VOLUNTEER FOR THE FRENCH PARK BLOCK PARTY ON JULY 30

We’re throwing a party to show our neighbors how glad we are to be their neighbors. We want to give them a glimpse of the joy we have in Jesus and invite them to enter into it. We have eager expectations God will work through this event to create and cultivate relationships with our neighbors, but we need your help to make this party possible! As an expression of our mission in our city, we encourage you to volunteer with the Block Party as a means of outreach to our neighbors. Get involved by serving in one of the following areas:

• Neighborhood Outreach - Join us on Saturday, 7/23 at 10am to invite our neighbors to the Block Party, pray for them, and share the gospel as you have the opportunity.

• Set Up & Tear Down - Arrive in French Park at 3pm on the day of the party to set up tables & chairs and stick around afterward to break it down.

• Serving Food & Drinks - We need volunteers to play the pivotal role of placing tacos in the hands of all our guests! We’ll have delicious Tacos de Campesino tacos, summer sides, ice cold drinks, and tasty treats to share with our guests.

• Running Games & Activities - We need volunteers to facilitate our party games and activities. We’ll have a bounce house, good old-fashioned water balloon toss, and lawn games set out for some friendly competition. 

• Bringing Party Supplies - We’ll need tables for food, chairs for our guests, and EZ-Ups to shield us from the summer sun! Let us know if you can contribute any of these items to make our party possible.

VOLUNTEER BY SIGNING UP HERE

EVERY 1ST AND 3RD FRIDAY OF THE MONTH

Outside of Sunday mornings, small groups are the most important moment in the life of our church. They are a context where biblical discipleship happens within the church as we connect the truths of the gospel to every aspect of our lives. 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. Carve this time out in your calendar to be refreshed in the gospel and to serve your friends by pointing their lives to Christ.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT SMALL GROUPS, CLICK HERE

JULY 11 - JULY 17

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:

WEDNESDAY, JULY 13: SUMMER PARK DAY

• 10:00 am - Morrison Park, Santa Ana

FRIDAY, JULY 15: SMALL GROUPS

• 7:00 pm - Houlton, Schlieder, or Erkelens Home

SUNDAY, JULY 17: SUNDAY GATHERING AT THE EBELL CLUB

• 10:00 am - Meeting Room: Ballroom

EVERY WEDNESDAY AT 10AM UNTIL AUGUST 24TH

Members of the church will be gathering for a casual park day every Wednesday morning. This is a once-a-week hangout to encourage fellowship in the church, meet our neighbors, and “go into our city” to share the joy of Jesus.

Anyone is welcome, whether you have kids or not. Bring a blanket or chair and some snacks and join us each Wednesday at 10am through August 24th. We hope to see you there!

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, CONTACT US HERE

THE GOSPEL OF MARK’S FIRST QUESTION SHOULD BE OUR FIRST QUESTION

This Sunday Pastor Kyle kicked off our new sermon series in the book of Mark. It’s a New Testament book that, unsurprisingly, introduces us to the story of Jesus. But at the outset, nobody except for John the Baptist really knows who Jesus is. Everybody has an assumption. But Jesus’ true identity and the work He came to do is only progressively revealed through the books 16 chapters, until finally, His progress ends at a cross; a cross that, to everyone’s surprise, reveals Jesus’ identity most truly and gloriously.

First and most importantly, Mark asks, “who is Jesus?” His Gospel teaches us that “who is Jesus” should also be our first question in every situation - a lesson we’ll learn well through our many months progressing through this sermon series.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

STARTING THIS SUNDAY

As we begin this new sermon series in the magnificent Gospel of Mark, we want to help you to follow along. That’s why we’ve given each of you a journal. If you don’t have one yet, ask one of the ushers this Sunday for a copy. This is a book that you can and should bring along with you every single Sunday for the next 9 months or so. Why? Because it’s a Bible/journal, with passages from the book of Mark on every left-hand side of the page and lines for taking sermon notes on every right-hand side of the page. Note taking during sermons helps you to retain what you’re hearing, to listen more attentively and to capture key quotes and phrases that you can then go back and reflect on. It’s a great training tool for kids who are aging out of children’s ministry. It helps them to learn how to listen and what to listen for during sermons. Make this book a priority every Sunday and enjoy filling your heart and mind - and journal - with the truth of God’s Word from the book of Mark.

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK

This month’s book of the month is likely one you’ve read before. It’s the Gospel of Mark. Don’t just pass this by, though. Actually take some time over the new week or two and read through the entirety of Mark once or even twice. Acquaint yourself well with it and equip yourself to maximize this sermon series. To assist you even further, we’ve created an online reader’s version for you just below.

