Further Reading on the Sacraments
Further Reading on the Sacraments

Interested in diving deeper into the subject of baptism or feasting your mind on the topic of the Lord’s Table? Here’s a few suggestions for you:

Sovereign Grace Churches Statement of Faith - We Believe: A Statement of Faith - See section 12, paragraph 3, “The Sacraments of the Church.”

The free PDF can be found here: We Believe: A Statement of Faith (PDF)


Books

40 Questions About Baptism and the Lord's Supper, by John S. Hammet

From Paedobaptism to Credobaptism, by W. Gary Crampton

Believer’s Baptism: Sign of the New Covenant in Christ, edited by Thomas Schreiner

The Lord’s Supper as a Means of Grace: More than a Memory, by Richard Barcellos (quoted in Sunday’s sermon)

The Lord’s Supper: Eternal Word in Broken Bread, by Robert Letham

Systematic Theology, by Wayne Grudem (see chapters 48-50, Means of Grace Within the Church, Baptism, and The Lord’s Supper)

Español: Teologia Sistemica

Articles

God's Visible Media: The Sacraments in a Digital Age, by Daniel R. Hyde

Means of Grace, by Ligonier Ministries

What is a Means of Grace, by Nicholas T. Batzig

Baptism, by Stephen Wellum

The Lord's Supper, by Jonathan Griffiths

The Ordinances of the Church, by Gregg Allison

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Redemption - As Real As The Cup In Your Hand
Redemption - As Real As The Cup In Your Hand

OUR ANNUAL COMMUNION SERVICE

On Sunday, Jeff Schlieder conveyed from Acts a Biblical understanding of the sacraments of the Church - Communion and Baptism. While we can often “go through the motions” with these two sacraments, we were encouraged to value them, see the Gospel made visible and tangible in them and to treat them as expressions of God’s grace to us. The sermon was followed by a special bilingual sharing of the Lord’s Table and an offsite lunch afterward.

Listen to the sermon and check out the additional blog post with suggested resources to deepen your understanding and appreciation of the sacraments Christ gave to us.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

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Seek First - Our March Book of the Month
Seek First - Our March Book of the Month

SEEK FIRST - HOW THE KINGDOM OF GOD CHANGES EVERYTHING

Jeremy Treat, pastor at Reality Church in LA, offers what amounts to an outstanding introduction to the Gospel through the lens of the Kingdom of God in a way that’s understandable to Christians of all ages. A book recently read and highly recommended by both pastor Kyle and pastor Jeff, Seek First is a rare find among books that are published by young contemporary authors.

Treat opens the book with a strong statement: “The key to life is finding what matters most and building your life around it”. He concludes that the answer to what matters most is what Jesus talked the most about and instructed His followers to “seek first” - the Kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33). As we continue our Sunday preaching series in Acts, where we watch the Kingdom of God breaking into the world, Seek First is a great complement to aid your understand of what God’s Kingdom is and what it means to actually live seeking His kingdom in all of life.

YOU CAN PURCHASE THE BOOK HERE

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Don't Forget To Change Your Clocks!
Don't Forget To Change Your Clocks!

SET YOUR CLOCKS AHEAD ONE HOUR SATURDAY NIGHT

It is almost time to spring forward! Daylight Savings time 2021 begins at 2 a.m. local time on Sunday, March 14. Make sure before you head to bed on Saturday night to set your clocks one hour ahead so you make it to church on time.

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*UPDATED 3/11/21* - A Comprehensive List of Resources To Give To Your Struggling Neighbors
*UPDATED 3/11/21* - A Comprehensive List of Resources To Give To Your Struggling Neighbors

GOD HAS BEEN MERCIFUL TO US IN CHRIST. WE WANT TO BE MERCIFUL TOWARD ONE ANOTHER AND OUR NEIGHBORS

If you or your neighbors are facing medical, financial, food-related, or any other kind of challenges due to the coronavirus outbreak, here’s your one-stop shop of resources available to residents of Santa Ana and throughout Orange County. We will update this list on a weekly basis to keep you up to date on all available resources.

