Every once in a while one of our small groups goes rogue and decides to meet on a 5th Wednesday...despite our neat little church calendar that says 2nd and 4th Wednesdays only.
This month the Old Towne Orange groups arranged a scavenger hunt that included among other shenanigans: howling at the moon by the Plaza fountain, reverse trick or treating, performed "Thriller" as a group (in public), and sent a member into Cafe Lucca dressed as a mummy to order "booberry gelato".
This Sunday is Reformation Sunday. One Sunday a year we like to celebrate what God has done in the Reformation, and celebrate how God is continuing to work. So we are throwing a party!
The party will begin immediately after the service in the Women's Club garden The church is providing lunch, so everything is taken care of. All guests and members are welcome.
"Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good."
(1 Corinthians 12:4-7 ESV)
Want to see God work through the members of a local church this Sunday? Come out and visit us in Old Towne Orange. We believe with all our hearts that God empowers every Christian for life, godliness, and ministry.
Mike Davis - Presiding Elder
Nate Adam - Preacher
Jordan Gilstrom - Worship Leader
Dustin Smetona - Call to Worship
David Christensen - Offering
Lucas Enge - Affirmation, Sunday School Instructor
Ali Danestehpour - Head Usher
And this doesn't even include Children's Ministry, all the teams behind these men, audio, visual, you name it. The whole church serves every week. It's who we are.
A group of us are headed out to Nashville, TN this week to participate in our denomination's annual Pastors Conference. Please keep us in your prayers. We are eager to meet the Lord and fellowship with leaders from sister churches throughout the world.
Mike Davis
David Christensen
Lucas Enge
Dylan and Christie Sohie
Eric and Kirsi Turbedsky
These are strategic moments in our life together as a congregation. Our pastors lead us through updates, testimonies, church business, and church vision. We laugh, we ask questions, we pray, and we celebrate. That's a members meeting at Sovereign Grace Church.
This last Sunday we gathered in the Woman's Club gardens to cover a number of topics.
That last category was a new one for us. It's never been covered in a members meeting and it was exciting. Here is the adaptation from the Orthodox Presbyterian Church Planting Manual that Pastor Eric referenced.
One of the most basic questions asked of anyone who is involved in church planting is, "Why are you starting a new church?" Implied is the question: "Aren't there already enough churches here?”
Three reasons found in the New Testament:
May we all press in and pray more fervently for our small corner of the universe. Orange County is bursting at the seams with people who need Jesus.
Our pastors are on the road this week. Mike Davis has taken vacation to attend the SGC Pastors Conference (thank you Mike). Pray for him as he's away from his family and his responsibilities here. Pray he would be refreshed. Pray he would be an encouragement to our partners in ministry. Pray he would be equipped to lead and care for us.
Eric Turbedsky is also headed out. However, he's leaving a day earlier to participate in an SGC Council of Elders session, attend the Pastors Conference, and then stay over the weekend to greet and preach at our sister church located in Nashville, TN.
Please pray this would be an encouraging time of fellowship with our friends in ministry. Pray that Eric can identify fresh ways for us to contribute to our shared mission. Pray for his time with Kirsi (his wife) and Mike and all the others traveling with them this week.
Oh, and pray for Jim and Angie Cunningham as they manage the Turbedsky children this week. They couldn't go without their help :)
Deacons are part of God's plan to advance his Word through us. They ensure our testimony as a church equals the testimony of the Scriptures...that our walk and talk match up. As Pastor Eric has said, "We need to repent of our preoccupation with growth management practices and go back to the Bible. When the church grows and her ministries get stretched, God's says elect deacons, not adopt better business practices."
David is our current "reigning" church intern and preparing to return full time to the marketplace. We couldn't be more pleased with his progress and are hopeful for his future. David would make for a strong addition to our newly established deaconate ministry.
As per our constitutional documents, you have 14 days to provide the pastors written feedback regarding this nomination. We strongly encourage every church member to participate in the phase of the ordination process. You won't be prohibited from participating later, but now is the time for you to speak affirmations and concerns.
During the ordination process, members of the church are asked and given opportunity to submit in writing their observations, affirmation, or critique of the man in question. This is not to propagate gossip and slander, but to allow opportunity to stop the process if there is information the pastors lack in evaluating the man. Additionally, affirmation will help confirm the selection of the candidate. Such feedback is an important opportunity for the congregation to assist in the ordination process.
Qualifications for the office of deacon.
Contact information for the pastoral team.
Thanks in advance for your participation. We'll keep you updated as we proceed.
