Your 2019 Challenge

This year we’ve challenged you to the 12 Bible Verses Every Californian Needs to Know challenge. 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.

September’s Verse: Isaiah 40:28-31 (ESV)

28 Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.
29 He gives power to the faint,
and to him who has no might he increases strength.
30 Even youths shall faint and be weary,
and young men shall fall exhausted;
31 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint.

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. We trust you.
   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.

The Partnership of Prayer

We belong to a denomination called Sovereign Grace Churches. Over the weekend, two tragedies struck cities with our sister churches in them. Below we’ve included details and some ways you can be praying.

From Kingdom Life Church in the Bahamas:

• Hurricane Dorian stayed north of their island but wreaked havoc on the islands of Abaco and Grand Bahama with sustained winds around 185mph. The damage is extensive. Lives have been lost and an unthinkable amount of property has been destroyed. This is a gigantic humanitarian crisis.

• Cedric, the pastor of Kingdom Life, asks that we pray God would give them wisdom for how to respond and help their country recover. Most of all, he asks that that God would provide them ways to bring the hope of the gospel to those who have suffered loss.

From Sovereign Grace Church of Midland in Midland, TX:

• On Saturday a gunman went on a shooting rampage in the Midland-Odessa area. He killed seven people and injured over 20 more. Three of the victims were police officers. While no members of the church were injured, three of them are police officers. This affects them and their families deeply.

• Billy, the Senior Pastor, asks that we pray for the victims and their families, for those injured that they would recover, for city officials and law enforcement to respond with wisdom, and for God to use Sovereign Grace Church to care for the practical and spiritual needs of their neighbors.

Pick Your Path

On Sunday Pastor Dustin preached from Psalm 1. He reminded us that we work tirelessly to find and experience the good life. We’ll try anything that promises to give it to us. But the only path that takes us there is the path paved by the Giver of Life.

Listen to the sermon.

A Block Party With Half a Million People

The 47th annual Orange International Street Fair kicks off tonight at 5:00pm.

Check out this breakdown of the Street Fair from IHeartOldTowneOrange. And for an incredible perspective on this massive event, watch this time lapse video from last year. If you pay close attention around the 4:25 mark, you may even see some familiar people.

Don’t Skip Out

We know a huge crowd on a hot weekend is not appealing to everyone. But we should see this as an opportunity to be a light to our city. Be here. It speaks volumes about the love of God for our neighbors.

Plan to arrive early on Sunday because parking will be tight. You’ll likely be walking a bit further than usual. Show up at 9:30am for Sunday School and you'll have no problem.

Come make an investment in your friendships.

We’re changing our park day schedule beginning in September. We’re switching from weekly to 2 times per month. All the details you need are below. Take advantage of these opportunities to connect. Everyone is welcome.

Every 2nd and 4th Wednesday
10:00am-12:00pm
Hart Park Playground

Check for updates on our Sovereign Grace Playgroup Facebook page.

You can also get these (and lots of other great stuff) on your calendar by syncing with our church calendar.

How do we come to trust in Christ? Is faith something we conjure up ourselves?

Adult Sunday School is back in the New City Catechism this week tackling question 35. You can learn more here: http://newcitycatechism.com/new-city-catechism/#35. There’s even a song with the question and answer for you (and your kids)!

Come learn the foundational truths of Christianity with us. Plus, it’ll be smart to get to church early this week on account of the Street Fair!

9:30am
Woman’s Club Gardens

Help Us Help You

Bright and early every Tuesday morning a group gathers at our church office to pray. Not everyone can make it, but if you can, we invite you to join us.

We know it’s challenging. You’re tired. You forget it’s happening until it’s too late.

But we want to help. That’s why we’ve set up a text message reminder that goes out on Mondays.

All you have to do is text AMPRAYER to 984-203-6255 and you’ll be added to the list. You can unsubscribe at anytime.

If you want to join us for the prayer meeting, sign up.
If you’re not sure you can join us, sign up.
Even if you know you can’t join us, sign up anyway. It’ll be a sweet reminder that your brothers and sisters are gathering to pray.

We publish updates on our financial status throughout the year. A final annual report is published every Fall.

These figures represent the grace of God at work in the members and friends of our local church. It's unmistakable. God is being kind towards us and we want to thank Him and you.

Thank you.

Of course, numbers are only a small fraction of all the way our church is contributing to the ministry of our church. Wouldn't it be great if we could publish a monthly report on your generous affections for one another? Or all the hours you spend together? Thank you for living no longer for yourselves but for God and your neighbor!

May the accounting of His provisions encourage your faith. Please continue to pray that we would steward it all for the advance of His gospel and the good of His church.

Sept 1st 2018 - July 31st 2019

$ 265,225 Contributions

$ 272,870 Expenses

Questions? Please contact a member of our Finance Committee.