Pastors and Deacons

Every year our pastors and deacons gather for a meeting to review and coordinate their ministries. We call this our Church Council. A body consisting of all official office holders in our local church. You can read more about our leaders here.

Our Church Council is meeting this Thursday, May 16th. They'll be discussing everything from finances to administration, to benevolence and security. This is a very important meeting. The deacons help the pastors do pastoral work and the pastors help the deacons do deaconate work.

Please pray for these leaders. Ask God to give them his heart for his church and our city. Pray for wisdom. Pray for unity. Pray for joy as they labor for God's glory on our behalf.

Surprising insights in a seemingly dull passage

On Sunday Pastor Eric preached from Genesis 5:1-32. It’s the first of 9 genealogies in Genesis. It’s a chapter most of us would skip over. But that’s only because we don’t understand its significance. This genealogy helps us locate ourselves in God’s story. We see His promised plan unfold in the past. We look for His promised plan unfolding in the present. And we long for His promised plan to unfold in the future.

Listen to the sermon.

“Prayer is so fundamental to the life of the church…It’s like breathing. It is not an option. It’s the engine.”
-Paul Miller

It’s ok if you missed our first morning prayer meeting this past Tuesday. We’re doing it again this next Tuesday! And every Tuesday for the foreseeable future. Set your alarm a bit earlier on Tuesdays and come pursue God with us in prayer.

Morning Prayer Meeting
Every Tuesday
6:30am-7:15am
@ The Church Offices

June 15th
9am-1pm
More details forthcoming

You’ve heard of TED Talks. This June, we’re bringing you MAN Talks. A half-day with the men of Sovereign Grace Church talking about masculinity.

We’ll learn, we’ll have some fun, and we’ll eat a big lunch together.

It’s the Saturday before Father’s Day. Put it on your calendar now so you aren’t double booked.

Chapman University recently shared an episode of California’s Gold with Huell Howser that centers on Old Towne Orange. Huell is taken around the city by Orange’s historian, Phil Brigandi.

What a privilege to call Old Towne Orange home.

Watch the Old Towne Orange episode of California’s Gold.

(If you’re looking for more historical resources about Orange, take a look at the city’s Historical Resources Guide.)

Your 2019 Challenge

This year we’ve challenged you to memorize 12 Bible Verses Every Californian Needs to Know. Each month we provide a Bible verse and you commit it to memory. For those who complete all 12 months, we will throw a party celebrating the ways God has strengthened you through His word.

How to Participate

For memorizing, we recommend you read the verse 10 times then recite it 10 times. Do this each day and within a few days it will stick. Learn more about how to memorize Scripture here and here.

Once you have it memorized, recite it for us before the month is over. You have two options:

1. Record a video and send it to info@sovgraceoc.org. You’re on the honor system, but make sure to keep your eyes on the camera the whole time.
   OR

2. Head to our Welcome Desk on a Sunday morning and recite it to one of the Connect Team members. After you do, send an email to info@sovgraceoc.org letting us know which Connect Team member you recited it to.

May’s Verse: Philippians 4:4-7 (ESV)

4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Vital relationships with other churches

The pastors in the US West Region of Sovereign Grace Churches came to Orange County last week for their annual retreat. Our relationship with these men and their churches is healthy and bearing good fruit. Having partners like them doesn’t just feel good. We are working together, in real ways, for the glory of God, the health of local churches, and the advancement of the gospel.

When we think of these pastors and their churches, Philippians 1:3-5 comes to mind:

“3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.”

Thanks be to God for good, gospel partnerships

This week Pastor Dustin is in Louisville, KY with Sovereign Grace Music. He's joining with other worship leaders from around the country to receive training and provide input on resources for leading worship in our denomination's churches. Please pray for their time together.