Anniversary Celebration 2005
Monday, October 24, 2005
Dear Family of Friends,
"What on earth am I... oops! are we here for?"
That is the question we have been seeking to answer during the 40 Days of Community over the last few weeks. The most important part of the whole program is the âweâ part. We are better together. It is true. So many times we are committed to working together to get things done when God actually wants us to work together to give him glory. Togetherness is the key thought.
That leads me to announce the two reasons we want to celebrate together as the Family of Friends on the 20 of November.
First we want to celebrate what God is doing in our church family. God is doing some awesome things in the lives of our people and we want to hear about it and to rejoice with them.
Also, 26 years ago God put it in the heart of Pastor Bob Wynveen and a handful of believers to come together to start what is now Grace Church. The years have passed and the Lord has built his church. Wow, has he built his church. Someone estimated that about 2100 different people come to Grace Church in a 4 week period. Well, we want you to all come on the same day. We want you to come and to celebrate the great things God has done. What better way to do this than to do it together? So, at 9:30 AM on the 20th of November we are going to have one giant service. Yes it will be a very full auditorium but what a blessing to be together for that one service. Here is how we plan to celebrate.
- Extended praise and worship
- Fantastic special music and Guest Artist Warren Rogers accompanied by the Grace Church Choir
- First ever balloon drop right in the auditorium
- Giant anniversary cake to share in the FLC
- Photo shoot of the Body of Christ. This requires a little explanation. 1 Corinthians 12:20 says, "But now indeed there are many members, yet one body." We are celebrating the 40 Days of Community and 26 years as the local body of Christ called Grace Church. Weather permitting, we are going to draw an outline of the body of Christ on the parking lot (or somewhere on the grounds) and then we are all going to stand together inside of it to represent the Body of Christ here at Grace Church. We are going to take an overhead picture of the body called Grace and then give every family a copy of the picture and also mount one at an entrance of the building. I canât wait. Please be here and stand with us in the Body of Christ picture.
Finally, it is also time for our annual Harvest offering. We ask that you make a sacrificial gift twice a year to the ministry outreach of Grace Church. Letâs make it a love offering to the Lord for 26 years of glorious ministry here at Grace. I am ready to give my double tithe. I pray that everyone will join me. It is time to celebrate. Celebrate with us.
20th Anniversary 60 Second Radio Spot (text)
Grace Church is celebrating 20 years of ministry in Central Iowa this Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and we want to invite you to celebrate with us!
On Friday join us at 7 PM for Jamey Ragle. Jamey both inspires and motivates audiences with his unique humor and powerful message.
Then on Saturday there's an indoor carnival for the kids starting at four and a BBQ dinner starting at 5:15 PM. At 6:30 we will relive the highlights of the last twenty years and welcome back Pastor David Nelms.
And on Sunday during our morning worship services at 8:30 and 11 AM Pastor Nelms will again be with us as we celebrate God's blessings and His power in seeing lives changed and hope restored in the lives of thousands of people.
It all happens this weekend at Grace Church, located at the corner of E. 25th Street and Aurora. Everything is free and it's guaranteed to be fun for the entire family! For more information you can visit us online at gracehome.com or call 265-0199. That's gracehome.com or 265-0199.
50 Days of Love Promo Letter
September 29, 2003
Dear Family of Friends,
We are now underway with our fall spiritual growth emphasis we are calling “50 Days of Love.” Jesus told us there is no greater commandment than to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul and mind and to likewise love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Most of us have a theoretical understanding of love, but not a very practical understanding. That is the emphasis of the 50 Days of Love. It is my prayer that during the next several weeks we as a church family will grasp what it means to demonstrate our love for each other, show our love to the community in which God has placed us, and reflect God’s love to a lost and dying world.
As part of the 50 Days of Love we have developed several tools to help in the journey:
- Eight-part Sermon Series–each week between now and Nov. 23 we will study verse-by-verse 1 Corinthians 13…the famous “love chapter” in the New Testament.
- ABF/Small Group Curriculum–to expand on the topics of each week’s sermon, each ABF and Small Group will use coordinated curriculum that helps flesh out the core concepts and apply them to your life.
- Daily Devotional Series–a team of writers has worked hard to develop individual daily devotions for the entire 50 days of the spiritual journey. These will help you carry the theme of each week with you and to reflect and meditate as the Holy Spirit leads.
- Fall Ministry Fair–on November 16 we will hold our second annual Fall Ministry Fair. Our theme this year is “All Hands on Deck!” Finding a place of service within the local church is a clear expression of love, and we will help you find your place within the great ship of Grace Church! It takes a lot of people to float a boat as big as Grace Church. Everyone needs to get an oar in the water so to speak. Don’t miss this exciting event.
