Dear Springs of Grace Church Family,

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I hope and pray that you have thought much about the thrill of you being loved by Jesus. And I pray and trust that it has been transforming for you.

Please be in prayer for Greg and Lois Lewis. One of their dear team members died this past week with COVID. It’s easy to grow weary and lose interest in praying for people who have regular needs, but let’s love well by praying for one another and keeping on lifting up one another in prayer. Pray for those with ongoing illness and trials. Please be in prayer for others who are being impacted by this virus too. Our city and state continue to experience a large number of cases, hospitalizations and a steady number of deaths. I spoke with some community leaders this week and again their testimony was that there had been no transmissions outdoors recorded in our state. That is encouraging for our outdoor services, but we ask you to continue to pray for God’s mercies and wisdom during this pandemic. As we abide in the Lord and are controlled by His love for us, we can live without fear and with hope in His kindness and faithfulness to us – the apple of His eye.

Lord willing, we will celebrate the Lord’s Table together tomorrow and I’m excited about the next portion of John 15 and how God might use it in our church family. Don’t miss the opportunity to gather with the saints and partake of communion together if at all possible. If you can’t join us in person for the outdoor service, then please join us for the livestream.

Continue to pray for our elder candidates and their families: Nate Boone, Tim Condie, Gabe Graham, Ryan McNeill, and Fred Sabatini.

We will have a church family meeting on Sunday night, October 4th at 6:00 pm at the church yard – where we will have an opportunity to ask questions and hear from the elder candidates. You are free to ask them questions individually or as they visit different community groups over the next weeks.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: PLAN ON JOINING US NEXT SUNDAY (September 27th) FOR A FELLOWSHIP MEAL FOLLOWING THE SUNDAY MORNING SERVICE. WE WILL HAVE THE CALAVERAS FOOD TRUCK HERE AND MEALS WILL BE FREE FOR SOG ATTENDEES THAT DAY. There will be adult options and a couple of kid options. If you don’t like Mexican food or wish to bring your own – feel free to do so and stay around and fellowship. We will start serving around 11:00 am. This is a great time for us to be together outdoors and hopefully encourage one another.

Take some time Saturday or Sunday to pray and/or fast for these items above.

Join us for our outdoor service this Sunday morning at 9:15. The livestream service will begin at 10:45. You can find the link to tomorrow’s livestream service at our website – www.springsofgrace.church

Pray for our nation and the church to lead the way in love and peace in these days of deep political and social conflict. Pray for our brothers and sisters around the world who endure many more conflicts and challenges. Ask God to help us to not live as if we were all that mattered! Pray for the spread of the gospel in our city and across our world. Continue to be in pray for our youth group as we have refocused our efforts towards our neighborhood and church family and begun meeting again. Be in prayer for those planning Spring Kids as well. Please be in prayer for our missionaries – in Ukraine (Carrie and Sveta), the Philippines (Greg & Lois Lewis Family), the Middle East (Nic and Renee), Thailand (Dorothea), and the Peters family as they prepare to go to Albania. Also, be in prayer for Sergey and Nina Alekseiev in Eastern Ukraine. Continue to pray for the Condies (for Tim’s mom). We are thankful for answering prayer on their behalf. Pray that God would meet with us tomorrow.

Michelle Sabatini is now serving at the church as secretary a couple of days a week. If you call the church number at 918 516 8728 on Tuesdays or Thursdays – she would be happy to help find answers for any church questions you might have.

If you have questions or needs, please let us know. Striving to be His church, by His grace, for His glory.

Love you very much,
Pastor Joe