SANTA ANA VACCINATION CLINIC
This Saturday the city of Santa Ana will be hosting a COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic for individuals 18 and older at the Second Baptist Church. If you’re interested in getting vaccinated or know of any friends or Santa Ana neighbors who are, appointments can be made by following the link below. Walk-ins are also welcome, but appointments are preferred.
REGISTER HERE for an appointment
MOTHER’S DAY IS THE DEADLINE
A few weeks ago, we started participating in a fundraiser for Livingwell Pregnancy Center, a local nonprofit dedicated to loving mothers and loving their babies, even if not yet born. This is important work and it strikes near to God’s heart for the most vulnerable among us.
If you haven’t yet taken a bottle, this Sunday is the last Sunday to pick one up. Once you grab one, don’t forget to fill it up with coins and dollars to help fund Livingwell’s mission. There are just a few more days to do so!
For questions, contact Angie Cunningham.
APRIL 26 - MAY 2
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:
MONDAY, APRIL 26: SPRING CLASS
7:00 pm - Schlieder Home
SUNDAY, MAY 2: SUNDAY GATHERING AT THE EBELL CLUB
10:00 am - Meeting Room: Ballroom
SUNDAY, MAY 2: MEMBERS MEETING
11:30 am - Meeting Room: Ballroom
STAY AN EXTRA 30 MINUTES AFTER SERVICE
Every six months, we hold a brief members meeting immediately after the service. This meeting is mandatory for all members, but guests are welcome as well. This meeting is a time to communicate what we wouldn’t communicate on a typical Sunday morning. We’ll look back on what God has graciously done in the last 6 months in our church and look forward to where we believe God is taking us as a church. Also, during this members meeting, we will indeed be making some big, exciting announcements.
As soon as the service ends, here’s how things will go:
Parents will pick up kids from children’s ministry and bring them back to the auditorium
Setup team will break down as much as possible in the foyer and children’s ministry classroom, but leave everything in place in the ballroom
The members meeting will promptly begin 10 minutes after the service has ended
Parents, please bring a snack for your kids if you think they’ll get hungry. We also understand that they might become a bit restless and make some noise. Please know that this is ok.
We commit to keeping you no longer than 30 minutes
Once the members meeting concludes, the ballroom may be broken down
HAVE A FAMILY FROM A DIFFERENT SMALL GROUP OVER
Four times every year, there are 5 Fridays in a month - which means that we miss the joy of gathering as small groups for an additional week (since small groups only gather on the 1st and 3rd Fridays).
We encourage you to take full advantage of this free week and experience the joy of fellowship by investing into another family or member of the church. Consider inviting someone or multiple someones from a different small group over to your house, out for dinner or even for a casual hang in the evening either on Friday itself or on another night this week.
HE’S ALSO COMMITTED TO GIVING US HIS PRESENCE
Jesus has placed us in Santa Ana for a reason - He’s called us to make disciples in this city, baptizing them and teaching them all that Jesus commanded. This isn’t a suggestion Jesus has given us - it’s a command; a commission. He alone has authority to send us. But He alone also provides what we need to go and have the confidence to go and to have any hope of actually accomplishing what He has sent us out to do. He has promised His presence and that changes everything. This last Sunday, we heard God’s Word preached from Matthew 28:18-20. God stirred our hearts by His Spirit to take the Gospel of His grace to our unbelieving friends and neighbors.
For security reasons related to Sunday’s guest preacher, the sermon was not recorded - either via audio or video. However, here are a few resources to continue your learning and progress toward walking in obedience to the Great Commission in all of life:
Book: Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God by JI Packer
Book: Evangelism: How the Whole Church Speaks of Jesus by Mack Stiles
Article: How Can I Speak More Boldly About Christ? by John Piper
Ivy Soleil - Born April 20th, 5 lbs. 3 oz.
God is growing Cross of Grace Santa Ana. Partly by introducing us to new neighbors and, on the rare and special occasion, sometimes by introducing us to completely new lives altogether. This past week was one such occasion.
Little Ivy Madrigal was born to Fernando and Liz. She was born healthy and, by God’s grace, Liz is in excellent health as well.
Please pray for this new family of six as they adjust to a new pattern of life and rejoice with them in the grace of God through the giving of new life!
Be on the lookout in the coming weeks for a meal sign-up.
This Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Pastor Kyle and Pastor Jeff will be gathering with all other pastors from the Sovereign Grace Churches in the western region (California, Arizona, Colorado and West Texas).
They’ll be meeting to worship, to discuss the strengthening of our partnership, to care for one another and to help one another care for our respective churches. Would you stop and take a moment to pray for their time this week? Ask the Lord that Cross fo Grace Church would be better pastored as a result of this meeting. Pray that they would be refreshed and enlivened as they’re steeped in an atmosphere of Biblical teaching and other godly leaders. Pray that Cross of Grace would experience the sweet benefits of partnership with our sister churches in the West.
Thanks for praying expectantly.
PARENTS, HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH YOUR KIDS ABOUT THIS BEFORE THIS SUNDAY’S SERVICE
We know you’re grateful for the Lord’s provision of our meeting space at the Ebell Club of Santa Ana. We want to make sure that while we’re there, we’re good tenants that the owners and Ebell Board loving hosting. One of the ways we can continue to do this is by helping our children know and follow the rules. These include:
No running inside the building- this includes the courtyard.
Help them stay in designated areas and pathways- keep them out of the plants and off the trees.
No climbing any guardrails.
These simple, but important rules will help us to take care of the Ebell Club for as long as we have the privilege of being there.