Grace Church Grace Church

Celebration Offering Letter

April 2, 2001

Dear Church Family,

As you read this letter, let your heart be drawn to the final chapters of 1 Chronicles. It'€™s a time of transition in Israel as the nation says good-bye to their beloved King David and prepared to welcome a new king--€“David'€™s son Solomon. At the heart of these chapters is David'€™s concern and preparation that the people fulfill the one dream he is not allowed to fulfill--€“the building of the Lord'™s temple in Jerusalem. He knows that to accomplish this will require strong leadership and sacrificial commitment.

Turning to his son, David encourages him with these words: "€œBe strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the Lord is finished. (1 Chron. 28:20).

Like Israel, Grace Church is living in a time of transition. Looking back over the past year we have witnessed many changes, but at the same time we have seen God work in mighty ways! And now we believe the Lord is beginning to turn our hearts away from the past and He is focusing our vision on an exciting future, one that we believe will impact the Kingdom of Heaven in a mighty way.

Yes, God is for us! Last week it was with chills of anticipation that we watched the steeple to our new worship center lifted into place. Now, day and night, 365 days a year hundreds of thousands of people entering and leaving the city of Des Moines will witness this testimony to His glory! Just last Saturday a family from Cedar Rapids was making a trip to Des Moines and were so stuck by the beauty of the church they had to stop and see what God is doing here. Glory to God!

Grace Church, the Lord is saying to us: "Be strong and courageous, and do the work."€ This coming Sunday we have the opportunity to make a sacrificial commitment to the work God is doing in our presence. As a church family we will offer our annual Celebration Offering for our new worship center. Just like the nation of Israel, which sacrificed to build God'€™s temple in Jerusalem, this place of worship will not be built without the sacrificial giving of God'€™s people.

We, the elders of this church, want to challenge you to prayerfully consider your part this Sunday. We have already committed on our part to lead the way. Enclosed with this letter is an envelope for you to use this Sunday. Many of you will give your entire gift at this time, but others will desire to give above and beyond what they can on Sunday, and will so commit to complete their offering by year’s end.

Grace Church, do not be timid--be courageous! It is spring. And just as the farmers will soon begin preparing for a great harvest in the fall, so we believe God is preparing the soil of this church for a great harvest in His Kingdom. Yes, God is good…all the time God is good! We do rejoice as we look towards the future; why? Because God is For Us!

For His Glory,

The Elders of Grace Church

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40 Days of Prayer & Fasting

GRACE CHURCH

40 Days of Prayer & Fasting

March 4–April 12, 2001

“They all joined together constantly in prayer.” Acts 1:14

“With prayer and fasting committed them to the Lord, in whomthey had put their trust.”  Acts 14:23

  • Pray that as a congregation we would humble ourselves before God and confess our sins to Him so that we can worship Him in purity and truth.
  • Pray that God’s Spirit would be free to minister within the body of Grace Church and Grace West.
  • Pray for safety and steady progress on the construction of our new Worship Center.
  • Pray for the financial needs of Grace that God would continue to supply the necessary funds through the faithful giving of His people.
  • Pray for those within our church family who are sick or hurting–physically, emotionally or spiritually.
  • Pray for our Missions Family ministering throughout the world. Pray that God would give them strength and wisdom and the faith necessary to accomplish great things for His Kingdom.
  • Ask God to use the people of Grace to invite their lost friends on Friend Day, March 18. Pray that many will be saved as a result of this evangelistic opportunity.
  • Pray for our Pastoral Search Team as they seek to find God’s man to serve as our next senior pastor. Ask God to give them wisdom and discernment in all that they do.
  • Pray for our Celebration Offering on Palm Sunday, April 8. Pray that as a church family we would give both sacrificially and liberally to meet our goal of $330,000.
  • Pray for our services on Palm Sunday with Rick Amato. Ask God to fill this church on Palm Sunday with men and women who are hurting and need to hear about the wonderful Grace of Jesus.
  • Pray for our Kidz Easter Candy Scramble on Saturday, April 14. Pray that many children would come to know and understand the need for personal salvation.
  • Pray for our services on Easter Sunday, April 15, that God would use this day of victory and celebration in His church to effectively share the gospel with the hundreds of visitors we will have worship with us.
  • Thank the Lord for His continued presence in our Church and for the countless blessings He showers upon us day-after-day.