COVID-19 Community Resources

CGSA Neighbor Relief Program - Neighbor Relief — Cross of Grace Santa Ana 

An emergency relief effort of Cross of Grace Santa Ana, first, for the sake of members of our church and secondarily, for the sake of neighbors who have a connection to our church. Funds have been made available to assist those whose regular income has been affected by the coronavirus to the extent that provision of food and payment of essential utilities has become an acute hardship. 

Santa Ana Resources

Santa Ana 65+ Residents COVID Vaccine Access - Call Latino Health Access at 714-805-7838 to schedule a vaccination appointment today

Santa Ana CARES - 714-667-2273 - COVID-19 Resources - A one-stop shop for a wide range of community resources for Santa Ana residents 

Santa Ana Residents Rental Assistance - https://santaana.211oc.org/ - Enter your information to determine eligibility.

COVID-19 testing at Santa Ana College - https://sna.epiconnector.com/covid ​ or call 800-446-8888

Eviction prevention for low-income residents - https://www.santa-ana.org/SAVES ​ or call 211

Rental assistance and business resources - https://www.santa-ana.org/covid19 

Blueprint for a Safer Economy - Blueprint for a Safer Economy - Coronavirus COVID-19 Response - Up to date information on “where” we’re at in state re-opening process at the county level. Type in “Orange” in the “County” textbox to check on the status of activities in the county. 

Medical Assistance

  • COVID-19 Vaccination Resources - COVID-19 Vaccine Resources | Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) The latest news on vaccine distribution and availability.

  • Othena Testing & Vaccination App -https://othena.com/individuals.php Use the Othena App to locate and schedule vaccination appointments as they become available for your tier-group.

  • COVID-19 Testing and Screening - FDA Approved testing in OC COVID-19 Testing, 2020 - By appointment only. No out of pocket cost but your insurance may be billed later. 

  • Santa Ana COVID-19 Testing - AltaMed-Santa Ana Bristol - 888-499-9303 for appointment. 2720 S. Bristol St. #104, Santa Ana; Mon - Sat, 9am - 3pm

  • Additional Testing in Buena Park, Orange, & San Juan Capistrano - 888-634-1123  COVID-19 Test Registration 

  • COVID-19 Hotline - 714-834-2000 

General questions regarding COVID-19

  • Health Referral Hotline - 800-564-8448

The Orange County Health Care Agency has established a Health Referral Hotline to call if you suspect you have COVID-19 symptoms or have questions about the virus.

Financial Assistance

  • Emergency Rental Assistance Program for OC Renters - https://era.211oc.org/ - Enter your information to determine eligibility. Excludes residents of Anaheim, Santa Ana, and Irvine. 

  • Protections for Renters - The CARES Acts (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security) provides certain protections from eviction and late fees due to nonpayment of rent for most tenants in federally subsidized or federally backed housing.

Protections for renters

  • Rental/Utility Assistance - Salvation Army of OC - 714-384-0481 

    • Santa Ana Office - 1710 West Edinger Avenue, Santa Ana, CA 92703

    • Other cities served: Fullerton, La Habra, Yorba Linda, Brea, Placentia, Buena Park - 714-451-8080; Anaheim and Villa Park - 714-783-2344

  • Rental/Utility Assistance - Share Our Selves - 949-270-2100

Financial Assistance

  • Rental/Utility Assistance - Serving People In Need (SPIN) - 714-751-1101

Latest News for COVID-19 response; Programs for those in need

  • Rental/Utility/Misc. Assistance - St. Vincent de Paul in Orange County - 714-542-0448 The Society of St. Vincent De Paul OC

    • 1505 East Seventeenth Street Suite #109, Santa Ana, CA 92705 

    • St. Vincent de Paul provides home visits, hospital visits, food pantries and grocery distribution, financial aid for utilities, medication, household items, rent assistance, temporary housing (motel voucher), transportation (bus passes, gasoline), and clothing. 

For those who have experienced job-layoffs or a reduction in hours/pay:

Additional State-sponsored assistance:

  • OC Social Services Agency - How to Apply - To apply for various aid/relief programs such as CalFresh (food stamps), CalWorks (homeless, diversion, and immediate need assistance), and General Relief (temporary cash assistance to adults without children).

