Host a lunch in The Plaza.

Want to do lunch with friends after church? Just bring blankets and invite people to join you in The Plaza after the service. Everyone can find their own food (or pack a picnic) and meet up down the street.

Join us for prayer every Sunday in the Woman's Club Garden. We pause for 15 minutes, prior to the start of Sunday School, asking God to bless our church and to be glorified in all that we are about to do.

Woman's Club Garden

Sundays, 9:45AM

1.  Beach Camp:  Join us as we head to Refugio in Santa Barbara and close out the summer with a couple days of vacation together.  Registration is now open for the first 80 church members and regular attendees.

2.  Online Giving:  We have always had it, but it was so well hidden not even a hacker could find it.  But no more!  We have set up a new service with a link on our homepage.  

Want to hear the first of our new series on Church Government, here it is!

Looking for a convenient way to make a donation on Sundays? Don't carry cash or checks? We've added TEXT2GIVE to your list of options. First time users are prompted to validate their identity. See the screen shots below. After that, all you need to do is text an amount (ex. 100). Thanks for being a generous church!

Text an amount to 949-396-0009.

No fees. Charges applied to your credit/bank card.

Learn more about all your options at www.sovgraceoc.org/give

Our first sermon from We Believe In Organized Religion focused on the role of pastors in the life of Christians. Do you have a pastor? Do you want a pastor? Could it be that you are struggling in your faith and life because you are part of the pastorless-church? You can listen to the sermon here.

Pastors aren't the solution to every problem. Sometimes they are the problem! However, we can't ignore what the Scriptures say. Pastors are men given by God to us, the church. And when a church government functions properly, pastors are a manifestation of God's kindness and care towards us. They are one of the primary way in which God cares for the church.

Here are a few of the things we know about pastors from 1 Peter 5:1-4.

Pastors are shepherds.

They feed, tend, lead, and protect. They aren't priests or kings. They don't own their own flock. Jesus is the Great Shepherd, pastors are under-shepherds, and shepherding is the predominate motif describing pastoral ministry in the Bible.

Pastors love the church.

They are Christians who love Christians, and this love (not their gifting) is what distinguishes them. Not every gifted man is called to pastor and neither is every man who loves the church. But there is no such thing as a pastor who loves his books and loves to preach but isn't interested in the welfare of a particular congregation.

Pastors want to serve.

We don't draft our pastors. They are willing volunteers, who desire to do the work of a pastor. They labor gladly for our good, as friends and fellow brothers. 

Pastors make sacrifices.

They lay down their preferences and priorities for the church. This doesn't mean we shouldn't compensate them, but their compensation doesn't motivate them. They don't work for money. Pastors aren't professionals. They serve at personal cost.

Pastors are examples.

You need to know your pastor and his life. This is how he leads you. He is an example for you to follow. If you don't know him or all you know about him is his preaching, you're missing out. Pastors establish patterns every Christian can follow.

Join us this Sunday as we begin a three sermon series on Church Government.

Pastors

Deacons

Denominations

We would love an opportunity to get to know you better! Join us this Sunday, 03-23-14, immediately following the service, for a guest reception at a cottage in Old Towne Orange. 

Lunch is on us, all you have to do is show up. It's a come-and-go as you please format and kids are welcome. Members of the church and a pastor will be there to greet you.

More info will be available at the service on Sunday. We'll see you then!

This year we're challenging our members and regular attenders to attend a church service every week in 2014. You can read more about the 52 SUNDAYS challenge here. This article is part of a series of articles about 52 SUNDAYS.

What if I'm running late?

When should you give up and stay home? What's the tipping point? You've missed so much that it's not worth going anymore. Ever find yourself at home on a Sunday morning thinking this?

If I'm late?

Ok. Let's start with the "if" part. The rest of what I'm about to say assumes you are regularly on time, which for us is 10:45am. Our service begins at 11:00am. Newcomers arrive before that. Fifteen minutes is ample time to get situated and greet your friends and guests.

I'm a huge fan of sleep and I've already sympathized with the parents of young children. I know it's difficult, but trust me. Train yourself now to leave on time for church and it'll pay off big time. If you are arriving at 11:00am, you're missing tons.

Some is better than none.

Don't think of the service as a complete unit. A sacramental event whereby, if you complete the checklist you get the prize. It's true every part is purposeful and I definitely don't recommend you pick and choose which parts of the liturgy you participate in. However, the Sunday service is a celebration. It's better to catch the end of the party than stay at home alone. Get over your "lateness" and get to church ASAP.

Sundays last all day.

Don't think of Sundays as ending with the Benediction. I'm not going to say that the fellowship and ministry that happens after the service is more or less important than the service itself. That's a false dichotomy...they are both important.

Yet what happens after the service (even if you've missed the whole service) is part of what we do on Sundays. We welcome guests. We pray for one another. We comfort, serve, and practice hospitality. We rest with one another.

We rest together.

So often I think one of the biggest challenges we face when thinking about Sundays is our individualistic, consumer mentality. If we've missed something or are unaware of a personal need, then why go? Why make the effort? Especially if I've already missed the beginning.

Your God and your friends will understand. You woke up late. You've had a bad morning. No worries...we'll take whatever part of you we can get.