Our denomination, Sovereign Grace Churches, has just released a new mission video featuring Trinity Grace Church in Athens, TN. Pastors Eric and Dustin have both been involved with this church as they prepared to launch. It’s a privilege to have partners in the gospel like our brothers and sisters in Athens, TN.
Watch the video above, rejoice in God’s grace to them, and pray for their efforts to establish an outpost for the gospel in rural Tennessee.
On Sunday Pastor Eric preached from 1 Peter 1:3-5. The new life that we have in Christ through His resurrection is the source of our hope. His very life courses through our veins. Our eternal inheritance is being kept for us and we are being kept for it by God’s power.
Registration is now open for our every-other-year Men’s Retreat. The three Sovereign Grace churches of California are joining forces for another weekend of teaching, fellowship, food, and competitions. Our last one was fantastic.
Ben Kreps, a pastor from our sister church in Harrisburg, PA, is our guest speaker. Our theme is “The Power of God: How the Gospel Conquers Men.” Young men ages 14 and up are welcome to join.
More details are available on the registration page.
Men, make this investment in your own growth and in our partnership. Ladies, make sure your man gets up there.
Scholarships and financial aid are available. Spots are limited, so secure yours ASAP.
“Beware in your prayers, above everything else, of limiting God, not only by unbelief, but by fancying that you know what He can do. Expect unexpected things ‘above all that we ask or think.’”
-Andrew Murray
Every Tuesday morning from 6:30am-7:15am we gather for prayer in Old Towne Orange. We pray because we are needy and our God is generous. We pray because the Lord invites us to ask persistently (Matt. 7:7-8). God is using our prayers to accomplish His purposes.
We know not everyone is able to attend. But if you can, make this part of your weekly schedule.
We can’t wait to pray with you.
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.
We’re halfway nearly halfway through September. There’s still plenty of time to complete the challenge for this month. Act now, don’t delay.
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:
Record a video and send it to info@sovgraceoc.org. You’re on the honor system. We trust you.
OR
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.
Photos help us capture significant moments in our life together. They remind us of the good things God has done in our church. They tell the story of our church to our friends and guests.
We invite you to send us your photos. When you're at our services, events, and small group meetings, snap pictures. Photos of people are the best. You don't have to be a professional.
To make it easy on you, all you need to do is email them to our photo account.
Our worship team is staffed with volunteers who use their time and talents to serve us every Sunday. Singing at Sovereign Grace is possible because of these men and women.
Every year we hold open auditions for the worship team and this year we’re excited to announce that four new members are joining.
You’ll see them beginning to serve in the next few weeks. Thank God and thank them. What a joy to be in a church full of servants.
On Sunday we had the privilege of hearing Andrew and Abbey’s story of the Lord leading them to our church. Here is what they shared:
My wife Abbey and I are excited and grateful to have officially joined this church as members two weeks ago. The road here has had some unexpected twists, but the grace of God has marked them all.
I first heard about Sovereign Grace several years ago from my good friend, Mark Esposito. After that, I began listening to Pastor Eric on the podcasts. I also came to the Christmas Eve service at Sovereign Grace with my family for several years.
Pastor Eric is a very unique pastor. I have never heard a pastor preach with such enthusiasm, charisma, authority, and grace. Many pastors are only one of those things. Before I began attending Sovereign Grace, I went to mega churches out of convenience, but wasn’t finding the right fit. Due to the importance of fellowship, I began attending regularly in October 2017. The Esposito Family always made me feel so welcomed and at home.
Then, I met Abbey in January 2018 and we began dating. Church is very important to both of us and shortly after we began dating, we started going to church together. We alternated between the church she was attending and Sovereign Grace. After discussion and prayer we decided to attend Abbey’s church together. I remember the conversation with Pastor Eric in the cabin at the men’s retreat. He was gracious, sad to see me go, but happy to see me pursuing a godly woman.
During our time at Abbey’s former church, we had discussions about what we were learning, our fellowship with others, and church practices. We realized through our discussions and prayer that we did not agree with much of what was going on there. So, after a few months of regularly attending and participating, we left.
When we left, we were not sure where we wanted to go next. We thought we might be in for a season of church hunting. Instead of church hunting, I gently persuaded Abbey to give Sovereign Grace a try again. Right in between leaving the other church and re-attending sovereign grace, we got engaged. We were both drawn to the community oriented feel of Sovereign Grace.
One of the other major draws to Sovereign Grace was Abbey’s rich history in Old Towne Orange. She has lived in this city her entire life and attended school here. Her first jobs were at the Army Navy Store and Watson’s. Her step dad is a city councilman and both he and Abbey’s mom are heavily involved in the city. The whole family has a passion for community engagement. Abbey’s dream was always to put roots down in Old Town and to live near the circle. What a blessing to be brought to a church in the community Abbey loves and I have come to love too.
We have been so welcomed by the Sovereign Grace church body and everyone is so friendly. We love our small group and friends we’ve made here. I am grateful for how this church takes care of each other, which was graciously illustrated when Mark Esposito crashed on his bicycle two weeks ago while we were riding together. Within 10 minutes of the incident Pastors Eric and Mike had been informed and were contacting me to help however they could. Mike and Lois came to the hospital to be with Michelle. It is wonderful to see how the church practices caring for each other.
The community is great, but more importantly Sovereign Grace shows the signs of a true biblical church.
Abbey and I are blessed to have godly friends from this body to fellowship with and grow together. We are so grateful to be members of this local church.