January 25th, 2023

“Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”

(Read Luke 5:1-11) 

Capernaum’s lakeside view was breathtaking. The shimmering sea glistened, reflecting the sun’s brilliance. The crowd was pressing in on Jesus anxiously wanting to hear what he had to say. Meanwhile, Simon Peter and Andrew were washing their nets after a long night of fishless fishing.  

Jesus stepped into Simon’s boat so he could preach back to the crowd on the sandy sea. Oh to have been there, Jesus preaching words of life, words of hope, words of restoration. When the sermon was over, Jesus asked Peter to do something strange to the ears of the fisherman. “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” This was not just strange, this was crazy. Simon had fished these waters at night because that’s when you catch fish, yet last night they caught nothing. 

“Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”

God reveals himself in many ways - like in His creation. But other times, God reveals himself in special or specific ways. Theologians called it “specific” or “special revelation.” Think of the burning bush, where God reveals to Moses how he is going to use him with Pharaoh. Think of star-counting when God makes himself known to Abraham by having him look to the stars as counting his descendants. Think of flopping fish on a lake when God reveals himself to Simon. God reveals Himself to us in His Word. (more on this in Bible study this Sunday). 

Simon did what Jesus told him, he rowed out to deep water and dropped the nets. Suddenly, the water churned with silvery flashes, the slimy lines tugged, and the manicured nets began to snap. And Simon? Well, the rugged professional fisherman knew that only God could do such a thing! Simon fell on his face at the knees of Jesus. “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” What else can you do in the presence of God? We do the same knowing repentance is not just reserved for Sunday morning, instead we live a life of repentance. We ask God to forgive and he does. Our Lord Jesus Christ did something that sunny day that changed Simon’s life forever. Suddenly nothing else mattered- not the fish, not the nets, not even the boats. The only thing that mattered was Jesus, God in the flesh, who took Simon fishing.  

So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything, and followed him. -Luke 5:11

See you Sunday I can’t wait! 

Pastor Austin 

What is Connect Hour?

"They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and prayer."

Acts 2:42

Connect Hour is the time between the 9 am service and the

11 am service when we "connect with one another and connect with God's Word". Grab a coffee and your favorite donut while you connect with other church members, then meet with your designated group to connect deeper with God's word. Connect groups begin at 10:15 am.

One Sunday a month will be a designated "Fellowship Sunday" with coffee, food, and extra time to meet and connect with one another.

Adults Connect- Pastor Austin will lead the adults in connecting in the Word and fellowship with each other.

High School Connect- Our High School Youth leaders will meet with our 9th–12th grade students.

Middle School Connect- Miss Susan and Kristina will continue to meet and connect with our Middle School Youth in 6th–8th grade.

Kids Connect- Our upper elementary students in 2nd–5th grade will continue to learn from Miss Missy using the Hands-On Bible series. Our adorable littles in preschool–1st grade will continue to meet with Miss Debra learning Bible stories and doing crafts. Our Grace Nursery will be staffed for our youngest little churchgoers, newborns up to 3 years old. We've got it all covered so that you can participate!

We highly encourage you and your family to invest your time in Connect Hour! You WILL be blessed!

The Connection Section

Who is Serving in Kids' Church &

Connect Hour Ministry?

We are looking for additional volunteers to help with Kids' Church.

Please see Missy for details and to get on the rotation schedule.

(I promise these sweet kiddos don't bite!)

Simple Supper Success!

Our fabulous Grace Fellowship crew served a hot meal to 72 people

in our community at the Methodist Church in Eagle.

THANK YOU to everyone who contributed to this outreach by providing food and for being the hands and feet of Jesus!

Praise God for this amazing blessing!

Kids' Night Out=Lots of Fun!

Thank you to all of the wonderful volunteers who made Friday night a night to remember for the 34 kids we served! Question of the night by many kids, "When can we do this again?!" Book your calendar for Friday, March 17th!

Kids, it's your time to serve! If you signed up to serve this Sunday, please arrive by 8:45 am and find Ms. Missy to check-in.

Help support Corazon de Esperanza

by participating in the

10th Annual Snowshoe for Peru 5k!

• Saturday, February 4th @ 10 am
• Sylvan Lake State Park
• Click to register and for more details - snowshoeforperu.com

Fellowship Sunday

February 19th, from 10:00–11:00 am

Ti Amo Theme Brunch Potluck

Bring your favorite brunch foods to share

while we fellowship with one another!

Bible Study/Sunday School will resume on January 29th when we kick off

Connect Hour between services.

We look forward to connecting to

God's word and one another!

Click or scan the QR Code to download the

Grace Fellowship App from our website.

The Calendar at a Glance 

• January 29th, 5th Sunday Kids' Service at 9 am

• January 29th, Connect Hour Launches for all ages (details above)

• February 4th, Snowshoe for Peru at Sylvan Lake (details above)

• February 5th, Author and Speaker, Lisa Marchetti , Visits (details above)

• February 12th, Leadership Board Meeting @ 12:15 pm

• February 19th, Fellowship Sunday, Ti Amo Brunch (details above)

• February 22nd, Lent Begins, Ash Wednesday Service 6 pm

Sunday Services

January 29th, 2023

9:00 or 11:00

-or-

ONLINE

KIDS' CHURCH at 9:00 am service

(Ages 3 through 5th grade)

Kids' Church follows the kid's sermon. They will further explore the day's sermon theme with their group. We can’t wait to see them!

NURSERY

Nursery for Newborns – 2 year olds.

Nursery is open during our 9:00 am service and during Connect Hour from 10:15-10:45!

Join us on Facebook this Sunday morning at approximately 9:15 AM, or view the recording anytime on Facebook, Vimeo or YouTube.

Click the image below to connect.

LORD JESUS, HEAL OUR LAND, OUR BODIES, AND OUR HEARTS.

Please pray for. . .

• Jerry Wiisanen, Jodie Metz's father, who is dealing with challenging side effects from his transplant and cancer treatment. Pray for God's hands to continue to cover him, to give his body the strength and nourishment that it needs to recover, protection from infections, and for comfort and endurance for Jodie's mom, Brenda, who cares for him.

• Lexi Lowdermilk, who was in a serious ski accident last weekend and has suffered serious injuries. She is making progress recovering in the hospital, but please lift her up for complete healing.

• Darlee, Debra's mom, who is struggling with her health. Please pray for answers to her health issues for her and her family.

• For our Connect Hour Ministry that is beginning on Sunday, that our hearts and minds will be transformed by digging deeper into God's Word and that we will build lasting relationships through our fellowship time as brothers and sisters in Christ. Stir a deep desire in our hearts to attend and grow.

• Todd Purse, who by God's grace received a new liver last week. He is scheduled to return home for recovery in the next couple of days. We continue to pray for complete healing and restoration for Todd. We pray also for his wife, Diane, who is caring for him.

• For families in conflict, that God's peace would rule in their hearts and in their lives.



• Carol Proffitt, who has been sick and is homebound, and her daughter Pam who is caring for her. Grant them peace and comfort.

• Everyone in our congregation and their families who are dealing with the pains and trials of cancer and other illnesses including Todd Purse; Connie Kerr; Keith; Chris; Sharon Hlavinka; Rance Ketterling; Darlee, Amanda; Jerry Wiisanen; Rosemarie; April; Suzanne, Mary's sister-in-law; Bonnie Lamotta; and Aaron.

GOD'S WILL BE DONE