“None can believe how powerful prayer is, and what it is able to effect, but those who have learned it by experience.”
Martin Luther

We pray so that we can participate in what God is doing. We pray so that we don’t miss it when he answers.

Our monthly prayer meeting is on the 4th Tuesday of every month. Unite your heart and your voice with ours as we seek God together.

Our next one is tonight at 7:00pm in Old Towne Orange. We’re asking everyone who can be there to be there. Bring a lawn chair, a coat, and a heart ready to meet with the Lord.

All the details are here.

There aren’t enough photos to capture every moment, but the ones we do have help us remember what a gift from God this year’s Christmas Eve service was. A big thanks to Lauren for being our photographer this year!

Check out all the photos here.

If you have photos from Christmas Eve you’d like to contribute, please send them to photos@sovgraceoc.org and we’ll add them to the album.

Father

On Sunday pastoral resident Andrew Maples preached from Galatians 4:1-7. He reminded us that God sent His Son in order to make us sons. The incarnation brought us the gift of adoption. We have God as our Father, and all the benefits, privileges, and responsibilities that come with it. This is how God defines our relationship, not by any religious system we’ve devised, but by bringing us into His family.

Listen to the sermon.

Our members and regular attenders were notified through email that we have had a rise in COVID cases in our church in the last week along with exposure at two different small group meetings. This coincides with a holiday surge that is happening throughout the globe.

In response to these developments, Pastor Eric provided updates last Sunday regarding our upcoming meetings:

1. We plan to host our outdoor Christmas Eve service. Right now rain is in the forecast. If it is going to rain, we will cancel the service rather than moving indoors. The pastoral team will make a decision on Thursday and notify everyone as soon as possible.

2. We plan to continue hosting outdoor services every Sunday. Currently, there is a mask mandate in California for indoor public places. Please wear a mask if you need to go inside the building.

3. Children’s Ministry is canceled for the month of January with a plan to resume the first Sunday of February. Our volunteers will provide activities for your children each week until we begin offering it again.

4. We plan to continue hosting our outdoor prayer meetings. Our next prayer meeting is scheduled for Tuesday 12/28 at 7:00pm in Old Towne Orange.

5. We plan to keep holding small group meetings. We will work with each small group leader to determine any necessary changes to their meetings which could include moving outdoors or onto Zoom temporarily.

6. If you are experiencing symptoms of illness or have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, please stay home. Review and follow our COVID-19 Positive Test and Exposure Policy.

We know changes like these are difficult. We know everyone is wearied by the disruptions that COVID-19 continues to cause. If you’re having difficulty with the pandemic our pastors are available to counsel and care for you. We want to lead you to trust in God and cast all your cares upon Him. Contact a member of the pastoral team if you need help or have questions.

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”
1 Peter 5:6-7

And that is a very good thing for us.

On Sunday Pastor Dustin preached from Genesis 48-49. He asked us to take Scripture’s counsel and abandon our notion of fairness. Life isn’t fair because God isn’t fair. His gospel isn’t about fairness. The gospel means Jesus gets what we deserve so that we get what He deserves. His program is saving grace for sinners.

Listen to the sermon.

“There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents...”
Luke 15:7

Jesus Christ came to seek and save the lost. Today He is using His people to spread the gospel to men and women in need of a Savior. He has called us to do this glorious, difficult, and crucial work. We want to focus our efforts on it in 2022.

That’s why we’re announcing today our evangelism campaign for the new year: “Who’s Your One?”

A CHURCH-WIDE EFFORT

We’ll be talking about evangelism from the pulpit. We’ll be writing about it on our blog. We’ll be sharing testimonies. We’ll be discussing it in our small groups. We’re expecting God to reach down from heaven and show His saving mercy to family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers.

Every month we’ll be asking each other, “Who’s your one?” Who are you praying for? Who are you seeking to share the gospel with?

WE ALL HAVE A PART TO PLAY

Here’s our plan for the year:

• Each month, every church member will choose 1 person in their life who is not a believer.

• We will share the name of the person we’ve chosen in our first small group meeting of each month. We’ll pray together for every person named.

• We will commit to pray regularly for our “one” throughout the month and share the gospel with them at least once before the end of the month.

• We will publish resources and training articles related to evangelism on our blog that each small group will discuss together.

• As church members share the gospel, we will invite them to share testimonies, whether it went well or it was a disaster. God works through every effort.

• We will celebrate and acknowledge conversions as they happen.

100 CHURCH MEMBERS X 1 PERSON PER MONTH X 12 MONTHS = 1200 PEOPLE HEARING THE GOSPEL IN 2022

We know this will stretch each of us. It will put us out of our comfort zones. But we’re simply aiming to be faithful. Imagine how wonderful it will be when we see people coming into Christ’s kingdom through our Spirit-empowered efforts. May God be glorified as He does it.

More details are forthcoming. For now, begin to pray and think about who your “one” for January will be.

3 Ways To Enjoy Our Denominational Partnership

We love Sovereign Grace Churches. We’re stronger as a local church because of our denomination. We’re able to participate in God’s broader mission because of our partnership with our denomination. We receive training, mentoring, encouragement, and accountability through our denomination.

Here are three simple ways you can enjoy this gospel partnership from the comfort of your own home:

1. Check out these global updates and join us in praying.

2. Scan the articles in the 3rd Edition of the Sovereign Grace Churches Journal that cover our new Statement of Faith.

3. Watch this church planter’s God-glorifying, encouraging testimony that was shared at the Pastors Conference in November.