Pastor Paul's Paragraphs

"IT'S ALL ABOUT CONNECTING"

      Think about the following: Sunday School, Sunday morning services, Sunday evening service, Wednesday night prayer meeting, home groups, The Master's Men, Friend to Friend, and Grace in Action activities. What do they have in common? You're right - they are all church meetings. However, there's something else. Oh, yes, add to the list weekly staff meetings, deacons meetings, school board meetings, and new member classes. Now what is the common thread?

      Now add after-church pot lucks, lunch together at the local restaurant, game times, coffee time, small group discipleship meetings, and breakfast Bible studies one-on-one. What do all of these have in common? Oops, forget a few items: prayer hot lines, home visitation, hospital visitation, and shut-in-visitation. Look at the complete list again and tell me the common denominator.

      The common denominator is found in the word CONNECTING. Everything we do around here is being focused on one of three goals:

1. Connecting people to Christ - sharing the Gospel
2. Connecting people to community - equipping people for service
3. Connecting people to people - encouraging love toward one another

      Our church constitution says, "The object of this organization shall be to glorify God in the following: acceptable worship, the promotion of united prayer and praise, the cultivation of the spiritual life, the edification of the saints, the fellowship of true believers, and the maintenance of a testimony for Biblical Christianity." Can you see all the CONNECTING happening in the midst of what our constitution defines as our purpose statement? Acts 2:42 in the NIV says, "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer."

      So, are you CONNECTING here at Grace? Are you connecting to Christ? Are you connecting to community through increased Bible knowledge and service? Are you connecting to people and connecting to the many new faces here at Grace?

      It is my privilege to be your new senior pastor. I trust as I grow and learn and share that we can grow and learn and share together. The plaque in my new office reads, "We may never do it perfectly around here but we will always do it together." It is all about CONNECTING.

      Pastor Paul

Kids Korner - Pastor Greg

      Ephesians 4:15-16 says, "But, speaking the truth in love, [we, the people of God] may grow up in all things into Him who is the head - Christ - from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love."

      To see the Body of Christ in action, one needs to look no further than our recent Harvest Festival. Once you factor in the people who donated candy and cakes, there were 100 or more people involved in this year’s Halloween alternative activity. Praise the Lord!

      Just think of the teamwork involved in such a project:

• Donations of Cakes for our Cake Walk and Candy for the Treat Bags.
• Harvest Festival Prep Night where we stuffed treat bags with Gospel tracts and Church information; where we strung marshmallows for the "Marshmallow Munchies" booth; where we prepared posters and the "Operation Gratitude" cards; where we opened candy bags and filled ice chests (what fun THAT was!); and much, much more!
• The Youth Group that prepared for a Gospel Skit called "Kingdom."
• A Decorating Crew that did a masterful job transforming the Gym into a harvest-themed spectacle!
• Pastor Paul’s expertise with the sound system set-up.
• The Singles’ Bible Study Group that came together to imagine and make a reality the "Walk the Plank" pirate-themed room that was enjoyed by so many!
• A mighty group of prayer warriors who lifted up workers and children through the night.
• An amazing group of people who worked that evening: welcoming each family as they arrived, running the game booths and inflatables, preparing and serving food from the kitchen, judging the best costumes, presenting the "Kingdom" skit, overseeing the "Operation Gratitude" project, setting up the Gym and tearing it down just a few hours later. The list could go on and on and on.

      Gauging numbers is quite difficult with an endeavor such as this, but it is a thrill to report that around 400 children participated in this year’s Harvest Festival. Add to that number the moms, dads, grandmas, grandpas, friends, workers and more and the total is probably around 800 people. Praise the Lord! Many canned goods were collected for the Olivehurst Family Resource Center and hundreds of Gospel tracts were distributed through the night. I am grateful for the opportunity to present the Gospel to the children midway through the evening. My prayer is that God would take that Seed and plant it into the hearts of those who were there. May God give us a HARVEST of souls!

      Many thanks to all of you who were a part of this year’s effort. A special word of thanks to Vicki Gasperoni for her tireless work in assisting me get ready for the night. May God bless you all richly for taking your part and demonstrating the unity of the Body of believers here at Grace Baptist Church. You were a tremendous testimony to our community.

      Pastor Greg

Teen Talk - Pastor Greg

      Beginning this Fall I have had the opportunity and privilege to work with our Youth Ministry. While I am not the "Youth Pastor" per se, I am working very closely with the teens and with the youth ministry team to develop and maintain a program that is not only beneficial to them spiritually, but fun and enjoyable as well. I teach the Teen Sunday School class each week and it has been a real blessing.

      We have begun to put a stronger emphasis on the "In Focus" brand so that we may stay better connected to our purpose for ministry. "Focus" is an acronym for the 5 purposes we have learned in the last year. "F" stands for "Follow," which refers to DISCIPLESHIP. "O" stands for "Offer" which refers to WORSHIP. "C" stands for "Connect", which refers to FELLOWSHIP. "U" stands for "Used of God", which refers to MINISTRY. And "S" stands for "Show" which refers to EVANGELISM.

      Our Mission Statement is: "In Focus Ministries exists to show students God’s love and His plan of salvation, to connect them with other Christians, to challenge them to follow Christ in all they do, and to train the following to offer themselves to be used of God." All that we are striving to do in youth ministry can be found in that statement.

      One of the opportunities we are very excited about is our Bible study material on Wednesday nights. It is the "Student Edition" version of the "Life Together" material many in our church are using for the Home Group Bible Studies. It is DVD-driven, which allows me to focus on children’s ministry on Wednesday night, and it has a fantastic journal that the teens use to interact with the weekly truths they are learning, in addition to providing a prayer guide, Bible reading schedule, memory verses, and more. I praise the Lord for this resource.

      I am grateful to the team of youth workers God has given to minister to our teenagers. They are a dedicated bunch and God is going to bless them. Please pray for them, for me, and for our teens. These are critical days, days of decision, days of choices with life-long and eternal consequences. It is my desire that we be as effective as we possibly can be to meet the needs of our teenagers in a way that glorifies God and exalts His truth above all.

      Pastor Greg

Remember To Vote On Tuesday,
November 2

      To help you make intelligent choices in the upcoming elections, here are some sources that offer information, including nonpartisan voting guides, that show where candidates stand on issues important to the Christian community.

Thanksgiving and Praise

Sunday, November 21 6:00 PM

      We will have a time of thanksgiving and praise in song and worship. A dessert fellowship will follow so plan to bring your favorite dessert to share.

Thanksgiving Holiday Schedule Changes

1. No Wednesday evening services (Adult, Children or Youth) on November 24.
2. Church office will close at noon on Wednesday, November 24, and be closed Thursday and Friday, November 25 & 26.

Calendar of Events

Click on the highlighted dates - the events are shown on the right.