FIND THE READER’S VERSION HERE

ALL GUYS 15 YEARS AND OLDER ARE INVITED TO ATTEND

Men's Meeting is a monthly conversations in an informal setting, where "men talk like men" about God. The topics are chosen to challenge the group and promote humble theological dialogue. Open to all guys, 15 years and older. Meets every second Thursday at the 4th Street Market patio at 7:00 pm.

JULY 4 - JULY 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:

WEDNESDAY, JULY 6: SUMMER PARK DAY

• 10:00 am - Morrison Park, Santa Ana

THURSDAY, JULY 7: MEN’S MEETING

• 7:00 pm - Fourth Street Market Patio

SUNDAY, JULY 10: SUNDAY GATHERING AT THE EBELL CLUB

• 10:00 am - Meeting Room: Ballroom

A LETTER TO CROSS OF GRACE SANTA ANA FROM PASTOR KYLE HOULTON:

Six weeks have already elapsed since May 29, when I began my first-ever sabbatical. It’s now drawn to a close. As we explained at our most recent member’s meeting, our pastoral team approached this sabbatical with deep purpose and intention. It was no mere 6 week vacation. We asked the Lord to accomplish things for the sake of our local church, for the sake of our family and for the sake of our city. There’s more to come, but I wanted to share 4 major takeaways/reflections from this sabbatical with you:

1. I’m Profoundly Grateful For Our Church

Simply stated, these 6 weeks wouldn’t have happened without you. I had zero church-related responsibilities. Full stop. My mind, heart and schedule were freed up in a way that hasn’t happened in over 8 years. I’m very aware that my rest was made possible by your work. Your faith-filled, God-glorifying, yet hard work. The Lord sees it and I can’t sufficiently express my gratitude - but I’ll try. In the coming weeks, months and years, I want to make it my aim to thank you and to help you increasingly see and praise God for His grace actively at work in every single one of you.

2. Our Santa Ana Neighbors Are Still Worth Our Investment

I went into this 6 weeks asking questions like, “Is Downtown Santa Ana still where we’re called as a church?” and “What kind of a church is the Lord positioning us to be toward our neighbors for the next 5 years?”. There’s much more to come on this, but I’m more convinced than ever that in a city where church plants come and go, where anti-Gospel ideology has a deep foothold, where the brokenness of living in a fallen world is worn on the sleeve of most of our neighbors, God has positioned us well to be a faithful witness to His grace through His Son, Jesus Christ. Our neighborhood doesn’t need another flash-in-the pan church plant. They need a long-time presence of faithful Gospel proclamation. Let’s be the next 100 year church in Santa Ana.

3. There’s a Cost To Neglecting The Main Things

I had more consistent devotions, read more good books and spent more prolonged time with my wife and kids than I have in 6 years. I read Providence by John Piper, Men and Women in the Church by Kevin DeYoung, Man of Sorrows King of Glory by Jonty Rhodes, finished rereading the Lord of the Rings trilogy and almost finished reading the Eragon series. I also spent two full weeks giving undivided attention to my wife and kids as we vacationed in northern and central CA. The sudden renewed presence of these three things (1. Consistent communion w/ God, 2. reading as a learner, 3. Substantial attention to family) in my life made me sweetly aware of what I had been missing - and served as a warning alarm to the harm of their neglect. I’m busy. Yes. So are you. I get it. We live in Southern California. But if we use the typical “badge of honor” of busyness as an excuse to neglect our personal relationship with God, we do so to our own harm. If we say we have no time to posture our hearts and minds to be enriched by reading and learning in such a way that our understanding of God and ourselves increases, that our imaginations are stimulated and that God’s Word is more deeply inscribed on our hearts, we do so to our own harm. And fathers and husbands, especially, if we chalk our inconsistent, nominal, typically-impatient, cursory time with our wives and kids to the pace of life we’re keeping, we do so to our own harm - and theirs.

4. Rest Glorifies God

Our small group has grown tired of hearing me talk about how I’m not sure how to pave a way toward consistent rhythms of rest. There is no virtue in consistently talking about a problem unless you walk forward in the obedience of faith to address it. This is especially true because an inability to rest can easily reflect a prideful heart that sees oneself as necessary, indispensable and independent. Yet, the Gospel teaches me that only One is necessary, that I am dispensable (and it’s only by grace that I’ve not been dispensed with, but have instead been called into Christ’s service!) and that I am utterly dependent. This 6 weeks was restful. I have some key ideas for how to prioritize rest and pave a sustainable way forward for our family in the future. But you know what? I’m also keenly aware that you have been serving every Sunday, week in and week out. Some of you, for nearly 5 years. You love our Savior. That love pours out into a robust and hard-working love for one another and for our city. But you need rest as much as I do. I’m coming away with some key ideas to pave a way for a rest-prioritizing sustainable future for our church as well.

More to come. For God's glory. For the joy of our Santa Ana neighbors. For our good.