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 - Fourth Street Market Patio
10:00 am - Meeting Room: Theater
7:00 pm - Cunningham Home
November 5th marked the FIFTH anniversary of our first service in Downtown Santa Ana! By God’s grace, this church was planted, sustained, and has been richly blessed through his faithful love over the years. Praise God for building his church, bringing the increase, and binding us all together to share in and celebrate the joy of Jesus!
We gathered this past Sunday for a celebration, which included a nacho and churro bar, a testimony from many members past and present, our annual kickball game, a piñata and lots of great fellowship with one another. Enjoy some pictures that captured our celebration!
Jason Roenicke has been serving for the past 11 months as an intern at Cross of Grace Santa Ana. The role he’s occupied is one which serves the purpose of equipping and of evaluation. We’ve wondered if God has called Jason to be a pastor of Cross of Grace Santa Ana. He wonders the same thing. And we believe it’s a task given to the local church to assess the calling and gifting of a potential pastor.
So far, we’ve heard nothing but positive feedback. We’re grateful to God for the work that seems to be evidenced in his life. However, we won’t assume we’ve heard everything from you. Before Jason proceeds on to the next stage of being positioned as a leader in our church, we’re giving you a final opportunity to provide your assessment of his leadership, character and influence in the church. Maybe it’s nothing but good reports and evidence of God’s grace. If so, go ahead and tell us. We want to be prudent where we need to be prudent and celebrate where we can celebrate.
God has sustained Cross of Grace Santa Ana for five years in our city. To mark the occasion, we asked Eric Turbedsky, Senior Pastor of Sovereign Grace Church of Orange, to come and preach from 2 Corinthians 5:11-21. Eric leads the church that sent us out with a dream of becoming a church in the heart of Santa Ana. In Sunday’s sermon, He reminded us of how marvelous it is that God would love us and that He would send us. Listen to the sermon and become captivated once again by the fact that you’ve been chosen to be a part of God’s mission to save people to the ends of the earth.
Our 5th anniversary is here! This Sunday marks half a decade of Jesus building and sustaining Cross of Grace Santa Ana. We can’t wait to celebrate with kickball, fellowship, and a giant nacho bar. It’s happening at the Houlton home right after the service. We’ll provide a piñata for the kids and a dessert for everyone. Here’s how you can prepare to party with us:
Sign up for our potluck here. Because nacho bars don’t build themselves.
Bring along some athletic wear and tennis shoes for our annual cul-de-sac kickball contest.
Contact the church office with any questions.
It is almost time to fall back! Daylight Savings time 2022 ends at 2 a.m. local time on Sunday, November 6. Enjoy an extra hour of sleep, and we’ll see you Sunday morning for our weekly celebration of life in Christ.
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.
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, Houlton, or Erkelens Home
10:00 am - Meeting Room: Ballroom
12:30 pm - Houlton Home
7:00 pm - Cunningham Home
Every year our family of churches enjoys a family reunion. A time when pastors, wives, and members of Sovereign Grace Churches come together for a week of worship, fellowship, and encouragement in our shared mission. This year there are 700+ registrants from 21 different nations attending our annual gathering in Orlando. It’s sure to be a sweet time away!
As a pastoral team we say thank you for sending us! This conference is one of the highlights of our year. It’s a joy to attend and always makes us eager to come back and serve the church. In addition to sending us, we also ask that you please pray for us while we’re here. Throughout the week, you can pray that:
The Lord would refresh our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Pray that we would be brought so close to the fire of the cross that the sparks would fall on our hearts and set our affections aflame for Christ.
The Lord would use this time to equip us to serve our church well. We’re being sent by the members of our church for the members of our church. Pray that we’d come back better leaders than when we left.
The Lord would build existing and establish new relationships among pastors and members of Sovereign Grace Churches across the globe.
The Lord would give us moments of clarity about our local mission. Pray for the Lord to fill us with His Spirit to give us a greater longing to spread the joy of Jesus to our neighbors.
The Lord would use this time to give Jason clarity regarding His ministry calling. He’s been faithful as our Pastoral Intern, and it’s been a joy to walk alongside him through the journey of discerning his calling. Pray that the Lord would grant us discernment and encouragement as we consider the future this week.
Have you ever thought, "I'd much more easily believe God if He just _________”. If he just spoke to me audibly, gave me a sign, or proved his love for me in some way. But would you? Mark 6:31-56 teaches us that, actually, we don’t need God to prove himself. We need him to change our hearts. Our tendency toward unbelief is not a problem of insufficient evidence, it’s a problem of a hardened heart. If you believe that God is but aren’t sure that God is for you, listen to this Sunday’s sermon to learn more about God’s solution for hard hearts.
