Every first & third Friday at 7pm, three different groups meet throughout our city to share in the joy of Jesus, care for one another, and apply the gospel to each other’s lives. Outside of Sunday mornings, small groups are the most important moments in the life of our church. Make it a priority to attend one this Friday.
Every Tuesday we publish a blog post to lay out in one place what’s going in the life of the church for the upcoming week. See below for a snapshot of what’s on the calendar this week:
6:30am - French Park Grass Area
7:00pm - Calle Cuatro Plaza, Santa Ana (Details here)
7:00pm - Houlton, Roenicke & Erkelens Home
10:00am - Meeting Room: Ballroom
Prayer is central to our mission of spreading the joy of Jesus in our city. This Thursday, we have the privilege of partnering with pastors and community leaders in Santa Ana to seek God’s glory and our neighbor’s good through prayer. Mark your calendars, stop by on your lunch break, and join us downtown at Calle Cuatro Plaza, Santa Ana as we gather together with the church in our city for the good of our city.
Paul says in Ephesians 4:25 that we are one body, yet “members one of another”. So, think of church membership not so much as “membership in a club” and more as an expression of commitment to the people around you. The Bible is full of “one anothers” - commands toward believers to act in godliness toward other people. What Scripture makes clear is that these “others” refer to a specific group of people and not all people generally. These others are the men and women identified in a particular local church. As members of Cross of Grace Santa Ana, we have the privilege of living out the Christian life with one another. We celebrate and grieve with one another. We build deep relationship with one another. We join arms to advance the joy of Jesus in a particular neighborhood with one another. We help one another pursue holiness. We remind one another of the sweetness of the gospel.
In light of this, we praise God for the new members, Justin Hernandez, Elikai Madrigal and Luke Augustin, we had the joy of introducing this last Sunday. Be encouraged by what new member, Luke, had to share with us during their new member testimony:
I grew up in a Lutheran church in Yorba Linda where I regularly attended Sunday school and eventually went to services with my family until I was 14 years old. It was then, in 2016, that we moved to the new non-denominational church just down the street from our home in Anaheim Hills. Upon moving to this church, my attendance rapidly decreased until I only attended holiday services every few months, if that. I was hardly in the Word, I was not praying often, and I was serving two masters throughout highschool and for a majority of my time in college.
But, three months ago, to this day, it was by God’s grace and divine providence that I found Cross of Grace through a simple Google search. From day one, I knew this was exactly where the Lord wanted me because I truly met Him here that day. I met him through brothers and sisters like yourselves who exemplified what it looks like to follow Christ, to be conformed to His image, and to be sanctified by the truth of His Word. The Lord also met me here through the blessing of the fine preaching of our three pastors. Your words serve as a guide for me to a deeper understanding of the Scripture, and they teach me how to properly apply God’s knowledge to my life. That’s something that must be appreciated because it’s truly a gift from the Holy Spirit. Also, small groups at the Erkelens’ home and men’s meetings at Hopper & Burr can’t be discounted. They’ve both had a profound impact in fighting the spiritual battles that often seem to ramp up midway through the week. If you haven’t been to one of these meetings before, I encourage you to do so.
As I take this next step into membership here, a primary goal of mine is to serve the
church and community of Santa Ana as often as the opportunities present themselves. In
Philippians 2, the Lord commands us to count others more significant than ourselves with all
humility, not looking only at our interests but also at the interests of others. Thank you.
We look forward to joining our new members in spreading the joy of Jesus in Downtown Santa Ana!
We are an ordinary church. We do the same things ordinary Christians have done since the very beginning. Yet, at the center of all this stands a glorious Savior. While we might be ordinary, we have extraordinary expectations of what he'll do among us.
Our Women’s Ministry exists to spur women on in their pursuit of Christ through biblical discussion and building friendships. This month, we’ll break from our usual location and meet at the back patio of 4th Street Market. Join us for a night of fun and fellowship in the center of our city!
This upcoming Sunday, we have the privilege of welcoming new members into our midst. These are people who have committed to participating in the life of the church and performing the “one anothers” of Scripture with this local body of Christ. They’re also individuals whom we, as a church, commit to do the same with and for. We praise God for his grace and the advancement of his gospel in Santa Ana.
Every Tuesday we publish a blog post to lay out in one place what’s going in the life of the church for the upcoming week. See below for a snapshot of what’s on the calendar this week:
6:30am - French Park Grass Area
7:00pm - 4th St. Market (201 E Fourth St., Santa Ana)
8:00am - Flower St & Civic Center Drive (Sign up here)
10:00am - Meeting Room: Ballroom
Let’s keep building community in Santa Ana one run at a time! Sign up for the 5k, 10k, or Kid’s Dash event. Most of the race events are free! There will be a resource fair following the event. Don’t miss the opportunity to go into our city and get to know neighbors who don’t know Jesus.
Make sure to sign-up with a couple friends, you can find all the registration and event information here.
This Sunday, we were joined by guest preacher Tim Owens from our sister church, Sovereign Grace Church of Pasadena. He reminded us that our hearts within us and the world around us are constantly tempting us to believe that true life and freedom are found apart from God. But this couldn't be further from the truth! God's words come to us with life-giving power. His ways are opened to us that we might enter into unmatched freedom. And all this comes to us through faith in Jesus. The Word who became flesh, walked perfectly in the ways of God, and welcomes us into a life of true living that he won for us upon the cross.