 

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End-of-Year Update Letter (2000)

December 6, 2000

Dear  ,

We wanted to take this opportunity to update you on several fronts here at Grace. First, we want to thank you for faithfully meeting each Wednesday to pray for our church and for our leadership team during this transition phase. We are blessed with a Spirit-anointed unity here at Grace and it is clear that this unity begins with our leadership.

Worship Center–Look up the Greek rendering of the words “Building Program” and you will certainly find a lot about patience! Just when we think we are on target there is another delay. The culprit this time is our roof. The goal was to begin construction of the roof in early December; instead we are looking at early to mid-January.  Unfortunately, this will set us back approximately a month. Our completion date is now June 1, 2001. It has been proven to us, however, that God is clearly working according to His timeline, not ours. Praise the Lord.

Christmas Offering–On Sunday, December 17, we will give our annual Christmas Offering. This year’s offering will go towards our worship center (Grace Church) and the new building (Grace West). The more we can pay cash for right now, the more we can save on interest in the future. Please prayerfully consider your part in this offering.

Purpose Driven–You will see the phrase “Purpose Driven Church” more and more as we work to align our philosophy with the Purpose Driven Church model. In many ways, Pastor Nelms carried us 80 percent of the way there (Grace 101, 201 and 301, for example, are all part of the Purpose Driven philosophy). In a sentence, we are working to create a balance between the five purposes of a local church: Worship, Instruction, Fellowship, Evangelism, and Service; it’s a commitment to the Great Commandment and a passion to carry out the Great Commission. If you would like to know more about the Purpose Driven Church, you can check out the book by Pastor Rick Warren (see Chris Eller).

Dr. Fred Wolfe–We are honored to have back with us on Sunday, December 17, Dr. Fred Wolfe. Fred served as pastor of Cottage Hill Baptist Church in Mobile, AL, a 6,000 member Southern Baptist Church. Now retired, Fred travels the country assisting churches and encouraging church leadership. We have asked Fred to spend some time with you, our leadership team, following the Sunday evening service. You will enjoy the casual conversation with a great man of the ministry. Please make every effort to be at this fellowship. We will meet in the Fireside Room. (Note: We anticipate this going 90 minutes to two hours, so you will want to arrange a separate ride home for your family.)

Pastoral Search Team–Our Search Team has been working diligently on a long list of names trying to find the top candidates for senior pastor. Our elders will take the top three or four names and through prayerful consideration narrow that short list down to one name. It is our hope and prayer to have a senior pastor by next summer. Pray for discernment in this search process.

This brings us current on the priority issues for December. If you have any questions or feedback on any issues, please don’t hesitate to call one of the elders.

 

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Grace Church E-mail Newsletter - December 2000

The Grace Church E-mail NewsletterDecember 2000, Vol. 2 No. 12Welcome to the Grace Church E-mail Newsletter, a monthly resource devoted to promoting the ministries and events of Grace Church. You received this because you have expressed an interest in Grace Church. If you would like to be removed from this mailing list, please see the instructions at the end of this newsletter.The Grace Church Web Site is found athttp://www.gracehome.com/Editor: Chris Ellermailto:[email protected]=======================================================CONTENTS THIS MONTH:1. December Calendar of Events2. Worship Center Update3. An Evening of Christmas Praise4. Christmas Sunday at Grace5. Project Blessing6. Pastoral Search Team7. Become a Gem8. 24-hour Prayer Chain9. Do You Have A Story to Tell?10. Help Spread the Word

