THREE CHURCHES. TWO DAYS. ONE MISSION.

• REGISTRATION DEADLINE: SEPTEMBER 12th!

• Cost - $150 per person - cost includes all expenses except for transportation to and from the retreat

• Scholarships available

• Sunday gathering will be conducted onsite together in Idyllwild

• Children 3 and under are free

• Large family discount applied to households of 5 or more

• 3 days of:

  • God-glorifying, soul-edifying teaching

  • Fun and activities

  • Fellowship with the people you love and people you will come to love

  • Separating from the routine to draw near to God, your church and your family

SPREADING THE JOY OF JESUS TO EVERY CALIFORNIAN.

October 8-10, 2021

Idyllwild, CA

REGISTER HERE

HOW TO SPREAD THE JOY OF JESUS

Our mission as a church is to spread the joy of Jesus in Downtown Santa Ana. But what does it look like for us to be on mission? How do we make disciples of our neighbors and engage the city to which God has called us? How can we grow in our ability to share the good news of the gospel with boldness, clarity, and love for the lost? If you’re asking any or all of these questions, then this class is for you!

---

Our 2021 Fall Class will begin on Monday, September 13th. Registration is open to men & women, however there is no childcare provided. Please only register if you are able to attend at least 5 of the 6 scheduled meetings.

• Dates: 2nd & 4th Mondays in September, October, and November

• Time: 7pm-9pm

• Location: Schlieder Home

• Materials: Bible and a notebook

REGISTER HERE

A BETTER KING DOES YOU NO GOOD IF YOU DON’T KNOW HIS WAYS

You may think of a “prophet” as someone who predicts the future, but in Israel, a prophet was one who received God’s word and revealed them to God’s people. Sometimes this included foretelling the future, but more often than not, it was a ministry of forth-telling the truths of God’s character, will, and ways to his people. Why? Because without God’s word, we can’t see the path that leads to death or find the way that leads to life. God used the prophets to turn on the lights for his people, alert them to the danger of walking in the darkness, and lead them back to the light of God’s grace and truth. Because, what good is it to have a better King if we don’t know the way into his Kingdom? What good is a better King if we don’t know how to walk in his ways? Like Israel, left to ourselves, darkness is common (1 Sam 3:1), we think we know the way, and our eyes and hearts are darkened. In 1 Samuel 3, God raised up Samuel as a torch who would light the way and lead that generation of Israel from ruin to restoration. Yet, the light that Samuel shined in that generation ultimately pointed to another, greater light that would shine in the darkness, give life to all who beheld him, and fully and finally declare the truth that would bring everlasting change. Listen to last Sunday’s sermon to learn more.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

THE 4TH THURSDAY OF EVERY MONTH

All ladies, high-school-aged and older, are invited to join the women’s meeting this week. This meeting is a place where women at all stages of life can come and learn how to be women whose lives honor God - women who live in light of the Gospel.

For more information, contact Rebecca Erkelens at bequita_17@yahoo.com.

A CLASS TO EXPLORE CROSS OF GRACE CHURCH

If you’ve been visiting for any length of time and would like to learn more about what we believe as a church and how those beliefs take shape in the life of the church, this class is for you. The aim is to help you discern whether or not this is the church family the Lord is calling you to. If we discover together that this isn’t the church for you, we want to help you find another church. If by the end of the class you believe this is where the Lord is leading you, then we’d love to take steps toward welcoming you as a member and assisting you to plug into the life of the church.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER.

AUGUST 29 IMMEDIATELY AFTER CHURCH AT THE HOULTON HOME.

LUNCH WILL BE PROVIDED.

THE EXPO TAKES PLACE ONCE A MONTH

This Saturday, you have an opportunity to attend a large event in our city called the Patches & Pins Expo. This is a Flea Market type setting in the heart of Downtown Santa Ana on 4th Street. The event will take place from 12:00 pm-9:00 pm; there will be street vendors, food, live music and free admission. Let’s get to know our neighbors and support local businesses by heading down to DTSA this weekend!

AUGUST 23 - AUGUST 29

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, AUGUST 26: WOMEN’S MEETING

• 7:00 pm - Schlieder Home

SUNDAY, AUGUST 29: SUNDAY GATHERING AT THE EBELL CLUB

• 10:00 am - Meeting Room: Ballroom

SUNDAY, AUGUST 29: STARTING POINT

• 12:15 pm- Houlton Home

This week, we’ll have the pleasure of hosting Emily Jones. Emily hails from a Sovereign Grace church in Ohio and believes the Lord is calling her to serve Him someday in the country of Spain. She’s prayerfully considering how to best prepare for that eventuality and along with spending several months working at an orphanage in Mexico, would like to live and serve in a Spanish speaking context here in the United States prior to heading over to Europe. To get a taste of living in such a context, Emily will be visiting our city this week. She touches down on Thursday and leaves next Tuesday. Many in the church are already planning on having meals and going on outings with her. Whether or not you’re among them, would you pray for her time with us? Pray that the Lord would meet her and grant her clarity for her future. Pray that exposure to the people in our city would only intensify her desire to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth.

A CELEBRATION OF UNITY IN DIVERSITY

On Sunday, September 12th, we’ll be hosting our fourth annual “Festival of Nations”. Coinciding with Fiestas Patrias and Dia De La Independencia, we want to celebrate what God has built in our church through the Gospel - the gathering of people from all different nationalities and heritages into one new family in Christ.

HOW CAN YOU PREPARE?

1. Bring a dish (entree, dessert or side) representing your national heritage. Bring your best effort. The results will be judged and the “Best In The World” award will be given to the individual whose dish impressed the most. Multiple dishes per family are ok! 

2. Join us at 4pm on Sunday, September 12th in the Schlieder backyard in the heart of Santa Ana.

A BETTER KING DOES YOU NO GOOD IF YOU’RE STILL AN ENEMY OF THE KING

“Priest” may not be in your everyday vocabulary or your current list of needs. But in the Old Testament, the job of a priest was to “intercede” for the people of Israel with God by offering sacrifices. Why? Because through their daily individual sins, they violated God’s covenant with them. In other words, sin sets humans up as enemies of the King and we need a priest to stand in the gap. The problem that 1 Samuel 2 identifies is that Israel’s priests at the time were corrupt. Their corruption illustrated a far greater problem that Hebrews 7 and Hebrews 10 explain: not a single human priest is sufficient for the task and no animal sacrifice can completely atone for human sin. The message that we’re left with in 1 Samuel 2: you need a better priest and a better sacrifice if you have any hope of living in the goodness of the better King you need. By God’s grace, He provides both the priest and the sacrifice. Listen to last Sunday’s sermon to learn more.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE