A few weeks ago we announced our church-wide evangelism campaign for 2022. Even with the pandemic disrupting lives, we are pressing forward expecting that our discussions, prayers, and efforts will all be used by God for the salvation of souls.

Small groups are where the program part of the campaign is taking place. This week, your small group leaders will be facilitating a discussion about “Who’s Your One?” Here’s how you can prepare:

1. Decide on your “one” for January. This should be someone you know well, who doesn’t know Christ, who you love and want to see come to know Christ, and believe you could share the gospel with.

2. Think through how you would share the gospel in 30 seconds or less. Talk it through with your roommate, spouse, or friend. Write it out. Prepare to share at small group this week.

3. Review the “Two Ways to Live” gospel presentation and let it shape your presentation of the gospel. Also, make sure you bookmark this website! It’s a great tool to use with unbelievers who show an interest in learning the essential truths of the gospel.

Jesus has said that the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Thank you for committing to be one of His laborers. May Christ inspire and equip us to gather in His harvest!

Due to the continuing spread of the coronavirus, this Thursday’s Youth Meeting is moving online. It starts at 7:00pm. All Junior High and High School students are welcome to join. Contact Kirsi for an invite.

Pastor Eric is leading the youth through a series of topics on the most unpopular convictions of Christianity. That series continues this week. May God use this meeting to equip our young men and women to know, love, and serve Christ!

Read the following update from our denomination’s executive director, Mark Prater, and then watch the video below. God is working through our partners in Sovereign Grace Churches!

“We are excited to share with you the story of one local church experiencing the grace and blessings of God through the generosity of regular church members. Jim Brown, senior pastor at Crossway Community Church in Crestview, FL, shares a bit of how they found their church building and the extraordinary generosity God used to help them settle into the building.

As you watch, join us in thanking God for his provision and care for this local church. And if you are inspired to give, visit our give page. Your contributions make a difference in the advancement of the gospel in local churches all over the world!”

Each month, our denomination’s director of emerging nations, Dave Taylor, publishes a list of specific ways we can pray for the gospel to spread among the nations. The requests are available below and on the emerging nations website.

Prayer is such a wonderful way to partner. Let’s take a moment to pray for each of these requests.

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“As we continue to walk through the doors that the Lord has opened to us around the world, we do so full of faith. For the Lord is good and merciful and gracious and wise. His Gospel is powerful, and Jesus is always the answer!

And yet as we continue to step forward, we so need the Lord! We are totally reliant on Him for wisdom and insight and favour and discernment and clarity and sustenance and protection, and that’s why we so need your prayers. 

Here then is how you can be praying for us in the month ahead…

1. Please pray for the three internships that we are presently running in Mexico; Karl Sauter, who will be relocating in the near future to serve alongside Manolo in Siloa. Jorge Luis Guiterrez, who will be moving to Juarez, and Andres Contreras, who has relocated to Guadalajara to serve alongside Choby and Luis. 

2. Please pray for Dyonah Thomas, our key leader in Monrovia, Liberia, as he finishes up his Ordination process and looks to fold Gracelife Church, Monrovia, into full partnership with Sovereign Grace Churches in early 2022.

3. Please pray for our work in Belarus, through Kyle Huber, Lead Pastor of Greentree Church, New Jersey. Belarus is a very difficult country to be a Christian in right now, yet incredibly, there are two Churches that are in the early stages of pursuing adoption into our family of churches. Please pray that we’ll be a help to them in this great endeavour of making and maturing disciples in their dear country.

4. Please pray for Allen Dicharry, Aaron Mayfield and Billy Raise as they continue to work into Nepal, with our main contact there (who I won’t name here). Nepal has been heavily affected by the covid pandemic, as has our main church there. Please pray for much grace, wisdom and insight as we continue to move forward together in this wonderful country, and as we look to fold them into Sovereign Grace Churches. 

5. Please pray for our ongoing work in Pakistan, India & South Korea, three countries that have done it very tough in covid, but have high hopes for the road ahead. We’re eager to help them and serve them well!

May He who opens the doors, guide and strengthen our every step!”

Our Final Sermon From Genesis

On Sunday Pastor Dustin preached from Genesis 50:1-26. He called us to recommit to be fruitful Christians in the land of our affliction. God has planted us here, He is with us here, and He is working through us here. Though it seems the odds are stacked against us, with the Lord and His great promises on our side, we have all we need to bear good fruit in our city. We need to build good reputations, see His sovereign hand, and keep our hope anchored in His promised future. By His grace and with His help, may we do just that.

Listen to the sermon.

We provided these updates earlier this week, but wanted to give you a few quick reminders:

1. Sunday Services will remain outdoors. There had been discussion about moving our services inside, but with the virus spreading so rapidly we’re opting to remain outdoors to curb the spread.

2. The Sunday livestream is back temporarily. We’re offering a livestream of our Sunday services for the month of January 2022. If you’re staying home because you’re sick or quarantining, please tune in. It’s available on our Facebook Live page. You don’t need a Facebook account to access it.

3. Children’s Ministry is on pause. Since indoor childcare is the place we’re most vulnerable to spread the virus, we aren’t offering it for the month of January. Our volunteers will have activities for your kids to keep them engaged during the service. We’re also in the process of rebuilding and relaunching children’s ministry. Our plan is to roll it out the first week of February.

Our pastors are available to help explain any of these decisions in more detail and offer you biblical counsel and encouragement. Please contact them if you need help.

Every Sunday meeting is a gift from God. We look forward to worshiping with you this week!

Take Advantage of the Money Management Class

Do you have debt you can’t seem to pay down?
Are you having trouble creating and keeping a budget?
Are you stressed by the state of your finances?
Do you wish you could be more generous?

Once a year we offer a course on the biblical principles of financial stewardship. The classes are conducted in a small group setting, using a discussion format and curriculum adapted from Crown Ministries and Money and the Gospel.

10 classes on Mondays beginning January 24th

Les and Sue lead the class. Their mentorship is invaluable. Check out testimonies of those who’ve been impacted by the class here, here, and here.

Materials cost $30 per person or $55 per couple. Scholarships are available.

The deadline to register is January 16th

Spots are limited. Sign up today!

With the current surge of COVID-19 cases in and outside of our church, we are making a few changes to serve our members for the month of January. The pastoral team will reassess these as we get further into the month and keep you notified of any changes or future plans.

1. Sunday Services will remain outdoors. There had been discussion about moving our services inside, but with the virus spreading so rapidly we’re opting to remain outdoors to curb the spread.

2. The Sunday livestream is back temporarily. We’re offering a livestream of our Sunday services for January 2022. If you’re staying home because you’re sick or quarantining, please tune in. It’s available on our Facebook Live page. You don’t need a Facebook account to access it.

3. Children’s Ministry is on pause. Since indoor childcare is the place we’re most vulnerable to spread the virus, we aren’t offering it for the month of January. Our volunteers will have activities for your kids to keep them engaged during the service. We’re also in the process of rebuilding and relaunching children’s ministry. Our plan is to roll it out the first week of February.

4. Small group meetings will be flexible. Each small group has the option of meeting indoors, outdoors, or on Zoom, depending on what would serve their members. The pastoral team is working with each small group leader to determine what’s best for their group. If you have questions or would like to discuss this, please contact your small group leader or Pastor Dustin.

We know this seems like a step backward. It feels like one to us! But God continues to move His purposes for us forward. Our pastors are available to help explain any of these decisions in more detail and offer you biblical counsel and encouragement. Please contact them if you need help.