This week, 4 groups will meet throughout our city to share in the joy of Jesus and apply his gospel to each other’s lives. Outside of Sunday mornings, small groups are the most important moments in the life of our church. Make it a priority to attend one this week.
This Sunday, we have the privilege of witnessing 2 individuals mark the beginning of their lives in Christ. We’ll gather around as they profess their faith in Jesus’ sacrificial death and victorious resurrection, signify their union with Christ’s own dying and rising, and enter into a new life in a new family which starts now and carries on forever. Christ is advancing his Kingdom, and baptism is proof. Come join us as we celebrate his saving grace, fellowship together, and enjoy lunch as a church.
If you’re interested in being baptized or have questions about baptism, please contact one of our pastors.
Get ready for another evening of engaging discussion, rich fellowship, and all kinds of fun this Sunday!
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:
French Park Run Club
6:30am - French Park Grass Area
Small Groups
7:00pm - Lee & Arista Homes
Small Groups
7:00pm - Houlton & Erkelens Homes
Santa Ana Fun Run
8:00am - Santa Ana Stadium
More details here
Let’s keep building community in Santa Ana one run at a time! Sign up for the 5k, 10k, or Kid’s Dash event. Some of the race events are free! There will be a resource fair following the event. Don’t miss the opportunity to go into our city and get to know neighbors who don’t know Jesus.
Make sure to sign-up with a couple friends, you can find all the registration and event information here.
Every house has house rules. God's house is no exception. There are some actions, attitudes, and beliefs that just don't belong. Because of this, there comes a point when certain members become so disruptive to the life in the house that they need to be removed from the house. This was the case with Hymanaeus and Alexander. Two members of Timothy's church who had devoted themselves to "different doctrine," "made shipwreck of their faith," and were beginning to upset the faith of others as well. In order to protect those who remained inside, prevent the name of Christ from being put to shame, and, as counter-intuitive as it might seem, to promote the restoration of these men, Paul put them out of the church and "handed them over to Satan" (1:20). To our modern ears, this might seem harsh, extreme, or unloving. But God's word recalibrates our thinking and makes it clear that it's not loving to allow someone to continue in error. It's not kind, compassionate, or Christlike to never challenge one another with the truth.
All guys, 15 years and older, are invited to participate in a conversation where "men talk like men" about God. Join in at Hopper & Burr (202 W 4th St, Santa Ana, CA 92701) at 7:00 pm.
The Block Party is back! For the fourth year running, we’re throwing a party to show our neighbors how glad we are to be their neighbors. We’ll take our joy in Jesus right into the heart of our neighborhood for an evening of celebration complete with tacos, music, games, and more! Don’t miss out on this awesome opportunity to build community and extend God’s welcome to the people of French Park.
More details to come. But for now, take a look at last year’s photos to get excited & mark your calendars for a night of summer fun!
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:
French Park Run Club
6:30am - French Park Grass Area
Men’s Meeting
7:00pm - Hopper & Burr in DTSA
Sunday Gathering at the Ebell Club
10:00am - Meeting Room: Ballroom
From Dave Taylor, Director of Global Missions in Sovereign Grace Churches.
“In a recent prayer letter, Mark Prater, our Executive Director, wrote the following:
‘There is much we can learn from the early church including how they prayed. Recently, I read a prayer by Methodius of Olympia that had this request: “Extend your right hand toward me, and crown my head by your touch, so that I may run the course before your kingdom, crowned like a forerunner, and announce good tidings to sinners.”
Given our shared mission to “announce good tidings to sinners” found in the gospel of Jesus Christ, may we pray for one another asking God to "extend his right hand toward us" and give us grace and power to run the course of fulfilling the Great Commission of reaching every tribe, tongue and nation with the gospel.’
Amen to that. We so need each other in this, and so here’s how we can be praying in the month ahead...
Please pray for our current US Sovereign Grace Pastors College class, who will graduate on May 31st, asking God to give them grace for their transition back home, and to use their training to serve the church in any way that they can.
Please pray for Juan Solano, an ordained SGC Pastor from La Gracia in San Jose, Costa Rica, who has been commissioned and sent out, along with his family, to seek to reach Muslims with the gospel in Lebanon. Pray that Juan can plant a Sovereign Grace Church in Lebanon in the next few years, which is his hope, and that he’ll ultimately be able to train and equip other Lebanese Pastors to do the same.
Please pray for the 6 Pastoral Candidates in the Philippines who are taking their Bible Knowledge exam on Saturday May 10th, as they continue on in their SGC Ordination process. Please also pray for the additional 2 Candidates that will take it in the weeks after, that God may give favour and grace to everyone involved in this endeavour.
Please pray for Trinity College Missions Trip to Iglesia Biblica de Playa Azul, Costa Rica, May 17th-24th, and for Josh Montague (Chaska), Robert Sidlo (Roseburg) and Brooks Szewczyk, as they head to the Philippines for part four of the TLI Training.
Please pray for Carlos & Kena Contreras as they head to Silo, Mexico to teach and lead at a Couples Retreat, May 2nd-4th. Please also pray for the SGC Mexico Annual Pastors Retreat in Guadalajara, with 19 Churches represented and 55 Pastors attending. Please pray for Carlos, Rich Richardson and the SGC Mexico Leadership Team as they prepare to lead that time.
Please pray for Pastor Jacobis Aldana as he visits Iglesia Biblica of Antioquia in Medellin, Colombia, to host a marriage retreat and continue the discussion on possible adoption into Sovereign Grace Churches. Please pray for much wisdom, grace and faith for everyone involved in this conversation.
Please pray that God would give the members and pastors of Sovereign Grace Churches a renewed desire, and opportunities, to share the gospel with unbelievers in our communities and workplaces. You don’t have to go overseas to be involved in missions, you simply have to walk across the room... May this be our story as we together brandish the Gospel and tell it to all that we can.
… May the One who has commissioned us, also give us favour and faith for the road ahead. Soli Deo gloria.