Job Opportunities - for those in need of employment due to lay-offs or temporary furlough

Childcare Assistance

Mental Health Assistance

Senior Resources

Community Resources

Food/Grocery Assistance

The CA Meals for Kids mobile application helps you find nearby California Afterschool and Summer Meal Programs Sites through your iOS, Android, or Microsoft devices.

Additional Resources by City:

Select the service from: Food, Food Pantries, or Grab & Go Meals at https://www.211oc.org/ and on the page that loads, search by city in the section that reads, “Search for resources in or near a location”

General Services - https://www.211oc.org/

Dial 2-1-1 to be linked to any of the following services: 

  • Women, infants and children (WIC) help

  • Food and food stamps

  • Homeless shelters

  • Substance abuse

  • Prenatal care

  • Help with housing assistance

  • Help with utilities

  • Emergency housing

  • 24-hour crisis, suicide help and suicide counseling

  • Mental health services

  • Food distribution

  • Access to healthcare

  • Medical, dental help and vision clinics

  • Government assistance programs

  • Transportation assistance

  • Elder services

  • Nutrition assistance

  • Help for low-income families

  • Other youth and child care issues

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This Week at Cross of Grace
This Week at Cross of Grace

MARCH 8-14

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, MARCH 11: MEN’S GROUP

  • 7:00 pm - 4th Street Market

SUNDAY, MARCH 14: COMMUNION SUNDAY GATHERING AT THE EBELL CLUB

  • 10:00 am - Meeting Room: Outdoor Courtyard

  • 12:00pm - Communion lunch in Schlieder backyard

  • ***REMEMBER*** Daylight Savings time changes this Saturday night. As you wake up on Sunday morning, don’t forget to “spring your clocks forward” and arrive to church at the right time.

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Register for ¡Confident Conversations!- Our 2021 Spring Class
Register for ¡Confident Conversations!- Our 2021 Spring Class

A SPANISH CLASS FOR ANYONE

Our 2021 Spring Class starts in less than two weeks on March 22! This year’s Spring Class is meant to equip us to live better together with our Spanish-speaking church members, friends, and neighbors. Whether you don’t know any Spanish but are eager to press into the lives of Spanish-speaking friends and neighbors, or you took 3 years in high school but are too shy to ever use it day to day, this is a class for you. Even if you’re a fluent Spanish speaker, we’d welcome you to join and be an encouragement to those seeking to learn. All levels of Spanish-learners are welcome to join and grow in both the knowledge and confidence that are needed to have real and regular Spanish conversations.

The format will be 6 class sessions, held every other week (2nd and 4th Mondays of each month) at 7:00 pm in-person, in the Schlieder backyard. These class sessions will be a hybrid of a lecture-based learning approach, interactive activities and language learning exercises, and real conversations that pair Spanish-learning and Spanish-speaking church members together.

In preparation for the class, there will be no book assigned to read. Everything will be covered in the sessions and the only materials you’ll need will be something to write with, a notebook, and the willingness to press into the unfamiliar!

REGISTER HERE

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Communion Service - This Sunday
Communion Service - This Sunday

OUR ANNUAL COMMUNION SERVICE - ONLY DIFFERENT

This Sunday, we will be resuming our annual tradition of holding a communion service on the spring daylight savings Sunday. However, while it’s usually held in the evening, this year’s service will be held at our normal Sunday service time of 10:00 am. While we usually share a full-on meal together, we will only be taking the elements of the bread and the cup together. What will mark this service as unique, though, is an emphasis on the sacraments and what they mean for our lives together as Christians. Come ready to learn and to worship.

An optional lunch will be held outdoors at the Schlieder home after the service. Information to follow on the church’s Slack channel. For questions, please email office@crossofgracesa.org.

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The Life of Jesus In The Life of The Church
The Life of Jesus In The Life of The Church

DO YOU EXPECT THE MIRACULOUS WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT?

Theologian Ekhard Schnabel explains that “miracles demonstrate that the resurrected life and work of Jesus continue in the life and work of the church”. This happens through the Holy Spirit, who is constantly at work among us. The questions we’re left with then are, “do you have eyes for the ‘everyday’ miracles of God?'“ and “do you expect and pray for God’s Spirit to perform the miraculous among us?”

To learn more about what the Bible teaches about miracles and what implications that has for your life, listen to last Sunday’s sermon from Acts 19:11-12.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

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