At Sovereign Grace we believe the ideal place for any man, woman, and child to worship is together. With that aim, our Children Ministry exists to provide particular and intentional care for parents and children during the second portion of our service. 

Equipping Families to Worship Together

We welcome all children in the service and affirm the grace of God at work in their young lives. The way we welcome children in church directly affects the way they respond to God, to the church, and to one another.

CRAWL

PLAY

LEARN

Each Sunday, during the second portion of our liturgy, we provide three optional groups for parents and their children. There is an intentional grey area between all three groups because we recognize children don't always fall into such rigid age-based categories. Some children may be able and willing to sit and listen to a teacher. Some children may be unable, uninterested, or simply prefer to play. Both are good! We want to offer and encourage multiple options. When you arrive, we want you and your children to have a choice, and not necessarily be confined to an age-based group, but rather a competency-based group.

 

Our Junior and Senior High students are volunteering at Operation Christmas Child this Thursday night. Contact Lisa if you want to join the party.

Our most recent Art of Marriage group just wrapped up. Here's the recap from one couple...

Jim and Angie were so encouraging and hospitable. When we signed up for the class, we knew we were adding quite a bit to our schedules. However, we didn't anticipate how busy we would be and it soon grew overwhelming. Still we agreed to stick this out and remain committed to the class.

God didn't disappoint. He met us and has grown our marriage already. We pray that He would continue to bear fruit from our experience in this class so that others might see a marriage filled with His grace and truth and be drawn to Christ. We also pray that God would use what we've learned to give us wisdom on how to remain close to one another in the midst of trials.

How to remain close in the middle of a trial.

Despite how hard Mondays and Tuesdays have been for us over the past month and a half, we are so grateful that we stuck with this class. It was truly a blessing to grow alongside those who are newer to marriage and those who have been married for many years.

Sunday nights, 6-8pm

This Sunday marks the second meeting of our first-ever Downtown Santa Ana small group. We are dreaming of a local church like the one we have here in Old Towne Orange. Only there...in Santa Ana.

For now the group is a small group with a dream. The plan is for one group to become many groups, then we'll add worship services and finally make it all official. A sister congregation made up of new people from Santa Ana.

Would you please consider joining this group? We are specifically looking for individuals who meet one or more of the following criteria:

1. Live in Santa Ana.
2. Live closer to DTSA than OTO.
3. Willing to relocate to Santa Ana.
4. Have a compelling interest in Santa Ana (ex. "I grew up in SA.").

Want to learn more? Fill out an interest form and the Houltons will contact you ASAP.

January 8th

The time is right for us to hit reset on our Children's Ministry and prepare for the future. There are more kids than ever and our convictions have grown stronger. We want to equip families to worship together.

Keep an eye out for all the new team leaders, new equipment, new media, security, and class structures. Change is coming and we are committed to our "no family left behind" policy. Here are a few highlights:

1. All classes will be located in the garden. We'll have structures to protect from the weather and barriers to provide security.
2. We will provide three classes based on competency rather than age. Crawl, Play, and Learn. The ministry workers will help parents determine which class would serve each child best.
3. Children will still be welcome to stay in the worship service and opt out of Children's Ministry. Remember our goal is to equip families to worship together. We know not every child is ready. Our church will be a safe place to grow and mature.

Teen.ology

All Junior or Senior High School students are invited. Bring your friends. Bring your bibles. Get ready for a lively debate about one of the most important events in the history of the world.

Our monthly meetings rotate homes and you can always expect food, fun, and a hearty conversation about God every time we gather. Parents are always welcome too.

This week we are at the Blackman Residence, 7-9PM. The topic is The Flood: What do you really know about Noah and the Ark?

Contact Lisa for more info and directions.

View fullsize

View fullsize

Their first meeting.

The Houltons are forming a new small group in Downtown Santa Ana. Sunday nights, 6-8pm. The first meeting was held last Sunday. We are hoping this is the beginning of a new sister church in Santa Ana.

Would you please consider joining this group? We are specifically looking for individuals who meet one or more of the following criteria:

1. Live in Santa Ana.
2. Live closer to DTSA than OTO.
3. Willing to relocate to Santa Ana.
4. Have a compelling interest in Santa Ana (ex. "I grew up in SA.").

Want to learn more? Fill out an interest form and the Houltons will contact you ASAP.

The building blocks of our community.

We love our small groups. They are a place to know and be known, to care for one another, to celebrate the good and mourn the worst. You might say our small groups are like family. They're just there. Always there. A place to call home.

Every small group needs leaders and this month, as the pastoral team transitioned into their new roles and rhythms, we prayed God would send us new ones. And He did.

Roger and Alice Servin

Christopher and Rebecca Erkelens

Jon and Julia Pickard

David Christensen

Kyle and Kelsey Houlton

If you've never visited a small group or perhaps it's been a while, now's a great time to jump in. Learn more and make contact today.