Dear Springs of Grace Church Family,
Grace to you and peace. We are planning on having our gathering outdoors tomorrow morning at 10:30. Please bundle up and join us. The weather will be a little cold, but the forecast isn’t too bad. It should be a special day. If you can’t join us for the outdoor service, we will also be streaming live the service at 10:30 as well.
We have worked on a plan for meeting indoors at the Rose Bowl – perhaps starting as soon as November 1st that would allow a good deal of space to spread out. There are still some details to work out.
Tomorrow morning, Lord willing, we will be worshipping together, and a part of our service will be the commissioning and sending out to Albania of missionaries Shaun and Hae-Jean Peters. I am excited to be preaching on “From the Neighborhood to the Nations”
Please pray for this special time.
I want to ask you to continue to pray for those in our city, state and world that are being impacted by the pandemic. There are a record number of active cases in Oklahoma and 1 out of 10 of those active cases is requiring hospitalization. In speaking with medical personnel in our church – the hospitals are at capacity and staffing needs are at critical levels. Pray that the Lord might send a reprieve – that He might end the spread of the virus or give wisdom and grace for those dealing most directly with it and that He might let His people lead out in showing love to others in these days.
I have read often of how the church thrived during world-wide pandemics in the past – as Christians, because of the real and abiding hope (a better possession and better inheritance) were willing to take personal risks and make personal sacrifices for others. Those expressions of love overwhelmed the lost world. Would you join me in praying that the Christians at Springs of Grace and around the world might love in these ways again?
Please pray for our nation during this election season. Pray for those who have their citizenship in heaven to live and act like it, as we seek what is best now.
Please continue to pray for our elder candidates. If you have any particular concerns about an elder candidate that you would like to share, you may pass those on to one of our current elders (Joe Blankenship at b2himglory@gmail.com or Jared McCoy at JMcCoy@metroca.com ). The elder candidates are available for questions individually at our community groups and before or after services over the next few weeks, if you have follow up questions or additional ones. You will also be hearing from each of our elder candidates through a 10-minute life testimony and some written comments that we will be posting to our website soon. Gabe’s and Tim’s and Fred’s are already available.
Continue to pray for these men and their families: Nate Boone, Tim Condie, Gabe Graham, Ryan McNeill, and Fred Sabatini – as we work through this process.
Please join us for worship at 10:30 am tomorrow outdoors or by livestream. You can find the link to this week’s livestream service at our website – www.springsofgrace.church or here: https://youtu.be/OJIakIgh0B4
Plan on joining a community Group tonight and as a part of community groups consider joining us for our book study of Side By Side.
Make sure you mark your calendar for our FALL FESTIVAL FELLOWSHIP planned for the evening of November 1st.
Please continue to pray for Sergey and Nina and their family as they minister in Eastern Ukraine. Pray for Carrie and Sveta and the Ministry of Agape House and Fimiam Church. Pray for Nic and Renee Gathers as they minister in the Middle East. Pray for Greg and Lois Lewis and their family as they serve in the Philippines. Pray for Dorothea Schulz and the ministry of Shear Love in Thailand. Pray for Faces for Hope in Tanzania. Pray for the staff of One Hope as they lead out in ways to love our neighborhood. Pray for the ministry of “Under the Bridge” on Thursday nights. I’m so thankful for the team that served food and ministered gospel conversations to 40 or so this past Thursday night! Pray for the ministry to the Day Center. Pray for our ministry to moms who have lost a child through miscarriage or otherwise. Pray for those in our church body who can’t join us regularly for our services.
We rejoice over the new visitors God has been bringing. Consider taking one of these families to lunch with you and hearing about God’s work in their lives.
Keep checking on one another. Love each other well and may that love for one another stir us towards risky love for others.
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