Our Last Women’s Event Was A Hit!

In April, the ladies of Sovereign Grace Santa Ana put on a massive clothing exchange. This August, join them once again for a time of fellowship and a different kind of exchange.

Bring your favorite recipes, come prepared to taste some of the best recipes and to experience an enjoyable time with other ladies.

Invite Your Santa Ana Friends And Neighbors!

If you would like to bring a recipe or meal to share, require childcare or have any questions, please contact Krista Alvarez at krista@sovgracesantaana.org

We’re Investing In Mike So He Can Invest In Our Church

This Wednesday, Mike Alvarez, who regularly leads us to sing songs of praise, adoration, confession and thanksgiving to our Savior on Sunday mornings, will be headed to Louisville Kentucky for the Sovereign Grace Worship God Conference.

Mike will be learning and relearning throughout the week. He’ll be making connections with other worship leaders. He’ll be refreshing his soul in the Gospel so that he can do the same for us as he leads us in worship on Sunday mornings.

Please pray for Mike as he goes and thank the Lord that we as a church have the opportunity to do things like this for the glory of God and the good of the church (and our neighbors).

WE WANT TO BLESS THE SCHOOL THAT’S BEEN A BLESSING TO US

DROP OFF SUPPLIES THIS SUNDAY, AUGUST 4

We’re hoping that everybody participates in at least some way. If you’re unsure about what you can buy, here’s a list below:

K-Cup coffee pods

Folgers Coffee Cans

Healthy snacks in bulk

Starbucks, Amazon, Grocery Store or Target Gift Cards

Any thoughtful gift to make a teacher feel appreciated.

If you have any questions on what would items would be good to purchase, please contact our church admin, Krista Alvarez (krista@sovgracesantaana.org).

Learning About The Priority of Holiness And Pursuing It Together

Holiness is often misunderstood. It’s often placed into the category of legalism. But Peter instructs us of the words of God - “Be holy for I am holy” (1 Pet. 1:15) and Paul reminds us that God created us for good works (Eph. 2:10). So, it’s clear that holiness is a priority. But how do we pursue holy living and avoid legalism? What is the strength for holiness? What happens when we fail in our pursuit? How do we persevere in holiness? All these questions are valid questions and relate to real life. We’ll discuss these and more as we pursue holiness together over the next number of months in our small groups.

Don’t forget to purchase your copy! $12 on Amazon

FRIDAY, AUGUST 2

This year, we'll be spending the first Friday of every month fasting together and praying for a particular topic. Church members who fast for all 12 Fridays 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, in light of our small group direction for the rest of this fall, we’re praying for the theme of “holiness”. Here are a few ideas to guide your prayer:

• Pray for a grace-motivated pursuit of holiness among the members of our church

• Pray for a pursuit of holiness that’s not legalistic, but filled with joy

• Pray that our conduct as a church would be the light of the Gospel shining toward our neighbors

• Pray that our growth in holiness would lead us to be even more outward oriented toward our neighbors and not ingrown

• Pray that holiness would not be seen as a limitation to our freedom in Christ, but seen as an expression of our freedom in Christ

• Pray that the Holy Spirit would be present and active in the process of sanctifying us

The Forecast Is A Scorcher - Picnic Moved To 4th Street Market

This Sunday is forecast to be 90 degrees. While we love our regular picnic location in the 2nd Street Market, we’re moving for just this one Sunday to an inside location. You can still bring a brown bag lunch and prepare to enjoy a meal in the midst of our Downtown Santa Ana neighbors!

You Need The Prophets … Really!

The 17 books at the end of the Old Testament are probably the 17 books you’re least familiar with in the Bible. They’re the books you’re least prone to read during your devotions. Rarely is a sermon series preached on them. They seem difficult to understand and impractical.

However, if you’re someone who’s fed up - with the world around you, with the vicious cycle of your circumstances or with your own inconsistency and hypocrisy, then there’s no better place to turn in the Bible than the prophets. These books help us to see our deep need for something other than ourselves and the solutions of the world. They bring us to our knees and make us cry out, “God, we need you to break this cycle!”.

For the next four months, we’ll be in the prophets Joel, Micah and Jonah.

This week, we unfortunately don’t have a sermon to listen to. Our church computer was stolen shortly after last Sunday’s service (pray that whoever stole it listens to the sermon!). However, we’ve uploaded the transcript so that you can READ last Sunday’s sermon. Read this introduction to the prophets to prepare for and get excited for what God might do over these next few months.

Read the message here.

Jeff’s Internship Begins August 1

Jeff Schlieder is Sovereign Grace Church of Santa Ana’s first intern. The purpose of his internship will be twofold - to give him an opportunity to test out his gifting in a variety of teaching, leadership and administrative contexts. The other purpose is for the sake of evaluation. When members of the church aspire to pastoral ministry or some other leadership context or position, yet have little knowledge of whether or not gifting exists, whether or not they would really enjoy it or have a calling from God to it, positions like internships are helpful both for the individual and the church.

You play a large part in Jeff’s internship. Near the end of his internship, we’ll ask for your observations and perspectives. Beyond evaluation, though, please encourage Jeff. More importantly, be praying for Jeff and God’s leadership in his life and Taylor’s life as they embark together in this new season.

We celebrate God’s grace through Jeff and Taylor!

Pick It Up On Amazon For Under $15

The Bible is inspired by God - literally written by God and conveying to us us the very mind of God. It’s a well of riches and truth with no end. On the other hand, the Bible is intended to be read and understood. By everybody. If you’re unsure how to start reading the Bible, if you’ve ever struggled to understand the Bible or if you simply need a refresher on the wonder of the Bible, this book is for you. It’s available in both English and Spanish.

Get the English version here.

Get the Spanish version here.

We Want To Bless The School That’s Been A Blessing To Us

As the summer progresses towards its inevitable end and toward the start of a new school year, teachers, students and families are beginning to open their minds - and their wallets - toward the expenses of the next two semesters of school. Acknowledging that Back to School can be a financially difficult time for both families and educators, we are hosting a small school supply drive for Heninger Elementary School.

Drop Off Supplies on Sunday, July 28 or on the Deadline of August 4

We’re hoping that everybody participates in at least some way. If you’re unsure about what you can buy, here’s a list below:

For Students:

Backpacks

School supply gift cards

For Teachers:

Lysol/Clorox wipes

Hand sanitizer

Whiteboard markers

Whiteboard erasers

Whiteboard cleaner

School supply gift cards

Teacher appreciation gifts

Kleenex

Staplers and Staples

Tape dispensers and tape

Quality black, blue and red pens

Large Scissors

Copy Paper

Paper Towels