Each Friday Until Church Life Returns To Normal

This Friday, we won’t be meeting in small groups in-person. However, until our church calendar normalizes and we’re allowed to meet together again, we’ll conduct a 1-hour zoom call to receive a brief update from one another and pray together for one another and for our neighbors.

Please Make This a Priority On Your Calendar

The call-in information for this call is listed below:

Call in online or with the app: https://zoom.us/j/6583688098 (Meeting ID: 658 368 8098)

Call in on your phone without the app or internet: +16699009128,,6583688098# US

We Asked You To Send Us Your Prayer Requests

Thank you for responding and sending them. We’re so used to knowing one another’s needs through experiencing regular fellowship. We talk to one another on Sunday morning. We share life together at small group. We host one another in our homes. We can’t do any of that right now. It’s important to know, however, how to pray for one another and to ask the Lord to guide us, sustain us and encourage us each individually in this season. Here are the prayer requests from this past week (anonymity is maintained):

1. PRAYING THAT GOD MAY USE THIS TIME TO PREPARE US AS A CHURCH AND KEEP US UNITED THROUGH THE UNEXPECTED. KEEPING FOCUS ON HIM BY WHOM WE WERE CALLED.

2. There would be enough food/supplies in the stores for those who do not have enough money to stock up.

3. All the families in our church would not catch the virus 

4. My own personal anxiety- I have never had anxiety in my life and I started feeling chest pains and anxiety that is probably related to the hysteria 

5. My prayer request would be how I can help out more during this time of uncertainty for so many people. We have the hope of the Gospel, the return of Jesus to look forward to and therefore need not fear death. Others in our community and some our loved ones who don’t know Jesus don’t have that luxury. I want to be more in the community by doing something tangible during this time and not sure where to start. Prayer in this regard would be greatly appreciated. :)

6. Pray for our son Sam and fiancée Veronica who are planning their wedding In 2weeks. Pray that the corona virus wouldn’t ruin their plans.

7. Pray for my mother as she’s experienced a heart scare and is now recovering from a pacemaker implant

Keep Sending Prayer Requests to prayers@sovgracesantaana.org.

Our City is Affected In Many Ways

The COVID-19 virus is affecting everyone in our city in many different ways. We wanted to provide a list of ways that you can help our community during this time.

1) Prayer. The best thing we can do for our neighbors is to pray for them during this chaotic time. This requires knowing what their needs are. Are they reeling from trying to figure out how to manage their schedule with their kids now at home full time? Are they worrying about losing their job? Have they been sent home from work with no sick/vacation pay? Are they worried and anxious about the future? Are they running low on groceries?

2) Support Small Businesses: Many DTSA businesses rely on the visitors they get during the day. Consider buying a giftcard or ordering food for pick up to support them in this season, while practicing social distancing. Downtown Santa Ana’s Facebook page, is a great place to stay up to date on local businesses.

3) Check on your neighbors. Send them a message or give them a call and let them know you are happy to help them if needed.

4) Lastly, stay up to date. Things are changing every day- to stay up to date on the happenings in our city we recommend following them on social media or checking out the city’s website here.

To learn about school closures, click here.

With Coronavirus News Developing Quickly Each Week, Our Church Calendar Must Adapt

Krista, our church admin, is working hard to keep our calendar updated by the day. If you want to be sure you have the most updated calendar information, head to the website and subscribe to our church calendar here.

Reminder: All In-Person Meetings Have Been Cancelled at Least Through The End of March

This includes our in-person small group meetings this week, our Sunday service and the Picnic in the Promenade.

Subscribe to the Church Calendar here.

Keep Sending Pictures of Your Household Worshipping Together

This was our first Sunday apart from each other. We missed you terribly. We’re grateful to the Lord, though, for modern technological advances that allow us to worship together despite the inability to meet in person. Thank you for sending photos and videos of your household worshipping together to photos@sovgracesantaana.org. We loved seeing them. This will be what services look like for at least another few weeks, so keep sending them along to remind your brothers and sisters of the voices that are joining together with them as we sing, listen and pray on Sunday mornings. Take a look at a few photos from this first livestream Sunday.

If you missed tuning into the first livestream, you can listen to this week’s sermon here.

Thank you for spending your Sunday morning with us online. It was different, but it was sweet nonetheless knowing that our church was singing, listening and praying together from a distant. During the service, we promised you a more comprehensive update. Here’s what you should expect for the foreseeable future:

All In-Person Church Gatherings Cancelled Through The End of March

This includes Sunday gatherings, small groups, men’s and women’s meetings, picnics in the promenades and informal times together. That also means that our services will be live-streamed for at least the next two Sundays and likely even the next three or four. This is difficult for us. We love you. We miss you. We know you feel the same and that the longing to be together again will only intensify.

Yesterday, we heard from Christopher Erkelens that Paul instructs his readers to “live quietly”. In other words, God calls us to “a rebellion of peace”. Paul was writing to a church who existed in a morally tumultuous time and place and encourages them to live the “mundane” Christian life of trusting God, loving God, working with your hands, loving one another and loving neighbors. In the midst of a different kind of tumultuous time, God nevertheless calls us to “live quietly” when a virus threatens our patterns and rhythms of life.

So … how do we as Sovereign Grace Church of Santa Ana “live quietly” together during this season? Let us suggest 5 ways:

1. Share Your Needs With One Another

   You’ve already heard the instruction to send your prayer requests in to prayers@sovgracesantaana.org. Thank you to those who have done so. Go ahead and continue to send them. We’ll pray (anonymously) every Sunday for the specific needs of our members. Don’t limit it to just sending a weekly prayer request email, though. We have text messaging and Slack. Share your needs with your small group. Seek one another’s counsel on decisions you’re facing. Continue to live in the community in the absence of physical community.

2. Carry Your Neighbors’ Needs With Them

   Your neighbors are scared. They might be afraid of running out of food. They might feel vulnerable to the virus. They might be anxious about the economy. They might have been laid off from work. Their kids’ school may have been cancelled and now they’re lacking childcare. This is a uniquely wonderful time to carry the burdens of our neighbors with them. Ask them how you can pray for them. Ask them if there are any tangible ways you can help them. Love them fiercely during this season.

3. Read At Least One “Book of the Month”

   For the last 8 months, we have recommended one book every month for your spiritual growth and reading enjoyment. You may or may not be a reader, but reading an instructive book is a great way to spend some of the extra downtime you might find yourself with over the next few weeks.

4. Revive Your Devotional Life

   One of the wonders of the Gospel is that through the blood of Christ, we’ve been reconciled to God. We have a relationship with Him that’s so close that His Spirit is living within us. In other words, though we can’t be together with one another, you cannot be separated from God’s presence. Press into your relationship with Him through prayer. Pick up your Bible and renew your discipline of daily Bible reading. Memorize Scripture. Use this time well to strengthen your fellowship with Christ in the absence of in-person fellowship with one another.

5. Celebrate Your Experience of God’s Grace - #peaceinsantaana

   Use social media well. Take pictures of how you’re “living quietly” as a follower of Christ in these days. Catalogue your “rebellion of peace”. Send pictures to photos@sovgracesantaana.org or out them to social media and use the hashtag #peaceinsantaana.

This is going to turn out well, friends. We’ll experience God’s grace in fresh new ways. We can’t wait to be back together with you. Until then, enjoy your rebellion of peace.

¿POR QUÉ ESTA DECISIÓN?

1. PORQUE SOMETERNOS A NUESTRAS AUTORIDADES GOBERNANTES ES UNA EXPRESIÓN DE CONFIANZA Y OBEDECCIÓN DEL SEÑOR  

   En medio de las críticas a la exageración y al pánico excesivos, debemos preguntarnos: “¿Qué significa ser la iglesia local en un momento como este? ¿Cómo honramos a Dios en Santa Ana? No podemos curar el virus. No podemos responder las preguntas de todos al respecto. No podemos calmar el pánico del mundo. Podemos confiar en el Señor.

   Una forma en que podemos confiar en el Señor es sometiéndonos a nuestras autoridades de gobierno. Romanos 13:1 instruye a los cristianos a someterse a las autoridades que gobiernan por encima de nosotros ... porque han sido instituidos por Dios mismo. Con tal que nuestros legisladores y gobernadores no nos instruyan a violar la Palabra de Dios, es nuestra alegre responsabilidad someternos a los mismos, siempre confiando en el Señor.

   El gobernador Gavin Newsom ha recomendado que las reuniones de menos de 250 personas no deberían reunirse en persona si no se puede enforzar un "espacio social de 6 pies". Esta recomendación solo es efectiva en la medida en que la gente la siga.Como iglesia, tenemos la oportunidad de seguir con alegría esta recomendación mientras confiamos en el Señor. 

2. PORQUE AMAMOS Y CUIDAMOS DE NUESTROS VECINOS DE SANTA ANA

   Los líderes de esta iglesia no son expertos en salud pública. No sabemos los peligros y amenazas de este virus. No conocemos los detalles específicos sobre la detección, el tratamiento o la contención. Aquellos que sí saben esas cosas han recomendado una respuesta particular al virus en aras de reducir su propagación. Esto se está haciendo por la seguridad y el bien de nuestros vecinos. Nuestra decisión de cumplir con estas recomendaciones es una declaración a nuestro vecindario de que amamos y cuidamos a nuestra comunidad. Somos una iglesia del vecindario que existe para difundir la Alegría de Jesús por el bien de nuestros vecinos. Esta decisión es una expresión de nuestra misión.

3. PORQUE MIENTRAS LA REUNIÓN EN PERSONA ES IDEAL, EL CORAZÓN DE NUESTRA REUNIÓN NO CAMBIA. 

   A través del advenimiento de los avances tecnológicos modernos, aún podemos adorar "juntos" en estas circunstancias únicas. Podemos cantar juntos, escuchar la Palabra de Dios predicada juntos y orar juntos. Nuestra oración, de hecho, es que el Señor nos enseñe y profundice nuestra comprensión de la naturaleza de los principios cristianos esenciales como la adoración, el compañerismo y el discipulado.Manténgase atento a nuestra página de Facebook para ver anuncios sobre cómo sintonizar nuestro servicio de transmisión en vivo de Facebook (Facebook Live) a las 10:30 am.

