Thank you for continuing to give your Sunday mornings and Friday evenings to your church family. We had previously communicated that all in-person gatherings would be cancelled at least through the end of March. Now that the end of March is here, we’re now announcing that this pattern will continue at least through the end of April.

GATHERINGS CANCELLED THROUGH THE END OF APRIL - BUT DON’T WASTE YOUR QUARANTINE

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 at least until the end of April. This is difficult for us. We love you. We miss you. Nevertheless, we highboy encourage you to make the best of this quarantine. This is a unique opportunity for us as Christians in many ways.

We encourage you to continue doing the following:

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.

Join in on our weekly Zoom Prayer meetings on Friday Nights at 7pm.

2. CARRY YOUR NEIGHBORS’ NEEDS WITH THEM - SHARE THE NEIGHBOR RELIEF PROGRAM

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.

If you come across Santa Ana neighbors who are suffering financially with few other resources to turn to, please send them the Neighbor Relief Fund application.

3. READ AT LEAST ONE “BOOK OF THE MONTH”

For the last 9 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. SHARE LIFE WITH ONE ANOTHER VIRTUALLY

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 post them to social media.

Consider having “Zoom dinners” with your brothers and sisters. Do “drive by greetings” to one another in the church.

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.

… But They Won’t Forever

Take a few minutes today and read this blog post written by Carolyn Mahaney  “Tears May Tarry for Now” that was shared on the Sovereign Grace Churches’ website. Sorrow may wash over you heart at various times during this crisis. But God is at work. You need to be reminded of that.

After reading, have a conversation with those in your household over what you read. Discuss it with another family over a “Zoom dinner”. Look up the Scriptures referenced and meditate on them. Fill your mind with God’s Truth rather than the varying opinions and perspectives of everyone around you.

Celebrating The Public Proclamation of New Life in Christ Over Livestream

Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, we had been planning a baptism for this Sunday. Though we can not all be together in person to celebrate, we can still celebrate from afar.

During our Sunday livestream this week, we’ll be baptizing Gusi Requena - you won’t want to miss this. It’s one of the most significant moments for any local church; the moment when somebody publicly declares their faith in Christ and we together affirm as witnesses their citizenship in God’s Kingdom. Nothing short of incredible. While not present in person, you can celebrate and rejoice in the grace of God as you watch and participate in the affirming of the proclamation that a life has been raised from the dead by the grace of our God.

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@sovgracesantana.org to begin the conversation. 

KEEP SENDING PICTURES OF YOUR HOUSEHOLD WORSHIPPING TOGETHER

This was our third Sunday apart from each other and we deeply miss you all. 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 livestream Sunday.

WE’VE BEEN ASKING 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. Thank you everyone for praying for our son’s wedding (Sammy and Veronica). Although it was much smaller than originally planned, it was beautiful. Praise God for answered prayer. 

2. Pray for those who are sheltering at home alone. This is particularly difficult for those whoa aren’t surrounded by a whole household of people. Pray for the comfort of the presence of the Lord.

3. Pray for those who have lost their jobs, been furloughed or whose hours have been reduced.

4. Pray for those working in essential services as they go to work and risk infection. Pray for peace and protection.

5. Pray for the spiritual growth and development of each member of our church. Pray that the Lord would strengthen our devotional lives, that He would teach us of His goodness, and that He would draw us near to Himself in dependence

KEEP SENDING PRAYER REQUESTS TO PRAYERS@SOVGRACESANTAANA.ORG.

We Don’t Know When. But We Know He’s Coming Back.

In a time when instability and uncertainty dominates the landscape around us, we have un unshakeable assurance that Jesus is still in control and will one day come back to receive His own to Himself. Until then, our role is to live “soberly” as we await His coming. Listen to this past week’s message to ground yourself in one of the most rock-solid assurances you can have.

Listen to this week’s sermon here.

How do we understand a “pandemic” biblically? Why is this happening? What role does such an event have in God’s redemptive purposes? These are important fundamental questions to have answers to. Thankfully, God’s Word speaks very clearly to each of them.

Take a few minutes and read this blog post written by Kevin DeYoung, “The Coronavirus is a Result of the Fall”.

Have a conversation with those in your household over what you read. Discuss it with another family over a “Zoom dinner”. Look up the Scriptures referenced and mediate on them. Fill your mind with God’s Truth rather than the varying opinions and perspectives of everyone around you.

Let’s Worship Together While We Are apart

This Thursday night (March 26th), Sovereign Grace Music is hosting a livestream worship session!

Let's all tune in together at 4:30pm PST and sing praises to our Lord.

You can find Sovereign Grace Music’s Facebook page here.

Life is rapidly changing for everyone. People are working from home, kids are home from school and overall adjusting to being limited to staying in their homes . Events, hangouts, and parties are canceled. It’s tough. We wanted to provide a little window into some of these changes as a reminder that we’re all in this together.

Below we’ve included photos from members with a short note. If you’d like to be included in a future blog post, please send a picture to photos@sovgracesantaana.org with a brief description.

I’m officing full time out of Silas’ bedroom, since Kelsey already works from home at our “home office”. The desk under the bunk bed is a suitable place to work, though! The kids are loving having both mom and dad home, but it’s been more difficult than expected to find a new routine that balances everyone’s schedule. - Kyle Houlton

“In this time it was my goal to engage my students and give them an opportunity to come together and express themselves musically and perform for others. I put this video together of them playing a song I wrote- here’s the video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfEXhq2Iz3Q&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR2jfnsu2c73opL8At_vhw-edwVe7zTc3CF53ScYjWeBW2AoFNcVHZsf_uE” - Mike Alvarez

“Rayanne and I have been having a lot of fun baking together. Last Sunday we made cinnamon coffee cake before church! “ - Krista Alvarez

“The wedding is on. Thank you all for praying! I am working on wedding stuff and here’s Jim’s project.” - Angie Cunningham

“Kyle is working from home so we are just laying low and hanging out with this little girl! She got some cool new shades from my aunt.” - Cat Roche

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. Please continue to pray. Sammy and Veronica have decided to postpone the big celebration and have a small backyard ceremony next Saturday. Please pray for wisdom as we try to work out details and good health for us all. Thank you for walking through this process with us. We feel your love and support and faith! Pray for our son’s wedding; still haven’t finalized a place. Pray the wedding would honor the Lord and be extra special for Veronica and Sammy.

2. Praying for the staff and residents of the Orange County Rescue Mission as well as the staff and residents at homeless shelters in the city of Santa Ana. Asking the Lord to give wisdom to the leaders and staff to keep those in their care healthy that outbreaks of COVID-19 among an already vulnerable population living in close quarters would be prevented. Asking the Lord to protect these high density communities as well as those who work in them.

3. My nephew’s 3-year-old son, Simon, is receiving his first round of intense chemo right now because he has brain cancer.  Please pray for healing and protection for his hearing, vision and cognitive function 

KEEP SENDING PRAYER REQUESTS TO PRAYERS@SOVGRACESANTAANA.ORG.