Rosario Rubi recently completed an abuse counseling course. She received her certification last week. 

A Picture of God Equipping His Church

We celebrate moments like these because they're windows into God's equipping activity of His church. He gives gifts, talents, abilities and skills in order that each member might be able to better care for their fellow brothers and sisters and extend compassion toward our neighbors. We're grateful for Rosario and what her labor represents. We look forward to celebrating many other moments like this. 

Shakespeare. Downtown Santa Ana. Free Admission. Kid Friendly. This event has it all.

For the past 5 years, Shakespeare by the Sea has put on a Shakespeare Play in Birch park in July. Hundreds of people come out for it and it's an overall great time. Bring out your lawn chairs and picnic dinners and enjoy an evening watching a play with our DTSA neighbors. 

There are 5 community gardens spread throughout the City of Santa Ana. They need volunteers.

Get Your Hands Dirty

Each garden has its own volunteer schedule but becoming involved is simple. Volunteering at one of these gardens is a great way to meet some of our DTSA neighbors while tangibly serving our community. Questions can be directed to Angie Cunningham at angiesc11@gmail.com. 

Baptisms are the biggest celebrations in our local church. They're a public demonstration of what God has done in a new Christian's life by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. 

An Outward Sign of an Inward Work

If you've never been baptized or even if you were baptized as a child and you consider yourself a Christian and you'd like to be baptized, email kyle@sovgraceoc.org to begin the conversation. 

The preached word is at the heart of our Sunday meetings. It's the moment when we worship God together as a church family by learning and being changed by His Truth. Through this means of grace, God implants His Word in our hearts and conforms us into the image of Christ. While the Holy Spirit is the agent of this work, we want to provide you with whatever resources possible to make the best of your time listening to the preached Word. 

A Journal + The Gospel of John

This past Sunday, we gave everyone a copy of the ESV Scripture Journal for the book of John. This resource has the text on the left hand side of every page and space for journaling or note-taking on the right hand side. Use it to take notes during sermons or to journal through the book as you follow along in your devotions. If you haven't received yours yet, ask an usher this next Sunday. 

The Erkelens family will be heading out of town for over a month. We'll miss them dearly.

A Time To Be Rejuvenated

While we feel the absence of friends, we also want to pray that the Lord would use times like these to do His work in and through our friends. Pray that the Lord would build this family of 5 and build Christopher and Rebecca's marriage further into Christ. Pray for rejuvenation; that they'd return to us more equipped and more energized for Gospel ministry in DTSA. 

"If you're interested in volunteering with the Santa Ana Community Garden Program, simply show up to one of the gardens and fill out an application onsite. You can begin volunteering immediately and you accumulate hours and receive prizes for the more hours you volunteer. You also can take home any produce that is ready to be harvested! Woohoo! An additional garden, The Roosevelt Walker Garden located at 816 E Chestnut, just opened last Monday, June 25." - Angie Cunningham

Get Your Hands Dirty in Our Community - Literally!

This is a great and easy opportunity to serve our community and to meet some of our Santa Ana friends and neighbors. For more information, contact Angie Cunningham at angiesc11@gmail.com. 

Friday, July 6

This year, we'll be spending the first Friday of every month. Church members who fast for all 12 Fridays (all 11 since we missed January) will be invited to a year-end party to celebrate the answers to our prayers. If fasting is new to you, here are some instructions. 

This month, we'll be praying for peace in our city. Look below for a few ideas of topics to pray for along the theme of peace:

• Pray for peace in homes where there is no peace - between husbands and wives, children and parents.
• Pray for the peace of salvation through the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
• Pray for peace between people of different cultures and ethnicities. Pray that racism would be crucified in the cross in our city. 
• Pray for peace for those living in the turbulent and peace-less situation of homelessness.
• Pray for the cessation of violent crime.
• Pray for peace between different Gospel-proclaiming efforts in our city. 
• Pray for peace within our local church

We planted a church to spread the joy of Jesus in Downtown Santa Ana. When that happens, people believe in Jesus and, the joy of joys, people get saved. In the New Testament, when people get saved, they get baptized. 

Sunday, July 29th, Immediately Following The Service

Baptism is an outward evidence of an inward work; it's the evidence of the Gospel at work in saving sinners in DTSA. It's also the privilege and joy of both the one being baptized and the church witnessing the baptism. On the 29th, we'll follow the service with baptisms and then a potluck to celebrate. 

Click here to learn more about the sacrament of baptism

Click here if you would like to be baptized

On Sunday, July 15, we'll begin a new series through the Gospel of John. We're looking forward to it because for the entire time we spend in this book, you'll be encountering the life, ministry and mission of the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ. It's a big book so packed with goodness that in the last verse, John, the author even says, "there are many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written" (John 21:25). 

Needless to say, it's a book worth studying if you want to grow closer to Jesus! We'd recommend reading through it yourself at least once before July 15th. 

We've made a version without chapters, verses or headings for you to read through.