MEET AT THE EBELL PARKING LOT AT 10 AM

We exist to spread the joy of Jesus to our Santa Ana neighbors. This is a chance for you to walk directly in that mission.

We will walk the neighborhood of French Park, praying for and with our neighbors, asking if our neighbors have any home-repair or other needs, and inviting them to Easter Sunday Service, all with the expectation that we would behold God's mercy toward our city. Kids are welcome. This is a chance for us to “go into our city” so that we might have the opportunity to “speak to our city”.

If the thought of inviting strangers to church is scary or uncomfortable, you can even just drop church invitations on doorsteps to start. But the important thing is that you start. So come and join us.

• Date: 4/9/22

• Time: 10am-12pm

• Location: Park in the Ebell Parking Lot

Contact Pastor Jeff with any questions or to let us know you’ll be joining in on Saturday morning.

AN OUTWARD SIGN OF AN INWARD WORK

Baptism is one of the sweetest moments in the life of the church. It’s a visible portrayal of the effects of the Gospel in a person. Baptism does not save a person or contribute to their salvation. Rather, it’s an outward display of an inward work that has already taken place. It’s also an act of obedience, something that every believer is commanded to do.

BAPTISM IMMEDIATELY AFTER SERVICE THIS SUNDAY AT THE HOULTON HOME

Join us at the Houlton home immediately after church this Sunday (4/10) to celebrate the baptism of new believers. If you’re interested in being baptized or just have questions about baptism, please contact one of our pastors.

April 4 - APRIL 10

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, APRIL 7: MEN’S MEETING

• 7:00 pm - Schlieder Home

SATURDAY, APRIL 9: FRENCH PARK NEIGHBORHOOD OUTREACH

• 10:00 am - Ebell Parking Lot

SUNDAY, APRIL 10: SUNDAY GATHERING AT THE EBELL CLUB

• 10:00 am - Meeting Room: Ballroom

SUNDAY, APRIL 10: BAPTISM (AFTER SUNDAY GATHERING)

• 12:00 pm - Houlton home (front yard)

INVITE YOUR NEIGHBOR TO A BILINGUAL CELEBRATION OF THE RISEN JESUS

Join us on Easter Sunday to celebrate and worship the Savior whom the grave could not hold. Use our digital flyer, which can be found here, to invite your English and Spanish (or any language, for that matter) speaking friends and family to join us at the Ebell Club at 10:00 am Sunday, April 17.

DARKEST NIGHT BRIGHTEST DAY BY MARTY MACHOWSKI

This month’s book of the Month is an outstanding Easter Devotional published just this year and written by Sovereign Grace pastor, Marty Machowski. From the publisher:

“Start a new Easter season tradition with your family by reading this beautifully illustrated “upside-down” book from Marty Machowski that includes fourteen Bible stories. The first side, Darkest Night, has seven stories that recount the events of Passion week ending with Christ’s crucifixion and burial. Flip the book over and continue by reading Brightest Day with seven more stories that progress from Christ’s resurrection through Pentecost. Children are sure to remember the contrast between the darkness at the death of our Lord and the light-filled events from Christ’s resurrection onward.”

PURCHASE A COPY OF THE BOOK HERE

YET BY GOD’S GRACE LIFE IS STILL FRUITFUL

The Bible has one hero. It’s not Abraham, Moses or even David. It’s God. 1 Samuel has been a book where we’ve seen glimpses of the “King who Is” in David, but over and again, we’ve seen his imperfection. These are glimpses of us.

In 1 Samuel 27, David flees from Saul to the Philistines. While exiled in a foreign land, he violently wages war against neighboring nations. What appears to be a sensible flight and heroic action is, in reality, self-reliance, deceptive scheming and violence. Yet through it all, God preserves David and completes the conquest of Canaan. The lesson? God’s ability to bear fruit in our lives is not dependent on our faithfulness. This is called grace. Listen to Sunday’s sermon to learn more.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

MAKING AND MATURING DISCIPLES ON FRIDAY

This Friday, our small groups will be meeting for the first Friday in April. The Roenicke and Erkelens small groups will be meeting at their regular locations at 7pm. The Houlton small group, however, will be taking the OC Rescue Mission Chili Van out into our city to share a meal - and the Gospel - with our homeless neighbors. They’re going into our city to speak to our city. If you’re not a member of the Houlton small group, but would like to join the Chili Van outreach this month, let your small group leader and Kyle Houlton know.

And as we ask God to make disciples through this outreach, we’re asking him to mature disciples through our small group meetings. As you prepare for Friday, whichever activity you’re engaging in, please pray for God to work among us and through us for His glory.

A WAY FOR GUESTS TO MEET OUR PASTORS AND GET TO KNOW THE CHURCH

The first thing we hope guests encounter when they visit our church is the beauty and worth of Jesus. We also hope they encounter a community of friendly people eager to welcome them into our homes and lives. But sometimes, guests come with questions. Sometimes, they want to know what kind of leadership is at the helm of the church. Sometimes, they want to know exactly what we believe and what those beliefs look like lived. And they want to know these things before they come back for a second Sunday in a row. Or they don’t want to wait until our next Starting Point (new members) class to find answers to their questions. That’s why we’ve created “coffee with a pastor”. This is a simple way for guests to come and meet one of the pastors of our church over a cup of coffee. It will take place every first and third Sunday immediately after church at Hidden House Coffee across the parking lot. The coffee is on us. So, the next time you meet a guest at a Sunday service, be sure and mention this to them and encourage them to get to know our pastors and our church after the service.

1ST AND 3RD SUNDAY AT 12PM AT HIDDEN HOUSE

Our own Angie Cunningham has worked and volunteered for Livingwell Pregnancy Centers for years, advocating for the unborn and helping women considering abortion to choose life instead for their little ones still in utero. She regularly invites our church to participate in this God-glorifying work when opportunities arise. The Walk For Life is one such opportunity.

WALK FOR OUR UNBORN SANTA ANA NEIGHBORS ON APRIL 2 AT 9:30 AM

“This fun-filled family event is a celebration of life and a wonderful opportunity for you to partner with our medical clinic. Proceeds from the Walk enable our clinic to provide free services and support to clients throughout the year who need to hear that God loves them and their babies, and has a plan, purpose, and destiny for their lives.”

TO LEARN HOW TO GET INVOLVED CLICK HERE

MARCH 28 - APRIL 3

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, MARCH 28: SPRING CLASS

• 7:00 pm - Houlton Home

FRIDAY, APRIL 1: CHILI VAN OUTREACH OR SMALL GROUPS

• 6:00 pm - OCRM Chili Van

• 7:00 pm - Schlieder or Erkelens Home

SUNDAY, APRIL 3: SUNDAY GATHERING AT THE EBELL CLUB

• 10:00 am - Meeting Room: Ballroom