- Four Expressions of Love–in an effort to put the practical into our teaching series, we are encouraging each person to participate in the four expressions of love during the 50 days. These include: (1) Operation Christmas Child; (2) Share What You Wear (Nov. 20-22); (3) Each One Reach One (sharing Jesus with one person before the end of 2003); (4) Project Blessing (early December). There will be much more information on each of these outreach projects during the 50 days.• Celebration Sunday–we will conclude the 50 Days of Love journey with a giant celebration on Sunday, Nov. 23.
In addition to the 50 Days of Love, this fall also marks our church’s 20th anniversary. In celebration, we have invited back Pastor David Nelms the weekend of Oct. 31 through Nov. 2. We will kick-off the weekend on Friday night, Oct. 31 with Jamey Ragle. If Jamey was the only special guest of the weekend it would still be a huge blessing! Then on Saturday, Nov. 1, starting at 4 p.m., we will have a family festival with games for the kids, lots of food, and fun. At 6:30 p.m. we will move into the Worship Center for a time of worship, celebration, testimony and to hear a challenge from Pastor Nelms. On Sunday, Nov. 2, Pastor Nelms will preach during both morning services and we will give our annual Harvest Offering.
The Lord has blessed us in so many ways this year, and this is our opportunity to give back to the Lord and say “Thank you!” for providing so abundantly for 20 years. I want to ask you to dig down good and deep for the Harvest Offering. We have our sails set for growth and outreach so we need to harvest a copious offering to reap a bountiful harvest of souls. I am asking you to give the best offering you can possibly give on November 2nd. In the past we have given a double tithe, but let God lead you as you determine how to say thank you Lord for these 20 years. In my case a double tithe is not nearly enough to give in thanksgiving. Please help me bring a worthy offering to the Lord.
My dear family of friends–I know the next two months will be a huge blessing for each one of you. But to experience the blessings…you must be here! Let me encourage you to make the commitment now–write it on your calendar–to be here and to participate in the 50 Days of Love. We are going to talk about “What Matters Most to God.” Love is the subject, so make it a point to not miss a single event. I’ll be looking for you Sunday.
God Bless,
Pastor Phil
Testimony
Philippians 2:9
“Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name.”
We have hit on many topics this week: reputation, integrity, honesty, gossip, and character. The Ninth Commandment, “Thou shalt not bear false witness,” touches each one of these issues. The following poem is a good summary for this week’s topic and a helpful reminder as we seek to live our lives as men and women of integrity:
It came from your father,
It was all he had to give,
So it's yours to use and cherish,
As long as you may live.
If you lose the watch he gave you,
It can always be replaced;
But a black mark on your name,
Can never be erased.
It was clean the day you took it,
And a worthy name to bear;
When you got it from your father,
There was no dishonor there.
So make sure you guard it wisely,
After all is said and done;
You'll be glad the name is spotless,
When you give it to your son.
–Anonymous
Fellow Christian, the Name you bear is the Name above all other names…Christ. As you move ahead in life make sure you bring honor and glory to His Name. Guard His Name from the shame of gossip and half-truths. Live with honest and integrity.
Application:
- In what ways have you been fooling yourself regarding purity?
- Ask God to examine your heart. What has He revealed to you?
Holy Spirit, search my heart and examine my mind;
reveal to me impurities in my life so that I might bear fruit for God’s Kingdom.
Examination
Jeremiah 17:9-10
“The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.
Who can understand it? I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind.”
It’s difficult to write a week’s worth of devotions on truth and lying without the incredible image of President Clinton flashing into our minds. Regardless of your political persuasion and whether you believe President Clinton was good or bad for America, few disagree that he was a president who served without honor. His dramatic lies to the courts, to his staff, to the American people, and to his family left a historic mark next to his name. One hundred years from now school children will not study the president who led America through the economic boom of the 1990s, but the president who lied on national television and was impeached for his lies before a court of law.
Two generations ago most Americans believed there were words to live by and words to die for. One of the sayings that was engraved on the hearts of many was “A Man’s Word Is His Honor.” This was the mantle by which parents raised their children, political leaders ran their campaigns, employees worked for their employers, and businessmen conducted business.
Unfortunately, today’s America has changed. We have talked this week about defaming another’s character, but the Ninth Commandment also addresses our own integrity.
Jesus said it this way: “Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one. (Matthew 5:37) Some take this passage of Scripture to mean that Christians are prohibited from ever taking an oath. In fact, the opposite is true. Jesus is admonishing us to realize that because we bear the name of Christ we should act as if we are always under oath. As believers our word should mean something. Our reputation should precede us, and when we say Yes we mean Yes and when we say No we mean No.
Holy Spirit, with each word I breath help me to remember that it is Your Name that I represent.