This Friday, the Roenicke small group 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 Roenicke small group, but would like to join the Chili Van outreach this month, let your small group leader and Jason Roenicke know.
Jesus is far more than a good example. Before Jesus is our example, He’s our Savior. He did what we simply could not do in our place that we might be reconciled to God. But Jesus is not less than our example (5:1-2). His life serves as the best model for God-honoring living. So, as we strive to love our Santa Ana neighbors and we find it difficult or we become stuck or we lose our way, where should we turn for inspiration, motivation and direction? There’s no better place to start than the life of Jesus Christ. In this month’s book of the month, author Jerram Barrs excellently illuminates the life of the one who “came not to be served, but to serve and to seek and save the lost” (Mark 10:45) so that we might be able to do the same in our endeavor to follow Him. Pick up this outstanding book today.
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:
6:00 pm - OCRM Chili Van
7:00 pm - Houlton or Erkelens Home
10:00 am - Meeting Room: Ballroom
After 9 months of sermons, our series in the OT book of 1 Samuel has come to an end. And it ended in a similar way to how it began. 1 Samuel began without a king in the land and everyone doing what was right in their own eyes (see Judges 21:25). The story ends without a king in the land because he only did what was right in his own eyes. The story of the establishment of the monarchy in Israel ends with the death of the bad king, Saul. Saul was the king like all the nations that the people had wanted (1 Sam 8:5), but at the end of the day he was not the king they needed. His failure to deliver his people in battle represents the failure of every one of our false kings to deliver us from trouble and bring us into blessing.
On this dark day in Israel’s history, all the hopes the people had placed in Saul were dashed and disappointed as their army was defeated, their king was humiliated, and their lands taken by the Philistines in battle. Have your hopes ever come crashing down? Have you placed your trust in false kings that have failed you? There’s good news for you, because as dark as this day was, it ends with a glimpse of light. There’s hope because even though there was no human king on the throne, God, the King who is, never stopped reigning. And just as he removed the bad king, he’d raise up the True King who’d never let his people down. Listen to the message and renew your hope in the King who is.
During last year’s Sovereign Grace Churches Pastors Conference, Josh Blount led a breakout session encouraging pastors, wives and leaders to set their eyes on their heavenly citizenship. Josh Blount is a unique gift to our family of churches. He is a blend of towering intellect and pastoral gentleness, theological skill and shepherding instinct. In this session he winsomely defines and analyzes three significant unbiblical pressures that churches are facing today and provides a theological alternative to help us guard the heavenly and Biblical identity of our congregation.
Women at all stages of life are invited to come and learn how to be women whose lives honor God - women who live in light of the Gospel.
Women’s Meeting takes place on the 4th Thursday of every month at 7pm at the Schlieder Home. We hope to see you there!
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:
7:00 pm - Schlieder Home
10:00 am - Meeting Room: Ballroom
At times, the future looks bleak. It looks like there’s no way out of misery or into happiness. Yet God has promised good for those whom He loves. As His covenant people, in fact, how can we be sure any of His promises will come to pass for us? In a word, because of Christ. David, living long before Christ, found himself in a place where it seemed nearly impossible for God’s promises to him to come to pass. Yet, the same faithfulness that God will show to us was shown to him. Listen to last Sunday’s sermon from 1 Samuel 29-30 to learn more.
Every six months, we call a members meeting to order. It’s a “family meeting” of sorts. We come together as a church and discuss topics that we either don’t have time for on a Sunday morning or that are simply better shared in this twice-annual context. We’ll give you a budget update, a ministry update, bring you into significant decisions that require the prayer and often insight of the congregation. More than anything, we gather twice a year to look back in gratitude and praise on what God has done in our church and to look forward in faith toward where God is leading us as a church.
This meeting is mandatory for members, but also open to guests who would like to join.
This week pastors from the US West Region of our denomination are holding an annual meeting. Nearly 40 pastors and other church leaders from California, Arizona, Colorado and Texas will talk church leadership, they will care for one another, and plan for future ministry opportunities.
We ask you to pray that God would strengthen their bonds of fellowship as they lead their churches and work together to advance the gospel in our corner of the globe. May Christ be magnified!
