This Sunday is Reformation Sunday, the day we celebrate the reformation and Martin Luther's 95 Theses.
The celebration begins immediately following the service out in the Woman's Club Garden. All guests are welcome. German food and fun. All member and regular attenders should contact Frau Anne for food directions.
Every year we throw a big party to celebrate the rich church history we share with all protestant churches. It all happens in the Women's Club Gardens right after the service. If you are a regular attender please email Anne for meal instructions.
"But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body."
Jonathan shared this testimony on Sunday...
I was born in San Diego, raised in the city of Orange, my father abandoned my mother and I when I was 2 years old, and my grandfather passed away while I was young. I grew up going to church, but you could definitely say my family was broken and so was I.
I started using drugs and then selling drugs in middle school. I was kicked out of McPherson Magnet School and then my mother’s home at the age of 16.
I hurt a lot of people in Orange. I attempted to take my life many, many times here in Orange. It was here that I gave up.
Two years ago, after surviving one last attempt at suicide, I returned to my parents home. They took me in and that’s when my life began to change. That day, as I looked around my childhood bedroom, I prayed a simple prayer and God answered. I began attending a church. I was baptized. People began discipling me. It wasn’t easy and I wasn’t perfect, but I was beginning to change. I was growing.
Jesus had become my redeemer. My shepherd.
Long story short, I arrived here at Sovereign Grace in July and found my home right where I began…in Old Towne Orange. And you have to understand. I was afraid to walk these streets alone. I was ashamed someone would recognize me. Or worse.
It’s kind of surreal. Just walking around the Plaza with you.
Yet God has called me back and I have been so blessed and encouraged by you. You love Jesus. You are living for his glory andI want to be a part of this. I want to be a part of you.
I want to add my voice and my life to yours and tell people in Orange that whatever you are facing…trials, hopelessness, whatever. When your world comes crashing down , put your trust in Christ.
He will bear with you in mercy like he did for me. He will protect you like He did for me. He is good. He rules the world. In Him is found salvation and new life.
I never thought I’d be here (in Orange, of all places) saying this. I never imagined I’d be a member of this church. Sovereign Grace Church. But today I am.
I’ve been forgiven of much and I have been loved much. And now I want to tell my home town that they can be too.
Pastors Eric preached last Sunday from 1 Corinthians 1:10-17 and the danger of trusting our leaders more than we trust our God. Our tendency towards "brand loyalty" can divide the church into factions, forming rivalries that have more to do with preferences then doctrinal purity. These rivalries aren't a sign of discernment, but in the case of the Corinthians their immaturity.
Guest preacher Jason Hansen from our sister church preached last Sunday on the need to drink deeply from the well of the Scriptures. "Christians cannot live without it."
Our church is part of a family of churches that believes we are better together than we are apart. We build relationally, one local church to another, in hopes of strengthening both. We do more than commit financial resources or attend conferences, we agree to stand with other local churches in times of need and trials.
Please take a moment to pray this week for two of our sister churches who find themselves facing tragedies. Covenant Life Fellowship in Roseburg, Oregon is located near the the recent massacre on the campus Umbqua Community College. Sovereign Grace Church of the Lowcountry is dealing with historic flooding in South Carolina.
Last Sunday, during a bi-annual church member meeting, we announced Dustin Smetona as our newest Pastoral Resident. He and his wife have been an integral part of our church for years and Dustin completed an internship a few years back. We believe he is called to pastoral ministry and now have officially begun the process of answering the "when and where" questions.
Our Pastoral Residency program is a ministry of the entire church, not just the pastoral team. We all get to play a part in training and equipping future leaders. You can read more about this here.
Join us in thanking God for the Smetonas. Please begin to pray and ask Him to lead us over the next year or so. Our pastoral team will keep you up to date and if Dustin is nominated to be a pastor in our church, you will have a part to play in that process too.