JOIN US AT THE FOURTH STREET MARKET AT 7PM
All men, high-school-aged and up, are invited. Bring your Bible and come ready to learn and to talk seriously about things that matter. Bring a friend or two if you’d like, as well.
MAY 10 - MAY 16
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, MAY 10: SPRING CLASS
7:00 pm - Schlieder Home
THURSDAY, MAY 13: MEN’S GROUP
7:00 pm - Fourth Street Market
SUNDAY, MAY 16: SUNDAY GATHERING AT THE EBELL CLUB
10:00 am - Meeting Room: Ballroom
Do you sing? Play guitar, bass, keyboard, or drums? Consider joining our worship team.
We’re in the process of building and expanding our Sunday morning worship team and want you to consider joining in! Even if you’ve never served in a church this way before or don’t have much experience playing or performing for others, that’s okay. We’re not looking for professionals, performers, or even primarily “worship leaders”. We’re looking for church members who can lend their talents to highlight the most important instrument that is heard on a Sunday morning: the singing of the church.
As Jonathan Leeman says, "The most beautiful instrument on Sunday morning is the sound of the church singing,” and we want you to consider using your musical talents to support us in singing loudly, passionately, and joyfully to God as we gather each and every Sunday morning.
If you are interested in joining the team please:
Contact Pastor Jeff at jeff@crossofgracesa.org and briefly describe: your instrument of choice, your skill level, and your availability to serve.
Stay after church on Sunday, 5/16 to attend a brief informational meeting immediately following the service to learn more about the vision, goals, and expectations of the worship team.
6 WEEKS IN PSALMS BEGINNING IN JUNE
Believe it or not, after over 10 months in the book of Acts, we only have four more weeks in our current sermon series. Our eyes have been opened to God’s timeless plans and intentions for His Church and as we now head into summer 2021, we look forward to our eyes being opened to the beauty of God’s designs and character captured within the Psalms.
As you prepare for the sermon series, consider devoting time to reading through the Psalms. Maybe read a Psalm or two Psalms every day. The Psalms are songs written to give voice to the joys, sorrows and even doubts of our hearts in response to what God is doing in the world. You’ll encounter His grace as you dig deeply into the treasury of the Psalms.
YOU CAN READ THE BOOK OF PSALMS HERE
ONLY THE OFFENSE OF THE GOSPEL IS NECESSARY
In Acts 24, Paul stood before the governor of the Roman province of Caesarea, accused of multiple offenses. Though he was innocent of all criminal charges brought against him, he openly confessed that he was guilty of one offense in particular - belief in all God has said, including the message of His Gospel. Though you may try, oftentimes in vain, to live without offending others, the reality is that the Gospel is an offense to those who aren’t saved. It’s an offense that Christians shouldn’t shy away from because if we lose the offense of the Gospel, we lose the hope of the Gospel. However, Paul also demonstrates that Christians don’t have license to add to the offense of the Gospel by being offensive in our conduct. To hear more and to press into what this means for your daily life, listen to last Sunday’s sermon.
LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE
OUR SUNDAY MORNING MINISTRY IS NOW FOR KIDS 0-5
Beginning Sunday, 5/9 our Children’s Ministry Class will expand from offering childcare for children aged 0-2 to children 0-5. Back in February, we relaunched Sunday morning Children’s Ministry, and by God’s grace and the faithful service of our volunteers, the class has gotten off the ground and is equipped to expand. We’re excited to serve more parents of young children in the church on Sunday mornings by freeing them up to worship together with the congregation and sit under the preached Word in an undistracted way. To serve parents by helping them “fill up” in order to more effectively “pour out” to their kids.
NOTHING CHANGES EXCEPT THE SIZE OF THE CLASS
At this point, the expansion of the class does not bring with it any changes for any of the current policies, protocols, or systems of Sunday morning Children’s Ministry. Everything will continue as it has been only with the addition of a few extra kids in the mix.
A CALL FOR MORE VOLUNTEERS
All parents with children receiving childcare will be asked to volunteer at least once a month. But all others would be welcome to volunteer as well. We hope to expand our volunteer team in order to continue meeting our current needs and prepare for the future rollout of additional Children’s Ministry age groups.
PARENTS YOU CAN REGISTER YOUR CHILD FOR SUNDAY CHILDCARE HERE.
Please direct any questions or volunteer inquiries to Pastor Jeff at jeff@crossofgracesa.org
MOTHER’S DAY, THIS SUNDAY, IS THE DEADLINE
We have been 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.
Don’t forget to fill your bottle 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.
SMALL GROUPS MEET FRIDAY AT 7 PM
Our small groups encourage genuine relationships within the church. Each group meets in a home, splitting their time between singing, praying, and discussion. Some groups include young children in their meetings. All groups welcome guests.
For more information about our small groups, click here.
MAY 3 - MAY 9
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:
FRIDAY, MAY 7: SMALL GROUPS
7:00 pm - Erkelens home and Cunningham home
SUNDAY, MAY 9: SUNDAY GATHERING AT THE EBELL CLUB
10:00 am - Meeting Room: Ballroom
IF GOD HAS SAID IT, HE WILL DO IT
Acts 23:12-35 is a very unique passage in the book of Acts: God’s name isn’t referred to once, nor is there any identifiable commands or teaching of any Christian doctrine. It’s a story of an unlikely rescue of Paul from a murderous plot. What relevance does this passage have for us? Verse 11 gives the answer - God had promised Paul that he would reach Rome and verse 12-35 are evidence of God providentially fulfilling His promise. This is the Christian’s comfort - what God has sovereignly said, He will providentially do. Listen to the sermon HERE to learn more.
REVIEW THE STATEMENT OF FAITH SECTION FROM SUNDAY’S RESPONSIVE READING
As you’ve noticed, every Sunday we don’t take communion together, we do a public reading together. While at times, we’ll read passages of Scripture or historic confessions, we’re currently working through the Sovereign Grace Churches Statement of Faith. We’d encourage you to study further, so below are the verse references from the portion of the Statement of Faith that we read on Sunday - “Man as male and female”. If you would like to access the full Statement of Faith, click HERE.