bonds that tie us to Grindstone.
Attached are the Church Calendar and the Community Calendar which project a very busy summer. Dodge Hall, The Research and Heritage Center, the Church and the Winery have worked together to minimize schedule conflicts while blending all the activities of each entity into a full summer calendar. Thank you to Caroline Larson for all her hard work in pulling it all together.
You will see that Jeff McArn, Charlie Moehs, and Art Couch will continue to provide ministry for our congregation. Jeff also adds the wonderful Parsonage Dinners and Charlie will do Prayer Groups to round out the season. We have added the Blessing of the Animals so no one is left out of the umbrella of the Church’s caring and prayer.
Shortly we will be sending out a survey to, once again, ask for your opinions and ideas of how to make the Church more relevant to you and your family. Please share your ideas and thoughts as this is your Church and we need your help to ensure its future. In the survey we are also asking for you to volunteer to help with the support of the Sunday services. In the past few years ushering, coffees, flowers, Mission collection and Sunday school aides have fallen on the heads of a very few people. Please raise your hand and volunteer for at least one small effort to support your church.
We have met the challenge of returning the Carriage House to be the social anchor of our Church activities through three years of hard work. We now have to rise to the significant new challenge we have before us. As I have mentioned before, the Church roof and possible roof structure is in trouble. Your Council, including our Trustees and with help from knowledgeable Islanders, must tackle this significant problem this year. We intend to get an engineering assessment of the problem, define the scope of the damage, determine who can help us fix it and figure out how we will pay for the cost we will be facing. No small task. If there is anyone in our Grindstone community who would be willing to help us attack any portion of this problem, please let me know of your willingness to help.
So I invite you to return to our Church on the Island to commune in spirit with your family, neighbors and friends. Please bring others to join you to sustain our membership and link us all to our unbroken circle.
See you in Church,
Betsy Fitter-Council Chair Jeff McArn-Summer Minister Jim Helpinstill- Treasurer