December Calendar1 Communion (Evening Service)10 Home for Christmas (AM)An Evening of Christmas Praise (PM)17 Christmas Offering (AM)Grace 101 (first base for newcomers to Grace)Believer’s Baptism (PM)Children's Christmas Musical (PM)24 Candles, Carols & Communion (AM)Grace Church Schedule8:30 & 11 a.m. WorshipNo ABFNo Evening ServiceGrace West Schedule9 a.m. WorshipNo ABFNo Evening Service25-26 Christmas Holiday (Church Offices Closed)27 No Wednesday Dinner or Classes31 New Year's Eve SundayGrace Church Schedule9 a.m. ABF10 a.m. WorshipNo Evening ServiceGrace West Schedule9 a.m. WorshipNo ABFNo Evening ServiceNew Year's Eve Celebration with Sanctuary (PM)JANUARY1 New Year's Day (Church Offices Closed)3 Winter EquippingYOU Classes Start
_____|Worship Center Update |__________________________As I write to you this morning snow is falling INSIDE our worship center. Unfortunately, we learned this past week that the roof will not go on until Jan. 3 or 8. At this time it is a safe assumption we will not be in our worship center by Easter Sunday. Here are the prayer requests regarding the worship center at this time:1. Pray for the safety of the men working on the building.2. Pray that the building will get enclosed by the end of January.3. Pray that God will give us patience during this process._____|An Evening of Christmas Praise |_________________Our annual Christmas Musical will be presented on Sunday evening, Dec. 10. The Grace Church Choir and Orchestra have prepared a wide selection of traditional Christmas favorites and new songs that will both warm and encourage you during this Christmas season. Most importantly, you will find yourself worshipping the Christ of Christmas as we focus our attention on His birth and the gift of salvation that is ours because of Calvary. "An Evening of Christmas Praise" begins in the Grace Church Auditorium at 6 p.m. on Dec. 10. A Christmas fellowship will follow._____|Christmas Sunday at Grace |______________________On Sunday, Dec. 17 we will celebrate Christmas Sunday at Grace. During the morning worship service we will have our traditional Christmas Nativity scene. We will also bring our Christmas Offering at this time. Our offering this year will go towards our Worship Center (Grace Church) or new building (Grace West). Please prayerfully consider your part in this offering. We are also collecting nonperishable foods for the Central Iowa Food Pantry. During the evening service our Children will present their Kidz Christmas Praise concert._____|Project Blessing |_______________________________Christmas is the season of remembering the generosity of God, as He gave His one and only son-Jesus! We, too, desire to give during this season. Grace is a diverse church; we have people from every ethnic and economic backgrounds as part of our church family.One group of people we want to remember this Christmas season are the single parents in our church. Many of these men and women are faithfully working to support and raise a godly family on very limited funds. While they may get by day-to-day, there is very little left over at the end of the month for extras, like Christmas gifts. This is where you can help!The Women's Ministry of Grace Church is coordinating what we are calling "Project Blessing." Through this ministry opportunity, you purchase a gift certificate in the amount of $20, $40, $60 or more to a local merchant and these will be distributed on Sunday, Dec. 17 to single-parent families here at Grace and Grace West.We recommend you purchase certificates from K-Mart, Target or Wal-Mart due to the wide variety of merchandise available at these stores.If you are interested in helping a single-parent family this Christmas Season, please write BLESSING and the number and amount of certificates you plan to buy. Your gift certificate(s) will need to be received by the church office no later than Dec. 10.If you are a single-parent family and need help this Christmas Season, please write JULIE on your Care Card (or e-mail us at mailto:[email protected]) and our Project Blessing Coordinator, Julie Ennis will contact you. Be sure to include your telephone number on your Care Card._____|Pastoral Search Team |___________________________How We Are Seeking Our Next PastorOn Oct. 24, 2000, the Elders appointed the following men to serve on the Pastoral Search Team:Terry Anderson, Chair Jay Mc FarlingChris Eller David StubbsLarry Jatho Ron StubbsGreg LeoThe Search Team is in the process of narrowing a long list of potential candidates down to the top three. During this process the search team is contacting pastors by telephone and asking them to pray about the position. They are also sending a packet of information on Grace Church along with a candidate survey to potential candidates.From the short list of the top three men, the elders will prayerfully and carefully select the man they believe God is calling to serve as our next senior pastor. We will only pursue one man at a time.If the selected man agrees to candidate, our elders will invite him (along with his wife) to Des Moines for a face-to-face interview with our Elders. This will also give the candidate the opportunity to see our facilities and meet our staff.After careful prayer and seeking God's wisdom and discernment, the elders will consider whether or not this is the man God has chosen to serve as our senior pastor. If they believe he is, the elders will extend a call to the candidate. He and his family will be invited back to Grace Church, this time to meet the church family. You will be given the opportunity to hear him preach, ask questions, meet with him in small group settings, and get to know his family. At the end of this process, the elders will ask you to confirm their choice with your vote. The candidate must receive 75 percent confirmation from our congregation to become our next pastor. If you have any questions about this process, please contact Terry Anderson, 271-7773.Please pray daily for our Elders during this process. Also pray for our new senior pastor and his family. Pray that God will begin moving in their hearts and preparing them for the move approaching them._____|BECOME A GEM |___________________________________Are you interested in learning more about the Bible and how to do some practical ministry? If so, you may be interested in Grace Evangelical Ministry School (GEMS). The new semester starts Jan. 22 and runs through May 6. Classes are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday nights and Sunday afternoons. Call Pastor Colyer (265-0199) or write him at mailto:[email protected]_____|24-HOUR PRAYER CHAIN |___________________________Our 24-hour prayer chain begins Dec. 17 at midnight. Please sign up for a time or times on the wall east of the Welcome Center. We will be praying in one accord for our new pastor, our worship center and for unity in the body._____|Do You Have A Story To Tell? |___________________Sometimes it's difficult to give testimony of how God is working in your life, but testimonies are a powerful tool in the Hands of the Holy Spirit. In the past, the only real option was public testimony during a worship service. Let's face it, however; standing in front of 500 to 600 people is intimidating. Most of us would rather do almost anything. Now there is an option. Using video tape, we can record your testimony and play it during a worship service. The church is edified through your words and God is glorified. If you have been ministered to through Grace Church, if God has worked in a mighty way in your life, if you have witnessed His Power and His glory, share the good news with your church family! For more information contact Chris Eller at 265-0199 or mailto:[email protected]._____|Help Spread the Word |___________________________HELP SPREAD THE WORD about Grace Church's Monthly Newsletter. If you know of anyone who would like to receive our Update, please forward this to them and encourage them to subscribe. To subscribe, click on the following link:<<http://www.gracehome.com/mlm/mlm.cgi.>>
This newsletter is provided as a free service from Grace Church in Des Moines, Iowa. If you know of someone you think might enjoy staying informed about Grace Church, please forward this newsletter to them. If you would like to subscribe, please send an e-mail with the word SUBSCRIBE in the subject line to mailto:[email protected] you would like your name removed from this mail list, please send an e-mail with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line to mailto:[email protected]

