This Sunday, June 4th.
Are you new to Sovereign Grace? Looking for a way to make a connection? Join our guest luncheon this Sunday. There's no agenda or sales pitch. It's just lunch with a group of newcomers like yourself, hosted by a pastor and his wife. New friends getting to know one another.
Are you sitting in the same place you sat on your first Sunday?
Here's a really easy way for you to make friends and serve our guests. Choose new seats. Move up, move back, sit on the other side of the isle. Isn't it funny how we are all creatures of habit, often sitting in the same seat we sat in on week one? If you do nothing else just move 2 rows forward. Here's why...
- Moving forward serves our guests, who often find it uncomfortable to have to sit up front because all of us regulars "reserved" the back.
- Moving forward serves younger families with squirmy kids who need to get out of their seats from time to time.
- Moving forward also sounds better. The singing gets louder up front because the entire congregation is singing in one direction...towards the front.
- Moving forward encourages our leaders. It's lonely up there when the first couple rows are empty.
- Moving forward forces those who sit in front of you to move too ;)
No big deal if you need to keep your regular seats. Stay put. We're talking to the rest of us "creatures of habit."
Head over to www.challies.com to test your understanding of the cross of Christ and his work of atonement.
A Second Full-Time Pastor
This past Sunday Pastor Eric announced plans to employ a second full-time pastor. The Pastoral Team has deliberated over this for over a year, consulted our Finance and Law Committee, many of our church members, and even a few outsiders. It will take courage and sacrifice. Nobody believes the road ahead is easy. Good but not easy.
One of the challenges we face is finances. We don't yet have a budget that can sustain a second staff pastor. We are close and getting closer and this is in large part due to your generosity. Thank you. We've been saving for years and will be able to use some of our cash reserves to meet the projected shortfall over the next two years.
Another challenge we face is selecting a candidate. As of today, both Dustin Smetona and Lucas Enge are willing and eager to take the position and we wish we could hire both! Thank you men (and your wives) for your desire to serve us. You already serve us so well as volunteers. We have no intention at this time of entertaining any other candidates. Yet, as you can imagine, this too is a big challenge. We are asking Dustin and Lucas to be part of the decision process. We are functioning as a healthy plurality. The Pastoral Team (including the candidates) must select a candidate. This requires maturity and grace and, as Pastor Eric reported on Sunday "No surprise. So far so good."
There are many more details and we are planning a series of blog posts in the weeks to come. We will also be soliciting church members for input and affirmation. You don't have to hesitate. Contact a church leader if you have something to say. In the meantime, two requests:
Please pray for wisdom and unity.
Please attend our Members meeting. Sunday, June 11, 2017
Deny God's wrath and you deny God's love.
Pastor Eric preached last Sunday from Romans 1:18-25, perhaps the beginning of the most offensive part of the Book of Romans. The Apostle Paul begins with God's wrath, reminding us of God's opposition against everything that opposes Him. His wrath, Paul will argue, is a critical component of the gospel. You don't have a gospel if there is no wrath.
We are building the best Children's Ministry in Old Towne Orange and we need your help! Faithful men and women have labored to serve our kids and families every Sunday since the church began. Click the link below and join the team!
Volunteer Application
Thank you for making a memory.
Our ambition to spread the joy of Jesus by establishing neighborhood churches took a giant leap forward last Sunday night. May God use us all to save more Californians. We are counting by ones.
