The Connection Newsletter

The Connection

Issue No. 23 October 2018

Potluck / Movie Night – Thursday, October 18 ^th at 6 pm

Everyone is invited to an evening of fun and fellowship while feasting on good food and enjoying an inspirational Christian movie. Bring your favorite dish to share; coffee, tea, hot cocoa and water will be provided. Serving begins at 6:10 pm, movie “Faith Like Potatoes” will begin at 6:30 pm. Please RSVP to Noah & Nancy Yates’: 858-209-9097 or nancynoahyates@sbcglobal.net so we have enough seats for everyone! Location: 11359 Travis Place, Mira Mesa.

HOMELESS OUTREACH

The poor and the homeless won't always be forgotten and without hope .

- Psalm 9:18 (CEV )

Because of your generous giving every Sunday, we were able to assemble 40 “Hygiene Kits” at the Town Hall meeting. These are to keep in your car and give to someone you encounter who is homeless, living on the streets of San Diego. We were able to distribute the rest of the “Hygiene Kits” for give away the following Sunday. We will be assembling more of these for the holiday season and make them available to put one in your car to give to someone God leads you to. Grace Chapel’s Senior Leadership thanks YOU for your generous giving so we can expand God’s Kingdom and bring blessings to others less fortunate.

ENTER IN: sermon series

The book of Joshua is the story of God making good on his promises. God is dependable and can be trusted to keep His promises. Each week we’re looking at how God kept His promises to Israel and will keep them with us as well.

As a church, God is leading us to Enter In to His promises, to make us fishers of men. To be productive workers in His harvest. Matthew 9:35-38 says, “Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.’"

God has called us to Love Jesus , to Journey Together , and to Bring Hope to those who are harassed & helpless. Since July I have been asking the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest field in Mira Mesa, Scripps Ranch, Rancho Penesquitos, and Poway.

After the beginning sermon of this series I challenged you to stand with me, to Enter In to the harvest field together. This is because I believe God is challenging you to do some things beyond your desires or abilities. God saw your heart as you stood to indicate, “You can count on me to Enter In with you Pastor Bill!” Together we will Bring Hope to those He has compassion on, because they were harassed & helpless. Brothers & Sisters, I need you to stay committed to journey with me, and trusting God and His promises. I love journeying with you.

The Lord of the harvest is sending us out as workers, into His harvest field.

-Pastor Bill

Our Newest Ministry Partnership

Pastor Bill & Leah will be away in Houston Oct. 12–14 for training to become the area directors for this vital ministry. Hope Family Care walks with families who have lost a child as they learn to navigate their pain and grief while bringing hope and healing. Each family is supported through personal communication, receiving of Hope Bags, family retreats and events, support tailored to their individual needs, and connection with other families who have experienced a similar loss. We believe no family should have to walk through the loss of a child on their own. Hope Family Care Ministries provides community that families need as they move forward though their loss in a healthy way. For more information on this ministry we are partnering with go to, hopefamilycareministries.org

BECOMING FISHERS OF MEN

As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." - Mark 1:16-17

For the first part of Jesus ministry He primarily spent time developing relationships and revealing His identity to His initial followers, rather than trying to reach the masses. His challenge to His disciples was "Come, follow me. " During this foundational phase He prepared them for the ministry ahead by building an environment of love, trust and acceptance. Jesus’ example is what gracechapel‘s leadership modeled our first two years after.

Jesus began the second part of His ministry by challenged His disciples to become "Fishers of men.” Their responsibility was to reorganize their priorities so they could follow Him. Jesus’ responsibility was to equip them to serve in His name. gracechapel is now in this ministry training phase. Following Jesus’ example, we are formulating discipleship processes that will equip you to be an effective influence in your home, office, classroom, workplace, circle of friends, team, or anywhere else a committed follower of Jesus is needed to Bring Hope .

Our end goal is to be a Great Commission healthy church that is regularly winning people to Christ, building them up in their faith, and equipping them to reach their peers. Therefore we need to have a “missional presence” in our community. In other words, our community needs to see us visibly “doing-good” in Jesus’ name. Mira Mesa needs to know something great is happening at gracechapel, so missional activities are a high priority. By focusing on reaching people outside of the walls of gracechapel we increase the likelihood that they will become a part of God’s Kingdom. Serving will solidify our values and draw public attention to where God is active in our community!

Jesus is making us "Fishers of men!” (Matt. 4:18-22; Luke 5:27-28)

Town Hall Meeting

The meeting started out a little rocky, with the food arriving late, but we still managed to pull it together and have a productive & informational meeting. It’s theme was “How do we Enter In?” Because God is making us fishers of men. Our discussion was limited to developing skills to equip you to fish, and to bring you to the fishing holes.