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Procedure for Hiring New Ministry Staff Members

Grace Church 

Finance & Personnel Team

Procedure for Hiring New Ministry Staff Members

  1. Elders approve need to fill a position.
  2. Pastor (or his designee) will develop a job description for the new position.
  3. Finance & Personnel Team will begin search for a person to fill the new position based on the needs and qualifications outlined in the job description.
  4. Finance & Personnel Team will collect background information on each potential candidate, perform preliminary interviews and narrow the search to one man.
  5. Finance & Personnel Team will present the potential candidate to the pastor (or his designee) for review.
  6. If Pastor approves, candidate will be invited to Grace for an interview with the pastor and elders.
  7. If the elders agree, the job will be offered to the candidate.

 Note: This procedure applies only to ministry positions; support staff positions will be filled as needed under the direction of the executive director.

 

Sr. Ministry Position Search Procedures

Purpose

To carryout the process of searching for God’s man to serve in a senior ministry position with Grace Church.

Definition of Senior Ministry Positions

Currently, the following positions are considered senior ministry positions within Grace Church: Senior Pastor; Executive Director; Praise & Worship Pastor; Adult Ministries Pastor; Children’s & Youth Pastor.

 Parameters of Search Committee’s Authority

  1. Operate under the authority of the Elders
  2. Only make recommendations to the Elders
  3. The Senior Pastor will serve as chairman of the Search Team. (In the absence of a senior pastor the Elders will appoint a chairman of the Search Team.)

 Search Committee’s Make Up

  1. The Search Committee shall be made up of 5-7 qualified men. Each man will currently serve as an elder or be spiritually qualified to serve as an elder.
  2. The Chairman of the Search Committee will serve as Grace Church’s primary contact with all potential candidates.
  3. The Chairman of the Search Committee will serve as spokesman to the Elders on behalf of the Search Committee.
  4. The Chairman of the Search Committee will serve as spokesman to the congregation on behalf of the Elders and Search Committee.

The Search Committee’s Budget

The Search Committee will have at its disposal funds from the General Fund budget for the purpose of completing its task. These funds will be used for reimbursement of travel expenses incurred by Committee members in searching for a pastor and travel expenses to bring a candidate and his family to Des Moines as needed. 

Search Process

  1. Senior Pastor (or his designee) will prepare a job description for the position.
  2. Search Team will begin to search for a person to fill the position based on the needs and qualifications outlined in the job description.
  3. Search Team will collect background information on each potential candidate, perform preliminary interviews and narrow the search to one man.
  4. Search Team will be invite the potential candidate to Grace for an interview with the Elders.
  5. If the Elders agree, the job will be offered to the candidate.

 

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