SWEET HYMNS OF JOY - IN GRATEFUL CHORUS RAISE WE

If you haven’t already started, the time is now to break out the Christmas music! The season of Advent is upon us and for the next 5 Sundays, we’ll be singing the songs of our Savior’s birth as we come together as a church. To prepare you to sing loudly and joyfully, we’ve put together a playlist of ALL the songs we’ll be singing through the end of the year.

Add the Cross of Grace Santa Ana Advent 2022 Playlist to your Christmas mix and come ready to celebrate that Christ was born for us!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING FROM CROSS OF GRACE SANTA ANA!

We are a people who have much to be thankful for!

Thankful that we are loved and cared for by our Heavenly Father.

Thankful that we belong to Christ and have passed from death to life.

Thankful that we have the fellowship of the Spirit who gives us peace, comfort, and joy.

Thankful for all we have received from the gracious hand of God.

Thankful that we get to be the church together here in Downtown Santa Ana.

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever” - Ps 136:1

NOVEMBER 21 - NOVEMBER 27

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:

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 27: SUNDAY GATHERING AT THE EBELL CLUB

• 10:00 am - Meeting Room: Ballroom

plan to be AT THE MADRIGAL HOME ON FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2ND AT 6:30PM

You're invited to our annual Christmas potluck to enjoy an evening of fellowship, fun, and white elephant gift exchanges as we celebrate the coming of Christ!

HERE’S WHAT TO EXPECT:

1. Costume Contest - Compete to win the “Costume of Christmas” Award. Bonus points will be assigned if your costume pairs with your potluck item!

2. White Elephant Gift Exchange - We’ll have 2 gift exchanges, one for the kids and one for adults. Please bring a pre-wrapped & unlabeled gift to enter into the exchange. For the kids, just grab something from around the house. For adults, there’s a $5 spending limit, but we encourage you to find something fun around the house if you can.

3. Potluck - We’re calling on you to help us have plenty of tasty Christmas treats to eat and drink. Please follow the general outline below when bringing a potluck item to share:

   • If you are a party of 1-2, bring a drink and/or dessert to share

   • If you are a party of 3, bring a side dish to share

   • If you are a party of 4 or more, bring a main dish to share

god has been gracious to others. there’s plenty left for you.

As the Gospel of Mark approaches chapter 8, Jesus travels into regions inhabited by Gentiles. This journey begs one enormous question: will Jesus do for non-Jews what He has done for the Jews? This question maps onto our own experience. The bitter root of comparison and envy takes hold in our hearts and we wonder, “will God be gracious to me like I see Him being gracious to that person in my life?” The three accounts in Mark 7:24-8:10 and the cross that Jesus is eminently marching toward, though, answer all such questions. Listen to last Sunday’s sermon to learn more.

listen to the sermon here

REGISTER YOUR CHILDREN BEFORE SERVICE ON SUNDAY

The day has finally arrived. Digital check-in is here! This Sunday, you’ll notice a new table in the lobby. Look for a Children’s Ministry Check-In sign, some instructions, and a few QR codes. You can check your kids into Children’s Ministry as early as 9:45am BEFORE the service begins. This is what it will look like:

• Come to the table between 9:45am-10am & scan the QR code with your mobile device.

• Fill out the new online registration form. It’ll take just a minute to complete.

• After you’ve completed the one-time registration form, you’ll check your children in through our online Check-In form, grab a sticker, and come back to drop off your child during the 3-minute break.

We’re excited to expedite our check-in process! Not only will it make check-in easier on our parents and volunteers, it will give us more time to talk to each other and meet new people during the break. It’s a win-win! We encourage you to make the Children’s Ministry Pre-Check a part of your regular Sunday routine.

DON’T MISS IT! THIS FRIDAY AT 7PM

Before we head into our annual December “Fallow Month” - where we cancel all church events aside from Sunday service and our all-church Christmas Party - we have one last opportunity to gather together as small groups. Outside of Sunday mornings, small groups are the most important moment in the life of our church. Make it a priority to attend the final small group of 2022 in order to encourage one another and be encouraged. To care for others and to be cared for. To point your brothers and sisters to Christ and apply his gospel to their lives, and experience the same.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT SMALL GROUPS, CLICK HERE

JOIN US FOR FRIENDSGIVING AT 6:30PM

Because of the Thanksgiving holiday, we’re moving our monthly Women’s Meeting up a week. Tonight, the ladies of CGSA are gathering to share in an informal Friendsgiving dinner as they share in the grace of friendship. We’ll have appetizers, snacks, and desserts for you to enjoy as we spend the evening celebrating God’s goodness through our relationships and giving thanks to his name.

LADIES, SEE YOU TONIGHT AT THE SCHLIEDER HOME

NOVEMBER 15 - NOVEMBER 21

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:

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17: WOMEN’S MEETING - FRIENDSGIVING

• 6:30 pm - Schlieder Home

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 18: SMALL GROUPS

• 7:00 pm - Houlton, Schlieder, and Erkelens Home

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 21: FALL FINANCE CLASS

• 7:00 pm - Cunningham Home

OUR SHAPING VIRTUES (OCTOBER 2022)

It’s here! The fifth edition of the Sovereign Grace Journal. It’s written by Sovereign Grace pastors for the pastors and members of Sovereign Grace Churches. This edition highlights “our shaping virtues”. While our 7 Shared Values describe what we believe, our Shaping Virtues describe the character attributes we aspire to “put on” (Col. 3:12) as members of Sovereign Grace Churches. The Shared Values characterize the convictions that bind us together, the Shaping Virtues characterize the church culture we’re aiming to build. It’s well worth the read. We hope you will enjoy it. You can download the entire PDF. Or purchase a hard copy on Amazon. Or simply read it article by article (below).

DOWNLOAD THE PDF OR PURCHASE ON AMAZON