POSTPONED TO SPRING 2024

We’ve decided to postpone the trip to Rancho 3M. Thank you to all who have prayerfully expressed interest and desired to use your time and resources to serve our Gospel partners in Guadalupe, Mexico. 

WHILE THIS MAY SOUND LIKE UNFORTUNATE NEWS, IT’S NOT. WHY?

1. Because we’re only postponing a few months. What was supposed to be a fall, 2023 trip will now simply become a spring, 2024 trip. 

2. The main reason we’re postponing is because we have a lot scheduled during the fall - most of it having to do with pressing into our local mission in Santa Ana. We want to be careful not to dilute or take away from what the Lord is doing to bear fruit in our efforts to reach our neighbors with the Gospel. 

3. The date switch actually serves the Rancho 3M staff. Spring 2024 is looking pretty slow right now; not many teams are scheduled and the staff need a lot of help coming out of the difficult winter months. We also had several key Spanish-speaking individuals and leaders from our church who would not have been able to attend. 

So, after prayerful consideration, we’ve decided to postpone. We’ll get the new date out ASAP. Keep praying. Stay excited. 

We have every intention of making this trip happen and being as effective for our Gospel partners as we possibly can be. 

BUT JESUS’ RESCUE PRECEDES OUR RENDERING

This week, we resumed our sermon series in the Gospel of Mark. We're back in the Temple with Jesus during Holy Week & the Sanhedrin have sent a new group of challengers to trap him. The Pharisees and the Herodians come to him with a question about taxes - "Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar?" (12:14). Jesus’ ingenious reply states, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's" (12:17). Caesar minted coins, so give those back to him. But God has made us in his image, so give yourselves wholly to him. But what Jesus knows about every person in His audience, including us, is that nobody has perfectly rendered their lives to God - we’re all in debt. He knows He’ll render His life for us. The cross looms large over this passage and any attempt on our part to render to God what belongs to God.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

CARING FOR ONE ANOTHER BY EDWARD WELCH

Continuing on in the trajectory of our Discipleship Spring Class, May’s Book of the Month will further equip us to help each other follow Christ in every aspect of life. From the back cover:

Imagine . . . an interconnected group of people who entrust themselves to each other. You can speak of your pain, and someone responds with compassion and prayer. You can speak of your joys, and someone rejoices with you. You can ask for help with sinful struggles, and someone prays with you.

The goal of this book is that these meaningful relationships will become a natural part of daily life in your church. With short chapters and discussion questions meant to be read in a group setting, Ed Welch guides small groups through eight lessons that show what it looks like when ordinary, needy people care for other ordinary, needy people in everyday life.

PURCHASE A COPY OF THE BOOK HERE

EVERY FIRST FRIDAY OF THE MONTH WITH ROTATING SMALL GROUPS

This May, Prayer in the Park returns. Prayer is central to our mission and, in 2023, our small groups have been taking to French Park on the the first Friday of the month to pray for the good of our neighborhood. Asking Jesus to save Santa Anans, meet our neighbors according to his grace, and open doors for sharing his gospel and spreading his joy.

THE HOULTON SMALL GROUP WILL BE MEETING AT FRENCH PARK AT 7PM

EVERY 1ST & 3RD FRIDAY OF THE MONTH AT 7PM

Outside of Sunday mornings, small groups are the most important moment in the life of our church. Make it a priority to attend small group this Friday at 7pm 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

MAY 1 - MAY 8

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, MAY 4: FRENCH PARK RUN CLUB

• 6:30 am - French Park Grass Area

THURSDAY, MAY 4: NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER

• 12:00 pm - First Presbyterian Church of Santa Ana

  • See flyer for more details

FRIDAY, MAY 5: PRAYER IN THE PARK OR SMALL GROUP

• 7:00 pm - French Park Grass Area (Houlton Small Group)

• 7:00 pm - Erkelens & Schlieder Home

SUNDAY, MAY 7: SUNDAY GATHERING AT THE EBELL CLUB

• 10:00 am - Meeting Room: Ballroom

MONDAY, MAY 8: SPRING CLASS

• 7:00 pm - Houlton Home

SGC SECOND QUARTER 2023 PRAYER REQUESTS

From Mark Prater, Executive Director of our family of churches:

Jesus says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5) For our family of churches to bear much gospel fruit we must continue to abide in Christ because apart from him we can do nothing. Jesus’ words capture our utter dependence upon him. One of the ways that we abide dependently on Christ is through prayer for Jesus says a couple of verses later in John 15:7, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” Asking is a practical expression of abiding dependently on Christ.

Together, we can ask Jesus to provide for our needs. And as you ask, my prayer is that you would abide in Christ even more.

Thanks for praying.

• Pray that God would give the members and pastors of Sovereign Grace churches a renewed desire, and opportuni;es to share the gospel with unbelievers in our communities, on our campuses, and in our workplaces.

• Pray for the Ark Church in Dnipro, Ukraine asking God to protect them, and to use them to meet practical needs, and to offer gospel hope to people impacted by the war.

• Pray for Ed O’Mara and Rocco Dalia as they plant a Sovereign Grace church in Torino, Italy later this year asking God to provide housing, financial resources, and a Sunday meeting place.

• Pray for the second Sovereign Grace Europe Pastors meeting in Warsaw Poland, June 20-22, 2023, asking God to strengthen relationships and provide wisdom for how our churches in Europe can partner together to advance the gospel.

• Pray for the Fieles Conference in Juarez, Mexico, August 9-11, 2023, asking God to encourage, equip, and strengthen the pastors and wives attending from Mexico and Latin America. Pray also for Carlos Contreras as he leads this strategic conference.

• Pray that God would provide Mandarin speaking members of Sovereign Grace churches to form a core team to help Perry Wang plant Jishi Church (Cornerstone Church) in Charleston, SC later this year.

• Pray that God would continue to provide financially for Sovereign Grace Churches so that we can fund the gospel opportunities He is giving us throughout the world.

“MAKE THE BEST USE OF THE TIME” - SPEND $1/ WEEK ON MISSION

The final week of our evangelism mini-series. In week two, we were reminded that the Risen Jesus continues his work in the world through us. On Sunday, we asked: practically, what does this mission look like in our church? How will we share the gospel with our neighbors, be on mission in our city, and spread the joy of Jesus in Santa Ana? Col 4:2-6 provides us with answers to these questions and provides us with 4 key aspects of ordinary evangelism: prayer, gospel partnership, speaking the language of grace, and loving our neighbors on purpose.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

ALL LADIES, HIGH-SCHOOL AGE AND OLDER ARE INVITED

Our Women’s Ministry exists to spur women on in their pursuit of Christ through biblical discussion and building friendships. Each month the ladies of CGSA meet together for a time of discussion and prayer in order to grow in Christ and grow as friends. Tonight they’ll gather to experience biblical fellowship, share their lives, and encourage each other in the gospel.

Join us tonight at 7pm at the Schlieder Home

REMINDER: ELEMENTARY CLASS WILL TAKE A BREAK every 5th sunday

This Sunday is the 5th Sunday in April, so we’ll only offer the Preschool Class. All kids 6 and up will remain with us after the singing portion of our service to hear the preached word outside of their usual classroom setting. We’ll have coloring sheets, our pastors will prepare the kids to listen well to the Sunday sermon, and children and their parents will hear the gospel side by side.

We believe this break will provide an opportunity to bridge the gap between Children’s Ministry and the regular life of the church and get our kids ready for what comes next once they graduate from the Elementary Class. We also believe it will provide a helpful pattern of rest for our Children’s Ministry volunteers who serve so joyfully and selflessly every Sunday morning.