The church plant in Santa Ana celebrated their first baptisms this past Sunday. Thank you for sending your friends, offering your prayers, and giving your support. God is using all of it to advance the gospel among people who we would never reach in Orange.
The church plant in Santa Ana is moving their service to 10:30am on Sunday mornings. They began as a small group two years ago, started evening services in November 2017, and now are moving to Sunday mornings.
This move will only better equip them to reach their neighbors. Pray for their efforts.
This Sunday you are invited to visit our Santa Ana church plant for their evening service. Then stick around for tacos from a local food truck. Encourage and reunite with the friends who you've sent there to establish a new church.
The fun starts at 5pm on Sunday at Heninger Elementary.
On Sunday February 25th you are invited to visit our Santa Ana church plant for their 5pm service. Then stick around for tacos from a local food truck. This will be a great time to see what God is doing in downtown Santa Ana and to encourage and reunite with the friends who you've sent there.
Mark your calendars. 5pm on 2/25 at Heninger Elementary.
During our service this Sunday morning, we will be commissioning the core team to establish a church in downtown Santa Ana. A group has already been holding services for the past two months, now we officially send them off to invest themselves in their new city.
You have acted in faith by praying and giving. Now, we get to rejoice that God is bearing fruit through your efforts. You are planting your first church.
As we say goodbye to our friends, we will ache. This will be the hardest thing to give up. But we are giving them up that God may use them to reach new people. What you've built with them, they will now build with others. More people will experience the joy of Jesus. God will bear more fruit.
We are well on our way to planting our first one. Since November, Pastoral Resident Kyle Houlton and a group of members have been holding services in downtown Santa Ana. The time has come for them to fully invest themselves in this new work.
During our service on 1/7/2018, the Pastoral Team will lead us in commissioning the core team to their new city for a longer-term commitment.
These brothers and sisters will be pouring themselves into Santa Ana. We will see a lot less of them. It will be a big adjustment. But these are the kinds of sacrifices that Christians make for the spread of the gospel.
Planting a church takes many partners. Some are planned and strategic.
They are God's way of making it clear that this is His work. He is committed to it, He is providing for it, and He is accomplishing it.
Recently, we received a generous, unsolicited financial contribution from a sister church in our denomination. They did this out of the goodness of their own hearts because they believe God called them to.
Included was a note addressed to Kyle Houlton, our church planter in Santa Ana. Read it and be encouraged that God is supplying all we need to reach people in Santa Ana.
Kyle,
We love church planters, and we thank God for you and Kelsey! Thank you for serving Christ and for making sacrifices to see the gospel advance in Santa Ana. We are praying for you, and we are excited about all that God will do through your labors. God is with you!
Two times a year we hold church member meetings. We do these to equip Sovereign Grace Church of Orange to be awesome.
Here are four major highlights from the meeting this past Sunday:
Our small groups and study groups have been multiplying like crazy.
Over 20% of our budget is going to opportunities outside of our local church.
Our first Theology Course has started and our first Men's Retreat is coming in April 2018.
The Santa Ana Church Plant is holding public services every Sunday evening and the team is gearing up for 2018.
It's an exciting time to be a part of what God is doing in Orange. Please contact the pastors if you have any questions.