4. PORQUE DIOS ES NUESTRO REFUGIO Y FUERZA

   Queremos ser muy claros: no nos estamos "escondiendo" del virus por miedo. Estamos jugando nuestra parte en nuestra comunidad de Santa Ana para promover la salud de la comunidad, por respeto a nuestras autoridades gubernamentales y amor por nuestros vecinos.

   Nosotros no tenemos ninguna razón para entrar en pánico. La tierra gime bajo el peso de los efectos del pecado. Los gemidos son particularmente fuertes en este momento. Pero Jesús ha vencido al pecado. Jesús ha vencido a la muerte. El Señor es nuestro refugio y fortaleza. Nuestro sentido de seguridad, protección y bienestar proviene de saber que Él ha declarado el final desde el principio y está trabajando en Su poder soberano, incluso ahora, para lograr Sus propósitos redentores en Cristo Jesús.

   *** LEA EL BLOG AL PRINCIPIO DE LA PRÓXIMA SEMANA PARA ACTUALIZACIONES SOBRE NUESTRAS REUNIONES DURANTE EL MES DE MARZO ***

Why This Decision?

1. Because Submitting To Our Governing Authorities Is An Expression of Trusting and Obeying the Lord

   In the midst of critiques of excessive hype and panic, we have to ask ourselves, “what does it mean to be the local church in a time like this? How do we honor God in Santa Ana?” We can’t cure the virus. We can’t answer everybody’s questions about it. We can’t quell the world’s panic. We can trust the Lord.

   One way that we can trust the Lord is by submitting to our governing authorities. Romans 13:1 instructs Christians to submit to the governing authorities above us … because they’ve been instituted by God Himself. If our lawmakers and governors don’t instruct us to violate God’s Word, it’s our joyful responsibility to submit to them out of trust in the Lord.

   Governor Gavin Newsom has recommended that gatherings smaller than 250 people should not gather in person if a “6 foot social space” cannot be enforced. This recommendation is only effective insofar as people follow it.

   We have to opportunity as a church to joyfully follow this recommendation as we trust the Lord.

2. Because We Love and Care About Our Santa Ana Neighbors

   The leaders of this church aren’t public health experts. We don’t know the dangers and threats of this virus. We don’t know the specifics about screening, treatment or containment. Those who do know those things have recommended a particular response to the virus for the sake of curtailing its spread. This is being done for the safety and good of our neighbors. Our decision to abide by these recommendations is intended to a statement to our community that we love and care for our community. We are a neighborhood church that exists to spread the Joy of Jesus for the good of our neighbors. This decision is an expression of just that.

3. Because While Gathering in Person Is Ideal, the Heart of Our Gathering is Still Possible

   Through the advent of modern technological advances, we can still worship “together” in these unique circumstances. We can sing together, listen to God’s Word preached together and pray together. Our prayer, in fact, is that the Lord would teach us and deepen our understanding of the nature of essential Christian principles such as worship, fellowship and discipleship.

   Keep an eye on our facebook page for announcements of how to tune into our 10:30am Facebook live livestream service.

4. Because God is Our Refuge and Strength

   We want to be very clear - we are not “hiding” from the virus out of fear. We are playing our part in our Santa Ana community to promote community health, out of respect for our governing authorities and love for our neighbors.

   We, of all people, have no reason to panic. The earth is groaning under the weight of the effects of sin. The groans are particularly loud right now. But Jesus has defeated sin. Jesus has defeated death. The Lord is our Refuge and Strength. Our sense of safety, security and well-being comes from knowing that He has declared the beginning from the end and is working in His sovereign power, even now, to accomplish His redemptive purposes in Christ Jesus.

***Look To The Blog At The Beginning of Next Week For Further Updates Regarding Our Gatherings Through the Month of March***

PLAN ON STAYING AFTER THE SERVICE

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@sovgracesantaana.org to begin the conversation. 

Jeff Schlieder has been serving for the past 8 months as the first intern at Sovereign Grace Church of Santa Ana. The role he’s occupied is one which serves the purpose of evaluation - it’s a period when the church has the opportunity to watch and experience a person’s gifting in order to determine how God might be calling that individual to serve a particular role in the church. We’ve wondered if God has called Jeff to be a pastor of Sovereign Grace Church of Santa Ana. And we believe it’s a task given to the local church to assess the calling and gifting of a potential pastor.

Three Weeks to Submit Your Feedback On Jeff’s Internship

So far, we’ve heard nothing but positive feedback. We’re grateful to God for the work that seems to be evidenced in his life. However, we won’t assume we’ve heard everything from you. Before Jeff is proceeded on to the next stage of being positioned as a leader in our church, we’re giving you a final opportunity to provide your assessment of his leadership, character and influence in the church. Maybe it’s nothing but good and providing evidence of God’s grace. If so, go ahead and tell us. We want to be prudent where we need to be prudent and celebrate where we can celebrate.

Your Thoughts Can be Submitted Through This Form.