With regard to developing your skills to “fish,” we all agreed how helpful it would be to incorporate “equipping” right into our Sunday service experience. So don’t be surprised when Bill or Jerry asks us to do something, or say something, or write out something, during their sermons. These are part of equipping you to fish. These aren’t intended to make you uncomfortable and will be short, 3-5 minutes long training exercises. For instance, one Sunday they might teach us what a hook looks like, or how to bait a hook, or how to cast the line. These won’t be anything weird. Their purpose is to equip you to be a better fisherman.

Regarding the “fishing holes,” grace chapel is committed to doing different things to make Jesus known to our community. This means doing most outreaches outside of our church building and off of our church property. Things such as Family Movie Night @ MM Park, Volunteer @ Community Events, Community Clothing Drives, Community Clean-up, Neighborhood Home Repairs, Community Parents’ Night Out Babysitting, Trunk-or-Treat, VBS. These are things others outside of grace chapel can Journey Together with us. Their purpose is to make Jesus known to our community.

Our next Town Hall is scheduled for Jan. 27, 2019. Below are highlights from our meeting.

OUTREACH to our community & city :

Christmas Stars: Nov. 27 – Dec. 9

In partnership with Christ Community Church we will participate in providing 40 Christmas gift to kids-in-need in Mira Mesa elementary schools. The elementary school counselors or principals will provide us with a list of kids and their wish list for Christmas. Last year, in partnership with Canvas Church, Christ Community, Disney Store, and local stores, we were able to provide well over 600 gifts to kids in need at Walker Elementary! This year, we’ve broadened our reach to all of the Mira Mesa elementary schools, including older siblings up to age 17. The partnership’s goal this year is to add more local churches and collect well over 1000 gifts for kids!

The way it works is we will provide “Stars” with the child’s first name, age, gender, and item including size if applicable. A star represents one gift and each child has 4 stars with their names on them. One star is always a pair of shoes; One star has clothing; Two stars are something fun, very specific. You purchase the gift, wrap it, then lightly tape the star to the gift. The star is removed after it is inventoried. Then the gift is tagged with only the child’s name and their number on it.

Star adoption begins on Nov. 27 (let Nikki know if you’re a Black-Friday shopper, because we can get you stars as soon as the 20 ^th ). All the gifts are due by Dec. 9 when they will be taken over to CCC. Then families will pick up their gifts on Wednesday, Dec. 19 from 4–6 pm.

This a great local church partnership as we Journey Together to serve children & families throughout our community.

ReGeneration Church: December 16

We continue our Local Mission Partnership with Regeneration Church in Ocean Beach. We support Pastor Mark & Lindsey Porter at ReGeneration Church in Ocean Beach as our local missionaries. We’ll meet at grace chapel at 3p then leave to OB to get things set up to provide a meal for homeless and addicted . The event starts at 5p with a Christmas theme. We’ll supply the food and we’ll also help distribute a ton of clothes as well. There could be between 70-100 people who will show up! After we serve, we’ll stay for their service afterward. We’re serving Together with ReGeneration Church to Bring Hope to those who live in hopelessness in that area of our city.

Serve Our City: December 23

This will be our own outreach to the Mira Mesa community. This is still under development, but the plan is to do something to serve our community that Sunday. We had a lot of input at the Town Hall Meeting regarding this and he consensus was that we should do this outside of our church walls, inside of our community. This outreach is designed for all of us to Journey Together to make God visible to families in our community.

Pastor Bill needs all of our help planning and serving at this event. So, please let him know “I can help” the next time you see him. Better yet, email him to let know “I want to help!” bill@gotograce.org

Children's Carnival: March 30, 2019

At this outreach we want to open our building & grounds to have a fun carnival for kids in our community. We envision creating some handmade skill games (ring toss, corn hole, etc) , kid’s crafts, music, prizes, maybe a couple of food trucks or food vendors. We also want to get the community businesses involved in this event by providing some of the prizes and food.

The goal of this outreach is make Jesus known by reaching young families in our community. Again, every one of us is needed to participate, to Journey Together to make this a great event!

Easter: April 21, 2019

The Children’s Carnival will include an invitation to join us for Easter! So we want Easter Sunday to be a children/family friendly day, that also glorifies Jesus’ resurrection. This outreach will certainly inched music and testimonies, and may include such things as a candy egg hunt, candy goodie bags, bible stories, and family prize giveaways. Again, we seek the community businesses’ involvement in this event. The goal of this outreach is make Jesus’ resurrection life known to young families in our community. So we all need to Journey Together to insure this outcome!

Why We Should All Work in the Church Nursery - by Melissa Edgington

I remember when Emerald was tiny, and I was completely overwhelmed with my life. I had a first grader, a preschooler, and a new baby, and I couldn’t wait for those glorious two hours on Sunday when I could drop all of them off in their various classes and go have some adult conversation, without any tiny hands grasping for my dress, my hands, my hair, or any other body part. For two hours, I was my own, at least physically. I thanked God for those blessed men and women who volunteered to take a needy baby out of the worn out hands of her ragged mother, those saints who were willing to handle the crying, the spitting up, the diaper changes and the bottles. It was a magnificent ministry to exhausted, overwrought mothers like me.

