You Make the Difference - Tips on Gathering Well

Hello Grace Church family + friends. Gathering together on Sunday mornings is and always has been a very important part of our church's ministry. And a successful Gathering will always be corporate endeavor.  So here are some thoughts on gathering well... Be Intentional: Our mission + vision drives all we do: "Grace Church is a community of changed people committed to serve + renew the Greater Dunedin area with the movement of the Gospel." Everything we do is to this end and it can be summed up with one key word, discipleship (Matthew 28:19-20).  So, when we come to a Grace Church Sunday morning Gathering, let's remember #WHYWEGATHER  and come with an intentionality to grow, to learn, to serve, to give, to encourage, and to worship.  Do not come solely for social reasons. Do not come to be entertained. And do not come out of some begrudging sense of obligation (whether to God or to your church community).  Come because the MOST SATISFYING OBJECT in the universe has invited you to come and experience Him the best way one can... together, with other seekers. Be Committed: Another key component is to come regularly. Of course, we won't be able to make it church every single Sunday. Life happens; and there are plenty of good reasons to miss church. But I encourage each of you to make our Sunday Gathering a core part of your weekly routine; and to make regular attendance a priority. God most certainly isn't to be viewed as an "add-on" to your weekly endeavors and, therefore, neither should His people (nor our involvement with His people). "Let us not [give up or forsake] meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encourage one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching" (Hebrews 10:25).  Also, a huge momentum-killer is a low turnout to church meetings. So, when you come, your presence and participation can do a lot for our church's forward momentum. Please consider that and realize what a crucial part that plays in the kingdom-building cause of our mission + vision. Be Punctual: Also, and related to that, being on time is also very important. When a large percentage of the Sunday morning crowd is 10 to 20 minutes late, unintentionally, a negative message is sent to our new comers and visitors. When our meeting space feels empty at 9:56am, it's not a pleasant feeling for a first-timer and, more importantly, no one is there to greet them and make them feel welcomed. And they can very easily get a sense that corporate worship may not be a priority to this group of people. Obviously, that's not the case for us and we don't want any new comers to feel awkward, so let's do our best to be on time. Be Curious + Expectant: Come ready to learn and grow through our times of teaching, our corporate worship, and our interaction with one another.  And may I encourage you to invest your mind and prayers into our teaching series and/or topic. Remain curious, ask lots of questions, and expect to learn something new. Also, give some thought to the text and/or topic ahead of time. Listen to the Grace Church Podcast to catch up if you missed a week. Consider doing some of the extra readings recommended throughout the series. Check the blog  and our Facebook page for more resources and quotes. Etc., etc., etc. The more personal effort you put into our Sunday Gatherings the more you will receive. I promise!  So, remain curious and come ready to be challenged, encouraged and equipped. In summary...  Coming with intentionality and expectancy while remaining committed and punctual will greatly help our Sunday morning Gathering experience together.  Let's keep going! May we experience all the spiritual growth and vitality we possible can together!  All are welcome. Sundays at 10am (DHS). Grace + Peace, P. Heath P.S. Oh...and invite a friend to join us!

Remember the Reason for the Season - Church Planting!

“It is more blessed to give than to receive.” ~ Jesus, Acts 20:35

Merry Christmas to all the friends, supporters, and encouragers of Grace Churchof Dunedin!  

Christmas is always a fun (and busy!) time of the year - family, friends, Christmas songs, claymation, Rudolph, stockings, eggnog, shopping, Adam Sandler's Hanukkah songs, mistletoe, Christmas lights, sparkling grape juice, etc.  In addition to all those jolly activities, the times of corporate worship during Advent Season are always some of my most favorite.

A lot of Christians talk about keeping Christ in Christmas and come up with great ways to remember the advent of our Lord; but have you ever considered how Christmas and church planting go together?  Yes, as Christians, Christmas is a special/sacred time to remember the gift of Christ; but it should also be a time of remembering why he came!  What is “the reason for the season?”

According to Isaiah 9:6-7, Christ came in order to bring the Kingdom of God to earth; and with that Kingdom comes peace, redemption, and life as it should be.  Verse 7 concludes with stamp of God's zealous promise to do it.  In the New Testament we learn that God's plan to "do it" is the through the expansion of the church, i.e., church planting (Matthew 28:16-20; Acts 1:7-8; 15:41; 16:5; Matthew 16:18)!

So, this Christmas season, may I encourage you to consider giving the gift of church planting.  There is still much Kingdom work to do; and the Gospel transforms lives and communities primarily through local churches.  As one leading missiologist, C. Peter Wagner writes, “Planting new churches is the most effective evangelistic methodology known under heaven."

