This Sunday Angel and Sandra are getting married at the end of our service! Check this link for instructions and more details. But most of all get ready to witness the best benediction ever!
Ryan B. has been in the hospital (St. Joseph) since Wednesday morning with a skin condition. The doctors aren't sure what it is but his face was very swollen and it had begun to travel down his neck and chest.
Symptoms are clearing up and the he is comfortable. Please pray for his healing and for Lisa and the kids as they do life and care for their "Daddy".
P.S. we promised him we wouldn't post a photo...not even a funny fake one. Ugh.
Angel and Sandra are getting married and you are invited! Next Sunday, during our service, in the garden, with a reception afterwards. Wow!
If you are a regular attender, please bring a side salad, chips, or fruit to share. The service will be abbreviated and a luncheon will begin immediately afterwards. Everybody is encouraged to participate.
A couple of Sundays ago we recognized a family who was returning to California and our church. This is what Ryan shared...
While there are many thoughts and feeling that immediately come to mind, the best way I could sum it up was family and community.
I have been asked many times in our current season of life, what made me decide to move my family across the country to choose a school in California. Many expected me to choose what they considered to be a more appropriate schools for me on the East Coast, but there was one thing that those schools were not offering and that is the love of a community and family like Sovereign Grace Church.
I find this hard to explain.
The truth is many don't understand my response since we have very little blood relatives near by in California. Many find it hard to make the correlation between church and family and community. But the reality is, God has graciously knitted our lives together over the past few years preparing us to be here now. We have been given the chance to live life with you again, to grow in our walk with Christ along side you, to have our children grow up together, to care for one another during difficult times. To be a family and community that is committed to one another. To celebrate God's glory together. Being here with you now, has provided such a peace and excitement for what God has planned for our lives together. The opportunity to cultivate a zeal for one another and the Lord...as if every moment apart has been too long.
Thank you, Sovereign Grace, for loving those around you, having grace for those in your life, and giving us to opportunity share our lives with you.
My name is Brandon and my beautiful wife is Melody. Though we were just married 4 months ago right outside this building, I was actually single when I first visited Sovereign Grace last January. At that point, Melody and I had just broken up as we were not confident that God was leading us toward marriage, and for multiple reasons, I was looking for a new church. What struck me during my first visit to this church even more than how welcoming you were was how as a community of believers you were so passionate in your pursuit to know Christ more and to apply His completed work to every area of your lives. You guys definitely left an impression!
After being apart for 6 weeks, the Lord graciously brought Melody and I back together and we began searching for a church we both could call home. I immediately thought of Sovereign Grace! One of Melody’s first experiences with this church was a 3 hour conversation we had with Pastor Mike in the Cunningham’s backyard during a welcome luncheon. A few days later I had a 5 hour conversation with Pastor Eric about theology, church polity, marriage and a number of other topics. Having come from a church of several thousand, we were blown away by the willingness of the Pastors to make themselves available to address any questions or concerns we had. Their heart to shepherd was clear to us, as was their love for God, for you, and for the Word.
Melody and I knew that we could not really get a clear picture of the church by simply attending a few Sunday services and having a couple of conversations, so we made the decision to “dive in” by joining a small group, pursuing fellowship, and serving. This is a decision we are now very glad we made. In early May, I proposed to Melody, and thankfully she said “yes”! It was an amazing blessing to have our new church family there to rejoice with us during that time of excitement and preparation. We quickly started pre-marital counseling with Pastor Eric, during which we were constantly edified and challenged as he encouraged us to apply the truth of the Gospel to our relationship and future marriage. I think we will always remember that he taught us that “the first one to the cross wins” in any conflict. During the five short months of our engagement, you showed us encouragement, support, and genuine love. You also gave us come excellent advice!
We were married on September 23, and we are very glad that many of you were able to share that moment with us. We are especially thankful to the Turbedskys, the Smetonas, and the Adams for all they did to serve us on that special day. For our honeymoon we went on a Holy Land cruise, and something that surprised us was that even though we were visiting what many consider to be the most holy locations in the world, a big part of us longed to be right here worshipping the Savior with you. This made it clear to Melody and I that we had really made Sovereign Grace our home. We are very thankful for the genuine love you have shown us and we are super excited to continue the work of advancing the Gospel together with each of you to the glory of God!
A local memorial service is planned for Chris Macadam's father at Mariners Church. His parents were active members and their Sunday School Class is making arrangements.
Saturday, December 8, 2012 11:00AM
Room 208, Life Development Building
Check out the photos from Brandon and Melody Webb's wedding!