We love Orange
It’s safe to bet you’ll be behind the grill on Memorial Day. I Heart Old Towne Orange asked Chef Marc Mendoza from Smoqued BBQ (one of our favorite local eateries to take visitors) for his 5 grilling pro tips. Take these to heart.
On account of forescasted rain, we are calling off the Picnic in the Plaza for this Sunday. Don’t let that stop you from grabbing lunch with your friends or inviting a guest out to lunch. You can still enjoy one another’s company inside a restaurant or in your home.
We want to better serve you
We are a praying church. We pray as individuals. We pray on Sundays. We pray in small groups. We pray before, during, and after meetings.
And now, as you know, we hold a weekly morning prayer meeting. And you’re invited to join us.
We also would like to pray for you. To make it simple, we’ve added a place on our website where you can submit requests. We’ll pray for them on Tuesday mornings.
There is a wonderful blessing that comes from a close knit church community. Every individual depends on the next for support and encouragement. Members to member. Family to family. Pastor to pastor and member to pastor and back again. We are a big (small) family.
One of the ways we can continue to foster our unity is how we talk about “us.”
"The way we speak of a church is rather like the language we might use of a sports team we support. The transition from 'they' to 'we' is the big marker. When I first began to follow Swansea City F.C., I used to say, 'They are in such-and-such a place in the football (soccer) league.' But the time needed to come when I said, 'We are. . . . We signed a good striker' (or maybe we didn’t). Is there a church you attend or is it a church to which you belong? Is it 'they' (or 'it'), or is it 'we'?"
-Christopher Ash
The quote above comes from this book. You can read more quotes here.
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.
How are you doing memorizing May’s Bible verse?
There are 10 days left in May to complete the challenge for this month. Make sure you show us you’ve memorized it by either:
Recording a video and sending it to info@sovgraceoc.org. You’re on the honor system, but make sure to keep your eyes on the camera.
ORHeading to our Welcome Desk on a Sunday morning and reciting 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.
Learn more about how to memorize Scripture here and here.
“I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word.”
-Psalm 119:16
Training the next church leaders of Orange County
On Sunday, we celebrated our first graduating class from the Theology Course. These men engaged in a rigorous 18-month course of study to grow in their knowledge and love of the Lord. They read 4000 pages averaging 30 minutes of reading per day and totaling 268 hours. They each wrote 6 papers on various theological and biblical topics.
Natalie, the wife of one of our graduates, shared the following during our service:
I think I can speak for the church in saying; Wes, Grant, Israel, Dylan, Jeff and Dave, thank you for your faith, your time, your sacrifice, and your love for Christ. We are so excited to see God use you and watch His glory unfold through His church. Thank you for inspiring us to hold fast to Christ.
I’ll close with Colossians 2:6-7:
“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.”
These men are to be commended for their hard work. Their wives are to be commended for making room in their schedules for them to do this. We’re praying their efforts will bear fruit as they continue to serve among us.
A big thank you to Israel, Dave, Dylan, Wes, Grant, and Jeff (who’s not pictured above because he is serving at our sister church in Santa Ana). May God use you for the strengthening of His church and the advance of the gospel.
Are you looking for an opportunity to be trained?
If you have a desire to be trained for church leadership, whether you’re from inside or outside our church, we want connect with you. Head here and fill out the interest form so we can be in touch.
Every June we honor and pray for those graduating from High School. It's an important moment to mark a job well done and the start of a new and exciting season. We wouldn't want to miss it!
Let us know below and we’ll get you more details and a gift:
Rachel successfully defended her dissertation this past Friday. She’s worked incredibly hard to get here. It’s the fruit of God’s work in her.
A large group of family members and friends were in attendance (including church members!) to show their support. What a sweet moment to share together.