Yet, the nursery always seems to be a touchy subject in churches. Everyone has their own ideas about how it should function and who should work in there. Some churches have more resources than others, some have more small children than others, some have an easier time finding volunteers than others. Just a few days ago I ran across an online discussion about church nurseries, and tired young mothers were declaring that they shouldn’t have to volunteer there, that other people should step up and take care of the babies and small children so that these exhausted moms can enjoy their time at church, one of the few respites that they get in their long week.

I understand why they feel this way. I have felt that way myself at different stages of life. But, there’s an important reason why mamas should continue to volunteer, even if it means that once or twice a quarter they will be rocking babies or playing with preschoolers during the church service. And that reason has nothing to do with the fact that churches need that young mama demographic to help out (although they do). The reason mothers should help in the nursery is because it gives us a chance to serve one another.

Who can better sympathize with an overwhelmed, somewhat depressed, sleep-deprived, dark-circles-sporting mother than one who is there herself? Who will be most sensitive to a mother’s needs and concerns? Other young mamas, of course. Who sees most clearly how frightening it can be to drop off a baby for the first time? Who can most sincerely take a young mother’s hand and say, I’m with you, sister. I am just as tired as you are, and there is solidarity in the two of us caring for each other’s children in the name of Christ.

Now, these young mothers can’t carry this task of serving one another all alone. We often hear older mothers saying that they’ve already served their time in the nursery. We hear men claim that the nursery is a woman’s territory. We hear young married couples say that they aren’t equipped to handle small children. But young mothers need help. They need our ministry and and our assistance and our encouragement. They need us to say, Just get here, sweet girl, and we will take care of the rest. It really matters. And it sets up a pattern in that family’s life–one of regular church attendance, of reliance on the church, of children who love to come to God’s house.

Sometimes we tend to think that when we are in the nursery we’re cut off from worship. We feel like we missed church. Even those precious young mothers may claim that they simply can’t worship if they are sequestered to the nursery. But, if any of us feel that way or try to use that as an excuse not to volunteer, then we are forgetting an important element of worship: service. Coming to church isn’t just about us getting our “Jesus fix.” It isn’t about seeing what we can get out of it or waiting around to be served. One of the functions of the church is to serve each other. We should be trying to out-do each other with love and help and servanthood instead of keeping score to see if enough is being done for us.

And, yes, dear church. These truths apply to the church nursery.

So, all of us–young moms, college students, grandmothers, dads, and all–should view the church nursery as an opportunity to serve the families of the church, which is a true act of worship. And, young mamas, don’t miss out on your chance to sympathize with and help out other women who feel just as overwhelmed as you do. They need your arms, your understanding heart, your gracious overlooking of the disheveled state of their hair. They need to know that you are all in this together, and what better way to show love to your fellow mamas than to love on their babies on Sunday morning a few times a year? I don’t think it’s too much to ask of any of us, no matter our phase of life.

MINISTRY PARTNERSHIP

Bring Hope @ Walker Elem. School ( 9225 Hillery Drive)

Tutoring / Homework help is needed every Wednesday from 2:15-3:15 pm . Before tutoring, you must complete a San Diego Unified School District volunteer application and get a TB test. Applications can be picked up at the school office.

Recycling Support Walker School, by dropping off your recycled cans and bottles between 8:30-11:30 am the last Sunday of the month at Christ Community Church at 9635 Kearny Villa Rd.

Bring Hope to Homeless People

Food Distribution Thur., Nov. 1 from 2:30-5 pm , you can help sort and distribute 2 tons of food to Walker Elementary families. Just meet in the back lot of the school.

Meals - October 28 - Please bring a pot of cooked pasta, baked pasta, spaghetti, bread or rolls, soft fruits such as bananas, and oranges, chips, snacks, cookies, waters. We will serve up the pasta in to-go trays for you when you drop them off at Christ Community Church located at 9635 Kearny Villa Rd. (near Black Mountain rd. and Miramar Rd.) between 5:00-5:30 pm on October 28th. You can also stay and help deliver the food to the downtown homeless. Please be sure to take your pot back after we serve it up.

Oct. 3: Midweek Recharge 7p Monthly Worship Gathering

Oct. 7: Communion Sunday

Oct 16: Ministry Team 6p

Oct. 17: Elders prayer & fellowship 7p

Oct. 18: Potluck / Movie Night 6p

Oct. 19: God's Extended Hand , 5:30p downtown

Oct. 22: Hosting District Pastors Gathering

Oct. 27: St. Thomas using church 9a-1p

Oct. 28: Men’s Discipleship Gathering 6p

Nov 3: GraceFast Week

Nov 7: Midweek Recharge 7p Monthly Worship Gathering