Of course, you can GIVE to Grace Church!  We have a lot of preparations still to complete that can only get done through additional income.  Every dollar helps, no gift is too small to make a difference in building the Kingdom!  You can mail your donation to:

Grace Church

PO Box # 421

1350 County Road 1

Dunedin, FL 34698

You can also donate online HERE.

But, if not Grace Church, consider giving the gift of church planting elsewhere.  Or simply give your gift to Grace Church designating it as "church planting".  We are often giving to other church plants, locally and abroad, and this donation would quickly be put to great use!

 On behalf of the other Grace Church elders, James Gleichowski and Steve Lee, we wish you and your family a most blessed Christmas! We also hope and pray that your partnership in building the Kingdom through church planting will mirror the redemptive love of our Savior who went to where the people were, cared for them with compassion, and spoke to them the good news of the kingdom.

Please Pray:

We are still dreaming big and praying big, believing God can and will use Grace Church in mighty ways.  Prayer is the number one means to any movement of God's Spirit. PLEASE be praying for Grace Church, our leaders, and our mission.

Thank you for praying for Grace Church!

If you have any questions about Grace Church or how you can help us with this church plant project, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Why Plant Churches?

"A vigorous and continuous approach to church planting is the only way to guarantee an increase in the number of believers, and is one of the best ways to renew the whole body of Christ."  ~ Timothy Keller

Listen to Timothy Keller on Why Plant Churches?  You can also read the article here.

Give the Gift of Church Planting!

“It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
~ Jesus, Acts 20:35

Merry Christmas to all the friends, supporters, and encouragers of Grace Church of Dunedin! 

Christmas is always a fun (and busy!) time of the year - family, friends, Christmas songs, claymation, Rudolph, stockings, eggnog, shopping, Adam Sandler's Hanukkah songs, mistletoe, Christmas lights, sparkling grape juice, etc.  In addition to all those jolly activities, the times of corporate worship during Advent Season are always some of my most favorite.

A lot of Christians talk about keeping Christ in Christmas and come up with great ways to remember the advent of our Lord; but have you ever considered how Christmas and church planting go together?  Yes, as Christians, Christmas/Advent is a special/sacred time to remember the gift of Christ; but it should also be a time of remembering why he came! 

What is “the reason for the season?”

In our current teaching series, Thy Kingdom Come, we've been learning about the Kingdom of God, why Christ came and is coming again, and what it means to live in his kingdom in the here and now.  According to Isaiah 9:6-7, Christ came in order to bring the Kingdom of God to earth; and with that Kingdom comes peace, redemption, and life as it should be (i.e., shalom). Verse 7 concludes with stamp of God's zealous promise to do it.  In the New Testament we learn that God's plan to "do it" is the through the expansion of the church, i.e., church planting (Matthew 28:16-20; Acts 1:7-8; 15:41; 16:5; Matthew 16:18)!

Give the gift of church planting - give to the cause of the kingdom!

So, this Christmas season, may I encourage you to consider giving the gift of church planting.  There is still much Kingdom work to do; and the Gospel transforms lives and communities primarily through local churches.  As one leading missiologist, C. Peter Wagner writes, “Planting new churches is the most effective evangelistic methodology known under heaven."

Of course, you can give to Grace Church, because we are still a new church plant!  We still have a lot of goals that can only get done through additional and continual income.  But, as you know, we eagerly desire to come along side and help other young and new church plants, laboring intently to see lives redeemed and communities renewed.  We have given money and resources away to several new plants and organization during the past 10 months; the last recipient (of $1200.00) was Unveiled Church in New Port Richey.  (We are excited about what God is doing there!  Please pray for them!)

So, prayerfully consider if there's anything extra you can do this holiday season.  There's much Kingdom work to do!  As you are probably well aware, there are 3 Ways to Give to Grace Church.  Remember, every dollar helps, no gift is too small to make a difference in building the Kingdom!

On behalf of the other Grace Church elders, James Gleichowski and Steve Lee, we wish you and your family a most blessed Christmas! We also hope and pray that your partnership in building the Kingdom through church planting will mirror the redemptive love of our Savior who went to where the people were, cared for them with compassion, and spoke to them the good news of the kingdom.

Thank you for praying for and laboring with Grace Church!

grace + peace,
Heath


P.S. In order to receive your 2012 tax-deduction, your end of the year gift needs to be in by January 31, 2012.

For more on giving to Grace Church and questions about our budgets, please email James@GraceChurchofDunedin.com.